Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Nathalie did not need any extra stress in her life.

Officially, she was employed as an executive assistant. In reality, she played the role of secretary, personal assistant, nanny, impromptu therapist, tutor, answering machine– and just about anything in between. At some point between when she had started her job and now she had abandoned her apartment for a guest room in the Agreste Mansion, as it was simply easier to manage the household and company from there– especially with M. Agreste’s insistence of never leaving his house.

So when she saw the strange dark box on her desk, etched with strange red symbols, she should have just let it be. Brush it aside, demand the staff to confess who had put it there, hand it over to the security team, and carry on with her life.

But instead she sat down, pulled the strange box towards her as she pulled up the files she needed to look over today, flipping the lid open.

Nathalie had to raise a hand to shield herself from the bright green glow that engulfed her office in the following moments. As the light died down slightly, she peered between her fingers, looking at the orb of neon green light that was hovering about the box, crackling energy slowly solidifying. A small black shape floated in the remains of the light, small eyes sliding open, the same intense color as the energy it had formed from.

Small pointed ears, short black fur, long whiskers, and a swaying tail. She stared at the flying feline, and it stared right back at her. 

Nathalie sighed, rubbing at her temples. “I knew that I shouldn’t have had any drinks last night.”

She tried to avoid anything strong when she had work the next day, but with things stacking up she had given in last night, and now she was wondering if she had drunk more than she had originally thought, because she had no idea why she would be seeing things otherwise.

“Excuse me?” The cat barked, voice deep and masculine. Because of course the cat could talk– why not? “That’s what you have to say? Do you even know who you’re speaking to?”

“A hallucination?” Nathalie replied.

The cat scoffed. “Mortals. Whatever, I have more important things to worry about– that being cheese. It has been far too long since I have eaten my precious gooeyness– so where do you keep your rations?”

“The kitchen is on the main floor,” Nathalie said after a moment, because, perhaps if she played along with the hallucination, it would indeed ‘leave’ in it’s search for cheese, leaving her in peace and not needing to be questioned by M. Agreste about what this apparent hangover was making her see. She felt well enough, despite the image of the floating cat– so she could still work.

The cat regarded her for a moment, before grinning. The smirk put her slightly on edge, but before she could say a word, the creature dove down towards the floor, phasing through the ground like a ghost. She couldn’t help but jump slightly– before shaking her head. That just about proved that this was something her mind was making up, because nothing could go through walls, not even random talking cats.

She made a note to schedule a doctor appointment and to throw out all the alcohol in her possession– and she got straight back to work.

“Nathalie?”

“Yes, M. Agreste?” Nathalie replied as she was packing up her materials for tutoring Adrien, who glanced at his father as he exited the dining room. Gabriel only gave his son a slight nod, his attention turning back to Nathalie.

“I need you to have Ezra review all security footage from the kitchen,” Gabriel said, and she frowned slightly in confusion. “The chef is not too happy– apparently a large amount of the cheese we have has gone missing.”

“...Cheese?” Nathalie said uncertainly, blinking.

Gabriel waved a hand. “That is what he said, and he was quite unhappy. Please have the footage reviewed and the apparent thief fired before Pierre comes banging on my office door again.”

“...Of course, sir.” Nathalie said quietly, watching as her boss left the room. Her heart was thumping, and as she tucked a history book under her arm, she slowly made her way back up to her office.

She pushed the door open, and sure enough, sitting next to the box from this morning was the cat– a wheel of cheese in his paws that was far too big for him. That didn’t stop him from taking the largest bite he could manage, before those bright green eyes shifted back towards Nathalie.

“Oh, there you are,” the cat said. “You left the ring here, not the best idea.”

“You,” she said, eyes flickering towards the cheese. “You stole the cheese?”

He let out a cackle. “Stole? You told me where the kitchen was! That was an invitation if I have ever heard one.” He grinned, revealing a pair of sharp fangs and a purple maw. “I was just expecting a bit of brie, or something– but no! It was like walking into a whole fromagerie! This is, like, the best place ever!”

Nathalie wasn’t sure how she was keeping herself together, giving the talking cat a wide berth as she slid into her chair, turning her focus to the computer. “This is not my house,” she said carefully. “You had no right to take anything from here, and I do not think M. Agreste will be happy to hear of some... cat roaming free in his kitchen.”

The humorous look in the cat’s eyes faded, and for a minute Nathalie couldn’t help but feel unsettled– as if it were a leopard staring her down, and not something smaller than a kitten. 

“No one is to know of my existence,” the cat said, tone cold. “No one, but you. It would be in your best interest not to press that.”

Nathalie considered this, before opening an email to send to Ezra. “Well, I’m afraid my job comes before... a magic cat thief. The head of security here will be reviewing the footage from the kitchen with or without my prompting– so I’m afraid your existence will not be a secret for long.”

She didn’t know what she was expecting, but the cat just nearly grinned at this– looking unconcerned. He took the last bite of the cheese– how he had eaten a whole wheel bigger than him, she did not know, and she honestly had no interest in asking. She just sent the report off to Ezra, and wondered how he would react when he saw the small cat flying through the kitchen, or how that would be explained to Gabriel.

“I thought you believed I was a hallucination?” The Cat asked innocently, and she looked over at him in annoyance.

“Well, either you aren’t, or this is the strangest dream I’ve had in awhile,” she replied. “Either way, I don’t know where my mind got the idea of magical cats from.”

“Kwami, actually.”

“What?”

The kwami floated up in the air in front of her computer screen, giving her a mocking bow. “Kwami of Destruction,” he said. “That’s what I am, and while I am the Black Cat, I have a name– and it’s Plagg.”

“Plague?”

“Meh, caused a few before,” he said with a shrug. “Where do you think that word came from? Anyways, I’m Plagg, and this is the part where you tell me your name. Or I could just keep calling you ‘human’; like you call me ‘cat’.”

“...Nathalie,” she said, after a moment of hesitation.

Plagg cackled. “You will most certainly be an interesting holder, Nathalie– you haven’t even touched the ring yet!”

“What ring?” She asked stiffly, and Plagg landed on top of her screen. He nodded down towards the desk, where the box from before sat. Sure enough, sitting inside was a pure black ring, the face of it emblazoned with a glowing green paw print. She started at it for a moment longer, before looking back at Plagg– who was watching her expectantly.

“That’s our ring,” he said. “You’re supposed to wear it at all times.”

“Yeah... no,” Nathalie replied, nudging the box towards the edge of the desk. The thought of putting on a strange ring that a magic fairy-cat told her to wear? It sounded like the start of a bad movie. “No, thank you.”

Plagg sighed. “Ugh. I hate the fact that this means you’re probably going to be a decent holder.” His tail flicked back and forth. “I suppose I need to give you the whole spiel; usually it’s just demanded of me at this point.”

He drifted down towards the ring, plucking it up from it’s box, before floating in front of her once more. Plagg hovered there for a moment, seemingly gathering his thoughts.

“Anyways, I already told you the basics– I’m Plagg, kwami, Destruction incarnate. This ring here is my Miraculous– what anchors me to Earth, and can allow my holders to access my powers– and congratulations you’re that holder! With this on your finger, and a few fancy words, you can transform into an avatar of Destruction, go out into the world, preferably doing good– all at the low price of a steady supply of camembert!”

“Or it binds my soul to you or something, right?” Nathalie asked, scrolling through her inbox. “Then you drag it down to hell and eat it?”

“Hell ain’t a real place,” Plagg huffed, crossing his arms. “And what– is it the whole ‘Destruction’ bit? Automatically going down the evil route, are we? You humans haven’t changed a bit over the centuries.”

She eyed him, and he let out a long dramatic sigh.

“Oh well, there’s nothing I can do,” he said in a taunting voice. “My newest holder hasn’t accepted my ring– so I guess I gotta go find another one, then. Hmm, maybe I’ll go ask that blond kid. He seemed nice enough, and I’m sure he’ll have no reason to turn down some powers~”

Plagg drifted towards the door, and Nathalie was on her feet in moments, blocking his path. She glowered at the so-called ‘kwami’, who had a gleam in his eyes that told her that this was the reaction he wanted. Still, she stared him down, eyes flickering to the clearly dangerous ring clutched in his paws.

“You stay away from Adrien,” she hissed in a low voice.

“Sorry~” he sang. “You didn’t put on the ring, so you aren’t my holder– I have no reason to listen to a word you say.” Plagg swooped around her. “If I have to find someone new, then I will; I need a holder for my ring.”

He continued towards the door, and with a split second hesitation Nathalie lunged forward and snatched the ring from the kwami’s paws. She had no idea what a kwami was– a fairy or a demon, just something she couldn’t understand– but if it was between her and Adrien she would have this creature’s focus on her. She slid the ring onto her finger, feeling a wave of energy wash over her. She shuddered at the foregin sensation, not knowing what she had done– but there was no backing out now.

“There,” she panted slightly. “I’m wearing the ring– so leave Adrien alone.”

Plagg beamed. “I knew you would change your mind,” he said. “Glad you did, actually, never been too fond of putting a burden on kids, anyways.”

Nathalie looked down at the ring– which was no longer the bulky paw-print ring it had been before. It was still a jet-black stainless steel, but just a simple slim band now. Running across the center was a crimson streak, glossy and humming with an energy she did not know. She hesitated, reaching for it again.

“Take it off and I find a new holder,” Plagg said, and she removed her hand from it. 

Nathalie took in a deep breath, adjusting her glasses, before looking up at the kwami. “Well? Now what? I put on the ring– so you can drop the façade now.”

Plagg shrugged. “No façade, Nath. Can I call you that? My only concern right now is making sure I have a steady supply of cheese. If you don’t want me taking it from the kitchen, then make sure you have some on hand, hmm? Camembert is the best, but I won’t say no to anything gooey enough.”

“Cheese? That’s what you want?” Nathalie said in disbelief. “Magical Black Cat appearing out of thin air to demand cheese?”

“Don’t insult my precious!” Plagg shouted. “Cheese is the purest thing on this earth! Besides, if you want to use my power, you need to keep me fed!”

“What powers do you mean?”

“I told you! This ain’t some trap or anything. You’re my holder, and I’m your kwami. Say the words ‘claws out’ and we’ll transform! Can’t tell anyone your identity, or about me, but that’s a given. Say ‘Cataclysm’ while transformed, and you can summon my Destructive energy. Anything you touch will crumble, so don’t do anything stupid with it.” He paused. “Um... I think that’s all you need to know for now, I guess. ‘Claws in’ to detransform, and make sure you stay hidden while you do it!”

“Transform?” She asked, rubbing at her temples. “Identities? What’s it you want me to do– be a superhero?”

“I’ve had a few humans take on the title of ‘hero’ in the past,” Plagg said with a shrug. “If that’s what you want to call yourself, then sure.” He watched her with bright green eyes. “Anyways, enough about the job– I want some cheese.”

Nathalie wished that she hadn’t opened up that box.

Chapter Text

Nathalie awoke to a pair of bright green eyes staring her down.

“Gah!” She cried, throwing back her blanket– sending the kwami perched on the edge flying through the air.

Nathalie sat straight up, heart pounding as she tried to catch her breath. She glowered in the direction of Plagg, who had caught himself with his levitating abilities, now grinning down at her.

“What on earth do you want?” She snapped.

“Nothing,” Plagg replied, drifting down into her pillow, curling up. “Ah, nice and warm, thanks, lady.”

Nathalie pinched her nose, mind still trying to wake up. At first she had thought Plagg was a malevolent being, but she was slowly starting to see that wasn’t the case. This was a mischievous creature, one not seeking harm, but rather irritation– and honestly that sounded more annoying than some demonic being that wanted to eat her soul.

She could still get work done without her soul, at least.

Work with Plagg, on the other hand, never went smoothly. He would be quiet in the morning, fast asleep, only moving to follow her from her room to her office, and curl right back up. She barely even noticed him as she got to work, falling into her normal routine, only to be pulled from her focus with:

“I want cheese!” Plagg groaned, flopping onto her keyboard. “I’m hungry! How can you starve your own kwami– it’s a crime to the Order, ya know?”

She didn’t know what he was talking about– but honestly that was a majority of their conversations. He was cryptic, and didn’t even seem to realize it.

“You didn’t seem to have any problem going off and finding food before,” she growled, not moving him from the keyboard, still not trusting the kwami not to make things worse if she were to shove him away.

Plagg stared her in the eye, before pressing down on the ‘G’ key with his back leg. She bit her tongue as ‘ggggggggggggggggg’ began showing up in the document, stretching out endlessly.

“That was before I knew it wasn’t your cheese,” Plagg said.

“Only stealing from me, then, huh?”

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Think I plan on being found?”

That was one thing he took seriously, staying out of sight. If someone else entered the room or called for her, he would immediately duck out of sight. Didn’t matter if he was mid-sentence or groaning about the lack of cheese, he would zip away, and Nathalie wasn’t sure if she was grateful for this or not.

The one time he didn’t hide was when she took calls. His voice didn’t seem to carry over the phone, and video calls never got a flicker of him, which made her question once again if she could be making this all up in her mind.

He would start chatting when she tried to talk, and hovered right in front of the camera during calls. Being a nuisance to her in every possible way, while those she was talking to remained completely unaware, she being forced to keep a straight face. Even while Plagg stuck his tongue out at her, blocked the screen, or started singing songs in languages she did not know– and a part of her wondered if he was cursing her.

“And I want a solution that will get me the most money,” Plagg said in a gruff-mocking voice, speaking over the current investor that Nathalie was video calling. “But you want the solution that will get you the most money, so we are at an impasse.”

“I see your concerns, ma’am,” Nathalie said, resisting the urge to swat at Plagg– as she had already used the excuse of there being a fly once. “I will bring it up with M. Agreste right away– you have supported this company for so long, and it would be a shame for something to come between that.”

“I’ll say,” the woman said on screen, unaware of the cat mocking her just a few feet away from Nathalie.

“I’m a human, I have given up basic survival skills, unlike my fellow animals, out of a desire for paper my society has given an inflated value,” Plagg said, his voice wavering as he held back a snicker. “We all pretend to get along for more of the money paper– but really I hate all of your guts because you also hoard money paper!”

By the end he had burst out laughing as if this were the funniest thing ever, rolling over in the air– and off screen. And while he didn’t show up on camera, with him being out of the line of the lens Nathalie’s hand could snake out, grabbing the feline and stuffing him into a drawer in her desk. She knew it wouldn’t hold him for long, but his voice became muffled, and she sat up to focus on her tablet.

“Is there anything else you’d like me to bring up to M. Agreste?” Nathalie asked.

“I believe I already told you everything!” The investor snapped. “Do your job already, and tell Gabriel not to waste my time by making me go through you next time!”

Nathalie’s expression didn’t change. “I’ll be sure to tell him everything, ma’am. Have a nice day, and I’m sure M. Agreste will get back to you right away.”

With that she ended the call, letting out a sigh and leaning back in her seat. Plagg’s head peered out from the desk, looking at her, before he phased all the way through. “You let people talk to you like that?”

“Oh, if she had been anyone else…” She shrugged. “She’s an important investor to the company, and I can handle five minutes of a call like that in exchange for them supporting the company, and of course, not talking to them for another few months. Otherwise, she’d just call back and scream for twenty minutes about me being disrespectful and how I’ll lose my job.”

“You humans need better hobbies.”

Nathalie smiled. “No, I see the appeal. It’ll be quite satisfying to see her expression when she realizes that M. Agreste honestly does not care much for her ideas– he will shut down the conversation very quickly. Once I get around to telling him that she even called.”

Plagg snickered. “Won’t she call up and say that you’re going to lose your job?”

“She wouldn’t be the first,” Nathalie said, pushing herself to her feet. “I’ve actually gotten a few promotions after calls like that. Not the worst thing.”

“Still, this all sounds stressful,” Plagg eyed her. “You know, my past holders always mentioned that transforming was a good way to relieve stress…”

Nathalie glanced at the ring on her finger. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to be satisfied with me just wearing it– your insistence on me transforming is only a red flag in my eyes.”

“Your loss,” Plagg said, shrugging. “Let me tell you, though– nothing is more satisfying than just destroying things and watching them crumble.”

“Just another reason for me not to say your little magical words,” she pulled out her tablet. “Now, I have another call– will you please stay quiet this time?”

The kwami grinned. “No promises.”

Nathalie considered herself a composed woman. Headstrong, never wavering, and always completing what was asked of her. So when she had received the Black Cat Miraculous she had told herself that she wasn’t going to ‘transform’ like the cat had told her to, no matter how often he brought it up and insisted. She would keep the ring on her finger to keep the kwami from going to anyone else, and give him some cheese every day to keep him out of trouble– and just do her job.

But the promise of powers and magic was something that even she couldn’t keep herself from for long.

“I'll tell you, it’s much better than what you humans have going on,” Plagg said as he pigged out on a cheddar danish from Nathalie’s dinner, the two of them out on her balcony. “Or at least that’s what my Kittens have always told me. Enhanced hearing, sight, smell, speed, climbing, instincts, balance– the whole works! Basically, you go from being a weak little human to something close to perfection.”

Nathalie rolled her eyes, standing out on the balcony of her room at the Agreste Mansion. “Let me guess, you are the ‘perfection’?”

“Um, duh?” Plagg said, licking the crumbs from his paw. “Felines are probably the best thing my Sugar Cube ever came up with– and they were based off of me!”

Nathalie wrinkled her nose, once again not quite sure what Plagg was talking about. Sugar Cube clearly seemed to be a nickname of some kind, but for who or what she wouldn’t know. She considered asking for a moment, but she had a feeling he’d turn the conversation right back to the transformation. She looked down at the ring on her hand, wondering if she was really about to do this.

“...I’m going to end up looking like someone from one of those anime conventions Adrien wants to go to, aren’t I?” Nathalie asked with a sigh.

“I have no idea what that is!”

“Well, let’s get this over with, I suppose,” Nathalie said, shooting a glance at Plagg. “‘Claws out’, was it?”

He never got the chance to answer her question– because the moment the words left her mouth Plagg became an orb of light– crackling bright green energy that was flying through the air. She jumped back, hands raised protectively as the light was launched towards the ring on her finger, and the moment it connected she felt a wave of the same energy wash over her, blinding her.

The sensation only lasted for a moment, the energy dancing across her form, but she could feel the way she was changing. Even after the glow faded, she kept her eyes closed for a moment, waiting for some sarcastic comment from Plagg. She was only met with silence though, and she slowly cracked her eyes open.

The first thing she noticed were the glasses missing from her face– and that she could see just fine without them. No– she could see even better. It was dark outside, but that didn’t stop every shape from popping into view, the entire garden below her. She could see every leaf on the trees, make out the shape of a squirrel dashing across the grass– and she knew that this was better than what any human could see.

“Hmm, what do you know,” she muttered. “That cat was right.”

There may not have been glasses on her face, but there was something resting along her eyes. It was not the only thing about her that had changed, and she looked down at her new apparel. The first thing she noticed was the ring on her finger– which was no longer the simple band it usually was, but the bulky black ring like when she had first laid eyes on it. It was resting on top of silky black gloves, which seemed to climb up to her elbows.

She turned on a heel, heading back into her room to a full length mirror that hung beside the door. If Plagg had the power to change her apparel and appearance, she wasn’t about to go out without looking at what he had done to her.

Midnight black hair was no longer done up in a bun, instead it fell around her shoulders, loose with a slight curl. Her once bright red streak had also changed– now a neon green, fading to a deeper hue. The mask that rested across her face was black rimmed with green of the same color, the ends pointed near her eyes, mimicking the style of a cat eyeliner.

Her eyes, though... they had changed. Pupils were slitted like a cat, but even that detail faded in the intense blueness that was now her gaze. Her irises were an electric blue, looking as if they were glowing in the night. She had no whites of her eyes, for they too had turned blue, though a softer hue. It was both unsettling, yet strangely beautiful, and Nathalie turned her attention to the clothes she was now wearing.

“Hmm,” she mused, surprised that the cat hadn’t thrown her into something ridiculous. Simple black clothes, nothing strange or weird. Tall black leather boots that turned to leggings, ends hemmed with the same green as on her mask. A high collar climbing up her neck, just like the turtlenecks she usually wore.

What stood out the most was the long, elegant cloak she wore. It seemed to be built for winter, thick and soft, a pitch black. The long sleeves ended with a cuff of black fur, that same fur lining the hood and the end of the sweeping black cloak, which went down her back all the way to the floor. A simple green paw-print pin near the collar was the only clip keeping it in place. She reached back for the hood, pulling it up over her head.

“...And there it is,” Nathalie said with a sigh, two cat ears attached to the hood of the cloak.

Still, she couldn’t stop herself from running a hand along the inside of the cloak– the material being something Gabriel would probably kill to get his hands on. Softer than rabbit fur, flexible, and despite how thick it was, it felt light as she wore it. However, not everything was soft, something cool and metallic brushing against her hand.

...How she could feel the temperature and texture with gloves on, she did not know.

She pulled out the silver cylinder that was within the folds of the cloak. She turned it over with a frown, and found a bright neon green paw print on it, the five pads each looking like a button. Curious, she pressed one– jumping as the cylinder expanded in her hands, now more like a baton.

“Huh,” she said curiously, turning it over once more. She pressed another button, and it shrank back down. She eyed the other buttons– before replacing it back within the cloak. There was one more thing Plagg had told her about, and that was... “Cataclysm.”

She felt a strange energy rush through her– the same energy she felt whenever Plagg was near, and which she had felt the first time she had put on the ring. The warmth of the energy washed through her... yet it felt so wrong. It danced about her hand, and she watched as it came into view– the dark and bubbling energy churning across her hand. Nathalie frowned, turning it over, before glancing about her room.

Her target was simple, a letter that sat abandoned on her dresser. She picked it up with one hand, before holding it out to her ringed one– where the energy boiled about. The moment the paper touched the energy, it crumbled– instantly turning to ash, the gray dust falling to the floor. Nathalie stood there for a moment, startled, even after what Plagg had told her.

“Destruction indeed...” she muttered, pulling her cloak closer to her. “...Claws in.”

The transformation fell away immediately, and with a flash of green light she found herself back to normal, Plagg tumbling out of the ring. The cat drifted there for a moment, frowning slightly– looking a bit tired. Which was strange, considering the being seemed to have limitless energy– and an endless stomach.

“I thought we were going to go out?” Plagg asked, crossing his paws.

“I feel it would be best if we would talk first,” Nathalie said, crossing the room and sitting on her bed.

“Cheese first,” Plagg said, zipping over to the mini fridge– which had become storage for this strange cat’s cheese obsession.

Nathalie frowned. “We had a deal– a wheel of cheese a day and you would leave the kitchen’s cheese alone. You already had some.”

“I need cheese.”

“This comes out of my own paycheck.”

Plagg turned on her with a snarl– a look he usually didn’t get when it came to his food habits. “I. Need. Cheese.” He hissed at her, fur raised. “Do you think powering a transformation is easy? I don’t eat to live like you– but I do eat for energy!”

With that, he phased through the door of the fridge. Nathalie frowned, but he came out a moment later– not enough time for him to down a whole wheel as she had learned; he had probably eaten no more than a quick bite. And from what she had to come to know from the cat, this was him showing some restraint. As he came back out, he seemed normal once more, zipping over so he was in front of her, looking annoyed.

“So it wasn’t an excuse, then,” she said, mildly surprised.

He sneered. “Food is wonderful, and I often just eat it for the taste– but sometimes I do actually need it.”

“So every time you transform...?”

Plagg’s tail flicked. “Nah. Unless you’re planning on staying transformed for days on end or something. It’s the powers that can be pretty draining, withholding my Destruction and all.”

“What do you mean withholding?”

Plagg grinned. “What? You thought that little tiny spark was my true power? My Miraculous may allow you to channel my power– but what a Miraculous truly does is inhibit my abilities.” He drifted closer, seemingly enjoying the way she paled. “I am Destruction incarnate, Nathalie– the very raw force of all Destruction in the universe. That Cataclysm you just did? Nothing.”

“...Your breath smells of cheese,” she replied– and the cat let out a cackle as he flew away. “And if what you were saying was supposed to reassure me, then you are doing just the opposite. I detransformed to talk to you– I am not sure what this power could be used for, just the dangers that could come from it.”

“All powers are dangerous, kid,” Plagg replied.

“You said this ring is limiting what can be done,” Nathalie said, looking down at the Miraculous. “So just what kind of limits are we talking about? What... what damage could I do?”

Plagg sighed. “Ugh, you want me to think? Well... your body is basically in the best shape it can be to channel magic, with your age and all, and I dunno, you’ve been a pretty decent holder so far, sooo...” He shrugged. “I’m thinking maybe three or four Cataclysms a transformation? Less if you’re thinking of summoning larger ones. Could probably take out a building or two if you wanted.”

“What?”

Plagg grinned. “Oh, honey,” he cooed. “That’s nothing. If I wanted, I could level this city without even trying.”

Nathalie had no reply, just sitting there, trying to comprehend this. Plagg let out a laugh at her expression, shifting upside down. However, when she didn’t move, he paused, drifting towards her. Blue eyes flickered towards him, and the cat blinked at her.

“Kid, calm down,” he said. “I ain’t about to do that, I don’t wanna. There’s a reason why I need to make sure my ring is in good hands– if the wrong person had it, things would be... Cataclysmic.”

“...Why me?” She asked faintly.

He shrugged. “Didn’t exactly have time to pick anyone. But I think this turned out right– the fact that you’re hesitant shows that. You can actually use my Destruction in the right way.”

She shook her head. “How can it be used in that way?”

Plagg watched her, gaze unreadable. “That’s up to you to decide, Nathalie.”

She turned away. “...I’m going to bed.”

“I thought we were going to go out?”

“I think I have had enough of transforming for one day.”

Plagg didn’t reply.

Chapter Text

“...Nathalie?”

“Yes, Adrien?” Nathalie asked, glancing up from her tablet as she reviewed today’s schedule.

“Um, summer’s almost over?” He began hesitantly.

She nodded. “Yes. We’ll be getting your winter photoshoots in soon. Basketball will be starting up as well, so your Mandarin teacher will only be coming in once a week, but that will not be an excuse for slacking.”

Adrien closed his eyes. “I want to go to school.” Nathalie paused, and a look of panic crossed his face. “Not that you’re a bad teacher!” He blurted out. “I... I just want a chance to interact with more people my age? Chloe was telling me about her school, and if her father thinks it’s good enough then surely it would be good enough for me too, right?” He was rambling at this point. “And it would give you more time, you always have so much to do, and if you didn’t have to worry about teaching me–”

“Adrien,” Nathalie said firmly, causing him to pause. “Your concern is sweet, but you know that’s not my choice.”

He looked down at his plate, poking at his plate with his fork. “I... I know.” He muttered. “I just figured Father would be more willing to listen to you than me...”

Nathalie pursed her lips. “Your father cares deeply for you, Adrien.”

“Yeah...” he muttered, and the boy didn’t look up at her. She frowned in concern, before turning her attention back to her tablet.

“Next time I speak with him, I will mention your interest in attending school,” Nathalie said, and instantly his eyes lit up.

“Thank you, Nathalie,” he said, looking up at her hopefully. She smiled with a nod– hoping that expression wouldn’t be crushed by his father saying ‘no’.

“You’re pretty fond of that kid, ain’t ya?” Plagg asked at the start of Nathalie’s lunch break– and the first moment he could come out from her purse. She didn’t know why he didn’t just hang out in her room or wander about the mansion, but he seemed most content in staying close.

“It is my job to look after him,” she replied, taking a sip of coffee– she’d need two cups to keep going throughout the rest of the day.

Plagg snorted. “Not sure what your job is around here– are you running the company or being a mom?”

“I am not Adrien’s mother,” Nathalie replied.

“Meh, the look he gives you says otherwise,” Plagg said, and she shot him a glance. “Hey, don’t shoot the messenger. That kid has two smiles– the ones he has in all those pictures, and then when he’s happy. He gives you an awful lot of the second one.”

She eyed Plagg. “Well, if that’s so, then I’m glad that he feels comfortable around me to do so. He’s a good kid, and he’s been through a lot.”

“Heh,” Plagg said with a laugh. “Why do you have to put on such a professional face all the time! ‘Comfortable’? That kid is fond of you, and don’t you try to hide that you feel the same– especially since you put on what you thought was a cursed ring so he wouldn’t get it!”

“...I’ve known Adrien since he was a baby,” Nathalie replied, allowing her voice to soften slightly. “It would be a lie to say that I don’t know him well or that I don’t care deeply for him.” Her gaze shifted towards Plagg. “As for the professionalism, that is how things are always presented in this household. That’s the reason why you stick out like a sore thumb.”

“I don’t get why that’s a saying,” Plagg said, looking down at his paws. “I mean, why not just say finger? Is a thumb being sore that noticeable? And does it stick out that much?”

“It’s because thumbs are the main digit used–” she paused as she realized she was answering questions that he didn’t really care about– and Plagg snickered.

“Pretty sad, ain’t it?” Plagg drawled. “I mean, a kid being raised like he’s at work twenty-four seven.” He shook his head. “I've seen it when kids are asked to grow up too fast. It doesn’t turn out well, Nathalie.”

She frowned. “Why are you bringing this up?”

“Maybe you could do something,” Plagg said with a shrug. “Hate for a perfectly good kid to be warped into something else because those around him don’t take care of him.”

Nathalie pressed her lips together. “Adrien most certainly is taken care of.”

“Say what you wanna say. Let me just say it’s depressing when a kid is begging to go to school– from what I know, it’s usually the opposite, ain’t it?”

Nathalie didn’t reply.

One month after receiving the Black Cat ring, Nathalie took to the city for the first time.

She had transformed twice before this– but it was only now as she took to the rooftops that she realized just what power came with this form. How she could leap great distances with ease, and the keen sense of balance that came as she raced across the roofs. It was something that should be foreign, frightening– but it came naturally.

She had her hood up, using the black coloring of her suit to help her blend into the shadows of the night. She had no real destination in mind as she ran; it was more of a curiosity that had taken hold of her. With so much power just sitting on her finger, it was hard to ignore it. Besides, it was incredibly relaxing to just move after a day of sitting at a desk.

What exactly she could do with these powers, she did not know. Plagg gave her no more words than the vague idea of it being ‘for good’. The powers felt like something that would belong in a superhero film– but she most certainly did not feel like that. She was good at many things– organizing appointments and staring down people who thought their time was worth something– but superheroing was not one of them.

However, as she paused on a roof, looking out at the lit Eiffel Tower in the distance, she decided that this was just fine. This was a wonderful way to relax from her stressful life, a time where she could just think– and the city was beautiful.

She did not notice the eyes watching her as she turned to head back to the mansion.

It took Nathalie roughly three times of going out to realize she was being watched.

Not that no one ever saw her– her enhanced hearing had caught more than one instance of a gasp, or had caught sight of someone pointing towards the roof as she ran by– but she blended in so well in the night that no one had truly seen her. She had searched online as well, and the most she had seen was one blurry image of her on a roof that had nothing but comments about how it was probably a maintenance worker, much to the frustration of the original poster.

This... presence , though– it was different. It seemed to follow her no matter where she went– roofs and alleyways, across buildings, taking routes that no normal person could follow without the magic of a Miraculous. However, she still repeatedly felt eyes watching her, and caught flickers of movement out of the corners of her eyes.

So when she found herself sitting at her favorite spot– a nice chimney with a wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower, but situated such that no one from the streets could see her– and felt the now-familiar feeling of eyes watching her, she merely let out a sigh.

“I know you’re there,” Nathalie called out. “So why don’t you come out? Or will you insist on lurking as you have been?”

For a few moments, there was silence, but she then heard the sound of soft footsteps. She tensed slightly, having not actually expected the figure to answer. They came closer, though kept a respectable distance. It was strange how much information she could pick up on from hearing alone when transformed, and how all of her senses worked– a smell in the air that she had only caught whifts of before, and she turned to face her stalker.

She was not prepared for the onslaught of colors.

The man that stood there was tall, easily able to tower over her. His outfit was... eccentric– though it didn’t necessarily look bad, it was definitely extra. He wore a suit, a design that was in fashion– but it was made of vibrant blues and greens, instead of the more neutral colors that dominated the suit industry. Teal pants, a teal jacket– blue shirt visible under. He had gloves and shoes of the same blue, a deep royal blue that seemed bright even in the night. Something that could be pulled out in the right environment, but all of that faded with the tail coat that came down from the suit jacket– both old fashioned, and looking like they were feathers.

They mimicked peacock feathers– green and lined with eyespots. His whole outfit paid clear homage to peacocks– a blue masquerade mask, shaped like a beak down over the nose. Several small feathers lined one side of the mask, the ends of perfectly gelled blond hair fading to a blue as well.

Pinned to his chest was a small brooch– purple and blue, shaped like a fan of peacock feathers. The moment her eyes fell onto it, a jolt of surprise ran through her– one that was not her own. She blinked for a moment, having gotten glimpses of Plagg’s feelings before when transformed– but nothing of this intensity before.

“Well,” Nathalie said, breaking the silence. “I did not expect someone with such a colorful costume to be the one lurking.”

The man gave an apologetic smile, and Nathalie glared in reply– waiting for an explanation. “I am sorry,” the man said after a moment, his voice deep and even. “I didn't mean to act in such a way. I was just merely... surprised.”

“Surprised?”

“To see another Miraculous holder.”

That answered the question that Nathalie had– the mask and peacock theme hadn’t been subtle, but she did not know much about the world of magic and Miraculouses. Her eyes flickered to his gloved hands– but there was no ring. Instead, her gaze drifted up to the brooch, which seemed like the most likely candidate for a Miraculous.

“Well, I did not expect that either,” Nathalie replied.

“I thought for sure my eyes were playing tricks on me,” the man said, taking a step closer– but a glare from Nathalie made him pause. “I couldn’t stop myself from transforming, I had to know it was true.”

“And the other nights?”

“...I did not know how to approach you,” the man replied.

“Who are you?”

The man paused for a moment, considering. “Hmm. You may call me... Cobalt Plume. And you?”

She was not about to give him her actual name– and his strange title made it clear that he did not expect her to either. What to call herself, though, she did not know. She looked back out at the Eiffel Tower, glowing brightly against the night sky.

“...Dusk.”

“That is your name?” 

“For the duration of this conversation, it is.”

“Dusk,” Cobalt Plume said, testing the name, and she turned back towards him.

The awe in his gaze was no longer there, now replaced with some hesitation. Nathalie studied him sharply, not sure what to make of him. She tilted her head slightly, trying to sense Plagg’s emotions, but she got nothing. Cobalt Plume was watching her closely, his eyes flickering down to her hand, where her ring glowed softly in the night.

She replied by pulling her hands deeper within the sleeves of her cloak.

“I... I need your help,” Cobalt Plume finally said, breaking his silence.

“My help?” Nathalie replied dully. “What sort of help would you even need?”

He closed his eyes. “Your Miraculous. I need your Miraculous.”

Suspicion spiked through her at these words– and she was not sure if it was hers or Plagg’s. She pulled back slightly, and the man held up his hands as if surrendering. He did not look threatening, and there was only a desperation in his eyes, so she just watched him expectantly.

“My Miraculous?”

“It’s the Black Cat, is it not?”

“...Yes.”

There was a spark in Cobalt Plume’s gray eyes, a desperate hope that just set her on edge. He took a step closer, and her glare nor tensing up stopped him. He held out his hands as he spoke once more, each word becoming more rushed.

“My kwami,” he said. “And a book– both of them– they told me of the Miraculous of the Black Cat,” Cobalt said. “The Miraculous of Destruction, and its opposite, the Miraculous of Creation. When brought together... they can do great things. Please, Dusk, I need your Miraculous, it’s my last hope–”

A deep, pulsing terror pounded through her– one that was not at all her own. Plagg’s pure fear washed over her, so potent that she could only gasp as her body responded. Adrenaline flooded her, heart pounding as she felt herself begin to sweat. The man’s next words were lost as her mind screamed at her. Nathalie clutched her heart, needing to force herself to breathe as the sensation of pure danger engulfed her.

Run. It was the only thought in her mind, and while not words itself, she knew that it was Plagg insisting. His empathic presence raged within her mind, begging and screaming for her to flee. This was not safe, this man was not safe– and the longer they stayed, the more danger they would be in.

Her hand slipped within her cloak, pulling out her silver baton. A metallic cling filled the air as her hands curled around it, but she did not even notice the silver claws that now lined the tips of her gloves. The man, however, took a step back at the sight of the weapon– and that was the only opening she needed.

With a tap of a button the baton expanded– and with a running leap she was vaulting away. She heard the man cry out after her, the desperation echoing behind her, but she did not slow. She soared through the air, feet landing on a distant rooftop, boots pounding against shingles as she fled.

If the Peacock chased after her, he did not keep pace with her for long.

Chapter Text

“Plagg– what was that?” Nathalie demanded the moment she detransformed, not even giving the Black Cat time to fully materialize, panting.

“The Peacock Miraculous,” he replied, and she glowered at him.

“You know what I mean,” she snapped. “What was– what was all that! The man! His demands– that, that fear you gave me?”

She honestly expected Plagg to roll his eyes, tell her not to worry about it, and demand some cheese. That’s what she had come to expect from the Black Cat in the short time span that she had known him, but the Black Cat hovered there in the air, looking downright worried as he was caught away in his own thoughts.

“When transformed, we are linked,” Plagg finally said slowly. “I experience every sensation you do, I see through your eyes, become one with your form. You have access to my magic, but you have complete control. The only influence I have is my emotional state, but typically I hold that back, so as to not influence your judgment.”

“But clearly you did not, and had me running for the hills.”

“For good reason!” Plagg snapped back. “That’s why there’s an empathic link, so you can have my understanding when you don’t have any of your own! That man is dangerous, and anyone that wants the Miraculous on your hand is someone you can’t trust.”

Nathalie crossed her arms. “And how do I know that I can trust you?”

Plagg snorted. “What am I supposed to say to that? You make your own decisions, kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“We have more important things to worry about,” Plagg replied, crinkling his nose. “I knew that the Peacock was in Paris, but this... this will make things a lot harder.”

“Make what harder?”

Plagg floated right in front of Nathalie, those bright green eyes locking onto her. For once, the kwami did not have a look of mischievousness or a lazy glint, but he looked downright serious. Though age was not something she had ever pinned on the kwami, in that moment he looked old, powerful– and almost dangerous.

“Nathalie,” he said softly. “I need you to promise me that you will never give your ring to anyone but me. No matter what someone says, no matter what you’re told, nor what promises they make.”

She studied him for a moment, before crossing her arms. “Didn’t we already go over this with the whole ‘no one can know that you have me or the ring’ speech?”

“When I first appeared, you thought my ring was dangerous,” Plagg replied. “And you were right– the power hosted within that Miraculous goes far beyond a Cataclysm.”

She fingered the black jewel. “...What do you mean?”

“No power comes without a price,” Plagg said softly. “And some people are drawn to that power regardless. If in their hands, there will be damage far beyond a building falling– and it will be irreversible damage. That man– with the Peacock Miraculous– he is one of them. And he is not the only one.”

She swallowed. “Cobalt Plume... he said something. About a Miraculous of Creation?”

Plagg’s gaze didn’t change, but she could see the hesitation on his face. He didn’t want to tell her, but she didn’t break eye contact. It was true that she had no idea what she was getting into when this first started... but clearly it was something much bigger than she realized.

Transforming... it was something she had come to enjoy. Plagg’s presence was one she was quickly used to– but were these risks that were popping up worth it all?

She wasn’t sure.

Plagg seemed to be having the same thoughts as her as he spoke up. “I cannot stay here if you have any doubt, Nathalie. As much endless cheese as I get, I was sent away for a reason. Holding a Miraculous is a duty, a means to protect and fight. If you are not willing to do that, if you are not willing to accept that I cannot tell you everything, then you will not enjoy the life of being a Miraculous wielder, and I will find another holder.”

She twisted the ring. “...Before, you said you were going to go to Adrien.”

Plagg shrugged. “He would be a decent holder. Strong willed, good hearted, and would have a natural draw to the power of the Miraculouses.” His ears went back. “I don’t want to inflict a child with this again... but adults are too wary.” He sighed. “You’re too wary. Starting fresh is the best way for a reason.”

Her hand curled into a fist.

“I wouldn’t go to your kid,” Plagg clarified. “When I said that before, it was mostly to encourage you to take the ring. If I leave now, I’d go far away, to make sure we wouldn’t cross paths again.”

“I want you to be honest with me,” Nathalie finally said, carefully considering Plagg’s words. “No cryptic words or anything– want do you want from me?”

“I can’t tell you everything.”

“Then at least tell me why,” Nathalie said.

Plagg’s ear twitched. “Fair enough– but first, cheese.”

Nathalie sighed, making her way over towards the miniature fridge. “Why would I expect anything different?”

That night Nathalie took off the ring.

She carefully set it on her lamp table, it having stayed the same black and red it usually was on her finger. Plagg had chosen to sleep with it curled up though, and upon his touch it shifted back to the powered state it was during transformation. The kwami held it tightly to his chest, paws looped through the ring as he snored on.

Nathalie sat on the edge of her bed, wondering if she really wanted to do this.

The details she had were limited, even when Plagg had sat down to explain it all. He had left somewhere out of fear of falling in the hands of the ‘wrong holder’, and had somehow ended up on her desk. Apparently, he had been aware of the process, but not a part of it.

He expected her to protect the ring. To wear it, to flee when necessary, and even to fight, if it came to that. Keep it out of the hands of anyone but her– though the exact reason why, he refused to say. She could only guess it had something to do with the Creation Miraculous that Cobalt Plume had mentioned– but Plagg had sealed his lips to further details. 

She got powers, but in return she needed to protect them, and people would want them. Simple on paper, but nothing but another burden onto her already busy workload. Danger that any logical person should avoid...

Plagg hadn’t been lying with his reasons for why a child would make sense– had she been twenty years younger, she would have pounced on such an opportunity. The danger would be a challenge more than a threat, like a movie coming to life, excitement at what was at her fingertips, instead of the true risks that could come from something like this. 

Nathalie had been wary of Plagg at first, stories of fae and demons dancing through her mind at the magic she had seen. But, of course, the true threat was just as realistic as in normal life– humanity’s greed.

She sighed– she should just hand the ring over to Plagg, and send him on his way. Wish him luck and a proper holder that wouldn’t have any doubts– but it was also her doubts that were making her consider. Plagg had announced that he didn’t want to involve a kid– but had also listed off why that would work best. So if she let him go would he go off to some child? Even if it wasn’t Adrien? Where would that leave that teenager? In danger, with more responsibility than they should bear?

How could they be safe if an adult with magic at their fingertips came after them?

Nathalie closed her eyes, reminding herself she had enough on her plate as it was! When it came to Gabriel , she was basically in charge if it involved anything outside the mansion– because Gabriel rarely left since Emilie had passed. Then there was everything else she was expected to do within the mansion. It wasn’t simple, it was stressful– but it came with a nice paycheck; unlike the magical ring.

...But maybe if Adrien did get to go to school, she would have some more time...

Nathalie looked over at the sleeping cat on her lamp table, his mouth cracked open as he let out silent snores. Another downside would be sarcastic comments and buying an unreasonable amount of cheese. She reached out, scratching Plagg on the head– causing the kwami to let out a small purr as he slept. 

Perhaps a companion wouldn’t be the worst thing.

She had no formal answer for Plagg the next morning– only having taken the ring from his paws and placed it on her finger once more. He had watched her for a moment, before giving a satisfied nod. Then he darted off for cheese.

“You’ll need a name,” Plagg announced, when he returned from the fridge.

“Hmm?”

“For when you’re transformed,” Plagg replied. “Both for identity reasons, and to simply acknowledge that you’re not Nathalie anymore. You are the avatar of Destruction, a wielder of great power.”

“Sounds dramatic,” Nathalie replied, looking in the mirror as she put on some mascara. 

“...Fine. It’s just tradition,” Plagg said, crossing his paws.

“Hmm, well I supposed I already have one,” she said, thinking back to her encounter with Cobalt Plume. She had given him the name of ‘Dusk’, but if she was supposed to have something more official for wearing the ring of Destruction... “How about Calamity Dusk?”

“I’ve heard worse,” Plagg replied– and that was all he said on the matter.

Her day started off fairly normal– heading down to the kitchen to drown a cup of coffee and inhale some toast, before bringing a second cup of coffee to place on M. Agreste’s desk. The man was up as he normally was, even though the sun had just started to rise, but instead of already working away on upcoming designs he was standing, looking at the painting of Emilie Agreste.

She couldn’t see the expression on his face, but she was sure it was the same sorrowful one she had seen many times before.

“Sir?” She asked softly.

“Tell me, Nathalie,” Gabriel said softly. “Is missing her wrong?”

Nathalie blinked. “Wrong, sir?”

“I miss her more than anything,” Gabriel said softly. “I would do anything to get her back... but is that wrong?”

Nathalie did not know why the Agrestes sought comfort or reassurance from her when she was anything but reassuring. Still she paused, considering his words, and what would be an appropriate reply. Her and Gabriel’s relationship... was strange. Old friends, but still he was her boss. She was someone who was very familiar with his family and the delicate workings within, but still expected to maintain a professional environment as he did with everyone.

Even his own son.

“It is never wrong to miss someone,” Nathalie finally said, after a moment of silence, setting his coffee down on his desk. “I miss her as well, sir; Emilie was a dear friend. However... I do think that if you let that interfere with the present, then something needs to change.” 

Gabriel turned, looking back at her. “And what do you mean by that?”

Most people probably would have turned and run if Gabriel Agreste said such a thing to them, but Nathalie didn’t even blink. There was a reason why she had her job– she hadn’t gotten it from being a family friend, but the understanding she had gained from that friendship did give her a great advantage. His words were not a warning or frustration, like they might be in other circumstances, but he truly wanted an answer, and he knew that she would give it to him.

“I am speaking about Adrien,” she replied– and Gabriel tensed up at the mention of his son. “He lost his mother, just like you lost your wife– but in many ways he also lost his father, hasn’t he?”

“Everything I do is for him.”

“I think what Adrien would appreciate the most, sir, would be your time,” she said simply, before heading to the door. She couldn’t stay here and let Gabriel deflect– if he wanted her advice, then he would be forced to sit down and actually think about it. “You have a meeting at three today, sir, and I need to go over Adrien’s schedule with him. I will see you later.”

With that she headed out the door, heading for her own office.

Chapter Text

Nathalie continued her nightly outings as Calamity Dusk, because even with a better understanding of what accepting the ring entailed, that didn’t take away the peaceful feeling that came with being able to run across the rooftops. After all her work was done for the day, and she gave her goodnights to Adrien and Gabriel, she would retreat back up to her room, and transform.

She had two weeks of peace, and no one followed her.

But, of course, Cobalt Plume hadn’t decided to just drop off the face of the earth.

To his credit, he didn’t stalk her this time– but made his presence known by landing on the rooftop opposite her. He didn’t blend in with his bright colors, not even with the darkness of the night. She studied him from her favorite chimney, waiting to see what he would do. It was a strange idea, having an enemy, someone beyond just a mere rival like in the fashion world, and she had no idea what he would do.

He didn’t look young, per se, but she most certainly wouldn’t call him old. He was well built, and even with the distance between them, she felt like it was easy to meet his eyes. He didn’t look threatening, and without Plagg screaming in her mind it was much easier to stay calm. Plagg’s presence was still there, sharp and alert, not an ounce of trust. That was one thing she liked about the cat– he wasn’t stupid.

When Cobalt Plume came onto her rooftop that’s when she pulled out her baton.

“Dusk, wait,” Cobalt said as he landed on the edge. “I just want to talk– that’s all.”

Plagg didn’t trust him, she could sense that easily enough, and she expanded her baton as she headed towards the other edge of the rooftop, putting the chimney between them. She regarded Cobalt Plume, trying to decide what would be best. And in her line of work, information was always the most valuable thing.

“Then we shall talk,” Calamity replied. “But you will stay right where you are, and when I decide this conversation is done, I will leave.” She tilted her head. “And if you decide to follow me, I’ll club you in the head.”

He chuckled. “Fair enough, I suppose. I will not follow you.”

“So, I suppose this conversation shall be regarding my Miraculous,” Calamity said, letting silver claws extend from her gloves. She wasn’t quite sure where they hid when not in sight, but she wouldn’t say no to another weapon.

“We didn't start off on the right foot,” Cobalt Plume said. “And I am aware that I didn’t handle the situation right. I should have approached you outright, instead of following you, and I should not have expressed intentions of taking away your Miraculous– so for that I apologize.”

“Okay,” Calamity said– but saw no reason to accept it. “Let’s be honest, shall we? When I have a job, I complete it fully– with no hesitation or mistakes. By accepting this Miraculous, I have accepted the duty of protecting it. This ring will not be leaving my finger, and will not be going into your hand or anyone else's– so don't expect otherwise.”

Cobalt tilted his head. “Again, fair enough. And I can see that you do not trust me– so I will be honest as well– I can sense your every emotion.”

She tensed at this, and he let out a dry chuckle.

“Perks of having my Miraculous,” he said, tapping the brooch on his chest. “I wield the Miraculous of Emotion, and as such I can easily sense the emotions of those around me, and I cannot exactly turn it off without taking it off. I figured it would be polite to at least mention that.”

She sensed Plagg in her mind, and she wasn’t sure what exactly he was feeling, but she didn’t sense anything that suggested that he thought Cobalt was lying. She felt exposed with this knowledge, as a stoic expression was often one of her greatest tools. If what she was feeling was laid out like an open book, then she lost perhaps her most powerful advantage.

Cobalt dipped his head slightly. “I see that unsettles you. I am sorry–”

“Stop it,” Calamity snapped. “It is no different than reading expressions– just because you can see it, does not mean you have to comment on it.” She sat up straighter. “So, do you have anything else you wish to say? Or are we done here?”

“...I need your help.”

She snorted. “Yes, after your stalking and demanding, that is something I am most willing to do.”

Cobalt closed his eyes, causing her to smirk slightly– not quite as composed as he presented himself. “I could very well fight you for the ring, but I won’t. That’s not the path I want to go down. I don’t intend to remove it from you, but if you’re just willing to help me... I’d do anything.”

“And what kind of help are we asking about?”

