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Chapter Text

"No one can know what really happened."

"You're going to lie about this?" Plagg asked. "Adrien, do you think that's smart?"

His hand balled in a fist as he stared at his father's lifeless body. He was angry—absolutely heartbroken—that his own father could treat him this way, could hate his own son so much. Gabriel never saw Adrien as his son, despite all his protections and precautions put in place all the young boy's life. He was just a means to an end, another puppet for his brand to control.

Adrien finally had enough.

"My father abused me for years. He hit me. He starved me. He said horrible things to me. He manipulated and controlled my entire life. Since the day I was born, I never had a choice. I was told what to say, where to be. What to eat, what not to eat. What to wear, how to pose. I have never been my own person because of my father. Even if he did all of that, he is still Gabriel Agreste. The most powerful and respected man in Paris. And I'm... I'm just a kid. No one would believe me."

"Adrien—"

"Besides, there's consequences for this kind of thing. I'd go to jail. How is that fair?! Why should I be punished for what he did to me?!"

Plagg took his holder's words to heart. For years the poor creature had been forced to endure the boy's abuse from his horrible father without being able to intervene. He could only sit and watch, helpless. "So, how are you going to explain this to everyone? Your father's expected in another country by tomorrow morning!"

"There's only one person who can help me." Adrien grabbed his phone. She'll understand.

His kwami saw her contact photo and his eyes widened. "What are you doing?!"

He dialed her number and raised a shaking hand to his ear. His phone almost slipped as he whispered, "Marinette, I need your help... my father is dead. You can't tell anyone."

Chapter Text

One Month Before

Adrien Agreste was the perfect son.

He never disobeyed his father or went against his wishes. He never talked back or raised his voice. He always did what he was asked, even if he didn't want to. He couldn't help it. All his life, he always wanted to make his father happy.

Over the years, Adrien's father had grown distant and cold, and all the more bearing and over protective. It was ironic he claimed to love his son, yet he couldn't say his son's favorite color or his hobbies or how he really liked his pancakes.

Adrien tried to understand. His father turned this way after his mother disappeared all those years ago. Her body was never found and no one could give an explanation for her going missing. Adrien had found a way to move on and keep living, but apparently his father didn't. He couldn't, and the son desperately tried to help his father.

But nothing worked, nothing helped. Gabriel Agreste couldn't bear to look at his son anymore. He only saw glimpses of his lost wife in his son's eyes, and it pained his heart to live another day without her by his side. So, he locked himself away in his office, away from his son, and spent years searching for a cure, for special jewels.

Gabriel still loved Adrien, deep, deep down in the void his heart was lost in, and he swore to Emelie to always protect him. Somewhere over the years, though, he mistook protection for imprisonment, and the definitions for 'son' and 'puppet' blurred together.

"Adrien?" Nathalie, Gabriel's assistant, called out as she knocked on his bedroom door. "You don't want to be late. Your photoshoot—"

The door swung opened and cut her off. Adrien stood there, wide awake, with a glare meant for her. "I'm awake," He snapped, pushing past her as he slumped downstairs.

"Your father isn't available for breakfast this morning," She explained as she followed the young model. "But he is free for dinner."

With his back turned, Adrien rolled his eyes. "I already lost my appetite."

"Once your photoshoot is over, you have the rest of the day free. You... you should do something fun. Go hang out with your friends."

"Oh, Father will allow it today?"

"Your father is busy with meetings all day, and since you've kept your grades up all school year, he's rewarding you with a day out."

He snickered. "Rewarding me? Right..." Before he left, he turned to Nathalie and said, "My grades have always been excellent, just in case you forgot."

"There was that zero your science teacher gave you," Nathalie reminded him. "Just in case you forgot."

Adrien remembered that day all too well. He was supposed to be working on a science project with his best friend, Nino, and he couldn't focus when Marinette ran out of the classroom, crying her eyes out. He chased after her to the locker room and comforted her, and learned that her pen pal in China had passed away. They talked in the locker room for an hour, missing the rest of class, and their teacher wasn't kind or forgiving for skipping the lesson. Marinette and Adrien received a zero for their assignment and the model was grounded for a month.

"T-That was—" He started to defend, but stopped. It didn't matter what he said. His father didn't listen before and he didn't expect Nathalie to now. "Nevermind."

"Oh, and Adrien, your new diet starts today," She told him as she checked something on her tablet. "Your nutritionist has been informed, so when you get to set, they'll have a special breakfast set aside for you."

Great, another diet. Adrien didn't say anything. He walked out and slammed the front door shut.

***

Adrien had been posing in front of bright lights and cameras for two hours now, and this 'special breakfast' he was promised was nowhere to be found, neither was his nutritionist.

His head went fuzzy for a second and he fought passing out in front of the crew. Just a little bit longer, he thought to himself. Then you can find something to snack on.

Guilt brewed in Adrien's conscience. He wasn't allowed to eat anything without his father approving it first. A model's diet was very strict and eating the wrong thing could ruin your career. At least, that's what Gabriel always told his son.

A model always had to be perfect. Adrien always had to be perfect.

The photographer raised his hand and shouted, "Okay, let's break for lunch! We'll meet back in thirty minutes."

Finally. Even if Adrien couldn't eat yet, he still wanted a break. He rushed past the crew and fans and paparazzi that waited on the sides for a conversation or his autograph and ignored them. He headed into his dressing room trailer and shut the door fast. I hate my life.

Two knocks echoed on the door.

"Can't I get a moment's peace?!" Adrien mumbled harshly to himself as he stomped over to open the door. He was about to go off in an angry rant when he saw his sweet and kind classmate. "Marinette?"

"Hi, Adrien," She greeted with a big smile that made his heart skip an extra beat. "Uh, the photographer told me you were having lunch in here. Mind if I join you?"

"Of course." Adrien stepped back and let her in.

About a year ago, Adrien had convinced his photographer to make Marinette a part-time Designer Consultant, since he had previously called her many times before to fix and alter his outfits he had to model. With an official title, Marinette had access to every photoshoot and set and could come and go as she pleased.

In between shoots, they would hang out in his trailer and talk, play video games, and one time, hid there together during an akuma battle. Rena Rouge had to come and save them (and by saving them, she actually had to get Marinette alone so she could transform into Ladybug).

Adrien was glad he had someone he actually liked to talk to during his shoots.

"How's the shoot going?" Marinette asked as she placed a paper to-go bag from her parents' bakery on a table. "I see you're dressed as a...pirate?"

"Actually, I'm supposed to be a vampire," Adrien corrected, turning in the mirror to stare at his ridiculous clothes and ridiculous makeup. He liked the eyeliner, though. "French It! Magazine is having a Halloween special next month and I'm on the cover... of course."

She sighed with a frown. She hated seeing Adrien so miserable. "I see you still haven't told your father you don't want to model anymore, huh?"

"I-I try, but I just can't seem to say the words."

"Don't worry. One day you will." Marinette started pulling food out of the to-go bag. "I made us turkey sandwiches and potato crisps. Would you like to try some?"

"I..." Adrien stared at the food on the table. That definitely wasn't on the diet his father made him go on. "Uh—"

"I've been trying new recipes for potatoes and after a few disasters in the kitchen, I finally did it!" She opened a container and the sweet smell of warm and seasoned potatoes filled the room. "I wanted you to try them first."

It smells so good. Maybe just a tiny bite. Adrien shook his head. No, that's too much. He frowned. "I-I... I can't eat that."

Marinette gasped softly and looked away. She noticed Adrien hadn't been eating her cooking for a while, and every chance she offered to share with him, he always rejected her. Did Adrien think she was a bad cook? Did he not like her food? Yes, that had to be it. "Oh... okay..."

Adrien saw the sad and disappointed look on his friend's face. I hurt her feelings! "I-I didn't mean it like that, Marinette!"

"Am I a bad cook?"

"No, of course not!"

"If you don't like potatoes, I can always use a new recipe—"

He stepped forward and grabbed a turkey sandwich and the plastic container of potato crisps. "I would love to try your cooking."

She smiled. "Really?"

Adrien smiled reluctantly. "O-Of course. We can even watch a movie, if you want?"

Marinette nodded and grabbed her food. They sat on the couch together and watched a movie. Adrien looked over and saw a big smile on her face, and was glad he was able to cheer her up.

His hands shook as he lifted the turkey sandwich to his mouth and took a bite. He chewed slowly and resisted the urge to spit it out. He grabbed some potato crisps and tossed them in his mouth. Marinette's cooking tasted good, but despite that, he was afraid of how his father would react when he found out his son strayed from his diet.

A timer beeped from Marinette's phone. "I guess lunch is over," She whispered with a sad smile. She gathered their trash and threw it away.

"Are you staying?" Adrien asked, hopeful she would.

She nodded. "Of course. The Designer Consultant never rests!" She giggled and waved. "I'll see you out there, Adrien."

As the door closed behind her, Adrien jumped up and locked it. He pressed a button on his stereo and loud music played throughout the trailer.

Father would be furious if he found out, Adrien thought to himself as he made his way to the tiny bathroom. I have to do this.

He knelt down by the toilet and raised a hand to his mouth.

Chapter Text

Three Weeks Before

Adrien dodged Kagami's attack and leapt to the side, spinning just in time to poke the tip of his fencing sword into her protective padding.

The coach called the match and the two teens took off their masks and faced each other.

"Congratulations, Adrien," Kagami said as she bowed her head to him. "You're getting better."

"Thanks to my incredible partner," He said with a smile. "I couldn't have gotten this far without you."

A blush crept on the shy girl's cheek, but she quickly hid it as she looked away.

The two went to change and met back together outside the school.

As Adrien waited for his ride, he looked around absentmindedly and found himself staring at the bakery. The thought of seeing Marinette made him smile, but he quickly frowned as his bodyguard, whom he nicknamed 'Gorilla' as a child, pulled up in the car. He wouldn't see Marinette today.

"See you next time, Adrien." Kagami parted with a tiny wave and began walking.

He watched her and noticed her ride wasn't here. She was, in fact, walking towards the bus station. "Kagami!" He called and chased after her. "Isn't your car coming for you?"

She shook her head. "No, my mother is out of town, and took the transportation."

Adrien opened the back door of his car. "Let me give you a ride home."

"Thank you, Adrien."

"It's no problem."

After dropping his fencing partner off, he checked his phone and winced. He was twenty minutes late. Father won't be happy about this.

Gorilla pulled into the front area of the mansion and parked the car. He hand froze on the door handle. He was afraid to go inside. Closing his eyes tight, Adrien pushed through his fear and climbed out and slowly made his way up the steps and through the front door.

Gabriel was already waiting in the foyer and as the door shut behind his son, he coldly said, "You're late, Adrien."

"I-I'm sorry, Father," He said as he cleared his throat, and began to explain, "Kagami needed a ride home. We were just dropping her off."

His father stepped forward and smacked him across the face. "I didn't ask for excuses! You're supposed to be home when I tell you to! You take advantage of this freedom I give you and for what? For you to disobey me?"

What freedom? Adrien didn't react. It would only make things worse. "It won't happen again."

"I hope not. Go up to your room. You're going to bed without dinner."

It wouldn't be the first time. As Adrien started walking upstairs, he made eye contact with Nathalie as she stood in the open door of his father's office. He glared at her. Of course she won't do anything. She hasn't before.

Adrien entered his room and was tempted to slam the door, but decided against it. It would cause more harm than good. He closed it softly instead. He laid out on his bed and grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

"You're almost eighteen, Adrien," Plagg said out of nowhere as he floated by his holder's head, who sat the pillow aside. "Stand up to your father! Shout back at him! Hell, swing back at him!"

"H-He's my father, Plagg," Adrien whispered and wondered why he was trying to defend a heartless man.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I must be new to this world. When has it ever been okay for a parent to hit their child?!"

He sat up and placed a hand over his kwami's face. "Keep your voice down, Plagg. I'd like to avoid another interaction, if possible."

Plagg sighed. He turned and glared at the door, raising a paw. "One word and I could end his life."

"Don't you think that's taking it too far?"

The kwami shook his head. "I had no mercy for the dinosaurs and I won't have mercy for your father, either."

Adrien rolled his eyes with a chuckle. He raised a hand to his swollen cheek, still red and puffy. It still stung. He walked over to the window. He wanted to be anywhere but home right now. "Plagg, claws out."

***

Marinette strolled throughout the city as she tried to find new inspirations for her designs. She's had artist's block for almost two weeks now and hadn't sketched anything new.

She sat on steps in front of the Eiffel Tower and sketched it, again, for the three-hundredth time. Bored, she sighed and tapped her pencil against her sketchbook. I've drawn this a million times already. There has to be something more interesting than this.

A black figure jumped overhead.

"Cat Noir?" She questioned out loud and followed him with her eyes as he ran across a roof and sat on the ledge. He let his legs dangle as he stared out, unaware of the girl sitting below.

She noticed he looked... sad.

What kind of partner would she be if she let her kitty stay sad?

Marinette put her sketchbook back in her backpack and stood up. "Not sad kitties on my watch."

"What are you doing, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"I'm going to cheer up my kitty."

"Is that safe? After what happened with Glaciator? Andre was akumatized again last month because he saw you and Cat Noir hanging out at the movies," Her kwami reminded her.

The Guardian raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, I'm not allowed to be friends with him?"

"You don't want to be friends with Cat Noir, though," Tikki teased. "Remember?"

Marinette thought back on the night she confessed to Tikki she was catching feelings for the masked cat. She blushed hard and shook her head. "I-I'm in love with Adrien. Cat Noir's just a crush."

"He's also your partner."

"I can like two people at the same time, okay?!" She defended as she crossed her arms.

Tikki sighed and hid back in the purse.

Marinette waved her hand. "Cat Noir!"

His ears twitched as he looked around. I could've sworn that sounded like Ladybug.

"Down here!"

Cat Noir looked down and saw Marinette. He immediately smiled and extended his baton to her. She grabbed on and laughed as he raised her to him. He grabbed her hand and helped her on the ledge with him. "Looking for trouble, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"Always. So, out on patrol?"

He shook his head. "No, but I probably should be."

"Why? Because Ladybug would rather you be protecting the city than talking to some random civilian?" She teased.

Cat Noir was still holding her hand and lifted it. "You are not some random civilian, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." He kissed her knuckles.

She fought a blush and said, "Well, if it makes you feel better, I might need some saving, anyway. I'm really clumsy, you know, and could fall off this roof."

"Oh yeah?"

"And then you'll have to save me."

"Obviously."

"If you can catch me in time."

Cat Noir raised his right paw and promised, "Trust me, I always will."

A playful smirk grew on her face.

He frowned. "No, not again. Please?"

Marinette ignored him and stood up on the ledge. She took a step forward and jumped off. Without a second thought, Cat Noir dove off headfirst and caught her. He used his staff to stop their impact on the concrete and extended it up. They landed back on the roof.

"I hate this game," He gasped in relief, exhausted.

"Oh, come on." She nudged her arm against his. "It's kind of fun."

"Not the first time we played!" He shouted, then laughed. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Just think of them as trust falls. Besides, it's nice to know I can always count on you."

Marinette didn't know why she started this little 'game' between them, but she had to admit she liked the adrenaline rush when she was falling, and she was flattered that Cat Noir always jumped to her rescue.

"For my sake, please don't jump off roofs anymore," He begged.

She pouted. "Fine. I'll think of something else."

Cat Noir shook his head. "And we're not playing tag in traffic, either."

"You're no fun." Marinette laughed and scooted closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder. Over the years, they had grown closer and she felt could truly be herself around him, with and without the mask. It wasn't a surprise she caught feelings for her partner, but her heart was also shared with a certain blonde model. She loved both with all her heart and didn't know how to choose between them.

Cat Noir studied her face closely as she was lost in thought. "What are you thinking about?"

"The boy I'm in love with."

His eyes widened at this. Marinette's in love? "Someone finally caught the heart of Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Please, do tell."

"Remember what curiosity does to the cat?" She teased as she flicked his bell.

Cat Noir leaned in close with a grin and whispered, "I'll take my chances."

"Have you ever loved two people at the same time?"

He smiled at her. "Yes."

"What did you do?"

"I haven't done anything... yet."

Marinette looked over and asked, "Why not?"

"Because..." Cat Noir stared out at the city and sighed. "I love them both deeply. I don't want to hurt either one."

"I feel the exact same way. I fear saying something will hurt one of them, but not saying anything is only hurting me."

"So..." Intrigued by this new information, he asked, "Who's the second guy you're in love with?" Does he happen to have blonde hair and green eyes?

"Careful, Kitty," Marinette warned. "You don't want to stray too far. Who knows what curiosity will do to you?"

Cat Noir wrapped his arm around her shoulder and started playing with her hair. "Like I said before, Marinette, I'll take my chances."

Chapter Text

Two Weeks Before 

Marinette stood by the front steps of Collège Françoise Dupont and waited for Adrien. She held two ham and swiss croissant sandwiches from the bakery, still warm. 

His car pulled up and she was already waving as Adrien climbed out of the backseat. He waved back with a smile. 

Being friends for years now had really helped Marinette and Adrien get more comfortable with each other. 

The young girl never stuttered, stammered, or went off track whenever she spoke to Adrien. She started treating him like a friend—and not an obsessed-crazed fan like before—and really got to know him. She learned his favorite movies, books, and music. She learned how many languages he spoke and the hair products he used. Marinette learned those things by Adrien sharing those things with her, and not her finding out on her own. Whenever she thought of her old ways, she cringed—rightfully so—and vowed to never treat Adrien, or another crush, that way again. Thankfully for her, she was already friends and partners with Cat Noir when she started crushing on him. 

As for Adrien, he began to see Marinette in a new light. He knew she was special, and not just a simple friend anymore. No, she was someone he trusted with his secrets—well, most of them, at least—and he could always count on her. He saw past her shyness, her clumsiness, and knocked down her guarded walls. He got to know the young girl for who she truly was and what he admired most about her: bravery, dedication, creativity, loyalty, determination, and selflessness. Adrien slowly fell in love with Marinette over the years and she became someone he respected and loved most. 

"Good morning, Adrien," She said with a big smile. 

"Good mor—" He paused as he noticed the good-smelling sandwiches in her hands. His stomach growled immensely. He hadn't eaten anything in almost a day. "Those smell amazing." 

"Thank you. One's for you." 

As she handed him the extra sandwich, Adrien hesitated to take it. If I eat this now, I don't have to eat later. He had convinced and trained his brain into believing at least eating once a day was better than eating nothing at all. Some days, though, he didn't follow this rule. But today, he was hungry and a very pretty girl was offering it to him, so he couldn't say no. 

“I woke up extra early to make these," She added. 

"I love you," He blurted out before he could give his brain permission to speak. 

Marinette giggled and unconsciously tucked loose hair behind her ear. Adrien had gotten more comfortable being affectionate with her—after all, they were very close now—so she never took his sweet words too close to heart. Though, sometimes she couldn't tell if Adrien was flirting or simply being nice. 

Adrien was flirting with her. 

Now for the real reason I was waiting for Adrien... All night she tossed and turned, wondering what to do about her two crushes, and she had decided on confessing to Adrien. How could she know for sure if she was never honest about her feelings? She pushed down her fear and cleared her throat. "I-I also wanted to talk to you about something... before class starts." 

He paused mid-bite. "What's up?" 

"Actually, somewhere more private." 

Adrien understood and nodded. He followed her to the school's boiler room. Whenever they needed privacy—for who knows what—or a break from Lila and Chloe, they'd come here and spend their time together. 

“So, what did you want to talk about?" Adrien asked as they faced each other. 

You can do this, Marinette. "Something that's been on my mind a long, long time." She emphasized that word with a raised eyebrow. 

"How long is long?"

"Years."

"Damn."

"Almost four years now, actually, since I first met you," She admitted. 

His eyes widened. "I've been on your mind for that long?!" 

She smiled. "Yeah..." 

Adrien bit back a grin. "You've been on my mind a long time, too," He confessed. 

Now Marinette's eyes widened. "What?!" 

He frowned and quickly added, "And if you're going to say what I think you're going to say, then I have to let you know that... I have feelings for you, too."

She gasped. "F-Feelings?! For me?! I, uh... uh..."

"But I'm also in love with someone else."

There's another girl. Of course. Marinette sighed and looked away. "You can always read me like a book, Adrien Agreste. You were right. I-I was going to tell you that I have feelings for you, too."

Adrien sadly smiled. 

"But just like you, I'm also in love with someone else." 

He remembered his conversation with her as Cat Noir from last week. Marinette said she was in love with two guys. If Adrien was one of them, then who was the other? 

"I love both of you so much." 

"I feel the exact same way. The other girl I'm in love with is just as brave and incredible as you are, Marinette, but I'm conflicted on what to do. You're both amazing and important people in my life. I don't want to hurt either of you." 

"If she makes you happy, why don't you try to make things work?"

"Because you make me happy, too." 

She smiled as a blush crept up. 

"What about you? If you really like this guy, why don't you pursue him?"

"Because I really like you, too." 

Adrien smiled and said, "Seems we're... stuck." 

Marinette laughed. "Yeah, I guess we are."

"We both love each other—"

"And also another," She finished. 

"How do we figure this out?"

"I suppose dating two people at the same time isn't really ethical, is it?" She jokes. 

He chuckled, then sighed. "I couldn't... I couldn't hurt you both like that."

Curious as a cat now, Marinette stepped forward and asked, "So, this other girl, what's she like?" 

Adrien thought about his lady and smiled. "You two are similar, actually. Brave, confident, selfless." He raised his arm and scratched the back of his neck. "Not to mention, beautiful."

He must be talking about Kagami. "Almost sounds like we're the same person," She whispered. 

I wish. It would definitely make things easier. 

"And the other guy you're in love with?" He asked. 

Adrien didn't care what curiosity did to a cat. He wanted to know the other boy's name. 

"I-I'd like to keep his identity a secret for now, if that's okay," Marinette explained. "This is all new to me and I don't want to ruin it before it can even start." 

"I understand completely." 

"All I'll say is that he makes me laugh—a lot—and that's why I fell in love with him." 

Adrien stared at her, quiet. Marinette was an amazing girl. She deserved only the best. He could be that for her, if his heart didn't also beat for another. He had no idea how he was going to choose between Marinette—his sweet longtime friend—and Ladybug—his loyal partner. No matter what, someone was going to get hurt, and he'd rather it be himself than either of his ladies. 

A thought crossed his mind. "So..."

"Yes?"

"Am I still allowed to flirt with you?" 

Marinette laughed and hearing that beautiful sound made him smile. "You can if you want to." 

"Of course I want to, and you can flirt with me, too, if you want."

She nervously smiled and shook her head. "I-I'm not really a great flirter."

Adrien couldn't help but think of that day on the roof when—as Cat Noir—he helped her practice confessing her love to 'Buttercup' and tried not to laugh or break into a smile. 

Wait...

Was Buttercup a code name for Adrien or the other guy she's in love with? Thanks to his secret identity, unfortunately, he couldn't even ask her. 

"Well, if I ever go too far, please tell me and I'll stop." 

"Go too far?" Marinette repeated with a laugh. "What, are you gonna rent out an entire movie theater or a helicopter date ride around the city?" 

"I was thinking of just buying you a flower shop, but those work, too." 

Marinette rolled her eyes and laughed.

Chapter Text

One Week Before

Adrien sat in his bed with his phone propped up on his knee. He was watching an anime Nino had recommended and was eating snacks: some gummy bears, two chocolate bars, and a family-sized bag of potato chips. 

He knew he shouldn't eat that stuff, but he couldn't help himself. His father sent him to his room without dinner—again. 

How did Adrien get the snacks, though? 

After the kitchen staff left, Plagg snuck downstairs to the kitchen pantry and brought the snacks up to Adrien. The kwami did offer to share his cheese, but his holder half-joked that he'd rather starve than eat 'stinky cheese'. 

Adrien ate the last gummy bear and his stomach started to knot in pain. He ignored it. 

The bedroom door swung open fast and slammed into the wall. 

Plagg managed to hide before he was seen, and Adrien threw his blanket over the wrappers, but his phone was still in his hand, playing a new episode of an anime when he should have been asleep already. 

"Why are you still awake, Adrien?!" Gabriel shouted as he stormed over and forced the cellphone from his son's hand. "And what is this crap you're watching?" 

"It's an anime," Adrien defended. "And it's a really good show. If you took the time—"

"Is this what you waste your time doing? Watching pathetic, stupid, poorly written TV shows instead of reading, or practicing piano or your Chinese lessons?" 

He scratched his arm, unable to make eye contact with his angry father. "I already do so much. Why can't I have this?" 

"Excuse me?" Gabriel asked, stunned. "What the hell did you say to me?" 

"N-Nothing, I just—"

His father raised his arm and backhanded him across the face. Adrien's head bounced off the wall. His bottom lip was busted and bloody. "Don't you ever talk back to me! I am your father!"

Adrien stared up at his father, frozen in fear with wide eyes. 

Gabriel sighed and shook his head. "I don't like being the bad guy, Adrien. You know the reason I do this is because I love you. Your mother only wanted the best for you and I want to give you that." 

He raised his hand and Adrien flinched. 

Gabriel rested it on his son's shoulder. "I want to turn you into a young man your mother would be proud of. Don't you want to make your mother proud?" 

Adrien nodded. "Of course I do..." 

"Then why do you disobey me?" He asked. "Why do you go against my wishes when I only want the best for you?" 

This is the best? "It won't happen again." 

Gabriel patted his cheek. "Good. Now, get to bed. You have a busy day tomorrow." He set his son's phone on a high shelf and turned around and walked out. 

Plagg flew over to his holder. "I'm sorry, Adrien. I should've warned you, but I was distracted by that show you were watching. I didn't mean to get you in trouble." 

"He would have found a way to get mad at me, anyway. It's not your fault." 

"I can't wait until your father's gone. When's his business trip again?" 

"Next week, but he's only gone for a few days," Adrien answered. 

Plagg crossed his paws. "Still, that's a few days without that waste of breath." 

Adrien chuckled. His phone beeped and his kwami grabbed it for him. An akuma alert. This was his favorite time, despite how cruel that might sound, because he was able to get away from his responsibilities and more importantly, his father. 

"Plagg, claws out." 

Cat Noir stuffed some pillows under his blanket to make it look like he was sleeping in case his father came in. Then, he leapt out the window and followed the sound of screams and destruction. 

Ladybug joined his side as they raced towards the battle. 

"Isn't it past your bedtime, Kitty?" She teased. 

"You know us cats sleep during the day," He joked as if everything in his life was well and fine. "We get the zoomies at night." 

With a smirk, she said, "Well, then let's zoom-ie our way over and defeat this villain." 

Cat Noir's eyes widened as he smiled. "Your pun's are getting better and better, Milady." 

"Thank you. I learned from the best." 

They jumped off a roof and landed outside the Louvre. A new villain was wreaking chaos throughout the city. 

The heroes shared a look. 

"Ready?" 

***

"Miraculous ladybug!" 

Ladybug threw the red-and-black spotted safety cone in the air. The magic from her powers fixed everything back to normal. 

After consoling the victim, Ladybug turned to her parter and raised her fist. "Pound—"

Cat Noir stared at the ground, his arm still by his side, frowning. The akuma was purified now, which meant he had to go back home, that was the last place he wanted to be. 

"Cat Noir?" She asked softly as she grabbed his arm to get his attention. "Hey, are you okay?" 

"Huh?" He asked as he realized she was talking to him. "Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Totally." 

"Are you sure?" 

He nodded. "I-I just haven't been sleeping much."

"You know you can talk to me," Ladybug reminded him. "I know I always say our identities must remain a secret, but you can always tell me things if you need to." 

"Thanks, Bugaboo." Cat Noir stepped forward and hugged her. "I guess I'll cat-ch you later." 

Ladybug rolled her eyes at his pun and watched as he ran off. She threw her yo-yo and raced home, transforming back as she landed on her balcony. She stared up at the moon, lost in thought. 

Cat Noir had been pretty distracted during their battle today. He looked sad and heartbroken about something and she wish she knew what it was so she could cheer him up. 

Marinette sighed with a frown and leaned forward against the railing. 

*** 

Cat Noir hid in an alley as his transformation fell. Adrien handed his kwami a piece of cheese. "Eat up, Plagg. I don't feel like going home tonight."

"Where are we going?"

"I haven't decided yet," He answered honestly. "Anywhere's gotta be better than home, though, right?" 

Plagg nodded. "I bet even Shadowmoth would be better company than your own father." 

Adrien snickered. "That'd be pretty funny. Plagg, claws out." 

Cat Noir extended his staff and raised himself over the city. He dropped on a rooftop and ran. He didn't know where he was going or where he would end up, but he just kept running. 

As he jumped again, a familiar pink light caught his eye and he looked over. He saw Marinette standing out on her balcony. It was almost midnight. She probably couldn't sleep, either. 

Before he realized what he was doing, he was already heading over. "Hello."

Marinette gasped as she spun around, and her heart rate shot back down to normal when she saw Cat Noir crouching on the roof above her balcony. "Gee, you sure know how to make a girl jump." 

"Sorry," He said with a chuckle. "Feel like keeping a stray company tonight?" 

"Always." 

Cat Noir crawled over and sat on the railing next to where she stood. "What's keeping you up tonight, Princess?" 

The nickname made her blush. "A lot of things, actually," Marinette admitted as she looked up at the stars. The night sky was absolutely beautiful. "What about you?" 

Cat Noir brought one knee to his chest and let the other leg dangle. "Just some bullshit at home I really don't want to deal with." 

She glanced over. "Do... do you want to talk about it?" 

"Actually, I'd like to forget about it." 

Marinette walked over and opened the skylight to her bedroom. "How about some cookies and a couple rounds of Mega Strike Three?" 

Cat Noir smiled. He stepped off the railing and followed her inside.

Chapter Text

Three Days Before

Being grounded was something Adrien became used to, so he wasn't surprised when his father came up to his bedroom this morning and said he was grounded for the weekend. He wasn't allowed to go anywhere, which included band rehearsal with Kitty Section. He was supposed to meet Marinette, Luka, and everyone else an hour ago. 

Marinette: I'm sorry your dad grounded you again.

Adrien: It's okay. Not the first time, so I'm used to it. 

Marinette: Rehearsal's not really fun without you. 

Adrien: You enjoy my company that much? 

Marinette: Course I do. 

Adrien: I miss you, too. 

A thought occurred to Adrien. His father would be gone almost all day with the mayor. He could sneak Marinette over. It wouldn't be the first time he had. 

Adrien: Are you doing anything after?

Marinette: No, why?

Adrien: Do you want to come over and watch a movie?

Marinette: Will your dad allow me over?

Adrien: He's gone for a few hours. I can sneak you in.

Marinette thought it was romantic when Adrien would sneak her inside his home, and she liked the adrenaline the fear of getting caught gave her. She didn't know, though, the risks for Adrien doing this. She had no idea of the abuse his father reined for years. 

Adrien: Up for it, Super Marinette?

Marinette: I'll head over after rehearsal's done 

Adrien: I'll be waiting. 

***

Excitement ran through Marinette's veins as she drove on her scooter over. She parked a block away from Adrien's house and walked the rest of the way. The front gate opened as she approached it and she leaned over to see Adrien had peeked his head out by the front door. He gestured for her to run inside.

She did and he grabbed her hand. They ran upstairs to his bedroom. 

"So, what movie are we watching?" Marinette asked as she took her usual spot on the couch. 

"I saw this trailer for a really cool movie that's on streaming now," Adrien said as he opened his movie app. "It's called The Lost Butterfly. It's about this man who collects things—rocks, jewelry, famous paintings, things like that—and his most valuable collection is his butterflies. One of the butterflies is rare and special because it was his wife's favorite, and after his wife died, he became obsessed with tending to his butterfly garden. The butterfly escapes somehow and he spends the movie searching for it again." 

"That sounds interesting. Let's watch it."

"Don't you want to watch the trailer first?" 

She shook her head. "You have good taste in movies. I trust you." 

Adrien smiled and pressed play. He noticed how close Marinette was sitting to him and cleared his throat. He raised his arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, waiting for her to protest, but she didn't. Instead, she moved closer and leaned her back against his side. 

***

The end credits rolled and Marinette stood up. "I've been holding my pee for the last hour." 

"Go ahead," Adrien said as he laughed. He stood and stretched. "I'll find us another movie." 

His ears perked and his eyes snapped to the door. He heard his father's footsteps echoing out in the hall. He held a finger to his lips, silently telling Marinette to be quiet, and he pushed her to the side as his bedroom door opened. 

Marinette saw the back of his father's head and took quiet steps to the side until she was safely hidden behind the door. 

Gabriel looked at the movie credits on TV and then at the empty piano. He raised his hand and adjusted his glasses. "Why aren't you practicing the piano, Adrien?" 

"I-I, uh..." Adrien struggled to come up with an excuse fast enough. 

His father stormed up to him. "Speak clearly, son! Answer me!" 

Gabriel smacked Adrien and Marinette covered her mouth as she gasped. She stepped out from the door, determined to help her friend, but Adrien discreetly raised his hand and stopped her. Feeling useless, she hid behind the door again. 

"You are going to spend the rest of the day practicing your new piano pieces!" Gabriel shouted in his son's face. "Until your wrists ache and your fingers fall off! Do I make myself clear?" 

Adrien nodded. "Yes, sir." 

"Get to it, then." His father turned around and walked out, letting the door slam shut. 

Marinette ran over and hugged Adrien. "Are you okay?" 

He stood there, exhausted. He was sick of this, sick of his father. He pulled Marinette closer and held her tight as he cried into her hair. 

"How long has this been going on?" She asked after a quiet moment. 

"Years," He admitted. 

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I didn't have the courage to." 

Marinette rubbed his back and closed her eyes as they kept hugging. 

"I told you to stay put because I was afraid of what my father would do if he caught you," Adrien said out of nowhere. 

She leaned back and looked up at him. "I can't imagine what worse he could do to you." 

"No, I was worried about what he would do to you," He corrected. 

Her eyes widened and she frowned. "Oh..." 

Adrien stepped back and asked, "Don't you still have to use the bathroom?" 

Marinette gasped. She finally noticed her wet pants and covered her face with her hands. She was so scared after Gabriel hit Adrien, she hadn't realized she peed her pants! "Shit, shit, shit," She muttered as she sobbed into her hands. 

"What's wrong?" Adrien glanced down and his eyes widened. "Oh." He quickly looked back up. 

Marinette was crying harder, embarrassed now, and she turned away from him. 

Adrien didn't say anything. He grabbed a spare change of clothes—a black shirt, boxer shorts, sweatpants—and a towel and handed them to Marinette. He led her over to the bathroom and gently pushed her inside. He gave her a reassuring smile as he closed the door. 

"This is the worst day ever, Tikki," Marinette whispered to her kwami as she changed out of her soiled clothes. 

"Marinette?" Adrien called out as he knocked on the door. "If you leave your clothes out, I'll wash them for you."

"T-That's okay!" She choked out, tempted to try and drown herself in his shower. 

"I don't mind, really." 

Marinette covered herself with the towel and creaked the door open. She held her hand out and dropped her clothes on the floor. She slammed the door shut and took in a deep breath. 

Tikki raised to her eye level. "It's okay, Marinette. These things happen—"

"Please stop talking, Tikki." 

Her kwami frowned. 

