Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Paris remained flooded—unnaturally quiet as he gazed across the desolate, empty horizon. The still waters ran all too deep.

Silent.

Trying to stave off impending nerves and the eerie noiselessness, Chat Noir hummed softly.

He hated to be left all alone.

The chilling stillness was a somber refrain to the endless chain of questions milling about in his head.

What exactly did he do? Where was his Ladybug?

Was she safe?

But his only answer was silence. He couldn’t help but wonder about the disappearance of the other Ladybug back through the time portal.

When the Swarm came chasing back through the portal, Chat Noir half expected oblivion, and to be fully erased from existence. The other Ladybug had told him she would fix things, and if he knew anything about Marinette, he knew she was thorough.

He was surprised to feel the hum and fluttering fade away with a warm breeze, taking with it the endless chill from the still waters; he was expecting non-existence to feel less… substantial.

It was the calm after the storm, it seemed.

Puzzled, he peered down… finding the firm, familiar stone beneath the Eiffel Tower under his feet.

Blinking, Ladybug re-emerged from her own red cocoon, shock sinking bone deep into her posture as she regained her footing. It took only a moment before she’d spotted him, hesitantly returning his cautious smile.

But more motion caught his attention—another whirl of crimson from the corner of his eye.

Hawkmoth—his Father—was coming back to awareness, scant feet away.

Adrien didn’t hesitate, vaulting over and scooping Marinette into his arms.

His Lady flinched as his claws grazed her arms, but they couldn’t afford to wait. They needed to move, and fast.

He raced over the rooftops, taking advantage of however much longer his transformation might last, only stopping when he’d found one of the few hideaways up on the rooftops that they both trusted.

Chat Noir’s eyes locked with hers, as he gently set her down on her own two feet.

He didn’t stray far. Especially not after Ladybug placed one slim hand on his arm, quietly willing him to stay. “Are you alright?”

He knew his memory was fractured. He knew had burned through several cataclysm summonings, pushing to take down Hawkmoth. Or at least to remove his power. But whatever had happened was bad enough to bring in another Marinette—and Alix as well.

“I’m okay now,” he murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead before the last beep on his ring chimed. “I purromise.”

Ladybug’s—Marinette’s—glacial blue eyes melted. “You’re really not, Chaton… But at least you’re back to being your old self.”

His smile was pained as Plagg’s transformation broke free, leaving his Kwami flopping heavily onto the solid ground. “I’m not really sure how much of that old Adrien I can really be. Not knowing what I know now.”

De-transformed, she cuddled up into his arms, digging into her purse for food for both their Kwami. They both watched as Tikki rushed through the air to check on a grumbling, exhausted Plagg. “Well, I wasn’t about to let you go through it alone before.”

Uncertain, Adrien shook his head. He had already been abandoned the once... “But you came to break up with me…”

“Your Father came to the bakery and forbid me to see you again. Well, his secretary did, with that wretched tablet.” Marinette scowled, looking every inch as irritated as she so often did at Lila. “On the threat that he’d pull you out of school if I persisted. And I can’t help but notice now how well those threats and Akuma attacks are lining up now…”

Adrien’s eyes slid closed, his shoulders slumping beneath her fingers. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Really, I shouldn’t. And yet somehow...”

Marinette hugged him closer. She had to be up on her tiptoes for sure. “I’m sorry, Adrien. It was bad enough when he was ignoring you.”

He shook his head. “He’s not going to stop, you know. If ‘Father’,” he spat, “didn’t hesitate to Akumatize me… it will just be a matter of time before he tries to come after you again to force me into helping.”

“Don’t worry, Kitty.” She pressed her hands to his cheeks, tugging him down a little to press her lips to the corner of his. Marinette smiled warmly, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it. “We’re not about to stop either.”

Relieved he dipped his head down, pressing his forehead to hers.

In that moment, he wasn’t sure he could possibly love her more.

Until she whispered. “I purromise.”