“If the Black Cat is here, then the Ladybug can’t be far,” Cobalt said quietly. “I know you must know of its location, or whose hands it is in. If they’re brought together.... I... I could save her. Just lend me the powers of your Miraculouses, please.”

“...I do not know of any other Miraculouses but mine.”

“You’re lying,” Cobalt’s tone wasn’t accusing– he didn’t even sound fully convinced himself. Still, his gaze hardened. “You’re a pair, I know that, the Ladybug has to be near. At least tell them of my plea! Let them use their healing! They alone could help me–”

His words went from pleas to rambles– and he allowed himself to draw just a bit too close. Calamity did not even need Plagg’s mental nudge, she was already jumping off of the edge of the roof, landing with ease into the alley below. She could hear Cobalt Plume as his steps thundered against the roof, but she was already fleeing. Like the Black Cat she appeared to be, Calamity Dusk slipped off into the night, not giving the Peacock a chance to follow her. 

She may have been swift, but she knew that it wasn’t impossible for him to keep up, so with her head start she wove a winding path, using her dark costume to help keep herself hidden in the night, going from alley to alley.

When she was sure there was no one following her she paused. “Claws in.”

A brief flash of green, and she was Nathalie again. Plagg hovered by her shoulder for a moment, before vanishing into her pocket as she headed out of the alley. It was easy to keep her head up, acting as if she had been out for a walk as she headed down the Paris streets, heading back towards the Agreste Mansion.

She couldn’t help but pause as a flash of blue appeared on the roof, and she looked up at Cobalt Plume. He stood on the edge, looking down on the streets with narrowed eyes, seemingly still searching for Calamity. Nathalie wasn’t the only one that saw him– a few slight gasps and murmurs echoing among the few that were also out at this time.

Her paranoia convinced her that the Peacock spent a few of those moments staring down right exactly at her– but before she could question it, his hands curled with frustration, and he retreated out of sight.

“Well, Plagg, it seems we’ve finally been properly spotted,” Nathalie said as she scrolled through her tablet.

“Nah, mostly featherbrain,” Plagg replied, munching on some brie as he looked over her shoulder. “Heh, that’s what those stupid birds get for always trying to be too flashy.”

It was true that Cobalt Plume was the main focus of the photo that had been taken– several actually, including one on the roof when he had been looking down at the streets. She wondered which of the bystanders took that one, though that wasn’t the photo that had held her focus, and she flipped back towards the first one.

It was of her and Cobalt Plume up on the roof– her outline only visible thanks to the Eiffel Tower lit up in the background. Still, she looked more like a silhouette compared to the vibrant colors on Cobalt Plume, the two of them lost in their conversation.

“Herowatch,” she muttered as she looked at the blog’s name, and she scrolled back through some earlier posts. “Hmm...”

It was the same poster that had gotten the first photo of her up on the roofs; those were very poor in quality compared to the most recent ones. It seemed to be run by a younger individual, going off of the wording of the posts, and a vlog a few posts down backed that up– showing a young teenage girl with dark skin and ombre hair, seemingly discussing a theory, though Nathalie didn’t watch it.

“Looks like she recently moved to Paris,” Nathalie muttered. “And dug up a lot of old theories and conspiracies about magic and a heroine here in Paris... Do you know anything about this?”

Plagg peered over her shoulder. “Hmm, it doesn’t look that consistent– only spotting this apparent person only once every few years? Heh.”

“Last appearance was five years ago,” Nathalie mused. “Hm, seems kind of familiar, I think people talked about it...” She opened a new tab, typing in a few things– and sure enough she was able to find some images that matched the faded memories in the back of her mind; featuring a figure dressed in blue and purple racing across a roof. “This was what the girl was talking about– anything to do with magic?”

Plagg looked at the picture, crinkling his nose, before shrugging. “Could be. Moving fast enough.” He flipped upside down. “That was taken here in Paris, yeah? We could be looking at another Peacock holder.”

“Another?”

“Assuming Cobalt Plume is new to the game,” Plagg said. “I don’t know of any other loose Miraculouses around here. Just the Peacock, and mine as well, now.”

Nathalie considered for a moment, before switching back to the tab with the Herowatch blog, bookmarking it. She didn’t know how reliable it was, but if it was collecting information about her, Cobalt Plume, and this other potential Miraculous holder in one place, it was worth keeping an eye on.

“Nathalie.”

“Let me guess, more cheese?”

“Next time we go out, please be more careful,” Plagg said. “Now that there’s a photo of you out there, anyone that knows about magic will probably know who you are.”

“So it will be more than Cobalt Plume, is what you’re saying.”

“Possibly,” Plagg said, drifting off to his fridge.

“Are you busy right now, sir?” Nathalie asked as she entered Gabriel’s office.

The man glanced at her for a moment, gray eyes blinking at her. After a moment, he let out a sigh, before shaking his head. “No. Is there a problem?”

“I would like to talk to you regarding Adrien’s education, sir.”

This seemed to catch Gabriel’s focus, the man raising his head. “Has he been falling behind in his studies?”

“No, sir, he’s been doing quite well actually, both with me and his tutors,” she took in a deep breath, before pressing into the conversation she had promised Adrien she would hold with Gabriel. “However, in regards to his enjoyment and eagerness to learn, it has been waning.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed at her– recognizing all too well as she was leading this conversation elsewhere. They had known each other for years, but Nathalie didn’t let her expression waver. Blue eyes stared into gray, carrying on as if she were just making another report for the company.

“Being in the same environment has probably created a sense of complacency, and a change in environment would probably help him with reengagement.”

“What, do you want him to have his tutors teach him out in the garden?”

Nathalie glared at him, both of them knowing where this conversation was leading.

“I believe that attending an academy of some kind would benefit his schooling.”

“I’ve held this conversation with Adrien before, and the answer is no,” Gabriel said firmly, turning away– and Nathalie sighed.

“Well, sir, I am not Adrien, so I would appreciate it if you would not turn your back on me in the middle of our conversation.”

“This conversation is over, Adrien is not going anywhere.”

“So you will place your own mental health over your son’s?”

“Nathalie–”

“You gain a sense of safety by having him here at home,” Nathalie continued, cutting him off. “You believe that you’re protecting him, keeping him safely tucked away. It gives you peace of mind, all while isolating your son from the outside world and giving him the sense of imprisonment.”

“Nathalie, that is enough–”

“He does not know how to interact with kids his age, his only friend is the daughter of a business partner that you arranged from before they could crawl,” Nathalie continued. “He is not a child anymore, he is a teenager: an age critical for him to learn his independence– and an age they will seek it out on their own if it's not given to them.”

“Adrien is well behaved, he respects–”

“How long will that respect last when he barely sees you?” Nathalie snapped, dropping her professional tone, causing Gabriel to jump slightly– though his expression remained stoic, and Nathalie approached the desk. “This is not me giving you a report on your son, Gabriel , because an employee should not have to do such. This is between me and you, regarding your treatment of your son.”

Gabriel gritted his teeth. “This is not your concern.”

“As Emilie’s friend, I believe the treatment of her son is my concern,” Nathalie snapped coolly.

Silence lingered in the air for a moment, and for a moment Nathalie wondered if in fact she had gone too far.

Gabriel sagged– as if he were a puppet whose strings had just been cut. His defenses melted away, the anger in his expression turning to a painful sorrow. For a moment, he didn’t make a sound, just staring down at his hands. Nathalie felt her heart pounding, and she opened her mouth, not sure if to apologize or continue her argument, but he spoke first.

“Tell me, Nathalie,” Gabriel murmured. “Am I hurting Adrien?”

Nathalie’s gaze softened, looking at the broken man in front of her. It wasn’t often she saw this side of him, as he usually buried it deep under the workload of the Gabriel brand. She considered the question for a moment, before making her way around the desk to his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her.

“Adrien is hurt,” Nathalie finally said. “He lost his mother– and in the same moment he lost his father to that grief.”

Gabriel looked away.

“I know you want to protect him,” Nathalie said. “But this will only hurt him in the long run. He needs to be around more people than just tutors and staff. He needs to leave the house besides work. You can’t keep him sheltered here forever. If you don’t allow him to get out there and experience the world for himself, then you’ll be doing nothing but having him charge out into the world as soon as he’s eighteen, lacking the skills he should be learning now.”

Gabriel rubbed his head. “Nathalie, I can’t lose him too. He’s all I have left, he’s the only thing I have left.”

“If you keep this up, you will be losing him,” Nathalie replied, and while a part of her wished to comfort the man, she turned to leave instead. Her words had been a necessity, and she needed to leave Gabriel to his thoughts.

As soon as she exited the office, Plagg flew out of her pocket, head tilted slightly.

“What?”

The kwami smiled. “I don’t think you realize how much you care for that kid, Kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“All you humans are kids to me.”

Chapter Text

“Father?”

Nathalie looked up from her tablet as she heard Adrien’s startled voice, and found Gabriel entering the dining room. He was dressed as he always was– wearing the latest style of suit his brand had created, with shades of red, as usual. His hair was combed, and he was sitting up straight with a stiff posture. However, there were some differences this morning– a tie around his collar, and a strained expression on his face as he looked at his son.

“Adrien,” Gabriel said slowly, and Nathalie’s eyes flickered between the two. Adrien had a startled, yet bright, expression on his face, while Gabriel looked nothing but hesitant. “Good morning.”

“Good morning, Father,” Adrien replied with much more energy. “Are you here for breakfast?”

“I already ate,” Gabriel said dismissively, and Adrien’s expression fell. “I came to discuss a few things with you.”

“Oh?” Adrien said, clearly not sure what to expect.

Gabriel cleared his throat. “Nathalie discussed with me how you wish... wish to attend an academy.”

Adrien wanted to go to any sort of school– she had just mentioned private school as it seemed the most likely thing for Gabriel to accept. In fact, Adrien had specifically requested public schooling, though she was sure any opportunity that wasn’t her or private tutoring was something he would embrace. She watched Adrien, who seemed to be holding his breath, as if he didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“However, all such schools are... are quite some distance away from here,” Gabriel continued. “However, looking into Collège Françoise Dupont, it seems to be a satisfactory school in terms of location, and the educators that work there...”

“Father?”

“Nathalie has brought to my attention that it may be beneficial for you to attend school,” Gabriel finally said. “The school year starts in September, and I have been making arrangements for you to attend. You will be in the same class as Chloe, so you will have a familiar face–”

“Thank you, Father!” Adrien cried, his face completely lit up. 

“You will be expected to take your studies as seriously as ever,” Gabriel continued, as if reading from a script. “And maintain your extraculiars as well. Piano, Mandarin, fencing– I don’t want to see any slacking. Your bodyguard will drive you from here to school each day–”

Gabriel was cut off as Adrien leapt to his feet, wrapping his arms around his father. Gabriel froze up in surprise, his son pressing his head against his chest as he held him tightly. “I won’t let you down, Father. Thank you so much!”

Gabriel finally laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder, and bright green eyes looked up at him. “I don’t see how you could let me down, you have never done such before.”

Nathalie took a sip of her coffee, a warm feeling settling into her chest. This... this was good to see. The last time she had seen an embrace between the two of them... well the fact that she had to think about it wasn’t the most encouraging fact.

Adrien pulled away, seeming to buzz in excitement from the news which had been given. Gabriel excused himself soon after, and with Adrien’s plate cleared it wasn’t long until he bolted off to his room– most likely to inform Chloe that he could go to school in the fall. Nathalie was left alone in the dining room, and Plagg wriggled his way out of her pocket, green eyes flashing across the empty table.

“Cheese?”

“I gave you some this morning.”

“Yeah. That doesn’t change the fact that I don’t have any right now.”

Nathalie sighed. “You know where the kitchen is. You may go and find yourself a piece of cheese to eat, then come right back, okay?”

Plagg’s eyes gleamed. “Of course. I’ll be back before you know it, you just take your time deciding what you’re going to be doing with all your free time now that your kid will be out of the house.”

Nathalie looked at him sternly. “I’m serious, Plagg. One piece.”

“Of course,” Plagg said, grinning– before phasing through the kitchen door.

A half hour later the chef was at Nathalie’s desk– insisting that the cheese thief was back, as a whole wheel of camembert was missing. It took the woman a good ten minutes to convince the man that he must have miscounted the cheese, and when he left the office the door shut to reveal a laughing Plagg lingering near the wall.

Nathalie glared at the menace.

“What?”

“What part one ‘one piece’ don’t you understand?”

Plagg grinned. “It was one piece. It just happened to be a big piece.”

Calamity Dusk raced across the rooftops, sticking to the shadows as she ran.

It had been a long day, rearranging Adrien’s schedule for the upcoming months to make sure nothing was set to take place during school hours. Dismissing the tutors that would no longer be needed, and informing the ones that would stay about the change in schedule. She had also spent a good amount of time on the phone making sure that Adrien would be in Chloe’s class so he’d have a familiar face– as going from homeschool to public would be a huge change.

It was nice just to pause on the rooftops, looking out over the quiet city.

“Who knew,” Calamity muttered. “This much freedom, all for a few wheels of cheese.”

“Well, I hope you’re not spoiling him,” a voice said behind Dusk– causing the woman to freeze up. “Because Plagg tends to exaggerate his needs.”

Nathalie’s heart started racing– and it was not just her own emotions that flooded her mind. She felt her own surprise as she turned, unsure of what to expect of this voice that was not Cobalt Plume’s. But as she took in the small figure standing behind her, she felt so much from Plagg rush through her.

Sorrow. Guilt. Betrayal. Pain. Tenderness. Fear. Worry.

The first thing she noticed about the man was how much he stood out– as he was covered head to toe in a bright red costume, small black spots covering the suit. He was short, not even coming to Adrien’s shoulders. He was clearly an older man, hair graying, so many wrinkles visibly even with his face masked, but bright brown eyes were lit with a fire.

“...The Ladybug,” Dusk breathed. Cobalt Plume had seemed so sure that such a Miraculous would be near– and Calamity Dusk knew this had to be it. Her eyes scanned the man for what could be a Miraculous. 

His mask was more like a strip of cloth, tied on the back of his head, the long ends blowing in the wind. In his hands he held a round object, a string stretched between it and his other hand– a yoyo. His entire outfit reflected a Chinese style, which matched the man’s features. As she studied him, her bright blue eyes landed on a pair of bright red earrings in his ears. She didn’t know if a Miraculous could be two pieces... but that seemed like the most likely option.

“You may address me as Piáo Chóng,” the man said stiffly. “And you, Black Cat, have something that belongs to me.”

Dusk could feel Plagg in her mind, and like with Cobalt Plume he was telling her to run. The desperation seemed just as fierce as when she had encountered the Peacock holder, yet there was so much more she was getting from Plagg that it did not spark the urgency as it had with Cobalt Plume. From what she could sense, Plagg clearly saw this Piáo Chóng as a danger... but also as something familiar.

“I’m guessing it’s my Miraculous?” Dusk asked, reaching into her coat, wrapping her gloved hand around the shrunken baton.

“That Miraculous is not ‘yours’,” the man said. “It should be in my care– it is much too dangerous in the wrong hands.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“From Plagg, I’m supposing?” The man asked with a small scoff, and Nathalie couldn’t help but bristle up at his tone. “I am not sure what story he told you– but I am telling you that he is not to be trusted.”

“...You know him?” Dusk asked, hesitating.

“As I said, he’s supposed to be in my care,” Piáo Chóng said. “He was in my care until recently, and I have been attempting to recover him. I am not sure what kind of person you are, but if you have any sort of soul, you will return that ring.”

Calamity Dusk took a step back, and Piáo Chóng tightened his grip on his yoyo.

“Plagg warned me of people demanding my Miraculous, and you are not the first,” Calamity said after a moment. “I was asked to protect it– so tell me why I should hand it over?”

Piáo Chóng smiled dryly. “Because protecting the Miraculouses is my duty, I’m afraid. And if you will not allow me to do as such... well, we shall part here as enemies. The Miraculous’ cannot be allowed to be in the wrong hands.”

Calamity swallowed at the bitter sting of betrayal that filled her heart– emotions that were not her own.

“Plagg is the embodiment of Destruction,” Piáo Chóng said softly. “That is the only thing he seeks, to trust him is a dangerous gamble. I don’t know what he told you, but if he told you he was seeking protection, I can promise that is nothing more than manipulation. He is an ancient being. Dangerous, and crafty. I do not know what he’s trying to twist you into doing, but I promise you that you will not be safe doing such.”

Calamity’s eyes shifted down to the ring on her finger, one she had been so sure was cursed when she had first found it, the strange and dark energy she could sense when using it. She looked back up at Piáo Chóng, who was now holding out a hand.

“I need you to trust me.”

“Trust is not something I give out easily,” Calamity said, her hand tightening into a fist. “I don’t know who you are, or if what a word you say is true.” She gave a grim smile. “But, it is also very true that Plagg’s words could be lies– I’m well aware that he’s keeping things from me. But you know what he’s not hiding? What he’s feeling right now– and I can say with confidence that the only thing Plagg has ever tried to manipulate me into doing is giving him more cheese.”

Brown eyes hardened. “If you are not going to give me the ring, Black Cat, then I will take it by force.”

The man took a step towards her– only to find an extending silver baton being jabbed against his chest– Calamity taking up a defensive position. “I would like to see you try, old man.”

“If an enemy is what you’re seeking,” Piáo Chóng said quietly. “Then trust me, I can give you many, Black Cat.”

“The name is Calamity Dusk,” Calamity replied– before swinging her baton towards him.

The man was old, but he still had the magic that came with a Miraculous, swiftly falling to the ground with no harm to avoid her swing. He spun about the yoyo so it formed a shield, deflecting the next strike, before sending the end of it flying at her face.

She sprang back, giving him enough time to roll to his feet as she batted the yoyo away before it could strike her, and he had it zip back to his hands. What hadn’t seemed like a dangerous weapon at first proved to be effective, as he let it fly out and entangle her legs, pulling her to the ground. He rushed forward as if to pin her down, hand reaching for the one with her ring.

He had magic– but so did she– and in the end he was a tiny old man. She was able to throw him off with ease, and as the yoyo string went slack around her legs she pulled her feet away, pushing herself to her feet as she used the baton to knock him down again as he tried to rise. She stood there for a moment, weapon held defensively as she tried to decide what to do next.

Calamity had nothing to gain by staying, however– Piáo Chóng was the one that wanted her Miraculous, and she had no interest in his. The only thing she wanted was him to keep him away from her ring, which would be accomplished with ease once she slipped away and detransformed.

So she parried his next blow as he shakily rose to his feet, eyes glancing about as she tried to plan her next step. It was a shame, she had a very strong power right at her fingertips– but if she were to use it, she would either end up harming someone or something, so for now it was not an option.

With her baton aimed towards him she let it expand, the end of the pole hitting his chest and sending him flying back. Calamity turned, racing in the opposite direction, not hesitating to dive into the shadows. She could hear Piáo Chóng’s footsteps behind her, having not taken too long to recover as he pursued her.

She paid no attention to where she was going; leading him anywhere familiar wasn’t an option, as it was potential information that could be used against her. So, instead, she just focused on staying on her feet, moving as swiftly as she could, while keeping a close ear on the sounds of the footsteps that chased after her.

Calamity Dusk was prepared for a chase like Cobalt Plume had given her before, but with the fight the old man had just given, the fact that he was old seemed to have escaped her mind for a moment. She could hear a wheeze followed by a cough as she ran, and soon his footsteps seemed to fade as she raced away, soon fleeing from a pursuer that didn’t exist, but still she kept up her speed for a bit longer.

She spun around, eyes piercing the darkness as they flickered about, but found no sign of Piáo Chóng. Her heart raced as she looked about, but soon the fact that she was truly safe settled in, and she let out a long sigh. Calamity tucked her baton away, before slowly easing herself off the roof, still glancing about.

“...Claws in,” she muttered, and her transformation faded away with a flash of green light.

Plagg was silent as he came out of the ring, not even looking at her as he hovered there in the air, ears back. She let him compose himself, adjusting her sweater as she tried to catch her breath. Finally she looked up at the kwami, who turned as he felt her gaze, because she had more questions than ever.

“Guess it would have been wishful thinking for him not to find us by now,” Plagg muttered.

“Who is ‘he’, exactly?” Nathalie asked.

“...The one who should not have my Miraculous at any cost,” Plagg said, looking away. “We should get home, we’ll be safer there.”

“No, I want to know what’s going on,” Nathalie replied, not letting her gaze leave him. “He clearly knows you, and you know him. What did he mean when he said that you are supposed to be in his care?”

“...I was, at one point,” Plagg said quietly. “But he betrayed his duty.”

“What duty?”

“Piáo Chóng is the last Guardian of the Miraculouses– and our greatest enemy.”

Chapter Text

“You’re up early this morning,” Nathalie said, surprised to find Adrien sitting at the table as she entered the dining room, already eating breakfast.

“It’s my first day of school!” Adrien said, practically humming with excitement, flashing a grin at Nathalie. “I want to make sure I have plenty of time to get ready.”

Nathalie returned the smile, glad to see his eagerness, but still her smile felt somewhat forced. She hadn’t gotten much sleep as of late, and hadn’t dared to go out as Calamity Dusk after her encounter with the Ladybug holder.

She just wasn’t sure what to do now that she knew of two people that wanted to get their hands on her Miraculous.

“Well, your bodyguard and I will accompany you to school,” Nathalie said, flicking her tablet to pull up Adrien’s schedule. “Your father is busy this morning, but I will make time so that you can see him after you get home. You have fencing lessons after your classes end, in the same building, so we will pick you up at the usual time– don’t forget to bring your fencing gear with you.”

“Already have it packed,” Adrien said, tilting his head towards the door– where a backpack and bag were laid. “As soon as I’m done eating, I’ll be ready to go, actually– Chloe said she’d meet me there early to show me around, and hopefully I can get to meet some of my classmates!”

Nathalie had yet to eat breakfast besides a cup of coffee as she got ready for the day. She glanced at the clock on her tablet, but supposed she didn’t want to keep Adrien waiting for something he had been looking forward to for so long. She was presentable; the only thing she was missing was Plagg, who was still asleep in her bedroom, but he would be asleep either way.

“Very well,” Nathalie said, pulling up her messages. “I will tell Ezra to be ready with the limo, and we will leave as soon as you finish.”

“Thank you, Nathalie!” Adrien said, before beginning to shovel the rest of his breakfast into his mouth. Nathalie cleared her throat, and he gave her a guilty grin, before slowing down to eating at a normal pace.

Adrien already knew the school building, fortunately, as it was the same one he did fencing at, but still Nathalie felt slightly nervous as she watched Adrien jump out of the car and sprint for the steps. He reminded her of when he was younger, so full of energy and innocence, looking up at the building like it were a castle.

Her heart felt slightly heavy as she watched him go, wondering if he was truly ready. He wouldn’t be just a new kid, but a local celebrity as well. Not everyone would be strangers, but one of his friends was Chloe, who didn’t have the best track record. Most of Adrien’s social interactions were at fancy events with those who saw themselves as part of a higher level of society– was he truly ready for public school? Would he be treated well? Would people assume he carried the same attitude as Chloe?

Adrien paused before he reached the steps, and for a moment Nathalie thought he was going to come back, but instead Adrien made his way through the small groups making their way into the schools, approaching a man who had fallen down on the sidewalk. Adrien knelt down, handing the man his cane, carefully helping him to his feet. The older man smiled sweetly at Adrien, who was beaming as he spoke to him.

Nathalie let out a long breath as Adrien headed towards the school once more, and the man continued his way down the sidewalk. “...He’ll be okay, won’t he?”

Ezra let out a grunt of agreement, before turning the car around and back into traffic, which was more crowded than when they first arrived, more parents arriving to drop off their students at the school. Nathalie tapped her fingers against the seat, waiting for the cars ahead of them to start moving.

Ezra was kind and a friend, but not one for conversation. Nathalie didn’t know any LSF, and conversations through text and email were always related to the job. Usually, when she talked to him it was about the same, but right now she had nothing to say. Her mind was on Adrien and the ring on her finger, which she fiddled with as they slowly drove, and the latter she most certainly couldn’t talk about.

“Look out!” Nathalie cried as they started moving once again– pointing towards a man who was crossing the street even when the signal most certainly wasn’t saying to cross. Ezra slammed on his breaks, skittering to a halt as another figure darted out, grabbing the old man and dragging him back to the curb.

They stopped just before the crosswalk, and thankfully the cars behind them had stopped as well. Nathalie let out a shaky sigh of relief, looking out the window to see that the man they had almost hit was the same one Adrien had helped up– who was now being assisted by a young girl who looked to be just about Adrien’s age, the macarons she had been carrying now scattered across the sidewalk.

“Looks like he’s okay,” Nathalie reported. “You can go.”

The limo moved forward once more, thankfully without incident as they headed home.

“Sir, I am sure we would have heard from the school if there was a problem,” Nathalie said, looking up from her work as she watched Gabriel pace across his office. The large clock above them showed that school would be out soon– though it was only Ezra going to pick Adrien up, as there was too much that needed to be done at Gabriel today for her to go with him. 

And she was the only one doing anything at the moment, because Gabriel was too worried to focus.

“If there was something extreme,” Gabriel said, running a hand through his hair. “But you know how these schools are, they let so many things slide then hyper focus on things that don’t matter. And Adrien isn’t just a new face– he’s a known one, too. I shouldn’t have sent him, I should have stuck to my gut instinct–”

“Or you could wait until he gets home and tells you how it went before you make decisions for him,” Nathalie replied. “Now, we have three complaints from the head designer that you need to look over–”

“Can you?”

“Sir, I’m not qualified to look over designs,” Nathalie said. She wasn’t ignorant when it came to fashion, of course, she wouldn’t have gotten a job in this field if she had been, and her time working for Gabriel had certainly improved her eye for such things– but Nathalie did best with the process of it all, creativity being one section where she fell short. 

“I can’t do this right now!”

Nathalie sighed, closing the tablet. “Then look over it tonight, once you see Adrien is fine– but you need to get it submitted before tonight.” She pushed herself to her feet. “Adrien should be home soon, so if we aren’t going to get anything done, we might as well go and wait for him.”

“How are you not concerned?”

“I am,” Nathalie said, pushing herself to her feet. “However, I am not the one overreacting.”

“I think I have every reason to be worried.”

“And I think you have some reasons, not every,” Nathalie replied, and before Gabriel could say another word the front door opened.

Gabriel paused from his pacing, hurrying to the door of his office, though he stood stoically in the doorway as he opened it. Nathalie drew up behind him, watching as Adrien came into the house, a huge grin on his face, Ezra right behind him. His bodyguard carefully shut the large doors, and Gabriel cleared his throat.

“Father!” Adrien beamed, his bright green eyes lit up, and Nathalie had to fight against a smirk.

“I… I take it that your day has gone well?” Gabriel said slowly.

“It was wonderful,” Adrien said. “My homeroom teacher is really nice– and I wasn’t the only new student there either! I made some friends too, I sat next to this boy Nino, and he showed me around to all our other classes. Then there was this girl Marinette, and we kind of got off on the wrong foot– apparently she and Chloe don’t get along– but we talked after school and so everything’s cleared up now. I also really like our science teacher. My tutors already covered some of the first few units we’ll be going over, but I think it will be a good refresher.”

“...No one gave you any trouble?”

“No, sir. Well, there were a few people I’m pretty sure were fans, but Nino told them off. Not that I mind talking to them, I’d like to get to know a few more people.”

Gabriel cleared his throat. “Well, I am glad that everything went well, and that there was nothing of concern. Now, I have a few things I need to get done tonight– so why don’t you go practice your piano, and I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Yes, Father,” Adrien said, voice even, but he couldn’t completely hide the dejected tone in his voice. Nathalie frowned as Gabriel retreated back into his office, though she stepped out instead, watching as Adrien headed up the stairs.

“Adrien,” Nathalie called.

He paused. “Yes?”

“I just want you to know that the only reason why your father has work to do at this moment is because he hasn’t been working all day– he was very anxious with how you were doing at school, and couldn’t focus.”

Adrien gave a small smile, and Ezra let out a small chuckle at this. Nathalie was sure that Gabriel didn’t want anyone to know how on edge he had been– but she thought it would be better if Adrien didn’t think of his father as simply being dismissive. He didn’t say another word, just heading up the stairs, and Ezra headed off to another part of the manor.

Nathalie opened up her tablet, checking to see if there was anything Gabriel would need her for– but considering that she had been the one working all day and he hadn’t, she figured that he would be fine on his own now. She tucked her tablet under one arm, heading up the steps to her own room.

As she passed Adrien’s room she heard a cry of surprise, and she paused, knocking on his door. “Adrien, are you okay?”

“Um– yeah?” Adrien’s voice sounded hesitant. “I just um, dropped something? It startled me, sorry for worrying you…”

She frowned, but wasn’t about to intrude. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Adrien didn’t reply, so she continued on to her room, sighing. Perhaps she would transform tonight and go for a run– she felt like she deserved a break. She pushed open her door, and was surprised to find that Plagg was up, instead of curled up somewhere asleep. He was hovering by the window, staring out.

“See a bird you want to chase?” Nathalie asked as she set her things on a dresser, and one of Plagg’s ears flicked back towards her, but he didn’t reply. “What, not even a hello?”

“...I sense magic,” Plagg said.

She frowned. “Is one of our ‘friends’ out and about?”

“No, those Miraculouses’ aura already had a strong presence in the city,” Plagg said. “This is something new.”

“...Is that good, or bad?”

“Considering what the Guardian said when we saw him– we should be ready,” Plagg said, still having yet to turn from the window. He stared out, as if hoping the answer would fly right on by.

“Guardian…” Nathalie said quietly. “That… that sounds important. So why is he ‘our greatest enemy’?”

“I already told you this, he abandoned his duty.”

Nathalie pressed her lips together– yes, Plagg had ‘told’ her this, the night after she had met the Ladybug holder she had demanded a full explanation, but he had been cryptic as always. The enemy he had been warning her of, one who had abandoned his duty, someone who was supposed to be protecting the Miraculouses.

“It seems like he wants to protect the Miraculouses, though,” Nathalie said. “How could he want to be doing so and yet abandoning his duty?”

“Simple. He lied,” Plagg replied, drifting over towards Nathalie.

“What does he want then?”

“Do I look like a mindreader?”

She gritted her teeth. “I know you know what’s going on.”

“I already told you I wasn’t going to tell you everything, and you agreed to that– so what's the problem now?”

“That you’re–” Nathalie began, but she was cut off from an alert on her phone. She let out a sigh, pulling it out, certain that it was Gabriel asking for her help– but instead, the small notification that had popped up on screen was one she hadn’t seen before.

Herowatch has gone live.

She had followed the blog not too long ago, wanting to see if any possible footage or images of Piáo Chóng was found. And yes, Herowatch did post videos, mostly of theories or the owner fangirling about the Majestia comics, but never had she gone live. Nathalie hesitated for a second, doubting that Piáo Chóng or Cobalt Plume would come out in broad daylight– but if it happened to be related to one of them, she would be mad if she missed it. So she tapped the notification, Plagg hovering over her shoulder as it took her to the Herowatch blog, a shaky video showing that the blogger was out in the middle of Paris.

“Are you seeing this, Watchers?” Her voice was excited, and they could hear the voices of those around her muttering and talking, and she aimed her phone up towards the building. “I am absolutely certain that this is the same hero that was caught on the roof with the blue hero– and they’re out here right in broad daylight!”

She aimed her phone up towards the roof of the building she was below, and there stood Calamity Dusk on the edge right next to a satellite dish, looking out over Paris.

“Wh-what?” Nathalie stuttered out– but it was indeed herself standing up on the building, one that she knew she had never been near when transformed– let alone during the day. But she could make out her long black cloak and the bright green streak in her hair, one gloved hand holding the expanded baton. “That’s not– we’re not–!”

“Citizens of Paris!” Calamity Dusk cried, her voice carrying out with far more volume than what should have been possible, holding both hands up. “I am Calamity Dusk, and I have come to deliver a message to all of you!”

The Herowatch blog wasn’t the only one recording– you could see others in the crowd with their phones out, looking up at the strangely dressed woman on the roof. The blogger let out a small squeal of excitement, zooming in more.

“That message is a simple one– to stay out of my way!” The fake Calamity Dusk snarled. “And if you do so– no one will get hurt!”

“Is this person crazy?” Someone muttered off to the right of the camera.

Calamity Dusk smirked darkly down at the crowd. “Trust me, Parisians, this is no game. If you get in my way, well… Cataclysm!”

She lifted her free hand up into the air, dark energy crackling about it. She carefully pressed it against the satellite dish she stood next to– which instantly crumbled to dust, green flames of energy crackling over it. Shocked gasps echoed through the crowd, and Calamity Dusk then took a bow.

“Thank you for your attention,” she said– before leaping up into the air, easily jumping over the crowd and onto the building behind them– racing off.

Everyone burst out talking at once, making the audio coming from the livestream jumbled and hard to hear, but still the blogger could be heard above it all. “I… I don’t think we’re dealing with a superhero, Watchers, that was a super villain…”

With that, the live feed went dead.

“...What…what was that?” Nathalie stuttered out.

“Fox Miraculous,” Plagg muttered, voice sounding bitter, and Nathalie looked at him. “That’s one of the Miraculouses that he ‘protects’,” he explained. “The Fox’s power is Deception; it creates illusions. He said that he would give you enemies– and it seems he intends to make it the whole city.” 

“But I– I didn’t–” Nathalie said. “I’m– I’m not a ‘villain’! They just can’t think that–”

“Transform,” Plagg said, hovering in front of her. “The illusions will break upon contact– if you move quickly enough you can prove that the destruction was just an illusion– the longer to wait the more chance he has to use your image to say and ‘do’ whatever he wants.”

“Claws out,” Nathalie said, still on edge, but with determination in her.

People panicked at the sight of Calamity Dusk running across the rooftops, though she paid them no heed, trying to find where in Paris the illusion had been summoned. She had no idea if the fake Calamity was still racing about, but she didn’t have time to chase them down. The destroyed satellite would remain in one place, and Plagg’s plan to reveal the illusions was the only plan they had.

“Where is it, where is it, where is it?” Calamity muttered under her breath as she searched– but Paris was a big place. Even up on the rooftops, with her enhanced speed and ability to avoid traffic, she couldn’t cover the entire city in a timely manner. “Stupid cowardly bug– or fox– or whatever he is.”

She wasn’t used to being out in the day, and she knew that her dark cloak stood out in the sunlight. She could sense people watching her, eyes not leaving her as they watched her dash across rooftops. Everytime she spared them a glance she saw some people looking down at their phones then back up at her, and others hurrying into buildings. It seemed that word of her had spread just beyond the few videos that had been recorded– and she wouldn’t be surprised if the news had picked up on the story. Someone with destructive powers threatening the city was a threat.

“Come out and face me yourself, you coward!” Calamity yelled out across the rooftops, frustration pulsing through her. Hiding behind stupid illusions– if he wanted her ring, he could come fight her himself!

“...If a f-fight is what you want, then here I am!” A voice declared from behind her, and she paused– this voice was not Cobalt or the Guardian. It wavered, the voice sounding young and female. Calamity turned, and found a red figure standing on a chimney not far from her– a sword pointed right towards her.

The girl was dressed in a red and black costume, gold highlighting her form. Her dark black hair was tied back, two ornaments tucked right above her ears. They resembled… horns? Wings? She wasn’t sure. A black belt hung around her waist, the end flaring out behind her, ridged with gold spikes. Burning blue eyes shone behind a jagged red and gold mask, and around her neck was a black choker, and Calamity could feel Plagg shifting in her mind.

Another Miraculous holder.

“Who are you?” Calamity asked, eyeing the red sword in the girl’s hand. A dangerous weapon, but judging by the girl’s stance, she didn’t know how to use it.

“I’m… I’m Tempest,” Tempest said, hesitating, before sitting up straight, putting an edge to her voice. “And I was chosen to fight you, Calamity Dusk, and rid you of the Miraculous you stole.”

Piáo Chóng had promised her enemies, but this– this was too much. This wasn’t some stranger in front of her, this was a literal child. Someone that was no older than Adrien! She was hesitating as she stood there, clearly on edge, but trying not to show it. There was no way she was familiar with the Miraculous on her neck, and Calamity wasn’t sure what she had been told.

“Tempest,” Calamity said, taking a step towards her. “I’m not going to fight you.”

Plagg was raging inside Calamity’s mind, angry and in pain, and she tried to keep her expression gentle. She held out a hand, and Tempest whipped the sword around towards it, pointing the end of the blade at the empty hand.

“I’m not going to surrender!” Tempest growled, clearly taking her words the wrong way.

She came closer. “You’re just a child, I’m not fighting you.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m not capable! I– I was chosen! I will– st-stay back!” Her voice rose as Calamity came closer, and they pointed the sword at her chest once more. Calamity hesitated once more, before taking one more step forward. “Wind Dragon!”

She heard the rushing of wind before she felt it– the powerful gale slamming into her at hurricane force. Calamity found herself swept off of her feet and sent flying through the air. She heard the sound of her own body hitting brick, pain pulsing through her as she fell down onto the roof. Calamity panted as she pushed herself to her feet, and she knew that if she hadn’t been in the suit she wouldn’t be able to do so.

She looked up at Tempest, who was watching her with wide eyes, as if she was taking in what she had done. Calamity reached into her cloak as she stood, drawing out her baton just in case Tempest came rushing at her with her sword. This of course only made the girl more tense, backing up as she raised the weapon.

A shadow fell across Calamity, and she spun about on a heel, raising her baton– metal clanging against metal. She let out a grunt as she forced her new attacker back, who did a flip and landed on their first.

It was a boy– no older than Tempest. His green eyes were bright as they regarded her, blond hair wild and messy. He wore a lavender mask on his face, shaped like the wings of a butterfly, rimmed with a deep blue. A cape of the same indigo fell across his shoulders, the outfit underneath a light purple. Cuffs shaped like butterflies were attached to his wrists and ankles, darker, but not as deep as the black gloves and boots. On his chest where the cape fit around his neck was a small brooch– a purple gem in the center, with strips of lavender cloth flaring out as wings.

“Are you okay?” The boy called behind Calamity, to Tempest, his eyes not leaving her. 

“Yes, thank you, um–?”

“Papillon will do for now,” Papillon replied, hand resting on the crystal that topped his cane in his grasp. The rest was silver, and right below the crystal there was metalwork that looked like the guard of a sword– in the shape of a butterfly. “You must be the partner my kwami told me about?”

Kwami– confirming that these were indeed Miraculouses they wore. And partner– suggesting that these would be the only two that she would be facing. Calamity risked taking her eyes off of Papillon for a moment, glancing over her shoulder back at Tempest, who was getting closer, sword still in hand.

“Y-yeah. I’m Tempest” Tempest said uneasily. “Just Tempest.”

“Ooo, that sounds cool,” Papillon said with a grin. “I’m going to have to up my game now, aren’t I? That can come later– we’re supposed to be taking care of Calamity Dusk here.”

“Don’t let her get too close– she can destroy with a single touch of her hand!”

“I haven’t destroyed anything,” Calamity said, gritting her teeth. “What you saw earlier was an illusion– I’m not here to hurt anyone.”

“We won’t be deceived with any flattering words!” Papillon said, gripping his cane with two hands. “My kwami told me what you did, stealing the Black Cat Miraculous– and we won’t stop until you give it back!”

Steal? She knew that she most certainly hadn’t– but did the other kwamis believe such? Plagg had seemed like such a free spirit, and she wasn’t sure how this tale came to be. Plagg hadn’t been stolen beforehand, right? And she just happened to find him after that?

“Ooo– awesome!” Papillon suddenly said, and for a half second it looked like his cane could expand like her baton– but rather what had looked like a cane was a silver sheath, and Papillon was pulling out a rapier sword from within. He held it up for a second with a grin, before tucking the silver sheath away, and holding out the rapier as if he had done it a hundred times before.

He definitely seemed the most confident out of the two of them.

“Er– what’s your power?” Tempest asked as they circled her, both blades pointed at her.

Why don’t I get a sword? Calamity thought to herself, though she didn’t know if Plagg could hear her complaints. He was alert in her mind, though, she could sense him taking in everything as she looked about, shifting so as to not let any one of them out of her sight.

“I, um– didn’t wait that long?” Papillon said, giving an uneasy smile.

“You what?!”

“Well, um, I kind of transformed as soon as I knew the transformation words?”

“You didn’t let your kwami finish telling you everything?!”

“Hey– if I would have waited longer, Calamity Dusk here would have gotten the upper hand!” Papillon said defensively.

“Besides,” Calamity said, drawing all attention back to her as she spoke up. “Maybe you shouldn’t be speaking so freely of your abilities where someone you don’t trust can hear you.” She glanced at Papillon. “You clearly have the Butterfly Miraculous. As for you, girl… wind powers? I don’t know what animal, though.”

She hesitated for a second, as if she wasn’t sure if she should answer. “...Dragon Miraculous.”

“Okay– then we got a Ladybug, Fox, Peacock, Black Cat, Dragon, and Butterfly Miraculous here in Paris,” Calamity said. “And I can tell you, I’m not the one after your Miraculous. If anything, it’s the Peacock you got to watch out for– he tried to snag mine. As for the Ladybug, I would say don’t trust him either– but I’m assuming he sent you?”

Tempest hesitated. “My kwami told me who I can trust. And if you don’t hand over that stolen Miraculous, we’ll take it by force.”

“My kwami talked to me too– and he told me to protect his Miraculous,” she carefully shuffled back, hoping to break their circling and get them in front of her. “He’s with me of his own free will– was sly about the whole thing, actually. I have no intentions of fighting you or anyone else… but I will not let this Miraculous leave my hand.”

“Force it is, then,” Papillon said, slashing the air with his rapier a few times. “We are the protectors of Paris, and we won’t stand by and let you attack.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t intend to stand by, either,” Calamity said, feeling the edge of the roof behind her. She didn’t say any other word– simply stepping off and letting herself fall towards the ground.

She heard their shouting, and she twisted to make sure she landed smoothly– before taking off running down the street. There was no point in trying to find the illusions now. Right now, she needed to get away from these children, then find a place to detransform and talk to Plagg so they could figure out what to do next.

They were following after her, though, running parallel across rooftops, keeping pace as she darted down the sidewalk, those in front of her practically diving out of the way to avoid her. Her eyes darted around the buildings, trying to get a sense of where she was. She had managed to slip away from both the Ladybug and the Peacock– but that had been at night, and they hadn’t been working alongside anyone else.

Turning to fight them wasn’t an option, though– these were just children after all. So she only kept running, trying to use her agility to her advantage. And while they weren’t quite as agile as her, Tempest was far faster than Calamity had expected, and Papillon had an unnatural grace, jumping over large gaps with ease, always landing lightly on his feet, as if gravity didn’t have as firm of a hold on him.

She looked at the baton in her hand– lacking a blade like their weapon– but it did have an advantage. Her hand pressed against the expand button, holding it down as she slammed the end against the edge of the roof– launching herself far into the air. It went from the size of a staff to a pole in moments, rocketing her far up above the buildings, and forward many lengths. She shot a quick glance over her shoulder at the heroes as she fell, both of whom had stopped in sheer surprise.

Calamity shrunk the baton down a bit, reangling it so it was below her, catching on the ground in an alleyway, before she let it shrink down the rest of the way– perfectly lowering her into the alley. “Claws in.”

Green light danced about her, the costume vanishing as soon as her feet touched the ground. Nathalie didn’t even pause– grabbing Plagg from the air as he came tumbling out of her ring, rushing forward despite the aches that covered her body. She tumbled out onto the streets, which were far emptier than usual, before scrambling into the nearest shop– and it seemed that others had taken shelter here from the illusions as well.

No one said anything to her, barely giving her a glance, and she sagged against the wall. Her suit had taken the worst of the blow, but the ‘Wind Dragon’ had still hurt. She glanced down at her purse, where Plagg stared back– eyes void of any of the answers she was seeking.

Everyone in the shop was silent for several minutes, as if they were afraid to say a word. Everyone was looking down at their phones, waiting for any news. The fact that the heroes hadn’t rushed in there meant that they hadn’t seen her detransform, and she wasn’t sure if they were still out there looking for her.

A gasp filled the air– and Nathalie looked up in time to see a wave of bright pink light rushing down the street. She froze up as she watched it seep through the cracks of the door, swiftly engulfing everyone. Those within shrieked and scrambled back, while Nathalie nervously held out her hand, looking at the glowing red images within the light.

Ladybugs.

She was naturally on edge, but as the light hit her, she felt no dread. It rushed about her, warm and soft, the pain pounding through her body fading away as the glow enveloped her. She closed her eyes, letting out a shaky sigh of relief, and just as swiftly as the light had come… it was gone.

“Is it over?” A small little girl asked, breaking the silence, looking up at her mothers– neither of whom replied.

Nathalie glanced out at the streets, then back at those with her. “I… I think it is.”

The light had come like a finale– swift, bright, and bold– a final act. She wasn’t sure if the kids were still out there, but with no ‘villain’ to chase, the fight had no choice but to come to an end. It was over– for now.

Chapter Text

“The light you saw is what is known as a power called the ‘Miraculous Ladybug’,” Tempest told the cameras that were pointed up at her– both from news channels and those being recorded from phones. “This light has the power to recreate, to heal harm that was done during a duration of an attack. All that Calamity Dusk did has been restored.”

“But that doesn’t mean she won’t come back,” Indigo Papillon said, stepping up next to his partner– the ‘indigo’ he had added when the cameras had asked who he was. “She is dangerous, wielding powers that she has stolen– and when she rears her head again, we’ll be there to stop her.”

“We were chosen to do this,” Tempest said, swallowing. “Calamity Dusk is dangerous– if you see her, do not approach her. She wields the power of Destruction, and she’s not afraid to use it.”

“That healing light– the Miraculous Ladybugs–” Someone asked, stepping forward. “Where do they come from?”

The two ‘heroes’ shared a glance. “...From someone we can trust. They cannot fight themselves, but they will make sure this city does not have to suffer for what Calamity Dusk has done.”

More questions were clamored at them– but Nathalie was done watching. She turned off her phone, laying back on her bed, letting out a long sigh. It had been a day since the attack, and it was only now she had managed to watch the interview the heroes had given afterwards. They didn’t seem too sure with their answers, as if repeating what they had simply been told without knowing it for themselves.

“How dare he!” Plagg raged. “Children– he sent out children! The coward– the hypocrite!”

“So the Ladybug holder gave them those Miraculouses?” Nathalie said. “And the Miraculous Ladybug, I’m guessing that’s his power, right?

“At least he still has some decency to not leave this place in ruins,” Plagg muttered, glancing at her. “Yeah. Right on both fronts.”

“Could… could he send more Miraculous holders?” Nathalie asked hesitantly. She wasn't sure how many there were, but considering there was a Fox Miraculous that could mean yet another enemy.

“...Technically, yes,” Plagg said quietly, still fuming. “But I don’t think he would. He wants control– and handing out more would weaken what control he has. He was clever with his choices– the Dragon is powerful, the Butterfly can create allies– and both would give children a longer timer thanks to how the powers work. Children are less likely to turn against him, and he can make sure we’re outnumbered…”

“...So I guess this is it, then?” Nathalie said, her phone beeping to alert her to the many updates the Herowatch blog was posting. “No more going out as Calamity– because they think we’re villains.”

“Well, to be fair, you named yourself ‘Calamity’,” Plagg said, crossing his paws.

“You gave me the power of Destruction.”

“Touché,” Plagg replied, lowering his head, thinking. “...We can’t go into hiding, that won’t work– he’ll try to smoke us out. He knows I’m active.”

Nathalie glanced at him. “What do you want us to do, then?”

“...With him using Miraculous Ladybug, that means it will be safe to use Cataclysm,” Plagg said slowly. “We can use our powers without fear of permanently destroying something. I think… we need to fight back.”

Nathalie sat straight up. “You want me to fight those children?!”

“...We need to get their Miraculouses,” Plagg said, looking away. “The kwamis– they must know where the Guardian is hiding. If we can find him, we can get all of the Miraculouses out of the wrong hands– this is an opportunity we can’t waste!”

“What makes you think those kwamis would help us– you heard what those children said, their kwamis are on the Guardian’s side,” she eyed him. “You seem to be the only one who’s not.”

Plagg’s ears went back. “Trust me, kid, none of those kwamis are on his side. They’re the ones that helped me escape.”

“Then why are they telling those kids to trust the Guardian, then?” Nathalie snapped, and she paused. “Wait, if you were with the Guardian, then don’t you know where he is?”

“You think I haven’t tried that already?” Plagg growled. “As soon as you let me out I went back to where he had been staying– but he had left! He must have fled the moment he knew I was gone!”

“Why don’t we just stay hidden, then?”

“Do you want to leave the other Miraculouses in his hands?” Plagg asked, tail curling. “We can’t leave them in his hands.”

“I don’t know what I want or what I should do!” Nathalie cried. “I never asked for this, I don’t want to fight literal children! I– I don’t know – okay?”

She turned away without looking at the kwami, breathing heavily. Just when she thought she could fully accept what was happening, something new happened. Something that made her question what she was doing. She– she couldn’t do this! She couldn’t go out with the city thinking she was evil! Fighting children that didn’t know better– this was so messed up!

“...Would it hurt to at least try?” Plagg asked softly.

“...I’ll try to get the Miraculouses from them,” Nathalie muttered. “But I won’t hurt them, I can’t hurt children.”

“Good,” Plagg said, landing on her head. “Children should have never been dragged into this mess in the first place.”

For some reason, Nathalie was sure that he wasn’t talking about Tempest and Indigo Papillon at the moment– but she didn’t have the heart to ask what he meant. So instead, she pushed herself to her feet, approaching the mirror that hung on the wall, twisting the ring on her finger.

“Can the Miraculous Ladybug really reverse a Cataclysm?” She asked, remembering how he had described the powers. “I mean… if I use it for real, then they truly would have every reason to think I am a villain.”

“They already do,” Plagg said bluntly. “It’s too late for that, kid. Right now you need to focus on winning.”

“...This isn’t adding up,” Nathalie said, looking at Plagg suspiciously. “Why do you think this Guardian has abandoned his duty? The other kwamis don’t seem to think so– or else they wouldn’t be helping Tempest and Indigo Papillon, right?”