Marinette spent ten minutes in a hot shower and quickly changed into the clothes he let her borrow. The sweatpants immediately fell down, too big for her, so she tossed them aside and stayed in the boxer shorts and black shirt, which was too big for her as well. It looked like a dress on her, stopping just at her thighs. She walked out and found Adrien sitting at his desk. 

He turned to her. Her hair was wet and sitting on her shoulders, starting to curl. Her face looked soft and she seemed more beautiful somehow. "Your clothes are almost done in the wash."

Her cheeks darkened and she stammered out. "T-Thanks, Adrien." 

He noticed her discomfort still and said, "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Marinette."

"Of course it is!" 

"No—"

"I peed my pants in front of a really cute guy I like and he even cleaned my dirty clothes! Now I have to leave Paris and change my name or go jump into traffic." 

Adrien laughed. "You're being dramatic, Marinette."

"You think?"

"Yes." He glanced down and saw her bare legs and blushed. He made eye contact again. "The sweatpants...?" He wondered. 

She looked down and felt embarrassed again. "Uh, they were too big."

"Right..." He shook his head. "I'm serious, Marinette. You don't have to be embarrassed. I-I understand why it happened. My father is a scary man."

"Try terrifying," She muttered. 

"I promise, I'm not going to tell anyone. Your secret is safe with me."

Marinette smiled. "So, I guess I'm stuck here until my clothes dry." 

"I guess you are." Adrien stood and grabbed a blanket and handed it to Marinette. 

She wrapped it around herself and sat back on the couch. "What are you working on?" She asked. 

Now Adrien was embarrassed. Spending a lot of alone time by himself led him to a few guilty pleasures, one of them being running an anonymous online blog for fanfiction he wrote about Cat Noir and Ladybug. 

"Just homework. I can finish later." He turned off his monitor and walked and sat beside Marinette. He put a movie on low volume with subtitles and kept glancing over at the door. 

"Have you told anyone about what's been going on?" 

"You're the first of my friends to know." 

"Really? What about Nathalie? Does she—" His frown gave her the answer. His father's assistant knew everything and didn't try to stop it. "Oh. I'm sorry." 

"It's okay." 

"No, it's not. Adrien, your father can't treat you like this. It isn't right." 

Adrien sunk back into the couch. "I don't know how to stop it. My only plan is to move out as soon as I turn eighteen, but I know if I do, he'll cut me off for good. Not that I want my father's money, but it'd be hard to run away and start over somewhere with nothing." 

"You know I'm here to help. We could tell someone about this."

"That would only make things worse," He whispered. "Believe me." 

Adrien had tried that before. He left an anonymous note on his principal's desk at school that said a student was being abused. All parents and families were investigated and Gabriel didn't like that authorities were snooping around and asking questions. That day his father gave him a black eye and took him out of school for a week. 

Marinette grabbed his hand. "We have to do something."

"Sometimes doing nothing is all we can do." A timer went off on Adrien's phone. "Time to put your clothes in the dryer." He stood up and left his bedroom.

Chapter Text

One Day Before

Adrien tiptoed into the kitchen and opened the pantry. His father had sent him to bed without dinner—again—and his kwami had manage to convince him to sneak down here and get something to eat. 

He grabbed a box of saltine's, a jar of peanut butter, and potato chips from the pantry and chocolate eclairs and cheese for Plagg from the refrigerator. 

He was so hungry, everything looked good, and he knew he would regret it, but he had a little trick to get rid of that awful feeling. 

Adrien got back upstairs to his room without getting caught and climbed in his bed. He pulled his blanket over his head and continued watching another anime Nino had recommended. 

"Thanks for the cheese," Plagg whispered as he sat by his head to watch. "So, what's this show about again?" 

"This man guy right here," Adrien explained as he pointed at a character, "Has superpowers." 

"So, kind of like you?" 

He nodded. "Yes, but he was born with them. Mine come from a ring and a magical kwami." 

Plagg went to say something, but suddenly stopped. "I'm sorry, kid." He immediately flew and hid under the bed. 

"What do you—"

The blanket was ripped off of Adrien and his father stood at the foot of his bed, angry. Gabriel saw all the junk food and hidden wrappers under the pillow. "What the hell is this?!"  

"I-I was hungry, Father." 

"Hungry?" He asked, like it was the most absurd thing he had ever heard. 

"You sent me to my room without dinner again." 

Gabriel took a step forward, which made Adrien jump to his feet. "Rightfully so! You know this new diet you're on is very strict. And you're eating..." He grabbed the empty wrappers and threw them at Adrien's face. "Junk food?! Do you know what this stuff does to your body? You can't just be eating this shit, Adrien! You need to maintain a perfect look for the brand. I can't have you looking bloated and big during your photoshoots. It isn't attractive." 

"I-I'm sorry," Adrien whispered, holding his hands together as they shook. "It won't happen again." 

"You're right, it won't." Gabriel took another step and towered over Adrien. He grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer, glaring with a wicked snare. "If I ever catch you eating this junk again, you can say goodbye to school and all your friends. You only have a few months until graduation, Adrien. Do you really want to spend it all alone in your bedroom?" 

Plagg watched from the cheese cabinet and glared at the back of Gabriel's head. He hated that he could only sit here and watch. 

Adrien shook his head fast. 

"Do I make myself clear?" 

"Yes, Father."

Gabriel let go of his son and pushed him back. "I leave for my business trip tomorrow, Adrien. I don't need this extra stress right now. So if I have to keep an eye on you..." 

"No! Father, you promised I could stay home!" Adrien reminded him. 

"Can I still trust you to be here all by yourself? You're up past your bedtime watching crap on your phone. You're stealing and hiding food from me. You haven't proven to me lately that you're responsible enough to be here alone." 

He shook his head. "I promise I won't do those things again. Please, let me stay home." 

Gabriel stared down at his son, quiet. He hadn't intended on actually bringing Adrien along. He had important business—miraculous business—and heard rumors of a secret location of a new miraculous somewhere deep in Brazil. He wanted to find it before someone else did. Gabriel still hadn't shared with his son that he was in fact, Shadowmoth, and didn't want Adrien getting in the way or accidentally discovering his secret identity before the time was right. 

"I'm giving you one last chance, Adrien." 

He sighed in relief. "Thank you, Father." 

"But your friends are not allowed over! No people, no parties, no get togethers. Especially not with Marinette Dupain-Cheng." 

What does he mean, especially? Adrien thought to himself, confused. 

Gabriel didn't like how much time his son spent with that girl. Her simple existence tainted the brand enough, and with her being so close to Adrien certainly didn't help. 

Instead of arguing, he agreed. "Yes, Father." 

After his father left, Adrien locked himself in the bathroom. He took care of his awful feeling. 

As his holder stood at the sink and rinsed his mouth out, Plagg floated by his head and stared at him through the mirror. He pouted and asked, "Why do you do that, Adrien? It's... it's not healthy." 

"Because I have to. It's what I deserve for eating," Adrien simply answered. 

"You're allowed to eat!" 

He frowned and whispered, "Only what my father approves." 

Plagg hissed and shook his head fast. "Your father is the most vile, hateful, disgusting, cold-hearted person I've ever met! He is truly the worst human being in the history of history—well, aside from a few wicked people—and you shouldn't listen to him!" 

"H-He only wants what's best for me." 

"You and I both know he can do better," His kwami said as he crossed his paws. "He just chooses not to." 

Adrien dried his hands on a towel and walked back into his bedroom. He looked at his window and raised his arms. "Plagg, claws out!" 

Cat Noir jumped out and ran to his and Ladybug's spot. Whenever he had a bad day, he always found comfort just sitting there, even if his lady wasn't there some days. 

He landed on the roof and sat on the ledge. He stared out at the sunset and his shoulders shook as he began crying. His eyes closed tight as hot tears ran down his mask, over his cheeks, and into his mouth. He tasted salt. 

"Kitty?" 

Ladybug stared at her partner with wide eyes. She had never seen him like this before. Without saying a word, she sat beside and hugged him. His arms wrapped around her and he pulled her in tight. She didn't ask questions. She didn't make him explain anything. 

"It's okay," She whispered in his ear as she rubbed his back. His claws dug hard into her arms as he sobbed into her shoulder. Cat Noir didn't realize he was hurting her, but Ladybug didn't say anything. She could handle it. 

She played with his hair as he calmed down and rested his forehead against hers. They stayed close like this for almost ten minutes before he pulled back first. 

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this." 

"I'm not." She moved her hand and cupped his cheek. "We're partners, Cat Noir. No, more than that. You're my best friend. I hate to see you like this." 

He smiled sadly at her. "I'm supposed to be stronger." 

"You are. You are! Whatever you're going through, whatever you're fighting, you'll be okay." 

"I hope so, Milady."

Chapter Text

One Hour Before

Adrien was counting down the minutes until his father was gone. Even if it was for a few days, a little taste of freedom was better than nothing. He wanted to see Marinette—without his father's disappointment lurking about—and he didn't care if his father forbade him from seeing her. 

Now that Marinette knew what had been going on—years of Gabriel's physical and verbal abuse—she checked up on him all the time. She called, texted, and this morning she sent over care packages from the bakery, filled with nothing but sweets and treats and a bouquet of red roses with a note for Adrien. He had managed to hide the note in time, but his father confiscated the flowers and pastries. Marinette had no idea food was an issue for him, and Adrien didn't want to hurt Marinette even more by telling her. 

Adrien and Marinette had been texting all day and evening, and made plans for him to come over and watch a movie after his father, Nathalie, and Gorilla left for their flight. He had managed to perfect his sneaking—aside from transforming into Cat Noir—with a brown wig and heavy coat Marinette made for him. That's what he planned on wearing tonight after his father's leave. 

"One more hour until freedom!" Plagg rejoiced as he flew around the room. "We can finally eat freely and watch movies and play video games!" 

I'll do at least two of those things, Adrien thought to himself as he sat at his desk, on his computer. He finished chapter twenty-two of his Ladybug and Cat Noir fanfiction, The Cat's Meow, and posted it on his private blog. After a minute, it was a hit, and comments flooded his page, begging for more. 

Writing fanfiction about himself and his partner was slightly concerning, and maybe a little odd, but it became a lifeline for him, a way to escape the horrors of home while he was still in it. Daydreaming about a better time, a better life, kept Adrien alive. These stories not only helped him, but they saved him. Without it, he would have lost his mind a long time ago, and besides, it's just fiction. 

It's not like Ladybug would ever read it. 

But she has. Marinette has. She was bored one night, scrolling through her phone, when Alya had called her and told her about this fanfiction going viral about Ladybug and Cat Noir. It had millions of hits and thousands of comments. The reporter tried to find the author for an interview, but the story was posted under an anonymous blog. 

Marinette thought it was ridiculous, at first, until she gave it a read, and now she waited by her computer every week for a new update. She had notifications set up and was now reading the newest chapter at her desk, in her pajamas, as she waited for Adrien to text her he was on his way. 

Adrien closed his blog and opened his photo gallery. He has new pictures of everyone in his life and dedicated albums to special people. Which special people? Only Ladybug and Marinette. He put two pictures of the girls side by side, smiling. 

He had no idea how he managed to fall in love with two people at the same time, but he did, and he didn't know what to do now. 

Sure, Ladybug had rejected him plenty of times before, but he noticed she was getting more flirty with Cat Noir. Maybe she was finally coming around to his charm. 

And then there was Marinette, his best friend. Over the years, he slowly fell in love with her, and once he was in all the way, he wondered why it took him so long. 

How could he choose between these two girls without breaking the other's heart? 

There was this fear at the back of Adrien's mind. What if he chose Marinette, but she picked the other guy she claimed to be in love with? Of course she had every right to, but he was still afraid of making the wrong choice. 

Adrien tried asking Plagg for help, but the kwami only suggested to either 'date both at the same time', or 'date each one every other week', or 'just give up, they're both out of your league'—which was not helpful to him at all. 

"Monster sighting in five seconds," Plagg whispered as he hid in Adrien's jacket. 

The bedroom door opened and as Gabriel stepped inside, Adrien pressed a key on the keyboard and history homework appeared on the screen. He and Adrien held eye contact as he slowly walked over to his desk. He glanced at the screen and back at his son. "Good, you're doing homework." 

"Yes," Adrien whispered, not sure where this conversation was going. "I just have a few questions left and then I'm going to bed." 

Gabriel walked forward, arms behind his back, and he stared out the bedroom windows. The sun was close to setting, casting an orange glow over the city. "After taking the current situation into consideration, I'd feel better if you came with me on this business trip, Adrien." 

"Why, so you can control me?" Adrien slipped out and his eyes widened. He only meant to think that. 

To his surprise, his father didn't turn around and scream or smack him. Instead, he said, "I don't like how much time you're spending with your friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Her little gift from earlier was unacceptable." 

Adrien glanced at the note from her sitting on his desk. He grabbed it and stood, hiding it in his trophy while his father's back was still turned. "Marinette's not a friend, she's..." He trailed off. He had no idea what she was to him. His hands balled into fists as a spark of courage passed through him. "You can't control who I hang out with, Father. I'm almost eighteen." 

"I am still your father, Adrien." 

"What has Marinette done wrong? Huh? Why do you hate her so much?" 

Gabriel turned around. "That girl is a nobody, Adrien. She's trash! Pathetic, even. You simply being in the same room as her puts a bad name on the Agreste brand!" 

"Don't talk about her like that!" 

"We Agrestes must always maintain a perfect image. No hair out of place, no stains on our clothes, no peasants among royalty. You need the best, and only the best!"

Adrien shook his head. "I don't care about my name or the brand! I never cared about my image." 

"Clearly, I can see that," His father snapped. "You're wasting your life away eating junk food, watching shows that rot your brain, hanging out with people who don't even deserve to look at you! You are so much better than the kids at school, why don't you act like it?" 

"I don't—"

His father stepped closer. "Act like an Agreste! Be an Agreste!" 

Adrien jumped from his chair. "Maybe I don't want to be an Agreste anymore!" 

"You selfish, ungrateful child!" Gabriel raised his arm and backhanded his son. Adrien fell against his desk, his head bouncing off the monitor screen, and he fell on his stomach. His father kicked his side and grabbed the back of his head as he forced Adrien to look up. "Being an Agreste is in your blood! It's your past, present, and future. Now start acting like it!" 

"No!" He shoved his father back and stood. "I'm tired of always doing what you ask! I want to do something I want to do." 

"If you just did what I tell you to, you could have the life you deserve!" 

"You're saying I deserve all of this?!" Adrien shouted as he gestured around the room. "I deserve to be locked up, screamed at, and hit?"

Gabriel's disappointing look turned into a glare. "Oh, so I'm a bad father now for wanting to protect you? For wanting only the best for you?"

"Best? What best?! Because of you, I hate my life! I hate it here." 

"If you hate it here so much, then you're coming to Brazil with us."

"No."

"Adrien—"

"No!" He grabbed his fencing sword and aimed it at his father. "I am staying here. I'm not going anywhere with you. Now get out of my room!" 

Gabriel gasped with wide eyes. "How dare you! Who the hell do you think you are, treating me like this? You would be nothing without me!" 

Adrien's hands gripped tighter around his fencing sword. He had no idea where this burst of confidence came from, but he knew he was tired of being treated this way by his father. "I said get out..." 

"Or what?" His father challenged. "You wouldn't dare. You don't have the backbone for it." 

He's right. What am I thinking, threatening my father? What is wrong with me? Adrien sighed and threw the sword on the ground. 

Gabriel leapt forward and wrapped a tight hand around his son's throat. He slammed him against the wall and got close in his face. "Don't you ever talk to me like that again! Don't you ever! I am your father and you will respect me!" 

Adrien clawed at his father's hands as his grip tightened around his neck. He struggled to breathe. 

"I made you out of nothing and gave you a wonderful life. I made you a famous model. Everything you have is because of me! Your name. Your looks. Your talent. I can take that away in an instant." 

"F-Father, please," He gasped out as fresh tears appeared in his eyes. 

He pulled Adrien back and smacked him harder into the wall. "You should be grateful for me! You would be nothing if it weren't for me." 

"P...pl...ease..." 

Gabriel paused and delivered the final blow. "If your mother saw you now, do you think she'd be proud?" 

Adrien glared at his father. How dare he bring up Mother to manipulate and hurt me?! All logic of good and bad disappeared and he didn't need a second thought. 

"Plagg, claws out!" 

Gabriel's eyes widened. 

"Cataclysm!" 

Cat Noir pressed his palm against his father's chest, near his heart, and watched as it darkened fast, his clothes and skin damaged now. His cataclysm spread from his heart, all over his chest, and up his arms. 

Gabriel started coughing and stumbled back. He held a hand over his heart as he stared up at his son. "All... this... time?" He fell over with his last breath. 

Cat Noir stared at his lifeless body. He stepped forward. "F-Father?" 

There was no response. 

Cat Noir's eyes widen as he stared with at his hands. They were shaking. "What have I done?" 

Chapter Text

Cat Noir stumbled back as he realized what he and done. He just killed his father. Not only that, but he used his powers, the same powers he used to help Ladybug and protect Paris. 

As his back hit the wall, he fell to his knees and sobbed at his dead father's side. After a few minutes, his ring beeped and his transformation fell. Adrien took Cat Noir's place. 

Plagg started with wide, horrified eyes at Gabriel Agreste's body. In all of history of past holders wielding the miraculous of the black cat, not one had actually killed someone—especially a human—with the destructive power of Cataclysm. 

The kwami had only heard rumors of this, and he thought he would never see it happen. 

Plagg faced his holder and noticed the tint of bruising around his neck. "Adrien—"

"I-I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. I... don't know what happened. I—" His shoulders shook. "I-I killed my own father..." 

"From what I saw, Adrien, it looked like your father was going to kill you," His kwami whispered. 

Adrien touched his neck. It wasn't the first time his father had strangled him. 

Plagg sat on his knee. "It was self defense, Adrien." 

He shook his head. "No, no. It wasn't. You're just trying to make me feel better. 

"I was seconds away from doing the same thing myself, Adrien! You think I liked hiding and sitting by, watching as your father abused you for years? No! I wanted to hurt him every single time, but I couldn't at the risk of your secret identity." Plagg gave him a sad, reassuring smile. "You did what you had to, Adrien." 

"No one's going to understand. No one's going to believe me."

"Sir!" A loud voice shouted from downstairs. "The car is packed. Are you ready to go?" 

It was Nathalie calling for Gabriel. 

Adrien's eyes widened. "Shit! My father's business trip!" He stood and ran out of the room, almost slamming straight into Nathalie on the staircase. 

"Adrien, have you seen your father?" She asked, glancing behind him. "Our flight leaves soon." 

"Uh..." He said the first thing that popped in his mind. "M-My father said he's going to take another flight. H-He wanted to talk with me about something important before he left." 

Nathalie's eyebrows raised. Gabriel changed his mind? He's telling Adrien now? "He's finally having that talk with you? Good, good... umm, alright. I'll see you in a few days, Adrien." 

A talk? What kind of talk? "Have a safe trip, Nathalie." 

Adrien watched her leave, and as the front door shut, he ran back to his room. He walked back in and with sight of his dead father again, his stomach turned and he ran to the bathroom and threw up. 

Plagg floated over and pat his back. "It's going to be okay, Adrien." 

"How can you say that?" He snapped. "My father is dead! Because of me..." He threw up again. 

"If it wasn't you who killed him, it would've been me," His kwami muttered. 

Adrien flushed and wiped his cheek before he stood at the sink and rinsed his mouth out. He looked up and stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red from crying so much. He tilted his head back a little, tracing a gentle finger over the bruising on his neck. 

His father did this to him. Surely, he deserved it?

Adrien stepped out of the bathroom and stared down at his father. "No one can know what really happened."

"You're going to lie about this?" Plagg asked. "Adrien, do you think that's smart?" 

His hand balled in a fist as he stared at his father's lifeless body. He was angry—absolutely heartbroken—that his own father could treat him this way, could hate his own son so much. Gabriel never saw Adrien as his son, despite all his protections and precautions put in place all the young boy's life. He was just a means to an end, another puppet for his brand to control. 

Adrien finally had enough. 

"My father abused me for years. He hit me. He starved me. He said horrible things to me. He manipulated and controlled my entire life. Since the day I was born, I never had a choice. I was told what to say, where to be. What to eat, what not to eat. What to wear, how to pose. I have never been my own person because of my father. Even if he did all of that, he is still Gabriel Agreste. The most powerful and respected man in Paris. And I'm... I'm just a kid. No one would believe me." 

"Adrien—"

"Besides, there's consequences for this kind of thing. I'd go to jail. How is that fair?! Why should I be punished for what he did to me?!" 

Plagg took his holder's words to heart. For years the poor creature had been forced to endure the boy's abuse from his horrible father without being able to intervene. He could only sit and watch, helpless. "So, how are you going to explain this to everyone? Your father's expected in another country by tomorrow morning!" 

"There's only one person who can help me." Adrien grabbed his phone. She'll understand. 

His kwami saw her contact photo and his eyes widened. "What are you doing?!" 

He dialed her number and raised a shaking hand to his ear. His phone almost slipped as he whispered, "Marinette, I need your help... my father is dead. You can't tell anyone."

Chapter Text

"...my father is dead. You can't tell anyone."

Marinette stood still in her bedroom as she held her phone to her ear. What was Adrien talking about? His father, dead? Why can't she tell anyone? It didn't matter. He'd explain later and he needed her now. 

She rushed to Adrien's house immediately, driving over the recommended safe speed limit on her scooter. She parked by the sidewalk and jumped off. She ran to the gate and punched in the code. 

Adrien had given it to her a while ago and sometimes when he was grounded—or on house arrest, as the model called it—Marinette would sneak into his room so they could hang out. 

She opened the front door and closed it softly behind her, looking around the dark, empty house. The air was cold and suddenly she felt afraid. Of what? She didn't know. 

"Adrien?" She called out, and her soft voice echoed. With no answer, she started heading up to his bedroom. 

Tikki popped her head out of the purse. "What's going on, Marinette? What did Adrien say on the phone? 

"I..." Marinette reached a hand out and grabbed the door handle. "I don't know. Hide, Tikki," She whispered. She pushed the door open and walked in, and found Adrien kneeling by his father, who was wrapped in a blanket. 

Adrien realized after he called Marinette that she might recognize Cat Noir's cataclysm, and this wasn't how he wanted her to find out. 

He looked up as he heard her footsteps. He'd been crying all this time now. 

"Adrien..." Marinette sat beside him and glanced at his dead father. She started feeling sick and quickly looked back at him. "What happened?" 

"I—" Adrien's eyes widened as he remembered what truly happened. He trusted Marinette more than anyone, but he couldn't tell her this truth. Not yet, anyway. "My father... he came up to my room and he..." Adrien closed his eyes tight. 

"What did he do?" She asked. 

Adrien lifted his neck and showed Marinette the bruising. "My father got so angry. He started screaming at me and then, and then h-he... he grabbed my neck and slammed me into the wall. He choked me. I couldn't breathe. And I... I lost it. I killed him." 

Marinette grabbed his hand. "It was self defense." 

Plagg had said the same thing, but Adrien didn't believe either of them. Because for a while now, Adrien had wanted his father dead, and now he was. 

Adrien shook his head and stared down at the ring on his hand. "I-I don't know what to do." 

"Adrien..." Marinette had no idea what else to say. 

"I was thinking I could hide his body. Make it look like he went missing or something. I don't want you drag you into another one of my messes, but I... I can't do this alone." 

Marinette glanced over at his dead father and then back at Adrien. She had seen first hand what his father was like and Adrien told her about all the other times before. For years Gabriel abused his son, verbally, mentally, and physically, and Adrien wasn't strong enough to stand up to his father. He didn't have the courage. And when he finally did, it wasn't to talk, but to kill him. 

How could he escalate from a conversation to murder? 

Marinette decided right then and there she couldn't—and wouldn't—let Adrien suffer anymore. "I'm going to help you." 

Adrien looked up at her, confused. "You will?" 

"Yes," She whispered with a nod. "We're going to hide your father's body and make sure no one finds about this." 

"Mari..." Adrien grabbed her hand and squeezed it right. "I can't let you do this. I don't want you involved with this mess, my mess. It could ruin your—"

"I love you, Adrien," Marinette cut in fast. "And even if you don't believe me, this was self defense. But it'll be hard to convince people of that, so... this is what we have to do."

He took in a deep breath and stood up. "There's a spare room that we never use. We could hide his body there—for now—until we find somewhere better..." 

Marinette raised to her feet and looked around. "What did you hurt him with?" 

"W-What?" He asked, confused. 

"The murder weapon. Your prints will be on it." 

"Uh... I-I uh..." Adrien looked around the room and saw his fencing sword on the ground. "I used this." He bent down and grabbed it, the blade clean and shiny. A lie came to him fast. "I wiped the blood off earlier because I heard Nathalie coming upstairs." 

"We'll have to hide that with him." 

Adrien tilted his head and asked, "How do you know what to do?" 

Marinette shrugged. "I've seen my fair share of crime shows."

"Fair enough." 

"Before we move his body, though, we're going to need gloves." 

Adrien sighed. "Right..." 

***

For the next hour, Adrien and Marinette worked together to move and hide his father's body. They wore glove to hide their fingerprints and laid his father's body on the ground in the spare room. They slowly pushed him under the bed. 

"In a few days, his body will start to smell, and we'll have to move him again," Marinette stated. 

Adrien grunted as he forced his father's leg to fit under the bed. "We have a ton of air fresheners and candles." 

"That'll work for now, but not forever." 

The stepped out of the spare room and Adrien locked the door. He looped the key through a chain and wore it around his neck. "That part's done, but he's supposed to be in Brazil tomorrow morning. Nathalie will be suspicious if he doesn't show up." 

"I thought about that and I've come up with a plan," She admitted. 

"What is it?"

"We're going to convince everyone Gabriel Agreste ran away."

Adrien blinked at her. "How are we going to pull that off?" 

"First, we're going to drive your father's spare car out in the middle of nowhere and abandon it." 

"What?!" He shouted with wide eyes. 

Marinette sighed and continued. "Once we're done with that, you're going to make a call to Nathalie and put your unhinged emotions to work."  

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the sympathy." 

"You're going to call Nathalie and tell her you think something happened to your father. Uh, he was on his way to the airport and you guys talked for a bit, and he promised to call you back, but he never did, and now you're really worried." 

"And then what?" 

Marinette and Adrien walked downstairs to the indoor garage. The sooner they did this, the sooner they could put this nightmare behind them. 

Or at least they hoped. 

"I'm sure Nathalie will get police involved, and when they find his car empty, they'll assume he abandoned it, taking suspicion away from us." 

Adrien stopped walking and grabbed her arm. "Wait, there's no us. I killed him." 

"Adrien..." Marinette faces him. "We're in this together now. It is us now. What affects you, affects me." 

He stepped forward and hugged her tight. "I'm sorry for getting you involved. This was the last thing I wanted." 

"I understand, Adrien. I get why you did what you did. You were protecting yourself and there's nothing cowardly about it." 

"Thank you for everything, Marinette. I couldn't have done this without you." 

She smiled. "You can always count on me, Adrien." 

Adrien nuzzled into her hair and just realized Marinette was in her pajamas. Right, he was supposed to go over to her place and watch a movie. 

"We can never speak of this again," She whispered after a quiet moment. "This secret doesn't leave this room or our lips." 

"I promise." He grabbed her hand. "Want to seal it with a kiss?" He joked. 

Marinette stared up at him. "We just hid your father's dead body, and you're flirting with me?"

"Uh... there's never a bad time to flirt?" 

She rolled her eyes. 

"Right." Adrien cleared his throat. "Sorry. Looking at the situation now, I see what you mean—"

Marinette grabbed his collar and pulled him in, kissing him deeply. Adrien rested his forehead against hers, and they both whispered, "No one can know what really happened here."

Chapter Text

Three Hours After 

Adrien and Marinette walked back into his empty house, tired and exhausted. They had just finished part one of their plan: abandon Gabriel Agreste's car in the middle of nowhere. 

The two didn't think the first part through, though, and realized they had to take an hour bus ride back. 

"Call Nathalie," Marinette instructed as they entered the kitchen and walked over to the counter. She took her gloves off and threw them away, and stood at the sink and washed her hands. "Now I need a pen and some paper..." She said out loud to herself as she looked around for what she needed. 

Adrien nodded. "Right, part two." He grabbed his phone and dialed her number. 

Nathalie answered on the second ring. "Adrien, is everything alright?"

He focused hard and channeled his deep, complicated, emotions and sobbed into the speaker. "Nathalie! Have y-you heard from my father?!" 

"No, not yet. Why? What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about my father!"

"Adrien—"

His cries cut her off and he spat out, "Something's wrong! Something's wrong... I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do!" 

"Adrien, deep breaths. Slow down and breathe. Tell me what's wrong." 

"M-My father called me earlier on his way to the airport and..." Adrien said as he emphasized his crying and sniffling. "H-He said he would call me once he got on his flight, but the call disconnected! I figured he lost service or something, but I haven't heard from him! I think something's wrong! Father hasn't called me. What if something happened to him, Nathalie?!" 

"Adrien, calm down," Nathalie told him. "We will get this sorted out." 

His hand tightened around his phone. "NO! My father could be in danger, Nathalie! How can I calm down?!" He shouted at her, making sure his tone was more angry. 

Nathalie was already in contact with Officer Roger as she said, "Stay home and let me take care of everything." 

Adrien sighed. "O-Okay..."

"Adrien?" 

"Yes, Nathalie?" He asked. 

"I don't want you to be alone tonight. Why don't you have a friend stay over?" 

Adrien glanced at Marinette and smiled. "That's probably a good idea." 

Marinette tilted her head, wondering why he was smiling at her. 

Nathalie quickly added, "Don't tell anyone else about this, Adrien. I will take care of it." 

Still playing the part of caring son, he said, "What can I do, Nathalie? I can't just sit here and do nothing. I have to help! He's my... father." 

Adrien felt disgusted to utter those words. 

"Stay home and stay safe," Nathalie said. "That's all you can do, Adrien. I have to go now."

"Goodbye, Nathalie." He hung up. "That's done." 

Marinette nodded. "Impressive. Nathalie definitely wouldn't suspect you at all." 

"It's easy to act when that's all I've ever done," Adrien whispered as he shoved his phone in his back pocket. He noticed her standing at the counter, hunched over. "What are you doing?" 

"The finishing puzzle piece of our—hopefully—foolproof plan," She whispered as she scribbled words on the paper. 

"Then what?"

Marinette spun around and faced him. "We don't speak of this—ever. We forget this happened. Whoever Nathalie calls will definitely start an investigation right away, but that was expected." She grabbed his hand. "If we want to stay in the dark, if we don't want to get caught, we have to be extremely careful now."

"I need a distraction," Adrien mumbled to himself as he sat at the kitchen counter. 

"When was the last time you ate something?" Marinette asked as she looked through the pantry. 

Food is the last thing on my mind. "I sort of lost my appetite," He admitted. 

"Right. Duh, that makes sense." Marinette closed the pantry and instead grabbed two glasses. She made them both ice water and sat next to him. "We should at least stay hydrated."

He chuckled. "Thanks." He took a long chug and sighed. 

"What else do you want to do?" Marinette asked as she fetched an ice cube from her glass and munched on it. 

Adrien looked down at Marinette and found himself staring at her lips. They look so soft. He met her eyes fast as she turned to him and he felt his cheek burn. "Uh... we'll think of something."

"What about a movie?"

"I can handle that."

Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand and they walked back upstairs to his bedroom. He glanced at the empty spot where his father was before. No one could tell what truly happened in here. He walked over to his closet and searched through his storage bins until he found what he was looking for: a blue scarf. A few years ago, Adrien had found out that it was actually Marinette who made the scarf, and not his father who had gave and passed off as his own to Adrien for his birthday. 

Only another reason to hate him. 

Marinette watched as he wrapped the scarf around his neck—to hide the bruises, she assumed—and frowns. I wish Adrien would have told me sooner. I could've helped him, somehow. 

"Is something wrong?" Adrien asked, breaking her from her train of thought. 

She shook her head. "No... not at all." 

They sat side by side on the couch and put on a movie, taking their usual comfortable spots as they cuddled together. Halfway through the movie, they dozed off and their heads fell together as they both drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Ten Hours After 

"Adrien?" 

The model stirred in his sleep and unconsciously pulled Marinette closer as they slept next to each other in the couch. 

"Adrien!" 

The bedroom door slammed open and Nathalie ran in. She and Gorilla just got back from the airport. The business trip was canceled after Adrien's frantic call last night and Nathalie had spent all night and all morning talking and conversing with Officer Roger. 

A search for Gabriel Agreste was put into effect immediately. 

Nathalie found Adrien—and Marinette Dupain-Cheng?—sleeping together on the couch. She was stunned at the sight of them, unsure of what to do or how to react. She did give Adrien permission to invite a friend over, but she and assumed it would have been Nino. 

She cleared her throat as she kicked the couch. "Good morning, you two." 

The pair jumped, startled awake, and accidentally bumped their heads together. "Sorry..." They muttered in sync. 

Adrien's eyes widened as he realized who woke them up. "NATHALIE?! You're... back?" 

"I returned home as soon as I could," She began to explain. "How are you holding up?" 

"I-I don't know," He admitted as he scratched his arm. "Any news of my father? Has anyone seen him?" No one would have, but he still had to ask. 

"Your father's second car was found abandoned about two hours out of town. Officer Roger has issued search parties all over Paris." 

Adrien faked a gasp. "What are you saying? My father is missing?!" 

"That's what it seems, yes," Nathalie whispered. 

Marinette hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Adrien. You've been worried sick all night... I know this isn't the news you wanted." 

"I want to look for my father," Adrien said, pulling back from Marinette, but keeping a hand on her waist. "I can't just sit around and let everyone else do the work. I need to help." 

"Adrien, I was harassed by paparazzi and reporters just leaving the airport and arriving home. Ever since this story hit the news, it's been non-stop attempts for a breaking news story. It's probably best—and safer—if you stay at home, where you're isolated from everyone. So, starting today, you'll be homeschooled again."  

Adrien assumed that would happen and he agreed without a fight. He didn't want to see or talk to anyone, but he also didn't want to be locked up in his room, though that he was used to, at least. 

"Shit!" Marinette gasped. "School!" She scrambled to find her shoes and waved at Adrien and Nathalie. "Bye!" She shouted as she ran out of the room and downstairs. 

Nathalie stepped forward and grabbed his hand. "Don't worry, Adrien. We're going to find your father." 

"And if we... don't?" 

She sighed. "I can't even imagine something horrible happening to Gabriel." 

I can. Adrien looked away, immediately feeling guilty. He was afraid if he held eye contact with Nathalie for too long, he'd crack and spill everything. 

"We won't rest until your father is back home and safe," She assured him. 

"What if my father was kidnapped?" He asked. "Or what if he's..." 

Dead. 

Nathalie shook her head. "Don't think like that." 

"You're right. I should be more positive."

"I have to go see Officer Roger and figure this situation out. Will you be okay here by yourself?" 

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I'll just watch movies or sleep." 

She kissed his forehead, then left. 

Adrien wanted to hate Nathalie for her standing by and doing nothing for years as his father abused him, but he would be a hypocrite. He had done the exact same thing to himself. 