Chapter Text

Calling up her transformation while still holding onto Adrien, Ladybug stepped back only far enough to read his expression. “We need to get out of sight. Find someplace safe to regroup. I would usually suggest my balcony… but we know that your Father’s not above using me against you.”

Sober, Adrien looked more than a little ill. Plagg huddled up in his hands. “I don’t know if either of us can go through that again…”

One gloved hand rested against his cheek, Ladybug gazed up into his weary, wheatgrass-green eyes. “All the more reason for us to move quickly. Before we’re spotted.”

The smile that curved his lips as he fondly noted her pun didn’t quite reach his eyes. With a final, encouraging pat of Plagg behind his tiny ears, Adrien summoned his own transformation, leaning into her touch.

Relief coursed through her veins at the sight. It might never get old seeing it. Knowing he was safe again. Knowing just how much he’d fought back against impossible odds… and far more pain and abuse than she’d ever thought possible.

But somehow, it had only made him kind to the core. Even akumatized, at the last moment, he hadn’t been able to strike out against the man who had caused him so much pain... the Father, whose approval he had tirelessly tried to earn.

She shook her head, forcing herself to focus. “What’s the one place that he would never think we would go?”

They stared at one another, mentally whirring through possibility after possibility.

“I’ve got it.” Chat conceded, finally. “But you’re not going to like it.”

Ladybug winced. “Then that’s just where we need to be right now.”

Chloé arched a brow as the pair finally landed on her balcony. “What are you doing here?” she spit out, venomously.

Chat Noir sighed. “We’re here because we need your help, Chloé.”

“I knew it!” She cheered, leaping off of the chair. Victorious, she tossed her hair and feigned interest in her nails. “I always knew you’d slither back and need my help. No matter what you both said.”

Turning around, she studiously schooled her features to impassive, brows archiving high in expectation. “Well? Where is it? Where is my Miraculous?”

“Chloé,” Ladybug grumbled.

Chat Noir winced, picking up the baton that Ladybug was about to drop in frustration. “It is still like we said before... we can’t give it to you right now. Hawkmoth knows who you are. It would only continue to put your family and friends at risk…”

“Ridiculous. Utterly, utterly ridiculous.” Chloé scowled sharply, throwing up her hands “Then what’s the point of you even being here?”

“The point, Chloé,” Ladybug returned sharply, “Is that we are dealing with that exact problem right now! My parents are exposed, and at risk.”

Chat Noir set one claw comfortingly at her shoulder. “And that would by my fault.”

“Chat…” Ladybug whispered, placing one gloved hand atop his own. “You know it isn’t your fault. The blame rests entirely on your Father.”

“I don’t get it. What do either of your parents have to do with anything?”

“We found out who Hawkmoth is.”

“That’s great. So let me help to take him down.” Chloé replied flatly. “Doesn’t that fix all your ridiculous worries about anyone knowing who has been saving Paris?”

Ladybug crossed her arms. “It’s not that easy.”

Unimpressed, Chloé responded in kind. “Isn’t it?”

“Chloé, it’s my Father.” Chat Noir did always prefer the straightforward attack.

“What?” Chloé paled, whisper-shouting.

Anxious, Chat Noir pressed both of the girls back into the relative privacy of Chloé’s salon. Tensing and setting his ears to high alert, he tossed an anxious glance back towards his partner before tugging the curtains firmly shut.

Ladybug waited, watching for his shoulders to ease before beginning. “Like he said. Hawkmoth is his Father—we aren’t sending you in to fight against him."

“Then,” Chloé bit out in irritation, “if you’re not going to let me fight, why should I care?”

“Because he's got some extra advantages… ones that neither of us would be able to fight so well. But, Chlo, you're in a unique position to be able to help us in a different way. You have something we don’t.” Ladybug leveled a calculative gaze at her.

Despite herself, Chloé couldn’t help but preen at the admission.

“Like, the ear of the most politically powerful person in Paris,” Chat continued.