Plagg hesitated.

“You’re keeping something from me,” Nathalie said, gritting her teeth. “I’m trusting you, but you’re not trusting me.”

“If you trust me, then you shouldn’t be worrying.”

“That’s not how this works!” Nathalie snapped at the kwami. “You’re expecting me to blindly do what you say when what I know doesn’t align with that. As I see it, I might be fighting someone that may be right about you not being trustworthy and you’re just manipulating me– isn’t that how all fae are in stories?”

“You can’t give my Miraculous back to him!” Plagg shouted, eyes widening with fear– genuine fear. “You think what he’s done so far is bad– you have no idea what will happen after!”

“Then why are their kwamis okay with this?” Nathalie asked quietly. “What’s the difference between them and you?”

Plagg’s face twisted into an expression that Nathalie couldn’t read. Perhaps it was an emotion that she couldn’t comprehend, if the kwami was as ancient as he claimed, or maybe there was just too much conflict in his heart. His ears were flat against his head, his expression not angry, however. Pained, if she had to put a word to it– but that in itself wasn’t enough to describe him.

“...They don’t have a choice,” Plagg whispered.

“What?”

“The other kwamis… they’re being forced into this,” Plagg whispered, tail curling tightly around him. “We kwamis, we have to… we have to obey…”

“...What?”

Plagg snapped, pupils slits. “I have to do whatever you say, okay! That’s how it is for us kwamis– whoever holds our Miraculous can inflict orders onto us! We’re compelled to obey– and there’s nothing we can do about it, unless someone frees us from the orders or that holder dies!” He tugged at his ears. “They don’t have a choice in all this, none of them do, I was the only one that was able to get away before I was bound with any more orders– they’re probably under so many orders that it’s warped the very way they’re interacting with their holders!”

“Plagg–”

“Because if those kids genuinely think they’re heroes, they’ll fight you with everything they’ve got to get me back, not realizing just how much harm will be caused!” He cried. “I know what it’s like to have a holder that compels your every move– and now they’re going through the same thing by someone who was supposed to protect us! Probably wearing smiles in front of those children like everything is fine and unable to do a thing about it!”

He turned to look at her, breathing heavily, eyes brimming with tears.

“There,” he spat. “Now you know. I surrendered knowledge that could take away my very freedom– are you happy now?”

Nathalie stared at him. “That’s… that’s awful.”

“We just need to get the Miraculouses they have and you can free the other kwamis from their orders,” Plagg said desperately. “If those kids are good souls, they wouldn’t keep them contained. They don’t know what they’re doing, they have no idea they’re being used, they have to not know...”

Nathalie swallowed. “So I don’t need to fight them or defeat them, I just need to be able to claim their Miraculous. Just for a few moments, that’s all we need.” Her fingers tapped against her leg. “But that doesn’t explain why the Guardian is doing all of this, why he wants your Miraculous so badly. Surely it isn’t Destruction he wants– or he wouldn’t be using that Miraculous Ladybug power, right?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“What could be worse than me knowing that I can control you?” Nathalie asked, and Plagg flinched. “What knowledge would you want to keep from me that badly– especially if I could theoretically order it out from you?”

Toxic green eyes fell onto her, and Nathalie felt shivers run up her back. He was no larger than a kitten, but the kwami in that moment… he looked like something else. Ancient. Dangerous. Unspeakable. She couldn’t help but pull back at the raw glare he was giving her, the bitterness in his eyes shooting right through her.

She opened her mouth to speak, but she could say nothing– no words felt right. The wrong thing couldn’t fall from her lips, not with the dangerous aura radiating from him. He was powerful, and the anger he showed was powerful enough.

If the orders were true, then he would be at her whim, wouldn’t he? Simple orders to never harm her, and she wouldn’t have to fear. What secrets would there be to keep if he had no leverage over her? What was the true extent of these powers?

But if Plagg saw the knowledge that could take away his very own freedom as less dangerous and less of a secret than whatever this Guardian was seeking– was that something she truly wanted to know?

She felt sick as she sat there, the two still staring at each other, and she swallowed. She had never had a reason to fear the kwami before, she had been wary, at one point, but never in danger. He had chosen to stay here, and seemed determined to. He slept on her pillow and ate from her hand. He had become a companion in a way that neither human nor animal could. He was something else, and it was surprisingly easy to forget that.

“...I’m sorry for even suggesting that,” Nathalie said quietly. “The lack of freedom... is a terrible fate, and I would never inflict that on someone.” She took in a deep breath. “I trust you, Plagg, that has not changed. And if what this Guardian is seeking is truly this terrible… I won’t ask you what it is again.”

“Thank you,” Plagg said quietly, tension still in the air.

“I can promise you that I will never force you to do anything against your will,” Nathalie said.

The kwami snorted. “Afraid it’s going to take more than that, lady.”

Nathalie watched him for a moment, but his gaze was nothing like it was before– and she doubted that he was truly upset. “...What about a wheel of camembert?”

The smallest of grins spread across his face. “Now we’re talking, kid.”

“What do you think of the heroes, Nathalie?” Adrien asked, grinning as he sat down at the dining room table, barely paying attention to the food in front of him. Nathalie froze up slightly at the question, glancing at Adrien.

Excited, eager, grinning ear to ear– he saw the heroes as the Guardian wanted the heroes to be seen. She hesitated, wondering how exactly she should answer him. She carefully pulled out a seat, setting her tablet on the table as she got settled, Adrien’s eyes never leaving her, and she cleared her throat.

“Well, it most certainly is a lot to take in,” Nathalie said slowly. “People with powers, well, who knows how those can be used, I think we should be cautious before we make any judgments.”

Adrien’s expression immediately fell, and Nathalie’s heart picked up a bit. Of course the presence of heroes would be something he found exciting, and in anyone else’s eyes, being skeptical was probably strange. So she forced a smile, which usually wasn’t forced when around Adrien, trying to look reassuring.

“Just never hurts to be cautious,” she said gently. “But I am sure that these people mean us no harm.”

“Of course not,” Adrien agreed. “They’re heroes, they’re going to protect everyone, there’s nothing to worry about, Nathalie.”

“Magic is not a game,” A cool voice snapped. “And the fact that it is running about the city unchecked is not a good thing.”

Nathalie was just as surprised as Adrien to see Gabriel entering the dining room– the man had requested privacy these last few days, and Nathalie had not seen her boss outside of things that had involved the company. She had assumed that he had perhaps been engrossed in a design of some kind, but seeing him now it was clear that was not the case.

Nobody else might have noticed any difference, as Gabriel was dressed as always– suit perfectly ironed, hair gelled, face stern– but Nathalie and Adrien knew the man well. They could see the slight twitch in his face, the exhausted look in his eyes, and the unusual tension that seemed to surround him. Something they didn’t usually see, except for on days when a big show was coming up, or the vast stress of his personal life had reached their limit.

She wasn’t sure what had caused this.

“Would you like me to order you something from the kitchen, sir?” Nathalie asked.

“I will eat later,” Gabriel replied, his gaze falling onto Adrien. “I came here to talk with my son.”

“Is everything alright, Father?” Adrien asked, green eyes locked on Gabriel. He looked nervous, not fearful, but clearly expecting the worst.

“...With what happened a few days ago, with these… magic users,” Gabriel said slowly, and Adrien’s hand grabbed his button up shirt. “I am concerned with your safety out in public–”

“That’s not fair!” Adrien cried, pushing himself to his feet. “Y-you said I could go to school, you can’t take it back!”

“Adrien–”

“I won’t let you take me out of school!” Adrien cried. “You said, you promised, you–!”

“Do not raise your voice at me!” Gabriel snapped, and Adrien immediately fell silent. “I am aware of what I said– but things are different now. We are looking at what could possibly be a real threat and I’m not comfortable with throwing you out on the streets with this happening.”

“What exactly has happened?” Nathalie asked, normally she would have stayed silent– but she had not put all this effort to get Adrien into class just to have it snatched from him barely a week into school. “Those people ran about on rooftops– and then some sparkly light came and fixed everything. I failed to see how this involves Adrien’s schooling.”

“Because anything could happen out there–” Gabriel began.

“And anything could happen in here,” Nathalie said, shrugging. “What’s to stop one of those heroes from crashing into here? What would stop Calamity from leveling the walls?”

“That is besides the point,” Gabriel snapped.

“I fail to see how it is,” Nathalie said. “What’s happening here in Paris is happening– and whether Adrien is here or at school, he’s still in Paris.”

“Y-yeah, Father,” Adrien said, hesitating. “And if I’m at school, I’ll be with more people, safety in numbers. Safety measures in place. I’ll– I’ll be extra careful, I’ll–”

“Adrien,” Gabriel muttered, rubbing his forehead. “This isn’t about taking you out of school– this is about your safety. I’m not suggesting this to get you back home, it’s because I… I don’t ever want to experience you not coming home.”

His voice cracked slightly as he spoke, emotion slipping through his mask, and his hands tightened. Adrien fell silent, well aware of the heaviness that was setting into the room. He lowered his head slightly, and Nathalie reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Why don’t we wait to see what happens?” She said softly, looking up at Gabriel. “Before we make any rash decisions?”

She didn’t get a verbal reply, but in the moment, the nod was enough. Gabriel turned and hurried from the room, while Adrien poked at his plate with a fork. It was far from what Nathalie hoped– but for the moment, Adrien was still in school, and no sudden decisions had been made. She carefully pulled her hand back from Adrien, and turned her attention towards her tablet until it was time for Adrien to leave for school.

It would have been nice for the rest of the day to be quiet– but a few hours of peace was all she got until the news reported yet another illusion of Calamity moving about.

“A little heads up about the Butterfly’s powers would have been nice,” Calamity Dusk muttered to Plagg as she moved across rooftops– a blast of light being launched to her right.

She could imagine the little glutton’s voice saying: Well, you didn’t ask , as she sprang forward once more, making sure that her pursuer didn’t catch up. She looked behind her as she moved, catching sight of the ‘champion’ once more.

The champion went by the name of Lady Wifi, a phone in her hand, a mask on her face, and a wifi signal on her outfit. She was able to move just as nimbly as the heroes that followed in her wake, all three of them having a sole focus on her. From her phone, Lady Wifi was able to launch glowing symbols from the screen– a lock having blocked an exit Calamity had tried to slip through, and when a pause symbol had frozen a pigeon after hitting it, Calamity knew that it would be all over if one hit her.

Indigo Papillon’s powers had been mostly unknown to the public, while Tempest had shown off her wind abilities already. So when Indigo had created what looked like a small butterfly from thin air, lavender in color, Calamity hadn’t been sure what to expect as it flew about– but to her surprise, it hadn’t drifted towards her.

Instead, it had descended into the crowd below, where some people were watching the battle instead of taking shelter, and the butterfly had merged with the phone of the girl from the Herowatch blog, a glowing mask having appeared over her face. With a bit of eager nodding, she had become consumed by a light, having been transformed into Lady Wifi and joining the fight.

“Don’t worry, Indigo!” Lady Wifi said eagerly, that glowing mask over her face once more. “I’m gaining on her!”

Indigo clearly had some form of communication between himself and his champion, because with her enhanced hearing, Calamity Dusk knew she would have heard whatever Indigo said with far more ease than this Lady Wifi. Telepathy, maybe? That had to be a thing, seeing everything else that had happened.

“Wind Dragon!” A voice shouted behind her, and instantly Calamity gripped her baton tighter, ready to brace herself for when the blast of wind came at her– but she did not feel any such gale. Instead, the rush of air barreled past her, the whirlwind of air cutting in front of her, blocking her path.

From the wind, a solid shape began to materialize, Tempest standing in the midst as the tempest began to die down. Calamity’s eyes widened in surprise, barely managing to bring her baton up in time to block the red blade coming down at her. The weapons clashed, Calamity stumbling back as she tried to keep her balance. Her enhanced hearing made her aware of those coming up behind her. She expanded her baton, slamming it into the stomach of Tempest to knock her back, before turning to face Indigo and his champion.

“We got you cornered now, villain,” Lady Wifi declared, face triumphant as she landed, fingers hovering above her phone. Calamity leapt just as the Champion’s fingers flew across the screen, a glowing symbol being fired at where she stood. The pause symbol latched onto a leaf that had been at her feet instead, which became frozen in place, even with the sweeping of Calamity’s coat as she landed.

“Lady Wifi is right,” Indigo said, and she looked over her shoulder at him. His cane was in hand, but he was making no move to attack. “If you hand over your Miraculous right now, we can keep this peaceful, we don’t have to fight.”

“I agree– we don’t have to fight,” Calamity Dusk said, her eyes constantly sweeping between the three of them, who seemed surprised by her words. She saw the champion as the biggest threat, ready to launch another pause symbol towards her. “I don’t want to fight you, I never did. I have nothing against this city.”

Tempest’s hands tightened around her sword. “And so you attacked the city?”

“That was an illusion.”

Lady Wifi fired another of the glowing symbols towards Calamity, who did not have time to leap away. So instead she held out her ringed hand, shouting: “Cataclysm!”

Dark energy immediately surged out from the ring, surrounding her glove. As the symbol hit her it flickered, before it appeared to shatter, rendering Lady Wifi’s attack ineffective. Her breathing was slightly ragged, having not known if it would work or not, but with her freedom of movement still intact, she could relax, slightly.

However her sudden attack seemed to have put the heroes on edge, shattering the tense moment of stillness. Indigo lunged forward, and she turned to meet him with her baton. She called for another Cataclysm, wanting to be ready for another attack from the champion. Cane and baton clashed, only for a blow to strike her in the back. She was sent stumbling, Papillon swiftly retreating from her as she fell forward.

She caught herself with her baton, her hand slamming down onto a chimney to keep her balance– which instantly began to crumble under her touch. She swore under her breath, expanding her baton to push herself to her feet, barely managing to summon another Cataclysm to destroy the incoming attack from Lady Wifi– before springing away, grateful that the Destruction didn’t spread past the chimney, save for a few cracks.

She reached the edge of the roof, a wide stretch of street in front of her. She looked out, looking for the best place to go– only for a flash of purple below her to catch her attention. Her eyes went wide as she saw Lady Wifi– as there was no way she could have gotten there that quickly, and pulled back from the edge of the roof just in time to avoid the symbols that were flying from her phone.

“Not one more step,” Tempest growled, her voice laced with a confidence her eyes didn’t reflect. Her sword was pointed right at her. “Or else I’ll give you a real taste of my power. Just take off the ring.”

Her eyes quickly landed on Indigo as he landed not far from Tempest, and she sighed. It seemed that intimidation was their main card to play, not flat-out attacking– but that made sense with her hand able to summon Destructive energy. If that was enough to keep them back though…

“Tempest,” Calamity said in a low voice as she stepped forward. “We’re not going to get anywhere like this– you need to listen to me–”

“Stay away from her!” Indigo shouted– but Calamity merely took another step.

“–I just want to talk–” She continued, but she was cut off by a cry from Tempest.

  “Lightning Dragon!”

Static filled the air, and electricity danced across the red blade in Tempest’s hand a moment before Calamity realized what was about to happen– and a burst of lightning flared out from the end of the blade, bright and burning, hitting Calamity right in the chest. Pain coursed through her as she was sent back, right off the edge of the roof and down onto the streets below. Hair stood on end as she hit the cement, breath knocked out of her as muscles twitched and spasmed. Her head could barely look up at the figures coming towards her, weapons at the ready.

She tried to move, but could only manage jerky twitches. She rolled over, hand attempting to stretch out for her baton, but it was out of reach. She tried to stand, but her body had yet to gather the strength to do so. It was only thanks to her suit that she was even conscious, but the strike had simply been overwhelming.

A shadow fell across her, a figure landing in front of her. Nathalie looked up as much as she could, and saw a swaying teal coat in front of her. Eyes widened in recognition, and she forced herself onto her side, strength slowly starting to return despite her pain.

Cobalt Plume stood in front of her, a fan held out defensively in one hand. For a moment, there was a stillness– and then Lady Wifi spoke.

“You!” She cried in recognition. “You were that one spotted on the roof!”

“What are you doing here?” Indigo asked.

Cobalt Plume shrugged, as if he wasn’t too sure himself. “Evening the odds, I suppose. Three against one seems a bit unfair, don’t you think?”

“Two against three is still in our favor,” Lady Wifi said, firing a symbol– which the Peacock dodged when a simple flip, landing on his feet and running forward. He lashed out with his fan, knocking the phone from Lady Wifi’s hand, sending her bolting after it before it could hit the ground. Indigo and Tempest moved forward to face the new threat, and he took up a defensive position.

At this point, Calamity had pushed herself to her feet, still slightly stunned from the lightning strike, but fairly good considering that. She grabbed her baton, gritting her teeth at the sight of the Peacock holder in front of her. His eyes met hers, completely calm, just raising his fan overhead.

Indigo Papillon moved first, hand gripping the top of a crystal on his cane, and the sound of metal filled the air– a sword being pulled from the cane. Cobalt moved forward to meet the blade with no hesitation with only a fan in his hand, skillfully bringing it down near the hilt of the sword, bringing his opponent close and inhibiting the movement of his sword as he twisted the fan. He lashed out with a kick, knocking him away, turning just in time to bring his fan up to block a strike from Tempest, parrying the blade with ease. But knocking his opponents away didn’t leave them down for the count, and both Indigo and Lady Wifi were moving forward once more.

A shadow fell across them, a rush of wings being heard from above. A large shape came diving down from the sky, long taloned feet stretched out, raking across Papillon’s chest; while a wing hit Lady Wifi. The large avian figure then banked about, swooping up and landing on the roof above, looking down on them.

“There,” Cobalt said with a satisfied smirk. “Three against three– much more fair, don’t you think? Grace, take care of them, would you?”

The bird was giant, but elegant in appearance. She had a long slender neck, head topped with a corona of lavender feathers. The rest of her form was a light sky blue, almost white, with an iridescent sheen of purple as she spread open her wings. She had long plumage in her tail, soft and feathery, a rainbow of soft blues, purples, and greens. Grace seemed to shine as she stood there, feathers opened– and suddenly she was blinding, light radiating from her. Calamity immediately turned away from the flare, and she could hear the rushing of wings as the bird came swooping down.

A hand grabbed Calamity’s arm, stabilizing her as she froze in their grip. Her eyes snapped open to see Cobalt Plume standing there, looking down at her. “Are you okay, Dusk?”

She pulled her arm out of his grasp, stumbling slightly as she glowered at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Cobalt narrowed his eyes at her. “Helping you– what do you think?”

Grace was swooping away from the heroes, feathers shimmering as she rose up into the air– but instead of a blinding burst of light, she seemed to vanish into thin air. Calamity gripped her baton, eyes scanning the sky– but the giant bird was nowhere in sight.

“Do you know what item hosts the butterfly?” Cobalt Plume asked.

“What?” She snapped, but a casual conversation couldn’t be maintained– both of them diving out of the way of the glowing symbols from Lady Wifi. She turned her attention towards Indigo Papillon as he was the nearest, and he came rushing at her with his sword. Baton and blade met once– and that was all it took for Papillon to get the upper hand.

He moved forward with keen focus, sword moving through the air with clear skill. Within seconds he had it hooked about her weapon, twisting her hand in a direction it was not meant to go, forcing her to release her baton. It clattered to the ground, and Indigo kicked it away, and brought his sword about once more.

Then Cobalt was there, using his fan to block the next blow. He eased his way into the fight as if it were a dance, and if it wasn’t clear before, he was by far the most skilled when it came to the powers he wielded. He pressed his finger against the base of his fan, where it split into two, and he held one in each hand. Calamity let him have the fight, rushing for her fallen baton instead.

“A butterfly was infused with an item on the champion!” Cobalt called as he fought. “Breaking it will rid the champion of her powers– we need to find it.”

“What part of this involves ‘we’?!” She snarled back, turning her attention towards Tempest– because with the frustration running through her, she actually felt the urge to fight. It was satisfying to swing her baton towards the sword, not aiming for the hero, just the weapon. They clashed together several times, like they were simply trying to create sound with each strike.

“Oh, do you want to do this alone?” Cobalt muttered. She couldn’t see him, their backs were facing each other as they focused on blocking the strikes coming their way.

“I don’t need your help!” She snarled. “Cataclysm!”

 The destructive energy swallowed up the symbol from Lady Wifi once more, and Calamity felt herself becoming drained. Not a weariness in her muscles, which still ached from the lightning, but the energy around her seemed to have been sapped– she had summoned her powers several times, and it seemed she was reaching the end of what she could manage for this fight.

“Grace– keep that champion distracted!” Cobalt snapped– and a screech could be heard from above. “I’m just trying to make up for bothering you!”

There was a cacophony of noise around them– the heroes calling to each other, Calamity and Cobalt’s shouts, the weapons clashing, Grace’s screeches– but each was only focused on their own conversation. Lady Wifi looked towards the sky, bracing herself for an attack, but Grace came swooping in from behind, turning visible at the very last moment, talons wrapping around Lady Wifi’s shoulders.

“Well, you’re bothering me right now!” Calamity snarled, and swung her baton like a bat– knocking the sword from Tempest’s grasp. The heroine froze up, and seemed surprised that Calamity didn’t strike right away now that she was weaponless.

Her eyes scanned Tempest, wondering what the Miraculous would be– and settled for the choker on her neck. Calamity lunged forward, not sure what she was doing, just knowing that she needed that Miraculous, and Tempest’s eyes widened.

“Water Dragon!” She cried, and moments before Calamity’s hand would have made contact, Tempest had completely turned to water, dissolving as she swept herself away, rushing towards her sword, which was caught up in the stream of water.

“You would be in the back of a police car if I hadn’t shown up!” Cobalt snapped.

“So why help the bad guy, then?” She growled back, watching as Tempest reformed. A beeping filled the air as she did so, and the hero touched her choker, looking on edge.

“Oh– we both know you’re not like that!”

“You don’t know anything about me!”

A high pitched cry filled the air, and all eyes turned to the sky, where Grace was carrying Lady Wifi in her claws. Within her beak she had seized the champion’s phone, and with all eyes on her she let the device fall. Lady Wifi twisted in her grasp, trying to reach it, but it was spiraling towards the ground.

It instantly shattered as it made contact with the cement, pieces scattering across the road. From the remains, a small shape formed, a pure white butterfly slowly fluttering up into the sky. It seemed to dissolve as it did so, fading away, and up in the clutches of Grace purple energy melted away from Lady Wifi– leaving the Herowatch blogger in their place. With her powers gone, she clutched at Grace’s legs, who was hovering in the air.

Another beeping filled the air– this time coming from the brooch that Indigo Papillon wore.

“Alya!” Tempest shouted, and immediately abandoned the fight to climb the building, trying to get height. Grace banked about, gliding towards the nearest roof, letting go of the civilian with no hesitation, who pushed herself to her feet as she was deposited on the roof, panting. Grace’s violet gaze then turned, locking onto the Dragon holder– and she dove to attack.

“Only a few minutes left,” Cobalt said, turning his attention towards Indigo, both fans held out in front of him. “So, what will it be? Stay here and reveal your identities– or flee?”

Indigo gritted his teeth, and Cobalt let out a sigh. He snapped his fingers, and instantly Grace’s attention turned away from Tempest, who had been swinging her sword at her. The large bird turned, diving and landing next to Cobalt Plume, head craned up as it locked onto the new threat.

Indigo Papillon didn’t seem to know what to do, but the decision appeared to have been made for him. A pink light was sweeping down from the skies, following the trail of destruction they had left behind. Calamity instantly tensed as it washed over them, momentarily blinding them, and even as it eased her wounds from the lighting strike, she was still on edge, knowing just whose power it was.

The shattered phone was gone as the light faded, presumably back in the hands of Alya– but they wouldn’t know for sure, as the girl was nowhere in sight as the healing light retreated. She wasn’t the only one gone; the two heroes appearing to have used the moment to slip away with their timers counting down.

She was sure they would be back if she gave them time to recharge, and she had every intention of leaving before that happened. She felt a gaze on her, and she couldn’t help but turn to look at Cobalt Plume, who was standing there with his stupid bird in his stupid costume.

“If you think this will mean that I will give you my ring,” Calamity growled at him. “Then think again.”

He seemed surprised at her words. “I assure you, Dusk, that was not my intention.”

“Even think about following me again,” she said in a low tone, holding up her clawed hand. “Then I’ll give you and that overgrown chicken a taste of what my powers can do.”

She didn’t think she had the energy to summon another Cataclysm, not that she was going to say that to his face. She retreated back a few steps, but he made no effort to follow her. She then turned, running and vaulting up onto the roofs, throwing a glance back over her shoulder to see if he was on her tail.

He wasn’t.

That didn’t stop her from running, though, trying to put as much distance between her and where the battle had taken place. It felt strange to be bolting across rooftops in broad daylight, but she didn’t let that slow her. She kept running until she thought for sure the battleground was far behind her– and she let herself jump down into an alleyway to detransform.

“I’m going to need more cheese if you’re going to fire off Cataclysms every other second,” Plagg grumbled as he came out of the ring, looking exhausted. He landed on her shoulder, huffing. “Give me whatever you have on you– and a whole wheel once we get back home.”

“What did that stupid bird think he was doing?” Nathalie muttered under her breath. “Popping in like nothing happened? Like he’s better than the stupid Ladybug?”’

A piece of cheese was pressed into Plagg’s paws, who ate it in one bite. “You should be glad he and that avatar showed up– we would have been toast otherwise!”

“Yeah, and as soon as we say thank you, he’d say the only way to make it up is with your ring,” Nathalie rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid.”

“Then at least you’d have a good reason to punch him,” Plagg said after a moment.

“Don’t tempt me,” was Nathalie’s reply.

Chapter Text

“What am I even supposed to say to a group of teenagers?” Gabriel muttered, adjusting his tie. “I doubt any of them will be interested in what I have to say.”

“You’d be surprised,” Nathalie replied, a pen moving across several notecards. “I think you’d find that many youths will be interested in how a man created a successful multi-million euro company.”

He frowned. “...So I should talk about the business side of things? Or just how the company was started up?”

“I think the purpose of going is more for the fact of accompanying Adrien to a school event in which all parents will be there, and less presenting a business model,” Nathalie stacked the notecards together, handing them to Gabriel. “I wrote down some of the finer points of the company I feel most would find interesting, so just refer to these and engage with Adrien’s role in the business, and I think his classmates will find your presentation interesting enough.”

Gabriel looked down at the notecards, frowning.

Nathalie sighed. “Sir, remember this isn’t a business meeting or anything of the sort– Adrien just really wants you to be there. Especially after you agreed to let him continue attending there.”

“Yes, he has been talking about this non-stop,” Gabriel mused, eyes flickering across the cards. “He has settled into the school environment quite quickly, hasn’t he?”

“It’s definitely been something he’s wanted.”

Gabriel tucked the notecards away into his suit pocket. “If I am being honest, I was hoping that after a few weeks in school he’d want to be homeschooled again. I suppose that we need to tell his tutors that they won’t need to come back.”

“Already did, sir,” Nathalie replied, pulling her tablet towards her. “After his first week, it was quite clear that he wasn’t about to change his mind.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“You’ve always been fine with me managing Adrien’s schoolwork,” she said simply. “You have a meeting with Bob Roth tonight at eight, by the way. That one I can set up over video call, if you’d like, as he’s not the easiest investor to deal with.”

“So for a business meeting you think video’s fine, but not for some school event?” Gabriel muttered, probably not intending her to hear, but she did with ease. She looked up at him, unimpressed, and he seemed surprised that he had been heard.

“Sir, if you really think showing up virtually when every other student will have a parent there in person is acceptable, then we should probably have a talk. Adrien has been looking forward to this for a long time, and you’ve been going out in person more often– imagine how he’d feel if this was the one thing that kept you behind closed doors once more.”

“I’m trying, Nathalie!” Gabriel snapped. “This hasn’t been easy, mind you! I’ve been trying to be present, trying not to let Emilie’s memory keep me back, but… but I feel like I’m betraying her memory by doing so, sometimes. Leaving her behind.”

Nathalie bit her lip as she looked over what she needed to do– it was starting to pile up. Who knew how only a few battles could back up her schedule like this. It wasn’t as if she found herself facing the heroes daily, but she had been drawn out in costume thanks to the Fox Miraculous more times than she had expected. It didn’t help that Cobalt Plume kept showing up as well, insisting on ‘helping’ her as he got in her way.

But the present conversation was still happening, and Nathalie had to let the worries that came with the ring of Destruction drift to the back of her mind, focusing on Gabriel. He needed her right now, and Adrien needed him, and she needed to support Gabriel to keep him focused, to keep him active in Adrien’s life as he had been as of late.

“I think Emilie wouldn’t want her passing to keep you from living your life, sir,” Nathalie said softly. “Especially if it kept you from Adrien.”

As it has been. She thought, but she didn’t say this outloud. For one, she knew that Gabriel already knew this, and with how much he had been pushing himself as of late, she didn’t want to risk discouragement.

Because the Gabriel she had seen since Adrien had started school was the most she had seen of him in so long. It was him moving forward when he didn’t seem ready to call it just that, because his loyalty to his late wife was fierce, and it was hard to pull himself from that.

“Ezra will be ready to take you to Adrien’s school in twenty minutes,” Nathalie said, as an alert popped up on her tablet. “You should have enough time to mingle with Adrien and the other parents there for a short amount of time. Be sociable; this isn't meant to be a professional environment.”

“I can manage myself in a public space, Nathalie.”

“Of course you can, sir,” Nathalie said, a smirk, thinking back on the many times she had needed to be by his side through such.

“Okay,” Nathalie said, pushing herself away from her computer. “The rest of this can wait until tomorrow, hopefully.”

She had somewhat managed to catch up on her work, and had sent a good amount off to those in other departments to take care of. There was still a good amount in her inbox, but that could wait for another time. So she closed out of those tabs, pulling up the Herowatch blog instead– which had blown up in popularity since Calamity’s first ‘attack’.

Nathalie went to the page about Indigo Papillon’s champions, which featured a list of all of those who had temporarily been gifted powers thanks to the butterflies he summoned. First on the list was, of course, Lady Wifi, the one who ran the blog herself. Then there was Stormy Weather, who, combined with Tempest’s elemental powers, had made for a difficult fight. The Mime who could summon any object he desired just by miming. Fortunately, with her Cataclysm he hadn’t been able to trap her for long.

Then there was the latest champion: the Bubbler, with a bubble wand sword, brightly colored outfit, and a helmet with a visor made of bubble solution. He had been an exhausting champion to fight, having made her burn through as many Cataclysms as she could manage to get out of the bubbles he had trapped them in. It had been especially difficult when he had managed to trap Grace as well, whose talons hadn’t been able to pierce the bubbles.

Grace… the bird had a page all to herself on the Herowatch blog– with a full list of all she could do. The bird could be summoned by Cobalt Plume with a feather from his fan, which Nathalie did not know how that connected to the power of Emotions. Grace could easily carry several people, and could refract light with her feathers– either to hide herself in the sky, or to blind attackers. Of course, her size and talons made for effective weapons, and Nathalie would be lying if she said that the bird hadn’t saved her many times in the fights.

She was tolerable, compared to the one that summoned her. 

“Want to go out for a run?” Plagg said, hovering right by her shoulder– surprising her. She jumped slightly, glancing at the Black Cat.

“In broad daylight? We’ll only attract attention.”

“You can’t keep waiting for the Guardian to create an illusion,” Plagg said, crossing his arms. “Either way, people are going to think you’re making the first move– and we need to get their Miraculouses before the Guardian decides to attempt a different tactic.”

Nathalie looked outside, tapping her fingers against the desk. It had been awhile since she had just gone out on her own, and it was something she missed. But it wouldn’t be like before, not with the entire city now aware of who Calamity Dusk was, with their own image of what she wanted in mind. But if she waited an hour, it would be much darker… not that sneaking about would accomplish what he wanted, but there was a chance she’d still be seen.

“Let’s go out in a little bit,” she said after a moment. “I need to check up on Adrien.”

She pushed herself to her feet, Plagg drifting after her and phasing into her pocket. She silently closed the door behind her, heading down the hall towards Adrien’s room. One of his doors was part-way open, much to her surprise, and she grabbed the handle to enter, but paused as she heard talking.

“Believe it or not, M. Bourgeois was actually very invested in the film industry,” Gabriel said.

“I would have never guessed,” Adrien replied. “I thought our families met through you and Audrey– but Andre and Mom knew each other, too?”

“We all crossed paths quite often,” Gabriel said after a moment, and Nathalie slowly nudged the door open. There was Gabriel and Adrien, sitting on the couch, as a movie played on the TV. Nathalie instantly recognized the black and white scene playing on the screen– Solitude, the movie that Emilie had been the most proud of. 

Her gaze remained on the screen for only a moment; it had been some time since she had seen the film, and Gabriel had locked away the only copy in the house after Emilie had vanished– which was why she was startled to see it on screen at all. Her eyes shifted back towards Gabriel and Adrien, who had fallen silent as they continued to watch the film. Adrien was leaning forward slightly as his eyes remained locked on the movie. Gabriel’s gaze shifted from the screen towards Adrien, watching him for a moment.

He then caught Nathalie out of the corner of his eye, head glancing back towards the door. The two of them held eye contact for a moment. Nathalie gave a small nod, before pulling out of the room, carefully shutting the door behind her.

Calamity Dusk had missed her chimney.

She sat on top of it with a sigh, surprised at just how long it had been since she had found herself up here– as she used to come here every night just to relax. A wry smile tugged on her face, as she no longer considered transforming as a time to relax. Still, she couldn’t help but do so as she sat there, looking out at its view of the Eiffel Tower. The sun was setting, and the tower had yet to be lit with the lights that would give it its golden glow.

A small breeze rushed past, and Calamity couldn’t help but tense up slightly– as wind hadn’t become the best thing when transformed. Of course, such a little breeze was nothing like what Tempest could summon, doing more than rustling paper and leaves about as it whisked by. Calamity frowned slightly, listening to the sound of paper repeatedly hitting brick, and she glanced down.

There was an envelope taped to the side of the chimney, quivering there as the wind died down. She leaned over, plucking it curiously, and the state of the paper suggested it had been out here for some time. Flipping it over revealed no name, and she hesitated for a moment, because there were only a few people who could put such up here. Either someone that worked on the roof, or that had a Miraculous.

She used a claw to open the envelope, before pulling out the paper within. There was a single sheet of paper inside, and as she unfolded it, she found that not much was written on it, the handwriting fancy and familiar. Her eyes scanned across it once, a scowl slowly forming over her face.

Dear Dusk– 

I wish to apologize for my actions the first night we met, and for our second encounter as well. I had promised I wouldn’t follow you, yet I broke that promise at the end of our meeting, and for that I am sorry. I had never met someone with another Miraculous before now, and I hope we can hold a civil conversation in the future.

–Cobalt Plume

“Are you serious?” She said aloud, before tucking the paper back into the envelope. “Cataclysm.”

The destructive energy surged to life at once, instantly consuming the paper into nothing but ashes. It fell into her lap, no wind to whisk it away, and she brushed it off with a scowl. She wasn’t sure what the Peacock was trying to get at, but his persistence was annoying. For someone that claimed to sense emotions, he seemed to be ignorant.

“I can hear you, you know,” Calamity said, as she heard faint footsteps on the roofs behind her– light and swift. She looked over her shoulder, and wasn’t surprised to see Indigo Papillon stiffening up– clearly thinking that he had the element of surprise. She pushed herself to her feet, placing the chimney between them. “Where’s your partner?”

“Like I’d tell you.”

“You don’t know where she is,” Calamity said simply, tilting her head slightly to listen for any other signs of anyone approaching, but there was nothing. 

Indigo swallowed, before opening the gleaming gem on the top of his cane. A lavender butterfly materialized in the center as he muttered something, flying out and spiraling down towards the street. Calamity frowned after it, but reached for her baton, as she wasn’t sure how long it would be until a champion came to act as his back-up.

“You know, it’s not very heroic to force others to join the fight,” Calamity said as the butterfly flew out of sight.

She was talking less about the champions, and more about the young heroes themselves.

“They can say no if they want to,” Indigo replied, gritting his teeth. He was on edge– but it didn’t seem that he was about to make the first move. She frowned, this being new to her– but at the same time, it made sense. Every other attack had been started from the illusions, and so, in his eyes, he had never been the one to lash out first.

“I don’t want to fight you,” she said.

He frowned at her. “For someone that keeps saying that, you haven’t done much to show it.”

“Let me show that now, then,” she said. “Sit down, and let’s talk. No fighting, no attacks, no shouting– just a chance for us to each tell our side of the story.”

She held her breath, not sure if this would work– but this was the first time she had encountered a hero without it leading straight to conflict. She could see Indigo hesitating, considering her words. He closed his eyes, and a purple mask of glowing light appeared in front of his face– a sign that he was communicating with a champion. His eyes snapped open moments later, tensed, as if he had been expecting her to strike.

“Do you really think you can say that after threatening the city?” Indigo asked, drawing his sword from its hidden sheath in the cane. “After attacking it?”

The mask around his face vanished– which probably only meant the champion was on their way. Calamity pushed herself to her feet, baton in hand. He came rushing forward as she expanded it, and while his swordsmanship was still very skilled, she was able to block the strike with ease. His movements were familiar, these fights almost like a dance that they had come to memorize– which wasn't reassuring.

It wouldn’t be long until the champion arrived, and Calamity’s eyes fell onto the Butterfly brooch on Indigo’s chest. If she could get past his defenses, it would be easy to snatch, unlike her ring, and her mouth was dry as she parried another strike. She wondered if he could see her hesitation, as in that moment he pressed her harder, forcing her to move back.

She grabbed her baton with both hands to block a strike swinging down from above, a break from his more fencing-like style. She threw her weight forward, sending him stumbling back, before sweeping her leg under his feet hoping to knock him down. He might have kept his balance if it weren’t for them being so close to the edge of the roof, limiting his mobility. As he fell she lunged forward, fingers aimed for the brooch.

A wave of water crashed into them, knocking them both off of the roof. The water churned about them furiously– blasting the two Miraculous holders apart. Indigo was rushed back to the shelter of the rooftop, while Calamity was thrown over the side and down towards the street. The water materialized into Tempest, standing on the roof holding Indigo, concern on her face.

Calamity twisted herself about, trying to right herself before she landed– only to catch a flash of color below her. She barely had time to grit her teeth before she heard the rush of wings, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her.

Grace swooped up through the air, pulling her from out of her fall, and riding on her back was Cobalt Plume, who held on tightly to Calamity so she didn’t fall off. “You do not have the best of luck with those elemental attacks, do you, Dusk?”

“Put me down,” she growled.

“Give us a moment to land–”

“I said put me down!” Calamity snarled, and his hands moved away from her. She had to grab the feathers on Grace’s back to keep her balance. The bird didn’t seem fazed even as her feathers were tugged at, merely banking about and swooping down towards the rooftops, and the moment talons touched shingles Calamity was jumping off. She rolled to her feet, baton in hand– and she pointed off in the distance. “There’s a champion on the way, he already sent out a butterfly. See if Grace can spot them and cut them off before they get here.”

Cobalt seemed slightly surprised at her words, jumping down from Grace’s back. “You heard the lady.”

The bird let out a loud melodic cry in response, spreading her wings and taking to the air, flying in the direction that she had been pointing. Cobalt split his fan into two, drawing up next to Calamity, both of them watching the heroes.

“You take care of Indigo– you seem to be able to match his skills the best, I’ll go after Tempest. We need to get her to use all three of her powers– that’s the only way her timer goes off. The sooner we can get both of them on a timer, the sooner we can end this fight.”

“The sooner, the better,” Cobalt said. “I was in the middle of something very important before this started.”

Nathalie knocked on Adrien’s door. “Adrien? Why is your light still on? It’s a school day tomorrow.”

“I’ll turn it off soon!” He called back.

She opened the door part-way, peering in. “What are you doing? Can it wait until tomorrow?”

Adrien was at his computer, turning to face her as she looked in. “Can I just finish this video, it’s almost over?”

“Can’t you watch it on your phone in bed?” She asked, and he shifted in his seat. She closed her eyes, sighing. “I’m guessing you were planning on staying up and watching more videos that way?”

“No,” Adrien said. “I mean, not tonight?”

“If your schedule was full, I would let it slide, but you’ve had a lot of free time today. And you were with your father this afternoon, weren’t you? How was the movie?”

Adrien’s expression fell. “Oh… we didn’t get to finish it.”

“You didn’t?”

“No, um, er… Father… he had to take an important call,” Adrien said, shifting the chair side to side. “We’re going to finish it together another day, though.” He reached forward, turning off the computer. “I won’t stay up any later, I promise.”

A pulse of anger was running through Nathalie, but she didn’t let it show. “Does that promise extend to other nights?”

Adrien eyed her, a small grin on his face. “On the nights you asked me about it, yeah... Probably.”

She shook her head. “You’ll be the one to regret it come morning. Goodnight, Adrien.”

“Goodnight, Nathalie,” he replied, and she shut his door. She headed down the stairs, her anger growing with each step.

“How dare Gabriel,” Nathalie muttered. “Watching Emilie’s movie and he takes a business call? What was so important that it didn’t go through me first? Why didn’t he just have me take it for him? He didn’t have to cut the movie short–”

Nathalie slowed slightly as she reached the bottom steps, realizing that she wouldn’t have been able to take any calls– as she had been transformed at the time. Guilt rushed through her, realizing that her going out for a joy run might have been the reason Gabriel and Adrien’s time had been cut short. Her hands tightened, because she couldn’t remember the last time the Agrestes had a movie night, and if this was her fault…

Nathalie stood outside the atelier, and within she could hear a heavy coughing. She knocked, and after a moment she heard Gabriel’s voice, sounding slightly hoarse. “Come in.”

She entered, and found Gabriel tucking a handkerchief away, eyes focused on his tablet, sketching a design of some kind. She approached, Gabriel barely glancing up, before turning the device off. She was able to catch a glimpse of a black cloak before he did so, and he set the tablet aside, looking up at her expectantly.

“I was just wondering if you were still down here, sir,” Nathalie said. “It’s late. I got everything turned in for today, and Adrien is in bed.”

“Good, good,” he replied, not sounding fully focused. He let out a few small coughs into his fist, before clearing his throat. His eyes drifted back to the tablet, and she realized she had probably interrupted him right in the middle of a spark of inspiration, and she was surprised that she had been let in at all. 

Still, she had come here for answers. “Adrien mentioned that you two weren’t able to finish your movie today.”

Gabriel seemed a bit more focused as she said this, and he gave a grave nod. “No, we weren’t. It’s a shame, but he remembered some school work he hadn’t finished and we were forced to cut it short. He was able to get his homework done, right?”

“...What?”

“His assignment? He wasn’t still working on it, was he? He said it was big, but I didn't think it would take all day…”

“Um, no, I think he got everything done,” Nathalie said quickly, still trying to take this in, because she knew Gabriel, and he wasn’t lying… but she also knew that there was no way Adrien would make up something to get out of spending time with his father– and so the contrasting stories didn’t make any sense. “I, um, am going to turn in, sir. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Gabriel replied, picking his tablet back up as he turned to leave.

Had Adrien not wanted her to know that he hadn’t finished some homework? Or did he not want to admit that it was because of him that he and his father’s evening had been cut short? But why would he tell a lie that could easily be disproved with a quick conversation? That wasn’t like Adrien. She didn’t think either was lying… But what if it was Gabriel that had lied? But what reason would he have to?

“Maybe he has changed more than I thought…” Nathalie muttered to herself as she headed up to her room.

“Huh?” Plagg asked, peering out of her pocket.

“I just feel like I’m failing to keep this family together sometimes,” Nathalie said, opening her bedroom door. Plagg darted out of her pocket with no hesitation, stretching, while she went searching for a nightgown. “Everything was going so well earlier and now I’m not sure what even happened…”

“It ain’t your job to keep another’s family together,” Plagg said. “He’s just your boss, ain’t he?”

“He’s my friend as well,” Nathalie said, eyes flashing at him. “Has been for a long time, Emilie too. I practically helped raise Adrien– I’ve told you this before.”

“That wasn’t part of your job?”

“I’m not a nanny,” Nathalie said stiffly. “Besides, they wouldn’t just hire anyone to take care of their son. The three of us were always close, and had been for a long time. Why else would I live here with them?”

Plagg shrugged. “Wasn’t uncommon to have servants and staff and stuff to be part of the household back in the day. I thought maybe that came back in style or something.”

“I am not a servant!” 

“You work for him, don’t you?” He shrugged again. “Well, with how stiff everyone is with each other, that seemed more likely than buddy-buddy friends.”

“It hasn’t always been like that,” Nathalie muttered. “Yes, Gabriel is a very formal man, but… It wasn’t until Emilie disappeared that… that things became more distant. That he became distant– with everyone, even his own son and I… I don’t think I should have let it happen in the first place!”

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Stop taking other people’s problems as your own.”

“I care about them, Plagg, they are my problem,” Nathalie said.

Plagg cracked a grin. “Wonder what old grumpy face would say if you heard you call him a problem.”

Nathalie rolled her eyes, though her thoughts were still on the Agrestes as she got ready for bed. Yes, things had been getting better, but the guilt was there that she had let it happen in the first place. What would Emilie say if she saw what had become of her family, of the boys she had loved? If she knew that Nathalie had just stood by and worked away as if she just had an office job?

Plagg was already curled up on his pillow by the time she got into bed, and she let out a sigh as she crawled in under the covers. She couldn’t change what had already happened, and it would do her no good to worry now about problems that she couldn’t fix until tomorrow. Taking in a deep breath, she laid down, closing her eyes.

Her phone started ringing as soon as she did. 

She swore, propping herself up onto her elbow as she reached for the device, looking at the caller ID. She wrinkled her nose when she saw it was the Agrestes’ chef, and she answered it with a groan. “What do you want, Pierre?”

“The cheese thief is back!”

Nathalie pinched the bridge of her nose, not sure if she should snap at Pierre or at Plagg. “That’s what you called me about? Do you know how late it is?”

“But it’s different this time– the cheese thief has not stolen cheese this time– they have gone after the wine!”

“...Wine?”

“Two of my best bottles are missing!” Pierre said. “I was just taking stock and–”

“Who takes stock at this time of night?!” Nathalie growled. “Why aren’t you at home? In bed? Not worrying about imaginary thieves–”

“Perhaps I might have miscounted on the cheese, but I keep a close eye on all M. Agreste’s drinks! Do you know how expensive some of these are? And it was some of the best that is now gone– something I’m sure a lowly cleaner could think they could snatch and get away with–”

“Now don’t you go pointing fingers,” Nathalie growled. “Gabriel doesn’t hire just anyone, and everyone who has stepped foot in this house has worked here for years– and those that clean that kitchen are cleaning up after your mess!”

“And stealing my wine!”

Nathalie closed her eyes. “One second…” She muted the call. “Plagg, have you been stealing wine from the kitchen?”

Plagg opened one eye. “Wine? Meh. Haven’t had any in a few hundred years. It tastes good with cheese, though– perhaps I’ll snatch some tomorrow.”

“Don’t you dare, if you want anything from the kitchen I’ll order it for you,” Nathalie said. “Now, did you or did you not take any wine?”

“I already told you no. Now, let me get my beauty sleep, lady.”

Nathalie sighed, and unmuted the call. “I don’t know. Maybe M. Agreste grabbed a bottle while he was passing by or something. You can ask him in the morning.”

“But there’s a thief–”

“You can have Ezra check the security cameras for you in the morning,” Nathalie said, tone stiff. “You will not bother me, M. Agreste, Ezra, or anyone until tomorrow. It is late, I want to sleep, and so does any other reasonable human being– so why don’t you go home and do the same. Am I clear?”

“...Yes, ma’am,” Pierre said quietly.

“Thank you,” Nathalie muttered, barely biting back the sarcasm. “Goodnight.”

With that, she hung up the phone, setting it to ‘do not disturb’, and sagged down into her bed with a groan. She laid there for a few moments, staring at the ceiling, before closing her eyes, just wanting sleep to take her.

“Nathalie?” Plagg asked.

“What?”

“If you’ll order me things from the kitchen, would you get me something right now?”

“Go to sleep or else I’m letting all your cheese rot.”

“You say that like it'd taste bad.”

“Plagg.”

The kwami had the nerve to laugh.

Chapter Text

Nathalie was really hoping that she wouldn’t have to deal with Pierre and his alleged thief for a while, and since he hadn’t said anything come morning she hoped that this would be the end of it– but it was only a few days later that Pierre burst into Gabriel’s office while they worked, a triumphant grin on the chef’s face. Gabriel Agreste looked up, unimpressed, and Nathalie was thankful that they hadn’t been in the middle of a call of any kind.

“Have you ever heard of knocking?” Gabriel said.

“I found out who the thief is,” Pierre said, puffing up, and Nathalie pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Thief?” Gabriel said with a frown. “Are… are you talking about the cheese, again?”

“Not this time, sir,” Nathalie muttered, before looking up at Pierre. “So, someone did pop up on the cameras, then?”

“I had to go through a lot of footage, but I found them– it was the boy,” Pierre said, his eyes turning towards Gabriel. “It was your boy stealing from my kitchen.”

Gabriel’s gaze hardened. “...Are you accusing my son of stealing?”

“I have him on camera, he’s been sneaking into my kitchen–”

“You mean from my kitchen,” Gabriel growled, rising to his feet. “From his kitchen– this is his home, he lives here, unlike you! If he wants food then that is not stealing!”

Nathalie’s eyes widened slightly in realization. “Sir, it wasn’t food that was taken from the kitchen.”

“Wine,” Pierre said. “Two bottles of your good wine– and the boy didn’t take both at the same time. Had to get Ezra to go back a little ways to get footage of the first one he stole.”

Gabriel took this in silence. “Adrien wouldn’t do that. He knows he’s too young to be drinking.”

“Teenagers are a sly breed, and I’m not surprised that it was him, not sure why he wasn’t my first suspect, probably was the one taking the cheese as well–”

“Adrien doesn’t like sharp cheeses, and you know that,” Nathalie snapped. “And even if he did, he's allowed food from his own home!”

“Yes, but wine is a different matter,” Pierre said defensively. “Illegal, actually.”