If Adrien had stood up to his father sooner, would he still be alive? 

"You're quite the actor," Plagg joked as he returned from his hiding spot. "I see an Oscar in your future."

"Not funny, Plagg," Adrien told his kwami, and as he turned, he glanced at the black TV screen. He saw a familiar face in the reflection and his eyes widened as he spun around fast. 

No one was there. 

"Kid, you okay?"

Adrien's heart was racing fast, pounding hard against his chest, begging to be ripped out, and his hands began to shake. I could've sworn that looked like... "U-Umm, I'm fine, Plagg." 

*** 

Adrien put on his disguise and snuck out of the house. Within the first hour alone at home, he decided he didn't want to be there, thanks to the horrible memory forever tainted in his bedroom. 

He was on a mission: to return his miraculous to Ladybug. 

After killing his father with his cataclysm, Adrien felt scared and ashamed to become Cat Noir again. What if he couldn't control his power anymore? What if he used his cataclysm on someone else and they died? 

He couldn't take any risks. He wouldn't. 

Adrien felt he didn't deserve his miraculous anymore and the right thing to do would be to give it back to Ladybug. Finding her was the only issue. 

"It's nice to be outside without being attacked by your fans," Plagg commented from the safety of his holder's jacket. "But I can say you've gotten faster, especially, always running from those invasive, annoying people." 

The one thing that made Adrien hesitant to return his miraculous was being separated from Plagg. He had grown so close to his kwami over the years and wanted to stay with him forever. 

After what Adrien did, maybe he didn't deserve that anymore. 

A red blur flew over Adrien’s head and he stopped and looked up as the red-and-black spotted hero swung above. 

“Ladybug?” He questioned, confused. There hadn’t been an akuma alert. Was his lady just out and about? 

“Are you going to join her?” Plagg asked. “Remember, you two are supposed to patrol together?”

“Shit, I forgot about that,” Adrien admitted as he rubbed his forehead. “We’re supposed to meet up…” He checked the time on his phone. “Now.” 

His kwami sighed. "Usually I'd complain about this, but I'm bored out of my mind," Plagg muttered. He stared at his holder, confused as he continued to stand there. "Uh, this is when you transform." 

“I…” Adrien stared down at his hand, where his ring sat. He was terrified to become his alter ego again. What if I can’t control myself? What if I use my power to hurt someone else? “I don’t feel like patrolling right now.”

“Since when you do turn down a chance to see your lady?” 

I’m still going to see her… it’ll be to return my miraculous, though.  

***

Ladybug waited for her partner at their meetup point and left a third voicemail. “Cat Noir, I’ve been waiting here for like twenty minutes. Did you forget we have patrol today? I know Shadowmoth hasn’t akumatized anyone in a bit, but we still have a city to protect. When you get this message, come and find me.” 

She raised her arm and threw her yo-yo, connecting to a chimney from a building across, and she jumped off the roof. 

I wonder what’s keeping Cat Noir? He usually answers my calls on the first ring. Ladybug swooped over a group a fans and waved as they started cheering her on. 

She turned her head, glancing across the street, and her eyes widened. Adrien was walking on the sidewalk—in his disguise, which she saw through immediately. Didn’t Nathalie say he couldn’t leave the house? 

Distracted by the model, Ladybug slammed straight into a billboard—ironically, an ad for Adrien’s new cologne—and she groaned into the sign. “This bites,” She muttered as a headache came on immediately. 

“Ladybug!” Adrien shouted as he ran across the street towards her. 

“Woah, woah, ahh!” The hero slipped and fell back, plummeting straight towards the ground. Her yo-yo was inches away from her grasp. 

Warm arms caught and wrapped around her and she looked up to see Adrien. He caught her. He stood with a grin and said, “Nice of you to drop in.” 

“Adrien?” Ladybug questioned, and the model’s eyes widened. “What are you doing here?” 

“Saving a damsel in distress, apparently.” 

As Adrien set her down, she stood and grabbed her yo-yo off the ground. “Thank you.”

“How did you know it was me?” He asked. “I guess it defeats the whole point of wearing a disguise.”

“I’d recognize those eyes anywhere,” Ladybug whispered, and smiled.  

Adrien felt his cheeks burn. 

“Uh, thank you, by the way,” She quickly gushed, embarrassed. “I-I should probably look where I’m going.” 

“Was there an akuma alert?” He asked. 

She shook her head. “No, I’m just out on patrol… with my partner… if I can find him. You haven’t seen Cat Noir anywhere, have you?” 

“N-No, not lately,” Adrien spat out. He glanced down at his ring. “Actually… can we go somewhere private… to talk?” 

Ladybug stared at him. What does Adrien need to talk about—with me? “Uh, sure.” She grabbed her yo-yo and raised her arm, using her free hand to grab Adrien. She tugged on the yo-yo and they flew across the city. 

A minute later, they were soaring over buildings and soon found solitude in an empty alley. 

“This is good,” The model said out loud to himself, looking around. They were isolated and alone. 

Ladybug returned her yo-yo to her side and faced the model. “So, what did you want to talk about, Adrien?” 

As Adrien stood in front of his partner, a million thoughts ran through his mind. Once he gave back his miraculous, Ladybug would learn his secret identity, but what worried him the most was how he was going to explain why he was giving up his ring.

“Adrien?” She repeated with a soft laugh. 

“Right! Sorry…” He lifted his arm and scratched the back of his neck. “Ladybug, I—”

Seeing her bright, blue eyes and the smile on her face cut him off. Giving up his miraculous would break his lady’s heart, and he couldn’t do it in person. He couldn’t stand here and face her now and he the reason for her heartache. 

“Are you okay?” She asked. 

“I… I was just wondering if…” 

Ladybug nodded. “Yeah?” 

Adrien sighed. “Would you like to see a movie some time? With me?”

Her eyes widened. “What? Uh… sure, I guess.” She chuckled. “Is that what you really wanted to talk about, Adrien?” 

“Wow, it’s late, huh?” Adrien asked as he pulled out his phone and checked the time. “I need to get home. It was great seeing you, Ladybug!” Without another word, he ran out of the alley and sprinted down the street. 

Ladybug stood there, confused, and watched him run. “Okay then…” She threw her yo-yo and went home. Clearly Cat Noir wasn’t going to show up today.  

Adrien kept running until his lungs burned and his feet ached and he collapsed on the sidewalk. He knelt forward, taking in deep, steady breaths and crawled away from a crowd of people on the sidewalk. He sat behind an empty park bench and pulled his knees to his chest. 

Plagg popped his head out of his holder’s jacket. “Why didn’t you transform and go see Ladybug? She’s clearly looking for you.” 

Adrien didn't answer. He stared down at his ring. This is too much for me. I can't face Ladybug. Hopefully she'll understand. He started taking off his ring. "I'm sorry. Return this to Ladybug. Plagg, I reno—"

"What are you doing?!" The kwami shouted as he hugged his holder's hand. 

"I don't deserve to be Cat Noir anymore! I used my powers to hurt someone!" 

"I-It wasn't like that, Adrien," Plagg reminded him. "You were protecting yourself!" 

As tears forced their way out, Adrien closed his eyes tight and pressed his lips together. "If Ladybug found out I killed someone with my cataclysm, she'd take away my miraculous and hate me forever. I might as well save her the trouble now." 

"Ladybug would not hate you." 

"How are you so sure?"

The kwami sighed. "Trust me, kid. There are things I just know." 

Adrien crossed his arms and rested his chin on his knee. "That doesn't give me any relief." 

Plagg got close in his face. "Let me ask you this, Adrien. How many people have you saved as Cat Noir?"

"What does that matter?" 

"How many people have you saved?" He repeated. 

"A lot," The model mumbled. 

"Yes, a lot. Hundreds and thousands of people you've de-akumatized and saved. You've proved over and over what a great superhero you are. You're brave and strong and loyal. Ladybug depends on you. Paris depends on you. You're needed and wanted everywhere."

Adrien shrugged. "So?"

Plagg smacked his head. "I think that makes up for this! One bad thing against a hundred good things doesn't cancel it out!" 

"I murdered someone, Plagg! I killed my father! I didn't accidentally give a miraculous to the wrong person or cataclysm an ice cream stand. I killed someone with my powers. Ladybug is not going to excuse that. She's not going to let me keep you!" 

"Why don't you talk to her about it?" 

"Then I'd have to tell her my secret identity!"

The kwami crossed his tiny arms and suggested, "Or you could say you helped Adrien out and killed his father for him." 

"That might be even worse and too complicated." 

"Oh, and this plan you and Marinette have isn't?"

Adrien stood. "I trust Marinette." He stood and started walking home. As he turned a corner, he stumbled hard into someone, and thankfully caught Marinette in time. He smiled at her and said, "Hey." 

"Adrien?" She asked, playing dumb to his appearance. Ladybug had recently seen him, not Marinette. "I almost didn't recognize you with your wig. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at home?" 

"Uh, I just went for a walk," He lied. 

Marinette bit back a smile and nodded. “Right..." 

“What are you doing all the way out here?" 

Her eyes widened. "Uh... just walking around, like you." 

"Would you like to walk around with me?" 

"Sure," She whispered with a smile. 

They walked quietly side by side and after a few minutes, Adrien turned and asked, "Do you..." He stopped himself. 

"Do I what?"

"If we asked Ladybug and Cat Noir for help—" 

Marinette's eyes widened. "W-Why would we ask them for help?" 

"They're heroes. They could help us, right?" 

"Uh..." She looked down at her purse and sighed. "I don't know. But our plan is working, so why would we need Ladybug and Cat Noir?" 

Adrien shook his head, suddenly embarrassed. "I-I was just thinking." 

Marinette looked up at him. 

"It probably wouldn't be safe to get them mixed up in my mess anyway," He mumbled.

"Our mess," She corrected. 

"Right. Our mess." 

"And..." Marinette rested a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "If we could tell them, I'm sure they would understand. Ladybug, especially."

He nodded. "Maybe..." 

"But we can't tell anyone, remember?"

"I always keep my word, Marinette." Adrien grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I'd never betray you like that."

Chapter Text

One Week After 

"It's been one week since famous fashion designer Gabriel Agreste has been declared missing. Search parties have been active for a week straight, but there seems to be no sign of the man anywhere. Officer Roger has called in the proper authorities and plans to extend the search to all of France. This is Nadja Chamack—"

Nathalie turned the TV off and looked at Adrien. She grabbed and squeezed his hand. "They'll find him, Adrien. Don't worry."

No, they won't. "Of course. We just have to have hope." 

"How do you want your pancakes?" 

The thought of food made him nauseous and he stood from the counter. "Actually, I'm not that hungry, Nathalie." 

"Are you okay? Are you sick?" 

Yeah, sick in the head. "My stomach just feels weird... after everything that's happened." 

Nathalie nodded. "I understand. Let me know when you're hungry and I'll make you something." 

"Thanks, Nathalie." As Adrien walked back to his room, a horrible smell filled the hallway and almost made him puke right then and there. His eyes suddenly widened and he ran over to the spare room his dead father's body was hidden in. He removed the key from around his neck and quickly unlocked the door. As he walked in, a foul smell hit him and he slammed the door shut. 

Adrien lifted his shirt over his nose to mask the smell so he could tolerate being in the room. He re-lit all the candles and started spraying an air freshener by the door. 

His father's body couldn't stay here anymore. A minute longer and Nathalie would definitely figure everything out. 

Adrien had to move his body, but how? Where? When? Nathalie and Gorilla were home and it wouldn't be long until the horrible scent of decomposing flesh filtered to the rest of the very big and very large mansion. 

With a quick thought, he pulled out his phone and called Nathalie. 

"You know I'm right downstairs, Adrien," She teased. 

"Nathalie! Can you do me a favor?" 

"That's what I'm here for." 

Adrien brought the phone closer to his mouth so his voice would be clearer. "Turns out I'm sick. I need medicine. Can you pick some up for me?" 

"Oh course. What's wrong, Adrien?" 

"I think I have a stomach virus. I threw up like three times already." 

Nathalie turned off the stove and grabbed her purse on the counter. "I can pick something up, but without an appointment, it'll be a few hours to get your prescription from your doctor." 

Perfect. "I don't mind waiting." 

"Alright. I'll ask your bodyguard to take me." Unlike Adrien, Nathalie didn't feel comfortable calling him 'Gorilla', though he didn't mind. 

"Thank you." He hung up.

With Nathalie and his bodyguard gone for a few hours, Adrien had time to find a new spot to hide his father's body. 

He knew he'd need help though, so he called Marinette, and she dropped everything to get over as fast as she could. 

"I'm sorry I keep dragging you into this," Adrien apologized as he let Marinette inside. He glanced at the door and said, "You know what, I'm going to get you your own key." 

"Thanks," Marinette said with a chuckle. "And Adrien, we're in this together. So, any idea where we're going to move..." She couldn't finish her sentence. 

Adrien shook his head. "No, not yet." 

She looked over at the closed office doors. "Does anyone go in there anymore?" 

"Nathalie does, but not as much anymore."

Adrien and Marinette walked over and pushed the doors open, and looked around for something deep and large to stuff his father's dead body in before they'd go and dump him far, far out of town. 

Adrien got distracted by his mother's painting. He smiled at her picture, then sighed. 

I killed her husband... the love of her life... what would she think if she knew what happened?  

"Your mother is beautiful," Marinette said as she stood beside him. 

Adrien jumped, startled by her sudden presence. He agreed with a nod. "Yes, my father always said she was the most beautiful woman in the world." He glanced over at Marinette. But I'm afraid my father is wrong. 

Marinette blushed the longer Adrien stared at her. She went to say something, but bit her lip and stayed quiet instead. 

Adrien looked back at the painting and noticed something weird. He leaned forward, eyes squinted, and reached his hand out. On certain parts of the painting, there were special and specific grooves, almost like buttons. "Marinette, look at this," He whispered. 

The pig-tailed girl stepped closer and placed her hand next to his. "Huh, that's odd. It almost looks like you can... press it."

The two shared a look, both thinking the same thought. Each pressed a hand to the grooves and dug their fingers in as they pushed them. The floor opened up and they disappeared.

Chapter Text

Adrien and Marinette rode a glass elevator down to the basement—a basement the model had no idea existed until now—and they both stepped forward in awe. "Woah," They whispered together, taken aback by the beautiful sight. 

There was a long, wide bridge over a chasm of water and at the end, a beautiful butterfly garden. Sunlight from a big window seeped through and casted a yellow glow over the plants. 

"Did you know this was down here?" Marinette asked. 

Adrien shook his head. "I had no idea."

"That garden is beautiful." 

"It is," He agreed with a sad smile. "My father always wanted a garden." Who will tend to the flowers now? 

"You think this is your father's?" 

"I wouldn't be surprised. My father loves keeping secrets from me. Uh, loved. H-he loved..." 

Gabriel loved many things—his wife, his miraculous, his influence in Paris—but Adrien was not apart of that list. 

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. The pair shared a look before they stepped out and started walking across. 

As they're crossing the bridge, Marinette stopped and looked over the side. An idea struck her and she said, "What if we hid your father's body down there?" 

Adrien peeked over the railing. "That could work. The water would help mask the smell, at least." 

"We should move his body now while Nathalie is gone," She suggested.

"Let's go." 

Adrien placed a hand on Marinette's back and guided her back to the elevator. Back upstairs in the house, they put on gloves and began to carefully move his dead father's body out from under the bed and downstairs. 

They both grunted as they struggled to carry the dead weight—pun intended—and they stopped for a second as they shared a similar thought. 

If I were Ladybug, this would be so much easier. 

If I were Cat Noir, I could carry him by myself. 

Through the office doors again, they locked the door behind them and walked back over to the painting. Adrien pushed in the secret buttons and the floor opened again. 

They bent and lifted his body over the railing and paused to share a look. They both nodded and pushed him off. 

Adrien couldn't look away as he watched his body fall into the water. This is real. No going back now. 

Marinette glanced towards the garden and noticed a weird looking container in the middle of the flowers. "What's that?" 

"What?" Adrien looked over and saw it, too. "I don't know. Let's find out." 

They walked over and stood in front of the silver container, and as they tried to open it, nothing happened. It was locked. 

Unknown to them, Gabriel had locked it a day prior to his business trip, just as a precaution in case Adrien somehow found his way down here. 

Adrien had no idea his mother was here with him all along. 

"Whatever my father's hiding, he's good at it," He commented with a glare. 

"Do you want to find out what's inside?" She asked. 

"I don't know. Knowing my father, it probably isn't good." 

"Probably..." Marinette whispered. A white butterfly landed on her nose and her head shot out as she noticed hundreds of the same insect flying around the garden. "Adrien, look!" 

"At what?"

She raised her arm. "All the white butterflies. Don't they..." Her eyes widened. "Look familiar?" 

Adrien gasped. 

The pair faced each other. 

"MY FATHER IS SHADOWMOTH!" 

"YOUR FATHER IS SHADOWMOTH!" 

Adrien's breathing quickened and his chest tightened. He turned away and shook his head. "No, no, no. This can't be happening."

Marinette held her hands out and a white butterfly landed on her palms. "It's beautiful," She said out loud with a smile. "How could someone use these for evil?" 

Adrien fell to his knees and he puked everywhere. His shoulders shook as he cried. 

All this time, his father had been the one terrorizing Paris and hurting his friends. He attacked innocent people and akumatized them against their will. He targeted Ladybug and Cat Noir for years trying to steal their miraculous.

Adrien stared down at his ring. What did Father want to wish for?

His eyes widened as he remember his father's last words. 

All this time.

All this time Cat Noir and Shadowmoth had been living under the same roof. 

All this time Shadowmoth was close to stealing at least one of the duo's miraculous.

All that time they had been fighting, both with and without the mask. 

Marinette knelt beside him and rubbed his back. "Are you okay, Adrien?" 

He stood up and she did the same. "I don't know."

"It's okay to not know. We just found out your dad is—was—Shadowmoth." 

"Hearing that makes me want to feel good about what I did to him. He can't hurt anyone else ever again. But I don't," He admitted. "I don't feel good about what happened. If anything, I feel worse." 

"You just have to look at the bright side," Marinette said, trying to cheer him up. 

"Taking someone's life never has a bright side, Marinette." 

She grabbed his hand. "No exceptions at all? Even for this?" 

Adrien looked back at the bridge where they had just dumped his father's body. "It's complicated." 

The two turned and faced the garden again, butterflies circling around them. 

"We have to tell Ladybug," Adrien said.

"We have to tell Cat Noir," Marinette said, too. 

They looked at each other with wide eyes. Why did they both only mention one superhero? Of course, they were the heroes, but the other didn't know that.  They both couldn't be there to tell Paris' heroes about what they found, but not being there would only raise suspicion. 

"Y-You should tell them," Marinette started as she scrambled for a believable excuse. "It's your house."

"Actually, I think you should," Adrien retaliated. "You're close with Cat Noir." 

"I-I might have plans, so you'll have to do it." 

"You're right..." Adrien sighed. "We should tell Ladybug."

"And Cat Noir," She added.

He shook his head. "Nah, I think just Ladybug." 

"Cat Noir is her partner!" Marinette shouted, offended. "He deserves to know!" 

"Ladybug can deal with this by herself!" 

"What if she doesn't want to? What if she can't? What if she needs Cat Noir?" 

Adrien got in close to her face. "Oh, no faith in Ladybug?" 

Marinette stood on her toes and leaned in, poking his shoulder as she asked, "Why don't you trust Cat Noir?" 

"You got a problem with bugs, Mari?" 

"Cats aren't your thing, Agreste?" 

The kwamis flew off across the room as their holders kept fighting. 

"We have to tell them who they are!" Plagg immediately said. 

Tikki shook her head. "It's dangerous!" 

"Why? Shadowmoth is dead! There's no risk anymore," He pointed out. "They can know each other's secret identities now. And after what's happened, those two are stuck together for life. They deserve to know."

"Alright..." The red kwami agreed. "Let's tell them." 

Plagg swooped in between the heroes' faces and pushed them apart. "Stop fighting you two!" 

"Plagg?!" They shouted in sync. 

Adrien and Marinette stared at each other with wide eyes. 

At the same time, "How do you know that kwami's name?!" 

Their eyes widened even wider. 

"How do you know what a kwami is?!" They both screamed and then gasped. 

The two held eye contact, shocked, and everything suddenly clicked into place. 

"You're Ladybug..."

"You're Cat Noir..."

Chapter Text

"All this time..." They both whispered in sync as they stared at each other's miraculous. 

Marinette and Adrien were speechless. All this time, their partner had been there all along. Both thought back on the times they saved each other—Ladybug and Adrien, and Cat Noir and Marinette—and wondered why they didn't see it sooner. It was obvious, or it should have been. 

To think Adrien actually guessed Ladybug's identify right when their teacher was akumatized into Kwamibuster. He'd never been so happy to be right about something until now. 

Marinette couldn't believe it. Cat Noir and Adrien Agreste seemed like two different people. But of course, with a mask protecting his identity, he could be free to talk and act how he wanted, without the control from his father. 

"Marinette..." Adrien smiled wide and stepped forward. He hugged her tight and spun her around. This moment was perfect. Everything was perfect. He stood still and nuzzled his face into the crock of her neck. 

Adrien was so happy it was her. She was Marinette and Ladybug. He didn't have to choose between them anymore. He could love them both equally and at the same time, guilt free. 

"I can't believe this," He whispered in her ear, holding her tighter. "I'm so happy it's you. My heart doesn't have to be torn apart anymore! I can love you both." 

Adrien's eyes suddenly snapped open as he remembered Marinette was in love with someone else, a second guy. He didn't have the right to force himself on Marinette, expect her to reciprocate his feelings. 

He let her go and stepped back. "But... you're in love with someone else, too. I respect that. If you prefer him instead..." 

Marinette smiled. "I'm in love with both of you." 

"Wait, you mean the second guy you're in love with is... Cat Noir?" Adrien asked, confused. 

She nodded. 

"Wow," He whispered, then chuckled. "That's ironic, isn't it?" 

"What, that we fell in love with each other twice?" Marinette joked. 

"Does that make us dumb?" 

"A little," She said, laughing. "But it doesn't help that the quantum masking hides what we look like. We had no idea." 

Adrien smiled and hugged her tight again. "You have no idea how happy I am it's you, Marinette." 

"So..." She took in a deep breath and asked, "You're not disappointed?" 

"Of course not." He pulled back and held her hands. "I hoped and dreams you would be the girl under the mask." 

"Really?" 

"Marinette, you underestimate how much I love you." Adrien cradled her face gently. "I finally found you." 

She stood on her toes and kissed his nose. "I'm glad it's you, Kitty. My heart couldn't take fighting between you both anymore. I almost chose a life of solitude to avoid hurting either of you." 

"What about you?" Adrien asked as he started playing with her hair. "You're not disappointed I'm your feline?" 

Marinette shook her head. "No, not at all. I mean, there have been times I thought Adrien and Cat Noir couldn't be the same person, but..." She smiled. "I'm glad you are." 

Their kwamis floated up by their holder's heads.

"Finally!" Plagg shouted, feigning a dramatic gasp. "I thought we were going to be trapped in this infinite carrousel of confusion and mixed feelings forever!" 

Tikki giggles. "It is good that our holders are finally together, after the years they spent pining after each other." 

Marinette's eyes widened as she blushed. She scratched her arm, embarrassed. "Who would've thought, huh? That after everything that's happened, every choice we ever made... we would always find each other..." 

She raised her hand, and Adrien did the same. They pressed their palms together. 

"With and without the mask," She finished. 

Adrien squeezed her hand. "No matter what." 

The two heroes smiled at each other. 

Plagg groaned as he rolled his eyes. "I forgot how mushy and sentimental humans are. Get it over with! Hurry up and kiss already!" 

"No!" Tikki smacks him. "They have to cherish the moment!" 

Marinette and Adrien laughed. 

He raised her hand and pressed his lips against her knuckles. "Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" 

"I'm kind of glad it is. I hate secrets." Marinette stood on her toes and kissed Adrien. He pulled her closer, his arm snaked around her waist, and deepened the kiss.  

Tikki watched in awe and Plagg pretended to throw up.

Chapter Text

One Month After 

"It's been a month since famous fashion designer Gabriel Agreste has disappeared. All search parties have been canceled after Officer Roger discovered a letter in Mr. Agreste's belongings. The letter says, quote, 'I don't have the strength to do this anymore. My work, the fashion brand, it's just become too much for my aching heart. Life hasn't been the same since my dear wife disappeared, and without any signs of her, it's been hard to focus on my passions and living a peaceful life with my son. I miss her so much. I know this will hurt people I care about, but I must do this for myself. I will go where no one can find me and one day, hopefully, I can be reunited with my sweet, sweet Emelie', unquote. What does this mean for the Agreste Brand? What does this mean for the son he abandoned, famous model Adrien Agreste? Tonight we'll find out more. Thank you for joining in, I'm Nadja Chamack. Don't be bemused, it's just the news." 

Gabriel Agreste's departure letter mentioned in Nadja Chamack's news story? It was faked and forged by Adrien and Marinette. They suspected an investigation would happen—and they were right—and thanks to their quick, sly thinking, the investigation didn't last long. 

Paris was now convinced Gabriel Agreste simply ran away and gave up his life's work of fashion and abandoned the only family he had left. 

Nathalie grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. She set two cups on the counter and grabbed the kettle. "I can't believe it's been a month already." 

"Has it been that along already?" Adrien mumbled, holding his cup steady as she poured tea. "Time doesn't seem real anymore." 

Nathalie sat down the kettle and took a seat beside the model. "Adrien... I want to apologize." 

He paused his sip and looked up at her. 

"All those years I stood aside and watched while your father... abused you, I-I should've done something. I should've protected you." Nathalie lowered her head in shame. "I've always been loyal to your father, and that doesn't excuse it... can you forgive me?" 

Adrien stared at the stove. He didn't know what to say. He'd hated Nathalie for years because of that—for her standing aside and letting the abuse happen without a care or thought to save him—and now here she was apologizing. 

His father is gone, surely he can forgive her now? But... it wasn't that easy. Even if it were his father's hands on him, Nathalie's hands weren't exactly free of stain, either. 

"Thank you for apologizing," Adrien said, forcing himself to make eye contact with her. "But I admit, it's going to take a while to heal. I don't know when I can forgive you." 

Nathalie nodded. "I understand, Adrien." She brought the cup to her mouth and asked, "Your father running away seems out of character, doesn't it?" 

Adrien's shoulders tensed up. "What do you mean?"

She grabbed a spoon and added sugar to her tea, slowly stirring. "Your father has never been once to back down from anything, especially his life's work. Don't you find it... strange?" 

Adrien's hand tightened around the cup. He stared at his reflection in the tea. "What, is it really strange for my father to give up on things he cares about? He did that with me, didn't he?" 

Nathalie took a long sip. "I suppose you're right." 

With an angry thought, the teacup broke in Adrien's hand. The ceramic glass cut his hand deep and he gasped in pain as his palm stung, fresh with blood. He stepped off the stool and walked over to the sink, running the faucet as he held his hand under the water. 

"Are you okay, Adrien?" Nathalie asked as she picked up broken pieces of glass. 

"I'll be fine. It just..." He watched as blood flowed down the drain. "Stings." He turned off the faucet and grabbed a rag, pressing it hard to his palm as he tied it around his hand. "Sorry about the mess." 

She shook her head. "It's okay. I didn't think you'd have such an... intense reaction at the mention of your father." 

Adrien stared at her and cocked his head to the side. He couldn't tell what Nathalie was up to. Was this just small talk or did she have an ulterior motive? "Things with my father have always been intense. You've been witness to that," He reminded her, his tone cold and harsh. 

Adrien left the kitchen without another word, back upstairs to his bedroom. He suddenly felt disgusted with himself and decided to take a shower. He grabbed a plate of cheese from the cabinet and set it on the desk. "Here, Plagg. Take a cat nap." 

"Sounds like a gouda idea," The kwami whispered to himself as he devoured the snacks in one bite.  

After a quick, hot shower, Adrien changed into clean clothes and stood at the sink. He dried his messy, blonde hair with a towel, then moved on to brush his teeth. He bent forward to spit out toothpaste and rinsed his mouth out. Done with his routine, he put the toothbrush back in the holder. 

Adrien looked up. Behind him in the mirror, his father stood tall and angry. His eyes widened. 

"Father?!"

Chapter Text

Adrien spun around fast. There was nothing behind him. His heart raced fast, daring to rip out of his chest, and he faced the mirror again. He stared at himself, deeply lost in his eyes, and struggled to catch his breath. 

"That wasn't real," He whispered to himself, panting hard. He grabbed the counter for support and leaned forward. "It wasn't real... it was... it was just my imagination." 

He glanced up in the mirror and looked behind him again. Nothing. 

"I'm losing it," He concludes, tossing the dirty towel aside. "I'm just under a lot of stress right now and losing my mind. That has to be it." 

Adrien opened the bathroom door and walked out, finding his kwami snoring peacefully on his pillow. 

"So, it's true, you really are Cat Noir." His father's voice rang and echoed in his head, louder and louder. 

Adrien turned around and saw him sitting at his desk. He wanted to scream, to run, to do anything, but he was frozen, stuck. "F-Father...?" 

He blinked, and he was gone. 

"What is wrong with me?" Adrien asked himself and he smacked his face a few times. "This is insane!" 

"No, what's insane is that you can't let me sleep!" His kwami mumbled as he drooled all over his holder's pillow. "Us magical creatures need our beauty sleep, too, you know." 

"Plagg..." Adrien sat on the bed and contemplated on telling him what he saw. "Do you ever feel like you're... losing your mind, sometimes?" 

The black cat snickered. "Of course, all the time. Like now, for instance, while I'm trying to sleep!" 

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, pardon me." 

"Wake me up if there's an akuma," Plagg muttered, and his eyes snapped open. "Wait, there won't be anymore... which means I can sleep for as long as I want! There's no reason for you to be Cat Noir anymore." 

"Thanks for your sympathy," Adrien snapped, tempted by the thought to suffocate his kwami with the pillow, though it'd be useless, since he can phase his tiny body through almost anything. 

A text came in from Nathalie, letting him know that breakfast was ready. 

Adrien hesitated to go, but as his stomach growled and knotted, he realized he hadn't eaten anything in almost two days. He left his kwami to sleep and walked back downstairs to the kitchen. 

"There's pancakes, eggs, and bacon," Nathalie told him as she grabbed orange juice from the fridge. "Why don't you invite Marinette over?" 

The mention of her name made him smile. "Yeah, I will." He pulled out his phone and sent her an invitation, which she happily accepted, and started to head over. 

Adrien and Marinette haven't yet discussed their dating situation. Given everything that's happened with his father and finding out each other secret identities, they decided to take things slow. 

Though, Adrien already referred to Marinette as his girlfriend, in his mind and only to Plagg, at least. 

He grabbed a plate and stared at the food waiting on the stove. Just a little, Adrien. Something to satisfy Nathalie. He grabbed a fork and put a pancake on his plate. 

"Adrien, what are you doing?! You know better!" 

Startled, Adrien jumped back at hearing that familiar, spine-chilling voice and turned to see his father standing a few feet away from him. 

"You have a photoshoot tomorrow. You need to look absolutely perfect!" 

The plate slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. 

"Adrien?" Nathalie called out. "Are you okay?" 

"I-I..." He looked at her, then back, and his father was gone. My mind is playing tricks on me. "I'm sorry." 

She walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you don't like this dinning set, you can just say so. You don't have to break dishes," She teased. 

Adrien faked a laugh. "Ha..." His appetite was gone now. "I-I think I'll wait to eat until Marinette gets here." 

"Alright." Nathalie swept up his mess and threw the glass away. "I'll be upstairs in my room reading if you need me." She escorted herself out of the kitchen. 

Adrien walked over to the sink and turned the faucet on. He splashed water in his face and took deep, steady breaths. "Something's definitely wrong with me," He whispered to himself, grabbing a rag to dry his face. 

He looked down at his hands as they started to shake. Is this guilt? Am I being haunted for what I did? 

There was a knock on the kitchen door and Marinette walked in. "Good morning, Adrien." 

He smiled at her. "Good morning, Marinette. Are you... hungry? I can make you a plate." 

"Oh, thank you." She sat at the counter and straightened her shoulders, trying to crack her back. 

"Is your back still bothering you?" He asked as he noticed. 

"Yeah, I didn't really sleep last night," Marinette said as she twisted her shoulders. "Being a superhero really takes a toll, huh?"

Adrien carefully constructed her breakfast, arranging strawberries and blueberries into a heart. He added bacon and eggs to the side and drizzled syrup on top. He placed the plate down in front of her. "For you, Bugaboo." 

"Wow, thank you, Kitty," She said, eyes wide in amazement. No one had ever taken the time to do something this sweet for her. She noticed his empty hands and asked, "Aren't you going to eat?" 

"Uh..." Adrien made himself a glass of water and sat beside her. "I already ate before you got here," He lied. "Sorry..." 

She shook her head. "No, it's okay. When you're hungry, you're hungry. 

I haven't been for a while.

Marinette leaned over and kisses his cheek. "It's still nice to enjoy your company." 

Adrien touched his face and smiled. He found himself looking off, staring at where he saw his father. He frowned as a sick feeling took over. 

"Is everything okay?" She asked as she noticed his discomfort. "You look like you've seen a ghost." 

His head snapped as he looked at her. "W-What? Why would you say that?" 

"You look... distracted. I can tell something's wrong," Marinette pointed out. "Is it something new or the... usual?" She referred to the crime they covered up a month prior. 

Adrien stared down at his ring. "N-Nothing's wrong, Marinette. Or nothing else is." He didn't know why he didn't just tell Marinette the truth: he was seeing his father's ghost. 

Maybe he didn't want to burden her with another one of his issues. Maybe he didn't want her to think he was crazy. 

"I'm just really tired." 

Marinette grabbed his hand. "Maybe a nap would help with that," She suggested, craving his touch again. 

"Yes, please," He whispered, standing up as he walked with her out of the kitchen and up to his bedroom. Maybe sleep is just what he needed to clear his mind. 

In his bedroom now, Adrien closed and locked the door, and he and Marinette climbed in his bed. They laid down and faced each other as they pulled the blanket over them. Their kwamis snuggled together between the pillows. 

The pair smiled at each other before they closed their eyes, and soon, sleep came and took them away. 

"No!" Adrien grabbed his fencing sword and aimed it at his father. "I am staying here. I'm not going anywhere with you. Now get out of my room!" 

Gabriel gasped with wide eyes. "How dare you! Who the hell do you think you are, treating me like this? You would be nothing without me!" 

Adrien's hands gripped tighter around his fencing sword. He had no idea where this burst of confidence came from, but he knew he was tired of being treated this way by his father. "I said get out!" He threatened. 

"Or what?" His father challenged. "You wouldn't dare—" 

"Ahh!" Adrien leapt forward and pushed the sword deep into his father's chest, straight through his heart. He twisted the sword and pulled it out fast. Blood dripped off the blade, down over his knuckles. 

"S-Son..." Gabriel gasped out, choking on the red substance pouring out of his mouth. He fell to his knees and looked up at his son. "How... could..." 

Adrien held the tip of the sword against his father's throat as he stared him down. "What were you saying, Father?" 

His father fell back, and his breaths stilled as he bled out to death. 