Her face fell, now far more uncertain. “He's that big of a threat?”

Silent glances, heavy with meaning that she couldn’t puzzle out ping-ponged back and forth. At last, Ladybug nodded.

“Well, Chloé,” Chat Noir exhaled fully, “You tell me.”

Baffled, Chloé shook her head. “Tell you what?”

Chat Noir’s eyes slid closed, letting a wave of green light chase down his body, tearing the black armor away.

It left Chloé gaping—speechless.

“Adrien?”

Chapter Text

Behind her back, Ladybug crossed her fingers. She could only hope that Adrien was right about this one.

“I did try, you know...” Chloé sounded small… far more vulnerable than she’d ever dared to be in class.

Ladybug smiled at that. “Chloé, you were a really good partner, especially when you weren’t using Pollen’s powers to further your own self promotion. But that self promotion was a double-edged sword… and Hawkmoth was extremely quick to take advantage.”

“Of all of us.” Adrien intoned darkly.

Ladybug’s gloved hand fell on Adrien’s shoulder, her thumb rubbing comforting circles. Adrien leaned into it, seeking out her warmth.

Her cheeks darkened as she fought to stay focused… to smooth out the sore nerves on all sides. “You were more at risk than all of us, just because he knew who you were. Because you didn’t hide it…”

Chloé’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t even want to know who is behind your mask, do I?”

“No matter what else I might think, you are quite clever, Chloé.” Ladybug confirmed. Her eyes stayed trained on Adrien. “I’m sure if you put the effort in, you’d probably be able to piece it together.”

Ladybug glanced over at Chloé. “Heroes Day only made it all the more clear that you were most at risk. He used your parents against you. There were others who only got to use a Miraculous once and were immediately compromised. I mean, even though Rena and Carapace’s masks stayed in place, it didn’t stop Hawkmoth from noticing and playing them emotionally against one another. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but even they have only been used as a last resort.”

“We did try to explain… but Chloé, you know you’re not always the best at listening…”

Chloé scowled, arms crossed over one another at her chest. “So that means your father has been manipulating all of us. Right from the beginning.”

Adrien flinched, cold sweat linger on his brow.

Even Chloé grew silent as Ladybug stood beside her partner, slotting her fingers between his.

“He kept pushing you to hope. There's no other reason why his emissary with the feathers would have been so close.”

Bowing his head, Adrien tensed up at the mention of Mayura.

Chloé’s gaze bounced back and forth between the pair of them. With an air of finality, she snapped to work, stalking away down the hallway.

Never one to waste an opportunity once provided, Ladybug moved in closer, standing on her tiptoes and lifting herself to Adrien’s level. It was as much as she could to press her forehead to his.

“Do you think it’s…” Ladybug trailed off, question lingering in the air.

“It has to be Nathalie,” Adrien confirmed. “There’s no one else he’s ever let as close, not since Mom...”

She squeezed both of his hands. “I’m sorry, Adrien.”

His sad smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Why? It isn’t your fault.”

She tugged at his hand, pressing his knuckles to her lips. “They didn’t deserve you, you know? You’ve done everything he’s ever asked, for as long as I’ve known you… and he’s only ever asked for more.”

Adrien’s head tilted, curiously watching her.

“He kept you locked away from friends—from the world—in a golden tower. I can only think he meant to turn you to his mad plan. To make you angry, and bitter, and as alone as he feels…” she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them and gazing deeply into his. “And yet somehow, you ended up more kind than nearly anyone else I know.”

She spun his hand, pressing it to her heart… willing him to feel it speeding, brimming with life and emotions beneath his fingertips.

“There’s no one else in the world who can make my heart race like this, my Prince…”

His hand came up, gently curving to cup her face as she continued. “No one else has made me feel like I’m home…”

Nuzzling against him, her blue eyes shone, matching his gaze.