“Show me the footage,” Gabriel said in a low tone, and Pierre didn’t hesitate in pulling out his phone to do so. 

Both Gabriel and Nathalie leaned forward to watch the security tape, silent as they watched the video of Adrien entering the kitchen, looking over his shoulder as he crept in, the dark windows showing this had been done late at night. He crept over to the wine cabinet, opening it up before looking over his shoulder again, before looking over the various bottles resting inside. He seemed to take his time considering, not just snatching the first one and bolting, his hand shifting across different ones. Though there was no audio you could see his mouth moving, talking to himself as he decided. After a minute he took one from a higher rack, a more expensive bottle, but one that had several others of the same kind grouped with it, making it more likely to go unnoticed. He then shut the cabinet and hurried from the kitchen, bottle tucked away.

Gabriel was silent as he watched this, and Pierre moved onto the second video, which showed pretty much the same event– Adrien slipping into the kitchen late at night, nervous, but taking a bit of time to select a bottle, before hurrying out as quickly as he could. 

“Looks like this has been going on for nearly two months,” Pierre said, tucking his phone away.

“As long as he’s been in school,” Gabriel muttered. “I knew that would be a poor influence on him.”

“Sir–” Nathalie began.

“Pierre, you may go now, I’ll speak with Adrien about this,” Gabriel said, cutting Nathalie off. “Also, please look into purchasing a lock for the cabinet, for all alcohol in the kitchen. Send the details to Nathalie and we’ll make sure it’s ordered and installed. Nathalie, as soon as Adrien is home, tell him that we need to talk.”

“Of course, sir.”

“Hello, Nathalie,” Adrien said warmly as he entered the front door, his bodyguard right behind him. Ezra glanced at Nathalie, having been one of the first to see the footage, knowing that Gabriel had probably seen the footage by now.

“Your father needs to speak with you,” Nathalie said, voice neutral. “He’s in his office.”

Adrien paused at her tone. “Is everything okay?”

“Don’t keep him waiting.”

“Did something happen?” Adrien asked urgently, and Nathalie shook her head once– inclining her head towards the office. Adrien glanced from her to Ezra, who gave a low grunt, and he slowly headed towards the atelier, shifting the bag on his shoulder. Nathalie followed in behind him, quietly shutting the door.

Gabriel was seated at his desk, staring at his tablet. He didn’t look up as they entered, though it was quite clear that he had heard them. Adrien stood in front of his desk, looking more uneasy by the moment. The silence felt condemning, though Nathalie recognized the uncertainty in Gabriel’s eyes as he stared at the tablet– he wasn’t sure how to approach this. Ignoring Adrien would only make things worse, though, so Nathalie cleared her throat.

Gray eyes looked up, first setting on Nathalie, then on Adrien.

“You needed to talk to me, Father?” Adrien asked uncertainty.

Gabriel turned the tablet around, pushing it towards Adrien. “Watch this.”

Adrien took a step forward, and as his eyes landed on the security video his eyes widened. He stiffened up, silent as Gabriel pressed play. He just stared at the video of him as it played out, unmoving. Silence lingered throughout the office as the security of the stolen wine came to an end, and Adrien’s eyes went from the tablet down to his feet.

“Well?” Gabriel asked.

“I…” Adrien began, his gaze looking up for a moment. 

“You know you’re too young to be drinking,” Gabriel snapped. “You know it’s not safe for someone your age.”

“I… I didn’t drink any, Father, I swear.”

“I doubt that,” Gabriel said, crossing his arms. “Unless there’s something else to do with two bottles of wine?”

“I–”

“That you took time picking out?”

“I’ll pay you back–!”

“I don’t care about the money!” Gabriel growled. “I want to know what was going through your mind, thinking that stealing from me and that underage drinking would be okay.”

Adrien’s eyes were flicking about, clearly struggling for an answer. “I– I just–”

Gabriel’s voice rose. “What if word got out, Adrien? Do you know how that would reflect–”

Adrien’s hands curled. “Is that what this is about? The stupid company?”

Gabriel gritted his teeth, but kept his voice even. “Adrien, you are a public figure. Yes, it would reflect on the company– but most importantly it would reflect on you. You’re not just a random teenager that no one will think twice about, your every action is seen and judged.”

“I never asked for that!”

“That doesn’t change reality!” Gabriel snapped back, pushing himself to his feet. “And now I want to know why you did this, and just for how long this has been going on!”

“I– I didn’t drink anything, I swear–!”

“Did one of your ‘friends’ put you up to this, then?” Gabriel growled.

“What–? No, they don’t have anything to do with–”

“I knew that sending you to school wouldn’t be a good idea,” Gabriel said, pressing his fingers to his forehead. “You don’t fit into such an environment, I knew it would be a poor influence–”

“No!” Adrien roared, sounding desperate. “This has nothing to do with school– or my friends! I– I just took it to– to–” He swallowed. “There’s still half a bottle left. I’ll give it back, I’ll–”

“And if this wasn’t you or your friends, then enlighten me, who’s the one drinking it then?” Gabriel asked, and when he met with silence, he shook his head. “I raised you better than this.”

Adrien’s eyes flashed, and his voice was a low growl. “Don’t you actually have to be around to raise me?”

Silence. 

Adrien glared at Gabriel waiting for a response, whose expression had become guarded. Nathalie felt her stomach twist, everything telling her to step forward, to do something– but she didn’t know what to say. So she just stood there by the door, clutching her tablet as she watched father and son.

“Adrien–”

“Years,” Adrien whispered, tears in his eyes. “For years you’ve done nothing, and then suddenly you’re just… you’re just acting like nothing happened. Just like everything is okay and– and it doesn’t change anything! You– you don’t get to… to…”

“So was this what this was about?” Gabriel asked as Adrien trailed off. “Were you acting out of anger? Or perhaps an attempt to get attention?”

Nathalie internally winced, knowing that Gabriel was just trying to understand why Adrien had done this– but the questions sounded accusing and demeaning. It seemed Gabriel didn’t realize the implication of the questions until he had already spoken. His eyes widened slightly, and a pained look flashed across Adrien’s face. His hands curled into fists, and he turned on a heel and stormed for the doors.

“Adrien! We’re not done talking–”

“Well I am!” Adrien snapped, pushing Nathalie’s hand aside as she reached out for him, shoving the door open and barged out of the atelier.

“Adrien Hugo Gabriel Victor Athanase Agreste, you get back here this instant–!” Gabriel was cut short as he let out a sudden cough. One hand fell against his desk, the other covering his mouth, and Nathalie looked at him in concern as the coughing continued, shoulders shaking. After a moment, he looked up, raising his voice again, though it was hoarse. “Adrien! I said get back here!”

“Gabriel,” Nathalie began softly.

“You stay out of this,” Gabriel growled at her, and Nathalie pulled back slightly. “This is a family matter.”

With that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Nathalie standing there with wide eyes. For a moment, she didn’t move, before a pulse of bitterness ran through her. She gritted her teeth, but kept herself composed otherwise. The words echoed through her mind, which only fueled her anger.

“He does not have the right,” Nathalie muttered– because he didn’t. He did not have the right to throw the word ‘family’ at her face, not when she had been intimately involved in the Agreste’s personal lives for decades. Not when a majority of his son’s care was in her hands, not when he came to her with every issue that arose, expecting advice and solutions. 

No, she was not an Agreste herself– but when Gabriel himself had been the one to pull her into his affairs, he did not get to tell her to stay out of it.

So she headed out after them, heading up towards the stairs towards Adrien’s room, where Gabriel was standing outside one of the doors. Two bottles of wine were laying on his side at his feet, one empty, the other half way filled. Gabriel stood there, looking like he was either about to explode with anger, or break down in tears.

He looked at her as he heard her footsteps, and he let out a shaking sigh. He seemed to sag in the moment, and he just looked at her desperately, pleadingly. He didn’t say a word, and she was tempted to walk right past him and head to her room, but instead, she inclined her head slightly, and he moved away from Adrien’s door. She headed back down the stairs, his steps following after her.

“Barging in there right now won’t do any good,” Nathalie said. “You’re both upset, and both of you have every reason to be.”

“He–”

“He is a child, Gabriel,” Nathalie replied. “And if you actually want a civil discussion, I would wait until you have both calmed down. Then again, I see no reason to listen to what I say. This is a family matter, after all.”

He winced slightly. “Nathalie–”

“Save your words, Gabriel, I honestly don’t care,” Nathalie said briskly. “What I’m worried about is seeing how far you two have come blowing up in both of your faces just because of some overripe grape juice.”

“He is too young–”

“He is, and you have every right to be upset. I’m just worried you are going to do something stupid and pull him out of school, instead of grounding him– because removing a child’s entire social life is not a punishment. You should look at yourself for an example of what isolation can do to a person.”

Plagg silently snickered in her pocket, and she resisted the urge to slap the kwami.

“As Adrien graciously pointed out, you haven’t exactly been a model parent,” Nathalie continued, not looking at Gabriel. “So wait until the two of you can sit down without shouting and fix this mess you’ve made. Teenagers will act out, and if this was a cry for attention from Adrien, then maybe you should be looking at the why instead of the how; and find a solution that will keep both of you from making stupid mistakes again.”

Calamity Dusk was exhausted.

She was mentally exhausted, emotionally exhausted, and physically exhausted. It did not matter what aspect of her life she was looking at– her personal life, her work life, and her responsibilities that came from wielding a Miraculous. Whichever way she turned, a problem reared its head, an impossible task that she was somehow supposed to accomplish, and she didn’t know what she was supposed to do.

So as Tempest and Indigo fled, their timers running low, she sagged, everything feeling like it was crashing down at once. The fight was over, but there was still a whole war ahead of her. Yes, she could go home, but it wouldn’t be to rest. There was a company to run, a family to guide, a tension to resolve. As long as the ‘heroes’ ran off with their Miraculouses intact, it wouldn’t be over.

She wanted to cry.

“Seems like it’s been one of those weeks for everyone,” a deep voice mused, and Calamity didn’t move.

“Don’t read my emotions,” she muttered, tears stinging her eyes, which she blinked away.

“Hard to ignore,” Cobalt replied, and she turned to glower at him. He was facing towards Grace, stroking the top of her head as she leaned down towards him, letting out a low hum. “You know, it’s only because I can sense them that I’m here.”

She just stared at him, and he finally met her gaze. His eyes were an intense gray, contrasting the brilliant colors of his outfit and of Grace’s feathers. They watched each other for a moment, and Nathalie didn’t look away. A part of her was frustrated that he had the power to read her– to sense the pain, exhaustion, worry, everything– but at the same time, it brought a strange sense of relief that someone understood in a way that she could never describe with words.

“You take no joy in these fights,” Cobalt Plume continued. “There’s no eagerness; you’re not looking forward to them, there’s not even a true desire for victory.” He sighed. “I don’t know why any of this is happening, and know you have no interest in talking to me, not after what I did… but I wish I could simply know why this is happening. What you’re trying to do, what you want to accomplish.”

They stood there in silence for a time, Cobalt stroking the large bird, and as he got no answer, he let out a sigh. He snapped his fingers, and Grace vanished in a wave of energy– a single white feather drifting in her wake.

“...There’s a Guardian of the Miraculouses,” Calamity said quietly after a moment, and Cobalt’s focus fell on her, seeming surprised by her response. “My kwami… he escaped from him and took his Miraculous with him, and now this Guardian is trying to get my Miraculous back. I… I met the Guardian not long after our first encounters, and he was wearing the Ladybug Miraculous.”

“So they’re the one hiding with that Miraculous,” Cobalt mused. “Duusu recognized the healing light as the Ladybug’s power.”

“Duusu?”

“My kwami.”

“Ah,” Calamity said, before looking away. “The Guardian… he’s our– he’s my enemy. My kwami said that he’s been abusing his powers, that he wants the Black Cat Miraculous… and… and it wouldn’t be good if it was in his hands again.”

The explanation fell flat– because she still didn’t know the full answer, as she hadn’t yet pushed Plagg. Yet Cobalt Plume didn’t seem confused at all, just nodding slowly as if he understood. “Yes, your Miraculous and the Ladybug are indeed powerful together.”

She glanced at him– because did he know what Plagg was trying to keep hidden? It wouldn’t be a surprise, considering he had been seeking those Miraculouses in the first place. She was tempted to ask, but she could feel Plagg in her mind. He didn’t do a thing, but his presence was strong, and she let the question die on her tongue.

“The Ladybug holder is older,” Calamity continued instead. “I guess he thought he couldn’t win this fight on his own, so he gave those Miraculouses to Tempest and Indigo Papillon. The first attack on the city, that wasn’t me– it was an illusion created by the Fox Miraculous. He’s made other illusions of me as well, they’re to draw me out. He can't keep an illusion of me up when I appear without everyone knowing there’s a fake, so appearing to fight has been the only way for me to stop the illusions. And if I don’t show up quickly enough, he has full control of an illusion that everyone thinks is me, so I have to come to make sure things don’t get worse, and by then the heroes are there so I have to fight them because I can’t let them get my Miraculous–”

She cut herself off, closing her eyes, trying to keep her breathing even.

“He’s using those children as puppets,” she whispered. “He’s having them fight– fight me for him, and they don’t know the full story. He’s putting them in danger, and tells them that they’re heroes. That they need to protect this city, that they have to. They probably don’t know that they even have a choice, and Plagg is sure that he has bound their kwamis with orders so they play into the narrative so these children are running straight into battle for no reason!”

“That’s disgusting,” Cobalt Plume whispered.

“I’m… I’m trying to get their Miraculouses,” Calamity whispered. “Plagg thinks that if we can free the kwamis, that will be the only way to get the heroes to believe us. And if not, then at least w– I can learn the location of the Guardian and face him, the kwamis could lead me to him, instead of him hiding behind Indigo and Tempest.”

Cobalt Plume’s face was grim. “What do you know about this ‘guardian’?”

She shrugged– she had only met the man once, after all.

Cobalt looked up at her, and his eyes were lit with anger. “I… I have a son, just about the heroes’ ages,” he said quietly, and she was slightly surprised– it was strange to imagine his life beyond the Miraculous. “The thought of someone like him being out there, of welding the dangers of magic…” He gritted his teeth. “Who could do such a thing? What is he even wishing for?”

“I don’t know,” Calamity whispered.

But she knew someone who did.

Plagg had a grim look on his face as he came out of the Miraculous. He stared at her, looking pensive– and for once not zipping off to grab cheese. Nathalie didn’t say anything for a moment, just watching the kwami, before letting out a sigh.

“You know what I’m going to ask.”

He wrinkled his nose. “You’re just going to ask the Pea-muck if I don’t tell you, aren’t you?”

“Well, he clearly knows what’s going on,” she said. “Though I don’t know if I’d trust what he says.” She sighed. “But I told you that I would let this be, and if you really feel that if that’s for the best, then I will drop the topic.”

Plagg looked away.

Nathalie closed her eyes, but didn’t say anything else. She had made her promise, so she turned away. She went over to her closest, searching for something to wear to bed. The silence lingered throughout the room, and the ring on Nathalie’s finger felt heavy.

“...My Miraculous can be used to grant ‘wishes’.”

Nathalie paused at the sound of Plagg’s voice, quiet and bitter. She turned, and found the kwami staring at his paws in what looked to be disgusted. He looked up at her, toxic green eyes meeting blue.

“Tikki and I… we’re different from other kwamis. We are opposites; she’s my other half, and when we’re brought together, Creation and Destruction merged together… whoever controls that power is able to manipulate the reality around them. To create and destroy as they please,” Plagg continued, voice barely above a whisper. “And with so much potential… Well, people said that our abilities could grant any wish one might have. It makes it sound so simple. So harmless. But you can’t just twist the universe to your whim without it snapping back into place. Everything must remain in balance, and with power that great… there’s always a price to keep that balance.”

“‘Every action has an equal and opposite reaction’,” Nathalie quoted.

“Exactly,” Plagg whispered. “A Guardian doesn’t just guard the Miraculouses, he guards the powers that are within. The Guardian– he’s supposed to make sure Tikki and I are never in the wrong hands. He knows a ‘wish’ is too dangerous, too powerful for this world.”

Nathalie touched the ring. “So is that why he wants you? To make this ‘wish’...?” Plagg gave a single nod, and she swallowed. “Do you know what he wants to wish for…?”

For a moment Plagg didn’t answer, and Nathalie assumed that she had pressed too far once more– but after a moment the kwami spoke again.

“Do you know how Guardians are chosen?” Plagg asked– not answering her question. “Elder Guardians seek them out when they’re young. Younger than the heroes you fight. As young as only a decade old, before they even have a full understanding of the world around them. They’re taken from their family to be trained… and they don’t go back to them. The rest of their life is spent training at the temple, and then repeating the process.”

“So there’s other guardians out there?” Nathalie asked. “Why aren’t they stopping him?”

“The training isn’t easy,” he continued without answering her. “It isn’t humane, and they’re just kids when they go through it… when it all happened, he was so young– and they were starving him. They were starving him and told him to guard a Miracle Box, they called it a test , and…” Plagg shook his head. “The Order is no more, Nathalie. There are no other Guardians, he is the last one– and the Order fell because of him, from the powers of a misused Miraculous that he wore.” 

Plagg looked up at Nathalie, his eyes lit with a protective gleam– which startled her. It seemed that he knew what she was thinking, that he recognized the accusation she felt towards the Guardian with this information.

“That kid did no wrong,” Plagg said. “Others might say differently, that a mistake doesn’t remove blame– but he didn’t mean to do what he did. He didn’t want to destroy anything. He was just hungry, he was a starving kid that just wanted something to eat, and was given more power than he could handle. But still, the Order fell, and he was the only one that could get away. Him and one box full of Miraculouses, with no one else to turn to but us kwamis– and he did what he could. He tried to do what he was taught, to carry the burden that shouldn’t have been handed to him for another decade.” Plagg’s voice cracked. “He spent his whole life guarding our Miraculouses, trying to right what he did wrong, and it was no short life like most mortals’. For nearly two centuries he was with us, treating us better than any Guardian ever has, living a life of isolation so our powers wouldn’t be abused.”

She was quiet, trying to take this in, feeling sick. Not just from the abuse Plagg was telling, but from the realization of the emotions she had sensed from the kwami when they had encountered the Guardian.

This was no distant, unknown figure chasing power, nor just someone Plagg knew– it was someone he had been close to, someone he had cared deeply for, and probably still did.

“We kwamis practically raised him,” Plagg whispered, eyes shining with tears. “He was so young– we watched him grow up, we were there through everything he went through, but we weren’t enough for him. How could we be enough; we ain’t you humans, we don’t have young of our own to raise… We failed him, Nathalie– it was all too much for him, even with the Order that started this all gone, we still put too much on him. His mistakes haunted him, he couldn’t let them go, and he wanted to fix what he had done, even after all this time, and he just couldn’t take it anymore, so he took the Rabbit Miraculous and transformed–”

“Rabbit?”

“The Miraculous of Evolution– it allows a user to move through time, dangerous just for the powers it could cause. The Guardian transformed and entered the Burrow, hoping to change what he had done, to right his wrongs– but he was stopped by other Rabbit holders, ones from other eras, because they carefully guard the timeline we live in, and forced back. After he failed with the Rabbit Miraculous, we thought that would be what would change his mind, what would get him to let things go, but after everything that had happened… he had grown bitter.”

Plagg closed his eyes.

“He had his childhood taken from him, Nathalie. He had his family taken from him, his entire life had been spent guarding us– and he felt it had been wasted. He just wanted everything he had lost back, and if he couldn’t just change time with the Rabbit, well, he had the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous already in his hands.”

“So he decided to make a wish,” Nathalie said.

“He wasn’t reckless about it,” Plagg said, nodding in agreement. “And that was what saved us. He wanted to get this right, he wanted the most control of our combined powers– and that gave us time.”

“And that’s when you escaped?”

Plagg’s tail curled about him. “Ideally, both me and Tikki would have left, and if not that, well, Tikki should have been the one to go. She’s always been better with humans and stuff, but the Guardian always kept her Miraculous on him– Creation to help him craft his wish– so I was the only one that they could send off. They packed my Miraculous away and Kaalki made the smallest portal she could manage and with Sass’s guidance… and well, we could only hope that I landed in a good spot, that whoever found me wouldn’t abuse my powers.” Plagg glanced at her. “It wasn’t half bad, I suppose.”

“Not enough cheese?” Nathalie said, her smile feeling somewhat forced with the heaviness in the room.

“I’ll survive,” Plagg said. “Probably.”

Nathalie looked down at her ring. “This… this wish– do you think that’s what Cobalt Plume was after?”

“Probably, I’m sure Duusu blabbed about it.”

“What would he want to wish for?”

“I ain’t no mind reader,” Plagg said, puffing up slightly. “You’d have to ask him. Doesn’t matter what it is, though, a ‘wish’ is too risky. Seems like Duusu was able to talk some sense into him, or something.”

“Or he’s playing the long game,” Nathalie muttered.

“If he is, then he’s definitely the most patient human I’ve ever seen,” Plagg said, rising off to the air, flying off in search of cheese.

Chapter Text

Calamity wondered if it was worth the risk, slipping out transformed. If she was spotted, she was only asking for a fight. It didn’t matter if it was by a civilian or a hero; and she didn’t even have a guarantee that she would find whom she was looking for. It wasn’t like she had ever sought him out before, and she knew nothing of his habits. For all she knew, he didn’t even bother to transform unless it was to join a fight, because, like her, the city saw Cobalt Plume as a villain.

But he had left the letter at their chimney, meaning he had been out before, and he had been looking for her.

It didn’t take her long to reach the chimney, and, as expected, it was empty. She slowly sat down on it, letting out a sigh. She reached into the folds of her cloak, and pulled out an envelope. A part of her didn’t want to respond to his letter, but unless she wanted to wait until the next fight, she had no other way to contact him.

She set the envelope down on top of the chimney, using a rock to weigh it down. Calamity didn’t leave right away, lingering for a time, not waiting for anything in particular– before vanishing into the night as quickly as she had come. The words she had left in the letter ran through her mind, wondering if she should have even said anything, if she could have just waited until the next fight– but her curiosity was strong.

Cobalt Plume, I have a question for you, and I would prefer a time to talk that does not involve dodging lightning bolts and a man obsessed with pigeons. Perhaps we can meet here sometime?

–Dusk

The next night, she found a letter waiting for her, much to her surprise.

Perhaps next Sunday evening? Right after the sun is down?

–Cobalt

She left her reply where his had been waiting, this time not bothering to sign her name.

Very well.

She did not fully trust Cobalt Plume, and Calamity was determined to keep things that way– but she would be lying to say that things hadn’t changed. No, she did not trust him, but she had come to depend on him. His presence when it came to fighting the heroes was unfortunately reassuring, because she knew that she would not have lasted this long on her own. There were times when they worked together, and she felt that she knew his battle style. They could stand back to back, and she knew that he would not let any attacks reach her from behind. They could share a glance, and she would have an understanding of where they each should go.

However, seeing him waiting at the chimney that Sunday, everything seemed different. Her mind was on edge, alert and taking in everything around her– yet there was no threat. There was only Cobalt waiting for her, sitting cross legged on top of the chimney. He raised his head as she approached, and she wondered if he had heard her, or sensed her emotions. A soft smile crossed his face, and he raised a hand in greeting, and she felt slightly irritated at the action.

“I was wondering if you’d come,” Cobalt said, tilting his head. “But I’m glad to see you’re here.”

“I’m the one with the questions,” Calamity replied, landing in front of him. “I wouldn’t be getting many answers if I stayed away, would I?”

Cobalt smirked slightly. “Well, you’re actually talking to me, so I consider that an improvement.”

She scowled at him. “If you’re thinking this is a friendly conversation, then you’re wrong– think of it more as an interrogation.”

Cobalt laughed at this, completely relaxed, and she just stared at him. He waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, trust me, I can tell you’re serious, but you must find it humorous.”

“I doubt it.”

He tapped the brooch on his chest. “My Miraculous says otherwise.”

Her scowl deepened. “Stop reading my emotions, Peacock.”

“I would if I could, Dusk,” he replied, tilting his head slightly. “But I’m afraid it’s a sense I can’t shut off. It’s not just invasive for you, it can be quite overwhelming for me as well. There’s someone below us that seems ready to blow a fuse, and a few buildings down something good must have happened because the whole family is feeling an overwhelming sense of joy. The stronger the emotions, the more vividly I can sense them.”

“Seems like it would be a disadvantage, not being able to control what you sense,” Calamity said with a frown.

He shrugged, and he seemed on edge. He didn’t reply right away, coughing into a gloved hand. “It– it is what it is. With my Miraculous being– it, well, it's just how it is.”

She frowned, but didn’t pursue the topic further. She simply sighed, looking out at the city.

“Well, I didn’t ask you to come out here to talk about your Miraculous,” Calamity said. “I came to ask you about mine– specifically I want to know what you were intending to use the Ladybug and my Miraculous for,” Calamity said– and immediately Cobalt stiffened up. “I know you said something more during our first encounters, but, honestly, I wasn’t listening, just trying to get away, and I…” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t trust you, Cobalt Plume, but I don’t really have anyone else to turn to– so that’s why I’m trying to understand you, and actually making an effort to listen.”

Cobalt didn’t move, and his willingness chatter now seemed to be completely gone. He just sat there, looking out, and for a moment he looked almost frightened.

“Cobalt?” Calamity asked, slightly surprised at his expression, he still didn’t look at her.

“I… I wanted to bring my wife back,” he whispered.

“...Oh,” she said softly, not sure what else to say.

They sat there in silence, a small breeze rushing past them. Still he wasn’t looking towards her, his gaze distant. After a moment, he closed them, his face tense, his jaw tightening as if fighting back tears.

“Duusu… Duusu’s words are not always coherent,” Cobalt whispered. “When I first heard him speak of the powers of the wish, I should have known it was too good to be true. I knew how often he would space out, but I… it was the first time I had hope in such a long time.”

He swallowed, before looking at her.

“The wish was in the back of my mind for a few years, but being able to find two specific Miraculouses… it seemed impossible. But then I caught sight of you, here in Paris of all places, and I just… it was like seeing an angel, Dusk. The thought that I could actually see her again, that I could bring her home…”

She bit her lip. “Bringing someone back… that would have to mean someone would have to take their place, wouldn’t it? To… to keep balance.”

Once again, he looked away. “It seems so,” he whispered. “I thought I would do anything to bring her back, but now… I can lose anyone else, Dusk. The thought of going through that pain again, of losing someone else, heaven forbid my son. I would break, and I don’t know if I could pull myself back together once more.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. She swallowed, before looking at him. “If I can ask… why are you here, then? At first I was thinking that perhaps you thought that I would lend you my Miraculous if you helped me, or perhaps you planned on snatching the Ladybug when the moment arrives, but if you no longer seek the wish…?”

“At first, I truly did want that wish,” Cobalt said. “But once I learned of the dangers, once the realization that there wasn’t a means to bring her home just like that… I don’t know. I miss her more than anything, but now that I have begun to move forward... I feel like a new person, at times. That life is still worth living, that there’s actually a world out there.”

He leaned his head back, looking up at the sky. For a moment, she wondered what it would be like to have his Miraculous on, because she could not read the expression on his face. He looked calm, almost peaceful, but the stiffness in the way he moved said otherwise. An exhaustion, almost as if he were in physical pain.

“I wanted to help you out, a bit as an apology,” Cobalt said. “Save you when you were cornered, and I thought I’d be able to walk away with no debt, and put this cursed Miraculous away and forget everything. Yet, when the next attack came, I put it right back on…” Gray eyes locked on her. “Honestly, dear Dusk, I have no idea why I am still here– but I’m not going anywhere. I’ll help you to the end, I promise.” 

She could only stare at him, because she had no answer. Her mind had long taught itself to brush aside anything he said, that this person in front of her was not one to be trusted– but in the moment he was just there. No heroes, so tension between them, just a conversation that had grown from the silence.

He gave her a soft smile, and she felt something in her wither. She wasn’t sure if it was her resolve, or the bitterness she had carried for him– but it felt heavy now. She wanted the feeling gone, but she didn’t know how to rid herself of it. She knew that she should say something, but there were no words that felt right.

So Calamity Dusk tugged her cloak over her head, pushed herself to her feet, and ran off into the night.

“Adrien has requested to eat in his room tonight,” Nathalie said, entering the dining room.

“...I see,” Gabriel said softly.

“Would you like me to bring your dinner to your office, sir?” Nathalie asked.

“No, I will eat here,” Gabriel said, poking at his food with a fork. “He might change his mind.”

“Perhaps,” Nathalie agreed, though she doubted it. Adrien had been trying to avoid his father the last few days, and she wasn’t sure what it would take to change that. No conversation meant no opportunity for apologies, or any sort of communication between the two, and Gabriel didn't seem keen on forcing Adrien to sit down and talk to him.

“Have you eaten yet?” Gabriel asked after a moment.

“No, sir.”

He waved a hand at the empty chairs. “Then have a seat, I’ll have Pierre bring your meal out.”

Nathalie slid into the seat next to Gabriel. It wasn’t often she ate at the table, mainly because Adrien was the only one to consistently use it. Unlike the males, she didn’t have ‘a spot’ that she considered her own when eating, having just taken the closest seat to Gabriel. She thanked the chef when he brought out another plate for her, though he hadn’t said much in return. Pierre had been on the quiet side as of late, which Nathalie wasn’t surprised about– everyone that worked for Gabriel had a soft spot for Adrien; he simply managed to befriend nearly everyone he met– and the chef seemed to feel guilty for the rift that had been formed.

“Should I go talk to him?” Gabriel asked well into their meal, breaking the silence that had lingered.

“Yes,” Nathalie said without hesitation.

“Do I just ask him if he wants to talk, or…?”

Nathalie shook her head. “Honestly, sir, I don’t know. We don’t know what the full extent of his drinking habits were, if he was simply being impulsive or if he formed some kind of dependency. But that’s hard to approach as a whole due to the other issues that were brought up in that fight– his concerns about you putting the company first and being a distant parent were valid.”

Gabriel’s hands tightened on the fork. “I’m aware.”

Nathalie hesitated. “Gabriel, before… he went to school, before all of this started happening, one of the few times you’d actually parent him was when he got into trouble. Other than that, everything was honestly related to the company; it seemed to be your only focus.”

“It was something to keep me going,” he looked away, coughing into his hand, before falling silent.

“I get that, sir, but what I’m saying is that Adrien might be closing up because this all reminds him of how things were before; at least subconsciously.” She took a bite, thinking for a moment before continuing. “I mean, this isn’t the first time you’ve discussed taking him out of school. Combine that with him being in trouble, and I think he’s putting on a defensive act with all this. He doesn’t want things to change again, as you were both in a good place.”

“I said nothing about taking him out of school,” Gabriel scoffed.

“You implied it by saying you thought it was a poor influence,” Nathalie replied. “I’ve seen how quickly you’ve ripped away anything you’ve deemed such, and I’m sure Adrien has as well.”

“So you’re saying that I cannot have any interactions with Adrien unless it’s sunshine and rainbows without him thinking I’m going back to locking myself in the atelier?” Gabriel growled. “That I’m just to let him run around doing as he pleases, with no guidance or discipline because of that?”

“I’m not saying anything, sir,” Nathalie said. “But I suppose that is an important question to address– do you have any intentions of locking yourself away again?”

“What does that have to do–”

“It affected your parenting once, and clearly Adrien doesn’t want to have that happen again.”

“He’s the one that’s locking himself away!”

“I wonder where he learned that from,” Nathalie said dryly.

“I–” Gabriel began, but he didn't have any reply to that.

“Look back on these last few years, Gabriel, and how your interactions with Adrien have been since Emilie passed,” Nathalie said. “At first, you and Adrien mourned together– you would not leave his side during those first few weeks, and that was something you both needed, you needed each other– then you pulled this vanishing act and cut both of you off from everything, including each other– and look just how long that went on.”

Gabriel said nothing.

“Then, suddenly, you decided to turn everything around again– which was a good thing; I am not saying that you shouldn’t have done that– but look at this from Adrien’s perspective. He just got a few weeks of you two being close again, just like before, and then he comes home and everything feels like before. Yes, Adrien is the one that landed himself in that situation, but subconsciously, I wouldn’t be surprised if he noticed a pattern– and what came after you two being close last time? Isolation.”

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“You’re his father, Gabriel, and you have to act like it,” Nathalie said simply. “You have to talk to him, no matter what, and putting that off will only help so much. Have the conversations you need to have, and show him that things aren’t going to change again.” She locked eyes with Gabriel. “Don’t let things change again.”

He looked down at his plate again. “Any kind of change?”

She looked at him questioningly.

Gabriel swallowed. “Nothing, just thinking too much. Thinking… thinking the unthinkable.”

“Which is?”

“...Moving on from Emilie.”

Nathalie nearly choked in surprise, but managed to keep her composure, covering her shock with a cough. She swallowed, staring at Gabriel– because such words were ones she had never believed would have come out of her boss. She just stared, and he looked away, looking completely ashamed. He closed his eyes, shaking his head.

“Oh, what am I thinking,” he muttered. “Just saying it sounds wrong, but… Gah, Nathalie, I just can’t help but think ‘what if’ when I see her. Is that wrong of me? To even entertain the possibility?”

“It’s been many years, sir,” she replied– though she had thought it would take decades for such a thought to even enter Gabriel’s mind. “Though I will admit, I am surprised to hear there’s someone.”

“No, there isn't someone– she would never have me,” he chuckled. “But, Nathalie, I just can’t help but… she’s just such a woman!”

“I think all women are women, sir.”

“I just mean she’s so… so… she’s so stubborn,” Gabriel said, speaking as if he were describing someone’s beauty, a sigh in his voice. Nathalie blinked slowly, but smiled. “And I know nothing will happen, I shouldn’t even be talking about this… Adrien would probably hate me for it.”

“These are the kinds of decisions you should be making with yourself in mind,” Nathalie said. “If there’s someone that makes you happy, then go for them.”

“While Adren still lives under this roof, these kinds of decisions impact him too,” Gabriel said, and he shifted. “Besides, as I said, she would never be interested in me.”

Someone not interested in a man with a multi-million euro company? That did sound a bit surprising– but the idea only made Nathalie decide that she liked this woman, whoever she was. She wasn’t quite sure who it could be; Gabriel didn’t get out much after all. Probably someone in the company, or one of the investors. Perhaps Mme Tsurugi? She was definitely the definition of stubborn. What if… what if it was one of Adrien’s classmate’s mothers? Gabriel had been to a school event…

He shook his head. “Don’t mention any of this to Adrien; as I said, nothing would even come from it. Besides… there’s Emilie.” He sighed. “She’d want me to be focusing on our son, not on others.” He pushed himself to his feet. “...I’m going to go talk to Adrien now, I shouldn’t put this off any longer.”

“Good luck, sir.”

Gabriel headed out of the dining room, and Nathalie stayed at her seat, even once she finished her own meal. She pulled out her tablet, but she couldn’t really focus. She kept an ear listening, afraid she’d hear shouts from Adrien’s room, that it would turn into the same mess from a few nights ago, but all was quiet. She took this as a good thing, and tried to focus on her work.

But her mind kept wandering back to the fact that Gabriel was considering someone. Even if nothing ever came of this woman, that meant that Gabriel wasn’t completely closed off to the idea of dating again like she had always thought, and she was happy about that. She had known Gabriel for so long, and she wanted nothing more than to see him be the man he once was. The man she was starting to see again when he was with Adrien, the person she hoped he could be with his son again.

But she would be lying if she said that the idea didn’t sound completely wonderful, because someone else in his life would mean someone else to depend on. Perhaps that was a selfish thought, but if there was another woman in his life, she would be expected to step back, and she hated the idea of any distance coming between her and her old friend. Emilie had been her friend as well, so there had never been any form of distrust there, but with someone else… she was sure it would be natural, unfortunately.

As for Adrien… she wasn’t sure how he would react. On one hand, she was positive that he would be ecstatic to see his father moving forward in such a way, and finding someone to make him happy. On the other, Adrien might not be welcome to the idea of someone that wasn’t his mom stepping into the role of caretaker. Then again, maybe he would be. The boy seemed starved for affection at times, and perhaps he would welcome a stepmom with no hesitation. It would probably all come down to what kind of person this woman was, but knowing Gabriel, he wouldn’t settle for anyone that wouldn’t be worthy of being called Adrien’s mother.

Suddenly, Nathalie felt very very sick.

The realization was sudden, and it was horrible, and tears stung Nathalie’s eyes. The mere idea of Adrien calling anyone ‘mother’ that wasn’t Emilie… it was wrong. Bitterness crawled into her heart at the thought of someone else being the one to care for Adrien. Of someone else being the one to comfort him, to look over him and to become his guardian figure. Because when it wasn’t Gabriel, and with Emilie gone… that role had always gone to her.

“Kid? You okay?” Plagg muttered, and Nathalie realized there were tears falling down her face.

She was the one that cared for Adrien. She was the one that arranged his schedule, that had tutored him for so many years, that woke him up and told him goodnight. She was the one that cared for him when he was sick, that held him when he cried, that had watched him grow up through all these years. She had been the stable one in his life when Gabriel hadn’t been able to fill that role.

And the thought of someone else waltzing and feeling they had the right to be that person in Adrien’s life sent a burning anger through her.

“I’m fine,” Nathalie muttered.

“You don’t look fine,” Plagg sneered.

She shouldn’t be feeling this way, she shouldn’t– but she suddenly hated this woman Gabriel had mentioned. This person that knew nothing of Adrien, that knew nothing of what Gabriel had gone through, this person that Gabriel thought could–

This thought cut off her anger, and she covered her mouth as tears fell. What was wrong with her? This was not her place to think this, and not her place to decide. Not as an employee, and not even as a friend. Guilt rushed through her, and she closed her eyes, because even this knowledge didn’t erase what she felt.

Gabriel wouldn’t push her away, though, no matter what. He wouldn’t, not after all they'd been through together. It didn’t matter that she was a woman as well, and the fact that society had such expectations for a friendship to take a backseat when a relationship formed should be something to scoff at. She grabbed her napkin, wiping away her sudden tears, forcing herself to take in deep breaths.

She hadn’t been pushed out of Gabriel’s life when he and Emilie had started dating; they had been friends before, and long after. She had been a part of Adrien’s life since he was a baby. She was the one assigned to be his caretaker if anything happened– a role that even Emilie’s own sister didn’t have. 

This was her home, and had been for a long time, and she wasn’t going to let these fears control her or what she thought. It was a silly reaction.

“I’m alright, Plagg, just overthinking everything,” Nathalie said, taking in a few deep breaths.

“You humans tend to do that,” Plagg agreed.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, Adrien,” Nathalie said, watching as he came down the stairs. He looked at her, before looking away.

“Good morning,” he muttered back.

“Did… was everything okay with your father last night, if I may ask?” Nathalie asked after a moment. She hadn’t been able to talk to Gabriel since he went to talk to Adrien, having retired to her room early after dinner.

Adrien shrugged. “I’m grounded from friends for two weeks,” he muttered. “Father still thinks that the whole… drinking thing was their idea.”

She frowned. “Well, was it?”

His eyes flashed. “I already said they had nothing to do with that. It was… completely my own doing.”

Nathalie nodded slowly. “I see.”

“You don’t believe me.”

“I don’t know what to believe, Adrien, you’ve never done something like this before. Whether it was by your friends encouragement or not, though, I don’t think being grounded is unwarranted. Alcohol can be dangerous, especially for someone so young.”

He shrugged. “Well, it won’t happen again.”

“That’s good to hear,” she looked down at her tablet. “You have fencing after school today, which Ezra will pick you up from. Your Mandarin lesson has been pushed back an hour, as your tutor is sick, and you will have a substitute coming in instead.”

Adrien looked up at this, looking interested.

“You have no photoshoots for about a week, so that’s not something you need to worry about. Fit in your piano lessons sometime today, and the rest of the evening will be yours,” she glanced at him. “Will you be joining your father for dinner tonight?”

Adrien hesitated. “I… I don’t know.”

“Let me know how you feel when you get home from school, then,” Nathalie said, tapping on her screen.

“Will you be there too?” Adrien asked, and she paused. She didn’t really eat meals with them too often, but it wasn’t unheard of; like last night. Usually she found herself joining them on holidays and birthdays.

“...If you would prefer that, I see no reason why not, though that will be up to your father.”

“Okay,” Adrien said, which she took as a yes. She smiled at him, and he shouldered his backpack. “I guess I’ll see you later, then.”

“Your breakfast is on the table,” she replied.

“Naaathalieee,” Plagg called, and instantly his tone made her frown, and she looked back at the kwami.

He was sitting on her bed, right on top of her phone, screen lit up. “What?”

“Can I order some cheese?” 

She narrowed her eyes at him. “With that tone? No.”

“Pleeease?” The kwami asked, looking up at her pleadingly, something he had never done before. “Only one kilogram? I really want to try this kind, I’ve never had it before!”

She sighed. “What kind of cheese?”

“Pule.”

She had never heard of it before, and while she normally bought a little bit of whatever cheese he wanted, she did not trust the Black Cat when he was acting cute and innocent. She headed towards the bed, snatching the phone from him, and immediately he started protesting. She looked down at the screen, eyes widening.

“Plagg– this is over 500 euros! And this is for one kilo?”

“Come on, you’re a rich human, aren’t ya?”

“I’m not spending that much on cheese!”

“Tell your boss you wanna raise!”

“That’s not how this works, Plagg.”

His tail flicked side to side. “It’s not like I’m asking for some casu marzu…”

“What, is that 1000 euros per kilo or something?” Nathalie muttered, closing out of the tab, tucking her phone into her pocket.

“Nope~” Plagg said with a grin, but she sought no further explanation.

“Yeah, we’re sticking to your camembert,” Nathalie said.

“Perfect, because I already ordered a few dozen wheels.”

“What?”

The kwami burst out laughing, zipping out of the room. Nathalie was quick to pull out her phone, searching through her history to see what sites Plagg had been on. She was able to find that he had indeed placed several dozen orders of camembert and other cheeses in her cart, but had not purchased them. He came back into the room as she deleted them, the grin on his face showing that he was enjoying this.

“You are a real pain sometimes, you know that, right?” Nathalie said coolly to the kwami.

Plagg shrugged. “Consider yourself lucky, lady. It isn’t often I have to be the responsible one.” He grinned. “Heh, I’ll totally get to hold this over Tikki’s head for the next millennium. This and the chocolate incident.”

“You’re close with the Ladybug kwami, aren’t you?”

“Close?” Plagg snorted. “Kid– she’s my other half! She’s my opposite and equal, like the rind and the paste of cheese– only when it's together can it make the perfection that is a wheel of camembert.” He let out a hum of delight at this thought, before hurrying over to the fridge to get some cheese. “Tikki is the only thing on earth better than camembert, you know– but don’t tell her I said that.”

He phased into the fridge, and she waited until the kwami came back out, rubbing his belly happily. “How are you handling all of this, then, knowing that she’s in the Guardian’s hands?”

Plagg eyed Nathalie. “Oh, if it were anyone else that was misusing her Miraculous, I would make sure they wished they had never even touched those earrings.”

He said this so casually, but the gleam in his eyes sent chills down her back. For a moment, her first impressions of the kwami seemed to be real– this creature being something unworldly, dangerous, and not to cross. She swallowed, and decided to change the topic.

“What about Cobalt’s kwami, do you know them?”

Plagg’s tail swished. “Duusu? Yeah, I know him. But not the Duusu that Cobalt was describing.”

“What do you mean?”

“There just was something not right about what he said about Duusu and his Miraculous,” Plagg muttered. “And I don’t like it."

A jolt ran through Nathalie. “Was… was he lying?” She asked, and she didn’t know what to make of this crushing weight that fell on her. Just a week ago, she would have pounced on such information, but now it brought a sense of horror. “He was just trying to have us lower his guard, wasn’t he, he–”

“No, I don’t think that’s it,” Plagg said. “Now, I ain’t an expert on every Miraculous, but I have never heard of a Peacock holder being overwhelmed with the Emotions they can sense– it’s something that should be natural to control when wielding Emotion himself.”

“So was it an excuse?”

“Possibly,” Plagg said. “But what he said about Duusu, he… Duusu experiences Emotions very intensely. It can be overwhelming for some: he can go from sad to happy to angry in just the span of a minute; it’s just his nature. But ‘not coherent’? ‘Spacing out’?– that ain’t Duusu. He is very aware, and is more insightful about you humans than most kwamis.”

“So Cobalt was lying.”

“Maybe,” Plagg said. “And as bad as it sounds, him lying would probably be the better option, but I don’t think he was. I think the Duusu he described is truly the one he knows– and not the kwami I remember.”

“What do you mean?” Nathalie asked after a moment.

“I think the Peacock Miraculous might be broken.”

Plagg’s voice was nearly a whisper as he said this, tone heavy, as if this was something he didn’t want to say. Not in the same way he hadn’t wanted to tell her about the wish, but more as if it were something he didn’t want to think about. His ears were back, tail curling in close, and Nathalie turned towards the kwami.

“Does a broken Miraculous hurt a kwami?” Nathalie asked.

“Not physically,” Plagg said. “A Miraculous is a part of us, though, it’s what roots us to the physical world. If it were to be completely destroyed, the kwami would return to a spiritual state. For it to be broken… we’re torn somewhere in between. Our essence tries to exist in two realms at once, and that affects a kwami’s mind.”

“And with how Cobalt described him, you're worried that’s what might have happened,” Nathalie finished.

Plagg gave a short nod. “If that’s the case, though, then Cobalt probably shouldn’t be transforming.”

“Why?”

Plagg wrinkled his nose, thinking, before flicking his tail dismissively. “Nevermind, you need all the help you can get, he can stay.”

“Plagg, what did you mean?”

“Why are you worrying about the bird? I thought you didn’t like him.”

“Plagg!”

He sighed. “You humans ain’t meant to be using raw magic. When you’re transformed, we kwamis are involved with the whole process, you know? But combine an unaware kwami with a broken Miraculous that could be leaking magic? It usually doesn’t have good effects on humans.”

“What kind of effects?” She asked.

Plagg shifted. “Physical ones; it takes a toll on the body. People can get sick, have things in their body shut down and stop working. If someone were to wear a broken Miraculous long enough, it could end up taking their life.”

“It… it can…” She covered her mouth. “And you didn’t say something sooner?!”

“It all depends on how broken it all is and how long someone wears it– and that’s if it's broken at all,” Plagg said, crossing his arms. “This is just all guess work, remember. Based on one conversation with the Peacock– we don’t know if it’s broken or not.” 

“I guess we will have to make that more than one conversation, then,” Nathalie muttered, twisting her ring. “Plagg– claws out.”

“Wait, you wanna transform righhhh–?” The kwami’s words were cut off as he was turned into a burst of light, being drawn into the ring. Calamity Dusk could sense him protesting in her mind, but didn’t pause as she slipped out of the mansion.

Off into a city where she had no guarantee that she’d find Cobalt. In the middle of the day. Where everyone looked at her in fear.

She couldn’t really complain about the battle that ensued, as she had practically asked for the heroes to show up.

“Are– are you okay?” Calamity exclaimed, eyes widening as she turned to face Cobalt– who was leaning over, arms braced against a wall. His breathing was heavy, sweat running down his face.

Battles were never easy, and it was only thanks to the fact that the young heroes were on timers that the fights did not stretch on. The magic of the suits boosted both their strength and energy, and that’s why it was concerning to see her companion hunched over, hands on a chimney, looking far more exhausted than her. He held up a hand, telling her to wait as he let out a few coughs. He fought against the coughs, forcing them down, before slowly sitting up.

“Sorry,” Cobalt said, clearing his throat. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”

“You weren’t like this when these fights first began.”

He gave a grim smile. “I know I’m not exactly what you’d like in an ally–”

“You’re an idiot!” Calamity shouted, cutting him off. He seemed surprised by the sudden outburst, blinking. “Plagg was right, there is something wrong with your Miraculous, isn’t there? That brooch is broken– so why on earth are you transforming with it?”

He touched the Peacock Miraculous, finger tracing the segments, and he glanced away. “No… it isn’t whole. There are cracks on it, if you look closely, and magic leaks from it when you draw it from its dormant state. But I know what I’m doing, I am fine.”

“No, I don’t think you do!” Calamity cried. “Because my kwami fully explained what was going on– including the fact that your kwami isn’t in the right mind! You’re out here fighting, letting this magic slowly eat away at you, and you probably don’t even realize what is happening!”

He gave a grim smile. “I do, Calamity, trust me, I do.”

“You could die!” She cried, fear rushing through her as she said it. Yes, Plagg had explained it, but in a vague sense. It was only now as she stood here in front of Cobalt Plume that she took in the fact that it would be him that would be gone, and the thought of losing another friend made her sick.

Cobalt stared at her, gray eyes distant– yet focused straight on her. He opened his mouth, as if about to speak, before closing it and looking away. He closed his eyes for a minute, breathing slowly.

“I am very aware,” Cobalt whispered. “I watched this brooch kill my wife.”

Her eyes widened.

“We didn’t know it was the magic,” he said. “Duusu didn’t either. We went to countless doctors, endlessly searching for answers– it wasn’t until the very end that we were able to realize what was happening. We were too late then, of course.”

Calamity Dusk covered her mouth. “I… I’m…”

He shook his head. “She’s gone, and it’s my fault– don’t give me empty apologies, I’ve heard way too many.”

The words ‘I’m sorry’ were still at the tip of her tongue, but she forced herself to swallow them. “Why… why are you using this Miraculous, if you know that it can…?”

“It took years,” Cobalt muttered. “Years for it to claim her. If she didn’t transform for a time, she’d start to recover, and I… I know not to push myself. I first transformed because of the wish– the risk was worth it if I could fix my mistake.”

“Why did you keep transforming?” She demanded, but her voice wavered.

“I told you, I saved you to make up for how I treated you.”

She stared at him, and he glanced at her– neither had to hear her speak to know her question: Why are you still here?

“It wouldn’t be fair to leave you alone, would it now?” He said, tone almost light, as if trying to pull away from the weight of the conversation.

She glared at him, unimpressed. “That Miraculous is hurting you.”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“I doubt it!”