Guilt immediately overcame Adrien and the fencing sword fell from his hand. "What have I done?" He asked out loud, eyes wide. He fell to his knees, sobbing into the floor. "What have I done?!" 

"You can't escape me, son." 

Adrien lifted his head and made eye contact with his dead father. "W-What...?" 

Gabriel's eyes were pure white as he whispered, "Even in your dreams, I will haunt you. You can't escape me. Til the day you die, I will be here." 

He shook his head fast, backing up until he bumped into his desk chair. "N-No, you're supposed to be dead!" 

His father laughed as he slowly rose to his feet. There were blood stains all over his white suit. "Are you sure, Adrien?" He walked towards him. 

"Get away from me!" Adrien jumped to his feet and ran to the bathroom and slammed the door shut. "You're not real!" 

"I'm as real as ever!" Gabriel pounded his closed fists against the door as he tried to fight his way in to his son. "Did you make sure I was dead before you sunk my body to the bottom pits in the water?" 

Adrien covered his ears as he tried to ignore his father's words. The door fell broken and Gabriel tackled him. "No, get off of me! Let me go!"

"Did you forget how to find a pulse?!" His father shouted as he grabbed Adrien's arm and forced his hand on his chest, over his heart. "Did you check to see if my heart was done beating?!”

Adrien fell out of bed, his face wet from crying. He bumped his elbow into the wall and cursed himself as he crawled back to Marinette, who surprisingly didn't wake up from his nightmare. Plagg and Tikki were asleep, too. 

He rubbed his temple as he laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling. No matter what, he couldn't escape his father. In dreams, in real life, no place was safe. 

Marinette rolled closer to Adrien, wrapping her arm around his chest, and nuzzled her face into his shirt. Whatever she dreamed about, it was happy and peaceful. He smiled and pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. 

His father could never take her away from him. 

The doorbell rang and Adrien glanced at the door. No one had visited in over a month. Who would be here now? 

"Hmm, Adrien?" Marinette questioned as she sat up. Of course that would wake her up. "What... time is it?" 

He checked his phone, almost two-thirty. They'd been asleep for at least three hours. The doorbell rang again. "I'll be right back, Marinette." He climbed out of bed, not expecting her to follow him downstairs, and headed towards the front door. 

Adrien stopped on the staircase, Marinette gently bumping into his back, and he watched as Nathalie answered the door. 

His eyes widened. 

"Felix?"

Chapter Text

"Felix, what are you doing here?" Adrien asked as he stepped forward and reached the end of the staircase. "We... I haven't seen you in months." 

"Yes, you seem ecstatic to see me, cousin," He deadpanned as he rolled his eyes. "I heard about what happened to Uncle Gabriel, and I'm here on behalf of my mother and myself to offer our condolences and support." 

Nathalie smiled at him. "That's sweet of you, Felix. Thank you. Could Amelie not make the trip?" 

"Sadly, no. My mother has work to catch up on in London, but I was more than happy to come for her." 

"Would you like some tea?" 

Felix nodded. "Yes, thank you, Nathalie." 

"I'll be in the kitchen when you're ready." She turned around and left. 

Adrien and Marinette stepped closer to Felix. 

"You're never that polite to Nathalie," Adrien pointed out. "Even when you pretend to be me. So, what's going on? Why are you really here?" 

The sympathetic look fell from Felix's face. His eyebrows furrowed together as he glared at the pair. "Uncle Gabriel promised me a special brooch. I'm not leaving without it." 

"So, you don't even care his father is gone?" Marinette asked as she shook her head. "Typical Felix, you don't care about anyone but yourself." 

"I've never seen my father wear one," Adrien wondered out loud. "The only jewelry he ever wore was his wedding band." 

Marinette's eyes widened and she smacked his arm. "Adrien... the butterfly and peacock brooches!" She whispered. 

"Wait..." The model gasped. "Of course..." 

Felix raised an eyebrow suspiciously at them. "How do you two know about them?"

Marinette glared at his cousin. "How do you?" 

They held eye contact without saying anything. 

Adrien faked a laugh. "This seems like a conversation we should have in private." He opened his father's former office doors and placed a hand on each of their backs as he pushed Marinette and Felix inside. He closed the door and locked it. "We have something to tell you, Felix." 

"No, we don't," Marinette muttered. 

Felix turned to her. "Let my cousin speak, Marino." 

"It's Marinette." 

"Whatever." 

"Guys!" Adrien shouted and they looked at him. "Felix, can we trust you?" 

He nodded. "Of course." 

Marinette snorted. "Yeah, right," She mumbled. 

"Do you have a problem with me, Dupain-Cheng?" Felix asked as he towered over her. 

"Maybe I do," She challenged, not afraid. "Is that so wrong?" 

Felix smirked. "Well, if you're wrong, then I never want to be right." 

Adrien groaned as Marinette rolled her eyes.

"I have no problem punching you again," She threatened. 

"When did you punch Felix?" Adrien asked, confused. 

Marinette's eyes widened. 

Felix grinned. "Yes, Marinette... when did you hit me? Because the only girl I remember punching me was Ladybug... and let's face it, you're not as cute as her." 

Her hands balled into fists. Defeated, she asked, "You just connected the dots, didn't you?" 

"Wasn't that hard." 

"Ugh!" 

"Am I getting under your skin, bug?" He teased. 

Marinette stomped her foot as she raised to his eye level and got close in his face. "Keep pissing me off and see what happens." 

Felix grinned and whispered, "Maybe I'd like that." 

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Are you two done?" 

She crossed her arms with a puff and stepped away from his cousin. 

Felix gave his attention to Adrien. "You were saying, cousin?" 

"I have something to tell you... and it might be pretty surprising." 

"Let me guess: you and Dork-ette here are finally dating?" Felix asked with a chuckle. "Because that would be pretty surprising." 

Adrien and Marinette shared a blushed look. 

"Well, sort of," She spat out. 

"Not yet," He said. "Kind of." 

Felix sighed. "There's always something with you two." 

Adrien shook his head fast. There's no other way to say this than to just say it. "My father is Shadowmoth!" He cried out, and Marinette stood there, confused, as she thought he was going to reveal the other secret.

His cousin didn't have a reaction. "Yes, and?" 

"Did you already know?" Marinette asked. 

"Have for a while, actually," Felix admitted. 

Adrien's eyes widened. "And you never said anything? Why?" 

"I didn't feel like it." 

Marinette glared at Felix. "Do you see why I want to hit you again?" 

"So, when did you two find out?" He asked. 

"About a week after my father... ran away," Adrien answered. 

Felix glanced around the room as he wondered where his uncle would keep the brooch. His eyes landed on the painting of his aunt. Maybe in the safe? "Look, I don't care if you two help me or not, but Uncle Gabriel promised me the peacock brooch and I'm here to get it." 

I wonder if Felix knows it's a miraculous, Marinette thought to herself as she kept a careful eye on him. 

"We'll help you find it," Adrien volunteered, and Marinette stared at him, shocked. He pulled her aside and said, "There's no way we'll find it. Let's just play along for now." 

She sighed, very much annoyed now, and looked at Felix. "Yeah... we'll help you." 

"Aren't you two generous?" Felix muttered with an eye roll. He walked over to the painting and pulled it back, entering the combination to the safe. It opened and he started searching through the contents. 

"How did you know that was there?!" Adrien asked, shocked with wide eyes. How did Felix get it open? Plagg had to open it for me last time. "And the combination?" 

"This isn't my first time snooping around my uncle's office," Felix admitted. He wasn't satisfied with what he found, so he closed the safe and pushed the painting back in place. He stared up at his aunt and smiled. "Let's keep looking." 

After an hour of searching and finding nothing, the three of them sat together on the floor against the wall. 

"Adrien, what do you think really happened to your father?" Felix asked out of nowhere.

"What?!" The model gasped. "W-What do you... mean?" 

"What, you don't have a theory?" His cousin commented as he looked over. "Do you really believe what they're saying in the news, that the great Gabriel Agreste gave up his luxurious life and ran away?" 

I have to. Adrien bit his lip. "I..." 

Felix shrugged and added, "Of course, it does make sense, actually. Maybe Uncle Gabriel did run away. Maybe he was tired of this life and wanted out." 

"Tired of... me, you mean?" Adrien whispered. 

Felix looked at his cousin and frowned. "No, I didn't mean you. I meant his brand, the fashion, his creations. Maybe Uncle Gabriel got sick of it all." He squinted at his cousin. "Why, do you have another theory?" 

Adrien's eyes widened. "N-No, I believe whatever the news thinks happened." 

He rolled his eyes. "Of course you do." 

As his cousin stood, Adrien asked, "Are you leaving?" 

"Why? Do you want me to?" 

"No." 

"Do you have something to hide?" 

Adrien shook his head. "Like... what?" 

Felix glanced at his cousin's ring. "Nothing."

"If you're not leaving, then where are you going?" Marinette asked. 

"To my room," He answered simply. 

"Your room?" Adrien repeated. 

Felix stared down at him. "Dear cousin, don't tell me I'm not a guest here, after all this travel. Am I not allowed to stay?" 

Adrien climbed to his feet and helped Marinette stand. "O-Of course you are. You're family. I just don't get why you're staying. We didn't find anything." 

"My uncle has more hiding spots than just in this office. I'll find what I'm looking for." Felix walked out and slammed the door shut behind him. 

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other. 

"We might have to tell Felix the truth," He said. 

"Do you trust him?" 

"I don't know, Milady... my cousin's been confusing, lately. Sometimes it feels like he wants to help me, and then sometimes he just wants to make my life miserable... but Felix is stealthy, very sly, and secretive. He can keep a secret." 

Marinette groaned. "I hope so! Now he knows I'm Ladybug..." 

Adrien stared at his ring. "I wonder if he knows I'm Cat Noir." 

"If Felix finds out what really happened to your father, he could blackmail us to do whatever he wants! We can't let that happen." 

"So, what are we going to do?" 

Marinette walked over and stared up at the painting. "We can't let Felix find out what happened, so until we get this situation handled, I'll let Felix keep the peacock miraculous for now. I'll take it back from him later. For now, we're going to give Felix what he wants." 

"The peacock brooch?" Adrien asked. "But we can't even find it."

Marinette turned around and faced him. "I know, but I have an idea where it is." 

"Where?" 

"Your father's body."

Chapter Text

"My... father's... body?" Adrien repeated as his entire body went numb. 

"It makes sense," Marinette whispered as she began to explain. "We can't find it anywhere in his office and we forgot to check his clothes! Well, we didn't find out he was Shadowmoth until after we dumped his body." 

He shook his head fast. "No, I-I can't go down there. I don't... I don't know how I'll react to seeing his body again." After his father's transparent sightings around the house, Adrien didn't want to be anywhere near him. 

Marinette stepped forward and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it tight and said, "Hey, it's okay. I'll go down there."

"Are you sure?" 

She nodded, but the thought of touching a dead body sent a shiver down her spine. "I'll be fast." She walked over to the painting and raised her hands, hesitating for only a second before she reached out and pressed the secret buttons. 

The floor opened beneath Marinette and the elevator brought her back down to the butterfly garden. 

"Tikki, spots on." 

Ladybug walked across the bridge and climbed on the railing. She held her balance and reached into her yo-yo for a blue macaroon. 

"Tikki, power up."

She dove off headfirst as she transformed into Aquabug and landed in the chasm of water. The sudden chill almost sent her into shock and she steadied her breathing. 

Aquabug grabbed her yo-yo and used it as a flashlight as she looked around. It was big and dark down here. It could take her hours to find Gabriel's body. 

Might as well start swimming, She thought to herself as she moved her arms forward and kicked her legs. She didn't even know if the butterfly and peacock miraculous would be with him, but she had to check. She had to know. 

Her bug phone beeped with a text from her partner. Adrien must have transformed into Cat Noir to communicate with her. 

Cat Noir: Any luck, Milady? 

Aquabug: Not yet, Kitty, but I'll search all day if I have to. 

Cat Noir: If you need my help, I can come down 

Aquabug: It's okay. I can handle this. I'll see you soon.  

Aquabug turned her flashlight back on and kept searching. Five minutes passed, then ten, ten twenty, and soon a whole hour, and she still hadn't found anything. 

Then, as she was about to give up, she finally found him, laying lifeless at the bottom. Aquabug pushed through her fears and swam over to him. The blanket was wrapped tight around his body and she struggled to get it off. 

"Come on," She mumbled to herself, using the rest of her strength to flip him over. The fabric was free and she pushed it aside. Where would he keep two brooches? She saw his tie and moved it. She was right. The butterfly and peacock miraculous were pinned to his shirt. 

Aquabug took the miraculous and closed her fist. She didn't want to take any chances in losing them again. She stared at his face, his eyes closed, and she frowned. Even though he was a wicked, horrible man, Adrien still lost his father. First his mother, and now Gabriel. 

Adrien had no one else. 

As Aquabug was about to swim up, she glanced at Gabriel's arm and noticed part of his skin was dark, almost burned like that. Confused, she pushed the sleeve up, seeing more of this damage, and then unbuttoned his shirt. 

She was expecting a stab wound, like Adrien claimed, and her eyes widened. His chest, shoulders, and left arm were dark and black, damaged from what she recognized as Cat Noir's cataclysm. 

Adrien said he stabbed his father with a fencing sword. Why did he lie to her? 

Aquabug threw her yo-yo and wrapped it around the railing as she pulled herself out of the water. "Tikki, power down." She transformed back into Ladybug and opened her yo-yo. Through the magical portal, she put the butterfly miraculous safely back in the miracle box. 

"Spots off," She whispered as she became Marinette again. She stared at the peacock miraculous in her hand. "You saw what I saw, Tikki. Right?" 

The kwami raised to her hand. "Cat Noir's cataclysm... that's what actually killed Gabriel Agreste." 

"Why did Adrien lie to me?" 

"I..." Tikki went quiet. She didn't know what to say. 

Marinette stuffed the brooch in her pocket and took the elevator back up to the house. She found Adrien, detransformed now, and walked over to him. 

"Did you find them?" He asked. 

"Why did you lie to me?" She said instead. 

"What? What are you talking about?" 

"You said you stabbed your father! When I was down there, I saw the dark spots on his body. You cataclysmed him!" 

Adrien's eyes widened. "You... I..." 

"Why did you lie to me?" She asked again. 

He covered his face with his shaky hands as he started crying again. "I... at-at first it was to protect my secret identity, but then I couldn't admit to myself—or to you—that I had used my powers to kill someone. Even if that someone was my father, I still took someone's life. I used my miraculous in a way that was never intended to! It should be used for good, not evil, and in a moment under deep pressure, I couldn't control myself." 

Marinette frowned. "Adrien..." 

Plagg appeared by their side. "That is not true, Adrien! You tried to fight your father and held off as long as you could. He was choking you, he was going to kill you! Adrien, you saved yourself." 

Adrien shook his head. He didn't believe his kwami. "No. I'm not worthy of my miraculous anymore." 

Marinette grabbed his hand. "So, that's why Cat Noir's been ignoring me and not showing up for patrol." 

"I'm sorry..." 

She started crying and gasped out, "I thought I lost my partner... Cat Noir hasn't been seen in over a month and I had no way to reach you. I thought something horrible happened to you!" 

Adrien stepped forward and hugged Marinette as she sobbed into her hands. "I'm sorry, I just... I couldn't face you. I'm so ashamed of myself. It's even hard to look at myself in the mirror." 

He stared off at his mother's painting, and as he blinked, he saw his father standing there. 

"How could you kill your own father?" Gabriel taunted. 

Adrien gasped and jumped back from Marinette. 

"Adrien..." She stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you okay?" 

He looked at Marinette, then back at the painting. His father was gone. "Yeah, I'm... fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." 

"Seems like something scared you instead," She pointed out. "Do you want to talk about it?" 

Adrien shook his head fast. "No, no... let's just give Felix what he wants."

Chapter Text

Adrien and Marinette walked upstairs to the guest room and knocked on the door. 

Felix opened it and glanced between them. "What do you two dorks want?" 

Marinette opened her palm and revealed the peacock brooch. "What do you want?" 

His eyes widened. "Where did you find that?" 

"Like you said, my father has many hiding places," Adrien said. 

Felix reached his hand out, hesitant. He didn't know if they were playing him. He snatched it from her hand and pinned it behind his tie. 

The kwami Duusu appeared in a ball of light. She yawned and looked around, confused. "You're not my master." 

"I am now," Felix stated. 

"Why do you want the peacock miraculous, Felix?" Marinette asked. 

He didn't answer. "It's complicated." 

The Guardian crossed her arms. It didn't matter what Felix's reason was. He wasn't going to keep it forever. 

"Well, since you got what you came for, you can go now," Adrien said. 

Felix raised his eyebrows and asked. "So, you are trying to kick me out. Why?" 

Adrien and Marinette shared a look. 

"It's not that we don't want you here, it's just..." Adrien looked to Marinette for help. 

"What about your mother, in London?" She quickly said. "She probably doesn't expect you to be gone too long." 

"My mother trusts me to travel alone, especially if I'm visiting family..." Felix tilted his head and added, "But since you two want me gone so bad, I think I'll stay." 

"What?!" They shouted in sync. "No!" 

Felix snickered. "Hmm, now I know you're definitely hiding something. I'm not an idiot. If you two tell me what, then I promise I'll leave." 

The pair stepped back as they whispered to each other. 

"I'm sick of this." Felix stepped forward and grabbed their arms, forcing them in his room, and he shut and locked the door. "I'm not giving you a choice. You're going to tell me what you're hiding and why you want me to leave so bad." 

Adrien grabbed her hand. "I think we can trust him." 

"No way!" Marinette shouted back. "Are you insane? He could use this against us!" 

"Don't be so dramatic, Marinette," Felix laughed. "What, do you think I'll... blackmail you or something?" 

She gasped. "You were eavesdropping on us earlier! How much did you hear?" 

"Enough to know my cousin here is Cat Noir and that you two definitely had something to do with Uncle Gabriel disappearing." 

"See?" Adrien pointed out as he stood beside his cousin. "He already almost knows! We might as well tell him. I think we can trust him." 

Marinette crossed her arms and faced Felix. "Do you care about Adrien?" 

He was thrown off by the question and said, "What?" 

"Adrien's family, he's your cousin, but do you care about him? Would you protect him?" 

"I... I guess," Felix whispered. "That's what I've been trying to do for years now." 

"I'm asking because if the truth gets out, Adrien's life is over." 

Felix's eyes widened and he gasped out, "Holy shit, what the hell did you two do?" 

Marinette stepped back and grabbed Adrien's hand. "If you trust him, then so do I." 

Adrien took in a deep breath and faced his cousin. "I killed my father."

Chapter Text

Felix stood there with wide eyes, his jaw hanging open. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you say you... killed... your father?" 

Adrien nodded. 

The model explained everything to his cousin, about all the abuse he endured from his father for years. How Gabriel would hit him, scream at him, almost every single day of his life since his mother disappeared. How he was forced to model for magazines and ads and billboards day after day, year after year, and how he was constantly locked away in his bedroom. How he was silenced with the threat of being taken out of school and the fear of never seeing his friends again. 

Adrien told Felix about what happened the night it all ended, when he killed his own father. How Gabriel came into his room, and they got in a fight—yet again—but this time it was worse. It was life and death. How his father had been choking him, his own son, and in a split second without even realizing, Adrien transformed and used Cat Noir's power—cataclysm—and murdered him, his own father, without thinking or without a conscience to stop him. 

He told his cousin everything, every interaction he and his father ever had, every bruise and black eye his father ever gave him. 

Adrien cried and cried, and Felix held him. "Why didn't you ever tell me this was happening?" He asked quietly, still in shock on hearing all of this. "My mother and I would've helped you. You could've come and lived with us in London." 

"I didn't have the courage to speak up. I thought I deserved what he did to me. I mean, he is—was—my father, and he just wanted the best for me. Or his best."

Felix pulled back and stared closely at his cousin. "If Uncle Gabriel weren't already dead, I'd kill him myself."

Adrien laughed. It was the first time he's laughed since... "Thanks, I guess?" 

"So, what did you guys do?" Felix asked, still confused. "I mean, Paris thinks he ran away..." 

"We knew an investigation would happen when Gabriel Agreste's disappearance hit the news," Marinette began to explain. "There'd be no way no one would want to look for him, so we faked the letter Officer Roger found in Gabriel Agreste's desk and convinced Paris he simply just gave up and ran." 

Felix nodded. "Wow, that's impressive. You two seem to be pretty good at this." 

Adrien frowned and Marinette rolled her eyes. 

"You know what else I'm pretty good at?" She asked the look-a-like. 

Before Felix could answer, she stepped forward, bearing an angry glare that terrified him to the core, and he stepped away until his back hit the door. 

Marinette grabbed his tie and pulled him down to her eye level. "Revenge," She threatened with such angry malice. "You betray us, you use this information to hurt Adrien and ruin his life... I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. There's nowhere you can hide, not even from me. I will make you regret every decision you've ever made. I will pry that brooch from your cold, dead hands if it's the last thing I do." 

Felix smirked. "Is that a threat or a promise?" He teased with a wink. 

Adrien pulled Marinette back and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Back off, Felix."

"What? I'm just messing around," His cousin said. "I'm all bark, no bite. Unless she wants me to..." 

She shook her head. "No, I don't." 

Felix rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. You're madly in love with my cousin. If it's just his looks, then I don't see the problem with me?"

Marinette raised her arm to smack him, but Adrien grabbed her wrist. "Mari—" 

"Let me go, Adrien." 

"Felix is just trying to get a reaction out of you. Trust me, I'd know." He glared at his cousin. "I grew up with him." 

She dropped her arm. "So? Are you keeping this secret with us?" 

Felix raised his right hand. "Til the day I die."

Marinette grinned. "Don't worry, I can make that happen... if it comes to it." 

Adrien sighed. "You two will eventually get along... right?"

Marinette and Felix share a book before they both turned away and crossed their arms. 

"Right... only time will tell." 

Loud knocks on the front door echoed throughout the house. 

Adrien, Marinette, and Felix ran out of the guest room and ducked by the staircase. They watched as Nathalie walked over to to open the front door. 

Two men in black suits stood in the archway. 

"Can I help you?" Nathalie asked. 

"My name is Officer Reimer, and this is my partner, Officer Laurent. We're with the National Police.” 

Chapter Text

The three shared a worried look and kept watch. 

"Are you Nathalie Sancoeur?" Officer Reimer asked. 

She nodded. "Yes, I am. Can I ask what this is about?" 

Officer Laurent glanced around the wide foyer. "May we come in?" 

"Of course." Nathalie stepped back as she opened the door further and the officers in. 

Adrien, Marinette, and Felix ducked before they were caught and crawled over near the staircase. 

"Let's talk in my office," She told them as she lead them in the other room. 

Once the door shut, the three of them ran over and sat quietly by the door, holding their ear to the door to listen. 

Nathalie faced them and asked, "How can I help you officers?" 

"I'm sure you're aware of your boss' disappearance, correct?" Officer Reimer said as he pulled out a small notepad to take notes. 

"Yes... he ran away a little over a month ago." 

"Why do you believe he ran away?" 

Nathalie crossed her arms. "Because that's what happened. Officer Roger found a letter in Gabriel's desk when he first investigated." 

Officer Laurent nodded and asked, "What did the letter say?" 

"Umm, that he couldn't do this anymore. His wife's disappearance caused him too much pain and misery, and he couldn't be here anymore." 

"And you believe what he wrote?" 

She shrugged. "It makes sense. This life, his brand, was getting too much for him." 

Officer Reimer wrote something down on his notepad. "So, Mr. Agreste had talked to you about it? He's expressed his concerns?"

"Sometimes, yes. Gabriel must've simply cracked and left this all behind. I'm surprised he didn't sooner. 

"Why?" Officer Laurent asked. 

"He..." Nathalie sighed with a  frown. "Gabriel wasn't the same after Emelie, uh, his wife, disappeared. He... changed." 

"Changed how?" 

Natalie glanced at the door and thought of Adrien. She closed her eyes tight. "He became obsessed with his work and creations." Not to mention certain superheroes and their jewelry. "Sometimes he'd stay awake in his office for days, just working on new designs." Or plans to finally defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir. "He became distant from everyone, including me and his son." 

Officer Laurent glanced around the room, at the designs that hung on the walls. "So... Gabriel Agreste simply ran away and abandoned his work and his family. That's what all the news reports are saying, right?" 

"Yes." 

"Well..." Officer Reimer looked up at Nathalie. "We have reason to believe Gabriel Agreste didn't run away." 

Adrien's eyes widened and he squeezed Marinette's hand tight. No, no, no. This wasn't supposed to happen. We were careful! We had the perfect plan. 

Nathalie gasped. "W-What? What are you talking about?" 

"Miss Sancoeur, Mr. Agreste had a business trip scheduled in Brazil the night he disappeared, is that correct?" 

"Yes."

"And you and his bodyguard took a flight without Mr. Agreste?"

Does he suspect me? She slowly nodded. "Yes, he was supposed to take a different flight and meet us at the hotel." 

"Why wasn't he with you already?" Officer Reimer asked. 

"Gabriel wanted to stay behind and talk with his son about something." I wondered if finally told Adrien the truth...

Adrien and Marinette shared a look. 

This was bad. This was very, very bad. 

Nathalie cleared her throat. "I don't understand, what's going on?" 

Officers Reimer and Laurent looked at each other. 

"Ma'am, if Mr. Agreste was truly fed up with this life, why would he leave that letter behind and then still drive to the airport? That's where his car was found, abandoned." 

"I-I don't know," She spat out fast. "What are you trying to say?" 

Officer Laurent sighed. "We suspect someone sabotaged Gabriel Agreste and made sure he never made it to Brazil." 

"And someone wants us to think otherwise," His partner added. 

Nathalie's eyes widened. "What, you think someone followed Gabriel and attacked him, or something?" 

"Or something." 

"One of two things could've taken place," Officer Reimer began to explain. "Gabriel Agreste really did run away, or someone wants to make it look like he did." 

"What? I..." Nathalie shook her head. "Why would someone do that?" 

"To cover up something worse." 

"Like what?" 

"Murder." 

Marinette could tell Adrien was about to break down, so to avoid getting caught and making this situation worse, she grabbed his hand and dragged him back upstairs to his bedroom. Felix followed and closed the door behind them. 

"What did we do wrong?" Adrien asked as he paced back and forth, nervous. "I thought we did everything right!" 

"Adrien, calm down!" Marinette told him. "We've come this far. We can't lose focus now." 

"It's over, Marinette!" He shouted at her. "We're done! It's only a matter of time until we're caught." 

"I'm not going to let that happen," Felix said. 

Adrien looked at his cousin. "What?" 

"I gave my word, that I'm keeping this secret with you. Those officers only have their suspicions. If we can convince them Gabriel Agreste truly ran away, then no one will find out the truth." 

Adrien didn't mean to, but he snorted. "How are we going to do that? They're here—in my house! They can't be here!" 

"Cousin, relax! It's not like they're going to find anything." 

Marinette and Adrien shared a worried look.

"Right?!" Felix shouted. 

She lowered her head and whispered, "Well..." 

"Oh no." 

"We sort of... hid my father's body... in the basement." 

Felix's eyes widened. "You... what?!" He went to scream at them again but stopped. His glare softened. "Wait, so you've been down there?" 

"Yes," Adrien answered as he nodded. "Wait, did you know about it?" 

"And you know what's down there?" 

"The butterfly garden?" Marinette said. "Yes, it's beautiful. Sick and horrible, but beautiful." 

"So, you know she's down there?" Felix asked.

Adrien tilted his head, confused. "She? What... what are you talking about?"

Chapter Text

Felix's eyes widened. "So you don't know," He whispered. 

"Know what?" Adrien asked. "Felix, tell me!" 

His cousin turned his back to him. "I-I can't... not yet. Those officers are still in the office with Nathalie." 

"So what?" Adrien shouted. He stepped forward and forced Felix to turn around. "Just tell me!" 

"It'll be easier if I show you, Adrien."

"Why?!"

Felix couldn't make eye contact. "Because it's hard to admit out loud." 

Adrien sighed. "O-Okay. But you are telling me!" 

He nodded. "I will, of course. As soon as those officers leave." 

There was a quiet moment until Nathalie's voice filled the room. "Adrien? Can you come downstairs please?" 

His eyes widened. "They must want to talk to me." 

Marinette grabbed his hand. "It'll be okay, Adrien." 

"No... I-I can't do this!" 

Felix grabbed his shoulders. "Yes, you can, and I'm going to help you." 

"How?" 

He reached in his pocket and pulled out two ear pieces. "Here, put this on." 

"What is this for?" Adrien asked. 

"I'm going to tell you what to say. Just repeat everything I saw to the officers." 

He stared at the ear piece in his hand. "Are you sure about this?" 

Felix nodded. "Yes, now go! The longer you wait, the more suspicious you are." He pushed his cousin out of the room. 

Adrien took in a deep breath as he walked downstairs. He found Nathalie and the two officers standing at the bottom of the staircase. He faked a confused look and asked, "Nathalie? What's going on?" 

"Adrien, these are Officers Reimer and Laurent," She introduced. "They've been assigned to your father's case." 

Felix fed him words. "Assigned to my father's case—" 

"—but I thought Officer Roger already did an investigation?" Adrien continued. "That letter was found in his desk." 

"So you're aware of the letter?" Officer Reimer asked. 

Adrien nodded. "Yes, I was there with Nathalie when Officer Roger found it." 

"They believe the letter was forged and your father is really missing," Nathalie explained. 

"W-What?! Missing? But that doesn't make sense."

"His car was found abandoned," Officer Laurent said. "If he was running away, why didn't he take the car with him?" 

Adrien crossed his arms. "Because he knew people would be able to find him?" 

"Lose the attitude, Adrien," Felix warned in his ear. 

Nathalie walked over and rested a hand on his shoulder. He resisted the urge to shove her away. "Adrien, they just want to ask you some questions, and since I'm your acting guardian until you turn eighteen, I'll be present. You won't be alone." 

"What kind of questions?" 

Officer Reimer stepped forward. "Miss Sancoeur mentioned that a month ago, the night your father was supposed to leave for his business trip, he skipped his flight and stayed behind to talk to you." 

"I remember that, yes." 

"What did you two talk about?" He asked. 

Flashbacks of that night played in his hand and he instinctively grabbed his throat. "Umm..." 

"Don't tell them the truth, Adrien!" Felix suddenly shouted in his ear. "That'll only make you a suspect." 

Adrien took in a deep breath and repeated what his cousin said. "My father and I talked about his work in Brazil." 

"What about his work?" 

"He was supposed to open a new fashion store there. It's sort of a demo, I think that's what he called it? First in Brazil, and if it was successful, then more stores would be opened around the world. America, Italy, China, Japan, Australia. Just anywhere he could. But..." He paused for effect and whispered, "I could tell his heart wasn't really in it."

"How so?" Officer Laurent asked. 

"Just the way he talked about it, my father didn't seem excited or enthusiastic. He seemed tired and stressed and absolutely exhausted. He has been for a while, I've noticed." 

"How long ago did you notice?"

"A couple months, I think? It mostly started on..." Adrien paused. Felix wants me to say that?! 

Officer Laurent leaned forward. "It started when?" 

"Say it, Adrien!" His cousin demanded. 

Adrien sighed. "I notice his change in behavior on the four-year anniversary of my mother's disappearance." 

He fought back tears as he stood there, quiet. 

That day was horrible. Adrien had went to his father, trying to find comfort in him, and Gabriel started screaming and hitting him. It was the worst his father had even been, even on his last day when he choked Adrien and Cat Noir killed him. Unknown to his father, Marinette, and everyone, Adrien tried to take his life that night. Luckily, his kwami was able to stop him, and ever since Plagg became more aware and hyperactive of his holder's actions. Adrien repressed that day and fought hard to forget it ever since. Now, he was living it again. 

"Did he say anything about wanting a break, anything to suggest he planned on running away?" Officer Reimer asked. 

"Nod," Felix instructed. 

Adrien did. "Yes, he did. I didn't think he was serious, though."

"What did your father say?" 

"He made a joke, that he dreamed of running off to an island where no one could find him, and he'd be free of his burdens." 

"Did you talk about anything else?" 

Adrien shook his head. "No, he quickly left for his flight, but he called me from the car on his way to the airport. He promised to call back when he was on the plane, but he never did." 

"And that's when you called Nathalie, freaking out that something might've happened to your father." 

"Nathalie must have told them more when we went back upstairs," Felix whispered out loud. 

"Yes, I was scared. I thought something had happened, but now I'm glad my father just ran away." 

Officer Laurent raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?" 

"Because it means there's a chance my father is alive... right?" 

The officers shared a look. 

Officer Reimer shook Adrien's hand. "Thank you for talking with us. We'll reach out to you if any new updates arise in the case." 

"Please find my father," Adrien begged, forcing tears in his eyes. "Please... even if he wants to stay gone, I need him." 

Officer Reimer nodded. "We'll do everything we can, son." 

"Have a nice day." Nathalie escorted them out and closed the front door behind them. She turned to Adrien. "Is... is that really what you and your father talked about?" She had assumed Gabriel finally told his son about him being Shadowmoth and his plan to bring his mother back, but from what Adrien told the officers, it didn't sound like that at all. 

Adrien stared at Nathalie, confused. What does she mean? Felix didn't say anything, so he gave his own answer. "Yes, that's all we talked about." 

"Nothing else at all?" She pressed on. "He didn't... tell you about something?" 

"Why? Should he have?" 

Nathalie sighed. "I suppose not... what would you and your guests like for dinner?" 

Felix spoke again. "Marinette said she's craving pasta." 

"What kind?" 

Nathalie chuckled. "That's why I'm asking you, Adrien." 

Marinette's voice filled his ear as she spoke now. "I want chicken parmesan, please." 

Adrien smiled. "Uh, can we have chicken parmesan?" 

"Of course, I'll let your chef know. He'll call you down when it's ready." 

"Thanks, Nathalie." Adrien turned around and headed back to his room. He took off his ear piece and threw it at Felix. "Here." 

"Well done, cousin." 

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut it. This is far from over. Why couldn't I tell them about my father? That he hit me?" 

"Because you would've become their number one suspect! If they believe you truly love your father, they can't suspect you at all." 

Adrien crossed his arms. "I can't believe I lied to those officers." 

Marinette rested her hand on his shoulder. "You did what you had to, Adrien. If the truth comes out, we could go to prison!" 

"No, I would go to prison," He corrected. "I won't let you go down for what I did." 

"Hey! I'm apart of this mess as you are!" She reminded him. 

"Oh, really?" He asked. "Did you help kill my father?" 

She frowned. "No, but I helped hide his body, so this mess is mine, too." 

"And mine, cousin," Felix added. 

Adrien groaned. "I don't like this at all! Your lives could be ruined because of my mistake." 

"I love you, Adrien," Marinette said. "You can count on me, always." 

"And killing your father wasn't a mistake. He had it coming." Felix adjusted his tie and peeked at his kwami hiding in his jacket. "I'll be back." 

"Wait, where are you going?" Marinette asked.

"I won't be long."

Adrien grabbed his cousin's arm as he passed. "You said you were going to tell me what's in the basement!" 

"And I will. I promise." Felix shoved his arm free. "I just need to do this first. I'll be back in time for dinner and then we can head down there." He left without another word. 

Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand and led her over to the couch. They sat, and he pulled her closer as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. "I just want this nightmare to be over." 

His phone beeped and he fished it out of his pocket to check the notification. His eyes widened. It was a text. 

Unknown: I know what you did.

Chapter Text

Adrien sat up fast as he stared at his phone. No, this can't be happening. 

Someone knew what he did. How? Is this a joke? 

Marinette looked over. "What's wrong, Adrien?" 

"Yes, Adrien. What's wrong?" 

Hearing that voice made Adrien jump up and spin around. His father stood at his desk, arms crossed behind his back, and like before, he had a disappointed look on his face. 

Adrien stumbled back and tripped over the coffee table and into the tv. 

"Adrien!" Marinette ran to his side and helped him up. "What's going on? Are you okay?" 

He couldn't stop staring at his father. How was he here? He couldn't be. He killed him. 

"Uh..." Adrien looked at Marinette and as he glanced over at his desk, his father was gone. He rubbed his eyes and said, "I'm sorry. I'm just... out of it, I guess." 

He bent over and grabbed his phone off the ground. As he reread the text again, another one came in. 

Unknown: That was quite an act you put on. Do you think those officers bought it? 

Whover this person was texting Adrien, they knew everything. They knew he killed his father and covered it up. But how? And who? 

"I get it, Adrien," Marinette began to tell him, and he looked up at her. "Well, I can't really imagine what you're going through, given what's happened, but..." She paused as she played a loose thread on her jacket sleeve. "I get that you're scared, and that's okay, but we're in this together. I promise, I'm not going to leave you. You can count on me." 

Adrien looked back at his phone. She was right, he could count on her. He could tell her about this. Before he could say anything, a third text chimed in. 

Unknown: Do you think Marinette will look good in a prison jumpsuit? 

Adrien's hand began to shake. Did this anonymous person just threaten Marinette?

"Adrien, what is it?" She asked. 

He turned his phone off and threw it on the couch. "N-Nothing." 

Adrien didn't want to involve Marinette anymore. Her life was already in shackles because of him, but it'd be completely ruined if this continued. But he knew she was stubborn, so he'd keep the texts a secret... for now. 

"You're right, I am scared," He told her after a quiet moment. "I'm scared of what will happen to you if we get caught." 

"I don't care what happens to me." 

"You should." 

There was a loud chuckle and then, "That girl was always devoted to you, wasn't she?" 

Adrien's head snapped up and he saw his father sitting at the end of his bed. His heart pounded hard against his chest. 

His father shook his head. "It's almost admirable, if she wasn't such a stain on the Agreste name." 

Adrien shook his head as he tried to ignore him. 

"Maybe you should take a nap," Marinette suggested. 

"Maybe I should," He agreed. "Will... will you stay?"

She nodded. They climbed in bed together and faced each other. She grabbed his hand and said, "Sleep, you need it." 

As Adrien closed his eyes, he heard his father's voice again. 

"You know how I feel about girls in your room." 

He opened his eyes to see Gabriel leaning close over Marinette. 

"This is unacceptable!" 

Adrien pulled her closer and hugged her tight, humming to drown out his father's voice. After a few restless minutes, the two eventually doze off and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Three hours later, Felix came back and found his cousin and his... friend, classmate, girlfriend—he didn't know what to call her—cuddling in his bed, asleep. 

He stared at them, disgusted, and as he went to wake them, his kwami sat on his hand and stopped him. "Let them sleep, Master!" 

Tikki and Plagg flew over. 

"Yes, they need this," The red bug said as she joined Duusu. They held on tight to his hand.  

"There's no time to sleep!" Felix countered. "Once we get our stories straight and fix this mess, then we can relax." 

Plagg got close in his face and threatened, "You may bear my holder's resemblance but that doesn't mean I won't hesitate to hurt you." 

Felix shook his hand and the kwamis flew off. "Fine, I'll let them sleep a little longer." He grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of the pair before he sat at Adrien's desk. 

The three kwamis followed and sat in front of him. 

"So, are those two finally dating or what?" Felix asked. 

The red and black kwamis shrugged. 

Plagg snorted. "In Adrien's delusions? Yes." 

"Those two haven't really talked about their dating situation since they found out each other's secret identities," Tikki whispered. 

Duusu cheered. "Oh, but they must be together! It's simply romantic!" 

Felix rolled his eyes. "Yes, it'll be romantic if Adrien goes to prison and Marinette's stuck writing him pathetic love letters." 

"We can't let that happen!" Plagg shouted. 

"But is it right to lie about this?" Tikki asked. "Someone lost their life!"

The black kwami rolled his eyes. "Gabriel Agreste was a poor excuse for a father. If anyone deserved to die, it was him."

Felix nodded. "I agree with the black creature." 

"My name is Plagg. Pretty bird over there is Duusu." He gestured to the red bug. "And Miss Sourpuss over here is Tikki." 

She glared at him. "I know Gabriel Agreste was a horrible man and Adrien didn't deserve any of that, but he was still human."

Felix snorted. "Barely." 

"Sugarcube, what if it was your holder? What if Ladybug's father was abusing her? Wouldn't you want to help?"

 "O-Of course I would. I'd do anything for Marinette."

"Then you know how I feel about my holder."

Tikki sighed. "I suppose you're right, but I still don't feel good about this. I guess we don't have a choice." 

"We do," Felix said. "Either we protect Adrien and Marinette and take this secret to the grave, or we reveal the truth and hurt them. They can't exactly be Ladybug and Cat Noir if they get arrested." 

"So, we keep this secret," Plagg whispered. 

"For Marinette." 

"For Adrien." 

Duusu looked between the three of them and frowned. "I saw firsthand what that boy's father did to him, so I agree as well. We protect Adrien Agreste."

Plagg floated to Felix's eye level. "So, pretty boy, why were you gone so long? Where did you go?"  

"I had to check on something." 

"Yeah, I'm gonna need more than that."

Felix grinned. "Pushy creature, are we?"  

"My holder's life is at stake here, so if I need to persuade you to talk, I don't have a problem doing that." 

"You're protective of my cousin, I see." 

Plagg nodded. "I would do anything for Adrien." 

Felix sighed. "I did a bit of... hacking." 

"Master, who is this king of hacs?" Duusu asked.  

Tikki shook her head. "No, Duusu. Hacking. One word. It means Felix put his nose where it doesn't belong." 

"Well, my nose found out something. I was hacking into the police's online database—" 

"For what?" Tikki cut in. 

"To see where they are in the investigation—if they have any leads or suspects yet," Felix explained. "So far, no one, and Adrien or Marinette aren't anywhere close on their radar. But..." 

"But what?" Plagg asked. 

"Those officers are going around talking to almost every single person who's ever worked for or with Gabriel Agreste. I'm afraid that at least one of those people are going to mention how my uncle wasn't always the... greatest father to Adrien." 

"Why is that bad, Master?" Duusu asked. 

"You can just call me Felix," He instructed his kwami. "And if they find out that Uncle Gabriel used to abuse Adrien, my cousin will become their number one suspect. That's the last thing we want." 

Plagg crossed his tiny arms. "We won't let anything happen to Adrien." 

"Neither will I!" Felix shouted at the kwami.

"If anything happens to my holder, I swear I'll destroy this earth until there's nothing left but ashes." 

Tikki rolled her eyes. "Always dramatic, Plagg." 

Felix checked the time on his phone. "Okay, I'm waking them up." 

"But you've only been back for five minutes!" Duusu reminded him. 

Plagg shrugged. "They've been sleeping for hours, Duusu. They're fine." 

"Felix, you said you would let them sleep longer." 

"Adrien needs to know what's down there!" Felix screamed at the flying creatures, taking deep breaths. 

He remembered the sight of his aunt and shook the memory away. 

Felix walked over and smacked his cousin's face. "Hey, wake up!" 

Adrien jolted awake with wide eyes and looked around. He saw Felix and glared at him. He grabbed his pillow and threw it at him. "Screw you," He mumbled. 

"Do you want me to show you what's in the basement or not?" 

Adrien sat up fast. "Yes..." 

"Good," Felix answered, and he looked at Marinette. "Grab your... girl and let's go."

Chapter Text

Felix led Adrien and Marinette across the bridge, and they stood in front of the silver container. 

"I tried opening that," Adrien said. "It's locked." 

"Because you don't know how to unlock it." 

"And you do?" Marinette questioned. 

Felix nodded. 

Adrien eyed the silver container. "You really know what's in there?"  

"I... I have for years, actually," Felix admitted.

He gasped. "What? And I'm only hearing about this now?" 

"In a moment, you'll understand why I hesitated to tell you." 

Marinette crossed her arms. "How bad is it?" 

Felix couldn't make eye contact with them. "Please forgive me, cousin," He whispered. He touched the panel and a keypad revealed itself, and he overrode the code and unlocked it. 

The container doors hissed open. Adrien's mother laid there, unconscious. 

Adrien's eyes widened. "M-Mother?" He croaked out. The room started to spin as he got dizzy. 

Marinette gasped. This was her first time seeing his mother in person. She was... beautiful. "What...?" 

Adrien didn't know what to say, or to think. How could his mother be here? She disappeared years ago! 

"Mom...?" He called out, waiting for a reaction. 

"She can't hear you," Felix whispered. "Trust me, I've tried many times myself." 

Marinette looked at Adrien. His face said everything: shock, horror, worry, heartbreak. This was new territory for her. She knew Adrien cared for his mother deeply, but now she was here, and not here, at the same time. 

"Oh, my sweet Emelie..." 

Adrien focused back as he watched his father lean against the glass.

Gabriel smiled at his sleeping wife. "How I miss you dearly." 

"Get away from her!" Adrien shouted as he leapt forward and knocked Felix aside as he rushed to his mother's side. 

"Adrien!" Marinette gasped. 

Felix caught his balance. "What is wrong with you? I wasn't doing anything!" 

He knelt by his mother and leaned against the glass as he cried. 

Marinette walked over and rested a hand on his shoulder. She couldn't stop staring at his mother. "But I thought... she..." 

Adrien shoulders shook harder, and he punched the glass repeatedly. He screamed and shouted until his voice was hoarse and scratchy. "My mother was... here... all along... and I never knew!"  

"Cousin..." Felix whispered, but he didn't know what else to say. 

Adrien stood up slowly and turned around. He held angry eye contact with his cousin and stormed over to him. He punched Felix in the face. "You knew this entire time! You knew my mother was down here and you never said anything!" 

Felix dodged another swing and jumped back. "It was to protect you!" 

"You knew my father was Shadowmoth and you kept that from me, too!"

"Adrien, calm down!"

Adrien swept his foot under Felix's leg and knocked him on his back. "If you really wanted to protect me, you should have told me the truth!" 

Felix raised his arms in defense and nodded. "You're right... I should have, but I was scared." 

"Scared?" He repeated. "You were scared? Try living with my father for seventeen years!" 

Adrien tried to stomp on Felix's throat, but his cousin rolled out of the way in time. He jumped up and wrapped his arms around Adrien, holding him in a tight hug. "Adrien—" 

"Let me go!" He protested as he struggled to free himself. "Let me go!" 

Marinette didn't know what to do. She stood there and just cried. 

Adrien's hand gripped Felix's shoulder as he sobbed. "M-My mother..." He grabbed his collar and cried into his jacket. 

"I'm sorry," Felix whispered. He stared at Marinette with wide eyes. He'd never seen his cousin like this before. "I thought I was doing the right thing." 

Adrien didn't say anything else. He kept crying and fell to his knees. Felix let him go and watched as his cousin crawled away to his mother. 

Felix stepped over to Marinette and whispered, "I knew his reaction would be bad, but I didn't think it'd be anything like this." 

"How would you feel if your father hid your mother in a secret basement under your house, when you thought she'd simply just been missing all these years?" Marinette asked. 

He didn't answer. 

Adrien sat up and stared at his mother. "Is she..."  

Felix stepped forward and said, "As far as I can tell, your mother is still alive, Adrien." 

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, right, because you just happen to know everything!" 

"My best assumption is that she's in some sort of magical coma, which is why Uncle Gabriel kept her down here instead of at a hospital. Earthly medicine won't be able to treat her." 

Marinette gasped. "That's why he wanted our miraculous!" She turned to Adrien. "To make a wish. He was going to bring his wife back!"

Adrien stood up and looked at his ring. "Bring... my mother back? Just one wish could bring her home?" 

"We can't!" She reminded him. "It wouldn't be right!" 

"She's wrong, son!" 

Adrien looked up and saw his father standing behind Marinette. 

"What's more important than bringing your mother back? Nothing!" 

"I..." Adrien closed his hand in a fist. 

Gabriel stared at Marinette's earrings. "Don't you want your mother back?" 

Ignore him. Don't listen to him. Adrien closed his eyes tight as he shook his head. 

"Son, take her miraculous!" His father demanded. 

"I won't do it," He whispered. 

Marinette sighed in relief. She stepped forward and grabbed his hand. "We'll find a way to bring your mother back, without our miraculous." 

"How?" 

"I... we... uh..." She sighed. "We'll find a solution. We always do."

Chapter Text

The three of them were back upstairs in the model's bedroom. Adrien hadn't said anything in over an hour. He was still in shock from the sight of his missing mother. He couldn't believe that she'd been here this entire time, and that his own father would keep her from him. 

Felix walked over to the pair sitting together on the couch. "Adrien, do you mind if I borrow some clothes?" 

Adrien didn't hear him. He was lost in his thoughts. 

Marinette bumped his arm. "Adrien." 

He blinked and looked over. "Hmm? What?"

"I asked if I could borrow some clothes," Felix said again. 

"You didn't bring any?"

"I didn't plan on staying overnight, but given what I've learned, I think it'll be smart if I stay."

Adrien shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Take whatever you want." 

Felix walked over to his dresser and found a spare change of clothes. "Alright, I'm going to take a shower." 

"Don't use my expensive shampoo!" 

"No promises!" 

Felix walked back to the guest room, and instead of a shower, he quickly changed into the spare clothes and fixed his hair to resemble his cousin's. He grabbed the paper bag by the door and took it with him as he left the house.

While he was out earlier, Felix had pretended to be Adrien and got ahold of the man in charge of creating Gabriel Agreste's designs and fashions. He convinced the man to mass produce two jackets for him. 

All apart of Felix's plan. 

Felix, charading as Adrien now, made his way to the mayor's hotel. He found him in the lobby at the counter and they soon made eye contact.

Mayor Bourgeois eyes widened as he saw the model and he quickly walked over to greet him. "Adrien! It's so good to see you..." He gave him a quick hug. "How are you?" 

"I..." Felix cleared his throat and made his voice sound a pitch higher. "I've been better." 

"I'm sorry about your father," The mayor whispered. 

"Me too." 

"So, what brings you to my hotel today?" 

Time to put my plan in motion. "I'm sure you're aware Officer Reimer and Officer Laurent are staying here currently? While they work my father's case?" 

Mayor Bourgeois nodded. "Yes, I'm aware. I have them in the top penthouse. What about them?" 

"Well, I'm thankful for all the hard work they've been doing, and I wanted to show my appreciation."

"That's thoughtful." 

Felix reached in the bag and pulled out two black leather jackets. Around the collar and sleeve cuffs, pigeon feathers were secretly hidden and sewed into the threads. 

"My father.... Before he..." He pretended to fight back tears. "He was starting a new fashion line: The Hearts of Paris. These were his first creations. I thought, what better way to honor the men searching for my father than with this?" 

"Wow, Adrien! These are beautiful!" The mayor admired the leather and handiwork. The brand logo was sewed onto the sleeves, which was decorated with silhouettes of white and purple flying butterflies. "Oh, the design is well crafted. Would you like me to call them down for you?”

No. They can't know the gift is from me... or from Adrien. "Actually, I kind of what this to stay a secret," Felix admitted. 

Mayor Bourgeois raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh?" 

Felix chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck. He had memorized this as one of his cousin's nervous ticks. "Well, not a secret. You see, technically I'm now allowed out of my house right now, and if anyone knew I was here, I'd get in a lot of trouble."

"Ah, I understand, son." The mayor nodded and leaned in. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you were here." 

"Thank you, Mayor Bourgeois. Perhaps you could give them to Officer Reimer and Officer Laurent yourself? And play if off as a gift from... you?" 

He nodded. "I can do that, Adrien. Anything for my friend's son." 

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Felix handed him the bag. 

"I should get back before—" 

"Go, go! Don't get caught." 

Felix smiled and left. 

Mayor Bourgeois sighed. "Oh, how I miss being young." 

The mayor then took the elevator to the penthouse and knocked three times on the door. 

Officer Laurent answered the door. "Oh, hello, Mr. Mayor. Anything we can do for you?" 

"Actually, I have a gift! From... me." Mayor Bourgeois raised the paper bag in his hand. "Uh, I wanted to thank you and your partner for all your hard work and dedication you've put into this investigation. Gabriel Agreste is a dear friend of mine." 

"Just doing our jobs, sir." 

"Please, I insist." The mayor handed him the bag. "Just a small gift from the hearts of Paris."

Officer Laurent peeked in the bag and pulled out one of the leather jackets. His eyes widened in amazement, and he nodded to himself. "Woah is this real leather?! Wow, this is very nice, Mr. Mayor!" He slipped the jacket on, content. He cleared his throat and shook the mayor's hand. "Uh, thank you, Mayor Bourgeois. It's nice to be appreciated sometimes." 

"Please, the pleasure's all mine. I'll let you two get back to your work." The mayor waved and took the elevator back down to the lobby, where his angry daughter waited with another ridiculous request. 

Unknown to Mayor Bourgeois, he had unintentionally helped Felix initiate part two of his plan.

Chapter Text

Marinette checked her phone and stood up fast. "I need to head home. My mom's making dinner and if I skip again, she might start asking questions." 

"Of course." Adrien stood and hugged her. "Thank you... for everything." 

She held him tight. "Always, kitten." She pulled back and kissed him gently. "I'll see you later." 

The bedroom door closed behind her. 

Plagg floated over to his holder and rubbed his stomach. "I'm starving. Those groceries your chef bought looked really good." 

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Go ahead, Plagg." 

"Wasn't asking for permission!" His kwami phased through the floor. 

He shook his head and chuckled. 

"Adrien, what are you doing?!" 

The model spun around fast. His face fell in disappointment when he saw his father's ghost again. 

"You should've grabbed her earrings while you had the chance!" 

Adrien immediately glared at him. "Why would I ever do something you ask?"  

"Because I am your father," He stated simply.

"Really?" He asked as he looked him up and down. "Can't do much now that you're dead." 

Gabriel raised his arms and looked at himself. "I'm still here, aren't I?" 

Adrien grabbed the remote and threw it at him. It went straight through his body and directly into the wall. 

"Well, maybe not physically." 

"You're just a figment of my imagination. A hallucination! Just a stupid ghost." 

"But I'm still here," His father countered.  

A headache came as Adrien balled his hands into fists. "Why did you hide my mother from me?!" 

Gabriel's face softened and he turned to look out the window. "Oh, my dear Emelie..." 

"Answer me! You lied to me about her—for years! You said she disappeared!" 

"And she did!" 

Adrien shook his head. "No, Mom's been in the basement—which I also just found out about—this entire time!"  

Gabriel stormed up to his son, which made him stumble back in fear. "Your mother's mind and soul are gone, Adrien! What the hell do you think I've been doing all this time? I've been trying to bring her back! To me! To you!" 

"I thought my mother was dead!" He cried out, fresh with tears. "You let me believe I would never see her again, and all this time... she was here! She was here!"

"I kept her a secret because I hadn't found a cure yet!" 

"How did Mom get in that state anyway?"

His father looked away in shame. "Your mother... she used the peacock miraculous while it was broken." 

Adrien's eyes widened. "What?"

"She got sick and I couldn't help her..." 

"Sick? But... Nathalie's been sick, too, just like Mom," He whispered, mostly to himself. "Did Nathalie use it, too? 

His father nodded. "Nathalie was Mayura."  

"What? No..." 

"Soon Nathalie will see the same fate as your mother." 

"You monster!" Adrien grabbed his desk chair and threw it at his father and was reminded it'd have no effect as it flew through him and into the foosball table. "How could you do this to them?!" 

"I warned them! I told them not to use it, but they wouldn't listen! They didn't listen and look where they are now!" Gabriel shouted back. 

"Obviously it wasn't enough!" 

"If you get that girl's earrings—her miraculous—we can fix this! You can fix this!"

Adrien slammed his fist on his desk. "Making the wish is dangerous!" 

"Why? Because Marinette said so?" 

His son stayed quiet. 

"Have you ever thought maybe the Guardian wants to use the wish for herself?"

Adrien shook his head and whispered, "What? No! Marinette would never!" 

"People can change, Adrien." 

He fought back a laugh. "Yeah, and somehow you didn't. You've always been a cruel, heartless man, even in death." 

Gabriel frowned. "It's rude to speak ill of the dead." 

Adrien rolled his eyes and turned away from him. "Don't you have anyone else to haunt?"

"But we're finally having some father-son bonding time..." His father said as he approached him. "Isn't that what you've always wanted, Adrien?" 

Angry, Adrien raised his arm, waved it through his father's face, and his ghost disappeared. 

But it didn't last long. 

Gabriel chuckled wickedly and Adrien turned slightly as he stared back at his father. "Getting rid of me won't be that easy, son."

***

Adrien sat at his desk, headphones on, blasting music way past the recommended volume level. Music helped mask his dead father's haunting voice, but it didn't stop him from seeing him, though, so he was hyper-focused on his computer, catching up on his homeschooled assignments. 

"Adrien?" Felix called out as he walked into his cousin's bedroom. No answer. He looked around and found him at the desk. "Adrien!" He tried again. "What, are you ignoring me now?" 

The model's blonde strands hid the headphones from Felix's sight, and he assumed he was being ignored. 

Felix walked over and shoved his palm into his cousin's shoulder. "Hey!" 

Adrien spun around, eyes almost bugging out of his head, and his heart raced fast. For a second he thought his father was back and caught him listening to music—without permission—again. 

"Woah, Adrien... are you okay—"

"What the hell is wrong with you, Felix?!" Adrien shouted as he stood and shoved his cousin back, giving him a taste of his own medicine. "You don't have to sneak up on me like that!" 

"I called your name like three times!" 

He gestured to the wireless buds sitting on the desk that fell out of his ears.  "I was listening to music." 

Felix pressed his lips together, embarrassed. "Oh... I didn't see those. Sorry. A-Are you okay? Why were you so scared? You look like you've seen a ghost." 

Adrien's eyes widened. "W-What?! No... no, I-I... you just caught me off guard, that's all." 

"Uncle Gabriel used to punish you for listening to music, didn't he?" Felix asked. 

He sighed, then finally nodded. "Yeah... one time I was in my room, listening to music, up on the second floor, and I had the volume on full blast. These crazy fans crashed my photoshoot and snuck onto set and broke into my trailer, so I was just trying to calm down and relax. I didn't hear my father come in and calling my name. He strangled me with the headphone wires, which is why I use wireless buds now." 

"Adrien..." A deep, burning hatred flamed in Felix's eyes. "Ugh, I wish he was alive so I could kill him myself." 

Adrien rolled his eyes. "So, what do you want?"

"I need to talk to you about something important," His cousin started as they sat together on the couch. He pulled his tie aside and revealed the hidden brooch. "Why I was so desperate to get this from Uncle Gabriel." 

"Marinette and I have been wondering why you wanted that so bad," Adrien whispered. "Did you know it was a miraculous?"

"Yes, I did." 

"What could you possibly need the miraculous of the peacock for?" Adrien asked. 

Felix sat forward, shoulders straight, afraid to make eye contact with his cousin. This wasn't something you just bring up or spring on a person. 

Felix saw how Adrien reacted down in the basement with his unconscious mother, how would he react to learning he's barely human? 

"Hello? Are you going to say anything?" 

"This isn't easy to say, Adrien, and I promise everything I tell you is the truth. I'm not messing around. I'm not trying to prank you. This isn't one of my 'jokes' like back when we were kids." 

Adrien started to worry. "Okay..." 

"You and I... we..." He took in a deep breath and spat out, "We're sentimonsters."

"WHAT?!"

"Or actually, senti-humans." 

"That doesn't make it sound better!" 

Felix lowered his head and stared down at his shaking hands. "I know it's hard to believe Adrien. Trust me, I was skeptical myself, to find out all this time I'm not even... real."

"But... I... how..." Adrien's heart raced again as his eyes widened, daring to pop straight out of his skull. "I'm real. I have to be real, right?" 

"But we have a soul," His cousin continued as he stood and walked over to the window, staring out at the dark city. "We have a heart, a conscience, morals and an idea of right and wrong. Thoughts and memories of a childhood we lived once. Warm skin that craves the touch of another. We have hopes and dreams and desires, just like any other person does. We have feelings. We get angry, we get happy, we get excited and sad and disappointed and heartbroken. Scared and lonely, and we, too, fall in love, just like everyone else." 

Adrien rose from the couch slowly and caught his reflection in the TV screen. Who was he now? Was he really his own person, or an idea created to fit a perfect mold? 

"Even if we weren't created the same as everyone else, cousin, we are just as special. We are just as great and extraordinary. More, even," Felix said. 

Behind him, Adrien watched as his father's ghost stepped forward and leaned down close to him. His breath caught in his throat, scared, and his father whispered, "You were created out of nothing and you still are nothing. You're worthless without me, Adrien." 

The model shook his head. No, that's not true. 

"But it is true," Gabriel said, making his son's eyes widen. "I gave you everything you needed to be perfect, to be something great, and you threw it all away when you killed me. Tell me how you can be something extraordinary now?" 

"If we're sentimonsters—or senti-humans—then where is my amok?" Adrien asked cautiously. Who's in control of him, if not himself? 

Felix turned back and said, "Your parents' wedding rings." 

Adrien's eyes widened. "W-What...?" 

Felix raised his hand and slipped off a ring—the same one he had stolen from his uncle years ago—and gave it to Adrien. "Here's one of them. I'm sure Nathalie would be able to help you more. She's known this entire time." 

"Are you sure?" Adrien asked his cousin as he slowly slid the ring on his own hand. 

Felix nodded. "Go and ask her yourself if you have doubt."

And so he did. 

Adrien knocked on her bedroom door and waited to be welcomed in. He opened the door and found her sitting on the edge of her bed. "Nathalie, I need to talk to you." 

"Is something wrong, Adrien?" She asked, worried. "Tell me."

"Felix said I'm a sentimonster... or a senti-human." 

Nathalie gasped. "W-What?! How does he know?"

"So, it's true?" Adrien cried out with fresh tears in his eyes. I was hoping Felix was pranking me again. 

She scooted over and made room for Adrien to sit. He walked over and sat beside her, and she grabbed his hand. "Your mother and father had a hard time conceiving their own child... so they used the magical powers of the peacock miraculous to create a child of their own: you." 

"Oh my God, I can't believe this," The model mumbled to himself, rubbing his forehead as a migraine fought its way through. "My entire life is a lie. My entire existence is a lie."

"No, Adrien, that's not true. Your mother made you a humanly real as possible. You have a heart and a soul and feelings all of your own."

"But sentimonsters are made to be controlled," Adrien snapped. "And my father has controlled me my entire life—literally." 

Nathalie frowned. "I know." 

"But..." The night I killed my father, I was able to disobey him when he told me to go with him to Brazil. How? "I-I've noticed that I've been able to disobey my father before, but if he's been able to control me all this time, how could I—"

"Your father gave me your mother's wedding band," Nathalie admitted as she raised her left arm and stared at her bare hand. Adrien looked over with wide eyes, his jaw slightly open. "Over the years, I've been giving you counter-orders, telling you the opposite of what your father wanted, so you weren't completely under his control. You had some freedom." 

"Nathalie..." Adrien looked at her empty hand. "Where's the other ring?" 

"With your father." 

His eyes widened. "My father still has it?" 

"Unfortunately," Nathalie whispered. "Gabriel took it back from me a little over a month ago, said he didn't trust me anymore to look after it. It's a shame he ran off, but hopefully—wherever he is now—he can't control you anymore, Adrien." 

I hope not.

Chapter Text

Two Months After 

Adrien slumped downstairs and rubbed his eyes as he tried to wake himself up. The doorbell kept ringing like crazy. Nathalie and his bodyguard were out of town for the weekend, so he had the house to himself. They were due to be home by this afternoon. 

"Who's coming over at seven in the morning?" He mumbled to himself. 

Adrien reached for his phone in his pocket and checked the time. His eyes widened. It was almost one in the afternoon. Did I sleep in? 

He never slept in. He was never allowed to.

Without another care, he shrugged. Guess I needed it. 

Adrien opened the front door and paused, then smiled big. "Oh, Marinette? What are you doing here?"

"Good morning, Adrien!" She cheered. "Or actually afternoon now, I think. I didn't sleep much last night, so time is a confusing construct right now." 

"Why didn't you just use your key?" He asked, confused. 

"I couldn't reach it," Marinette said as she struggled to hold multiple wrapped presents and gift bags in her arms. "I had to ring the doorbell with my nose." She stepped forward and pecked a kiss on his cheek. "Happy birthday." 

"Wait, it's my birthday?!" He asked himself as he checked the date on his phone. Sure enough, his birthday was today. "Holy shit, I can't believe I forgot." 

Marinette walked to the dining room and sat all eighteen of his presents on the table. "Don't worry, I didn't forget." 

"You're not saying that's all for me?" Adrien asked with wide eyes as he walked over. "Please don't say that." 

"Of course they're all for you." 

"How many are there?" 

"Eighteen," She boasted. "I spent all night wrapping. It needed to be perfect!" 

He smiled at his girlfriend—was she? —and grabbed her hand. "You did not need to get me eighteen gifts, Marinette." 

"They're all homemade, if that helps," She tried with a grin as she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I wanted to do something nice for you, after you've been having such a shitty time these last two months." 

"Thank you." Adrien leaned down and kissed her. "You're the best. I love you so much." 

Marinette stepped back and grabbed a colored-coded sheet from her purse. "Now, some of the presents are meant to be together, so I made this little puzzle for you. It shows you how and in what order to open them." 

Adrien didn't argue. He didn't say it was dumb or ask why he couldn't just open the gifts all at once. He appreciated the time and effort Marinette took to make his birthday special. He'd open them exactly how she wanted him to, with no complaints. 

"Happy birthday, son." 

Adrien turned and saw his father standing at the other end of the dining room table, a fake smile plastered on his dead face. He ignored him and focused back on Marinette.

"You're still okay with going to the Kitty Section meeting, right?" She asked him. "I know it's your birthday, so if you want to stay home and hang out, we can totally skip." 

"No, it'll be nice to get out of the house," He answered fast. He wanted to be anywhere but home. "What time does it start again?" 

"One," She said, and she checked her phone and gasped. "And it's almost one! Shit, we're going to be late! Ugh, I'm such a curse!" 

Adrien rolled his eyes. "I love you just the way you are, Marinette." He kissed her forehead and grabbed her hand. 

They walked outside and he climbed on the back of Marinette's scooter, and they rode to Luka's houseboat.

***

Twenty minutes later, and only ten minutes late, Marinette parked her scooter on the sidewalk and she and Adrien walked onto the houseboat together, hands interlocked. 

"Seems pretty quiet for a Kitty Section meeting," Adrien wondered out loud. He looked up and noticed balloons and streamers decorated around the dock. "What the—" 

"SURPRISE!" 

His friends jumped out and threw confetti over Adrien and Marinette. 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" 

Adrien smiled. "You guys threw a surprise party... for me?" 

"You can finally have one now!" Nino shouted with a grin. "Now that your old man—" 

"Nino!" Alya snapped as she elbowed his side, hard. 

His best friend gulped. "Uh... sorry." 

"It's okay, Nino," Adrien said. "You're right, but I don't want to think about my father today." 

Nino wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "Good, because today is all about you, birthday boy!" 

Adrien looked around the houseboat. There were two tables set up: one for food, drinks, and snacks and the second for presents. Presents for... him?

Adrien smiled again and tried not to break into tears. 

"How does it feel to finally be eighteen?" Ivan asked him. "Feel like a grown up yet?"

"Not in the slightest," He answered honestly. Everything seemed more confusing than it did before. 

"I don't think any of us will ever grow up," Alix joked as she threw a beanbag at Kim's head. 

"Ah, you've wounded me!" Kim dramatically shouted as he tripped and fell back, putting on a show, and kept rolling until he threw himself off the boat and into the water. 

Alix rolled her eyes, but soon ran after him and dove headfirst into the water. Max joined them, too.  

As the party went on, the group all played games, ate great food, and watched as Adrien opened all his presents. He only cried a total of seven times. 

"You guys are the best," Adrien whispered as his friends surrounded him. "Truth is, it's been hard with my father gone... missing... and this is the happiest I've been in a long time." 

Everyone joined in for a group hug and held each other tight. 

Adrien had noticed the last few hours he hadn't seen his father once since he left the house. Did that mean he could only see him at home? 

If that were the case, Adrien wanted to move out immediately. 

Marinette walked over and leaned beside Adrien as he stared out at the sparkling water. "I'm glad you're enjoying your birthday." 

"Me too," Adrien whispered. "Did you know this was a surprise party?" 

"No, I was kept in the dark, too. Alya and Nino were afraid I'd slip up and spill everything to my boyfriend," She joked as she remembered the conversation with her friends. Her eyes widened slightly, and she quickly added, "Uh, Alya called you my boyfriend. Not me. I don't know what we are, but we've been together for a month now. Well, I don't know if it's together-together because we haven't put a label, but I love spending time with you, and—" 

He kissed her to stop her rambling. He grinned at her and said, "Yeah, about that—" 

"Adrien Agreste?" 

The birthday boy stood and looked over to see Officer Reimer standing at the dock opening. How the hell did he even know I was here? 

"Yes?" 

"I'd like you to come in for more questioning, if that's alright," The officer called out. "Now that you're eighteen, you don't need a guardian present anymore."

Chapter Text

Adrien sat across a table from Officer Reimer with his hands folded together in his lap. Apparently, he had found out about Adrien's birthday party from overhearing the mayor's daughter, who was bitching up a storm about how ridiculous it was that the party was on a 'poor dirty boat' instead of at the hotel. 

"Am I in trouble?" He asked after a quiet moment. 

The officer shook his head. "No, no. This is just standard procedure. I just want to get all the facts in a line, so if you could go over what happened the night your father disappeared—in exact details—that'd be great." 

Breathe, Adrien. If you stay calm, they won't find out what you did. "Where do you want me to start?" 

"How about the night your father was supposed to leave for his business trip?" Officer Reimer suggested as he looked through his notes. "You mentioned he came upstairs to talk to you, right?" 

"Yes," Adrien answered with a nod. He had to be careful what he said. His story had to be the exact same as before. "My father and I just talked about his work he was supposed to do in Brazil, how he was opening his demo store, then he left for his flight." 

"And?" 

"Uh, my father and I chatted on the phone for a bit while he was driving to the airport. He promised to call once he got on his flight, but he never did." 

Officer Reimer nodded to himself. "Do you remember what time the call took place?" 

"Umm... a little after nine p.m., I think?" 

He wrote something down. "Continue." 

"I waited about four hours for my father to call. I thought he'd just forgotten, but I was worried, so I called his assistant, Nathalie." 