The spell was only broken by the clipped staccato of heels to high priced tile. Ladybug and Adrien stared at one another, tensely waiting. Listening…

“If you’re both quite done being gross…” Chloé sniffed. “I’ve asked Jean-Luc to send Daddy up to my room now.”

Adrien smiled at her. “Thank you, Chloé.”

Transformation back into place, Ladybug and Chat Noir faced the Mayor.

“Gabriel Agreste, you say?” The Mayor paled, wringing his hands as he stared at them in disbelief, nervously rooted to spot he stood in.

Ladybug nodded, taking the reins of their conversation. “And I’m afraid we need to move fast if we want to outmaneuver him.”

Chat Noir’s green eyes narrowed. “He’s expecting us to come at him and attack. But now is the first time we’ve known who was behind the mask.”

Ladybug stepped in front of the Mayor, stopping his anxious gait in its tracks. “Mr. Mayor. We need to hit him with every resource we have on hand.”

“I can’t send my Police force in there against him.”

Chat Noir grit his teeth. “And why not? You’ve never been afraid of letting teenagers handle things for you.”

Chloé chuckled darkly in the corner, as her Father fretted.

Ladybug sighed. “We will handle the Akuma. What we need from you is to cut off his escape…”

The Mayor drew a handkerchief from his pocket, dusting it across his brow. “I suppose we can manage that.”

“Good,” Chat Noir grinned, cracking his knuckles, with only the barest amount of menace. “Then we’ll only need one more favor from you…”

Chapter Text

Sabine’s eyes widened, worrying her lip as she scratched down the increasingly large order. “He wants this when, Marlene?”

“Today, if at all possible.”

“There’s a large group that’s just arrived in unexpectedly, and we need to cater. We’re short staffed, and while we’ve brought in a few extra hands… well, my pastry chef is on vacation…”

Sabine nodded. “That is a bit of a challenge, isn’t it…”

Marlene sighed, pressing onwards. “It was Alya who had mentioned that you might be able to help. If you and Tom could manage to bake the order in time, I can even send Alya over to help bring things over… my husband was even going to take off early, and bring the girls over to help out.”

“Was this some sort of party for the Embassy?”

Marlene hummed thoughtfully. “Something like that, I think?”

Sabine straightened her shoulders, preparing for battle. “Not sure what all we have on hand, but I guess I can call Roland if we need help with gathering more ingredients…”

“Mayor Bourgeoise is going to forward over the contract. It should at least be able to cover any loss of sales for the day.”

Sabine’s eyes widened, checking the e-mail once she’d hung up with Marlene.

“Tom!” She called out. “You’re going to want to see this…”

It would more than cover a week.

A very good week at that.

With only an hour to spare, Sabine and Tom were fretting.

“Any word from Marinette?” Tom murmured, streaking a pass of flour across his brow. The ovens were running non-stop, and the back room was quite a bit more stifling than usual. Especially with the extra hands.

Even Roland had run over to help, bringing a bit of his prized flour to toss into the mix.

Shaking her head, Sabine checked her phone again. Of course, there was still no answer back from Marinette… not since her message earlier about working at the library some hours ago. They definitely could have used another practiced pair of hands.

“Where is that girl…?”

With only 15 minutes to spare, the macarons were slipped from the oven, resting out on the cooling rack for the bare minimum amount of time before that last batch would be packaged and rushed over to the Hotel Kitchens.

They’d both have to go themselves to put on the finishing touches....

Alya and Nino showed up, hands at the ready to haul things away.

“Thank you two,” Sabine greeted as she started loading things for them to take away. “I wish Marinette had answered any of my calls to help with this. Have you seen her?”

They looked at one another, but Alya spoke up first. “It seems like everyone is maybe headed to the hotel? I think Chloé is having a big impromptu get together.”

Sabine bllinked, incredulous. “And Marinette wanted to go?”

Alya cringed slightly. “Well… she was invited, at least.”