He crossed his arms. “How about you ask that kwami of yours, then, if he’s the expert. Because I’m not going anywhere, Dusk. I’m not being reckless, I have no plans to let this Miraculous claim me.”

“This whole thing is reckless,” she growled. “And asking my kwami is just an excuse, and we both know it. That means I have to leave, which means waiting for another fight and another round of you transforming until we can actually talk again.”

“Detransform here, then,” Cobalt replied.

She pulled back. “Excuse me?”

“We sit on either side of a chimney, we don’t look at each other, and we can all hold a conversation with both of our kwamis. Get a full understanding of what’s happening here.” He looked at her. “How about we make a deal? If the kwamis agree I am in immediate danger, I’ll stop using the Miraculous. If not, however, then you’re stuck with me and Grace during these fights.”

“And how do I know you won’t look when I detransform?”

“You’ll just have to trust me, I suppose,” he tilted his head, and he had the nerve to smile. “You seem insistent on not doing that, but considering that you now actually seemed worried about me, perhaps we can graduate to that level, hmm?”

“Sorry if I don’t want someone dying because they’ve stubbornly decided that I can’t handle a fight myself!”

“Never said you couldn’t, dear Dusk,” he tilted his head. “So, what will it be? Talking with our kwamis here? Or in our separate homes and waiting this out?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Get on the other side of the chimney, and if you even think about looking, I’ll make sure you wish you were never born.”

“I will ask the same of you– the not looking part. Because it would be a shame if you were never born.”

She closed her eyes, wondering if she was really about to do this– but Cobalt had already made his way to the other side of the chimney, sitting down his back to the brick so it would act as a wall between them. Calamity Dusk hesitated for a moment, before slowly doing the same on the other side. They both sat there in silence for a moment, the air feeling thick.

“Duusu, fall my feathers,” Cobalt Plume said after a moment, and a burst of deep blue light flared up on his side of the chimney.

“Plagg, claws in,” she muttered after a moment, green energy washing over her.

“Woohoo!” A voice cheered from Cobalt’s side, much more smooth and peppy than Plagg’s voice. “It’s been forever since I’ve been outside– this feels so good on my feathers! Isn’t this exciting?”

“Long time no see, Duusu,” Plagg replied, rising up into the air, going so he was on top of the chimney. She assumed that Duusu was doing the same, so the kwamis could see each other without seeing the other’s holder.

“Plaggy!” Duusu shrieked, and Plagg let out a small grunt, as if the other kwami had rammed into him. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much, even though we’ve been fighting alongside each other. Isn’t this awesome, oh I’m so excited!”

“Word on the street is that your Miraculous is broken.”

“That’s what Monsieur–” Duusu began, but he didn’t vocalize a name, just carrying on after a small pause. “–Says. Well, he never said it was broken broken, but that there were cracks on the back, and I looked, Plagg, and there were actual cracks! I don’t even remember how they got there, and that’s when I realized I didn’t remember a lot of things. I mean, I wasn’t anywhere near the Miracle Box or the other kwamis and I don’t remember why. But that’s okay, because I’m near you now, and because I had Monsieur– …with me. I used to have Madam– …too, but she’s not here anymore. She was my holder first and now she’s gone and Monsieur– …says that the magic made her sick and that it's not safe and so that means it's my fault right but he says it's not my fault but I try not to think about it.”

“Go grab your Miraculous, I want to see it,” Plagg said.

“Okay!” Duusu said, and he started humming.

“…You still here, Dusk?” Cobalt asked, and she felt her heart thumping. She realized there was something different about his voice when he wasn’t transformed, a magic no longer there– but his voice still sounded familiar, not completely new. Still, this fact made her hesitant to reply.

“Yeah,” she muttered.

“Here you go, Plagg!” Duusu beamed, presumably holding out their Miraculous. “See? Cracks!”

“And you don’t remember how it happened?” Plagg asked, and it sounded like he was forcing his voice to stay even.

“Nope~”

“Well, it’s… it is broken, but not as bad as when Llucie’s broke, hers was nearly in half…” Plagg said quietly. “It seems it has the same effect on you though.”

“Oh, oh, I remember when that happened to Llucie!” Duusu said excitedly. “The Guardians fixed it, remember?”

“Yeah, but that was back when there were Guardian s , ones that had been fully trained, as well,” Plagg scoffed. “If it wasn’t for the Order, I’d actually remember how to repair a Miraculous myself– but nooo, apparently that’s too dangerous. So instead we get kwami and holders that are suffering!”

“I’m not suffering,” Duusu said reassuringly. “I’m very happy!”

Plagg sighed. “Cobalt Plume– you said that your wife used this Miraculous for a few years, right?”

“Yes. On and off at times.”

“Well, last time I saw a broken Miraculous, it was the Caiman Miraculous– and like I said, it was nearly in half. When someone transformed with that… it wasn’t pretty, and that was just after one transformation. Seeing the state you’re in, I’d say you're right– you probably have a long time to go before the effects truly catch up with you to the point where your life's on the line.”

Nathalie’s hands curled.

“Wooo!” Duusu shouted. “That means we can keep fighting, right? Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”

“Now, I ain’t saying that you should be transforming,” Plagg said. “I’m just saying that you’ve got time. It’s risky either way, though– push yourself too far and you might end up with permanent damage from the Miraculous, one that can’t heal with time, effects you might carry for the rest of your life.”

“So you shouldn’t be using it,” Nathalie said.

“More like I should be careful,” Cobalt replied. “Would you bring the Miraculous back, please, Duusu?”

“You can’t do that!” Nathalie shouted. “You can’t just keep wearing that thing!”

“And leave you alone in the fight?”

“I will manage!”

“Three against one?” Cobalt said, scoffing. “And that’s just for now– you said that the Ladybug has the Fox Miraculous, too, right? And possibly more? What’s stopping him from sending you more foes? What about older ones that aren’t limited to a timer like these children? What would you do then?”

“We’d– I–”

“I doubt he’ll be sending out any more, let alone adults,” Plagg said dryly. “I know the man, and there’s a reason why he picked children in the first place. Easily manipulated, less likely to abuse their powers as long as they’re spoon-fed words like ‘duty’ and ‘fate’. More heroes would be harder to keep track of, too, he definitely picked out the Miraculouses the heroes had with the intention of making them the most powerful while having the least amount of Miraculouses out.”

“The Butterfly can basically summon a whole other hero,” Nathalie agreed.

“And the Dragon is one of the more powerful ones, from what I understand,” Cobalt agreed. “The Miraculouses associated with magical beings seem to be that way– the Griffin, Thunderbird, Feathered Serpent.”

Plagg was quiet for a moment. “How… how do you know about those? You just blabbing about everything to the man, Duusu?”

“No, he has a book!” Duusu said excitedly. “We can’t read it, though, but there’s a lot of pictures that we look at and talk about!”

“Book?”

“It’s some kind of ancient tome I found alongside Duusu’s Miraculous,” Cobalt explained. “It seems to be full of information about the Miraculous– there’s pictures of the Miraculouses themselves, kwamis, weapons, and people transformed. More as well, but as Duusu said, I can’t read it. One image within the book was what led me to learn about the wish, through asking Duusu.”

“A Grimoire,” Plagg said. “The Order used to have lots of those, and you’re right– it’s chock full of information about the Miraculouses. Only problem for us is it's written in code so no outsiders can read it.”

“What about you?” 

Plagg sneered. “We kwamis were considered ‘outsiders’ to the Order, kid. The only one I know of that can read the Grimoire would be the Ladybug holder because he’s Guardan and was trained, and I doubt he’s going to play translator for us.”

“To say the least,” Cobalt said, a smile in his voice.

“You don’t get it,” Plagg said. “That Grimoire probably could tell us how to fix a Miraculous! We could heal Duusu if we could break the code.”

“I’ve tried for years,” Cobalt said. “Even hired a few translators, too– only showed them the text, though, not the images. They could only confirm that there was a pattern to it all, but could never make a crack in the code.”

“Which leaves us back at square one– Miraculouses in the wrong hands, and the Peacock still being broken.”

“I’m not giving up Duusu,” Cobalt said. “I plan on fighting still, and neither of you will change my mind.”

“I’m not giving you up, either!” Duusu said happily.

“Then we gotta get the Miraculouses from those kids, and free their kwamis,” Plagg said. “Unless the Guardian somehow gives away where he’s hiding, but he’s been hiding for nearly two centuries without being discovered, so the other kwamis are our only lead.”

“Did you say centuries?” Cobalt asked.

“And how long are we supposed to do this for?” Nathalie snapped. “They’re just children!”

“Children being manipulated. They won’t listen to us, but I’m sure they’ll listen to their kwamis once we free them.”

“Someone is going to get hurt if we keep this up– and I won’t forgive myself if it’s one of those kids!” Nathalie shouted. “I can’t do this, I can’t fight children, I can’t hurt them, I can’t just sit here and act like you’re okay while you’re wearing that broken Miraculous! I– I just can’t do this!”

Plagg zipped down from the top of the chimney, watching as Nathalie curled up slightly, tears stinging her eyes. The hopelessness of the situation seemed to be hitting her all at once. Yes, there was a way, but so far, her efforts to try to reach that had resulted in nothing. Just a dozen battles of her fighting against children, always ending in the same way. Neither of them gaining any ground.

She could feel her panic rising, tears starting to fall down her face, but before Plagg could say anything to her she felt something touch the top of her hand– and she nearly jumped away in fright. She looked down at the rooftop, where a large hand had reached out to cover hers, having reached around the chimney. The rest of him was hidden, so he couldn’t see her, but she knew that he could sense her emotions.

His hand squeezed hers, voice quiet. “It will be okay, I promise.” 

The warmth of his hand seemed to be all she could focus on. His skin touched hers, no gloves between them, and she could only stare at his hand. It was soft, the tips of his fingers barely calloused. His thumb brushed across the top of her hand, calm and reassuring.

“You’re not doing this alone,” Cobalt said softly. “Okay? I told you I wasn’t leaving, and I meant it. We will figure this out. Things will get better.”

“How do you know?” She whispered. “That’s something you can’t promise.”

“Dusk, these last few years have been some of the darkest times in my life,” Cobalt said. “But then these last few months… they have shown me that things can get better, and I know it can only grow from here. Trust me, you just need to give it time.”

“Or we could fail,” she said hollowly.

She could imagine him smiling, gray eyes shining, lips twitching up, everything matching his soft voice. “No matter what happens, I’m just happy that I got to meet you.”

She swallowed, heart thumping, and she knew that she could no longer ignore what had been in front of her for so long. Cobalt Plume cared, and there was no other way to look at his actions. Nathalie swallowed again, trying to fight the tears that were clouding her eyes. He had no obligation to help her– but he was. He had no personal stakes in this fight– but he had joined her. His Miraculous was a danger to him– yet he still wore it, refusing to take it off.

Through it all, he was here, when he should have every reason not to be.

Nathalie silently cried, determined not to make a single noise despite knowing he could sense everything she was feeling. Plagg zipped forward, nuzzling her under the chin, letting out a low rumbling purr. She choked as she tried to take in a gasp of air, cupping the kwami with one hand. The other remained at her side, Cobalt’s hand resting on top, holding it tightly. The boys didn’t say anything, just staying close, letting her know that they were there.

She knew she didn’t have to say it aloud, not when Cobalt could easily sense it for himself, but it felt wrong to stay quiet. She opened her mouth, voice cracking slightly as she broke the silence.

“I trust you, Cobalt.”

His voice was soft. “Your trust means the world to me, dear Dusk.”

Chapter Text

“Is M. Agreste feeling alright?” Pierre asked Nathalie, as he brought up her lunch into her office.

“Hmm?” She asked, immediately reaching for the coffee on the tray– the caffeine she had this morning having long worn off. “As far as I know, yes. Why?”

“When I brought him his lunch, he was, well, how do I put this…” The chef frowned. “He seemed very… happy?”

“Happy?” Nathalie said dryly.

“Well, um,” he waved his hand. “Happy in a very… non-M. Agreste way? Like, even young Adrien seems a bit worried.”

“Maybe he’s worried about you accusing him of being the cheese thief,” Nathalie replied dryly.

Pierre gave a chuckle. “I’m rather sure you’re right about the fact that I miscounted the cheese. Though if I had to blame someone, I would give the ‘cheese thief’ title to you, Nathalie, going by your recent meal requests.”

Nathalie eyed the cheese and crackers she had ordered for Plagg, before taking a long sip of her coffee. “Trust me– someone would have to be absolutely insane to eat the amount of cheese you miscounted. A cheese demon or something.”

“That’s the last thing this kitchen needs,” he chuckled, turning to leave. “I wasn’t joking about M. Agreste, though. I told you because you’re the one that knows him the best.”

“Perhaps he’s just letting himself enjoy life once more.”

“Aye, that would be a wonderful thing. This house hasn’t been the same since the missus passed. Sweet woman, Emilie was, still can’t believe she’s gone, even after all these years.”

“That makes the two of us,” Nathalie said softly, closing her eyes. “I’ll check in on the others once I finish my meal.”

Pierre left after that, prompting Plagg to come out and eat through his cheese– leaving the crackers behind. Sometimes, she wondered why she even bothered requesting both, but ate the crackers regardless.

“That’s the problem with your human tastes,” Plagg said, swallowing. “You like to mix all the tastes together– then you don’t get to enjoy the original flavor!”

“It enhances the flavor,” Nathalie replied. “Complements it, makes for a more enjoyable meal.”

“Or you eat it separately,” Plagg said, reaching a paw out and snagging one of the crackers. “Then it lasts twice as long.”

He swallowed the cracker whole, grinned at her, then zipped off with a laugh– leaving her unsure if he intended his words to be a joke, or if he just thought the whole thing was funny. She sighed, gathering all of her dishes together to take back to the kitchen, wanting to see what had gotten even Pierre worried. Plagg flew into her pocket before she could say a word, the kwami preferring to accompany her when she headed out, and had never been happy when he found out that she left him sleeping in their room.

Gabriel indeed looked cheerful, practically beaming as she made her way down to the dining room. He looked at her, smiling warmly, before returning his attention towards Adrien. Despite still technically being grounded, it hadn’t seemed that way the last few days. Time Adrien might have requested be spent with his friends had instead been spent with his father– the two having finished Emilie’s movie, and had begun watching others– which had been interesting conversations to overhear with the two’s very different tastes.

It was all very different around here, but it was a good kind of different. Nathalie headed into the kitchen, placing the dishes into the sink, before heading towards the door, pausing to listen as the two boys talked.

“Could I ask you something, son?” Gabriel asked, his voice having taken on a more serious tone.

“Of course, Father,” Adrien replied, eyes flickering towards him at the sudden shift, slightly hesitant– mirroring his father’s expression.

Gabriel laced his fingers together. “I… I was wondering how you would feel if I began… well, if I were to start seeing someone.”

“‘Seeing someone’?” Adrien blinked. “Like… dating?”

He nodded. “Yes. Dating. You see, there’s someone I have been working with for some time now and I…” He trailed off. “There’s nothing between us at the moment, but I admire her greatly, and I have been wanting to take a step forward for some time now.”

“That’s awesome, Father!” Adrien exclaimed, a smile spreading over his face.

Gabriel’s shoulders relaxed. “And you’re okay with that? Even if something became more serious? I don’t know if this will go anywhere, but… are you alright with the potential of someone being part of our life?”

“Don’t talk like that, Father, I’m sure everything will work out for the two of you,” he inched forward in his chair. “And I think it would be absolutely wonderful for our family.”

Gabriel smiled. “I agree.”

Adrien’s eyes caught Nathalie’s as she stood in the doorway– and he gave her the biggest smile she had seen from him in a long time, beaming ear from ear. She smiled back at him, but felt something within her wither. She slowly pulled back into the kitchen, giving a quick glance to make sure that Pierre wasn’t here, taking in a ragged breath. She stared down at the floor, forcing herself to stay composed– she had already decided this wasn’t something to let get to her. It wasn’t her place to have an opinion on such.

But it had been Adrien who had brought up the word ‘family’, not Gabriel, with no hesitation in his answer. Adrien was not only completely accepting of his father seeing someone else, which was a good thing, he seemed very eager at the possibility of this person being part of his family– and that was what hurt. It shouldn’t have hurt, but it did. The floor blurred, and she could see a black blob hovering in front of her face.

“Go away, Plagg,” she muttered.

“You ain’t okay, kid,” the kwami said.

“I shouldn’t be upset.”

“But you are,” he said, in the same tone he always did, blase and blunt. “Question is, do you know why?”

“Of course I do,” Nathalie muttered. “I’m not blind.” Her vision blurred some more. “Gabriel and Adrien… they’re the closest thing to a family I have left, and I let that image become too comfortable in my mind.”

“For good reason.”

“No– I shouldn’t have,” Nathalie snapped. “Gabriel may be my friend– but he is also my boss, and working here is my job. I was asked to care for Adrien, not to mother him– and let myself get far too comfortable here.”

“He needed you, kid.”

“No, he needs a mother,” Nathalie whispered. “He wants one, that’s why he’s happy for his father, so welcoming. And I– and I shouldn’t have let it get into my mind that that’s the role I was playing.”

“Nathalie–” Plagg continued, but she snatched the kwami out of the air, stuffing him into her pocket before heading out the door. She didn’t look at anyone as she hurried through the dining room, into the foyer and up the stairs to the room she called her own. She was focusing on composing herself, realizing just how big of a mess she had gotten herself into.

Gorizilla’s hand closed around Calamity, lifting her up into the air. Immediately, she could hear Cobalt shouting, but she couldn’t focus on the words as she twisted about, trying to find some means to escape. She resisted the urge to snap ‘Ezra!’ at the champion, knowing that giving any sign she knew the man wouldn’t be good. Her arms were pinned to her side, the giant blue fingers wrapped around them, but her hands were free. Not that it did much, since she couldn’t move them anywhere, but her baton was in one hand.

She expanded it, jabbing the pole into Gorizilla’s side, silently apologizing to her coworker. He let out a groan of pain, but it didn’t seem to do much. He simply turned, lumbering away with the Black Cat in his hands.

“Get the ring!” Indigo shouted, who had leapt forward to engage with Cobalt as he charged towards the champion. Twin fans blocked Indigo’s sword strikes, neither gaining any ground, but that left Calamity trapped with no help on the way.

Gorizilla raised Calamity up to his face, looking at the ring on her finger. She curled it into a small fist, and while the champion raised his other large hand towards her, it was clear that he didn’t have the dexterity to effectively get something so small off of her. She sneered at the giant gorilla, who let out a huff in return.

This wasn’t relief, though, because there was still one last member of the heroes– Tempest landing on Gorizilla’s arm. The champion was still, allowing the Dragon holder to make her way towards the trapped ‘villain’ in his fist. Calamity gritted her teeth, half tempted to call for a Cataclysm so the energy could guard the ring, but the risk of the destructive energy accidentally touching Ezra or Tempest was too high at the moment. However, there was still one other option.

Calamity smirked up at Tempest as she walked onto the fist of Gorizilla, causing the Dragon holder to pause. At the last second, she seemed to reach the same realization that Calamity already had, turning and waving her sword about as the sound of rushing air grew louder. Grace appeared to her right, her outline barely visible even this close, talons entangling Tempest as she was dragged away from Gorizilla and Calamity. The large bird became visible for a moment, feathers gleaming in the sun as she dropped the hero with another screech, before banking about to engage Gorizilla.

There wasn’t much the bird could do to a large foe, however. The dazzling blasts of light she reflected at the champion did blind and frustrate him, but it did nothing to loosen the grasp he had on Calamity. Grace would dive bomb the large gorilla, talons raking at him, beak snapping, but it seemed to be as effective as a biting insect. Painful? Yes. Annoying? Yes. But it wasn’t doing harm of any kind. Turning invisible was no more effective, because Gorizilla seemed to be able to catch Grace’s scent, and locate what direction she was coming from.

Tempest, of course, wasn’t down yet, forcing Grace to occasionally veer away to keep the Dragon holder from coming closer to Calamity and the ring. Calamity was sure it was only a matter of time before Tempest decided to use her lightning abilities, which she was sure Grace would fall to. She never got an answer, though– because as Grace banked back around to dive bomb Gorizilla again, the champion lashed out– grabbing Grace in his other hand. The bird let out a long call, thrashing in the grasp, but she couldn’t slip away.

“No!” Cobalt thundered.

“Tempest, the ring, now!” Indigo called out, pouncing at Cobalt Plume while his back was turned.

“With pleasure, mon petit papillon,” Tempest said, eyes gleaming.

“You even think about reaching for the ring and I’ll activate my powers,” Calamity called as Tempest landed on Gorizilla once more. This caused the Dragon holder to pause, and Calamity wasn’t sure how empty the threat was– because she couldn’t let the ring be taken.

In Gorzilla’s other hand Grace was glowing brightly, but the burst of light was not a means of escape. After a moment, the bird went still– before she suddenly melted away in a burst of energy, a feather being the only thing left in Gorizilla’s hand. Calamity twisted her head back as far as she could, looking down at Cobalt, who had just snapped his fingers to release the being from her physical form. His fans had been connected back into one weapon, which he was using to block Papillon’s fierce strikes, but with one fan gone, he had lost the edge he had.

Cobalt twisted about, swinging one leg under Indigo’s feet. The Butterfly had seen this coming, though, leaping back, which gave Cobalt Plume just the space he needed. A free hand plucked a feather from his fan, hand closing about it as it was flooded with energy. He let it go into the air, where it drifted up on an unseen breeze, before splitting his fan into two once more as Indigo Papillon sprung forward again.

Calamity thought that his plan was to resummon Grace so she was no longer trapped, which was a brilliant idea– except that the feather did not turn into the large graceful bird. Instead, it just floated up towards Gorzilla and the female holders. Tempest gripped her sword tightly, as if expecting the small feather to explode.

“Dusk!” Cobalt cried, ducking under Indigo’s blade. “Catch it!”

“Wind Dragon!” Tempest immediately bellowed, pointing her sword towards the drifting feather, not about to let it reach her enemy. Calamity gritted her teeth, before pointing the baton at the feather, which was now being pushed back by the gale that Tempest was summoning, expanding her weapon so it rushed towards the feather.

The tip of the silvery baton met the feather before it was blown away, which instantly merged with the weapon. Calamity felt a power rush through her, and suddenly there was another presence in her mind. She blinked rapidly, and suddenly Cobalt’s voice was softly speaking to her, as if he was right next to her.

“I’m giving you full control of this avatar,” he said softly. “It will respond to your Emotions and directions.”

“Wha–” she tried to say, before the presence retreated from her mind. However, the energy did not, and she watched the blue light run across her staff, materializing into a shape right where the feather had touched. This was how Grace always came into being, except for the form taking shape was not that of the bird.

It was slim and sleek, with four large paws and a long bushy tail. White fur coated its entire form, thick and fluffy, the coat peppered with gray rosettes. A pair of glacier blue eyes slid open, and the feline flexed its claws, looking up at Calamity, silently awaiting its purpose.

The snow leopard was beautiful, and far larger than others of its kind, easily approaching the size of a lion or tiger. Calamity stared at it, startled, as she had not known that Cobalt Plume could summon anything besides Grace. As she watched the snow leopard paw at the ground, she could see frost forming under its feet, silently telling her what powers it held.

She didn't have to say a word, the snow leopard responding immediately to her thoughts. It sprang forward, running up the baton it had been formed from. Icicles grew out from where he touched, leaving the staff covered in icy spikes as he raced up to join her. The snow leopard sprang, landing on the top of the fist that held Calamity, letting out a piercing yowl. Frost spread out from his feet, which quickly turned to ice.

As the ice spread across his hand, Gorizilla instinctively began opening his hand, trying to rid himself of the ice crystals that were forming, but the ice swiftly overtook his fingers, locking them into place. The ice did not spread onto Calamity, who was falling through the champion’s now-open grasp. She angled her baton below her, helping her to vault away, landing on her feet.

Gorizilla let out a loud protesting roar, twisting about, trying to swipe at her with his other hand. His ice-covered hand trembled, and after a moment the ice shattered, freeing him. However, the snow leopard was now running up his arm, ice spreading from wherever he stepped. He landed on Gorizilla’s shoulder, sinking his fangs into their ear, before bolting around their neck and down the other arm. 

“Find the object with the butterfly!” She called to the snow leopard, before turning in search of Cobalt who was still clashing with Indigo.

“Lightning Dragon!”

“Rwoar!”

Everything happened in an instant, Calamity turning as she heard the call to summon the electric attack. The snow leopard let out a roar-like call just moments later, a powerful wind surging up. The cold hit right as electricity danced across Tempest’s sword, which was aimed right at Calamity. She saw the burst of light for a moment– before a wall of ice cut her off from the view.

The lightning surged through the ice, webbing out through it as the icy wall instantly shattered, steam curling into the air as the heat of the strike melted the ice away, the remaining shards of ice rained down– but Calamity had been spared from the lightning. Tempest was gripping her sword tightly, the choker on her neck letting out a small chirp, all of her powers having been used.

Using her baton to help her spring forward, Calamity went to meet Tempest, eyes focused on the Miraculous. She was confident in the leopard’s ability to keep Gorizilla occupied, the creature able to climb up the large champion and steep angles with ease, the ice slowing the giant champion down. Baton met sword, and Calamity kept her eyes focused on the choker around Tempest’s neck– what she needed to get her hands on.

Even without her elemental powers, though, Tempest was still just as ruthless. She swung her sword in wide broad slashes, not with the skill of a swordsman, but sheer force and the fact that it was a blade was enough to keep Calamity a sword's length back. The baton did well in blocking the strikes, and while metal clashed against metal, both maintained a defense that wasn’t being broken– but the beeping of Tempest’s Miraculous was slowly telling her that time was running low.

Tempest broke off from the fight, turning and leaping away– and Calamity ran right after her. She could not respect a secret identity, not when their only chance of ending these clashes meant taking a Miraculous right from one of these heroes. She could see the panic in Tempest’s eyes as she pursued, her path becoming twisted as she attempted to throw her off.

A loud roar from Gorizilla made her pause. She hesitated for a moment, and she turned and looked back as Tempest continued fleeing. The snow leopard was perched on top of Gorizilla’s knuckles on his right hand, a huge chunk of ice having formed around his middle finger, like a frozen ring. The large champion threw the snow leopard with another roar, but Calamity knew what the creature had found.

Ezra always wore a black ring on that finger, and while she didn’t recall seeing anything on Gorizilla’s hands when she had been captured, she knew that the snow leopard wasn’t doing that by chance. She turned and looked back at where she had seen Tempest– but the Dragon holder had slipped away in those moments of realization. This decided her choice of whom to go after, and she vaulted back towards Gorizilla, who was carefully trying to chip away at the ice that covered his finger.

“Mrrow,” a voice rumbled as she landed on the roof, and she saw the snow leopard landing next to her.

“Can you freeze his feet?” Calamity asked, and the snow leopard dipped his head, taking off towards the champion once more. Gorizilla was still distracted by the ice, allowing the snow leopard to approach silently– the champion catching the scent of the cat a moment too late. He raised his head just as the snow leopard let out that piercing-yowl– a blast of icy wind slamming into Gorizilla’s feet, trapping them in a frozen mound.

Gorizilla’s roar shook the streets, and Calamity vaulted up onto his hand. She looked down at the icy mass on his finger, and saw the thinnest black band one could imagine within the ice. It was like his ring had grown in size to fit on his monstrous finger, but had not grown in thickness, leaving it nearly invisible against his dark blue skin. It would have been hard to target otherwise, but thanks to the ice block, Calamity could lay her hand against it without worrying about hitting Gorizilla, her voice a whisper.

“Cataclysm,” she muttered, dark energy surging out from her own black ring, engulfing the ice and Ezra’s ring trapped inside. Gorizilla looked at her in rage, before purple energy bubbled over him, and he shrank back down into the bodyguard that she knew so well.

That left her in the air with nothing to support her, but she twisted about as she fell, landing lightly on her feet like the cat she was. She shot a quick glance at Ezra, who was no longer trapped in ice now that he had shrunk, a small white butterfly flying about him. She then looked towards Indigo and Cobalt, who were still fighting, only now Indigo’s brooch was chirping with his champion being defeated. The boy looked on edge– both of his allies now gone– and Calamity felt bad, but that didn’t stop her from shouting:

“Don’t let him slip away!” She called, and Cobalt gave a short nod, pressing closer, fans swinging– forcing Indigo to go completely on the defensive.

Before she could move forward to join Cobalt, however, a blur barreled past her. Calamity’s eyes widened as she watched Ezra charge towards the two clashing Miraculous holders– crashing straight into Cobalt Plume with no hesitation. 

Even without magic, his sheer size was enough to knock Cobalt away from the fight, and he attempted to wrestle the Miraculous holder down. Calamity charged forward herself, but Cobalt had already broken free of Ezra’s grasp, knocking him away with his enhanced strength as he rolled back to his feet. Those few moments were all that Indigo had needed though– having taken to the roofs and racing away.

“What are you–?” Cobalt began snarling at Ezra, before cutting himself off just as quickly. Indigo disappeared over the roofs, and while Calamity was tempted to go after him she knew for herself how easy it was to duck into an alley and drop a transformation in just a few seconds, so instead she turned her attention towards Cobalt.

She vaulted forward, grabbing Cobalt Plume under the arm. “I’ll take care of this, thank you very much.”

She gave a smile to Ezra, who looked slightly alarmed, before she vaulted away. As she landed on the roof, a burst of pink light filled the air, the Miraculous Ladybugs racing out across the city, sealing away the cracks from Gorizilla and sweeping away all the ice from the snow leopard.

Speaking of the snow leopard, the cat joined them on the roof, landing softly, sitting a few paces away from them. Bright blue eyes regarded them, a bit of frost spreading out around where he sat. Calamity was breathing heavily as she caught her breath, and she looked over at Cobalt Plume.

“I didn’t know you could summon other creatures,” she said.

He shrugged. “I can create avatars based off of one’s Emotions, but just like people are in control of their own Emotions, they control the avatar of their Emotions.”

She looked over at the snow leopard. “Oh, so if you made one off of the civilians’ or the heroes’ emotions…”

“They would probably turn it against us,” Cobalt confirmed, approaching the snow leopard, letting it sniff his fist, before he ran a hand down its fur. “So I really could only create my own avatar, Grace. She was originally made by my wife, actually. We would go about the city together, she’d be transformed, and I’d be hidden by Grace’s magic…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I never made one with you before, because you kind of get into one’s head in the process of summoning an avatar– and I figured you wouldn’t have appreciated that.”

She smiled. “No, I don’t think I would have.” She reached out to pet the snow leopard for herself– and found that his fur was pleasantly cool to the touch, and not warm as you’d expect from a mammal. “What’s this guy’s name?”

“That’s for you to decide,” Cobalt Plume replied. “He’s yours, after all.” He glanced at the snow leopard. “I was attempting to make a black panther of some kind, but it seems that wasn’t what he was meant to be. He is a good match for you, though, cold and frosty.” He grinned– but held up his hands when both Calamity and the snow leopard glared at him. “Cold and beautiful.” He amended. “Just like you.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she replied, running her gloved hand down the snow leopard’s back, his gaze turning towards her. “But I think I do have a name for this one– Glacier. What do you think?”

Glacier let out a purr, closing his eyes that had given him his name.

“Grace and Glace', huh?” Cobalt said, raising an eyebrow. “I like that.”

“No one asked your opinion,” she replied, smirking at him as she rose to her feet. Her gaze softened as she looked down at Glacier again. “...You have to destroy him now, don’t you?”

“He’s an avatar of your Emotions,” Cobalt replied. “A reflection of yourself– that can’t be easily destroyed.” He raised his hand, snapping his fingers, and Glacier melted away with a rush of blue light– a feather drifting from her baton. “Just like with Grace, we can summon him again.”

“I look forward to it– might give us a bit of variety in these upcoming fights,” her smile faded slightly. “...We were so close today. If I hadn’t stopped, I could have had Tempest's Miraculous…”

“And if Ezra hadn’t interfered, we could have kept Indigo Papillon here longer,” Cobalt muttered, and she nodded in agreement– before freezing up slightly. She turned her head towards Cobalt, who blinked. “Yes?”

“...How do you know the champion’s name?” Calamity said– and he blinked a few times as if he had just realized what he said.

“Isn’t it fairly well known?” Cobalt Plume asked briskly. “Or did I misidentify him? I could have sworn that was the bodyguard of the young model– Adrien Agreste, the one on all the billboards.”

“...Yes, I’m sure it was him, too,” she said, but she was still slightly on edge. Adrien’s name being well known? That was not surprising at all, of course, and it would be the same for Gabriel. But Ezra’s? Just because he worked for the Agrestes didn’t mean his name was well known, she knew that herself from experience. 

“No wonder he didn’t hesitate in attacking me,” Cobalt Plume said lightly, grinning. “Powerful man, he was able to hold me down there for a second, despite my magical strength– it seems he’s quite the bodyguard.”

“Only the best for Adrien,” Calamity replied.

“Hopefully the heroes don’t hire him full-time, then,” Cobalt Plume said with a smile, and Calamity felt her worry from before seem to slip away, fading to the back of her mind with an unnatural swiftness. Cobalt turned towards her, his tailcoat swaying behind him. “It seems we’re getting closer, dear Dusk, and perhaps we can end this with just a few more fights.”

“I hope so.”

“Maybe when this is all over, we can celebrate,” Cobalt suggested, and she stared at him. “Perhaps over dinner and some drinks? Somewhere nice, I would pay, of course.”

“Sounds like a date,” she replied, laughing.

“Good, because that’s what it's supposed to sound like,” Cobalt replied, and she paused as he said this, startled by these words. She tried not to let it show– but with Cobalt that wasn't exactly possible, and he let out an uncertain chuckle. “...Was that too direct?”

“Are… are you asking me out?” She asked, turning to face him.

“Of course,” Cobalt replied. “Preferably without masks, and when we don’t have these fights to worry over– just you and I.”

She stared, and Cobalt just watched her, waiting for an answer, and for once she didn’t know what to say. It had been years since she had been on any sort of date, and the last time she had been asked out was always from impromptu men at dinner parties and even after business meetings she had attended– which she had always turned down. Yet this didn’t feel quite the same, as Cobalt was someone she would say she comfortably knew– but she had not expected such a question from him.

“I… I have not been on a date in years,” she finally managed to say.

“Are you interested in changing that?” Cobalt asked.

She watched him for a moment, many different emotions flowing through her– and she was glad that Plagg’s presence wasn’t currently in her mind, leaving her to her own thoughts. The idea… wasn’t unappealing, and that was what surprised her the most– because just a few weeks ago, she was sure she would have been horrified at such a request. But now…

“I’m curious,” she finally said, turning away from him. “And well, I’m sure you know what they say curiosity and cats– and I don’t think waiting until all of this is over will suit me– so if you want a date, M. Plume, I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for one with this mask in place.”

“So it’s a yes, then,” he said, sounding eager.

She smiled, pulling out her baton. “I suppose it is.”

With that, she vaulted away, leaving the Peacock on the roof, looking up at her. His gaze felt very different in the moment– she realized that he simply wasn't looking at her, he was looking at her . And just for that moment, she felt young again, a thrill of excitement racing through her, like someone had asked her out for the first time. And with as long as it had been… perhaps it was the same feeling. 

Her heart was racing, and it was not from her running. She didn’t go straight back to the manor, but instead she made her way across the rooftops, taking in what had happened. For a moment, she felt like when she had first put on the Miraculous; everything feeling strange, new, and magical. 

Plagg was grumbling when she at last detransformed in her room, hovering there exhausted in the air as if they had been transformed for days on end. “What was all that for– you know I like cheese after a battle!”

“You know where it is,” she replied, sitting down on her bed.

Instead, he hovered right in front of her face. “Why are you acting like this is a surprise?”

“...He asked me out,” she said slowly after a moment. “That… that is a surprise.”

Plagg rolled his eyes. “It was pretty obvious if you ask me– has been for a long time! What else do you think it means when a Peacock shows off?”

“What– what are you saying?” her voice came out slightly more flustered than she had intended, and she cleared his throat.

“‘Oh, my dear Dusk!”' Plagg cried in a dramatic voice, clutching his chest. “‘Look at you, prancing through the night, I cannot help but admire all that you do! I shall leap into battle for you, so you can see my strength, my loyalty! You’re far from my reach, but my heart can belong to no other–’ oof!”

Her pillow hit the kwami, muffling his words as he was forced to phase through the pillow. He glowered at her as it fell to the ground, and she just shook her head. “One for the dramatics, I see.”

“Oh, that bird has been head over heels for you forever– why else do you think he jumped into battle on the villain’s side?” Plagg said, crossing his arms.

“You were there for that conversation when I asked him exactly that,” she said, reaching over to pick up her pillow. “But still… maybe you're right. Maybe he has been interested for a time.” She paused. “I… I must admit, I am excited to see what happens. It has been years since I’ve last been on a date.”

“Do you always go out with masked men whose names you don’t know?”

“No, I usually go out with women, actually,” Nathalie replied.

“Meh, you humans have too broad of tastes,” Plagg rolled over onto his back, paws in the air. “Creation deities for me only– spotted, with a strange preference for sweets.”  

He went silent as he said this, the playful look on his face fading, hovering there in silence for a moment.

“...The Ladybug kwami is really important to you, isn’t she?”

Plagg looked away. “You humans don’t get it.”

“I know what it’s like to love someone, Plagg.”

His eyes flashed towards her. “Love don’t describe it, lady. No word can. What we had existed long before Language was, before Emotion was, before Love was. We had a bond before Connection herself came to be,” he closed his eyes. “You humans talk about finding your other half… but you don’t know what that truly means to have one.”

The kwami fell quiet, and Nathalie pushed herself to her feet. She carefully cupped the kwami in her hands, pulling him from the air. He looked up at her, expression almost skeptical, ready to rebuke any claims of understanding or comfort she might be about to offer.

“We’re going to get her away from that man,” Nathalie said. “I promise you, I’m not going to give up on this, I won’t stop until the Miraculouses are safe.”

Plagg stared at her for a moment, those bright green eyes not leaving her. She thought he would say something, but all he had to offer her was a slow blink, tail curling near him as he sat in her palm. Any words he might have been about to say were forgotten as a loud crash echoed through the manor– causing the two of them to jump.

Plagg was back in the air, their eyes shifting towards the door. The two shared a glance, and Nathalie moved forward, opening the door, peering out into the hallway– but saw nothing. Eyes narrowing she moved forward, the silence being what put her slightly on edge. She reached the end of the hallway, looking down the stairs, where she saw a shattered vase on the ground, a tall figure braced up against the wall, hand clutching his head.

“Gabriel?” She said in surprise, but he didn’t seem to hear her. Plagg vanished into her pocket as she headed down the stairs, raising her voice. “Gabriel? Are you alright, what happened?”

He looked up, wincing slightly, before pulling his hand away. “Nathalie? Did something happen?”

“I heard a crash and came out here to find this,” she said, gesturing to the shattered vase covering the ground. She didn’t go down past the last stair, not about to go walking across shards of glass.

Gabriel looked down at the remains of the vase, as if startled to see it. “Oh my. I… I was zoned out there for a bit, I didn’t even notice that.”

“I heard it from my room, Gabriel.”

He waved a hand. “I’ll get the staff to clean it up, don’t worry yourself.”

“I will worry, if you didn’t notice this and were standing right next to it!” Nathalie said, holding back a slight scoff– did he really think she was just going to brush this off? “What happened? You were holding your head, did you hurt yourself?”

He sat up slightly, adjusting his tie. “As I said, I am fine, just a slight headache. You shouldn’t be this close, you don’t even have shoes on, Nathalie.”

“Gabriel–”

“Go check on Adrien, make sure he’s doing his homework,” Gabriel said briskly.

She let out a sigh. “If you ‘zone out’ like that again, sir, you better tell me.”

“I have this under control, Nathalie, don’t worry,” he replied as she turned to head up the stairs– which only had the opposite effect. She glanced back as she headed back up the steps, watching as Gabriel carefully navigated his way out of the glass. He paused for a moment, leaning up against the wall, holding his head again.

Then he continued forward, sitting up straight and head held high, as if all was well.

Chapter Text

“So…” Adrien said slowly, in a tone that made Nathalie look up from her tablet suspiciously. “Anything new going on in life? News of any sort you could tell me…?”

“None that you would find interesting,” Nathalie replied, picking up her coffee. “Finish your breakfast, you can’t be late for school.”

He took a bite of his eggs. “You can’t just assume I won’t find anything interesting,” Adrien said. “Come on, can’t you tell me anything?”

She frowned at him, as it was quite clear that he wanted something, but she wasn’t sure what he was trying to get at. “Well, I have been in contact with your photographer trying to schedule some more shoots, talking to the head of the design team to make sure the fabric order isn’t messed up again, and your father should be ordering an investigation for the management of the London division of the company because your father thinks they might be embezzling money.”

“What?!”

“Nothing’s certain yet, but the data isn’t looking good,” she glanced up at him. “Not information to be repeated, by the way; this is being looked into without their or the public’s knowledge so we can see what exactly is going on without interference.”

“Of course not!” Adrien said. “I just, I didn’t know people were–”

“There are selfish people in this world,” Nathalie replied, watching him– but apparently this wasn’t the information he had been looking for. “What is it you’re trying to ask me? I thought you were fishing for more information on what your father was dealing with this morning.”

Adrien flushed slightly. “I, um, see he’s busy. I was just wondering if things were…”

He trailed off, and Nathalie sighed. “Speak clearly, or not at all, Adrien; it’s impolite to mutter.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. I was just, er, wondering about you and, um, dating and stuff but it’s clear there’s a lot going on so I get that might not be at the front of your mind…”

Nathalie blinked at Adrien, wondering when he had heard that she had a date– she hadn’t exactly been public about it, but she hadn’t hidden anything, either. “I have plans for a date, if that’s what you’re asking, but a day hasn’t been decided yet.”

Adrien looked up at her with a huge smile. “Are you excited?”

“I am interested to see where it may go,” she finally said, after a moment of thought, wondering how far to let this conversation go. She was fine with talking about her personal life to Adrien, but she wasn’t sure how much she should delve into. She was an employee, after all, and she should be expected to leave her personal life at the door.

“I’m excited for you guys,” Adrien said with a huge smile. “I think it’s going to be awesome.”

She gave a tight smile, not sure what to make of his confidence with this. “I hope so.”

She was a bit grateful that Adrien dropped the topic after that, finishing up his breakfast before hurrying upstairs to finish getting ready, because she wasn’t sure what to make of his eagerness about the fact that she was going on a date. It wasn’t like he knew whom she was going with, and she was quite sure that Adrien wouldn’t be open to the idea of her going out with Cobalt Plume– he was very much on the side of the heroes, like all of Paris.

She had seen all the posters and merchandise he had been ordering online, especially of Tempest.

“Bye, Nathalie!” Adrien called as he came back downstairs, bag slung over his shoulder. “I’ll see you tonight, tell Father I said goodbye!”

She raised a hand as he hurried out the door, towards the limo out front where Ezra was waiting for him.

It was dusk as Calamity set out, working her way from rooftop to rooftop, making sure to stick to the shadows. While she never wanted to draw the heroes into battle, today she especially did not want the attention, not when her schedule had already been carefully planned out.

Her heart pounded lightly as she made her way towards what she now considered her roof and her chimney, mind wandering. She was excited, and a part of her didn’t know how to react to that fact. Calamity was starting to realize that, for the longest time, her focus had been on work– even her transformation, which she had once used to relax, was now another duty she took on. As such, a part of her was wary of this change in her, her actions feeling almost immature– but still she found herself looking forward as she headed to what had become their meeting point, one she had once zealously guarded from him, but now she looked forward to seeing him there.

Her heart pounded when she saw the chimney– which stood empty in the night. She slowed down as she approached, wondering if she had gotten the time wrong, but immediately her mind began to wander to every other possibility. Had she misunderstood him? Read too much into things? Perhaps she had–

Then the air around the chimney shimmered, giving way to reveal a figure of feathers standing tall and graceful, her creator below her. She relaxed as Grace’s magic faded so she could see Cobalt, who was smiling warmly at her.

“I’m glad to see you made it,” he said.

“Could have given me a warning that Grace would be hiding you,” Calamity replied, holding a hand out as the large avatar drew near her. She ran a hand down her feathers, Grace giving a fond coo.

“I thought it would be obvious that we don’t want to be seen,” Cobalt replied, and Grace glowed faintly with light. Nothing seemed to change, but Calamity assumed that she was simply hiding them from outside eyes. “And unfortunately my apparel is not the best for remaining out of sight.”

She drew her cloak tightly around her. “Plagg said you Peacocks like the attention.”

“Purrhaps if that attention is from you, dear Dusk,” Cobalt Plume replied, grabbing her hand and pressing his lips to the back of her gloves. “It can make me a bit cocky, I suppose. I hope you don’t find that fowl.”

She narrowed her eyes at him as he lifted his head, a grin on his face. 

“I’m guessing you didn’t find that punny, going by your expression,” Cobalt continued, his hand still holding hers. “I’m just winging these, I’m afraid, just part of a friendly little chat.”

“I think you’ll find that this chat has claws,” Calamity replied, willing her silver ones to appear on the tips of her gloves for a moment. “And does not find these puns as amusing as you do.”

He didn’t seem deterred. “Emu-sing, purrhaps?”

“You already used the second one, and I’m afraid you don’t have the Emu Miraculous.”

“I suppose it would have to be a foolish bird to draw so near to a cat,” Cobalt replied, unfazed, pulling her close. “I hope you won’t leave yet, we haven't even had a chance to eat.”

When Cobalt had invited her for a rooftop dinner, she had been expecting a picnic of some kind. But as he led her along the roof, she found that what he had setup was not that simple. There was a round table resting ahead, plates covered with metal lids, suggesting they were keeping a meal warm underneath. A tall lit candle stood in the middle, next to two glasses and a bottle of wine.

She raised an eyebrow as she was pulled near, wondering how he had gotten this set up here, even with a bird that could hide him, because none of this was simple. He pulled out a chair for her and she sat, still staring at him as he took his own seat.

“Is everything alright?” He asked when he saw her expression, popping off the top of the wine bottle with a single flick of his thumb, his enhanced strength making it effortless.

Grace pulled up behind Calamity, picking up the lid with her beak, and she found a plate holding a meal suited for the Agreste’s Christmas dinner below. It looked pristine and amazing, and she looked up at him.

“This is a lot,” she said, blinking at him. “How did you get this up here?”

Cobalt smiled, lifting up his own lid for Grace to take, before grabbing both wine glasses in one hand, pouring the dark red drink into them.

“I have my ways,” he replied, setting one glass in front of her, before taking a small sip of his own.

“This couldn’t have been cheap.”

“Naturally you only deserve the best, with what you’re doing for this city,” he replied, raising his glass as if to give a toast, and her eyes fell downwards.

“I doubt this city would agree with that sentiment,” she whispered, taking a small bite of her meal.

“They may not know what you’re doing,” Cobalt replied. “But I’ve seen all that you’ve accomplished, and anyone would be a fool not to respect you for what you’ve done.”

Calamity told herself that it was the wine that made her flush, even though she had yet to even take a sip.

It would have been a strange sight, them masked and in their costumes as they ate, and perhaps even more so if someone were to see the city’s ‘villains’ up on the rooftops, their conversation gentle and hushed.

“I told my son about you,” Cobalt said after some time, and she looked up at him in surprise. “Not who we are or anything of the sort, of course; simply that there was someone I wanted to see.” He smiled softly. “I didn’t think he would be happy with such an idea, but he was beaming.” He blinked quickly. “Dusk, it has been so long since I have been close with him, I didn’t realize how much we were hurting.”

“I’m glad to hear that things are good between you,” she said, and she couldn’t help but think of Adrien and Gabriel’s mending relationship– perhaps this showed that any divided family could be healed.

“I have you to thank for that, dear Dusk,” he said softly.

“Me?” She said, startled at this declaration.

Gray eyes shone. “Yes, you. You were the one that gave me reason to leave my home; and all that came with it. To leave my sorrow and the hole I had buried myself in. You gave me hope when I thought there was none left.” He looked out at the city, gaze distance. “Perhaps I never reached what I was hoping for in those first moments… but you taught me so much. You taught me to act, what it means to be selfless…” he looked at her once more. “I am a very selfish man, Dusk, I will not lie to you, but I hope I am becoming someone better.”

“You’re a good man, Cobalt,” she replied. “Don’t fool yourself into thinking otherwise.”

“I have a gift for you,” Cobalt Plume said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small velvet box. “Something small, to say thank you.”

He pushed it towards her, and she hesitantly reached for it, opening up the small case to see a necklace resting inside. A white gold chain held up a light blue spinel gem, tear shaped, surrounded by smaller white gems. She stared at it before looking up at him in shock.

“I– I can’t accept this, this is too expensive!” Calamity exclaimed.

“It wasn’t much–“

“‘Wasn’t much’?” She said in disbelief. “This is a Gabriel original! One of the newest designs!”

A small silence filled the air, a light blush on his cheeks. “I… I didn’t know you’d recognize that.”

“Cobalt,” she said, closing the lid and pushing it towards him. “I’m flattered, I really am, but you can’t spend this much on me.”

“It truly wasn’t much,” he insisted.

She looked at him doubtfully. “Gabriel is the top in Paris,” she said. “And this is a new release, there was no way this was affordable.”

“I… I have a friend that works at Gabriel ,” he said swiftly. “I’ve told her about you, and well… I’m not lying when I say that I didn’t spend much on it.” He pushed the box back towards her. “I want you to have this, Dusk. Please, take it.”

She slowly reached for it, opening it up once more. She wondered who his friend was, and if she had unknowingly crossed paths before. It wouldn’t be unheard of for jewels that didn’t meet the Gabriel standard to make their way into another’s hand, but as she looked down at the necklace it seemed to be absolutely pristine.

“May I?” He asked, pushing himself to his feet. 

Calamity gave a nod, and he came around, carefully removing the necklace from the box. She pulled her hair back, allowing him to clasp it around her neck. He carefully gathered her hair in his fingers as he finished, letting it down as she turned to face him.

“You look lovely,” he said softly.

“Thank you,” she replied, a hand touching the jewel, her words both for the gift and all that he had done for her tonight.