"Yes, Miss Sancoeur mentioned that you called her." 

Adrien nodded. "I kind of freaked out on the phone with her, just crying hysterical about the possibility of something bad happening to my father. So, she suggested I have a friend stay over, and I didn't want to be alone, anyway. I called my... friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." 

"She's your classmate, right?" The officer asked. 

"Yes, we've been in the same class for a few years now." 

"And you two are just friends?" 

I don't know what we are. "It's... complicated." 

Officer Reimer chuckled. "I get it, son. So, this Marinette, she came over to your house?" 

"Yes." 

"And what did you two do?" 

Hide my dead father's body. "Umm... we just sat in my room and watched movies. That is, until we fell asleep. The next morning, Nathalie found us and told us about my father, that search parties had been sent out for him." 

Officer Reimer nodded. So far, Adrien's story lined up with Nathalie's, and his alibi appeared legit. "Officer Roger canceled those search parties after that letter was found in your father's desk." 

"I-I guess, yeah..." 

"Don't you think—" Officer Reimer was cut off as his phone beeped with a new notification. As he checked, it beeped again. He shook his head with a chuckle and waved the phone at Adrien. "These damn things, always so freaking confusing."

Adrien nodded but wasn't sure what to say. "Technology can be a tricky thing." 

"I know, I keep getting these weird texts from random numbers..." The officer looked up and asked, "Same thing ever happen to you, Mr. Agreste?"

His eyes widened. Is it him? Could he be the unknown texter? "You can just call me, Adrien," He said instead. 

Officer Reimer nodded. "Right, sorry. Always been a bit of a stickler for the rules and being professional." 

"I get it. I've had to maintain a perfect image all my life. There's always rules and a sense of punctuality to maintain." 

"I take it your father was... strict?"

Adrien snorted. He didn't mean to, it just slipped out. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." 

"Did you two always get along?" 

"We..." 

Adrien paused. Why was Officer Reimer asking about his relationship with his father? Was he trying to find motive? Trying to find a way to blame him? Felix had warned him about this and mentioned that there could be a chance he'd be questioned again. 

Felix told him to lie. 

To just lie. 

"My father... he was my best friend." Adrien fought back a laugh. "My mother's disappearance brought us closer, somehow." 

Officer Reimer looked over his notes and leaned back. He shook his head and mumbled out, "Huh..." 

"What?" 

"Nothing, it's just..." The officer sat forward and rested his elbows on the table as he leaned in close. "We've talked to people who've worked for and with your father, and they... well, let's just say they're very opinionated about Gabriel Agreste." 

This worried Adrien. "What do you mean?" 

"They said that your father... he had quite a temper, sometimes. Either in person or over the phone. They said he always... yelled. He never had kind words to say to you, did he?" 

"M-My father and I got in some fights, of course," Adrien defended. "Doesn't everyone?" 

"What are you, eighteen now?"

"You brought me here from my birthday party," He remined him. 

Officer Reimer nodded. "Right! Happy birthday, by the way. Anyway, I got a son about your age. Means the world to me. The things I've heard from your father's employees, things your father had said to you—allegedly—it just almost breaks my heart, kid. I would never talk to my son that way." 

Adrien crossed his arms. "All fathers are different." Mine certainly is... was. 

"Was your father ever violent, Adrien?"  

Before the model could answer, the door suddenly opened wide and Nathalie burst into the room. She slammed the door shut. 

Adrien's eyes widened. "Nathalie? When did you get back?" 

"Why are you questioning Adrien without me?" 

"Adrien is eighteen now, he doesn't need a guardian present," Officer Reimer reminded her.

Nathalie threw her purse on the table and sat next to Adrien. "I meant without his lawyer." 

"Lawyer?" Adrien repeated. "But... Nathalie, how can you be—" 

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Adrien," She told him. "One of those things if that I have a law degree." 

"Since when?!" 

"A few years after you were born." Nathalie turned to him and said, "Adrien, please tell me you haven't answered anything they've asked." 

He looked away. "Umm..." 

She sighed and rubbed her temple. "It's okay." 

Officer Reimer gestured his pen at Adrien. "If Mr. Agreste here has nothing to hide, why does he need a lawyer?" 

"Just Adrien," The model corrected. 

Nathalie glared at him. "So you incompetent idiots don't charge him for something he wasn't involved with." 

"So he says." 

Adrien immediately ducked his head and stared down at the table. The officer immediately noticed. 

"Would you mind if we took your cellphone, Adrien?" Officer Reimer asked him. "You know, just to make sure everything you told us matches up." 

"Do you have a warrant?" Nathalie asked. 

He shook his head. "No, but I can get one... if it's really necessary." 

"Get a warrant and you can have his phone. Let's go, Adrien." 

As they stood, the door opened and Officer Laurent walked in. "Miss Dupain-Cheng and her parents are here." 

Adrien sneezed, then turned back and asked, "Wait, Marinette? You're questioning Marinette?" 

"Your friend?" Officer Reimer asked. "Yes." 

"Why?" 

"We're doing a thorough investigation. It's just routine. Unless..." The officer stared Adrien down. "You think there's a reason why we shouldn't talk to her?" 

Adrien shook his head. "No, I was just... curious." He sneezed into his jacket sleeve. 

This is bad. Do they think Marinette's involved now?

"I'll put the girl in the other room," Officer Laurent said before he left and closed the door behind him. 

Adrien didn't know what to do. 

"We're leaving. Now!" Nathalie grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room. They walked outside and his bodyguard was waiting there with the car. 

After he climbed in the backseat, Adrien asked, "Since when do I need a lawyer?" 

Nathalie turned around in the passenger seat and looked at him. "It's just a precaution, Adrien. In case they..." She glanced at the phone in his hand. "Find something." 

"W-what would they find?"  

"You tell me. Is there something for them to find?"  

Adrien shook his head. "Of course... not." He went quiet and stared out the window. 

Nathalie faced the front again. "Then you have nothing to worry about, Adrien." 

If only that were true.

Chapter Text

Marinette and her parents sat on one side of a steel-silver table and waited quietly and not-so-patiently for the officers to return. They'd been sitting there almost an hour now, which really pissed her parents off. 

Right after Adrien was brought in, Marinette and her parents got a call, as well, asking to bring her down to the police station for more questioning. She had no idea why and nothing she said would calm down her worried parents, who were now discussing in hushed whispers beside her if they needed to hire a lawyer or not. 

"What is taking those damn officers so long?" Sabine muttered as she checked the time on her watch. "We've been waiting almost an hour now! This is ridiculous!" 

"Calm down, my fruit cake," Tom whispered to his angry wife. "This is what they do, like in those cop shows we love so much. They're making us sit here and stew to get our emotions in a bunch." 

She snorted. "Well, it's working." 

The door opened and the officers walked in. "Sorry to keep you waiting." 

"It's about time," Sabine snapped. "You ask us to come down here and then make us wait an hour?" 

"We were in the middle of questioning someone else," Officer Reimer began to explain. "You know him, Marinette. Your classmate, Adrien Agreste?" 

The pig-tailed girl stared at him without a reaction. "Yes, I was there when you picked him up, remember?" 

"Right, right." 

"What are we doing here?" Tom asked the officer. 

Officer Laurent took a long sip from his paper coffee cup before he sat it down on the table in front of him. "We just want to ask Marinette some questions, that's all." 

"About Gabriel Agreste?" Her mother questioned. "My daughter had nothing to do with his disappearance! He ran away!" 

Marinette bit her lip and stayed as still as possible. 

"Since we started our investigation, we've been going through Mr. Agreste's things—his car, his office, his phone records—and we found something... interesting." Officer Reimer pulled a tablet out from a bag and sat it on the table. He unlocked it and opened to an audio file. "I want you to listen, Marinette, and tell me if it sounds familiar." He pressed play, and her voice filled the awkward, quiet room.

"Gabriel Agreste, I am ashamed to have looked up and idolized you for so many wasteful years! So much time I wasted sketching designs for you, joining summer programs, interning under your influence. No more! I am done with you and your brand!"  

Marinette gasped. It was a voicemail she left for Gabriel Agreste the night he disappeared. When Adrien had mentioned to her that his father grounded him again, she lost it. After she learned and saw firsthand of the abuse Gabriel tormented his son with, she wanted to give him a piece of her mind. She would have done it in person, but at the time she thought he was already on his way to Brazil for his business trip. 

"You are a horrible, selfish man. You are cruel and soulless and a coward at heart! I won't stand by anymore while you continue to ruin Adrien's life. One day you'll get what's coming and you won't have control over Adrien anymore. Your son will finally be free of you. I promise you, I will make sure of that."  

Officer Reimer turned off the tablet. "The night Gabriel Agreste disappeared, you left this voicemail him around seven p.m., and a few hours later, he was gone." 

I completely forgot I left that for Mr. Agreste. Marinette shook her head as she tried to defend herself. "That was—" 

"That was what?" 

"I was just angry!"

"Angry enough to want him gone?" Officer Laurent suggested. 

Tom smacked the table. "What are you implying?!" 

"Adrien mentioned that you two are in some... sort of relationship," Officer Reimer began to tell Marinette. "I'd bet you'd do anything for him, right?" 

She didn't answer. 

"Did Mr. Agreste not approve of your relationship with Adrien?"

"Mr. Agreste wasn't very fond of me," Marinette admitted. 

"Did you get rid of him to be with Adrien?" 

"Of course not!" 

Officer Reimer raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because this voicemail you left suggests otherwise." 

Sabine turned and faced her daughter. "Marinette, why did you leave that nasty message for Gabriel Agreste? He's been your inspiration and mentor for years!" 

Marinette knew it wasn't her place to bring up Adrien's abuse, as that was his to tell and not hers, so she just stayed still and silent. 

"Where were you the night Gabriel Agreste disappeared?" 

Nathalie saw Adrien and I together in his room the morning after, and I know she's already talked to them, so I can't lie. "I was at home... working on some designs. Adrien called me and he sounded worried, really scared. He asked me to come over because he didn't want to be alone. I..." 

Marinette glanced at her parents. They hadn't known their 'sweet little girl' was having sleepovers with her not-yet-but-totally-soon-boyfriend. 

"I ended up sleeping over. You can ask Nathalie. She caught us together in the morning." 

Tom and Sabine shared a look. 

Officer Reimer nodded. "We've talked to Nathalie. Your story matches her." She's not lying... so far. 

They checked her phone records, and just like Marinette claimed, there was proof of a seventeen-second phone call from Adrien Agreste.

"As of right now, you're our number one suspect, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." 

The pig-tailed girl gasped. "What?! Me?!" 

"That voicemail you left was pretty nasty," Officer Laurent reminded her. "And a motive." 

"But I have an alibi!" She defended. 

"But only for the hours after Mr. Agreste already disappeared," Officer Reimer said. He gestured to Tom and Sabine and asked, "Can your parents here testify to seeing you in your room the hours before?" 

"No..." Marinette whispered, defeated. "Because they were out of town with my grandfather." 

Officer Laurent chuckled. "Awfully convenient."

Tom stood up fast and got in close to the officer's face. "Are you accusing my daughter or something, you half-wit bully?!" 

"Dad!" 

"We just want to find out the truth, sir. And we will..." He looked directly at Marinette. "No matter how long it takes." 

Marinette crossed her arms and leaned back. 

Officer Reimer stood. "I hope you don't have plans after graduation, because this investigation could take months, or even over a year." 

"I graduate in less than five months! I got accepted into a fashion school in New York! I can't stay here in Paris!" 

He shrugged. "Well, if you want to cooperate and help this investigation run on smoothly..." 

Marinette looked away. 

"Are you charging Marinette with anything?" Sabine asked. 

"No, ma'am. You're all free to go." 

"Thank you!" Sabine stood and grabbed her daughter's hand. They walked out and she asked, "What were you thinking, Marinette?! Leaving that horrible voicemail to Mr. Agreste." 

"You don't get it, Mom." 

Sabine stopped and looked up at her. "Then tell me!" 

Marinette couldn't, so she stared at her shoes. 

"You've been a fan of Gabriel Agreste's since you were thirteen! You looked up to him! He was your mentor last summer for that fashion program his brand hosted. What happened?" 

"Can we just go home, please?" She muttered. 

Tom rested a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "If you're in trouble muffin, let us help. Did... did Gabriel threaten you or—" 

"No!" She shouted. "I-I... nothing like that."

"So, something happened?" He questioned. 

Marinette shook her head. "No! Can we just go? Now?" She stomped the rest of the way outside and waited by her parent's car. They climbed in and the rest of the drive home was silent. 

Once they reached home, Marinette ran inside and straight up to her room. She slammed the trap door open and shut and turned to find Cat Noir lying in her chaise, waiting just for her. 

Her eyes closed tight with fresh tears and she over and threw her arms around his shoulders. "I'm so happy to see you." 

Cat Noir squeezed her tight as he gently rubbed his hand up and down her back. "I heard you were being questioned, so I came here and waited for you." 

Marinette held him tighter. "You don't know how bad I need you right now..." 

"So... what happened?" 

She pulled back and wiped under her eyes. "Apparently, I'm their number one suspect.”

His bright, green eyes widened. "What?! Why?!" 

"I..." Nervous, Marinette grabbed the end of her ponytail and twisted the ends. "I left a voicemail for your father... the night he... well, you..." 

"A voicemail? What did you say?" 

"Ugh!" She hid her face in her hands. "I lost it, Adrien. I was furious for how your father was treating you and when I found out you were grounded, I sort of went off on him. He didn't answer when I called, so I chewed him out over voicemail." 

Cat Noir grabbed her hand. She stood up to my father—kind of? "You did that... for me?"  

Marinette nodded. "Yes, of course, but I said some horrible things that kind of incriminate me, so now I'm on their radar." 

"This is all my fault." 

"No, it's not." 

"None of this would be happening if I didn't—" 

"It's okay," Marinette interrupted as she squeezed his hand. 

He smiled. 

She frowned and said, "Officer Reimer basically threatened me into staying in Paris after graduation. He said this investigation could take months, or even a year!" 

Cat Noir leaned back, and Marinette climbed up on his chest as she hugged him. He played with her hair as they laid together. "Those officers are really pissing me off," He whispered, "I wish they'd just bug off." 

She grinned. "Nice word play." 

"Claws in." Cat Noir became Adrien, and he pulled Marinette closer. He wanted to stay this close to her forever. 

His phone beeped and he hesitantly reached for it. It was—yet—another text. 

Unknown: Want to be truly free from your father? Let the girl take the blame. They already suspect her.

Chapter Text

Adrien's eyes widened as he stared at his phone. Whoever this person was, they were everywhere. They knew everything. But who could it be? 

The model's first thought was Felix, but why would his cousin do this? Even as a joke, it didn't make sense. He'd been helping them... sort of. 

Would Felix even have a motive to send creepy texts? For what, to try and scare Adrien? 

No, whoever this was, they seemed to want to help Adrien hide this and cover up his father's death... but at the price of Marinette taking the blame. 

Then again, maybe this was Felix. 

"Who was that?" She asked with a yawn. 

Adrien slipped his phone back in his pocket. "Uh, Felix," He lied, "asking if he could use my expensive shampoo." 

"Of course you have expensive shampoo," She giggled as she nuzzled closer to Adrien. She soon dozed off and her light snoring echoed throughout the quiet room. 

Adrien laid there and stared up at her ceiling. He didn't know what to do about these texts. 

If it wasn't Felix sending those texts, who was? 

Maybe one of the officers? Officer Reimer did make that weird comment about texts. Could it be him?

If it was, why wouldn't he just arrest Adrien already if he suspected him? Unless Officer Reimer didn't have enough proof and these texts were a tactic to scare Adrien into talking. 

I've been watching too many crime shows, the model thought to himself as he shook his head. He looked down at Marinette and kissed her forehead. "I won't let anything happen to you," He whispered in her ears. 

His soft voice woke her up and she sat up with a big yawn as she rubbed her eyes. She stood and said, "I'm going down to grab something to eat. Are you hungry?" 

Yes. "No," Adrien lied. 

"Okay." Marinette cupped his cheek and gently rubbed her thumb along his jawline. "If you change your mind, just let me know." 

After she left, Plagg appeared by his holder's side and accepted a piece of cheese. "When was the last time you ate something, kid?" 

"I can't remember," He answered honestly. 

"Adrien—" 

"My appetite's been gone for a while." 

His kwami frowned. "You still need to eat." 

Adrien didn't say anything else. He waited patiently for his Marinette to return. 

A few minutes later, the trap door opened and closed. Marinette walked over with a platter of fresh strawberries and a bowl of melted chocolate. She sat beside him and crossed her legs underneath her and dipped a piece of fruit in chocolate. 

Adrien stared intensely at the treats. That looks really good. 

"Are you sure you don't want any?" She asked. 

"Uh..." 

From behind the Gurdian, Plagg nodded fast with an encouraging smile. 

"Sure," Adrien answered with a nod. "A few strawberries won't hurt." 

Marinette offered him the plate and he took it with a nervous smile. 

The model only ate four strawberries until his guilt caused his stomach to hurt. All this chocolate is bad for me. He went to grab another, but stopped. 

"Full already?" 

"I'm not a big fan of sweets." 

Marinette grinned. "But you like me," She teased. 

"You're right, I do," Adrien said with a laugh. He leaned in close until their lips touched and he kissed her. "I'm your number one fan." 

She bit into a strawberry to hide her grin. Soon, she finishes the rest of the fruit and stood to put the empty platter on her desk. 

"I'm going to use the bathroom real quick before I head home," Adrien suddenly said. 

"Go ahead, just be careful. I don't know how my dad will react to seeing you..." Especially since I admitted to Officer Reimer that Adrien and I were alone in his bedroom! 

Adrien was confused by her statement, but said nothing and left through the trapdoor. 

Marinette sat at her desk and grabbed her sketchbook and started working on a new design. Their kwamis flew over to her and floated up to her head. She looked up and smiled before giving them each a macaroon. With a pat on their heads, she turned back to her sketching. 

Plagg stared at the trapdoor. He knew exactly what his holder was doing. He faced the Gurdian, about to share his thoughts, when Adrien walked back in. 

The model wiped the corner of his mouth as he walked over to her. "I'll see you at school tomorrow?" 

"Adrien, you're homeschooled," She reminded him. 

"I know."

"I can't skip school to hang out wit you..." She looked up him and smiled into a sigh. "No matter how much I want to." 

Adrien rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to convince Nathalie to put me back in school." 

"Wait, really?" 

He nodded. 

"But what about..." 

"What?" 

Marinette frowned. "Everyone's going to have questions, Adrien, and lots of things to say... you know... about your father." 

"I can handle it." 

"Are you sure?" She asked. 

He nodded again. 

At the police station with Officer Reimer, Adrien didn't see or hear his father once, and he noticed that, too, on Luka's houseboat at his birthday party. So, he'd assumed he could only see his father's ghost at home. If he wasn't home to be haunted, maybe, and surely, he wouldn't lose his mind. 

"I'm sure I can convince Nathalie." 

Marinette reached up to his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "Well if you do, let me know. You don't have to walk into school alone." 

"Thanks, babe." 

She blushed at the nickname and bit back a grin. 

"Wait, really?" Adrien questioned as he noticed. "I bring you roses and recite poetry and flirt with you almost all the damn time, but a pet name is what makes you flustered?" 

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, sue me." 

"Speaking of pet names..." Adrien grabbed her hand. "We haven't really talked about... us... ever since we learned our secret identities." 

"I know. It doesn't help with everything that's going on." 

"And as I was trying to say earlier, before I got brought into questioning..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver necklace, holding a locket with a rose engraved on the front. "This was my mother's necklace. It was the last thing found of hers before she disappeared." 

"Oh, Adrien... I'm sorry." 

Adrien fought back tears on the thought of his missing mother. "She wore this necklace everywhere she went and swore it always brought her luck." 

Ironic enough, when she took the necklace off, she fell into her coma a week later. 

"And so, I've always carried it on me, as sort of my good luck charm, but now..." Adrien clasped the necklace around her neck. "You are my good luck charm, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." 

"Adrien..." She held the locket in her hand and admired it. "It's beautiful." 

"Will you be my girlfriend?" 

Marinette stood and cradled his face. "Yes, of course." She kissed him again and again.

Adrien pulled her closer and kissed her back again and again.

Chapter Text

Adrien woke up an hour early before school started, determined to convince Nathalie to let him go back to school. Even though he was eighteen now and technically didn't need her permission, he knew her choice to keep him homeschooled was to protect him, and he wanted to be courteous and at least ask first. 

Despite just wanting to get out of the house, and away from his father's ghost, he also wanted to graduate with his friends. Honestly, he also missed his schoolwork. 

He knocked two times on her bedroom door. "Come in!" She called out. 

Adrien opened the door and stepped in. "Good morning, Nathalie." 

"Adrien, you're up early," She pointed out. 

"I wanted to talk to you about something." 

"Before breakfast?" 

The thought of food and actually eating something made him frown. Ignoring that, he said, "I want to go back to school." 

Nathalie's eyes widened slightly as she sat up in bed. "But I thought we agreed that it'd be better for you, safer for you, to be homeschooled! Away from all those reporters and paparazzi, not to mention those nosy officers..." 

"Well, I don't care about that anymore!" 

"Adrien—" 

"There's only a few months until graduation and I want to spend the last of my time in school with my friends! I want to graduate with my friends, not by myself at home." 

Nathalie frowned slightly. 

"For once in my life, there's something I want to do, a choice I want to make, and my father isn't around to decide anything for me anymore!" 

Nathalie stared blankly at him. Was Officer Reimer right in suspecting Adrien of something? 

Adrien suddenly realized what he said, and quickly cleared his throat. "I-I mean... right now... my father isn't here right now to dictate my life. I want to be in control of my life from now on." Shit, I might've just made things worse. I hope Nathalie doesn't take what I said the wrong way. 

She straightened her back as she adjusted her glasses. "You're right, Adrien. It's time you were in control of your future." 

"So I can go back to school?" 

"Yes." 

Adrien ran over and hugged her tight, a little too tight. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He cheered into her ear. 

"Uh, A-Adrien?" She asked as she winced a little. 

He gasped and pulled back. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" 

"It's fine—" 

"Are you okay, Nathalie? I didn't break your ribs, did I?" 

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I don't think even you're strong enough to do that, Adrien." She grabbed his hand and reassured, "I'm fine, Adrien." 

They stared at each other and smiled. It'd been a while since they could be in a room together and it not end in a screaming match or shared glares. 

"I'll let your bodyguard know. Go get ready before you're late." 

Adrien bent down and kissed her forehead. "Thanks, Nathalie," He told her with a big smile. 

The model ran out of her room and back into his. He took a quick shower, changed into clean clothes, and styled his hair—which his kwami teased him for—and grabbed his schoolbag. On his way downstairs, he video-called his girlfriend. He was excited to finally call her that. 

"Good morning, Marinette," Adrien greeted as her face filled his screen. "I hope I didn't wake you." 

"You did, but it's a good thing! I would've been late for school," She explained as she climbed out of bed, her hair in a tangled mess. 

"Oh, do I need to call you every morning then so you're never late again?" 

Marinette grinned. "I wouldn't mind that." 

"Guess what? Nathalie is letting me go back to school!" 

"Really?" She asked with wide eyes. "That's great, Adrien!" 

"I know. I'm heading to school now." 

Marinette blew a kiss to the camera. "I'll meet you over by the steps." 

The call soon disconnected as Adrien climbed in the back of his car and a few minutes later, his bodyguard dropped him off. "Don't worry about picking me up after school," Adrien told him. "I'm going to spend time with my... girlfriend." He looked out towards the bakery and smiled to himself. 

Gorilla nodded and drove off. 

Adrien turned and stared at the school building. He stood frozen on the sidewalk. He hadn't been here in over a month. Would it be foolish to hope things would remain the same? 

Marinette tripped out the bakery door as she rushed across the street. She threw her backpack on and jumped over a puddle. She spotted Adrien standing still and walked over. "Good morning." 

Arien looked over and smiled. "Good morning, Marinette. Did you sleep well?" 

"No, actually... I had a nightmare," She admitted 

"About what? 

"That I..." She leaned in close and whispered, "...got arrested, and people were so mean to me in prison! This girl with long, orange hair and a mini sword pierced through her nose cornered me in my cell and stabbed me with a shiv twenty-eight times." 

Adrien stared at her with wide eyes. "Geez, that's a pretty gruesome nightmare." 

"I know! Ever since I was questioned by those officers, my anxiety's been getting worse..." Marinette held up her hands and watched as they shook. "I-I mean, I have nothing to worry about, right? We were... careful." 

He grabbed her shaky hands. "I'll never let anything happen to you, Marinette. I'll protect you, no matter what. I promise." 

She smiled. "Are you ready to go inside?" 

Students had caught notice of Adrien's return and a small crowd had formed by the front doors. They were whispering among themselves and some even taking pictures of the model. 

"Not really, but it's something I have to do."

Marinette slipped her hand into Adrien's, which seemed to fit perfectly. "Like I said, you're not alone." 

He squeezed her hand tight. 

They walked inside together. 

The crowd parted as Adrien and Marinette passed and people stared on. All eyes were on them, of course, but no one dared to ask questions or say anything. 

There were many theories and rumors about what really happened to Gabriel Agreste. 

The fashion designer ran off with a secret mistress and started a new family in America. 

The shut-in anti-socialite was actually still here in Paris, but gave up riches for rags and lived as a simple man now. 

The mysterious man had jumped off the Eifel Tower and ended his own life. 

Adrien didn't know which was the most ridiculous, but he was glad him killing his own father wasn't a rumor being spread around school. 

Alya and Nino went quiet and stood still in the locker room as Adrien and Marinette walked in. The four looked at each other, not sure what to say. 

"Adrien... you're back," Alya finally said. 

"Yeah..." The model whispered as he looked between his two friends. "I figured if I wanted to graduate with my class, I'd have to actually go to class." 

Nino laughed, but Adrien could tell it was forced and nervous. 

Alya and Nino hadn't seen Adrien since his birthday party, when Officer Reimer stopped by and brought him in for questioning—in his own father's disappearance. Police didn't bring people in for questioning unless they were suspicious, right?

"You've missed a lot, dude." 

The reporter nodded. "Yeah, Miss Bustier cut her hair! It's this cute, short, bob and it's blonde now." 

"Mr. Damocles and Miss Mendeleiev started dating a few weeks ago," The DJ added. "Max and Alix caught them kissing in the janitor's closet!" 

Adrien's eyes widened. "Really? Oh... good for them, I guess," He mumbled. 

Alya crossed her arms and said, "Let's see, what else did you miss? Uh... Chloe accidentally set the science lab on fire after leaving her new purse on a bunsen burner—that was definitely an exciting day."

"Missing school was pretty lit, though," Nino joked, and then laughed harder. "Heh, get it? Lit? Because Chloe caught the room on fire—"

"Yeah, you're hilarious, babe," Alya deadpanned. 

Nino chuckled to himself again. 

"Oh, I don't know why we forgot to mention this at your birthday party yesterday, but Kitty Section has a new record deal! This summer they're releasing their first album," The redhead added. 

"Wow, that's awesome." Adrien tried his best to force a smile, but it wasn't easy. Man, how much did I miss? It seems everyone's lives went on without me while I've been... stuck. 

Nino snapped his fingers. "Oh! And probably the most exciting of all, Lila's staring in her very own movie!" 

Adrien and Marinette shared a look. 

"Lila's own—"

"Movie?" 

Alya nodded. "Yeah,  isn't it awesome?! Filming starts next week—in Japan! It's the sci-fi/action/romance movie and she's co-starring with some of the biggest names in film!" 

Marinette didn't believe a word of that. "Right..." 

"Lila's even gonna talk to the director and see if I can come to set and watch!" Nino shouted loud as he got excited again. "You know, to learn from the best." 

Adrien could tell his girlfriend was about to lose it from hearing another one of Lila's lies, so he snaked his hand around her waist. His touched seemed to calm her down. 

"Adrien Agreste, is that you?" A locker slammed shut and Lila stood there. Her eyes widened and she smiled as she walked over to the group. "Wow, I thought I was hearing things. You're actually back at school?" 

"Hello, Lila," Adrien greeted, hoping to keep the peace between her and Marinette. 

The liar glanced at the model's hand around the baker's daughter's waist. "And now you're dating... Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" 

"You bet your ass he is," Marinette snapped proudly. 

Lila forced a tight smile. "Good for you, Marinette. All your persistence finally paid off." 

If Adrien's hand wasn't around her waist, Marinette was sure she'd jump at the girl and attack her. 

As Lila walked past, she stopped and rested a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "If you need help catching up with your school work, just let me know, Adrien. I'm sure I can provide you with things..." She glanced back at Marinette. "She couldn't." 

Marinette jumped forward and Adrien grabbed her fast and held her back as Lila walked out. "I'm going to rip her hair off her head!" 

"It's okay, babe," Adrien whispered to her. "Don't worry about her." 

"She just really pisses me off!" 

"I know, I can see the smoke flaming off your head," He joked, which earned his own glare from his girlfriend. 

Marinette closed her eyes and took in a few deep, calming breaths. "I can't let Lila under my skin. I won't let her get to me." 

Adrien kissed her forehead. "She's not worth it." 

Alya looked between the pair. "So, you two are official now I see?" 

Marinette nodded. "Adrien asked me to be his girlfriend yesterday." 

Her best friend gasped. "I want to hear everything!"

Two students from a lower grade walked by the group and stopped to look at Adrien. They shared a look and laughed. 

"Maybe Adrien should've ran away with his pathetic father, at least then he could've taken his shame with him," The first one said loud enough for the model to hear. 

His friend chuckled. "Maybe his dad ran away because he was tired of being disappointed by an untalented model. I mean, have you seen his recent photoshoots?" 

Adrien's hand balled into a fist. "Excuse me?" 

"Yeah, they're free of emotion and humility. You can tell his heart isn't in his work anymore. He's just a puppet."  

"Everyone knows he's just a puppet for his father's brand." 

The cruel student laughed. "You mean he was, now that his father's gone." 

"Ugh!" Marinette raised a closed fist at them. "Keep talking and I'll knock your teeth in," She threatened. 

"Oh no, I'm so scared! A little girl is going to hit me!" The two students walked off laughing. 

Adrien rested his hand over her fist and gently pushed her arm down. "They're not worth it, Marinette." 

Nino nodded in agreement. "Yeah, those guys are just jerks." 

Adrien interlocked his hand with Marinette's and they walked to class. The other students' conversations faded out as they noticed to model standing at the front of the room. 

Miss Bustier walked over. "Adrien, welcome back! I heard you were joining class again."

He nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to graduate with my friends."  

"That's sweet, Adrien." His teacher smiled. "Oh, and don't worry about the work you've missed! Lila volunteered herself to help you catch up." 

Adrien and Marinette turned and glared at Lila as she sat at the back of the room. 

Of course she did, they both thought to themselves. 

Lila stood and said, "I'm free before and after school, Adrien. Any time works for me." 

"Well, how about never?!" Marinette shouted. 

Miss Bustier gasped. "Marinette! Is that any way to speak to your friend?" 

"We are not friends!" Marinette and Lila both shouted. 

The two girls shared a look and then a secret glare. 

Adrien grabs his girlfriend's hand and led her over to her desk. "Don't let her get to you, Mari." 

"I'll try," She said as she sat down and pulled out her tablet. 

Adrien went to sit, but instead walked up the steps to Lila instead. 

She smiled. "Hey, Adrien—" 

"What are your intentions, Lila?" He interrupted. 

"Excuse me?"

"When we first met, you were asking me for help with your schoolwork, and now you're offering me help. So, which is it?" He asked. 

She tilted her head as she pretended to be clueless. "Which is what?" 

Adrien rested a hand on her desk and leaned forward. Lila fell back in her seat and he towered over her. "Are you helpless or not? This 'innocent dumb girl' act isn't fooling me or Marinette."

Lila's confused look turned into a glare. "Maybe not you and Dupain-Cheng, but everyone else, I can assure you." 

"Thanks for your help, but I can catch up on my own." Adrien turned around and walked back to his seat as the liar glared imaginary daggers at the back of his head. 

Class soon started, and Lila pulled out her phone and hid it under her desk. 

As Adrien reached in his bag for his tablet, his phone beeped with a new text. 

***

Adrien and Marinette headed towards the cafeteria, hands interlocked, and Alya and Nino walked in front. 

"I'm going to grab something from my locker," Adrien told his girlfriend. 

"Okay, I'll save you a seat, babe." Marinette stood on her toes to kiss his cheek and walked off with their friends.  

Adrien walked in the locker room and found Lila alone. All day she'd been acting weird and cryptic. This could be his chance to finally see if she's up to her old tricks, so he made sure they were alone before he hid to the side of the lockers. He poked his head out and watched her closely. 

So far, everything seemed normal. Lila was shuffling through her locker for something, then she grabbed her phone. A second later, Adrien got a text.

Unknown: How's your first day back at school? Do you wish you were at home... or perhaps a prison cell instead? 

Adrien's eyes widened. Lila? It's Lila sending the texts? But... how does she know what happened? 

Well, that shouldn't surprise him at all, given her sketchy history. She'd always had it out for Marinette, so of course Lila would be okay for her to take the blame. 

I can't confront Lila about it yet, not without proof. Felix is good at that sneaky, sketchy skill. I'll ask my cousin for help. 

Even without proof, Adrien had a good feelings his mystery texter was Lila. 

He pulled out and his and texted his cousin. 

Adrien: I need your help with something. 

Felix: Other than the obvious? 

Adrien: there's something I've been keeping from you and Marinette, but I think I'm in over my head. 

Felix: I'll be over as soon as I can. 

All Adrien could do was wait now. He backed out quietly and used his back to push open the locker door, but as he turned, he ran straight into Marinette. His chest bumped into hers and she fell back, but just like always, he grabbed her arm and caught her in time. 

He gave her a goofy grin and said, "Sorry about that, babe." 

"No worries. You're always there to catch me." Marinette grinned with a sly wink. 

"I thought you were with Nino and Alya?" 

"I was, but I wanted to ask you something, and i didn't want to wait." She laughed and asked, "Do you have any plans after school?" 

Adrien's eyes widened slightly. "Uh... Felix and I are just hanging out—" 

"Do you care if I come over, too?" 

"You want to willingly spend time with my cousin?" 

Marinette crossed her arms. "He... he's earned my trust. My respect? Well, he can keep working on that, but after everything he's done for us..." 

He nodded. "Sure, I just have to talk with him about something... private, so we might be out of the room for some time." 

"That's okay. I can just watch a movie with Plagg or something." 

At hearing his name, the kwami peeked his head out his holder's jacket. "As long as it's not a rom-com! I can't bear to sit through another!" 

Tikki popped her head out of Marinette's purse. "Rom-coms are the best! They're so romantic!" 

"Puh-lease, Sugarcube! They're predictable. There's no real plot."

Marinette shrugged. "I kind of agree with him." 

Adrien faked a dramatic gasp. "What, Marinette? You don't enjoy those sappy, romantic, head-over-heels, sometimes sad rom-coms?" 

"Don't get me wrong, there's good rom-coms, sure, but I prefer something with a little action and ass kicking." 

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Plagg agreed. 

"You two have no taste," Adrien and Tikki said together.