Thankfully, they had a few extra sets of hands to help with loading the macarons when they arrived at the kitchens. A good portion of Marinette’s class was already there, with Chloé’s redheaded friend appearing with her police officer father and heading in the back as well—though they both veered off, away from the kitchens.

Sabine watched, curious. Though a few familiar faces from Marinette’s class had helped them load in the boxes, there was certainly no reason for the pair of them to enter through the back.

Unless they hadn’t wanted to be seen...

Chat Noir appeared in the hallway, apparently equally curious.

Of course, his presence alone was concerning.

With as much of the class that was there, it was almost odd not to see Marinette there as well.

Sabine pulled Chat Noir off to the side.

“Is there an Akuma out we should be worried about?” she asked him a little fearfully.

“Not that I know of… not yet anyways.” Chat grew quiet, his eyes narrowing. Far more somber and quiet than she’d seen him, even when Tom had been Akumatized. “But it seems like it is only a matter of time…”

But the serious look on his face seemed to disappear as fast as it had shown up, and he tried to ease her fears. “Ladybug is upstairs, chatting with the Mayor about something he was worried about. I came down to steal a snack, that’s all.”

She grinned, passing the slender boy more than a few of the macarons. He’d more than earned it, hundreds of times over.

Chat was extremely polite to her… just as he had been so often to her more directly. It was funny, he was usually much sassier when she’d seen him on Nadia’s show… or being interviewed…

Now he just seemed more formal, more tired.

These heroes? They were barely more than children who kept balancing the weight of the world on their shoulders.

“I know I have seen most of the class here… but I didn’t see my Marinette. Have you noticed her around somewhere?”

Chat Noir flinched…

Sabine’s eyes sharpened. “You have then…”

He shook his head. “Ladybug had a task for her. We both knew Hawkmoth was targeting her… trying to Akumatize her after Adrien’s father forced her to break up with his son.”

“You know about that?”

Chat Noir looked away, eyes inevitably drawn upstairs, to where she no doubt was. “I had to save her from it. I barely got her away from the Akuma just in time… and back to Ladybug before Hawkmoth could try again.”

“Then she wasn’t at the library,” came Tom’s voice as he approached the two; his face was pinched into a frown.

Chat Noir’s pose stiffened. “Don’t be too mad at her. Ladybug had asked for all of this to be kept quiet. Besides, since Marinette was being targeted, there was just as much chance that anyone she held dear could be used against her.”

“Is that why we’re here?” Tom’s voice boomed. Sabine peered over, watching as her husband crossed his large arms over his chest, trying to appear as imposing as possible. “These massive, sudden orders aren’t exactly easy to pull off…”

Chat Noir stood firm, as tall as his lanky, still growing form would allow. “I promised I’d protect her, didn’t I? No matter what…”

Tom nodded at him, eyes softening in begrudging approval. “That you did.”

Chapter Text

After allaying what he could of her parent’s fears, Chat Noir rushed back to his Lady’s side…

After everything they'd gone through -- together and apart -- he hated the mere thought of being separated from her, even just for a few minutes.

With a terse nod to Sabrina and Chloe, who were anxiously waiting outside, Chat opened the door to the Mayor’s office where she was anxiously pacing the floor.

Ladybug was thoughtful—nose scrunched up adorably as she walked the full length of Mayor Bourgeois's office repeatedly.

The tension in her shoulders ebbed away, as soon as she’d spotted him.

She treated him with a warm, shaky smile before she slipped back into the master-planning mode he knew so well. She pressed on with her discussion, hardly missing more than a few beats.

“You’ll need to go in, of course. But only after we’re sure it’s safe.”

She peered over at him, trusting that he would catch on -- and quick.

“And how long will that be?” Office Roger muttered. “No offense, but I’m not about to sacrifice my men against a super powered threat.”

Ladybug—though clearly weary—was far more calm and patient than he felt like being at the moment. “Just like us, he can’t exactly stay transformed forever, so his powers will fall. We won’t know exactly when, so we'll have to be a little more patient, but truly it’s just a matter of time. However, the only clue we usually have of when his powers are active is when an Akuma is unleashed.”