The moment was interrupted by a bright flash of light– the two of them jumping. They looked over to see Grace, whose feathers were glowing. She was sitting in front of the two metal lids, which the bird had angled towards her, and seemed mesmerized by the reflections of her light. The avatar paused– from sensing their gaze or from her creator’s prompting, Calamity did not know. The large being let out a soft cry as greeting, before rearranging her lids at another angle, reflecting light back into them.

“I would offer you a ride back on Grace,” Cobalt said softly. “But assuming you want masks still in place, I’m guessing homes still remain hidden alongside names?”

“That’s safest, while we’re still fighting,” Calamity replied. “But as soon as this is over, I’ll tell you who I am.”

“Surely a street name isn’t too much,” Cobalt Plume said, offering a hand to help her to her feet. 

“I think it is,” she said evenly as they walked away from the table and back towards the chimney, thinking of the houses that lined her neighborhood– nothing about it exactly subtle. “All the more reason to end these battles though, hmm?”

“There are many,” he agreed, bringing her hand to his lips, carefully pressing them against her knuckles. “But what we have now is worth everything to me, dear Dusk.”

He raised his head up, the two of them staring into their masked faces, neither saying a word. She found her eyes flickering down to his lips, then back up to his eyes, her next words escaping her without thought.

“Is that the only kiss you’re going to give me?” She asked, a small smile tugging at her lips– and he stared at her. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized what she said. Silence lingered between them, and she instantly regretted what she said. “I–”

Then his hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close. He leaned down, their foreheads almost touching, his voice a whisper. “If that’s what you’d like,” he said softly. “Then I would be more than happy to.”

She swallowed once, before reaching up, closing the gap between them. She closed her eyes as she leaned up into the kiss, a part of her startled at what she was doing– but the other did not want the moment to end. Her arms wrapped around his neck, his pressing against her back, and their eyes flickered open as they at last pulled back.

Neither hesitated as they leaned back in for another kiss.

“Dad!”

Nathalie jumped as she heard Adrien’s panicked cry echo throughout the mansion, immediately on her feet. She rushed from her room, hurrying down the stairs and towards the dining room as quickly as she could.

Adrien was on his feet, eyes wide with pure fear. He was standing next to his father, who was sagged against the table, unmoving. Adrien’s eyes turned towards Nathalie, panicking and pleading. “Help him! Help him!”

“Wh-what happened?” Nathalie stumbled forward, trying to keep her voice down, while Adrien looked like he was about to hyperventilate. Her mind instantly jumped to the worst conclusions– heart attack? Stroke?

“We were just eating,” Adrien stammered. “Then he just– just collapsed– and I– I–”

Gabriel let out a small groan, twitching slightly against the table. Nathalie put her hands on his shoulders, and he slowly pushed himself up onto his elbows, blinking up at them uncertainty. “What… what is going on…?”

“You collapsed, sir,” Nathalie said, her panic dying down slightly with him conscious once more. “How are you feeling?”

“Dad!” Adrien cried, and Gabriel winced slightly.

“Quiet, please,” he muttered, pushing his chair back, and Nathalie’s hands tightened on him as he tried to stand. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t stand, sir,” Nathalie said. “Give yourself a minute–”

“I am fine,” Gabriel said dismissively, waving his hand. “It was just a small dizzy spell, that’s all.”

“No, it isn’t okay!” Adrien said, stepping forward, but Gabriel already pushed himself to his feet, pausing as he tried to get his balance. “Father, listen to Nathalie, we should call a doctor, just in case–”

“We’ll be doing nothing of the sort,” Gabriel growled. “I told you, I’m fine.”

“I agree with Adrien, sir,” Nathalie said. “This isn’t the first time it happened, and this is clearly much worse than when you broke that vase. You should rest while I go call your doctor.”

“This happened before?” Adrien whispered, eyes widen.

“For heaven’s sake– you two are overreacting!” Gabriel snapped. “I told you that I am fine, and we are not calling my doctor to have him worry over something so trivial!”

“Trival?” Adrien cried. “You– just– just collapsed! How… how long has this been going on?”

“It doesn’t matter–”

“Doesn’t matter?” Adrien asked, his voice rising. “How– how can you say that? You can’t just ignore this, you can’t–!”

“Adrien,” Gabriel said firmly. “I’m fine, it’s nothing serious.”

His words had the opposite effect than intended on Adrien, however, more tears forming in his eyes. The boy stood there for a moment, quivering as if trying to keep himself from crying– and his hands curled. He glowered up at Gabriel, mouth parting open, anger in his eyes and voice sounding like it was just about to break.

“Mother had dizzy spells too,” Adrien whispered. “And you said those weren’t ‘serious’ either.”

Gabriel went still.

“It was just like with Mother,” Adrien’s voice rose. “It was like seeing it all over again– a-and you say this is nothing? That you’re fine?!” A sob broke past him. “You said she was fine too– and now she’s dead!”

“Adrien–”

“Now it’s happening to you too and you’re just– you’re just– you’re just acting like nothing’s wrong!” Adrien shouted. “How dare you– how dare you! You’re not fine– this isn’t right– something’s wrong– why aren’t you doing anything?!”

“Adrien, I–” Gabriel said, taking a step forward.

“Leave me alone!” Adrien shouted– before turning and fleeing from the room, another sob escaping him.

Gabriel moved to go after him, but found himself stumbling, hand grabbing a chair to keep himself from collapsing. He stood there looking up at the doorway, before trying to make his way forward again, but this time Nathalie grabbed his arm. He leaned away from her, but didn’t pull away.

“Gabriel, you need to rest,” Nathalie whispered.

“No, I–”

“Don’t you dare say you’re okay,” Nathalie said. “I am going to contact your doctor, and you will be seeing him– no excuses.”

He looked back at her, gray eyes looking cloudy. “Nathalie, I’m fine– I promise.”

She wished she could believe him.

Chapter Text

Adrien refused to go to school the next day.

Perhaps this was what made Gabriel go to the scheduled doctor’s appointment without complaint, knowing just how heavily this had truly hit Adrien. That left Nathalie alone to run the company for the day, and to watch over Adrien. She didn’t want to intrude, nor to leave him alone, so at several points of the day she drifted by his room and decided if she should knock. Several times she could hear him talking to someone, and did not want to intrude on the phone calls, hoping that his friends were giving him some comfort.

Gabriel called her after the appointment was over, but would not be returning back immediately due to his presence being needed at Gabriel headquarters. Usually he would get all work done through video calls from his tablet, but it seemed they either needed to see him in person; or Gabriel wasn’t quite ready to return to the tension of the household.

The next time Nathalie went by Adrien’s room it was quiet, so she knocked. “Adrien? Can I come in?”

“I guess.”

She pushed open the door, and found Adrien sitting on his bed. He was still in his pajamas, and looked very worn. She came and sat down next to him, but the teen only spared her a glance before looking down at his hands.

“The doctor found nothing of immediate concern with your father,” she said after a moment. “They will be waiting for a few test results to get back, but there is no sign of anything wrong right now.”

“It was the same for Mom,” Adrien whispered. “They never found out what was wrong. One doctor thought she was faking it.”

Nathalie’s heart tightened, and she reached out, putting a hand on his knee. “Adrien… what happened to your mother was… devastating. But the chances of such happening again, I…” This wasn’t comforting, was it? “Just because things seem the same does not mean that they are,” she said quietly. “We’re going to get answers, whether it be through those test results, or if it just turns out your father is pushing himself a bit too much– the doctors will get to the bottom of this.”

“He didn’t even want to go.”

“He did go, though,” Nathalie said reassuringly. “And I’ll make sure that he keeps going, whether he likes it or not.”

Adrien leaned his head against her shoulder. “You promise you’ll take care of Father?”

“Of course,” she said softly.

Adrien sat there for a moment, looking as if he wanted to say something more, but he stayed quiet. Nathalie put an arm around him, and part of her twisted guiltily as she did so. It wasn’t her place to do this, there was going to be someone else in his life to play this role one day, she shouldn’t…

No. She didn’t care. She was the one that was here now. And Adrien needed someone now, not later.

However, the quiet of the moment was broken by the twin beeping coming from each of their phones. They both stiffened up, neither pulling out the device, knowing what the alert was for– that one of the city’s ‘villains’ had been spotted. Unless Cobalt was out for a run, which he better not be given the state of his Miraculous, that meant that an illusion had been sent out. She let out a sigh as Adrien sat up, his eyes wide with alarm.

“It’s okay, Adrien,” she said softly, feeling guilty at the panic in his eyes. “These battles have never directly involved civilians– there’s nothing to worry about.” She paused slightly, before looking at him. “Of course, there are the civilians that choose to be champions, but you know better than to put yourself in danger like.”

Adrien shifted nervously, and the mere thought of Indigo Papillon choosing Adrien and her having to fight him

“Adrien, promise me you’ll never accept a champion butterfly from Indigo,” Nathalie said. “Magic or not… it’s not safe to be fighting. I can’t imagine how your father would react, what could happen…”

“I won’t,” Adrien said swiftly. “Don’t worry, Nathalie, I wouldn’t do that.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly, and Adrien still looked on edge, glancing down at his phone. “Now, I have work to do, but if you need anything, your bodyguard is downstairs.”

“Got it!” Adrien said swiftly. “Don’t let me keep you!”

She didn’t have time to question his sudden dodginess, as she needed to go transform.

Nathalie was touching the necklace that Cobalt had given her, wishing that she could have spent more time with him after the battle– they had lingered for a few minutes hidden from sight, but both had needed to return to their civilian life. She still had several more reports to get through, and while he had talked about work, he hadn’t given any hint of what type of job he had.

“Oh, sir, you’re home,” Nathalie said, looking up as she saw Gabriel heading towards his office. “How was everything at headquarters? You were there for quite a while.”

“I was right about the London division,” Gabriel said in a tired voice. “Embezzling. Several arrests have been made, but the investigation is still ongoing, they’re not sure how deep it goes.”

“That is going to be quite the mess to clean up,” Nathalie said, already imagining the paperwork that was going to be coming their way, and the court process, combined with the fact that this was all happening in another country… and of course the press would probably be all over it once it all came to light, and that was probably the tip of the iceberg.

She was snapped from her thoughts when she found Gabriel’s gaze on her, looking down at her hand– which was still touching her necklace. She instinctively pulled her hand away, and he looked up at her, clearing his throat as he realized he had been staring.

“That’s new,” he said after a moment.

She shrugged, silently debating in her head for a moment if she should say if it was a gift or not– but figured that Gabriel would ask too many questions if he was told that someone had gifted her something from his line– something that she could technically get her hands on easily for a good price. It wouldn’t seem like much of a gift from his perspective, and she didn’t want him thinking ill of Cobalt when he became part of her civilian life.

“I liked it,” she said simply. “My favorite of the collection.”

“I’ve never seen you wear much jewelry,” Gabriel said, frowning slightly. “It really does bring out your eyes.”

“I… thank you, sir,” there was the slightest hint of a question in her voice, because she wasn’t sure what to make of the compliment. Not that he never gave her any before, but never one directly about her looks.

She wasn’t sure why she was dwelling, but a part of her felt slightly panicked, yet not disliking the words. Another part of her was instantly on the defensive, however, a loyalty to Cobalt telling her to pull back. That in turn frustrated her, because her friend could comment about her eyes! It didn’t mean anything!

Her emotions had truly been getting out of hand lately. She needed to think less about every little thing.

“Keep me updated about the London division, sir,” Nathalie said instead, looking down at her tablet.

“Four attacks,” Cobalt said.

“Hmm?” Calamity asked, eyes flickering towards Cobalt Plume. Her dark cloak was wrapped around his shoulders, hiding his bright blues as they sat in the night.

“It’s been four attacks since our first date,” he said, gloved hand holding hers, his thumb running over the top of her hand. “I want to keep track of how many we will face from then until I can know your name.”

He looked down at her, smiling softly. They often spent their evenings like this, finding moments of silence in their suits. They sat side by side, looking down into an alleyway, as looking out at the roads was far from safe. She had always savored peaceful moments within the suit, but having a companion in those moments made the status the city had given her just a bit more bearable.

“It’s not worth it,” she said quietly, and he looked at her with startled eyes. “Keeping count, that is. I did that at first, to see how many times I needed to go out and face those children… it’s disheartening, trust me.”

“I don’t mind counting how many times I get to be with you,” he said softly. “Because I hope one day that number could rival the stars.”

Calamity leaned towards him, and he did the same. A slight smirk appeared on her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck– before grabbing the hood and pulling it over his head so it covered his eyes, snickering at the small cat ears that peered up from his head.

“Are you a poet?” She teasingly asked with a humored smile as he pushed the hood off, looking at her with almost a pout. “You always do seem to be waxing poetry.”

“I am an artist,” he said after a moment of consideration. “Not with words, however.”

“What do you do?” She asked, now curious.

He paused for a moment, considering. “I… draw. Sketches, more often than not, though my passion is more creating things hands on, bringing my drawings to life.”

“Sure you don’t work with words?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. “You seem to try to enrich everything you say– while staying as vague as possible.”

He grinned. “Perhaps I’m just trying to be mysterious, my dear Dusk.” He tilted his head. “What about you? What do you do for a living?”

“Super villain,” She replied without blinking.

“You’ve mentioned a job before,” he said.

“It’s nothing exciting,” she said with a shrug. “Just an executive assistant, basically a secretary with a fancy title.”

“The one that keeps the company running,” he said with a nod. “Very important.

Calamity rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to exaggerate, it is what it is. Pays well and lets me live a good life.”

“I wasn’t exaggerating, I’ve seen the work people put into such a job, and it’s not easy,” he replied. “Much more difficult than what I do.”

“What about your son?” She asked. “Does he want to pursue art like you too?”

He snorted. “Oh no, never had the same drive as I did at his age. He prefers to…” he trailed off for a moment. “He, well… does sports, always has been athletic. Very skilled at music as well and… and he’s exceptional at his job as well. Very talented boy…”

“They grow up too quickly?” She offered when she saw the way he trailed off.

“T-truly,” he said after a moment, unable to hide a waver in his voice. “I… I wish I could go back and do it again, I wish…”

He didn’t say another word, tears falling down his face. He swallowed, clearly fighting to keep the tears back, lowering his head.

“Cobalt?” She asked softly, putting a hand on his knee.

“I don’t know what he wants to do,” Cobalt whispered. “You asked me, and l realized… I d-don’t know. Everything I told you… oh kwami, he’s been doing it since he was young, it’s what I put him in, it’s…”

“I’m sure he enjoys those things if he’s been keeping up all those years,” she said softly, but the look he gave her was almost desperate. “Cobalt, I’m sure–!”

He pushed himself to his feet, tears still falling from his eyes. “I’m not as good of a person as you think.”

And with that, he ran, taking off across rooftops. Calamity scrambled to her feet, but in that time he had already gained a startling distance. And with her dark cloak still wrapped around him, the shadows seemed to swallow him.

And so Calamity was left behind as he vanished into the night.

“You… you what, sir?” Nathalie asked, staring at Gabriel with wide eyes.

“I need you to go to London,” Gabriel said, scrolling through his tablet. “I already emailed you all the current updated situation, but it seems that nearly everyone higher up in the London division was involved, we’re looking at several million euros missing. There’s not many people I trust there at the moment, and we need someone at the head– and I can’t think of anyone better than you.”

“That…” Nathalie blinked. “This wouldn’t be a short trip, if you want me there until that branch is back on its feet… we’re probably looking at several months, sir.”

“I’m very aware,” Gabriel said, pushing his glasses up– and the man looked absolutely exhausted. “And that’s just getting things running, the court process will be much longer, but I already got several of our lawyers working to get that started. You’ll be getting a pay raise during all of this, of course, and you’ll have access to any resources you need– no need to get them approved, I trust you completely. Anyways, I–”

“Gabriel, wait,” Nathalie said, slightly on edge, and the man looked up at her. “I… I can’t.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t leave Paris right now,” she said quietly, guilt running through her. “Not for that long. Maybe if it was for a few days but I… I have other obligations here in the city at the moment, and I don’t know how long those will last.”

He stared.

“I am willing to do anything you need– but it has to be here in Paris,” Nathalie said, squaring her shoulders. “If things can be done virtually, then I would be more than happy to oversee the whole thing, but I can’t leave.”

Her guilt only grew when she saw the panic growing in Gabriel’s eyes, but she knew she couldn’t leave. If Calamity couldn’t show up for an attack, she honestly didn’t know what the Guardian would do. He would probably think she’d gone into hiding, and Plagg had made it clear that he wouldn’t just stand by if they did so. And of course, that would leave Cobalt Plume on his own, and she did not want him fighting alone, especially with the state that his Miraculous was in. Handing her Miraculous off to someone else wasn’t an option, either; Plagg had placed too much trust in her and the magic made him too vulnerable. Besides, no one would have the experience that she and Cobalt did, and she doubted that she would have anyone’s trust.

“I…” Gabriel said slowly. “Are… are you sure there’s no way, Nathalie? What if you came back on weekends? It’s only an hour by flight, you can take the company plane, and–”

“Gabriel,” she said softly, reaching out and putting a hand out on his wrist. “Gabriel, I truly am sorry, but surely there’s someone else you can trust other than me.”

“No one could handle this like you do,” he said.

“Gabriel.”

He bit his lip. “I trusted those in London to represent my company and name, to handle my money– and look at what they did.”

“You know not everyone is like that,” Nathalie said. “We have plenty of able employees here in Paris that would be more than willing to step up to the plate, who would probably jump at the opportunity.”

“Not anyone I can trust to handle everything. At least not right away.”

“Send a team.”

He bit his lip. “Even then…” He closed his eyes. “...I …I probably have to go myself, don’t I?”

“I–”

He put the tablet down, running his hand through his hair. “No, not the whole time, but if you’re not there, then, and of course I can’t leave the company here completely. But I would at least be able to get things started…” he trailed off, muttering to himself. “But I can’t leave her, not on her own…”

“Sir?” Nathalie asked– because Gabriel barely even left the house, let alone the country.

“...Of course, nothing may even happen in that time, especially if I keep the trip short, but I can’t rush it, either… Arthur and Ruby would surely be assets if they came, but that doesn’t change things here…”

“I will be able to handle things here in Paris, sir,” Nathalie said reassuringly. “You do not need to worry about that– I can promise you that.”

Gabriel’s eyes snapped towards her, and she was startled by the sudden intensity in his gaze. “...Yes, you can. You have proven to me time and time again just how capable you are.”

“...Thank you, sir.” Nathalie said, and Gabriel pushed himself to his feet, coming around the desk.

“Nathalie,” he said in a low voice. “Can I trust you?”

“Of course?” She said, not sure what to make of the sudden change in his voice.

“If I am to go to London, Nathalie, will be leaving everything in your hands. Even… even things not related to the company. Can I trust you?”

“I will take care of Adrien, sir, don’t worry.”

“More than that, Nathalie,” Gabriel said. “Can you keep a secret? Can I trust you with anything?”

The ring on her finger felt heavy, reminding her of all the secrets she currently carried. She was not sure what Gabriel was talking about, and she had never seen him quite like this before. Those gray eyes watched her intently, and she swallowed. But she had never been given a reason not to trust Gabriel before, and so she slowly nodded as they stood there in his office.

“Anything, sir.”

“Follow me,” Gabriel said, turning– heading towards the painting of Emilie that stood at the end of his office. She followed with a frown, she was already aware that there was a safe behind the image, but she wasn’t privy to what was inside. Apprehension and curiosity rose within her, though she had no guesses on what would be inside, what he wanted to show her.

“Stand next to me,” he said, giving a short nod with his head, standing about a pace back from the painting. She walked up next to him, looking up at the painting of Emilie, heart feeling slightly heavy at the thought of her dear friend.

Gabriel reached forward, not to pry the painting away from the wall– but touching the painting itself, the abstract shapes sliding in as buttons– a series of clicks echoing through the wall. She was about to take a step back in surprise– but he grabbed her shoulder to keep her from moving away.

She soon saw why, as the floor under them shifted– clear glass walls rising up about them, the tube leading up towards the ceiling above. Then the floor began to lift upwards, the hidden elevator taking them up towards the ceiling. Her eyes flickered about– surprised, but not startled– the Agreste mansion had several hidden features like this, there being a very similar contraption in Adrien’s room that hid his piano away when it wasn’t in use.

Up and up they rose, the atelier vanishing, the elevator now surrounded by solid walls. Gabriel was wringing his hands, looking more on edge than she had seen him in a long time. Soon, the walls gave way, and the two of them rose up into the middle of a large, dome-shaped room, lights instantly turning on with their arrival.

She looked around, the room fairly dim and empty. Along one wall was what looked to be a large stained glass window, though a cover on the other side prevented any view from outside. Other than that, the only other thing in the room was a table and chair– a worn leather book resting on a stand next to a simple white box.

“Where are we?” She asked.

“I had this made for Emilie,” he said softly. “A place for her to go and to… create. I would join her, sometimes, and we’d go out across Paris…” Gabriel let out a long sigh. “It sat dormant here for a long time, I couldn’t bring myself to come up here until recently.”

Nathalie stepped towards the table, looking at the book– thick and heavy, and it looked ancient. Her eyes were more focused on the red symbol on the front, however, the intricate shapes looking familiar, but before she could get a good look at it, Gabriel stepped in front of her, reaching for the white box, picking it up before looking back towards her.

“I found myself returning to this room not too long ago,” he whispered. “When other Miraculous holders appeared into the city.”

She felt the hair rise on the back of her neck, and in her pocket Plagg tensed. “’Other’...?”

Gabriel opened up the box, and inside she saw what had become a very familiar brooch– deep blue with five branching segments, a red gem adorning the end of each one. Her mouth when dry, her eyes flickering up towards Gabriel.

“This is the Miraculous of the Peacock,” Gabriel said. “As for me… well, I am Cobalt Plume."

Chapter Text

“I am Cobalt Plume.”

Gabriel’s voice was quiet, even, but there was a flicker of hesitation as he looked out at Nathalie, taking in her every movement, as if not sure what to expect. She, however, did not move– Nathalie stared at Gabriel with wide eyes, before she managed to find her voice, which cracked slightly.

“…What?”

Perhaps not the most elegant response, but what else was one supposed to say? She could only stare at Gabriel, holding the box with the brooch that most certainly shouldn’t be there.

“I am Cobalt Plume,” Gabriel said again. “I… I know that’s a lot, but I swear to you that what the city has been saying is false, what the heroes have stated isn’t true– well, they aren’t lying per se, they simply don’t know the truth– but Calamity Dusk isn't a threat to the city, she’s the one trying to end all this.” He hesitated. “Dusk is the one I have been… seeing. That’s why you and Adrien haven’t met her, because of the masks and all.”

“You’re Cobalt Plume,” Nathalie said in disbelief.

“This Miraculous is what helps me transform,” Gabriel said, picking up the brooch– and instantly a burst of deep blue light surged forth from it. “And Duusu is the one who grants me my powers.”

“Woo-hoo!” A voice cried, the orb of light dancing about them, before it solidified into the shape of a kwami, hovering between the two of them. “Is it time to transform, Gabby– oh my Guardian, new friend!”

Duusu dove towards Nathalie, his bright blue feathers brushing up against her as he nuzzled her cheek. Like Plagg, he had a large head and a small form, floating through the air with ease. A large fan of feathers trailed behind him, his bright magenta eyes shining. He grabbed her finger with his two small paws, shaking it eagerly in greeting.

“Hi there, I’m Duusu!” The Peacock said in excitement, spinning about. “It’s so nice to meet you! It’s been so long since I’ve met anyone new! Just me and Emmy and Gabby but now it’s just me and Gabby but we get to see Calamity but I don’t talk to her because I’m transformed but I got to see and talk to Plaggy but he doesn’t count as a new friend because he’s an old friend but what’s your name new friend–?”

Duusu was cut short as Gabriel scooped the excited kwami up into his hands, who looked back at him with a huge smile.

“Calm yourself, Duusu,” Gabriel said firmly. “Please don’t overwhelm Nathalie, this is new to her.”

“But I wanna talk to my new friend!”

“There will be plenty of time for that, if she agrees to use your Miraculous,” Gabriel replied.

Duusu’s eyes were wide. “New friend and new holder? Best day ever!”

He threw his small little arms in the air, falling back into Gabriel’s palm. Nathalie felt Plagg shift in her pocket, and she put her hand over him to keep him still. She just stared at Gabriel and the kwami, who gave her an apologetic smile. Duusu zipped out of his hands, flying around them in circles, chanting happily about a new holder.

“Duusu is… energetic,” Gabriel said after a moment. “As the embodiment of Emotion, it is natural that he expresses himself so… vibrantly. He and Calamity Dusk are the reasons I did not want to leave Paris at the moment, I cannot leave my dear Dusk to face these fights alone.”

“...You want me to take your place,” Nathalie said slowly.

“No!” Gabriel shouted, causing her to jump slightly. “Oh no, of course not, Nathalie– I cannot risk you getting involved or hurt! If something goes wrong… if identities are exposed… well, you and Adrien most certainly will not have any involvement with what I’ve done if things go wrong– and the conversation we are having now would have never happened.” He looked up at her. “The only thing I want you to do, Nathalie, is to send out an avatar to assist Dusk if a fight is to happen while I’m gone– just so she’s not alone.”

“I…” She said slowly, feeling slightly dizzy. “I…”

“Here,” Gabriel said softly, laying a hand on her shoulder. “Sit down, I shouldn’t have sprung this on you so suddenly.”

He guided her over to the single chair in the room, allowing her to slowly sit down in front of the small table. She stared at the book propped up on the stand, now able to see the red symbol on the front– the same design that was on the lid of the box that she had found Plagg’s ring in, which was still buried away in her desk. This book must have been the Grimoire that Cobalt had been telling her about…

Cobalt. Who was right in front of her.

Gabriel knelt down in front of her, hands on her knees, worry in his eyes. Duusu landed on his head, messing up his gelled hair, eyes watching Nathalie thoughtfully. “She’s overwhelmed, Gabby. And confused. And embarrassed. And confused. And happy. And in love. And dizzy. And–”

“Hush, Duusu, it’s impolite to read other emotions.”

Duusu looked slightly annoyed at this, puffing up his feathers. “You read people’s Emotions all the time!”

“I have no control over that, and I make sure to be upfront about it,” he replied. “There’s a reason I don’t wear your brooch unless I am about to transform.” His eyes never left Nathalie. “Nathalie, are you okay?”

“Just… processing,” she said quietly. “You… you want me to… take your place while you’re gone, send out– er– avatars to… fight.”

“Yes, but only once,” Gabriel said, slowly rising to his feet. “If… if you are willing to do this, Nathalie, you cannot transform more than once– this is vital.”

“Vital,” she echoed as she stared up at him– her mind slowly catching up to what was happening around her. Slowly giving her answers to questions that Gabriel wouldn’t even know she had, pieces that she didn’t know were part of this great puzzle slowly falling into place.

Gabriel swallowed, looking down at the Miraculous in his hands. He slowly turned it over once, before holding it out to Nathalie, allowing her to see the fractures that webbed across the back of the brooch, an occasional flicker of blue light dancing across them as it was presented to her.

“This Miraculous… isn’t whole,” he said softly. “Using it once is tiring, but is of no danger. After that, however… well, I would subject no one to that. If I am going to leave this in your hands, you must swear to me that you will not don it more than once.”

The confusion that Nathalie had been subjected to for the last few minutes was slowly ebbing away, realization setting in. She sat there for a moment, looking down at the brooch, before a flash of anger ran through her. She slowly sat up, and Gabriel leaned away slightly– he must have seen the look in her gaze as her eyes locked on him.

“Not more than once?” She said quietly. “Like you have most certainly been doing? Tell me, if I should not wear it more than once, then what exactly has been happening to you?”

He swallowed slightly. “Nothing of concern?”

“These sudden dizzy spells wouldn’t have anything to do with it, would they?” Nathalie growled, pushing herself to her feet. “The fainting? The symptoms that the doctors can’t diagnose?”

“Now, Nathalie–”

“Do you have any idea how upset Adrien has been seeing you go through this?!” Nathalie thundered, another wave of rage rushing over her. “Watching his last parent go through the same thing that took his mother– and now you’re telling me that you have purposely been inflicting this on yourself?!”

“Nathalie, I am being careful,” Gabriel said, flinching back slightly as she took a step forward. “I am monitoring myself, I am not pushing myself, I only wear it when I need to–”

“You don’t have to wear it at all!” She shouted.

“Dusk needs–”

“You are throwing your physical health and your son’s mental health aside just to go gallivanting across rooftops with some woman you know nothing about–!”

“Nathalie,” Gabriel snapped, his voice taking on an edge that hadn’t been there before, and she found herself going silent. “Be angry with me all you want, but do not bring Calamity into this. She has been shouldering a burden she never asked to bear– and I will not leave her on her own through this. I cannot just leave one I love to face this on her own.”

The two of them were silent, staring at each other, not sure how to read the other’s expression.

“Ooo,” Duusu said in a low voice. “Angry-but-not-angry-concern– I love this.” He pressed his paws together. “Where you care so much about another where you get mad but you’re not really mad but worried– you humans are so interesting!”

Gabriel pressed his fingers to his temple. “Not now, Duusu.”

“I know you’re not really annoyed~” The Peacock said in a singsong voice.

“Adrien,” Nathalie whispered. “Sir, Adrien… he cannot lose you. You cannot do that to him… to us…”

He carefully took her hand in his, eyes gentle. “Nathalie, I promise you that I am not doing this recklessly. I am doing this because Dusk needs me. Because those children are selfishly being used to fight another’s fight– this is something I cannot ignore.”

Her heart pounded heavily, staring at him– yet another realization setting in. Gabriel was Cobalt Plume. Cobalt Plume was Gabriel. He was worried about Calamity, about her, he had brought himself into this for her, he had–

Her thoughts were cut short as Duusu tilted his head with a frown, watching her intently.

“Nathalie, you are my closest friend,” Gabriel said softly. “One of the few I trust.” He carefully took the Peacock Miraculous, placing it in her hand. “If this is too much to ask of you, then don’t be afraid to say no– but could you please be on standby while I’m in England? Make sure my dear Dusk is not alone if I cannot be here?”

The Miraculous was warm in her hands, the energy from it pulsing against her palm, almost like static electricity. Her hand slowly closed around it, swallowing. “...Just send out an avatar? Nothing else?”

“Yes,” he said softly. “I don’t want you to go out there, I don’t want you to get hurt, or to wear the Miraculous longer than necessary.”

Her heart hammered in her chest, eyes flickering from Gabriel to Duusu, feeling Plagg who was curled up into her pocket– before she managed to give Gabriel a small nod. “Y-yeah. I… I can. I can do that.”

Relief broke out across Gabriel’s face, and he leaned forward, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. “Thank you, thank you so much, Nathalie. Duusu will be able to explain how his powers work, and how to transform.” He pulled the kwami off of his head, setting him into her other hand. “I would myself, but I… I need to see Adrien before I leave.”

And with that Gabriel turned on his heel, heading back to the section of floor they had risen up from– and with no clear indication of how he activated the elevator, the whirling of machinery started up as he sank back into the floor, leaving her alone in this secret room with a hyper kwami, a broken Miraculous, and a truckload of information she had yet to fully wrap her head around.

She sank back into the chair, staring at the covered stained glass window. “...Of course the Agrestes have a hidden lair. Of course they do.”

“Are you alright, Miss Nathalie?” A voice asked, and her eyes shifted to Duusu– surprised at the somber look now in his eyes as he floated up into the air. His paws were clasped in front of his heart, tail feathers hanging low, and it looked as if he were about to cry.

She paused to wonder what she could say that would explain all that she felt– and she just let out a laugh instead. It felt a bit heartless with the kwami looking as if he was hurting, but with the confusion in her mind she didn’t know what else to do.

“M. Agreste does care a lot about you, Nathalie,” Duusu said softly. “I know this must be hard for you.”

“Hard?”

“You love him,” Duusu said softly, tears now falling down from his eyes. “I can sense how much you love him– and he just told you that he loves another.”

Love… was that what she was feeling? Were her feelings truly that strong for him?

She carefully set the Peacock Miraculous onto the table, reaching out a hand. “You don’t need to cry for me, Duusu, I promise you that I’m… well, I wouldn’t describe myself as okay right now. This is… a lot.”

“Heh!” A voice snickered. “To say the least!”

Duusu paused in confusion, and Nathalie let out a long sigh– but Plagg was already rising up from her pocket, a huge cheshire grin on his face. Duusu’s eyes widened at the sight of his fellow kwami– eyes flickering from Plagg to Nathalie, to finally the red ring on her finger. His paws slowly rose to his mouth, tears fading away as a huge grin slowly spread over his face.

“Oh my guardian,” Duusu whispered in awe. “You’re Calamity Dusk.”

“You can say that again!” Plagg laughed.

“Oh, this is so exciting~” Duusu sang, spinning about in a circle. “Gabby’s whole family is already here, is already home– and he doesn’t even know it.” Duusu zipped up to Nathalie. “You love him!” He then darted across the room, holding up his paws. “And he loves you!” He spun about. “Oh, it’s so perfect!”

However, Nathalie could not share Duusu’s sentiments. She sunk a bit more into her chair, face slightly red. “Oh kwamis,” she whispered. “I’ve been making out with my boss.”

“Sneaking away in the middle of the night to do so,” Plagg said mockingly. “How scandalous~”

“I’ve been kissing Emilie’s husband!” Nathalie cried.

Duusu blinked. “But Cobalt Plume told you he was married before.”

“I didn’t realize he was talking about my best friend!”

“Heh, you’ve been jealous of yourself this entire time!” Plagg cackled. 

Duusu’s brow furrowed. “You were in love with Cobalt Plume and Gabriel?” Nathalie opened her mouth, not sure which kwami she was about to address– but the embodiment of Emotion had no trouble reading her. “Oh, you love Adrien, I see!” Duusu chuckled. “Gabby already knows how much you care about his son, you never needed to worry– and now you get to be his mother too! This is so exciting!”

“I think you two are getting ahead of yourselves,” Nathalie said quietly, because the heavy feeling in her chest was only growing. “None of this is that simple.”

“Why not?” Duusu asked, blinking. “He loves you, you love him, Adrien wants a happy family again– and it’s going to happen! This is so wonderful~”

“Gabriel doesn’t know that I’m Calamity Dusk,” she snapped.

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Then tell him.”

“No, you don’t get it, none of you get it,” she whispered. “He’s in love with Calamity, not Nathalie. The woman who runs across roofs with the power of Destruction in her hand– not his assistant!”

Her kwami let out a long sigh. “Nathalie. You are Calamity Dusk.”

“But he doesn’t know that!” She said, tears in her eyes. She shouldn’t be letting herself fall apart, but this… this was too much. After so long, with everything that was happening to her, she thought she had found someone… but she couldn’t have him.

Plagg hovered right in front of her. “You are an idiot, lady.”

“She’s distressed, Plagg, say something nice!” Duusu cried, tears welling up in his eyes as Nathalie’s did the same.

“I am being nice– I could say a lot more than just ‘idiot’,” his eyes locked onto Nathalie. “Because yeah, sure, he doesn’t know that you’re Nathalie right now– but what on earth makes you think that will make him stop loving Calamity Dusk?”

“Because–”

“Did you stop loving Cobalt Plume when you realized he was Gabriel?” Plagg challenged, zipping in closer, and she blinked.

She had only known this information for a few minutes, but acceptance was already settling into her mind. She fingered the necklace that he had gifted to Calamity, swallowing slightly. No, her feelings towards Cobalt had not lessened with the knowledge of who was under the mask, even if it had been a surprise of how close he was. But now that she could step back and look at it…

“I think that’s what made me love him,” she whispered softly.

She had always cared so much for Gabriel, the man had earned a place in her heart a long time ago– the entire Agreste family had. So to realize that her affection for Cobalt Plume did not have its own place in her heart, that it was truly woven around the one that had been with her for a long time… who was now putting his own life at risk just to stand by her side…

Plagg gave her a small smile. “See, kid? Ain’t nothing to worry about.”

“Now let’s go tell Gabby everything!” Duusu cried in excitement, zipping towards where the elevator was.

“No wait!” Nathalie cried, causing the kwami to freeze up. “Not yet, I’m not ready to!”

Duusu’s feathers sagged. “Why not?”

“He… he has plenty to worry about at the moment,” Nathalie said quietly. “That would just add more to his plate, especially if he knew that he wasn’t leaving Calamity with another ally like he thinks.” She sat up slightly, taking in a deep breath. “We need to take this one step at a time, and I’m already making him leave Paris. I’ll tell him… I’ll tell him when it feels right, I promise.”

Duusu stared at her for a moment, his gaze looking intense– before his eyes lit up. “Okay!”

With that the kwami drifted back to her side, and Nathalie glanced at Plagg, who blinked. “What?”

“Not going to tell me this is a stupid idea or something?” She asked.

He shrugged. “I’ve been alive for billions of your human years– honestly, waiting a little while longer ain’t that much time.” His eyes flickered towards the book on the table. “On the other paw, the Grimoire… that is a big step.” 

“Emmy and Gabby found that book with my Miraculous!” Duusu beamed as Plagg zipped over to it, taking it off of the stand and flipping it open. Inside of the worn pages were intricate drawings of Miraculouses, kwamis, and their holders– lined with strange symbols that Nathalie had no idea how to even begin reading. Plagg flipped through them swiftly, giving her no time to really focus on any page.

“If only they hadn’t removed our knowledge of this,” Plagg muttered. “I’m sure the Grimoire would tell us exactly what we need to do… but aside from the Guardian, there’s no one who would be able to read this.”

“And I’m guessing he’s not about to translate for us?” Nathalie asked.

Plagg snorted. “Not in a hundred years.”

Nathalie stood up, and found that Plagg had stopped on a page about his Miraculous. She ran a hand down the page, looking at the image of the young man transformed with the Black Cat, the drawing faded with time. 

“All the Guardian knows will pass on with him,” she muttered, her hand moving towards the image of the ring, and she frowned slightly. “If there’s no other Guardians, Plagg, what will happen to the remaining Miraculouses once we get them from his hands?”

Plagg said nothing, and she looked at him. The kwami took in a deep breath, glancing away. “...Well, I never liked the Order much.” Eyes flickered towards her. “Maybe you could start something better.”

Nathalie glanced between the two kwamis, before slowly closing the Grimoire. “...Maybe…”

She put the book back on the stand, and carefully put Duusu’s Miraculous in her pocket, wincing slightly as blue energy crackled about it. She headed towards the center of the room without a word, the kwamis drifting after her. They hovered by her shoulders for a moment as they stood there in silence, and Nathalie shifted slightly.

“Er… Duusu, how do you activate the elevator?” Nathalie asked uncertainly.

“I dunno,” the kwami said, shrugging– and Plagg facepalmed. “I’ll go ask Gabby!”

With that Duusu drifted through the floor, vanishing, leaving the two of them alone for a moment. Nathalie touched her necklace once more, it now making a lot more sense how Cobalt Plume had gotten ahold of this to gift her.

“An ‘artist’, he said,” she muttered, shaking her head. “Was he trying to make himself sound modest? He does know he’s the exact opposite of that, right?”

Plagg cackled. “Perfect for a Peacock, then.”

“...Do you really think he’ll be okay with me being Calamity, Plagg?” Nathalie asked softly.

“I think you’re overthinking this, kid,” Plagg replied. “You’ll be just fine.”

Gabriel left for London early the next morning.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t like to come?” Gabriel asked Adrien as they stood by the doors, Ezra loading up his bags into the limo. “You could spend some time with your cousin and aunt; it has been some time since you’ve seen them.”

“I can’t just miss school, Father,” Adrien said softly.

“I would hire a tutor to catch you up.”

“I… I’d rather not have a tutor,” Adrien said, shifting slightly. “It’s best if I do everything with the class, you know?”

“Don’t hunch over like that, Adrien, it’s not good for your posture,” Gabriel put his hands on Adrien’s shoulders as he sat up. “Now… your schooling is very important, so if any other activities are getting in the way of that, talk to Nathalie, and we can work out a new schedule for you.”

Adrien’s eyes went wide. “I– I’m doing fine, Father, I’m able to balance everything with my friends, you don’t need to worry.”

Gabriel blinked at him. “I was not referring to your friends, Adrien, I was referring to extracurriculars. If any of them are taking up your time to study and, er, socialize… or perhaps you are not enjoying any of them… we can make changes as needed.”

Adrien stared at him. “Really?”

Gabriel adjusted his ascot tie, looking away. “I don’t want you to be unhappy, Adrien.”

“Can I quit basketball?” Adrien blurted out, drawing his father’s gaze back to him. “If that’s okay, of course, I just… I just don’t enjoy it as much as fencing and stuff, and it would be nice to have more time to do things…”

Gabriel gave a small smile. “I’ll have Nathalie get right on that.” His eyes shifted over Adren’s shoulder to her, who gave a nod to let him know it would be taken care of. “If there’s anything else, just let us know, okay son?”

“Thank you, Father,” Adrien said softly. “You have a safe trip, okay?”

“You stay safe as well,” he replied, before turning and picking up his last briefcase, following Ezra out to the car. Adrien drifted towards the door, staring on as he watched his father climb into the driver’s seat, his body language strangely tense. Nathalie didn’t say anything as the limo drove away, merely making a note to cancel Adrien’s basketball.

Adrien slowly closed the front door, glancing at Nathalie as he turned, and saw his expression looked troubled. “Adrien, is everything alright?”

He gave a tight smile. “Of course. I’m just going to miss Father, that’s all.”

“Very well,” she said after a moment, deciding not to press him. “I’ll see you at lunch then, unless you need something sooner.”

She figured that Adrien’s melancholy wouldn’t last long– but she was swiftly proven wrong. While he carried on a conversion at meal times he seemed very much on edge the entire time, as if something were about to happen– and Nathalie honestly had no idea why. Missing his father, yes, that made sense– but it did not explain the sudden wariness that seemed to have taken hold of him.

When the attitude continued on to the next day she decided that letting it go wasn’t the best option, and headed up to his room after lunch. She heard piano music playing from inside, but when she nudged the door open she found the instrument sitting empty– a speaker on top playing the music instead. Her eyes looked across the room, and she found Adrien laying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“Adrien,” she said, causing him to jump. He quickly set up, fumbling for a remote to shut off the piano music, wide green eyes looking at him. “Do you do this often?”

“...Sometimes?” He said guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck. “I, um, just didn’t feel like playing today…”

“Well, as your father said, I can remove piano from your schedule if you would like.”

“No no, I like the piano,” Adrien said quickly, looking away. “I just…” He trailed off, and buried his hands into his hair. “I just don’t want to today, okay?”

Nathale slowly made her way across the large room, and she sat down on the bed next to him, watching him from the corners of her eyes. He didn’t look at her right away, but seemed to curl up as they sat there. She gave a soft sigh, placing her hand near him, but didn’t want to crowd him.

“Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?” She asked.

“No.”

“You’ve been upset for the last two days, Adrien.”

“It’s stupid…”

She turned to look at him. “If it’s pressing you, Adrien, then it’s not stupid. If you don’t want me to be the one to listen that’s fine, but you don’t have to keep things to yourself. We’re here to listen.”

She saw tears welling up in his eyes, voice a whisper. “I… I don’t… I don’t like that Father’s not in the house.”

Nathalie wasn’t sure how to respond to this– missing his father had been what he had said yesterday, and then it had seemed like an excuse. But right now it didn’t, it seemed like he was trying to open up– yet he was saying the same thing. Adrien glanced at her in the silence, lowering his hands as he swallowed, taking a moment before he continued.

“Father is always home,” Adrien whispered. “He’s always been home, that’s been his one constant and… and… and he keeps changing and now that’s changed too and I feel like I don’t know what’s going to happen next.” Now it looked like he was fighting to keep himself from crying. “I kn-know it’s stupid, I l-like how he’s been recently but… but… but I want him home, Nathalie, I want him home, I want Dad back, I…”

Then suddenly he broke, curling up as the tears fell. Nathalie reached out for him, hands landing on his shoulders, and instantly he turned and buried himself into Nathalie’s embrace. She pulled him in close, holding him against her.

“Mother never came home!” He sobbed. “And I just– I just–!”

“Your father will be coming home,” Nathalie said softly.

“I know, I just–! I just…”

He was just seeing patterns in his life again, patterns he didn’t want to see again, not with his last parent. Nathalie silently cursed Gabriel for putting on the Peacock Miraculous as she held Adrien– he did not realize what he was truly putting Adrien through. She didn’t know if she should tell him, or if Adrien wanted this to stay between them.

“I guess… I guess a lot has been happening,” Adrien said quietly. “And so Dad suddenly leaving I… it’s stupid, it’s just for work, it’s just for work…”

“You know you can talk to me about anything, Adren?” Nathalie said softly as he leaned against her. “I’ll always be here to listen.”

There was a time where she would have hesitated to make that offer– not because she didn’t want to, but because it never felt like her place. But now… now it felt more right than ever. That perhaps she could truly step into that role, that perhaps that she could be a mother for this wonderful boy.

“I love you, Adrien,” Nathalie said softly. “I want you to know that.”

“I love you too,” Adrien whispered.

Chapter Text

It was four days into Gabriel’s trip to London that the Guardian seemed to decide that Paris was too quiet– and sent out an illusion of Calamity Dusk to taunt her.

She sighed as the alert went off, rising to her feet, and made her way to Gabriel’s office– since they had a secret lair, there was no point in not using it. She activated the buttons within Emilie’s painting, looking up at the woman as the elevator lifted her up into the hidden attic. Duusu and Plagg hovered by her side as she turned towards the covered window, watching as it slowly opened up, giving her a stunning view of Paris.

“Wow,” Nathalie said softly.

“It’s tinted, so no one can see inside, don’t worry!” Duusu said happily, flying in front of her. “Not that anyone would see us in here, when it was built it was made to be hidden– Gabby comes and goes from here as Cobalt Plume all the time and no one ever sees us~”

Nathalie nodded, carefully pulling off Plagg’s ring, and handing it to the Black Cat. She then removed the Peacock Miraculous from her pocket, currently disguised as an aqua blue brooch with ten segments, blue energy crackling across it as she pinned the brooch to her chest. She hesitantly looked at Plagg, whose tail was flicking.

“How dangerous will it be for me to transform?” She asked.

“Once? Meh, you should be just fine. It takes a lot for the magic to do lasting harm, and consistent use,” he tilted his head. “Normally, I’d say avoid it at all costs, but it would be far more dangerous to be alone than without Glacier.”

“Alright,” she closed her eyes. “Duusu– spread my feathers.”

“Woo-hoo!” Duusu cried as he was turned into a pulse of blue light, being drawn into the gem. The moment he touched the brooch, Nathalie jumped back, the Peacock’s energy hot and burning as it rushed across her form. The Miraculous seemed to surge to life, a whole new sense washing over her as the transformation was complete.

Cobalt had mentioned he could sense Emotions– but experiencing that for herself was something completely new. She could feel the jealousy and worry simmering from Plagg, Ezra’s excitement, Pierre was frustrated, the neighbors seemed to be in a middle of a fight with the anger pulsing from them, and down the street–

“Nathalie?” Plagg asked, snapping her from the dizzying sensation. “You okay?”

“How does he fight like this?” She whispered, eyes wide– because the empathy ability did not slow. It seemed desperate as it kept reaching out, beyond her control as the Emotions of the neighborhood rushed through her– and she had no idea how to shut off the power. “It’s… it’s so much, Plagg, just more and more.”

“It shouldn’t be that intense,” Plagg said with a frown. “I mean, it could be– but you should be able to control it.” He wrinkled his nose. “Must be a side effect from its broken state, and not just Cobalt not knowing how to use his powers. Quickly, summon an avatar– then you can detransform.”

Nathalie slowly reached for the fan that should be somewhere on her, and found that everything about her outfit was blue– a long, flowing dress, the fan in her hand, and even her very skin. There was even a blue tint in her gaze, a veil-like covering falling across one eye. She wore no gloves or mask, her dress flaring out in the back, the rounded tips of the skirt resembling peacock feathers. Cuffs of purple feathers surrounded her wrists and the neck of the dress, soft against her skin, similar to the fur she had on her cloak as Calamity.

She plucked one small white feather from the fan, cupping it in her hand– which pulsed with light as she charged the feather. She let it drift up into the air, before holding her hand out, and Plagg carefully placed his ring within it. She closed her eyes, willing the feather to drift back towards her, trying to focus on her own emotions– which was difficult with the wave of feelings rushing through her from the outside.

The feather merged with the Black Cat Miraculous, and dark energy bubbled in front of her. She opened her eyes to watch as Glacier formed, the snow leopard stretching as he took shape. He looked at her with those icy eyes, the whole temperature of the room starting to drop, and she let out a shaky breath.

“Fall my feathers,” she muttered, the transformation falling away alongside the surge of Emotions she could feel, and she removed the brooch as Duusu came flying out from it.

“Good job, Nathalie!” He beamed, looking at her with those magenta eyes. “We should transform together more often!”

“Perhaps,” she said, breathing heavily– feeling absolutely drained despite having only been transformed for a minute. “But right now I need to transform with Plagg to go and fight.”

Duusu pouted, fluffing up his feathers as she slipped her ring back on. “Can I come with you?”

“No, I actually need for you to go back into your Miraculous,” Nathalie said, picking up the white box Gabriel kept it in. “But I’ll let you out as soon as the fight is over, and we’ll need to transform again to let Glacier rest.”

This seemed to cheer Duusu up. “Okay! You three go and win for me, okay? Then maybe we can celebrate with chocolate cake!”

He vanished as Nathalie set the lid on top of the box, before placing it down on the table. She then turned to look at the two felines watching her, Glacier waiting patiently, while Plagg’s tail was twitching back and forth. She held up the ring, deep down wanting to rest from the strain of the Peacock rather than go out and fight– but she wasn’t going to let that show.

“Plagg– claws out,” she called, and with a burst of green light, Calamity Dusk took her place, she and Glacier climbing out the open window.

It was frightening just how exposed she felt without Cobalt Plume at her side.