Marinette laughed. "Come on, we're going to miss lunch." She grabbed Adrien's hand and led him to the cafeteria. 

I was planning to, anyway, Adrien thought with a frown. 

The pair stood in line as they filled their tray with food. Well, Marinette did, at least. Adrien had just made himself a small bowl of pasta—almost three bites' worth—and one tiny slice of bread. 

"That's all you're getting?" Marinette asked.

"Uh, Nathalie is making a big dinner, so I don't want to spoil myself," Adrien lied. Well, she was making dinner, but he didn't plan on eating any of it. 

"Ooh, what's she making?"

"Chicken ricotta."

Marinette was practically drooling. "That sounds amazing." 

"I'll have her save some for you."

"Aw, aren't you the sweetest boyfriend ever?" She kissed his cheek and grabbed her tray and walked off to Alya and Nino. 

Adrien grabbed a water bottle before following Marinette. He sat down, ignoring his friends' conversation, and stared down at his pasta, disgusted. 

Just a few bites... so they don't notice anything's wrong. 

Adrien picked up his fork and took a bite.

Chapter Text

Adrien and Marinette walked in his bedroom and dropped their schoolbags by the door. Felix was already waiting for them on the couch. 

"Hey, Felix," Marinette greeted, trying to be nice. 

He chuckled and said, "Wow, you guys are really joined at the hip now. I swear Adrien doesn't go anywhere without his bug." 

She raised a closed fist and growled, "You make it so hard to like you." 

"Funny, I can say the same about you," Felix spat back. 

"Can you guys not fight? Please?" Adrien asked, exhausted. 

Marinette crossed her arms. "Fine... I'm going to look for something to snack on before I watch a movie." She walked out of his bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen. 

Felix stood up and walked over. "So, what's wrong, cousin? What do you need my help with?" 

Adrien pulled out his phone and opened the texts from the unknown number. He showed him. "I started getting these about a month ago." 

Felix read the texts and his eyes widened. He looked up and with a fast arm, punched his cousin's arm. "And you only just told me now?!" 

"Ow!" Adrien winced. "I was scared! They threatened Marinette... I didn't think I could tell anyone without them going after her." 

His cousin rubbed his temple and muttered, "Ugh, we don't need this right now..."  

"I know." 

"Do you have any idea who this could be?" 

"Well, at first I thought it was you," Adrien admitted. 

Felix glared at him. "You can't be serious."  

"As a prank! But then I realized that'd be stupid." 

"You're stupid," His cousin insulted. 

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Then I saw Lila at school acting all weird and suspicious. Are you able to trace the number and see who it belongs to?" 

"Of course. It'll just take a few hours. You can be without your phone for that long, right?" 

"Yes..." 

"Good, because I'm going to need to keep this for now." Felix pocketed his cousin's phone. "I'm assuming you haven't told your girlfriend yet?" 

Adrien shook his head. "No... and I don't know if I should." 

"I thought you guys didn't keep secrets from each other anymore?" He asked.  

"What if this just puts Marinette in danger? Whoever this person is, they have no problem putting all the blame on Marinette. They could frame her for what I did!" 

Felix put his thumb against his chin as he thought out loud. "That is strange... why would this anonymous person want to help you?" 

"I don't know." 

His cousin shrugged. "Well, it's not up to me if you tell Marinette or not—" 

"Tell me what?" 

Adrien and Felix spun around and saw Marinette standing by the bed with a big bowl of popcorn and three sodas. 

How much of that did she hear?! Adrien wondered to himself, worried. 

Felix chuckled. "Well, I guess you might as well tell her." 

"What's going on?" She asked as she glanced between the two look-a-likes. 

"Marinette..." The model whispered as he avoided eye contact and tried to find the courage to tell his girlfriend the truth. 

"Yes?" 

As Adrien turned to face Marinette, he blinked and saw his dead father's ghost standing behind her. His body froze in fear. 

"Yes, Adrien... go on... tell her," His father taunted. "Give Marinette exactly what she needs." 

Adrien's eyes widened. "Needs... what?" 

She tilted her head, confused. 

"What she needs to execute her plan—to get rid of you!" Gabriel shouted as he got close to the girl's face. "You tell this stain on our name what's really going on and she'll betray you!" 

Adrien shook his head. 

"Adrien?" Marinette questioned. 

"You really think she wants to help you?!" His father screamed and his loud voice made his son flinch. "You killed someone, a human being. You're a monster now... a cold-blooded killer. Why would a sweet girl like Marinette Dupain-Cheng keep your pathetic secret?" 

Adrien's hands balled into fists as he tried to ignore his dead father's cold and harsh words. "Marinette—" 

"She's only trying to help herself," Gabriel interrupted. "If she finds out there's a chance she'll go to prison in your place, what do you think will happen?" 

"I..." 

His father stepped past Marinette and stood directly in front of Adrien. He crossed his arms behind his back and he towered over his living son. "Do you think she'd really go to prison for you? Of course not! She'll turn you into the police, expose everything!" 

Felix shoved his palm into Adrien's shoulder. "Are you going to tell her or not?"

"What? Just... just give me a minute!" Adrien gasped, trying to catch his breath. "I-I can't think..." 

"What is there to think about?!" His father shouted in his face. He walked back behind Marinette and gestured to her ears. "Take her earrings! Get rid of the girl! She's useless!" 

"Shut up!" 

Marinette's eyes widened and she stared at her boyfriend, even more confused than before. "I-I didn't say anything." 

Adrien looked up as his eyes started welling with tears. "I wasn't talking to you, Marinette." 

"I didn't say anything, either, Adrien!" Felix snapped. 

Gabriel raised his arm and waved it through Marinette's head. "You don't have much time left, Adrien. This girl is going to double cross you, throw you under the bus, burn you at the stake! Don't let her do this to you!" 

"S-Stop talking! Please!" Adrien cried out. 

"Adrien..." Marinette stepped forward and grabbed his hand. "What's going on?" 

He shoved his girlfriend's hand back and turned away from her. 

Gabriel appeared in front of him and leaned down with a wicked grin. "You can bring your mother back..." 

Adrien smiled at the thought of his missing mother. "Mom..." 

"You just need that girl's miraculous." 

Adrien blinked. "What? No!" 

Marinette and Felix shared a worried look as they stepped closer to the model. 

"Adrien... are you okay?!" She asked, taking careful steps. 

He spun around fast. "I-I'm fine! Sorry... I just... I have a lot on my mind right now..."

His father pointed at Marinette's ears again. "Take her miraculous and make the wish! Wish for your mother back!" 

"I-I can't..." Adrien shook his head. "There'd be consequences." 

"Adrien, who are talking to?!" Felix shouted. 

"You're starting to scare me..." Marinette whispered, hugging herself. "Maybe we should get you help." 

"See?" Gabriel screamed with wide eyes. "This girl isn't loyal to you at all!" 

Adrien glared at his dead father. "You're wrong! She loves me!" 

"Your love for that girl is going to get you killed! You have always let your pathetic feelings get in the way of what you need to do—what you're destined for!" 

Adrien fell back on the couch and leaned forward, holding his head between his legs as he took in deep, steady breaths. "Just leave me alone!" 

"We're not going to leave you!" Marinette sat beside him and started rubbing his back slowly. Something was clearly, very wrong with Adrien, and she needed to help him—now—before it got worse. "Just talk to me, okay? I'm here... my love, I'm here." 

Adrien sat up and looked at his sweet and patient and caring girlfriend with a sad smile, but it soon faded to a frown as he saw his dead father kneeling beside her. 

"This is your chance, son," Gabriel whispered, staring intensely at her black studs. "Take her miraculous... and kill her!" 

"WHAT?!" Adrien jumped out and backed away. "N-No! I won't! You can't make me!" 

Marinette stood up fast. "Adrien!" 

"You have to, Adrien! Our secret must die with her!" His father shouted as he followed and towered over his son. "Take her miraculous, bring back your mother, and then kill that girl! You don't need her!" 

Adrien fell to his knees and broke down, sobbing. "No! I-I can't... I can't..." 

Marinette knelt in front of Adrien and gently cradled his face. "Adrien, talk to me! What's going on? Who are you talking to?" 

"I think he's hallucinating," Felix suggested. 

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "What?" 

"That would explain it..." Felix glanced down at his fragile cousin. "He sees someone, he's talking to someone." 

"But... how? Why?" 

"The trauma of killing his father certainly helps, doesn't it?" 

Adrien pulled away from Marinette and crawled to the corner of the room, trying everything he could to make himself appear small. He brought his legs to his chest and rocked back and forth as he fought to calm himself down. 

"Do you think he's hallucinating his... mother?" Marinette asked. 

Felix nodded. "It's possible. You saw how Adrien reacted down there. I'm sure he's been seeing her ever since." 

Plagg flew over to them. "You know what else could be causing it?" 

"What?"

"Adrien hasn't been sleeping... or eating!" 

Marinette gasped. "What?!" 

"Plagg, what are you talking about?" The look-a-like asked. 

The kwami closed his eyes tight as he tried to hold back his powerful tears. He didn't want to betray his holder's trust, but he also wanted to help. 

"Spit it out, kwami!" Felix shouted! 

"Adrien forces himself to throw up!" 

Marinette's eyes widened. "What?! But... I-I don't understand. Why? Why would Adrien do that, Plagg?" 

"Thanks to that horrible man he called a father!" 

"Uncle Gabriel taught him to do that?" Felix asked, glancing worried eyes to his cousin. 

Plagg shook his head. "No, Adrien learned that all on his own. Anything to make his father proud... happy..." 

Marinette looked back at him. "Oh, Adrien..." 

"He never wants to disappoint his father." 

Felix crossed his arms. "Do you know how long he's been doing this?" 

"About six months." 

"S-Six months?!" Marinette freaked. "But all that damage he's doing to his body—" 

"I know, but no matter what I say, Adrien won't listen!" Plagg shouted as he turned and stared at his holder, heartbroken. "Adrien does... it... every single time he eats something, even if it's the tiniest meal. He doesn't believe he deserves to eat. For years Gabriel Agreste belittled and talked down to his own son, punished him over every single thing, forced him on ridiculous diets, and for what? To look perfect on a stupid magazine cover? To look flawless in another perfume ad? His father made Adrien feel like he had to earn human necessities and trained him to rely on his permission and approval for every little thing!"

Marinette cried as she wrapped her arms around Adrien and held him tight. "My poor kitty..." 

The kwami continued. "Adrien thinks starving himself is the only solution to keeping that 'perfect image' his father burned into his mind. When he's not in front of cameras or crowds, he still has to be perfect, even in the comforts of home. He spent his whole life trying to fit into this certain mold to please his father, to keep him happy, and he's not even here! Gabriel Agreste is dead and he's still hurting Adrien!" 

Marinette pulled back as Adrien started muttering to himself, clearly talking to whoever he was hallucinating. She cupped his cheek and used her thumb to wipe away stray tears. "I will never leave you, Adrien. I promise. I love you..." 

Adrien wrapped his arms around her and cried hard into her shoulder.

His father wouldn't stop taunting him, begging him to hurt Marinette, telling him all these lies. 

Adrien wanted it to stop. 

He wanted him to stop. 

He wanted all the noise to stop.

Chapter Text

Adrien and Marinette laid side by side in his bed, his head rested on her chest. She played with his hair as she hummed a sweet lullaby. He fell asleep fast to her soft voice, but he flinched here and there against her. 

Felix had been gone for almost two hours now, leaving after he explained to Marinette what'd been going on and how Adrien gotten these weird texts from an unknown number. 

Of course Marinette was mad that Adrien kept this from her, but she got over it rather quickly, due to his current mental state. It wasn't worth staying angry over, especially since Adrien had done it to protect her. 

Her arm tingled and went numb as it fell asleep. She moved slightly as she tried to adjust herself and Adrien's arms tightened around her. "Please... don't leave me." He whispered into her shirt, holding the fabric tight in closed fists. 

"I won't, Adrien." She kissed his forehead. "But... I need you to talk to me. I'm here for you. I'll listen." 

"He... I..." He started crying. 

"It's okay. We can start small. Don't overwhelm yourself, my love." 

Adrien took in a deep breath. "Ever since I... killed my father... I've been seeing... his ghost." 

Her eyes widened. That's what he's hallucinating? Not his mother, but his dead father? No wonder he's freaking out. "Your... father?" 

He nodded. "At first, I was just seeing him, but then I could hear him. He'd talk to me sometimes. He'd show up randomly without warning."

"So, those times you were acting weird... in the kitchen and your father's office... you saw him," Marinette whispered. 

Adrien stared out at nothing with wide, shaking eyes. "I see him everywhere. In my bathroom, my bedroom, hell, even the kitchen. I can't get him out of my head!" 

"What has he been saying to you?" 

"About the same when he was alive, how I'm worthless and pathetic, but... but earlier..." 

"Yes, Adrien?" 

He glanced at her ear before making eye contact. "He told me to take your miraculous." 

Marinette stared at his ring. "To make a wish." 

"To bring my mother back." 

"And you told him no—" 

"Because he wants me to kill you." 

She gasped. "What? He said..." 

Adrien cupped her cheek and his soft, warm touch calmed her fear instantly. "But I could never kill the one I love." 

"We're going to get you help, Adrien," She told him with a sweet smile. I promise." 

"I'd like that... please." 

"We could start small. Do you want to walk around the garden? Get some fresh air?" 

"Umm, maybe a shower?" He suggested instead. 

She nodded. "Yeah, hot water might be good." 

Adrien pulled away from Marinette and sat up. He stretched his arms with a sigh and sat there for a moment. 

Marinette didn't rush him. He had to get up on his own. He had to do this on his own. 

As he stood, she jumped up and grabbed his hand. "Adrien?" 

"Yes, my love?" 

She blushed at the pet name. "I... I love you so, so much and you are worthy of many things. Don't listen to those who try to hurt you. They're lies. What I say is the truth." 

"And what truth is that?" 

"That you, Adrien Agreste, are beautiful and something worthwhile." 

He smiled warmly. "Thank you... uh, Marinette?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Will you stand by the door in case I... see him again?" 

Marinette nodded. "Of course." She walked over and stood by the door and as Adrien walked in, he left the door cracked. 

From the shower, he called out, "Can you hum that lullaby from earlier? It was lovely." 

She hummed that sweet lullaby and he got through a shower without seeing or hearing his dead father's ghost. 

The bedroom door opened and Felix walked in. He saw Marinette and heard the shower running. "How's Adrien?" 

"He's talking." 

"That's good." 

"Where did you go?" She asked. 

Felix took Adrien's phone and a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. "I tracked the number, the one that's been sending Adrien those texts." 

"Really? Who's sending them?" 

His face fell with worry. "That's the thing..."

"Who does the number belong to, Felix?" The bathroom door opened and Adrien walked out in clean clothes, drying his messy blonde hair with a towel. "Tell us." 

"Adrien... I know you're in a delicate position right now. I don't think it's good for you to—"

"Just tell me, damnit!" He shouted, angry, and Felix and Marinette stared with wary eyes. He paused and sighed. "I'm sorry. Please... I just want this nightmare to be over." 

Felix nodded. "The database I used to track this number, it gave me a name and location." 

"Where are the texts coming from?" 

"From inside the house." 

Adrien blinked. "You mean... my house?" 

"And the number is registered to Emelie Agreste."

Chapter Text

Adrien and Marinette's eyes widened in sync. 

"M-My mother's phone?!" He shouted, running his fingers through his wet hair as he shook his head fast. "But... that doesn't make sense! She's in a coma, we all saw her down there!" 

"Those were my thoughts exactly, cousin." 

"So... what does that mean?" Marinette asked. 

Felix unfolded the note and threw it on the coffee table. "Someone else is using Aunt Emelie's phone to send those texts and they're trying to cover their tracks." 

Angry, Adrien screamed, "Who would do that?!" 

"I have a theory..." Felix admitted. 

"And?" 

"I believe it's Nathalie." 

Adrien's ears rang as he stood rooted in place, jaw gaped open. No... no... no... "N-Nathalie? S-She wouldn't—" 

"Are you sure, Adrien?" 

"Why would she do that?" 

Felix crossed his arms. "It makes sense, cousin. Those texts you showed me, this person wants to help you. They want to keep Gabriel Agreste's death covered up, so you can be free and move on from this horrific nightmare." 

"But—"

"And they're willing to have Marinette take the blame—if it means keeping you out of prison." 

Adrien stumbled back. "No." 

"And who would protect you?" 

"Nathalie." 

Felix nodded slowly. "Nathalie—who would do anything to protect you, even if it meant throwing your girlfriend to the wolves!" 

"Why would she do that?" Marinette asked. 

Adrien grabbed her hands. "I won't let that happen, Mari. If anyone is going down for what I did, it'll be me." 

"No one is going down for anything!" Felix snapped with an eye roll. "No one is getting caught... if we don't make any more mistakes." 

"I need to hear this from Nathalie herself." 

"What good is that going to do, Arien?" His cousin asked. 

Adrien balled his hands into tight fists. "Because if it is Nathalie sending me those texts, then this can all stop! If she wants to protect me, maybe she can help us." 

Felix sighed. "Fine, it's your mess, Adrien. Your choice." 

"Okay, then..." He straightened his shoulders. "I'll be right back." 

Adrien let go of Marinette's hand and walked out of his bedroom. He stood outside Nathalie's room and knocked two times on the door. 

"Come in!" She called out. 

He opened the door and stepped inside. He closed the door softly. 

Nathalie was in bed, typing on her laptop on the desk attached to her bed. "Adrien, are you and your guests almost ready for dinner?" 

"Uh, yeah, but I just wanted to talk to you about something." 

"What is it?" 

Adrien didn't say anything. He pulled out his phone, opened the texts, and set it on the desk beside her laptop. 

Nathalie grabbed his phone and looked at the screen. Her eyes widened. "When did you start getting these—" 

"I know they're from you, Nathalie," Adrien cut in, not in the mood for bullshit anymore. 

She stared over at him. "Adrien—" 

"And I know you used my mother's phone."

Nathalie took off her glasses and rubbed her temple. "Do I even need to know how you found out?" 

"Who cares?! What about why?" Adrien shouted. "Why did you do this? Why did you send me these texts?" 

"To make sure you wouldn't talk!" 

"Talk?" He questioned. "To Officer Reimer, you mean?" 

Nathali nodded. "I... I was suspicious that you were involved with your father's disappearance for a while now, but I needed to be sure. If you were involved and you were caught, you'd go to prison for a long, long time." 

"When did you find out?" 

"Soon after Felix arrived, I went upstairs to confront your cousin and ask him about his real intentions for being here. I overheard the three of you... talking." 

Nathalie set the tea kettle down on the kitchen counter as she waited for Felix. A few minutes passed. She walked back out to the foyer and found it empty. She stared upstairs with a glare. 

Hmph, he must have made himself comfortable already... she thought to herself as she stomped to the second floor. She knew Felix's intentions were fake the second he opened his mouth and she was determined to find out the truth. 

Nathalie found herself outside the guest room and was about to knock when she caught a bit of conversation. 

"I killed my father." 

Was that... Adrien's voice? Her eyes widened and her arm fell. She turned around immediately and rushed back downstairs to the kitchen. She'd been suspicious of Adrien for a while now. She thought it was weird—when Adrien called her that night Gabriel disappeared—that he seemed too worried about his father. 

He never had been before. 

But now, it was confirmed. Adrien killed his own father. 

Nathalie's hand balled into fists. No matter what Adrien's reason was, she wasn't going to let him down. Not again. She already stood aside and let Gabriel's abuse happen for years, and this time, she was going to protect Adrien. 

"After I learned the truth, I promised myself I'd do anything and everything to protect you, Adrien. I was afraid you'd slip up, though, so I thought making the texts more threating would help keep you quiet." 

"But why did you use my mother's phone?!"

Nathalie sighed. "To be careful, to cover my tracks, but as you can see now, that didn't work."

"Yeah..." Adrien crossed his arms. "If you were suspicious of me from the start, why didn't you just be up front with me about it?" 

"I didn't know how! How could I just ask you if you had something to do with your father's disappearance? And then I found out that you were, in fact, involved, and I definitely couldn't bring it up." 

"So... you're not going to turn me in?" 

Nathalie shook her head with a laugh. "No, of course not. I... I understand why you did it. Your father... wasn't a kind man. I will always be sorry I didn't protect you sooner, Adrien, but I will now."  

"I... I forgive you, Nathalie." 

Her smiled faded into a frown. "So... what happened to your father?" 

"It's better if you don't know." 

"Because of the police situation?" 

He nodded. "Yes." 

"Adrien..." Nathalie grabbed his hand. "If you let me help you, I can fix this. I can make sure Marinette takes the blame instead. I can do that for you." 

"Why?" 

"I need to make up for what I did, or what I didn't do. All those years I stood by and allowed your father to hurt you... this is what I can do now to help you." 

He let go of her hand. "That won't be necessary. I won't let Marinette go down for what I did." 

"If you change your mind..." 

Adrien turned around and walked out. He went back to his bedroom and found Marinette and Felix together on the couch. They looked over and stood to meet him. 

"So..." 

"Was it Nathalie?" Felix asked.

"Yes, it was her," Adrien whispered. 

"I knew it." 

He sat on the end of his bed. "She's going to help keep this quiet." 

"Can we trust her?" Felix asked. 

"I do." 

His cousin sighed. "Alright, that solves one issue." 

"Wait, there's another?!" Marinette asked. 

"I hacked into the police database... again... they're real keen on keeping you their number one suspect, Marinette." 

The pig-tailed girl sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Why did I have to let my temper get in the way?" She mumbled. 

"But they're also trying to find blame in Adrien, too," Felix added. 

"What?!" The model freaked. 

Felix raised his hand defensively. "Don't worry, they don't have anything, yet. It's just a theory they want to pursue." 

"Oh, well that settles the anxiety growing through my heart," Adrien retorted sarcastically. 

"Just give me time, Adrien. If I'm able to hack in their system and see what they know, that means I can also... manipulate certain things." 

"What do you mean?" 

Felix grabbed his coat and slipped it on. "I can't do a lot without getting caught, but that warrant they want for your phone, Adrien? I can reject it." 

"Really?" 

He nodded. "If they get your phone, they'll get your records, and that includes those texts from Nathalie. That'll incriminate you immediately." 

"So, what do we do?" Adrien asked. 

"Nothing." 

"Nothing?" Marinette repeated. 

"Just leave everything to me." 

Adrien stood and said, "But I want to help!"

"Cousin..." Felix walked over and rested a hand on his shoulder. "If you want to help... get help... please." 

Adrien fought back tears as he nodded slowly. 

Felix stepped forward and hugged his cousin. "I have to go. I'll be back soon." The bedroom door closed behind him. 

Marinette walked over and grab his hand. "Felix's been helpful this far, Adrien. We just have to... trust him." 

"You're right." He walked over to his desk and sat down, turning on the computer. He opened the search bar and his hand hovered over the mouse. "Will.. will you help me find someone who can help?" He asked, his voice shaky and quiet. 

"Of course." Marinette walked over and Adrien scooted back for her to sit on his knee. He wrapped an arm around her waist.

Adrien then typed into the search bar: therapists near me.

Chapter Text

Four Months After 

Ladybug and Cat Noir raced across the city, running, jumping, and leaping over buildings to their spot. The one place they went to feel safe, to feel content, and all they needed was each other, as it'd always been. 

The bug had beat the cat by mere seconds and she took pride in her swift victory. "Face it, Kitty Cat, I've always been faster than you." 

Cat Noir rolled his eyes. "Bugaboo, I would've won if I wasn't so distracted." 

"By what?" 

"The way your pigtails bounce when you run," He answered as he reached a claw out to play with them. "And those ribbons dancing in the wind. You're absolutely mesmerizing." 

Ladybug pouted. "Aww, it's cute you think compliments will get you the win. Just admit you lost." 

"I will not!" 

"You sore loser." 

Cat Noir stepped forward and leaned in close. She backed up until her foot left the ledge and he wrapped a protective arm around her waist, holding her still. "Up for a rematch, Milady?" 

Wow, he's really close... have his eyes always been this beautiful? Ladybug pushed his messy blonde hair out of his face. She could stare in his big, green eyes forever. 

"Fine, I'll admit my defeat," Her partner had started to say. "But you know what your prize is?" 

"I think you're about to tell me." 

He grinned. "Winner has to kiss a cat. I know it's tough, but I'm here to help." 

Ladybug laughed as she shook her head, and down below in an alley, a stray cat caught her eye. A small, cute, chubby orange cat. Soon a wicked plan fell into place and she faced her partner. "Alright, Cat Noir. If I must..." 

"Oh, you must." He closed his eyes and puckered his lips.

The spotted hero jumped off the roof and gently nabbed the stray cat. She returned to the roof, where Cat Noir was still waiting for a kiss, and she smiled. "You said a cat, but that doesn't mean you." 

"Huh?" Cat Noir opened his eyes. 

His lady stood there with an orange cat in her arms. She lifted the feline up and kissed his nose gently. "I like winning." 

"Tell me that's not one of your lucky charms?" 

"Isn't he so cute?" Ladybug asked as she raised the cat to the sky, already in love. "What were you doing all by yourself, handsome?" She asked in a baby voice. The cat meowed and she gasped with big eyes. "Oh, I love you, too!" 

Cat Noir crossed his arms. "I'm still your favorite feline, right?" 

Ladybug looked over. "Of course, kitten." She stood on her toes and gave him a quick kiss. "Forever and always." 

"He is a cute little guy," He admitted as he started scratching behind his orange ears. "I guess there's enough room for a second cat around here." 

"I'm going to keep him." 

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Milady." 

Ladybug flipped the cat on his back and started scratching his neck and stomach. It purred against her hand. "What should I name him?" 

"How about Garbage, since that's where you found him?" Cat Noir suggested. 

"Don't make me throw you in the garbage," She playfully threatened. 

"Trashcan?" 

"You're pushing your luck, Kitty." 

Cat Noir sighed. "What about Croissant? He's warm and his fur looks golden like bread flakes."

"Croissant..." Ladybug repeated. She nodded and said, "I like it. Mister Kitty, you are now named Croissant!" 

The cat meowed.

"I think he likes his name." 

Cat Noir looked out towards the quiet city. Without his father around to torment Paris, no one had needed the superhero duo in a while. Sure, there was still crime, but not enough to need them. "This might be our last patrol, Milady." 

"Why do you say that, Cat Noir?" She asked as she sat on the ledge, protectively holding Croissant in her lap. 

He sat beside her. "Without my father... without Shadowmoth... there's no reason to protect Paris anymore. Nobody needs us anymore." 

"Paris will always need protecting," Ladybug reminded him. "Just in a way that doesn't involve purifying butterflies and stopping supervillains." 

"You're right, Bugaboo." Cat Noir looked at his partner and smiled. "The bug and cat team will always kick ass!" 

"Damn right we will!" 

They raised their fists. "Pound it." 

Ladybug stood and stepped off the ledge. "Now that I have a new roommate, I need to stop at the store to get Croissant some things. A new bed, litter box, toys. I shouldn't be long. Do you want to watch a movie later?" 

"Anything you want, little bug." Cat Noir climbed to his feet and faced the direction his house was in. "Meet back up in an hour?" 

Ladybug nodded. "I'll see you later!" She threw her yo-yo and ran home, excited to show her parents the newest family member. 

"I love that girl," Cat Noir whispered to himself. There was a soft thud behind him and he spun around fast, surprised by the new presence behind him. "Uh, hello?" 

"I've been looking for you, cousin," The stranger greeted. 

His eyes widened. "Felix?!" 

"You can call me Argos." 

"What are you doing here?" 

"You weren't at home, so I figured you were out with your little girlfriend," His cousin teased with a grin. 

Cat Noir's cheeks burned. He loved when Marinette was called this: his girlfriend. "Okay, you found me. What's up?" 

Argos' playful smile faded into a serious frown. "There's something we need to talk about, something important... it's about Officer Reimer and Officer Laurent."

Chapter Text

Four Months and Three Weeks After 

Graduation day had finally come.

Finally, it was, and after years of school projects, making friends and bullies, tests and exams—not to mention akumatizations happening almost every single day—the students had finally reached the end of an era. 

After the ceremony they'd all be going their separate ways, to live a life and fulfil their hopes and dreams, their deepest desires. 

Well, some of them would. Adrien and Marinette were still unsure of their future. The investigation was going strong as ever, and unknown to them, more evidence was found and uncovered. 

Inside Francoise Dupont, a makeshift stage sat in the middle of the courtyard with rows and rows of plastic chairs for the students' family and guests, where they sat and waited for the graduation ceremony to begin.

The graduating students were gathered in the locker room, sporting their matching purple gowns. Their caps were hand decorated and designed by the students themselves, allowing for personality and their own identity. 

Marinette zipped up her purple gown and turned to face her best friend. "Al, we're finally graduating!" 

"I know!" Alya shrieked. "We've only been waiting for this day for—what—ever now?" 

The two girls held hands and squealed. "Eeek!" 

"I'm going to become the top reporter in Paris—eventually—and you're going to New York! You're on your way to becoming the fashion designer you've always wanted to be!" Alya said with a big smile. "Mari, I'm so proud of you. You never gave up on your dreams, ever." 

Marinette forced a smile. She had no idea if she'd be able to go to New York, not with this investigation still going on. "Yeah... New York is going to be great."  

"Maybe we'll see each other there," Chloe commented as she and Sabrina walked by the pair. "I'll be the best dressed, of course, wearing a Dupain-Cheng design." 

The pig-tailed girl smiled at the blonde. The resentment the two teens had for each other had slowly faded over the years. They weren't exactly friends, but they weren't enemies anymore. 

"A Bourgeois wearing my design would be a dream," Marinette said to her with a grin. "Only the best for the best." 

"Now you're getting too mushy, Dupain-Cheng," Chloe scoffed with an eye roll. "You'll have to get your own ride, though. I don't let just anyone on my private jet." 

Marinette laughed. "No, that'd be ridiculous." 

"Utterly ridiculous," Chloe said with a chuckle. 

The two laughed and the blonde and her redhead walked off. 

"It's weird seeing you and Chloe finally getting along," Alya pointed out. "Especially since how awful she was when we were younger." 

"Chloe's come around," Marinette said. "She still has her bad moments, but she's not a complete terror anymore." 

Miss Bustier clapped her hands and got the students' attention. "Alright, guys! The ceremony will begin in ten minutes. Make sure you're all standing in alphabetical order before we go out there." 

"And there better not be any jokes or pranks!" Miss Mendeleiev warned them. "Or no one is graduating!" 

"Don't worry, you'll still graduate! We can't hold back your diplomas, but there will be consequences for any foul play," Miss Bustier assured them as she walked off with their science teacher. 

"Ladies... how do we look?" Nino asked. 

Marinette and Alya turned and found their boyfriends behind them, in their purple gowns now. 

"Like a pair of grapes," Alya joked. 

"Grapes, huh?" Nino said as he walked over to his girlfriend. "Well, do you want to pick some fruit from my vine?" 

Adrien and Marinette stared with wide eyes, cheeks flushed, as their best friends flirted and kissed each other. They shared a look and laughed. 

Marinette noticed all his hair was tucked underneath his cap. She laughed and pulled it off. "You don't have to wear the cap so tight," She explained to him as she fixed it, pulling and fluffing out the blonde strands around his head. "There, that's better." 

"Thanks, babe," Adrien whispered. "I've never worn a cap and gown before." 

"Really? Not even when you graduated from kindergarten or primary school?" 

He shook his head. "I was homeschooled my entire life." 

"Don't worry. You look fine." Marinette stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Purple looks great on you." 

"Do you think I look like a grape?" 

Marinette laughed hard and Adrien gently cradled her face as he bent down to kiss her. 

The locker room doors slammed open and flew back into the wall. The students' faces fell in fear and shock as they watched two men walk in. 

The officers looked around the locker room and when they found who they came for, their eyes locked on the two in the corner with their friends. 

"Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" Officer Reimer called out as he stepped forward. 

The two shared a worried look. 

"You're both under arrest for the conspiracy and involvement in Gabriel Agreste's disappearance." 

Their eyes widened together. "WHAT?!" 

Officer Reimer stepped over to Adrien and shoved his hand into the boy's shoulder, pushing him hard against the lockers. He pulled his arms behind his back as he tightened handcuffs around his wrists. 

Officer Laurent gently turned Marinette around as he cuffed her, too. 

The officers led the criminals out of the locker room and past everyone in the courtyard waiting for a graduation ceremony. It'd still start in ten minutes, just without Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng. 

"Guess you'll get your diplomas in the mail," Officer Reimer whispered to Adrien. 

Tom and Sabine jumped from their chairs. "Marinette? Marinette! What's going on? Where are you taking her?" 

The other guests rose from their chairs and the courtyard broke out in echoed conversation and gossip. In the locker room, the other students were already spreading rumors, coming up with their own ridiculous theories on how the couple contributed to Gabriel Agreste's disappearance. 

The officers led the two down the front steps of the school and found two police cars parked by the sidewalk. Adrien and Marinette were going to be taken in separately. 

Marinette's head snapped over to Adrien. She struggled to free herself from the officer. She wanted to tell Adrien that she'd take the blame for everything, that he didn't have to admit anything. He didn't deserve to go to prison for simply protecting himself. 

"Adrien!" She shouted, trying to reach his side. 

He looked over. "Marinette, it's going to be okay!" 

"No! Let me go, I need to talk to him!" Marinette's eyes glistened with fresh tears, and they held eye contact one last time. "Adrien—" 

Officer Laurent forced Marinette in the backseat. 

Adrien caught one last glance of her before Officer Reimer shoved him in the back and the door slammed shut. 

He faced forward and closed his eyes tight, trying to calm himself down. He knew this would happen, but it was still overwhelming. He thought back on Felix's words. 

They're going to put you and Marinette in separate cars. 

Officer Reimer climbed in the front and started the car. He moved the car forward and back to the police station. 

They're going to have you in different rooms. 

"I'm on my way back with one of the suspects now." 

They're going to try and pit you both against each other. 

Adrien opened his eyes and stared ahead, straightening his shoulders. 

Don't panic. Don't freak out. Wait. Trust the plan.

Chapter Text

Adrien unzipped his graduation gown, tugged off his cap, and threw them on the steel table in front of him. He sat down and looked up, catching his reflection in a large mirror on the wall, a one-way mirror, he assumed. 

After they arrived at the police station, Officer Reimer shoved him in this room and left without saying anything. He's been waiting here for about twenty minutes now.

The model held eye contact with his reflection, and wondered if anyone was on the other side watching him. 

Felix, your plan better work. 

On the other side of the one-way mirror, the two officers stood side by side and shared a look. 

"Do you think he did it?" Officer Laurent asked. 

Officer Reimer shrugged. "We can't prove that Adrien killed his father, not without a body, but we know for sure he was involved in making Gabriel Agreste disappear."  

"So, what? We just need him to confess?" 

"Pretty much." 

"And if he doesn't?" 

Officer Reimer looked at two monitors in front of him, both streaming security footage from the rooms Adrien and Marinette were in. He watched the pig-tailed girl pace back and forth, talking to herself. "I'm sure we can get the girl to crack. I don't know if she's Adrien's partner or how she's involved in this, but she knows something." 

Adrien picked at the skin around his thumb, growing more anxious by the minute. He had put his full faith and trust into his cousin and this complicated and ridiculous plan. 