The Mayor nodded. “That does seem rather sensible.

Chat Noir bit back a growl of irritation as he strode from the door to better guard his Lady. “There is one big problem: we have to assume he isn’t alone.”

Officer Roger pulled out his notepad, scribbling down a few notes on the page. “Yes… you already mentioned that his employees would need to be taken in for questioning as well.”

Ladybug rubbed her arm as she peered over at Chat Noir, anxiously. “We don’t exactly expect much trouble from his bodyguard, actually.”

Office Roger arched a brow in disbelief. “That man is an absolute parking menace…”

Ladybug snorted at that, crossing over to where her partner loomed at the wall. His posture drooped. “I don’t doubt that. However, as best as we can figure, he is there mostly to protect Gabriel’s son.”

Chat Noir hackles stood on end, soothed only as she gently pressed a gloved hand to his arm.

He exhaled sharply before speaking. “The wildcard we’re most worried about is Gabriel’s assistant, Nathalie SanCoeur.”

“I know she’s a bit of a bulldog in letting people in…” The Mayor hedged.

Ladybug’s brows furrowed. “We fear it might be a little more nefarious than that. Hawkmoth has an ally—one who hasn’t appeared often. She goes by the name of Mayura.”

Officer Roger and the Mayor tensed up, shooting one another anxious looks.

Ladybug’s anxious blue eyes darted over to his, quietly as she dove straight into the heart of the matter. “Where Hawkmoth has mostly been reticent to leave his home, he has sent Mayura out to do his bidding. Just as Gabriel Agreste seems to continually do with his secretary and his own image via tablet.”

She shook her head when he flinched, placing her hand upon his shoulder in silent support.

With only the slightest hesitation, Chat Noir’s claw came up. His hand rested atop hers, gently squeezing, in shared comfort and solidarity.

They would get through all this. Together.

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed, taking little satisfaction as she took in the dawning comprehension— and pallor—on the Mayor's face. “Make no mistake. She can be just as ruthless as he is…”

Chat Noir nodded his head towards the door. “If you have any doubt about how much of a threat she is, I’m sure both your daughters would be more than happy to enlighten you.”

Ladybug nodded her head as if satisfied with the debriefing, and gently began ushering Chat back out of the room. “If that’s all, then we both need to rest up for the battle ahead.”

The Mayor nodded, glancing fretfully at the sight of his daughter and Sabrina as they spilled into the room.

“Ugh!” Chloe grunted from the spot they’d landed on the floor. “Sabrina! Get off me!”

“Sorry, Chloe!” Sabrina whimpered, scrambling to get them both back onto their feet.

Officer Roger cleared his throat. “Just… one more thing, if you don’t mind, Ladybug.”

The pair of heroes peered back over their shoulder.

“After all, there is one more person living in that house.”

Ladybug wheeled about fiercely. “His son. What about him?”

Officer Roger frowned. “Yes. Well, I'm afraid we will have to ask him some questions as well.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir glanced at one another, a thousand silent words slipping between the pair of heroes.

Chat Noir felt very tired.

Being Adrien had been exhausting on a good day.

As for today… Well, good didn’t quite cover it.

“Our first priority should be to offer him protection.” Ladybug assured firmly, fists firmly planted on her hips, looking as imposing as her slight form could manage. “Gabriel Agreste was more than willing to let his own son be targeted—and even thrown off the side of Montparnasse. You all may have been quick to forget. But I assure you, I haven’t forgotten it. Not even a single day...”

Even Officer Roger flinched under the weight of her withering gaze.

Chat Noir smiled softly. As usual, his Lady was quick to swoop in for the rescue.

He blinked slowly at her, eyes slid half-closed as he loomed in her shadow.

“Once all is said and done… I think Chat Noir and I will both have a statement to give at the station about that, even if Adrien Agreste doesn’t feel able to stand up to his Father…”