Usually, it was her and Cobalt that had the edge when it came to fighting the heroes, not limited to a timer or on how many times they could summon their powers. And with Glacier by her side, she thought she would be able to maintain that same balance– but that hadn’t been the case. Indigo had chosen his champion carefully, a firefighter who had gained the power to manipulate fire itself– and was able to completely counter Glacier’s ice with ease, making the fact that she was outnumbered that much more difficult to deal with.

Glacier stuck close to her, running at her side as they made their way across rooftops, the feline creating an icy ridge for them to slide down towards the streets. It was risky, giving their enemies the high ground, but she also knew that Flamethrower would be a lot less liberal with his fire powers if they were closer to civilians. Not that Calamity wanted to bring the fight closer to the civilians, but she couldn’t risk losing the ring, not now.

She jumped off of the ice-slide as she felt a wave of heat behind her, Glacier making his way to the other side, a blast of fire melting away the ridge as they fell to the street. Both cats landed on their feet, turning and looking at the heroes above. Flamethrower was up in the air, a jetpack keeping him in the sky– the most obvious place for the akuma, but getting close was too risky with his fire, and even with the magic of her suit there were still limits to what she could endure.

“Okay,” Calamity said, and Glacier’s ears flicked towards her. “Tempest only has her Lightning Dragon left, we need to get her to use it and force a retreat, then we’ll have a chance to get close to Flamethrower.”

Glacier lowered themselves into a crouch, before leaping into the air. A pillar of ice rose up to meet him each jump he made, leaving behind giant icy stairs as he climbed. He was heading straight towards Tempest, while Flamethrower took the opportunity to torch the pillars, but wasn’t quick enough to keep the avatar from his climb. He sprinted across the rooftops straight at Tempest, who swung her sword to deter him.

Indigo leapt down from the roofs, drawing the rapier within his cane, pointing it straight at Calamity Dusk. She split her baton into two, before charging forward to meet him. She stayed purely defensive, eyes constantly scanning about her, turning so she wasn’t in one place, knowing that one of the others could attack her from behind at any moment. Besides, she knew that she didn’t have a chance to match Indigo in skill, who seemed to be natural with the sword in his hand.

Tempest and Flamethrower had teamed up against Glacier, Flamethrower blasting all the ice that Glacier summoned, water running off of the sides of the buildings– but it was enough to keep Tempest from being pressed into using her last power. She seemed keen about avoiding doing such, not wanting to end up on a timer.

“So, where’s your boyfriend?” Indigo asked as she raised both batons to block a strike.

“Sick,” she replied. Not truly a lie, considering how often he was using the Peacock Miraculous. The thought sent a small spike of anger through her, and for a brief moment she considered hiding it before he got back from London.

However, her focus was quickly turned back to the fight.

Nathalie felt horrible for leaving Glacier behind, but it would have been too risky for her to stay behind and keep fighting– and Glacier was the only distraction she had short of using her Cataclysm on the city.

The snow leopard had summoned an avalanche of ice to cover her as she fled, its sole purpose to keep the heroes and their champion occupied as she ran. She had no chance of laying claim to any of their Miraculouses; not without Cobalt Plume, and staying would have only risked her own Miraculous.

She nearly collapsed as she entered the secret lair in the Agrestes’ attic, dropping her transformation immediately. For once, Plagg didn’t demand cheese as he reappeared, merely watching her in disapproval as she fumbled for the box that held the Peacock Miraculous, crossing his paws as he drifted after her.

“You really going to transform with that right now?” He asked. “We nearly had our whiskers burnt off!”

“It’s not fair to leave Glacier out there,” she replied, wincing as magic crackled along the cracks of the Miraculous. “Besides, the sooner he’s gone the quicker the Guardian will release those Miraculous Ladybugs.”

She summoned Duusu from the brooch, and then called him for a transformation– and immediately she wished that she could have the magic healing now. How Gabriel stayed transformed with Duusu for long periods of time, let alone fought… she had no idea. It was overwhelming, both the emotions and the magic. It felt like a struggle to even breathe, a slight pain in her lungs. As soon as she released Glacier, a white feather flying out from her ring, she ripped the brooch off– not even waiting to say the detransformation phrase.

A few minutes later, the Miraculous Ladybugs swept across the city, easing the bruises and exhaustion from her fight.

It did not bring relief to the ache in her lungs.

“So~ how did the fight go?” Duusu asked, flying in front of her as she set his brooch down on the table.

“...Not as well as when Gabriel is there,” she said after a moment of thought, making her way over towards the chair. “I had no chance against them, if I had stayed out there any longer it would have been cutting it far too close.”

“I wish I could have been there,” Duusu said, puffing up his feathers.

“And what would you have done?” Plagg asked, rolling his eyes. “Cheer us on?”

“Yeah!” Duusu said as he did a flip. “Ooo! Or maybe I could be a distraction, or I could have summoned some avatars of my own–”

“No!” Plagg snapped, flying straight up into the air. “That’s dangerous, Duusu!”

He blinked. “It is?”

Plagg sighed. “Our powers need to be channeled through a holder, remember? My unhindered Cataclysm is what sank Atlantis– and I don’t want to imagine what would happen if you used your powers with your Miraculous cracked.”

“You sank Atlantis?” Nathalie asked, staring at her kwami.

His ears fell flat against his head. “I– I didn’t want to! It’s… it’s a long story. And it doesn’t matter right now.” Green eyes turned to Duusu. “Promise me you won’t use your powers on your own?”

Duusu crossed his feathery paws. “I promise…” Magenta eyes flickered towards Nathalie. “Do I have to go back into my Miraculous?”

“Well, as long as you don’t reveal yourself to anyone, I see no reason why you can’t hang out with us,” Nathalie said, and Duusu’s eyes widened in excitement. “What do you like to eat?”

“Chocolate!” Duusu screeched in excitement, causing both Plagg and Nathalie to wince slightly at the high pitch he reached.

“Chocolate and camembert,” Nathalie muttered. “Pierre is going to think I’m crazy…”

“Chocolate covered camembert?” Plagg mused in consideration. “I wonder if Sugar Cube would like that…”

Nathalie had to swallow down a gag at that thought, and she hoped that Plagg wouldn’t truly try that combination. She pushed herself to her feet, opening up her jacket, signaling the kwamis to hide. Plagg zipped into her pocket right away, while Duusu took his time, humming and twirling in the air, before hiding away. She made her way to the elevator, activating it so it would take it to Gabriel’s office.

Her phone began ringing about halfway down, and as she peered down at the screen she saw that it was Gabriel that was calling. Her heart pounded, and she took in a deep breath to compose herself, as if she had not spent the last hour out fighting the heroes, and she answered the phone.

“Hello, sir.”

“Nathalie, how are you feeling?” He asked.

“Um… a tiny bit short of breath? But it’s getting better by the minute, sir,” she replied.

“I am so sorry,” he said. “I wish I didn’t have to have you use that Miraculous, but I saw parts of the fight from the Herowatch Blog’s live stream. It… it looked rough, I wish I was there, I should have been there…”

“Don’t blame yourself, sir. I handled– I was able to handle the avatar, and Calamity Dusk handled the battle well, considering the disadvantage she had. She doesn’t blame you, and misses you, by the way,” Nathalie said, finding that she wasn’t sure how much she should say.

“How much did you tell her?”

“She knows that you’re out of town, and that you had no other choice in the matter,” Nathalie replied.

“Thank you so much for stepping in, Nathalie,” Gabriel said softly. “Without you… well, this would have all fallen apart. Heh, my whole life probably would have fallen apart. Thank you for protecting my dear Dusk.”

“I…” Nathalie began, and she had to fight the words on the tip of her tongue, force her voice to stay neutral and even. “I am always happy to help, sir. Just remember to look out for yourself too.”

Don’t you dare fall to that Miraculous. Not for my sake.

“I should be home within three days,” Gabriel said. “Hopefully, Dusk won’t be forced out of hiding in that time, and I can take over again…” He trailed off for a moment, before his voice turned hard. “Do not put on that Miraculouses again, Nathalie, no matter what. It is not safe.” 

“If it’s not safe, then why are you wearing it?” She challenged.

“Nathalie–”

“You’re not a one man army, sir; there are people depending on you. You have a family that needs you,” she replied. “If you must go out with Calamity again, please, don’t make it just for outings. Plan– you two need to find a way to end this.”

“We do,” Gabriel said solemnly. “We do indeed.”

“Take care, sir.”

“You too, Nathalie.”

Fortunately, no more illusions ran about Paris the rest of the time Gabriel was gone.

The very evening he got back, however, another Mirage of Calamity Dusk was making threats to Paris. A part of her deep down wanted to ignore it, to let both herself and Gabriel rest– but the man had refused. He had vanished into his lair to transform, and so Nathalie went up to her own room to transform, this fight against the heroes thankfully going a lot smoother than when she had been left on her own– though it did leave her exhausted.

She didn’t say much as she and Gabriel worked in his atelier that night, trying to catch him up on all that had happened with the company while he was gone, while he gave her the full rundown of what had taken place in London. Like her, however, he seemed distracted, and it didn’t take long for him to voice his thoughts.

“Did you say anything to Calamity?” Gabriel asked.

Nathalie stiffened up slightly. “...Nothing in particular. Why?”

“I…” He trailed off. “I am not sure how to describe it, but she was just acting… different. And her emotions were, well, all over. It was hard to make sense of, they seemed stronger than ever but more… distant? I didn’t try to read into them, but I couldn’t block them off and I’m just… worried.”

“Well, I don’t see how anything I said would lead to that,” Nathalie said briskly.

“I wonder if something happened in her civilian life,” Gabriel said with a sigh. “I should have asked, but she’s always been so private about it that I wasn’t sure if that was the right thing, but now, looking back…”

“...It seems like there’s a lot you don’t know about her,” Nathalie said quietly.

He looked at her. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

She honestly wasn’t sure if she had intended for him to hear her or not, and so she simply stayed still for a moment, gathering her thoughts. Nathalie didn’t turn to face him as she spoke, keeping her voice even.

“How… how do you truly know you love her?” Nathalie asked. “If you know nothing about her behind the mask. What if she’s… she’s not the person you expected? What if when you see the true her, you realize that you don’t love her, then what will you do?”

“Well, I say that I know her far more than I would otherwise,” Gabriel said, voice taking on a slightly frosty edge. “Considering that I have had the opportunity to see her without the masks society has us wear. Our literal masks may hide many things about us– but I believe that brings out a side to us we might not show otherwise.”

“That doesn’t answer my question,” Nathalie said. “What will you do if she’s not the person you imagine her to be? What if she’s someone you realize you don’t love?”

“Nathalie, I have seen Calamity look at me with pure hatred,” Gabriel said in a low voice. “With absolutely no trust– and with how far we have come from there I feel there is truly little that can keep us apart.”

“You know nothing about her,” Nathalie said after a moment, not sure why she was pushing this, but a part of her just wanted him to know. To know how it wouldn’t be so simple when he saw that it was her behind the mask of Calamity that he admired so much. “No matter what you think, once you see her in person, she will be different than what you imagine, I know.”

“You’ve only spoken to her once– you know nothing about her,” Gabriel snapped.

“Maybe I know more about her than you do,” Nathalie said. “Trust me, she’s not the woman you imagine. You’ve created a pedestal in your mind, and you need to accept she won’t be standing on it once all is said and done.”

“Nathalie,” Gabriel said stiffly. “I don’t know what brought this on, but I would appreciate a change in topic.”

“I wouldn’t,” she replied. “Not until you admit you’re in love with a stranger.”

“She is not a stranger!” He bellowed.

“...No, no maybe she isn’t,” Nathalie said, looking him in the eyes. “But this woman won’t be the familiar face you expect. And if you will truly love her… you need to accept that. Trust me.”

“I love her for who she is,” Gabriel said quietly. “For the woman I have seen, for her courage and independence– and I will accept all that comes with that.”

Whatever reply she had to that left her mind the moment her eyes flickered up to the doors– where Adrien stood there, one door part way open, listening. Panic rose in her mind, wondering just how much he had heard.

“Adrien– how long have you been there?” Nathalie asked, and Gabriel turned to follow her gaze.

“Adrien?” Gabriel asked, and his gaze hardened. “What have I told you about eavesdropping?”

“I– I wasn’t eavesdropping,” he said with a slight stammer in his voice. “I just– I just came to ask you–” His eyes flickered between Nathalie and Gabriel, gaze slightly wide. “What… what were you two talking about?”

“Nothing of importance,” Gabriel said briskly.

“It sounded important to me!”

“We were just talking about the woman your father is dating, that’s all,” Nathalie, hoping to end the conversion quickly– because Adrien did not need to be dragged into the argument she had started.

Adrien, however, looked nothing but nervous. “The… the woman he’s dating?”

“Yes,” Gabriel replied. “I went to see her earlier today.”

Adrien looked like he was struggling to find the words he wanted to say. “You… you went…? You mean… you mean it’s not Nathalie?”

Gabriel and Nathalie went still. Nathalie didn’t dare move at this, while Gabriel’s head whipped around to face Adrien. “What?”

“I… I thought you were dating Nathalie!” Adrien said, eyes widened. “You… you, she… I thought– Nathalie said she had a date, and– and you did too, and–”

Gabriel glanced at Nathalie. “You had a date? When?”

“Wh-who?” Adrien snapped. “Who are you seeing?”

Gabriel seemed taken back at the sudden edge in his son’s voice. “Someone I have been working with.”

“Who?”

“You wouldn’t know her, son…”

“You– you just–” Adrien’s voice cracked slightly. “You want to bring someone else into our family?”

“You said you were okay with–”

“No!” Adrien shouted. “No– not a stranger– no one can just, no one can– how can you think anyone could take Mom’s place?!”

Nathalie winced.

“Adrien!” Gabriel said, turning to fully face him. “That– that is absolutely not how this is! How could you even think that? I spoke to you about this, that is why I spoke to you about this–”

But Adrien had already turned and bolted from the doorway. Gabriel pushed himself to his feet, ready to go after him, but Nathalie had risen first, putting an arm on Gabriel’s shoulder. “Can I talk to him?”

“I–”

“Please, Gabriel,” she said softly.

“Of– of course,” Gabriel said, rubbing his temple. “I… I just can’t believe he thought that you and I…”

“Is that a bad thing?” Nathalie asked.

“What? No– well, yes– no–” He closed his eyes. “It’s bad that Adrien thought so, that he had a different image in his mind than what was truly happening.” Gabriel sank down in his seat. “Go talk to him, you were always better at these sorts of things than me.”

Nathalie tried to gather her thoughts as she headed up towards Adrien’s room, wondering what exactly she was going to say, because in a way… what he thought wasn’t wrong, but… but that wasn’t something exactly she could explain. Nor promise that things would stay that way. She sighed as she stopped outside of one of Adrien’s doors, raising her hand to knock.

“...Yeah?” Adrien’s voice rasped.

“Can I come in?” She asked softly.

“Yeah,” Adrien muttered, and she pushed the door open. 

She found Adrien sitting on his bed, staring out at nothing. He wasn’t crying, but looked not far from that. She sat down next to him on his bed, and he curled up slightly.

“I… I thought he meant you,” Adrien whispered. “I thought he meant you, you were both always gone, I thought he wanted to keep things quiet from the public, I thought he meant you…”

“I’m sorry, Adrien,” Nathalie said softly, setting an arm on his shoulder.

“I don’t want someone else here,” Adrien whispered, voice turning sharp. “I don’t want anyone else but you.”

“That’s your father’s choice, not yours.”

Bright green eyes looked up at her. “It’s– it’s not fair– you’re family, you’re the one that takes care of me, you’re the one that’s always there, you’re the one that loves me, no one else could be…. No one else could– how can he think anyone else could step into our lives–?”

There were tears in his eyes now, and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in close. “Adrien, I understand why you’re upset, and why… why you thought that things were going that way. I… I promise you that this isn’t as bad as it seems. Things are going to be okay.”

“No,” Adrien whispered.

“Adrien, you… you haven’t even gotten the chance to meet her yet,” Nathalie said, pulling back slightly to look into his eyes. “You never know how things will go. Please, please promise me you’ll at least wait to see what happens?”

Adrien’s eyes turned hard. “This woman has never even asked to meet me! If she even cared, if she wanted to be part of this family she– she would have asked for that much, wouldn’t she? She probably only cares about Dad’s money, and his company, and he’s blinded and doesn’t realize it.”

“Adrien!”

“You were worried about the same thing, weren’t you?” Adrien challenged. “I heard what you were saying, you don’t trust her either, do you?”

“Adrien, I do have my own concerns, but not on her end of things– rather on your father’s end,” she smiled softly, brushing back a strand of his hair, and the teen blinked at her. “I know… I know a lot has happened in these last few months, and that these changes have been hard on you– but those changes haven’t been bad, have they?”

Adrien closed his eyes, shaking his head.

“A little bit more might just lead to something even better,” Nathalie said softly. “And I promise you, your father wants you to be happy. If… if you are truly unhappy, he will do everything he can to change that.” Nathalie hesitated. “Just remember… just remember to let your father find his happiness too, okay?”

Adrien swallowed. “Am… am I being selfish?”

“Adrien, your worries are all valid ones,” Nathalie said softly. “And don’t you think otherwise– but don’t let the worries of what could happen dictate how you will act. You never know… maybe everything will work out far better than you can ever imagine.”

“...What about you?” Adrien asked.

She smiled. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”

“You… you deserve to be happy too,” Adrien said softly. “You… you love Father, don’t you?”

“I–”

Adrien touched his chest, touching a small pin. “I… I’ve seen the way you look at him.” Adrien whispered. “You love Father.”

“I love this family,” Nathalie said after a moment. “And I will always be here, for the both of you.”

Chapter Text

“Good evening, my dear Dus– mmh!”

Calamity Dusk smirked against Cobalt’s lips as she grabbed the front of his costume, pulling him down into a kiss before he could even finish his greeting. She had spent the last few days by Gabriel’s side, listening to him basically waxing poetic about his ‘dear Dusk’, unable to do a thing. Forced to keep her distance with a neutral expression– so now that they were both in costume, secluded away up on a rooftop, he was all hers.

“Well,” he said as they at last pulled back, breathing heavily. “That was quite the welcome.”

“I can be pretty selfish at times,” she replied, before pushing herself up on her tiptoes, leaning in for another kiss. Cobalt Plume showed no hesitation to meet her, a hand on the middle of her back as he dipped her slightly into their next kiss.

“Seems pretty generous if you ask me,” he whispered in her ear.

“Shut up and kiss me,” she replied.

It reminded her of when she had first donned the Miraculous, when her rooftops escapades were ones to enjoy and relax. Of course, back then she didn’t trust Cobalt Plume, let alone want to even be near him– she wondered how her past self would have reacted if she had known that she and Cobalt had been sleeping under the same roof.

But now was not a time to relax, to pretend that nothing was wrong. She sighed against his lips, before placing a hand on his chest, and he pulled back. The two of them sat there for a moment, on the chimney they had come to consider theirs, silent as they were wrapped in each other's embrace.

“We can’t let this continue,” Calamity said, looking out at the city. Cobalt stiffened up, and she quickly clarified. “You can’t keep wearing that Miraculous– it’s not safe. Every fight is putting you more and more at risk, but I can’t do this without you– you being gone proved that enough to me. We must end this as quickly as possible, we need a plan.”

“Don’t worry about me, Calamity, I am doing well.”

She turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. “Really? Because that’s not what your friend… er, Mayura told me. She mentioned a few things, like fainting at the dinner table. Zoning out. Coughing fits.”

“Of course she did…” Cobalt muttered, eyes narrowed. “Well, she is new to the world of magic, so she just doesn’t understand the full extent of–“

“Cobalt, do yourself a favor and don’t make any more excuses,” Calamity said. “I can’t let you do this to yourself for my sake, and these battles we’ve been fighting are accomplishing nothing. We need to get our hands on the other Miraculouses, and quickly.”

“Isn’t that what we’ve been trying to do?”

“We need to isolate one of the heroes,” Calamity Dusk said, squaring her shoulders, though her mouth felt dry. She had talked things over with Plagg last night, and she honestly wasn’t happy with what options had been laid out. “When their timer is running low, because that means they can’t keep running, while we can.”

“We can’t both pursue unless the other hero’s timer has run out too,” Cobalt said, crossing his arms. “Or if we have an avatar keep them busy.”

“I’ve been talking to Plagg,” Calamity said. “And we think it’s Indigo we need to target first. Stripping a champion of their powers will instantly trigger his timer, and bring them down an ally. Also, Tempest has been cautious with her powers; she tries to avoid going on a timer, so it will be harder to corner her in such a state.”

“We would have to be careful, we can’t be obvious about what they’re trying to do, or else they’ll just adjust. They could prioritize keeping a champion active, or the Fox Miraculous could cover their retreat.”

She nodded. “We’ll take out the champion as soon as possible, but we only pursue a retreat if we have both the chance and energy to keep up and trap them, and if Tempest can be kept occupied.”

“And once we get the Miraculous…?” Cobalt asked, and her stomach tightened. Claiming a Miraculous wouldn’t mean they won, not until they found the Guardian.

Calamity took in a deep breath. “…We free the kwami, and hope they have the information we need. Or see if the heroes will see reason and can give us information.”

“And if not, we’re stuck at square one once more,” he finished.

“Not necessarily,” Calamity said. “If… if we get the Butterfly Miraculous, Plagg says we could have some more options. First of all, we would have a Miraculous that couldn’t hurt you, and we could give ourselves another ally with a champion.”

He frowned. “I don’t think anyone in the city would agree to be a champion for us.”

“…They wouldn’t,” she agreed. “Plagg said that we could… that we would have the ability to create forced champions, if we were to corrupt the champion butterfly before it was sent out.”

His eyes were wide. “That… that sounds dark.”

She gave a swift nod. “It… it would require manipulation that I am not comfortable with, but Plagg told me that corrupted butterflies would require purification, and the only Miraculous that the Guardian has that could do such is the Ladybug.”

“I see,” Cobalt said softly. “Forced champions would force either the Guardian out of hiding, or for him to hand the Ladybug Miraculous off.”

“Which he doesn’t want to do,” Calamity finished with a nod. “That would be… a last resort. An option if we are unable to find the Guardian after we claim a Miraculous.”

“I hope it won’t come to that,” he muttered.

“Me too,” Calamity said. “Me too.”

Having a plan, and executing it, were unfortunately two very different things. After their rooftop talk they had tasked Grace solely with locating and destroying the item that hosted the champion butterfly when they found themselves in a fight, but the heroes had responded in turn– choosing champions with heightened senses, ones that couldn’t be blinded or that could hear and locate Grace as she approached, even when invisible. Of the repeated battles they had fought, only once had they seen an open opportunity to chance after one of the heroes, which had been Tempest, and with a champion still active, they had chosen not to pursue.

Meanwhile at home, Nathalie got a front row seat watching the effects the Miraculous had on Gabriel, and in turn how that impacted Adrien.

Gabriel’s and Adrien’s relationship had reached a point of being strained once more, neither knowing quite how to approach the other now that they had realized their perspectives of Gabriel’s dates had been very different. It hadn’t been anger, or anything of the sort, that created the difference, but something more of an awkwardness that neither knew how to approach. Adrien’s supportiveness had vanished, but he did not vocally protest his father’s lovelife, either, and Gabriel didn’t seem to dare to bring the topic up.

Instead, Adrien’s focus had been centered on making sure his father was seeing doctors, making sure he was being careful, and not letting Gabriel push himself as symptoms manifested. Of course, no doctors were being seen, as none would have experience in the magic afflicting Gabriel, and repeated visits to a doctor would catch the attention of the media– which this house did not need at the moment. And with Nathalie now in the know about what was happening to him, she no longer pushed him to see doctors, and instead Gabriel would take trips into town to help keep Adrien calm as the Peacock Miraculous’ toll became more apparent.

It hadn’t been good when Adrien had gotten a hold of Nathalie’s tablet, and had found there had been no actual appointments scheduled.

“Why have you been lying to me!” Adrien screamed, and from the other side of the door Nathalie winced, hearing the desperation in his voice. “This whole time you’ve– you’ve– you haven’t been doing anything?!”

“I didn’t want you to worry,” Gabriel muttered. “I have everything under control, I promise you, son, I am okay.”

Nathalie did not try to bring herself into this conversation, this wasn’t one of bitterness or disagreements– only of worry and fear. A mediator would do nothing, and so instead she just listened, as walking away felt just as wrong.

“It’s not okay!” Adrien cried. “None of this is okay, you’re not okay, you’re sick! What– what else have you been lying to me about?”

Gabriel was quiet.

“How is this any different from before?” Adrien snarled. “You’re just keeping things from me– you might as well just ignore me all over again! At least then I don’t have to guess if you were telling me the truth or not!”

“Adrien–”

Nathalie closed her eyes, feeling sick. This couldn’t keep going on, not like this. She wanted this family to heal, but instead she was watching it get ripped apart at the seams. It was because of the secrets she was keeping, and the ones that they were keeping for her sake.

This needed to either end, or Adrien to be brought in on everything. The longer they kept him in the dark, the harder it would all be. It was hard on him now. Secrets were not getting any of them anywhere.

She first needed to talk to Gabriel… then together they would figure out how to go from there.

No more secrets, they couldn’t have any more secrets.

“Well, this is annoying,” Cobalt Plume said, standing back to back with Calamity. “Quite off-putting, actually.”

“I’m just glad you can tell the difference between us,” Calamity Dusk replied, her baton split in two as she looked out at her double, unsettled at the sight.

“Well, only one of you is in love with me,” Cobalt replied, turning his head just enough so he could wink. “Now, let’s take care of this Copycat, hmm?”

Calamity might have groaned– but Indigo Papillon had actually named his champion such, and Cobalt found the name of the champion that was attempting to mimic her quite humorous, but with Cobalt’s ability to sense Emotions, fortunately, the fake Calamity wasn’t able to get an upper hand by pretending to be her. They couldn’t even properly mimic her Destructive powers– their ‘Cataclysm’ able to do nothing more than create a few cracks in whatever it touched. That was enough for them to break free of Glacier’s ice, however, the champion shattering the avatar’s ice whenever they attempted to trap or slow down Copycat.

Cobalt was using his split fans to parry the twin batons that Copycat was swinging his way. Glacier she had willed to keep Tempest busy as she faced Indigo Papillon, not wanting the heroes to tag team any of them. She felt that the Butterfly holder had the better weapon of the two of them, however– while her batons were useful on the defensive, as long as he kept swinging she never got a good opportunity to go on the offensive and push him back. Her eyes locked on the small brooch on his chest, and she wondered how something so small was all they needed, and how it was what was giving this child so much power.

But she had no chance to even get close, only able to parry his next few blows. He tried pressing her back towards the edge of the roof, but she ducked under his blade, putting her back to the vast expanse of the rooftops behind her. She grinned at Indigo, whose eyes narrowed from his butterfly-shaped mask.

Then Indigo Papillon winced, and a beeping filled the air. Calamity blinked in surprise as she watched one of the lavender ‘wings’ of his brooch wither away, and she glanced over her shoulder. Cobalt Plume was holding a small stick of some kind in his hands, which he had snapped in half, energy bubbling around the fake Calamity Dusk. The light faded away, revealing a young man in Copycat’s place, as a white butterfly fluttered up into the air.

She and Cobalt made eye contact, and she swallowed.

Calamity reached out towards her connection to Glacier– and the avatar instantly summoned a huge icy blast straight towards Tempest, who was calling for a Wind Dragon. The ice engulfed her as she turned into a powerful gale, trapping her within an icy dome, unable to rush to her partner’s side. Cobalt leapt towards the ice, ready to engage the Dragon holder as soon as she burst free, leaving the former champion sitting on the rooftop.

Calamity Dusk turned to Indigo Papillon– who must have seen the resolve in her gaze. He didn’t turn to fight even with several minutes left on his timer, but instead immediately fled. This was exactly what she wanted, though, and she gave pursuit– the more distance they could get between Indigo and Tempest, the better. She needed him alone, isolated, where his partner could not come to his rescue.

The Butterfly gave Indigo a natural grace as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, lightly landing with each bound– but what it did not give him was speed. With no head start, Calamity was able to keep up with him with ease, right on his heels as she darted after him, putting just enough space between them to make sure he kept moving. Calamity zigzagged behind him, not letting him turn off the course she was setting.

The beeping of his timer filled the air, and his panic seemed to grow. Calamity drew up on his right, forcing him to begin turning. She couldn’t keep up a chase forever, they would both grow tired, and he was fueled by desperation. But she could sense a cold presence within her baton, the feather within it knowing that its avatar was close. So she kept pressing him, heart hammering.

Indigo Papillon sprung to leap over an alleyway– only for a blur of gray to rise up from below him. Glacier’s claws snagged on his suit, pulling him down into the shadows below. The fearful cry made the guilt in Calamity's heart grow, but she didn’t let herself hesitate. She jumped down after them, where Indigo was wrestling with the snow leopard, and she dropped straight down onto the Butterfly holder, attempting to pin him down.

“Seal us in!” She called for Glacier, and immediately the avatar turned his attention towards the opening of the alleyways, summoning a burst of ice to surround them, keeping it within the confines of the alley so it could not be seen, but quickly blocking off all exits as Indigo slammed his knee into her gut. Her suit took the worst of it, but still she staggered, Indigo breaking free and rushing towards the ice.

He raised his cane, ready to slam it into the ice, but Glacier was quicker. The Snow Leopard’s fangs crunched down onto the weapon, immediately encasing it in ice. Indigo was forced to let go, lest his hands became engulfed in it as well. He staggered back, the beeping of his Miraculous matching the desperation in his gaze– but there was nowhere to run. Ice locked them in on all sides, marbled streaks of white and blue allowing the light in, but no one to see out.

“Indigo,” she said quietly. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”

“Stay away!” He cried, backing up, crouching down as if he were ready to wrestle her. Glacier let out a snarl at the stance, but a glance from Calamity made him fall silent. There was perhaps two minutes left on his timer– but she had no intention of waiting for it to run down.

Glacier responded to her emotions, springing forward to bring Indigo to the ground. The Butterfly holder wasn’t out of the fight yet, however, kicking and thrashing as the big cat tried to bring him down. The magic protected him from claws and fangs, and while ice could keep him still, she did not want to risk exposing him to such once she took the Miraculous from him.

“No!” Indigo cried as Calamity seized him from behind, her and Glacier easily overpowering the young Miraculous holder. He fought against them as she pinned his arms behind him– but now was not the time to be gentle. 

Her hand reached around his chest, wrapping around the Butterfly Miraculous, which was now down to one minute– chirping frantically as it told its holder to hide. She pulled it from Indigo’s chest, a burst of lavender light flaring across him as his transformation fell, his kwami bursting out from within.

“Nooroo!” The boy cried as the magic faded from him, the voice sending a jolt of pain through her heart. “Run!”

Calamity released Indigo Papillon, a panic taking hold as she realized how his voice sounded familiar. Too familiar. Not the familiarity of a foe she had encountered many times, but an intimate closeness of a voice she heard everyday. She looked down at the teenager that sat there on the ground, green eyes wide as his arms wrapped around him, glowering up at her in pure hatred and fear.

“Adrien?” She croaked out.

Adrien sneered at her– before lunging for the Miraculous in her hand. Her arm flew out instinctively, catching him before he could crash into her. One arm was enough to keep him back as he struggled against her, her magic easily overpowering him in this form– and horror pounded through her as she watched the child she loved before her.

He didn't seem to care that she knew his name– with his face all over the city, it was something he had long grown used to. Within her mind she could feel Plagg, the kwami watching on in shock. Glacier seemed to be impacted by the same feeling she felt, the snow leopard stiff and unmoving.

Hovering above them all was a small purple kwami with fairy-like wings flaring out from his back. The Butterfly watched the two with wide eyes, unmoving. Nooroo didn’t seem to know what to do, watching as his holder so desperately tried to reclaim the Miraculous, which Calamity was pulling out of reach as she held Adrien back.

It couldn’t be him. Anyone but him. How could the Guardian have chosen him?

Calamity closed her eyes, her hatred for the Guardian growing in that moment. Her hand closed around the Miraculous, reaching out towards Nooroo as she spoke, voice hoarse:

“Nooroo,” she managed to force out. “I free you from all orders the Guardian has given you– from all orders you’re under.”

She did not know what she expected to happen– but both she and Adrien froze up as they watched Nooroo double over, golden light crackling around the kwami. It sparked and flickered about him, the Butterfly’s eyes closed as if in pain, and for a moment Nathalie was afraid she had done something wrong– but the burst of hope and joy she felt from Plagg said otherwise.

“What are you doing to him?!” Adrien cried, leaping towards his kwami. “Nooroo!”

Then the golden light seemed to fully materialize around the kwami, before it shattered, bursting out. The kwami lost control over his levitation, falling down towards the ground, but Adrien seized him from the air, clutching him to his chest. Nooroo was breathing heavily, tears in his eyes, but there was a smile on his face as he looked towards Calamity.

“Thank you,” the little kwami said, lavender eyes bright. “Thank you so much, Calamity Dusk.”

“Are– are you okay?” She whispered, Adrien’s eyes darting between her and the kwami. “That– that looked–”

Nooroo carefully rose up out of Adrien’s hands, hovering near him, but looking towards Calamity. “I… I was under many commands, Black Cat. More than I have ever been confined to before. All of that magic being released from me at once… was not simple.”

“Nooroo?” Adrien whispered.

Nooroo turned towards Adrien, brushing up against him, nuzzling his cheek. “Adrien, everything is okay, I promise you.”

“B-but–”

“Calamity is not our enemy,” Nooroo said softly. “She is just here to save me.”

“What– what have you done to him?” Adrien cried, clutching the kwami, who pressed against him.

“...Nothing,” Calamity whispered, looking down at the Miraculous in her hand. “I’ve done nothing to him– it was the Guardian that did this to him.”

Adrien flinched as she reached her hand out, a sight that sent a pang through her, but she didn’t let herself waver on the outside. She opened up her hand, presenting the Miraculous to him, whose eyes looked up at her in disbelief, and she let out a sigh.

“Nooroo, this isn’t an order– but please, tell your holder the truth,” she said, picking up Adrien’s hand, placing the Butterfly Miraculous within, closing his fingers around it. “I have told you many times before, Indigo– I am not your enemy. Maybe you have no reason to listen to me, but listen to your kwami.”

“I–”

“I won’t tell anyone that I found your identity,” she promised. “And you do the same– don’t let them know I found you. Not Tempest, and especially not the Guardian. Talk to Nooroo, and when you’re ready to talk… come find me.”

With that she turned, unable to look him in the eye anymore. Tears stung her eyes as she silently summoned a Cataclysm, laying it against the ice that surrounded them, instantly disintegrating it. Immediately she took to the rooftops once more, Glacier right behind her. She felt numb as she made her way back to where the fight had taken place– Tempest gone, and Cobalt waiting for her.

She merely shook her head when he saw her– before turning and racing home. She couldn’t look at him, not when he had been fighting against his own son, not when the complexity of his family had webbed into something much more painful.

“Nathalie?” Plagg asked quietly once they detransformed, Nathalie staggering to her bed. “Are you okay?”

She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. Plagg drifted down, landing next to her. The kwami sat there, both of them silent for a time. The kwami moved closer to her, moving his way under her hand, letting out a small purr.

“Every time I think I understand what’s happening, things only get worse,” Nathalie whispered. “This whole time we’ve… Gabriel has been…” She closed her eyes. “We’ve been fighting Adrien. With weapons, with magic… he could have gotten hurt! He– he probably has, and if he knew who we were–”

“It would probably give him more reason to trust you,” Plagg said. “You should go to him.”

Nathalie listened to the sound of a door opening downstairs, before shaking her head. “No, I can’t. N-not yet.”

Chapter Text

“Is something bothering you, Adrien?” Gabriel asked, watching as Adrien poked his food about his plate, only having taken a few bites.

Adrien jumped slightly, looking up as he was pulled out of his thoughts. Guilt pounded through Nathalie, and she kept her eyes locked onto her own plate. Adrien shouldn’t be like this, but he was, because of her.

“No…” Adrien trailed off, stuffing his food into his mouth, and Gabriel just stared at him. “I’m fine, I promise.”

“Clearly that’s not the case, or else you wouldn’t be acting like this,” Gabriel said.

Adrien gritted his teeth, and for a moment Nathalie was afraid the two would snap at each other– but then Adrien looked away, voice a mutter. “What do you do when someone’s lied to you?”

“Speak up, Adrien, I can’t hear you like that.”

He let out a sigh. “What are you supposed to do when you find out that someone has been lying to you?”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. “What have they been lying to you about? Have they been taking advantage of who you are? What were they trying to accomplish?”

“No, Father, I mean–”

“If someone has been lying to you and–”

“It’s a friend!” Adrien blurted out. “Someone was lying to my friend, and I just… and to help them. That’s all.” He fell quiet. “Nevermind, it’s not that big, anyways, we can handle it.”

“Well, you do need to be careful what kinds of friends you choose, if this person is letting such people into their lives–”

“I’m full,” Adrien muttered, pushing himself to his feet. “I’m going to my room.”

“You do not walk out on someone when they’re talking to you, Adrien–” Gabriel began, and Adrien glared at him.

“Well, considering that you’ve been lying to me, right now you just sound like a hypocrite,” Adrien snapped, before turning and walking out of the dining room. Gabriel didn’t seem to know how to reply to this for a moment, and was about to rise to his feet, when Nathalie grabbed his wrist.

“Gabriel, don’t,” she said.

“He can’t just talk to me like that–”

“Have you looked at how you’ve been talking to him?” Nathalie asked. “He’s clearly under a lot of pressure, and he opened up to you in search of advice– and you gave him suspicion and criticism instead.”

“I think I have a right to be worried about whom my son is associated with–”

“Adrien also wasn’t wrong about the fact that you have been lying to him,” Nathalie continued.

“You– you know why I have–”

“Yes, but he doesn’t know,” Nathalie replied. “And right now you two are butting heads over that, when I think you should both take a step back. Yes, maybe he should have been more polite, but clearly there are bigger things at play here– and is his attitude really going to be the hill you’re going to die on right now?”

He let out a sigh. “What should I do, then?”

“Wait until he comes to you again, and hear him out instead of jumping to conclusions,” Nathalie said simply, before setting down her fork. “Besides, I have work to do, if you would excuse me.”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed on the two practically full plates that were being abandoned. “Neither of you have been eating much as of late.”

“Just haven’t been in the mood,” Nathalie said as she pushed herself to her feet, before walking out without another word. Plagg zipped out of her pocket the moment they were alone, following her as she made her way upstairs.

“How long are you going to let this go on?” Plagg asked.

“I can’t force anything out of Adrien, not after what we’ve put him through,” Nathalie muttered.

“That poor kid clearly has no idea what to do, he needs help,” Plagg insisted. “He adores you, he trusts you– he wouldn’t hold anything against you if he knew who you were.”

“I… I told him we would talk when he was ready,” Nathalie said, entering her room. “And I‘m going to keep my word.”

Plagg snorted. “I just think you don’t feel ready yourself.”

Nathalie did not confirm the truth of Plagg’s words aloud– even though it was quite clear to both of them that she was far from ready to handle any of the things she had learned. Instead, she just let the rest of the week slowly drag on, the tension in the house stiff, and her being the only one that knew the full story behind it.

She was just thankful that the Guardian hadn’t decided to draw them out for another fight.

Nathalie attempted to get work done, but focusing on such now was far from simple. She ended up passing several things onto other employees to take care of, saving her limited focus for the most vital of things tied to the company. That weekend she found herself sitting at the dining room table, the remains of her meal pushed off to the side as she stared down at her tablet.

Her eyes flickered up as the chair across from her scooted out, and she watched as Adrien slowly sat down, setting his homework down at the table. He didn’t look at her, just putting his pencil to the paper, and her gaze went back to her tablet. Now that the glamour had been broken, it was impossible to look at Adrien without seeing Indigo Papillon, and in turn the memories of all the times she had fought against him.

The small silver pin on his shirt stood out more than ever, and she winced as the cries of Indigo’s desperation flashed through her mind as she had pulled it from his chest.

“Nathalie?” Adrien asked quietly. “Are you okay?”

“It’s just been a long week for me, that’s all,” she said softly. “Don’t worry about me, you clearly already have a lot on your mind already.”

Adrien shifted in his seat. “That’s, um, actually what I wanted to talk to you about. But if you’re busy I can just–”

“N-no!” Nathale cried, sitting straight up, and Adrien’s eyes widened slightly– she wondered how disheveled she looked right now. “We can talk, that sounds good! I, um, need a break from work anyway.”

She shoved her tablet away, and Adrien couldn’t help but give a small smile. “Nathalie needing a break from work? That’s new.”

“The exhaustion had to catch up to me eventually,” she said with a small smile.

“If you’re tired, I can–”

“I want to hear what you have to say, Adrien,” Nathalie insisted. “Worry about me another time, right now we’re here to talk about you. What’s been on your mind?”

He laced his fingers together, taking a moment to compose himself, thinking. “So, um, I have… a friend group. One that has become very important to me, and a person in this group has been having issues with… someone else. Someone who’s kinda known to cause trouble?”

He looked up at her uncertainty, and she nodded at him to continue.

“So, um, my friend told me a lot about what has happened between them and this person, and so I’ve been kind of protective of him when it comes to this other person, and there’s been a lot of tension and some, er… fighting? Like, nothing dangerous, of course, just, like, shouting and accusing and stuff!”

You are a terrible liar, Adrien. Nathalie thought as he rambled on.

“Anyways, this has been going on since about when school started, and I’ve always just been trying to help my friend, but recently I was able to er, actually kind of talk to the other person, and… and after what they said, and talking a bit to another friend, I… I think my friend has been lying to me and my other friend about what’s happening and has been purposely… trying to get us not to like the other person.”

“I see,” Nathalie said.

“I just– I just don’t know what to do,” Adrien said, voice cracking a bit. “I– I don’t know how to approach my friends, I don’t know how he’ll react if I accuse him of lying or what he’ll do, and my other friend, she– she’s pretty close to him, you know? And I’m afraid she won’t believe me even though she’s been lied too just as much as me and she’s really important to me and I don’t want her to look at me like that but I don’t want our other friend to keep using her in this, um, fight and stuff and I just don’t know what to do.”

“If you’re not ready to confront either of them, is there someone else you can talk to about all this?” She asked.

Adrien hesitated. “There’s, um, the one that the whole misunderstanding happened with. She said she wanted to talk but I don’t know we haven’t liked each other for so long that I don’t know what to say or where to even find her. If I approach her in public everyone might get the wrong idea and I don’t want things to get worse I just want to get me and my friend out of this because we probably shouldn’t been involved in the first place and I– and I–”

Adrien paused, as if just realizing the tears that were forming in his eyes. He tried blinking them away, swallowing slightly. Nathalie reached across the table, putting her hand on top of his– feeling absolutely horrible. She hadn’t even thought about the position that she had left him in by dumping so much on him, then fleeing, and where he would have to go from there.

“Do you want to talk to her?” Nathalie asked.

“I– I think so,” Adrien said after a moment. “I don't know what else to do.”

“Then why don’t you start there,” Nathalie said softly. “Don’t worry about everyone else right now, just take this one step at a time, alright?”

“But I don’t even know where to find her!” Adrien cried. “I– I don’t know anything about her except for what I’ve been told, but I’m afraid that’s all just lies as well, and I– and I don’t know what to do!”

“If you could talk to her right now, would you be ready?” Nathalie asked.

“I think– y-yeah. Yeah I would,” Adrien said after a moment, giving a swift nod.

Nathalie took in a deep breath, squeezing his hand tightly. “Okay then, Indigo,” she began, and Adrien stiffened as she said this. “If you’re ready, then let’s talk.”

“Wha–” Adrien began, and his eyes widened as he watched Plagg rise up from Nathalie’s pocket, the Black Cat hovering near her shoulder.

“Hi, kid,” he said softly, in the most gentle voice she had probably ever heard from the kwami. “The name’s Plagg, kwami of Destruction– it’s nice to meet ya.”

Adrien stared at Plagg with wide eyes, his eyes darting between the kwami and Nathalie in disbelief. His gaze then flickered down to the red ring on her finger, then back up towards her once more, stumbling over words as he tried to find something to say. From his own pocket a figure squirmed, Nooroo peering out.

“Plagg?” The Butterfly asked softly.

“Hi, Nooroo,” Plagg said– and Nooroo launched himself from Adrien.

“Plagg!” Nooroo cried, slamming into the Black Cat, wrapping his arms tightly around him. Plagg returned the embrace, his tail curling around his fellow kwami as they spun about in the air. “It’s really you! Oh, I am so happy to see you!”

“I’ve been worried about you, kid,” Plagg said, low purrs rumbling from him. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”

“You’re… You’re Calamity Dusk?” Adrien finally whispered, looking up at Nathalie.

“Adrien, I am so sorry,” she said, voice cracking. “I… I never wanted you involved in this. I knew that man had chosen children to do his dirty work… but I never even thought about the possibility of it being you. I am so sorry.”

“Oh kwamis,” Adrien said, eyes widening. “I’ve– I’ve tried to hurt you…”

“No, you were trying to do the right thing,” Nathalie said swiftly. “Adrien, you cannot blame yourself for any of this– you were told to be a hero, to do the right thing, and you did everything you could to protect Paris.”

“But you– you never hurt Paris, you wouldn’t” Adrien said, covering his mouth. “This whole time I– we were–”

“Illusions from the Fox can be very convincing,” Nooroo said solemnly. “You were used, Adrien, none of this was your fault.” The kwami nuzzled up to Adrien. “Even though I could not tell you the truth before, I have loved being your kwami. You have been so kind to me, and have risked so much to make me happy, I’m glad I was given to you.”

“Wait a second,” Plagg said, pointing a paw at the Butterfly. “You were the one that had Adrien steal the wine, weren’t you?”

Nooroo’s face flushed to a dark purple. “I– I didn’t know that humans have so many laws about it in this era when I asked for some…”

“You know alcohol has effects on humans.”

“Are you saying it doesn’t affect kwamis?” Nathalie asked with a frown.

“Everything we eat is immediately converted into energy,” Nooroo explained quietly. “We can taste things like you, but we really don’t… digest anything. Surely you’ve noticed that Plagg’s able to eat a lot more than what it looks like we’re able to.” Nooroo paused. “Wait one second– you’re the cheese thief, aren’t you, Plagg!”

Plagg shrugged. “Every time I’ve taken cheese was when Nathalie told me I could.”

“The first time I didn’t even believe you were real,” Nathalie snapped. “And the second time you didn’t take a single piece like I told you to.”

“I told you guys I didn’t drink any of the wine,” Adrien said quietly.

“Well what were we supposed to think at the time, Adrien?” Nathalie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s– it’s not like I could just explain!” He protested. “I mean, you didn’t tell Pierre that you were the one who took the cheese or anything; so, if anything, I’ve owned up to more of what my kwami has done than you have!”

“At least you didn’t have a kwami that blackmailed you into using their Miraculous,” Nathalie replied.

“Plagg, what did you do?” Nooroo asked.

“Eh, after Kaalki sent me off, I landed on Nathalie’s desk here– and man was she not trusting! First she thought I was a hallucination, then she thought I was like a demon or fairy or something that was trying to steal her soul, and it wasn’t until I said I’d give my ring to Adrien here that she would actually put it on.”

Nooroo’s wings tensed up. “You can’t just have my holder!”

“Oh I wasn’t going to drag a kid into all of this; what do I look like, the Guardian?”

At the mention of the Guardian, they all fell quiet. Adrien looked up at Nathalie. “Do… do you know what Master– er– what the Guardian is trying to do? Nooroo said he just wanted to use the power of Destruction for himself and I don’t know what… what would he do?”

“Destroy this timeline,” Plagg said with a shrug. “Create a new one where he wasn’t a Guardian, completely wiping this reality that you know with no guarantee that our lives or even your existence would come to pass– not to mention the price that would be inflicted to keep balance. Stuff like that.”

Adrien’s eyes were wide.

“He can’t do that unless he has both my Miraculous and the Ladybug Miraculous,” she said softly. “There’s nothing to worry about, Adrien, I won’t let this ring into his hands.”

“I–  I was helping him to– to–” He closed his eyes. “I– I don’t feel good, Nathalie.”

She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. “Adrien, none of this was your fault. Please, don’t blame yourself.”

“But if we had–”

“Cobalt and I weren’t going to let this ring go anywhere,” she promised. “And now you know the truth, that man isn’t going to manipulate you again. It’s over now.”

Adrien paused, looking up at Nathalie for a moment, and she didn’t know what to make of his expression. “Cobalt Plume… that’s who you’re dating, isn’t it?”

Plagg snickered. “She is indeed.”

“Oh…” Adrien said.

“Did you know that I saw him as an enemy when this all began?” Nathalie said, and Adrien peered up at her. “He… he didn’t make the best first impressions, and I did not trust him in the slightest. But still he did everything he could to help me even after how I treated him… and now I can’t imagine not having him in my life.” 

“As… as long as he makes you happy…” Adrien muttered.

“I think you’ll like him,” Nathalie said with a small smile. “Even though you two have been fighting as of late… but that’s nothing unfixable.”

“I’m not going to fight you guys anymore!” Adrien blurted out. “Now that I know that he– that you and him are just trying to, um, help everyone, you know?”

She smiled. “I do hope things can clear up once you two are able to talk to each other openly.”

“Does, um… does he know that…?”

“He does not know your identity, nor that I know yours,” Nathalie said. “I figured that was something you should decide for yourself.”

“I… I don’t mind if you tell him,” Adrien said quietly. “I mean if you know and all and… yeah.”

“If that’s what you want,” Nathalie said– but that simply made things easier for her. “But let’s worry about that later, I… I should have talked to you sooner, I saw how this was stressing you, but I…”

“Worried I’d send another champion after you?” Adrien offered with a small grin, clearly attempting to lighten the room.

Nathalie’s heart felt heavy. “I was selfish, Adrien. Knowing it was you… I did not want to face the reality of what we have done to you. Telling myself it was for the greater good was able to push me this far… but that doesn’t change the fact that I’ve hurt you.”

“It wasn’t that bad?” He offered.

“I swung a metal baton at you!”

“I’ve swung a sword,” he replied, shrugging.

“No wonder you were so good at that,” she muttered. “All your fencing.”