He was risking it all. 

"There's something we need to talk about, something important... it's about officer Reimer and officer Laurent," Felix hesitantly said. 

"What about them, Felix?" Adrien asked. 

"They're finding more evidence, getting further along in the case... starting to close in on and you and Marinette." 

His eyes widened. "What do you mean?" 

"It won't be long before they have enough evidence to arrest you both." 

"A-Arrest us? But... but you said you could help! You said you wouldn't let this happen!" 

"And I am a man of my word, cousin," Felix reminded him. "I have a plan."  

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Of course you do." 

"But you're not going to like it." 

The door opened and Officer Reimer stepped in. 

Adrien looked up and held eye contact. His gaze never wavered as the officer sat across from him. 

Officer Reimer sat down a folder on the table and leaned back, folding his hands together behind his neck. "Why don't you make this easy for me and just confess? We know you did it." 

"Did what?" 

"Killed your father." 

"Is that so?" Adrien challenged. 

Officer Reimer rested his arm on the table, tapping his finger rhythmically against the cool steel. "Maybe, maybe not, but what we do know is that you and your girlfriend made your father's disappearance look like an act of free will." 

Adrien tried his best to keep his cool. He couldn't let any emotion show. He didn't say anything. 

"Your father is business partners with Tomoe Tsurugi, has been for years now, actually. Your friends with her daughter, Kagami, right?" 

"Yes, we are. We're in fencing class together." 

"Right..." the officer nodded. "The car we found abandoned outside of town, your father's, did you know it was made by Tsurugi Industries?" 

Confused, he asked, "What does that have to do with anything?" 

Officer Reimer opened the folder and pulled out a piece of paper. "The technology in those cars are insane! I mean, you can use auto-drive or voice command, but what I really like about them is the system's memory." 

Adrien watched as the officer slid over a paper and he looked down at it. It was a picture captured from the car's inside front camera, of Adrien and Marinette sitting in the front seats of his father's abandoned car. 

"The car has facial recognition, but I'm assuming you didn't know that," Officer Reimer said. "And look here, what we found when we went looking through the car's system memory. What do you see, Adrien?"

The model didn't answer. 

"I'll tell you what I see: that's you and Marinette Dupain-Cheng in your father's car—the night he disappeared—minutes before you two left it abandoned outside of town." 

Stay calm, Adrien. I need to stay calm or the plan is ruined. 

"Do you see the time stamp there, Adrien?" Officer Reimer smacked his palm against the picture. "It's eleven-thirteen p.m. That's about two hours after you said your father left for his flight." 

Don't say anything, Adrien. 

"You and Marinette gave us alibis. The same ones, to be exact, but of course they'd be the same. According to you, the two of you were in your room all night, watching movies and sleeping. How could that be if you were out of town abandoning his car?" 

Adrien leaned back in his chair. 

Officer Reimer chuckled. "Still have nothing to say? Okay..." 

Adrien watched as the officer pulled out a packet and from looking closely, he could tell it was phone records. The sheets were full of phone numbers and text messages. 

Officer Reimer flipped to the last page and smacked it down in front of him. "We re-checked your father's phone records, and the night your father disappeared, there's no showing of a call between you two, not at the time you told us about. You lied about calling your father, Adrien!" 

The officer expected Adrien to crack, to break down and reveal everything, and he would—just not yet. 

Felix had a plan and Adrien would stick to it. 

"As long as Marinette is safe, I'll do it," Adrien finally said after a quiet moment. His cousin had just explained the plan to him. 

"Marinette can make her own decisions, Adrien, but she's got a big heart full of love for you," Felix warned him. "She'd never abandon you. She'd follow you to the ends of the earth." 

"I know," He whispered. 

Felix sighed. "You can't force her to agree to this." 

"I know," Adrien repeated. "Which is why we're not going to tell Marinette about the plan." 

"I want a deal," Adrien said softly. 

Officer Reimer snorted. "Excuse me?" 

"I'll tell you what happened—if Marinette doesn't get charged with anything," He explained to the officer. "She doesn't deserve any of this."  

"What makes you think I'll do it?" 

"Because you want to know what happened to Gabriel Agreste." 

Officer Reimer glared at him. 

"I'll tell you all but one thing," Adrien added, raising his index finger to emphasize. "You'll have to ask Marinette for that other detail." 

"You're real brave for asking me this, kid." 

Sir, I'm absolutely terrified right now. "So, do we have a deal?" 

The door opened fast and Officer Laurent stormed in. He stood beside his partner, staring down at Adrien, who sneezed. "Since when do you make deals, Reimer?" 

"When the situation calls for it." 

"I told you, as long as Marinette is spared, I'll tell you what I—" Adrien cut himself off as he broke out in a fit of sneezes. "Achoo!" He wiped his nose. "Sorry, I—achoo!" What the hell is happening? 

"Kid, you okay?" Officer Reimer asked. 

Officer Laurent shook off his leather jacket and rested in on the back of the chair and sat down. "What's wrong with you?" 

"I'm allergic to pigeons," Adrien explained. "But I only get like this around them—choo!" The model's face became red and puffy, snot dripping his nose to his chin. He looked up and asked, "Can I clean myself up please?" 

Officer Reimer stood and led Adrien out of the room, across the hall to a bathroom. He opened the door and said, "Make it quick, kid." 

The door closed behind Adrien and he walked over to the sink. He turned the faucet on and washed his hands and face, grabbing a paper towel to dry off. 

"Okay, that was weird," Adrien said out loud to himself. He threw the paper towel away and looked up in the mirror.

A few minutes had passed now, and Officer Reimer banged three times on the door, impatient. "You cleaned up or what, kid?" 

The door opened and Adrien stepped out. "Sorry, I was fixing my hair." 

"Cute, now get your ass back in there." The officer shoved the model forward and they both sat back at the table. 

"Feeling any better?" Officer Laurent asked.

Adrien took in a deep breath. He didn't sneeze. "I think so." 

"Good, you got yourself a deal, now get talking," Officer Reimer snapped as he smacked the table. 

Adrien straightened his shoulders. Hopefully I know what I'm doing. "Gabriel Agreste was a horrible man, and an even worse father. He... he was incredibly abusive." 

I knew it, Officer Reimer thought to himself. "So your father did beat you." 

He nodded. "For years..." 

"And you finally snapped?" Officer Laurent asked as he pulled a pack of gum out from the pocket of his leather jacket. 

"I guess you could say that." 

"What happened?" 

Adrien folded his hands on the table, pressing his thumbs together. "The night he was supposed to leave for his trip to Brazil, he came upstairs to my bedroom, and he... he started yelling, screaming these horrible things at me, and he attacked me." His eyes closed tight as he forced back tears. "H-He slammed me against the wall and started choking me." 

"And then you... killed him?" Officer Reimer asked. 

Adrien nodded.“Yes.”  

"How?" 

"Are you familiar with Paris' superheroes?" The model asked. 

Both officers nodded. 

"I've seen them around here and there," Officer Laurent commented. 

"What about them?" His partner asked. 

Adrien sighed. "Well... I'm Cat Noir... and I killed my father with the powers my miraculous gives me: my cataclysm. It's a destructive force that—" 

"I know what the cataclysm does," Officer Reimer interrupted. "My son is a fan of those heroes." 

"You think this is funny?" Officer Laurent shouted. "If you still want a deal, you better start taking this seriously!" 

"I've always been intrigued by those superheroes and my son has, too. He told me all about—what did you call it—the miraculous you both wear? Ladybug has earrings and you have a..." He looked at Adrien's bare hands. "A ring." 

"If you're Cat Noir, prove it. Transform." 

Adrien chuckled. "I'm not an idiot. I slipped my ring off and dropped it at school when you were arresting us. It could be anywhere now." 

Officer Reimer adjusted his shoulders and leaned forward. "Okay, say we do believe that you're this superhero and you killed your own father with your powers. Where does Marinette Dupain-Cheng fit into all of this?" 

"After I killed my father, I called Marinette for help." 

"Why was she so willing to help you?" Officer Laurent asked. "Because she's your girlfriend?" 

"Actually, we weren't dating yet," Adrien admitted. 

"So why did she help you?" 

"Marinette didn't have a choice." 

Officer Reimer tilted his head, confused. "What do you mean?" 

"I blackmailed Marinette into helping me cover up my father's murder." 

"How? What could you have on a sweet, smart, educated girl like Marinette to blackmail her?" 

Forgive me, please. "Because Marinette is... Ladybug." 

Officer Reimer's eyes widened. 

His partner laughed. "Okay, this is ridiculous! Put an end to your little fairytale story." 

"If you don't believe me, go ahead and ask her." 

"It's awfully convenient that you two just happen to be Paris' superheroes," Officer Reimer pointed out. 

Adrien bit his lip. "That's why it was so easy for me to blackmail Marinette to help me. I threatened to expose her secret to everyone if she didn't." 

"Gee, aren't you a sweet boyfriend?" 

"I forced Marinette to help me fake my father's disappearance and make it look like he just ran away. First, we drove out of town and abandoned my father's car. I figured everyone would just think he left it and ran from there so no one could track him down, he could really get off the radar. Then when we got back to my house, I made sure to call Nathalie and make her see how freaked out I was. I did anything possible so she wouldn't suspect me of anything. After that, all there was left to do was to convince Officer Roger and all of Paris." 

Officer Roger held Gabriel's—fake—departure letter and said, "So this letter we found in your father's desk was forged." 

Adrien nodded. "I've known for a while Marinette had feelings for me, so I manipulated her into falling in love with me so I could control her into keeping my secret." 

"Why do you want to help her now?" Officer Laurent asked. "It didn't seem you scared about her before." 

"Because all liars get caught eventually, like a mouse to a cheese trap," Adrien said. "Marinette doesn't deserve to go down for what I did and did alone."

The officers stood. 

"Go ahead and make yourself comfortable again while we have a chat with your girlfriend," Officer Reimer told him. 

Adrien leaned back. "Please, be my guest..." 

Chapter Text

Marinette paced back and forth and she balled the skirt of her dress in her fist. She ditched her cap and gown and left them on the table. She'd been in here for almost an hour now. "Tikki, this is bad. I need to see Adrien." 

"You need to stay calm, Marinette," Her kwami told her. "You've gotten this far, I'm sure you'll come up with a solution." 

"Not unless Adrien came up with one first." 

The door opened and her head snapped over as the two officers walked in. 

"You'll never believe who we ran into out in the lobby," Officer Reimer said. 

She didn't answer. 

"It was Adrien's cousin—Felix, I think—and you wanna know what he told us?" His partner asked. 

She crossed her arms, still silent. 

"Felix said he was willing to pay both of your bails—that is if you get one." 

"Where's Adrien?!" Marinette shouted. 

Officer Reimer closed the door as Officer Laurent stepped forward. 

"Answer me! Where is he?" She asked again. 

"Keep your voice down... Ladybug." 

Marinette's eyes widened. Her arms shook and she stumbled back, catching herself as she fell into the chair. "W-What did you call me? How... how do you know?" 

"So, the kid was telling the truth," Officer Reimer muttered as he noticed the black studs on the girl's ears. 

"How did you find out?" 

"Your boyfriend told us." 

Marinette shook her head fast. "Adrien? No! No, there's no way. He would never!" 

Officer Riemer sat across from her and rested his hand on her arm. "We know what kind of monster Adrien Agreste is, Miss Dupain-Cheng. You don't have to be afraid of him anymore." 

Adrien, a monster? "What? What are you talking about?" 

"We know Adrien blackmailed you into helping him cover up his father's murder," Officer Laurent explained.

"Blackmail?" Marinette questioned, confused, then her eyes widened as she gasped. Adrien lied to protect me?! He's trying to make sure I don't get charged with anything. Ugh, I should've known he'd do something like this! "Wait, no, you don't understand—" 

"Now, we plan to let you go—free of charges and all—but you just need to answer one question for us," Officer Reimer said. 

She leaned back and crossed her arms. "What?" 

"Where is Gabriel Agreste's body?" 

"I..." Marinette looked down and avoided eye contact as she went quiet. 

This could be her last chance to save him. Adrien had already told the officers that he blackmailed her, but maybe she could spin the story around and say she blackmailed him, instead. 

It'd be believable. Gabriel Agreste didn't approve of their relationship, so a lovestruck hopeless girl got too caught up in her emotions, and in a heated rage, killed him, and then forced the boy she's in love with to help. She blackmailed and manipulated him. 

Yes, they could believe that. 

"Marinette, this could be your only chance to walk free," Officer Laurent stared to say. "We know you were manipulated and held against your will to help Adrien." 

"I know you think you're betraying him, but you're not. He took advantage of your feelings and your... secret," Officer Reimer said. 

Dark mascara lines appeared under her eyes as Marinette broke down in tears. "What's going to happen to Adrien?" 

"Let us worry about that." 

"He's going to prison... isn't he?" 

Officer Reimer nodded. "Yes." 

She covered her mouth and sobbed hard into her hands. 

"Marinette..." 

She looked up. 

"Stop protecting Adrien Agreste!" Officer Laurent shouted. "Where is Gabriel Agreste's body?" 

This is your chance, Marinette. Twist the truth around to fit your own story. This is how I can still save Adrien. "Actually, the truth is that I—" 

The lights in the room above flickered for a few seconds before they shut off completely. The emergency lights came on and the officers shared a worried look. 

"What's going on?" 

"Stay here, Miss Dupain-Cheng." 

Officer Reimer and Officer Laurent ran out of the room, and Marinette jumped up and caught the door before it could lock behind them. 

"What are you doing?!" Tikki asked. 

"I'm going to find Adrien." Marinette side-stepped down the hallway before she took off in a sprint, and after turning another corner, she found herself at a glass door with wide windows on each side. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. 

The building lights suddenly turned back on and blinded her for a moment. She blinked her eyes and on the other side of the glass, she saw Adrien in handcuffs. 

After the light mishap, the model was caught trying to escape, and now Officer Reimer was leading him out of the building, to the van waiting to transport him to the prison. 

No, I'm too late! "Adrien!" Marinette smacked the glass with an open palm. It got their attention fast and Adrien and Officer Reimer looked over. "You're making a mistake! Stop!" 

The officer shouted something to his partner and he started jogging over. 

She banged her closed fists on the glass repeatedly. "Adrien! Adrien! Let him go! He didn't do anything! He did nothing wrong! It was me, it was my fault!" 

Officer Laurent unlocked the door and stepped through. "Marinette—" 

She pushed past him and started running. "Adrien!" 

"Damnit!" The officer chased her and caught up to her, wrapping a tight hand around her arm as he started pulling her back. "Marinette—" 

"No, let me go! I need to get to him!" 

Officer Laurent tugged harder, but she was fighting him. "Marinette, it's okay! You don't need him anymore." 

"I will always need him!" Marinette cried out. "Adrien!" 

Pity filled the officer's heart as he watched the girl. "Poor kid. Classic case of Stockholm syndrome." Don't worry, we'll get you the help you need. 

Marinette ignored his comment and kept trying to free herself. His fingers dug into her bare skin, but she didn't care. She needed to save Adrien before it was too late! 

Officer Laurent grabbed her other arm and forced them behind her back. 

"Adrien!"

The blonde turned around to make eye contact for the last time. He winked. 

Her eyes widened. "What...?" 

Officer Laurent led her back to the room and pushed her inside. "We told you to stay put!" He slammed the door shut and locked it. 

"Ughhh!" Marinette picked up a chair and threw it at the wall. It bounced off the glass and landed by her feet. What the hell is going on? Why did Adrien wink at me? Does he think this is all just a sick game? 

Soft footsteps echoed behind her, and she spun around fast. 

"Cat Noir?!" She gasped. Wait, so that means—

"There's no time to explain, Marinette. We have to go." 

Her eyes widened. "W-Wait, if you're here then... you and Felix switched places!" 

He nodded. "That was the plan." 

"And Felix is okay with that?" 

"It was his idea," Cat Noir admitted. 

"So he's going to prison for you?" 

"I tried to talk him out of it, but my cousin is very persistent," He mumbled with a hard sigh. "Once his mind is set, it's hard to change it." 

"Okay, that was weird," Adrien said out loud to himself. He threw the paper towel away and looked up in the mirror. He met his cousin's eyes and turned around. "Are you sure about this, Felix?" 

"We've gotten this far, cousin. There's no time to turn back now." He reached in his pocket and handed Adrien allergy medicine. "Here." 

Adrien gives him a suspicious look. "How did you—" 

"All part of the plan, cousin," Felix told him. "I knew I would need you somewhere alone so we could swap places." 

"But... how?" 

"With a hidden feather." 

He gave him a sad smile. "Thank you. I can never repay you for this, Felix." 

"You don't have to."

Adrien stepped forward and hugged his cousin. "I'm going to miss you so much." 

Felix pat his back. "Me too, cousin. Come on, we have to hurry. We need to switch clothes." 

"Remember when we used to do this as kids?" Adrien asked. 

He nodded. "It really pissed off our parents." 

"It was our favorite game," Adrien whispered with a sad smile. "But I guess this is the last time we can play." 

"Cataclysm." Cat Noir pressed his palm to the wall and watched as it crumbled beneath them. He grabbed Marinette's hand and led her out down a back hallway. "Come on, we have to go." 

Marinette followed him and side-eyed him. After a quiet moment, she finally asked, "You told the officers who I am?" 

"I had to, Marinette," Cat Noir said. "Or at least Felix did. We swapped places halfway through the interrogation. I had to make sure you wouldn't be charged with anything." 

"I would have went down for you!" 

"I wouldn't have let you!" Cat Noir countered. 

Marinette let out a sigh. "And now Felix is taking the blame for us." 

"Trust me, I don't like the plan anymore than you do, but Felix wouldn't budge. It was either this, or we go to prison." 

"How is that fair to your cousin?" 

"He chose this." 

They reached the end of the hallway and turned a corner. At the end, there was two double doors leading outside. They snuck over and peeked out the tiny window. Uniformed officers were standing everywhere out front. 

"Where are we supposed to go now?" 

"I'm leaving," Cat Noir whispered. 

"What?!" 

"I can't stay in Paris anymore. That was another part of Felix's plan." Cat Noir grabbed her hand. "I leave and...you get to stay." 

"I'm coming with you." 

He shook his head. "No! You can actually have a life now, Marinette." 

"What good is a life if it's without you?" 

"Mari—" 

"My name and reputation as a future fashion designer is ruined, Adrien! My work will be tainted forever and I'll only be known as 'the girl who helped her boyfriend kill his father', and I don't want that! My dreams and passions are done, over... if I stay in Paris." She gently cupped his face. "But if we run away together, I can change my name and—hopefully—live the life I've always wanted, with you." 

Cat Noir closed his eyes as he started crying. "I can't ask you to give up your life for me." 

"You're not asking," She reminded him. "It's my choice and my decision." 

He laughed and whispered, "Felix warned me about this." 

"I'm with you until the end. Nothing you say can change my mind." 

Cat Noir squeezed her hand. "I love you so much." 

"I love you, too." 

"Claws in." His transformation fell and Adrien took his place, wearing Felix's clothes now. He adjusted his tie, exposing the peacock miraculous pinned to his shirt. 

"You have the peacock miraculous?" Marinette asked with wide eyes, shocked. "But... Felix fought so hard to get it. Why would he—"

Adrien touched his palm to the brooch. "Once Felix gets to that prison, they're going to strip him down and take all his belongings. Felix... he trusted me with this, with his—our—life." 

"I... I finally have all the miraculous," She whispered out loud with a sad smile. "My miracle box is complete." 

"We have to go, Marinette." Adrien fixed his hair to look like his cousin's and then opened the door slowly. 

As they snuck outside, they looked over and watched as Felix was shoved into the back of a blue van.

Officer Reimer immediately spotted them. "What?! How the hell did she get out? Ugh!" He reached for his walkie talkie. "Suspect Marinette Dupain-Cheng in on the run with Felix Graham De Vanily, Adrien Agreste's cousin!" 

"We gotta go." Adrien grabbed her hand and they took off running across the street.

"Why didn't you stay as Cat Noir?" Marinette shouted over the wind in their ears. "We could get away faster!" 

"As far as they know, Adrien is Cat Noir, and that's who they just arrested. Right now they think I'm Felix, and I can't transform without exposing my cousin's plan."  

"But I can. Tikki, spots on!" With another step, Marinette transformed into Ladybug and grabbed Adrien. She threw her yo-yo and pulled them across the city. She carried him as she ran across rooftops. 

Adrien pointed in a direction and said, "Go to my house, Marinette! There's something I need to grab before we leave." 

She nodded. 

Loud sirens echoed behind them as eight police cars followed the spotted hero. From one of the cars, Officer Reimer turned on his speaker and shouted into the receiver. "Ladybug, stop running! We can put this mess behind us!" 

"Shit," Ladybug whispered as she leapt off a roof and swung across. "We need to lose them!" 

"Take that street, it's a shortcut!" Adrien shouted to her. 

A minute later, they reached the mansion and the hero jumped over the locked gate and they landed on the steps. 

The police cars drifted and pulled up right out front and parked by the gate. Officer Reimer jumped out of the driver's seat. "Marinette! Felix! There's nowhere left to run!" 

"Come on!" Adrien grabbed her hand and they ran inside. He slammed the front door shut and locked it, then hurried into his father's old office. He locked those doors, too. "We don't have a lot of time." 

A loud bang came from outside as the front gate was knocked over. Officer Reimer and Officer Laurent led an armed team towards the mansion and soon found their way inside. Seconds later, the locked office doors shook as the officers tried fighting their way in. 

"Open up! Marinette, this can still end peacefully! Just unlock the door!" 

Adrien and Ladybug turned towards his mother's painting. 

After a few attempts, the doors finally flew off the hinges and the two officers ran in. The room was empty, and the window was broken. Felix's jacket was caught stuck on a piece of glass, the fabric ripped. 

"They're gone!" Officer Reimer shouted, slamming his fist into the wall. He faced the other officers. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Felix Grahm De Vanily are on the run! Paris is going on lockdown. We need to stop all possible transportation and close down all the airports, trains, subways, and bus stations! Move it, men! Let's go!" 

The house was quiet again as the officers exited the house. 

Adrien and Marinette—detransformed now—ran across the bridge down in the basement and stood in front of his unconscious mother in the butterfly garden. Thanks to her quick thinking, they were able to trick the officers and had gained more time to stay hidden longer and figure out their next move. 

The model stared down at his mother. "I wish we could bring her with us." 

"Adrien..." Marinette grabbed his hand. "I'm so sorry. I told you I could find a solution, find a way to wake your mother, but I didn't. Now we're too late." 

"No, not exactly," He whispered. "I spoke with Nathalie a few days ago. She's been fully aware of Felix's plan and she agreed to keep looking for a cure to wake my mother. She swore her life she'd never give up until she found one." 

"Where do you think you're going?" 

Adrien's shoulders tensed as he looked up and saw his father standing beside the silver casket his mother laid in. 

"You're going to abandon your mother, Adrien?" 

He rested his palm to the glass. "Goodbye, Mother." 

Gabriel stormed up to him. "No! What do you think you're doing, Adrien?! Your mother needs you!" 

"What did you come here for, Adrien?" Marinette asked. 

"Plagg, claws out." 

She watched him transform and tilted her head, confused. "Adrien...?" 

"You really think you can run?" His father's ghost taunted, following the hero across the bridge. "That you can hide from all of this? You can't! This will always be with you. I will always be with you, Adrien!" 

"Power up!" Cat Noir dove headfirst off the bridge as transformed into AquaNoir as he broke through the cold water. He swam and searched the entire bottom of the chasm until he finally found his dead father's body floating by. 

This was the hero's first time seeing it again since he first discarded it months back. The horrible sight absolutely terrified him to his core, the same he felt the night he murdered his father. Gabriel's body was completely decaying all over, his entire skin almost darkened now thanks to the effects of his cataclysm. 

AquaNoir reached his arm out and hesitated. His eyes studied his father's lifeless face. He waited for him to say something, but he didn't. You can't control me anymore. 

He fought through his fear and grabbed his father's hand, slipping the matching ring holding his amok off. He watched as his body faded away into black ash. "Goodbye, Father." 

AquaNoir swam up fast and shot out of the water. "Power down." Cat Noir landed on the railing and stepped down. He stared down at the wedding band in his hand. 

"What's that?" Marinette asked. 

He looked up. "A long story... I can explain later." 

"Okay..." 

Cat Noir looked around. No sign of Father's ghost. The room was quiet. Was he finally free? He turned to Marinette and asked, "Is there anything at home you need to bring with you?" 

"I-I guess maybe some clothes and—" Her eyes widened as she gasped. "The miracle box! W-We have to hurry. Those officers could search my place!" 

Cat Noir picked Marinette up and threw her over his shoulder as he ran back to the elevator and took it back up to the house. Even with the risk of exposing his cousin's plan, he jumped out the broken window and ran to Marinette's house. 

Minutes later, he landed on her balcony and they raced down to her bedroom. Everything looked the same. Nothing was missing, but they still had to hurry. 

Marinette grabbed her backpack and started stuffing a change of clothes inside. She couldn't bring everything and—wherever they were going—she could always buy or make more. "I can't believe this is happening," She whispered as her shoulders sunk forward, and she cried. "I'm never going to see my family or friends again." 

Cat Noir walked over and rested a hand on her back. "It's not to late to stay—" 

"No, I'm going!" Marinette walked over to her desk and pushed the specific fabrics down. A lift rose and she grabbed the miracle box and held it to her chest. A frown casted on her face. 

"What's wrong?" 

"We can never be Ladybug and Cat Noir again," She whispered as she shook her head. "No matter where we go, someone could recognize us." 

"You're right... so what are you going to do?" 

Marinette sighed. "I-I always planned on having Alya take over as Guardian for me, but..." 

"But what?"

"If I renounce my role as Guardian, I'll lose all my memories! I won't remember any of this or... you." 

His heart and mind conflicted for a moment, and Cat Noir finally said, "Then maybe you should do it." 

"What?" 

"You don't deserve any of this, Marinette. I brought you into my mess when I should've handled it alone!" Cat Noir's hand balled into fists and his shoulders shook with anger. "If I had never called you, you wouldn't be in this situation and you could be free! You deserve a happy life. This is your chance." 

Marinette's eyes were wide with tears. "And give up being Ladybug? Give up you? No! I'd rather this nightmare than a life without you." 

"As long as you're safe and happy, even if you're not with me, I can live with that, Milady." 

"And I can't live without you!" Marinette shouted back. "So, no! I go where you go. The miracle box is coming with us." 

Cat Noir sadly smiled. "It's your choice, Milady." 

She carefully set the miracle box in her backpack and zipped it up. "Tikki, spots on." 

Seeing Marinette transform always brought a blush to Cat Noir. 

Ladybug walked over to her chest and pulled out two black capes with hoods. "I was saving these for Halloween, but we can use these to disguise our suits." She slipped one on and handed the other to her partner. 

Cat Noir tugged on his hood and offered his hand. "Time to go, Bugaboo." 

"I know, Kitty," Ladybug whispered, sighing as she looked around her bedroom for the last time. She looked at her trap door and frowned. Tonight her parents were throwing her a graduation dinner and her grandparents were coming in from out of town. 

Marinette wouldn't be home to celebrate. 

Ladybug slipped on her backpack and took Cat Noir's hand as they climbed back up to her balcony. They jumped off the railing and ran. The capes Marinette made kept their identities hidden and no one glanced an eye at them as they raced across the city. 

As they passed by the mayor's hotel, they noticed a crowd formed out front and ducked down as they recognized a face by the front doors. They ducked down on the roof and peeked over to watch. Officer Reimer walked up to a podium stationed in front of reporters and cameras and tapped the microphone three times. "People of Paris—as of this afternoon, Adrien Agreste was arrested for the murder of his father, Gabriel Agreste. His partner—classmate Marinette Dupain-Cheng—is now on the run with his cousin- Felix Graham De Vanily. You are to report any sightings or information you have on the two immediately to the proper authorities." 

"Oh, we're partners in crime now?" Ladybug mumbled to herself. 

"Marinette—you have one day to come back and tell us what we need to know. You still have time to clear your name and free yourself from this monster. After twenty-four hours, if you haven't returned... we'll have no choice but to reveal yours and Adrien's secrets to Paris." 

Cat Noir and Ladybug shared a worried look. Their secret identities would be revealed tomorrow. But they couldn't stay, no matter how bad they wanted to. 

This time tomorrow, they'd be heading to America to start their new life—together. 

Ladybug squeezed his hand. "It's you and me, Kitty." 

Cat Noir sadly smiled. "Just as I want it."

Chapter Text

Six Years After 

The bell above the front door rang as an older woman stepped into the tiny bakery. The fresh smell of warm bread still hung in the air and she smiled as she walked up to the counter. "Your bread smells as lovely as ever, Sabine!" 

The owner appeared from the back room, her face covered in sweat and flour. Marinette—who now went as Sabine—beamed brightly at her regular customer. "Mrs. Calloway! It's so nice to see you. How are you?" 

"I'm good, dear. My grandkids are visiting this evening." 

"Oh, Susie and John are back for the summer?" Marinette asked as she started preparing her customer's usual order: two loaves of bread, a dozen macaroons, four chocolate croissants, and a fresh piece of cake—on the house. "I miss those kids." 

"They miss you, too," Mrs. Calloway told her, laughing. "After all, you are their favorite babysitter." 

Marinette grinned. "I try." 

She glanced at her bare hand and cocked an eyebrow. "I see Nate hasn't popped the question yet..." 

"Oh, we're just waiting for the right time," Marinette replied, glancing at the clock above. She handed over a thick brown paper to-go bag. "Here you go. I added an extra treat—on the house, of course." 

"You're too kind, Sabine." Mrs. Calloway gave her exact change. "What time is better than now, sweetie? If your man doesn't propose soon, I'll have to send my son over here to woo you!"   

"That won't be necessary, Mrs. Calloway." Adrien—who now went as Nate—wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder as he stood beside her. "Once I got my heart set on something, it's hard to keep me away." 

"Aww, babe..." Marinette stood on her toes and kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "You always have the sweetest things to say." 

Mrs. Calloway chuckled and smiled at the couple. "My, you two are absolutely adorable! I can tell you've always been meant to be together." 

"I've felt that way for a long time, Mrs. Calloway," Adrien whispered as he grinned down at Marinette. 

"You kids have fun, I have grandkids to see!" 

"Have a good day, Mrs. Calloway!" The two shouted to her. 

Marinette found her orange cat sleeping by the register and patted his head, moving to scratch under his chin. "Sleeping on the job I see, Croissant," She teased, bending down to kiss him. "Watch the shop for me real quick?" 

Years later after departing Paris, Adrien and Marinette found refuge in a tiny city deep in Iowa. They changed their names and identities. Marinette was now Sabine—in honor of her mother—and Adrien went by Nate—a sweet gesture to Nathalie. 

The two worked odd jobs to save up money and were soon able to buy their own property and open their own bakery. Adrien and Marinette lived a private, secret life out of town, but still close enough to other people to not raise weird suspicions of themselves. 

Marinette grabbed new seed packets from a drawer and walked outside to their own garden. The kwamis flew around and greeted her, munching on fresh fruits and vegetables, and she bent down and grabbed a tiny shovel. She dug holes and sprinkled the seeds over and buried them, and grabbed the pink watering can. 

Yes, Marinette still had the miracle box, but she could never lend the miraculous out to anyone again. Not now, at least. It was still far too early to appoint new superheroes, and they didn't want to risk exposing their secret life. 

Of course, Paris wasn't the only city that had crime, and Adrien had snuck out a few times to help the people of their new home. With a lot of inspiration and dedication, Ladybug and Cat Noir were able to transform their suits into something unrecognizable, and were always waiting on standby if the city needed their help. 

Adrien and Marinette hadn't had any contact with people from their old lives, but that didn't mean they didn't check up on their loved ones from time to time. It hurt to see their friends live their lives, do what they always dreamed of, but they were still happy for them. 

As for Felix, they couldn't risk contacting him, either, so they never wrote to him while he was serving his cousin's time in prison. He still had seven years remaining of his scheduled sentence, in prison for a crime that he didn't commit, and he was still okay with it after all this time.

After all, that was Felix's plan all along, and he still had other tricks up his sleeve. 

Adrien and Marinette were finally happy, though the journey to get there was a long one. The former model had to find a new therapist, and even after three years, he still attended weekly sessions. Though he hadn't seen his father's ghost since he left, he still had nightmares time to time, and Marinette was always there to comfort him.

Adrien locked up the bakery and found his girlfriend in the garden. He patted Wayzz's head as he walked past and offered his hand to her. "The sun's about to set, Milady." 

Marinette looked up with a grin. "Is it time?" 

He nodded. "Yes." 

She grabbed his hand and they raced into their tiny house behind the bakery. 

Seconds later, Adrien and Marinette ran out the back door, hand-in-hand, and made their way up to the top of the hill behind their home. Excitement, bliss, and adrenaline knotted into butterflies in their guts and they looked over at each other. 

Adrien wore a beige suit with a black tie, the fabric bouncing around his shirt. Though his hair was messy and out of place, Marinette thought he never looked more handsome. 

Marinette's veil flew in the wind behind her as she carefully held up the skirt of her homemade wedding dress, a baby pink strapless ballgown with flowers embroidered around the bust. Her hair was braided and pinned up in a bun. She looked absolutely perfect, and Adrien was in awe by the sight of her. 

They soon reached the top of the hill and faced each other. The sun set behind them, casting beautiful colors of purple, orange, and pink across the sky. Wind blew gently against them and pushed them closer together. 

Even though this marriage wouldn't be official, in their eyes it would be, and that was enough. 

"I, Adrien Agreste, take you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, to have and to hold forever, to love and protect, til death do us part." 

"I, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, take you, Adrien Agreste, to have and to hold forever, to love and protect, til death do us part." 

They exchanged his parents' wedding rings.

The two looked up at each other and smiled. He stepped forward and gently cradled his lady's face as he bent down to kiss her. They pulled each other closer. 

Adrien and Marinette had finally accepted they'd never be able to go back to the lives left behind, and they'd grown to live with these harsh truths.  

Tom and Sabine would never see their daughter again, and never get closure in her disappearance. 

Marinette's bedroom stayed exactly the way it was since the day she left and her parents hadn't planned on boxing up her things or renovating. They believed—in vain—that their daughter would come back one day. 

Gabriel Agreste's body was never found, and Adrien's mother never woke up. 

A funeral was held in Emelie's honor, after Nathalie's multiple failed attempts to find a cure. No one but the former assistant and bodyguard attended. Emelie Agreste would never be forgotten. 

They stepped closer as they grabbed each other's hand, resting their foreheads together. "I love you," They whispered at the same time, and laughed. 

"Oh, that was so romantic!" Tikki cheered as she spun in circles. "A perfect fairytale!" 

Plagg crossed his tiny arms, pouting. "You think everything is romantic, Sugarcube, but I have to admit, this has been a long time coming." 

"Just be happy for our holders," The red bug said. 

The tiny cat smiled. "I am." 

"Did I miss the ceremony?" 

Adrien and Marinette spun around fast. Their eyes widened as they gasped. "Felix?!" They broke into wide smiles. 

The look-a-like stepped forward, and with a sly smirk, asked, "Did you miss me?"