“Enough small talk,” Plagg said, zipping straight up. “Right now, what we need to do is get Tikki out of the Guardian’s hands, and the rest of the Miraculouses, too. Nooroo, where has he been hiding?”

Nooroo shrank back a little. “I don’t know…”

“What do you mean you don’t know? Hasn’t he kept in contact with your holder? No way he’d let a Miraculous go unsupervised!” Plagg cried.

“He, um, really isn’t trusting anyone, like more than ever after you left” Nooroo said in a rush. “He’ll talk to the kids transformed, sometimes, but he hasn’t told him much about himself…”

“His name is Master Wang Fu,” Adrien offered. “I, um, have never been to where he lives or anything, though; he always preferred to… well, he said it was better the less people knew and he kinda chose Tempest to be the go-between for us…”

Nathalie closed her eyes. “In other words, we’ll need to talk to Tempest first before we can stop him.”

Plagg muttered something under his breath in a language Nathalie did not know.

“That’s what I’m worried most about,” Adrien said, hunching over slightly. “Tempest, she… she has a really strong sense of justice. She, er… really hates you and Cobalt Plume? I don’t know what the Guardian has told her aside from what he’s told me, but she… I don’t think she’s going to be easy to talk to.”

“Even if you talk to her?”

“I d-don’t know,” Adrien said quickly. “She’s– she’s really important to me, Nathalie. I just can’t– I don’t know how to– she cares so much for the Guardian that I don’t think words will be enough. She’ll probably think you’ve tricked me and… and…!”

“I think you’re panicking too much,” she said softly. “I’ve seen how the two of you work together. I doubt she’d turn you away without listening.”

“Is there anything you can tell us about what Fu’s been up to?” Plagg snapped. “Part of town he hangs out at now? A meeting point he has with you ‘heroes’?”

“A picture?” Nathalie asked.

Adrien sat up slightly. “Oh, you’ve met him before, Nathalie– he was my substitute Chinese teacher once, remember M. Chan?”

“That man’s been in our house!” Nathalie shouted in horror. “Plagg– didn’t you recognize him then? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Plagg wrinkled his nose. “I don’t remember seeing any substitute. I must have been asleep.”

“Great time to be asleep!”

“Sorry, I didn’t expect old Fu to waltz in through the front doors!”

“What is with the yelling?” A new voice growled from the doorway, causing everyone to stiffen, and Nathalie looked up to see Gabriel entering the dining room, an exhausted look in his eyes. “I’m trying to work, honestly, when have I ever permitted yelling in my house…?”

Gabriel paused, staring at them sitting around the table, two small creatures hovering between them. Gabriel’s eyes went impossibly wide, and no one said a word. Adrien was the first one to move, rushing forward and grabbing both kwamis from the air, a forced smile on his face, voice rushed.

“Heh, hi, Father! Sorry for the noise, it was, er… these robots. Yes, these robots that I just bought, and I forgot to turn the volume down. Sorry for interrupting you, Nathalie and I can go up to my room where I can show her them again.”

“Hey!” Plagg snapped. “Let go of me!”

“Let me just find the off switch on these robots real quick–”

Nathalie sighed, rubbing her temples, this being a conversation she wasn't quite ready for. But there was no getting around it, and as much of an idiot Gabriel could be, he wasn’t a fool, and the way he was staring at them in pure shock meant that he was at least piecing something together.

“Adrien, let the kwamis go,” Nathalie said with a sigh. “Gabriel, sit down, we all need to talk.”

“Wait, y-you said I could tell people when I’m ready–” Adrien protested, eyes wide as the kwamis phased through his hands. Plagg zipped over towards Nathalie, while Nooroo uncertainty peeked out at a stiff Gabriel. “You can’t just–”

“If I recall, you gave me permission to tell Cobalt Plume,” Nathalie replied. “And that’s exactly whom I’m telling. Plagg, would you please go grab Duusu from the lair; he probably wants out of his Miraculous.”

Plagg was snickering, before drifting off towards Gabriel’s office. “Of course. Don’t have too much fun without me~”

“Wh-what–?” Adrien croaked out, staring at his father, who was as still as a statue.

“Adrien, meet Cobalt Plume, your father. Gabriel, this is Indigo Papillon, your son. Also, I’m Calamity Dusk, and we’ve found ourselves in a pretty big mess, as you can tell,” Nathalie said casually, waving her hand. “Now, we’re actually all going to sit down and talk with no secrets or hiding anything for once– because that has gotten us nowhere.”

“You’re Cobalt Plume?” Adrien whispered, watching Gabriel with wide eyes– who offered no reply. Instead, the man slowly made his way forward, a shaky hand reaching out to pull out a chair, which he collapsed down onto. “...Father?”

“Not you,” Gabriel muttered. “Please. Anyone but you.”

Adrien said nothing, just looking down at his hands. Nooroo drifted forward, the kwami hovering in front of Gabriel. The Butterfly regarded Gabriel for a moment, before taking in a deep breath. 

“Sir,” Nooroo said. “I am Nooroo, your son’s kwami, and we were– are Indigo Papillon.”

“Why him?” Gabriel whispered. “Why did that man choose him?”

“Because your son is an amazing person, and Master saw his potential,” Nooroo zipped closer. “And you have no right to be upset with Adrien because he kept this from you– because he was doing what he thought would protect the city and you. He is a good child that works so hard to make you happy and worries so much about you, and I feel you put too much pressure on him.”

“Nooroo–!” Adrien protested, but Nooroo did not pause.

“He does not enjoy modeling, and only does it to make you happy. Same with most activities– he does not like basketball, but does it for you. He wishes he could enjoy fencing and piano, but not with the extremes you push him to accomplish,” Nooroo continued.

“Nooroo, wait–” Adrien began, but the kwami wasn’t done.

“Adrien feels he has to be a perfect son, and pushes so hard to be that,” Nooroo had tears in his eyes. “And I know you’ve been trying to be there for him, but you haven’t been trying hard enough. He’s supposed to be your son, and no human is perfect– and if you can’t accept this wonderful child for who he is, I’m going to– I’ll– I will… be very upset with you!”

A snickered filled the room, Plagg cackling as he hovered in the doorway. “You’ve never been good with threats, Nooroo. The rest of that speech, though, beautiful– didn’t know you had it in ya!”

Plagg then zipped forward, dropping the Peacock Miraculous onto Gabriel’s head. Gabriel winced in pain, grabbing the brooch as it fell, which immediately summoned Duusu from within with a burst of blue light. The Peacock stretched, glancing about the room, and his magenta eyes immediately widened, letting out a screech of a call.

“Nooroo!” Duusu cried, racing forward and tackling the Butterfly midair, wrapping him in a tight hug. “Oh, Nooroo– I’ve missed you so much!”

“Hi, Duusu,” Nooroo said softly, wrapping his arms around him as the Peacock spun him about. “I’m glad you’re okay, we had no idea what happened to you after the temple fell.”

Duusu pulled back slightly, his fan of feathers swaying. “Well, I’m not okay okay. I mean I feel okay, but apparently my Miraculous is broken and it makes me think a bit all over and you know what? I kind of do that now when I think about it, but I’ve been trying to concentrate, and I mean our Miracle Box is here in Paris and we can see everyone again! And I get to transform some more with a holder which is a lot of fun.”

“Broken?” Nooroo whispered, eyes wide in horror, looking towards Gabriel. The man hesitated, before holding up the brooch– where blue energy could be seen leaking from the cracks. “You’ve been using a broken Miraculous…? Oh Guardians, no wonder you’re…”

Nooroo trailed off, looking back at Adrien, before swallowing. The teen looked at his kwami, before his eyes flickered about at everyone. “...What does a broken Miraculous mean?”

“It… it means I have to be careful,” Gabriel said slowly, carefully tucking the brooch into his pocket. “That is all. The most important thing here, though, is the fact that you… that we’ve…” Gabriel looked slightly pale, looking at Adrien. “...We’ve hurt you.”

“Gabriel,” Nathalie began quietly.

“Don’t tell me to calm down!” He suddenly snapped. “Not when I walk in here to find out that I’ve– that I’ve been fighting my son this entire time. I knew there were children behind those masks, but… but my own son? I can’t, I can’t even–”

“Gabriel,” Nathalie said again. “You have every right to be upset– I was when I found out, but–”

“When did you find out?” Gabriel snapped, turning towards her.

“...In the last fight. I caught up to Indigo and I was able to remove his Miraculous,” she closed her eyes. “Well, I’m sure you can imagine the horror I felt after that.” Her gaze snapped open, locking on Gabriel. “But that’s not what matters right now. I need you to explain to Adrien what that broken Miraculous means for you. For this family– from the beginning.”

“I–”

“Gabriel.”

Gabriel fell quiet, and Adrien’s eyes flickered between them desperately, worry and confusion in his eyes. “T-tell me what?”

Gabriel looked at Adrien for a moment, hesitating, before looking down towards the table. “A broken Miraculous, Adrien, can harm its holder if used too often. It’s something I have been careful with, monitoring myself, but this Miraculous has had its effects on me. Ones you have noticed,” he met Adrien’s gaze. “The reason why I haven’t been going to see any doctor is because I already know what is causing my dizzy and fainting spells; it is from the repeated use of the Peacock Miraculous.”

Adrien was quiet for a moment, taking this in. His hands tightened, looking up at Gabriel, and you could see the fear in his eyes. “...You’ve been having the same symptoms Mom did.”

Gabriel’s hand tightened on the pocket where the brooch sat. “I… I was not completely honest about what happened to your mother, Adrien. She didn’t pass away from an unknown illness, she… passed away because she wouldn’t stop using the Peacock Miraculous.”

“And… and you’ve been using it?” Adrien whispered, voice cracking. “You’re going to– to–”

“I’m being careful–” Gabriel began, but he didn’t get a chance to finish as Adrien rose to his feet, turning and bolting out of the dining room. Nathalie quickly stood, but by then the sound of footsteps could be heard in the foyer as the boy rushed to his room. Gabriel was next to stand, bracing himself against the table– but Nooroo flew in front of his face.

“Leave him alone,” the kwami said.

“I need to–”

“He needs to be alone,” Nooroo whispered, voice cracking. “You don’t understand what you just put on him– you just confirmed his worst fears, Gabriel– that you’re dying just like his mother did.”

“I’m not–”

“Nooroo is right,” Duusu said, tilting his head. “Adrien is really really scared right now. And sad. And mad not-mad, you know where you feel angry but it’s because you’re really worried and you don’t want to fight you just wanna make everything right but you don’t know what to do and you’re scared what will happen.”

Nathalie swallowed, looking at Plagg. The cheeky expression that had been on his face earlier was gone, the kwami’s ears back slightly as he looked towards the door. He then looked at Nathalie, giving her a meaningful glare, and she hesitated. Her gaze returned to Nooroo and Duusu, both of whom had their heads tilted, sensing Adrien above.

“Nooroo is wrong too,” Duusu said after a moment. “You should go to him, Gabby. Adrien’s scared and afraid and I think you can help him feel safe again.”

Nooroo flicked his wings, and glared at Gabriel. “Do not demand anything from him. You’ve done that far too many times.”

Gabriel gave a single nod, slowly pulling away from the table. Nathalie went to his side, but it seemed he had found his balance. He made his way towards the doorway, Nooroo and Duusu flying behind him, while Plagg settled in Nathalie’s bun. Gabriel paused before he entered the foyer, looking back at her expectantly, and she shook her head. “I think Adrien will want his family right now, sir.”

“You’re a part of this family, Nathalie,” Gabriel replied, and she gave a small smile, before moving forward to join him.

They made their way upstairs in silence, a heavy feeling settling in Nathalie’s stomach. She had wanted no more secrets, but perhaps she had put too much on them too soon. Gabriel had barely had time to comprehend identities and that it was his son that they had been facing, and Adrien had always struggled with the loss of his mother. As they stood outside one of Adrien’s doors Nooroo phased through, leaving them outside as they listened to the mumbles of kwami and holder talking.

A few moments later the door was pulled open, Nooroo hovering as he inclined his head for them to come in, Adrien curled up on his bed. He was clutching a pillow to his chest, facing away from the door, and by the way he was breathing you could tell he had been crying. Gabriel hesitated, before slowly moving forward, sitting down on the edge of his bed. He looked up at Nathalie as he struggled for something to say, and she gave him a nod.

“Adrien…” Gabriel said quietly, reaching out to touch his shoulder, and Adrien curled up tighter.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He whispered, voice hoarse.

“I… I didn’t want you involved in the world of magic after what happened to Emilie,” Gabriel said, closing his eyes. “We were so enchanted by what we found that we didn’t see the danger until it was too late, and after losing her… I wanted to keep that as far from you as possible.”

“Then why are you using it?” Adrien croaked. “Why did you put it on when you knew– when you knew–” Adrien turned, green eyes locking on Gabriel. “Why would you make me lose you too?”

Gabriel squeezed his shoulder. “I was chasing a foolish hope, son, one I should’ve never considered, knowing the dangers of magic. As for after that… I, well.” Gray eyes found Nathalie. “I fell in love.”

“Kid,” Plagg said softly, drifting away from Nathalie and up towards Adrien. “I’m Destruction, okay? A broken Miraculous can destroy a holder… but I’ve been keeping an eye on your old pops, sensing that Destruction– he has a long ways to go with the Peacock before he ends up dead and gone. I mean, he probably will have some permanent side effects at the rate he’s going… but he’ll survive and all that.”

Adrien squeezed the pillow tighter.

Duusu was the next to come forward, his lip quivering and sparkling tears rolling down his cheeks. “I’m s-sorry, Ad-adrien,” the kwami babbled. “I’m sorry m-my magic has hurt your family. I didn’t want it to, I didn’t m-mean to–”

“It’s– it’s not y-your fault,” Adrien whispered, sitting up slightly– but Duusu was now sobbing. “I’m–”

Gabriel reached out with his other hand, cupping the crying kwami and holding him to his chest. Duusu grabbed Gabriel’s tie, burying his head into it, letting out another sob. Nathalie felt tears of her own stinging her eyes, the sheer sorrow radiating from the kwami of Emotion as he cried. Nooroo and Plagg gathered around their brother, Nooroo patting the Peacock on the head.

“It’s okay, Duusu,” Nooroo said as Nathalie slowly sat down on the bed as well, on the other side of Adrien. “Everything is almost fixed, and then we can go back to the box and see the others.”

“Yeah, Orikko misses you,” Plagg offered, and Duusu peered up from Gabriel’s tie. 

“R-really?” Duusu whispered. “He hasn’t forgotten me?”

Plagg rolled his eyes. “It hasn't even been two centuries. ‘Sides, he’d never forget you, none of us did.”

Duusu began bawling again, gleaming tears flying from his eyes– only this time the pressing sorrow wasn’t quite as intense. A hope in the air, a longing– but joy woven between it nonetheless. Duusu’s cries began to slow, the kwami sitting in Gabriel’s hands as he wiped the last of the tears from his feathers.

“Adrien?” Nooroo asked, flying up to his holder. “Are you okay?”

“It’s… it’s been a long day,” Adrien whispered, leaning against Nathalie.

“I think it has been for all of us,” Gabriel agreed. “Perhaps… perhaps you should stay home tomorrow. Give you a chance to… process. For all of us to talk.” Gabriel closed his eyes. “That Guardian man is still out there, after all, and is still after the Black Cat Miraculous.”

“Master won’t be easy to find,” Adrien said quietly, blinking away the last of his tears. “I– I think Tempest might know where to find him, but she– she probably won’t–”

“That man has you call him ‘master’?” Gabriel bellowed, tensing up.

“It’s tradition,” Nooroo said. “A formal way to address Guardians–”

“My son will not call anyone such–”

“I think we have other things to worry about,” Nathalie said, cutting them off, placing an arm around Adrien. “Right now we need to focus on Tempest and make sure she understands what’s truly happening. Preferably before the Guardian uses illusions to create another fight.”

“I have a patrol with Tempest in a few days,” Adrien said quietly. “I can talk with her then.”

“We’ll come with you,” Gabriel said immediately, and Adrien winced.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea; who knows how she’ll react if she sees you, might think it’s an ambush or something…” Adrien muttered, looking away.

“We’ll go with you, but stay back,” Nathalie said. “We won’t approach until she feels ready, or until she has a chance to talk to her kwami. I am sure the poor thing is under as many orders as Nooroo was.”

“Father shouldn’t be transforming,” Adrien said, eyes locking on Gabriel. “You can’t. You can’t use that Miraculous any more, please.”

“Adrien, I am not staying behind.”

“I can make you my champion,” Adrien said desperately, leaning forward. “I could give you any power you want, and then you won’t have to use the broken Miraculous– it will be safer.”

“I… I suppose–” Gabriel began, but fell silent as Adrien wrapped his arms around him, coiling the man in a tight embrace.

“I don’t want you to die,” Adrien muttered against his chest.

Gabriel softly returned Adrien’s embrace. “I’m not going anywhere, son.”

Nathalie smiled softly as she watched them, and while she didn’t know what would happen with the world of magic they had discovered, she knew that at least here in this house they would be okay.

“Nathalie, can I come in?”

Nathalie looked up, seeing Gabriel standing in the open doorway of her room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to fully process all that had just taken place. She gave a nod, a part of her wanting to avoid this conversation– but she knew that she and Gabriel would have to talk about them eventually.

Gabriel came in, he looked just as hesitant as her– and she didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. After a few steps he just stood there awkwardly, and she inclined her head to next to her, where he sat. The bed sank slightly under him, and it felt comforting to have him near.

“Why… why didn’t you say anything when I told you who I was?” He finally asked.

“Shock,” Nathalie said with a shrug. “Takes time to process that you’ve been sneaking out to kiss your boss on rooftops.”

“Boss?” Gabriel said quietly. “You’re going to call me that after years of friendship? After– after everything else?”

“Well, technically you are her employer,” Plagg said from across the room, snickering as they jumped– remembering that they weren’t alone. “No matter what way you slice it, you’re the reason she’s bringing home the cheese.”

“Also I didn’t want you to worry about me– er, Calamity,” Nathalie said. “You didn’t want her to be alone, and I was already the reason you had to go to England, so… I just thought I’d stay on the lowdown for a bit. Process. Figure out how to tell you.”

He closed his eyes. “But instead you interrogated me about being in love with a ‘stranger’ one minute, then meeting up with me to… mingle the next without a word.”

“You can say kiss, Gabriel,” Nathalie replied. “Make out. Whatever– that’s what we were doing. And well, I was a bit curious about what you truly thought of me, since you saw two sides of me in completely different ways.”

“That was not fair and you know it.”

She leaned forward, closing her eyes. “I was scared, Gabriel, that we would lose what we had. Either with the mask or without it– your family has been mine for years and if you didn’t want Nathalie playing that role like you did Calamity… I was going to lose everything. Can you blame me for waiting?”

“Do you really think that little of me?” Gabriel asked, grabbing her knee, and she looked up at him. “That a glamour breaking would shatter everything between us?”

She said nothing.

“And then there’s the fact that you didn’t tell me you were Calamity when I handed you the Peacock Miraculous,” he continued, arms crossed. “I told you it was only safe to use once, but with you switching Miraculouses that means you had to use it twice. No matter how small the broken Miraculous has left a mark on you, and that was the last thing I wanted to happen to you!”

“Really?” Nathalie said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re going to lecture me about using it twice for a few minutes, when you recklessly would run off with it to go on dates? You have no ground to stand on, sir.”

He wrinkled his nose. “That’s very formal, you know, you don’t have to call me that.”

“I always have.”

“Not as Cobalt,” he said defensively.

She smirked slightly, leaning towards him. “Okay then– you reckless birdbrain, you are an idiot who is following his heart instead of simple logic.”

“You have never called me such before!”

“You don’t know that,” she replied, her smile growing as Gabriel gaped at her. Plagg’s snickers didn’t seem to help, either, Gabriel flashing a glare up at the kwami– who merely grinned in reply.

“You are infuriating sometimes, Nathalie Sanceur,” Gabriel muttered, leaning forward, his eyes locked intently on her.

“Is that a problem, sir?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I didn’t say I was complaining,” Gabriel said quietly, and she was becoming very aware of how close he was. His breath on her face, his hand on her knee. He shifted so he was facing towards her, his other hand rising and touching her face.

Her heart beat just a bit faster, and she leaned towards him. He did the same, but instead his lips capturing hers they brushed by her ear, voice barely a whisper as he spoke.

“Is this okay?” He muttered. “Us without the masks?”

“Shut up and kiss me already,” Nathalie muttered, hand twisting around the red striped tie he always wore, pulling him down into a kiss. Her eyes pressed shut the moment their lips met, leaning up against him.

The kiss was like everything she remembered when they were transformed, yet it was all so different as well. The knowledge that he was Gabriel, and that he knew she was Nathalie, and that it was okay made it all feel so much more real. No longer was it a nameless man she trusted under the mask, and he wanted her for who she was– something she hadn’t realized how much she wanted from this relationship.

Also kissing with glasses on was much different than with masks.

“Hey, Nathalie?” A voice called, and she and Gabriel tensed against each other. “Could you get something for Nooroo to drink? So Pierre won’t freak out on me or anything…”

Adrien paused in the empty doorway, watching and Gabriel and Nathalie broke apart. Adrien’s face was bright red, and though it had just been a kiss he quickly turned away. Nooroo and Duusu were on his head, the two watching them curiously. Plagg let out another bellowing laugh, while Duusu let out a soft coo.

“It’s so romantic!” Duusu exclaimed, pressing his paws together.

“S-sorry!” Adrien blurted, eyes locked on the wall in the hallway. “I didn’t mean to interrupt– I’ll just go!”

“Adrien,” Gabriel said, rising to his feet. “I– I can get something from the wine cabinet for your kwami–”

“Love you, see you!” Adrien cried, before bolting down the hallway with the two kwamis in tow. “I wasn’t here!”

“Adrien–” Gabriel paused, as his son was already long gone, and then he looked at Nathalie in exasperation. “He’s the one that wanted us together in the first place, but he can’t handle us kissing?”

“He’s your son, sir,” Nathalie replied with a smile.

“Y-you raised him!” Gabriel protested, before flushing red. “I mean– I’m going to go get his kwami something to eat.”

“Get me some cheese while you’re at it, old man!” Plagg called as Gabriel headed out the door, snickering.

Chapter Text

“...Wait,” Adrien said as they rose up in the elevator towards the hidden room above the office. “There really is a secret lair?”

Gabriel glanced at his son as they stepped into the room, the window above opening up and flooding the room with light. “Why would we lie about such?”

“I thought you were joking!” Adrien protested, glancing about the room. “You know, ‘hey we’re the city’s villains, off to the secret lair’ or something.”

“Your mother wanted us to have somewhere private when it came to magic,” Gabriel said, looking about the room. “This is the smaller of the two lairs, but it grants good roof access.”

“What do you mean there’s two?” Nathalie and Adrien exclaimed at the same time.

“There’s one in the basement,” Gabriel replied. “A bit bigger, a garden with a water feature. Emilie wanted to put some actual peacocks down there, but it never worked out.”

“Why don’t I get a secret lair?” Adrien muttered.

“You have the room with your piano,” Nooroo offered, sitting on Adrien’s shoulder.

“That’s not a secret lair, that’s just storage,” Adrien said, crossing his arms, and he looked at his father. “I think this should be my secret lair, and you can have the other one.”

“You cannot have my secret lair!” Gabriel said indignantly.

“There’s a butterfly stained glass window in here, and I have the Butterfly Miraculous, so it should be mine,” Adrien countered.

“He has a good point,” Duusu agreed. “He gets the butterfly window room, and you get the peacock garden, and then we can build a catio lair for Nathalie somewhere.”

“Yeah… no,” Nathalie said.

“Of course there’s a butterfly window,” Gabriel said. “The company’s logo is a butterfly, our last name means ‘butterfly’– if anything, it’s strange that you ended up with a Butterfly Miraculous at all.”

“Look, can we talk about interior decorating another time?” Plagg asked, tail lashing as he hovered there in the air. “The longer we wait, the longer it will take for us to go see Tempest, which means the longer it will take to save Longg, who’s our ticket to stopping Fu and getting Tikki out of his hands!”

“Plagg, it’s okay,” Nooroo said, flying off towards the Black Cat. “We’re going to fix this, but rushing in isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

“Yeah…” Adrien said quietly. “If you just burst out there when Tempest is waiting for patrol… that won’t be good. I need to be the one to talk to her and explain everything. If… if it wasn’t for you freeing Nooroo, Nathalie, I wouldn’t have ever listened. It’s got to be me and Nooroo who do this.”

“We’re coming as well,” Gabriel said.

“But we’ll stay hidden,” Nathalie finished, laying a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. “Ready to help if anything goes wrong– Plagg, claws out.”

With a flash of green light she was transformed, Plagg’s emotions now running through her mind. Despite his tone and impatience, what she truly felt from him was worry and anxiety. She smiled softly, hoping to comfort the presence in her mind. They were closer than ever, so close to ending this all.

“Duusu, spread my–” Gabriel began, but he fell silent at the sudden glares from everyone in the room– including from his kwami. “I have been transforming many times now, I assure you, I’m fine.”

“You promised,” Adrien said.

“I don’t want any more of my holders to be hurt!” Duusu cried.

“Adrien and I can make you into a champion, you’ll still have magic,” Nooroo offered.

“Gabriel, please,” Calamity Dusk said softly, and he let out a sigh.

“Very well,” he said. “I suppose as a champion I’ll be able to accompany you without needing to hide– Tempest should have no problem with you using your powers, hmm?”

“I–” Adrien began.

“Gabriel, she thinks we’ve been attacking this city,” Calamity said. “She’s going to be cautious, and so should we.” She smiled at Adrien. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Adrien closed his eyes. “Nooroo– wings rise.” 

Nooroo turned into a burst of lavender light, being drawn into the brooch on Adrien’s chest. As the glow faded there stood Indigo Papillon, who was carefully opening the top of his cane. A small white butterfly fluttered out from inside, drifting towards Gabriel. It merged with the ring on his hand, a glowing mask appearing over both his and Indigo’s faces. Indigo closed his eyes, reaching out with his magic.

“Really, Father?” Indigo Papillon asked after a moment, opening his eyes.

“Is there a problem?” Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. “I don’t know how the Butterfly works, but I assumed it was somewhat similar to my own powers.”

“I… I can only control so much about what powers I give you,” Indigo said. “Most of it is based on what you want and need, and well… you aren’t giving me a lot of options.”

“Just transform me already,” Gabriel replied. “We don’t have time to waste.”

Indigo Papillon closed his eyes, looking somewhat exasperated– but allowed the energy to consume Gabriel. The light wasn’t all too different from transforming with a kwami, seamlessly changing him from Gabriel to one of the Butterfly’s Champions. Calamity studied him as the light faded, smiling slightly.

Gabriel’s attire had taken on a medieval motif, white silk giving him almost a royal composure. Silver cuffs lined his wrists and boots, and silver tassets hung at his sides. His hair had turned pure white, with a silver circlet resting on his head, a single ruby embedded within. He had armor as well, adding a knightly aspect to the costume– silver shoulder pads on his upper arms, a belt gilded with rubies, and a tall kite shield hooked to his arm. It too was silver and white, inlaid with rubies and carved with a delicate design. Gabriel stood even taller than before, though if it was the heels on the boots or simply his stature, Calamity did not know. His gray eyes had turned silver, which now peered over his attire.

“I name you the Protector,” Indigo muttered, shaking his head.

“I fail to see the issue here,” the Protector replied, adjusting his shield.

“I can give you any powers in the world, and all your mind wanted was to be even more of a helicopter parent,” Indigo replied.

“I am not a ‘helicopter parent’,” the Protector said stiffly.

“Maybe I should have given you a giant propeller cap instead of a crown,” Indigo replied, crossing his arms.

“I would never wear–”

“That’s enough, boys,” Calamity said, shaking her head– though when it came to them disagreeing, she would much rather see this bickering than what she had seen between them before. “We don’t have time to waste; your patrol with Tempest is going to be starting soon, correct?”

Indigo looked away, giving a small nod, and he looked anything but excited about the upcoming meeting. These last few days may have given them time to come to terms with their identities among each other, but she didn’t need a Miraculous of Emotion to know that Adrien still struggled with the fact that he and his partner had been used and manipulated.

“Don’t worry, Adrien,” Duusu said, flying in front of the Butterfly holder. “Once this is all over, we can all be happy and there will be nothing else to worry about.”

“I hope so,” Indigo said quietly.

“Oh, I can’t wait to see Longg again!” Duusu squealed in excitement, kicking his legs and arms in the air. “Do you think we should bring him snacks? He might like some snacks, do we have anything we can give to Longg?”

“We will worry about such later, Duusu,” the Protector replied, tucking the Peacock Miraculous away into an inner pocket of his suit. “You’ll need to stay quiet while we’re talking to Tempest, not until we can gain her trust.”

“I’ll be the one talking to her,” Indigo snapped. “You two are going to stay hidden, okay?”

“Well considering that I’m not Cobalt Plume right now, I see no reason why I can’t stand alongside you; she shouldn’t be thrown off by you having a Champion with you, should she now?”

“Except I never have a Champion on patrol,” Indigo muttered. “She’s going to think something’s wrong…”

“And something is wrong,” Calamity said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps her seeing your father with you will help her know this isn’t going to be a normal patrol.”

“Maybe…” Indigo muttered.

“Duusu and I will be out of sight,” Calamity promised. “She won’t know we’re there, okay? It will just be the two of you talking.”

“Yeah,” Indigo said, looking up towards the stained glass window that stood in the lair. “It’s… it’s going to be okay. It’s going to be over after this.”

The Protector went over to a wall, pressing several buttons. The cover on the outside of the window began to roll away, letting sunlight flood the room. After that, the glass retracted, giving them access to the roof of the manor. The Protector was the first to go, most familiar with a route to stay hidden, and Indigo soon followed. Calamity and Duusu were last, and she signaled to the kwami to hide in her hood. They were the ones that couldn’t be seen no matter what, and so she made sure to stick to the shadows as Indigo took the lead.

Paris was a huge city– and that’s why Calamity was surprised they didn’t have to go far to reach the meetup spot the heroes had for their patrol. It wasn’t far from the mansion, which made it likely that Tempest didn’t live too far from here either. She didn’t consider it luck; it made sense that the Guardian would pick heroes that weren’t too far apart, especially if he was trying to keep an eye on both Miraculouses. If anything, it was lucky that he picked heroes so close to them.

Or perhaps that was also purposefully done– the Guardian picking heroes in the same area he had first encountered her.

Calamity and Duusu took to hiding on the neighboring building to the rooftop that Indigo had landed on, which stood higher and provided several places for her to lurk, hopefully without being caught. Indigo landed on the lower roof uncertainly, glancing about– before he started pacing. The Protector, on the other hand, had gone completely still– as if on guard. 

“When will Longg and his holder be here?” Duusu asked, slipping out of her hood and onto her shoulder. Calamity drew up her hood, just to hide Duusu’s bright colors a bit more. “I wanna see Longg!”

“Shh,” Calamity said softly. “We’re not going to see Longg right away, remember, we’re going to let Adrien do the talking. After everything’s explained, then we can come out.”

Duusu crossed his arms. “But I wanna see Longg now.”

“If we scare off Tempest we won’t get to see Longg at all, or any of the other kwamis,” Calamity replied, and this seemed to be enough to get the kwami to stay quiet. He flopped onto her shoulder with a huff, and they sat there in silence.

They had arrived early to make sure there was no risk of crossing paths with Tempest, but that meant that they now had to wait. The minutes they spent waiting felt like an eternity, no words passing between them, and Duusu wiggled impatiently on her shoulder. The kwami of Emotion was probably sensing all their stress with ease, and she wasn’t sure what the Butterfly allowed Adrien to sense, but she was sure it wasn’t helping him stay calm with the palpable tension that was in the air.

It was easy to spot Tempest as she approached, her bright red suit stood out like a beacon as she came leaping over the roofs, and Calamity tensed. Tempest raised a hand to wave to Indigo when she saw him, though quickly paused once she saw the Protector standing by. She looked at Indigo Papillon questioningly, but when she saw his expression, she came rushing over.

“What’s wrong, mon petit papillon?” She asked as she landed next to him. “Is there an attack happening? What’s going on?”

“N-nothing,” Papillon stuttered out, taking a step towards. “I mean, yes– I mean no, I mean–”

“No, there’s not an attack,” the Protector said, cutting them both off. “Yes, there is a problem, but no one’s in immediate danger.”

“Wh-what he said,” Papillon said quickly.

“And who are you, exactly?” Tempest asked.

“I am the Protector, Indigo’s current champion,” Protector replied, holding out his hand, which Tempest uncertainly took. “It’s nice to meet you, Tempest, we have a lot to discuss.”

“I have a lot to discuss with you,” Indigo said, pushing the Protector back, shooting him a glare. “I can handle this, this is between me and Tempest.”

“You two are children,” the Protector replied.

“Yes, but we’re involved and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“You two shouldn’t have been involved–”

“Father!” Indigo snapped, which made Tempest freeze up.

“...What?” She asked, eyes flickering between the two of them.

“Um…” Indigo turned back towards her, rubbing the back of his neck. “I, er… my identity kind of got discovered by my family? That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about?”

“Crap,” Tempest muttered. “And you turned him into a champion?”

“Er, he wanted to come, and you know, identities and all, heh…”

“You turned your overprotective father into a protection-based champion, knowing that your butterflies enhance one’s state of mind?” Tempest asked.

“I am not overprotective!” The Protector protested. “Is that what you’ve told her?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot my butterflies kinda do that,” Indigo said with a nervous laugh, before rubbing the back of his neck again. “But that’s not what’s important right now.”

“Yeah, like your identity being revealed?” Tempest said, raising an eyebrow. “You know we’re going to have to tell Master, right? Even if it was just your family.”

“So, um, about that,” Indigo said, holding out his hands. “What if we just… didn’t?”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine with your family knowing,” Tempest said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “But we can’t just ignore this, this is something he needs to know. Your family could be in danger if Calamity learned that someone knew your identity.”

“But what if them knowing isn’t the real problem?” Indigo asked, hesitating for a moment. “What if there’s something much bigger? Um, what if… what if we were wrong? About everything?”

“What are you talking about?” Tempest asked, frowning at him, and Calamity held her breath. Indigo wasn’t exactly calm, a slight waver in his voice– but fortunately the Protector wasn’t saying anything, just letting Indigo talk.

“What if we were wrong… about everything?” Indigo said again, this time sounding slightly more composed. “About who we were fighting? About who we can trust?”

“Indigo, what is going on?” Tempest asked, eyes flickering between him and the Protector. “You’re… you’re acting weird. Do you even hear yourself?”

“I… I was talking to Nooroo,” Indigo said, stepping forward. “My Storm, this… this isn’t as simple as we think. I know it sounds out there, but we’re on the wrong side of this fight.”

“What my son is trying to say,” The Protector said, stepping forward, and Calamity winced when she saw the panic on Indigo’s face. “Is that this ‘Guardian’ is a manipulative man who is using you and should not be trusted. You’re being told to fight a threat that doesn’t exist for his own gain.”

“Father, let me handle this, please,” Indigo said as Tempest took a step back.

“We don’t have time to waste with muttering and rambling taking us nothing in circles,” the Protector said, hand tightening around his shield. “This ‘Guardian’ needs to be stopped once and for all.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tempest said, pointing a finger at him. “I don’t know what you have in your head, but Indigo and I have a job to do. I don’t care if you now know, you’re not going to take this from him.”

“My Storm…” Indigo said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “He, um, is kind of right. When I was talking to Nooroo, he…he and Longg, they’re under orders, and we–”

“I don’t know what my son has been saying about me, but this is not about–”

“You don’t get to control every aspect of his life!”

“Please, stop–” Indigo tried to interfere– but a small shape pushed itself off of Calamity’s shoulder, and she fumbled to grab the kwami as he rushed forward, but Duusu merely phased through her hands as she grabbed him by the tail.

“Stop fighting!” Duusu cried as he rushed down towards the others, tears in his eyes. “Please, stop fighting– this isn’t fixing anything! Everyone is upset and we shouldn’t be upset!”

Tempest’s eyes whipped up towards the newcomer, eyes widening when she saw what was obviously a Peacock kwami swooping down towards them. Her eyes scanned the rooftops, and Calamity quickly pulled out of sight, heart hammering.

“You’re Cobalt Plume’s kwami,” Tempest said, voice on edge.

“We’re supposed to be saving Longg and Tikki and not fighting!” Duusu said, rushing up to Tempest, who took a step back. “You gotta free Longg from the orders, Tempest, then we can know where the Guardian is.”

“Duusu, what are you doing?” The Protector snapped. “You’re supposed to stay out of sight.”

“You were too but you didn’t.”

Calamity closed her eyes, before stepping out of the shadows, and leaping down onto their roof. Tempest’s eyes widened in horror, drawing her sword, and Calamity held out her hands in a placating manner.

“Tempest, we’re just here to talk,” she said quietly, not daring to move forward. “That’s all.”

That didn’t stop the hero from raising her sword overhead, ready to attack, only for Indigo to grab her wrist. Blue eyes flashed with confusion as she looked towards her partner, whose gaze was wide as she ripped her hand free from his grasp.

“Please don’t hurt them,” he whispered. “They’re– they’re not going to hurt us.”

“We’re just here to talk,” Calamity Dusk said again, risking a few steps forward. Tempest’s gaze immediately flashed back towards her once more, before her gaze landed on the Protector, watching the Peacock kwami linger near him. Realization flashed through her gaze, and she pulled back, sword held out in front of her.

“You brought them here,” Tempest whispered in disbelief.

“No! I mean, yes– I mean–” Indigo stammered out, and Duusu winced. “Tempest, listen to me, please, we’re on the wrong side–”

“Y-you brought them to where you knew I’d be,” Tempest whispered, as if trying to process this, and she stumbled back as Indigo stepped towards her. Calamity didn’t dare move, guilt running through her. “How– how could you– th-they’ve been attacking the city, they’re after Master, they–”

“You don’t know what Master Fu has put our kwamis through,” Indigo whispered, moving closer. “Tempest, Nooroo was under so many orders, he’s been lying to us, he’s–”

“You betrayed us!”

“He’s using us!”

“Wind Dragon!” Tempest cried before he could say another word, her whole body turning to wind, being whisked away unseen to their eyes. They all stood there on the rooftop in silence, completely still.

Indigo turned, running away, tears in his eyes.

They were quick to hurry after him, Duusu flying ahead of them as Indigo Papillon leapt off of the roof and into an alleyway below. As soon as they landed behind him he swept his cane in front of him– purple energy surrounding the Protector, the magic fading away until just Gabriel stood in his place, a white butterfly flying up into the air.

“I told you to let me talk to her,” Indigo whispered, before wheeling around, eyes red. “I told you this had to be me!”

“Adrien, I–” Gabriel began.

“Wings fall!” Indigo shouted, and with a burst of light his transformation fell, Nooroo coming out of his brooch. “She– she hates me, she hates me, she–”

“She doesn’t hate you,” Calamity said softly, taking a step forward.

“Why did you have to come out!” Adrien shouted at her. “We could have explained Duusu away! She might have stayed, she might have listened, she– she…”

Adrien trailed off, tears welling up in his eyes, and Calamity wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. “I’m… I’m sorry, Adrien. We should have listened to you, I shouldn’t have put this on you.”

She half-expected Adrien to push her away in his rage, and she wouldn’t blame him, but instead Adrien buried his head into her cloak and began sobbing. She swallowed back her own tears, bringing him in close. Gabriel stood there, looking like he wanted to move forward, but instead he moved away, guilt in his eyes.

“I’m sorry…” Duusu whispered, the kwami flying forward, his feathers hanging low. “I just wanted it to all be over…” The kwami sniveled, glittering tears forming. “Sh-she doesn’t hate you, Adrien. She was scared, I felt that, but she doesn’t hate you.”

“We’re going to fix this,” Gabriel said softly, stepping forward. “I– I was the one that stepped out of line. I was too worried about what we needed to do, and not what should’ve been done and I…” Gabriel hesitated. “I’m sorry, son, I’m so sorry.”

Adrien said nothing, just clinging to Calamity tighter, and she felt a presence twist in her mind. She hesitated, before muttering the detransformation phrase, releasing Plagg from his ring. The kwami came flying out as he materialized, a scowl on his face– but there was only fear in his eyes.

“We need to move now,” Plagg said. “If she tells Fu about Cobalt being Adrien’s father, they’re going to have identities. Names that they could give to the public– and I don’t know how we’ll get out of that one.”

Nathalie choked as she tried to take in a breath.

“Wh– where do we go?” Adrien whispered, eyes wide with panic. “What do we do, what can we–?”

“Um,” Nooroo said, and all eyes turned towards him. The kwami hesitated, before clearing his throat. “I am very hungry from that transformation. We should go to a bakery and get something to eat.”

“I have some cheese on me,” Nathalie said, reaching for her purse.

“No!” Nooroo cried, making everyone jump, and he flew up to Adrien’s face desperately. “We– we need to go to a bakery, Adrien, now!”

“What– what are you talking about?” Adrien asked in confusion. “We– we need to find Tempest, we–”

“Wait,” Plagg said, zipping up to Nooroo. “Do you know Tempest’s identity?”

Nooroo nodded his head.

“Where is she?” Plagg asked, rushing up towards his fellow kwami, grabbing him. “What bakery, where do we need to go?”

Nooroo opened his mouth, but only magic bubbled out as he tried to speak. His wings sagged as he looked at Plagg, who began zipping across the alleyway as if he were pacing. He looked more on edge than ever, eyes sharp.

“What’s happening?” Adrien asked.

“Nooroo was trying to get around the identity spell,” Plagg said, tail flicking back and forth. “It’s too tightly woven, though, as soon as I realized he was trying to hint at an identity he became unable to say anything else.” He pressed a paw against his head. “Bakery, bakery… there are probably hundreds of bakeries in Paris– that barely narrows it down!”

“I think Tempest lives in the same arrondissement as us, or a neighboring one,” Nathalie said after a moment. “This meet-up point is not far from the mansion, and I’m guessing it's not far for her, either– that gives us a radius.”

“But even then, what can we do?” Gabriel asked. “Go knock on every bakery door and ask if Tempest is there?”

Nooroo looked up at Adrien with intense eyes, who hesitated. He swallowed, before looking up at them. “Unless… unless it’s a bakery we already know,” Adrien said slowly. “If that was what Nooroo was trying to tell us…?”

He looked down at the kwami, who tried speaking. “I…”

Only for more magic to bubble up from his throat, and the kwami scowled, cursing.

“A friend of mine lives above a bakery,” Adrien said quietly. 

“Where is it?” Gabriel asked.

“It’s the only lead we have,” Nathalie agreed.

“Her name is Marinette,” Adrien said quietly. "And her bakery is right across from my school.”

“A treat from a bakery sounds wonderful,” Nooroo said, sounding much calmer– and that was all Nathalie needed to hear.

Gabriel was pulling out his phone, dialing a number. Adrien stood there, swaying slightly, and he didn’t seem to know what to do. Both Duusu and Nooroo were nuzzling up to them, and Plagg zipped forward so he was hovering in front of Nathalie.

“Don’t worry,” she told the kwami softly. “We got this.”

“If she hasn’t contacted the Guardian yet,” Plagg muttered.

“Plagg, I promised you that I was going to help you and the other kwamis,” Nathalie said, taking the kwami into her hands. “And I’m not going to break that. We’re going to do this, and everything will be okay.”

Plagg looked at her, clearly hoping that would be so.

“Ezra, can you come pick us up?” Gabriel said. “And please hurry, time is of the essence.” 

Chapter Text

A furious gale descended down upon the Dupain-Cheng Bakery.

Tempest slowly materialized out of the wind as it touched down onto the balcony, the young hero’s eyes wide as she scrambled back against the brick, staring out at the rooftops she had come from, heart pounding in her chest.

Nothing.

“Clear skies, clear skies–” She chanted, a burst of light surrounding her as she detransformed, Longg flying out from her choker, and she caught the kwami in her hands. The Dragon looked just as alarmed as she did, and she quickly scrambled down into her room, pulling the skylight shut and locking it as she collapsed down onto her bed.

This couldn’t be happening, this couldn’t be happening, this wasn’t happening–!

“Marinette, calm down,” Longg said, flying up in front of her.

“Y-you’re right,” She stammered. “We– we have to do something, we need to contact Master Fu, we need to warn him–!”

She crawled towards the ladder, climbing down from her loft. The room seemed to spin around her as she staggered towards her desk, grabbing a bag of dried dragon fruit. She pulled out several pieces, offering one to Longg, and stuffing the rest into her purse. For once Longg didn’t eat slowly, swallowing the fruit in one gulp, rushing in front of her as she hurried towards the trap door.

“Marinette, wait,” Longg said, holding out his paws. “Please, stop.”

“We– we don’t have time to wait, we need to tell Master immediately, right?” She looked at him desperately, needing answers, needing guidance, needing something–

Indigo had led Calamity Dusk right to her!

Longg’s yellow eyes fell, and he lowered his head. “...Yes. The Guardian should be immediately informed of all things regarding the Miraculouses, and the location of the Black Cat.” He looked back up at her. “You should rest, Marinette, you look very tired– and you shouldn’t push yourself.”

Marinette just stared at Longg– not sure what to make of the conflicting answers she had just gotten. “Wh-what? Should we go to Master or… or rest…?”

“We should rest!” Longg exclaimed, zipping up to her face. “Please, Marinette, sit down and take a moment. Making any rash decisions could have consequences.”

“B-but– but Indigo Papillon was– was protecting them–!”

Longg’s tail lashed. “Marinette, you should rest, please don’t push yourself.”

What?

Longg seemed off, his answers feeling out of place– and those yellow eyes were locked on her with an intense gaze, tail flicking back and forth. She swallowed, before slowly making her way to her desk, sinking down into the chair. Her panic and fear was pulsing through her, and perhaps Longg was right. If she ran straight to Master’s home transformed, she could lead them right to him. If she encountered Master Fu in a public place and Indigo saw them, that could reveal her identity since he knew Master’s. She needed to think this through, she needed to… she needed to…

The room turned blurry as tears stung her eyes, and suddenly she was crying. She barely registered what she was doing as she curled up on herself, the sobs coming quickly. Longg was immediately by her side, the Dragon pressing up against her as she cried, his spikes brushing against her.

Indigo… Indigo had betrayed her. He had led their enemy straight to her. He had protected them, he had– he had–

“Th-this can’t be happening!” She gasped. “Indigo wouldn’t– he couldn’t– he–” She slowly sat up. “His– his father! He said the champion was his father, but what if it wasn’t? What if he was trying to warn me? What if Calamity has his family and he has no choice in what’s happening!”

“Marinette,” Longg said quietly, and she looked down at him. “Everything is okay, calm down.”

“O-okay?” She croaked. “How– how can you say that? Indigo, he– he was with the Black Cat.”

“The Black Cat holder is very dangerous, Marinette, a foe you should not underestimate,” Longg replied.

“What am I supposed to do?” Marinette pleaded, tears in her eyes. Everything was crumbling down and she… she needed to… she didn’t know what she needed to do! What if Calamity Dusk took Indigo’s Miraculous? What if she hurt his family? What if she had to fight him? She couldn’t do that, she didn’t know how she could do that!

Longg hovered there for a moment, considering her words. He swayed side to side, pausing for a moment as if to speak, before looking away– lost in thought. He didn’t seem to carry any urgency about the situation at hand, and that was what Marinette didn’t understand.

Suddenly Longg’s eyes lit up, and he zipped up towards her, gaze looking hopeful. “Marinette, you need to trust your partner.”

“He– he needs help,” Marinette whispered. “He’s in trouble, his family–”

“His family is safe,” Longg said, drifting closer. “He is safe– you can trust your partner.”

“But– but he was with Calamity Dusk!”

Longg looked away, speaking quietly. “The Black Cat holder is very dangerous.”

“Master,” Marinette whispered, pushing herself to her feet. “We need to go see Master right now.”

“Yes. The Guardian needs to be informed about the Black Cat Miraculous,” Longg said, not moving as she went towards the door. “You can trust your partner, Marinette.”

She paused, looking back towards him as he repeated this. “Longg, what do you mean?”

“You can trust your partner, Marinette,” Longg said again, looking at her pleadingly.

“I– I don’t know what you mean,” Marinette whispered. “What are you trying to say?”

One moment her partner was safe, and the next the Black Cat holder was very dangerous– his words weren’t adding up– none of this was making sense!

“Can I give my opinion on the situation, Marinette?” Longg asked.

“Of course!” 

Longg flew towards her. “We should stay here. You should trust your partner. You should stay here. You should trust your partner.”

“What are you trying to say?” Marinette whispered– because this wasn’t Longg. Her kwami wasn’t cryptic, he was always clear, never aimlessly repeating things. Her conversations with him tended to be long-winded, the kwami happily delving into stories with no hesitation– but now there were only these repeating sentences leaving his mouth.

“You can trust your partner, Marinette,” Longg said again, looking at her with pleading eyes.

“I… I do,” she whispered, despite the actions she had just seen him do.

“Then listen to them,” Longg insisted.

Them. Not him, them.

Marinette’s breath got caught in her throat, fresh fear pouring through her, nearly as potent as before. She looked at Longg, his gaze still carrying that intensity, and she slowly lowered herself back into her seat, trying to keep her breathing even, trying to focus. Indigo’s words had been a blur, everything having happened too quickly.

Tempest, listen to me, please, we’re on the wrong side!

“I… I can trust Indigo,” Marinette said quietly, looking up at Longg, who nodded his head furiously. “Can… can I trust Master Fu?”

“...He’s the Guardian of the Miraculous,” Longg replied.

“Can I trust him?” She asked again.

“Yes,” Longg replied– in a completely monotone voice, not looking her in the eye. Marinette’s heart was beating heavily, none of his words matching up, and that was what was scaring her.

Tempest, Nooroo was under so many orders.

“Longg… Longg are you under any orders?” Marinette whispered, hoping that all of this was wrong, hoping that this was all a nightmare, for that’s what it felt like.

“Kwamis have to obey the orders of their holders,” Longg said firmly.

“Are you under any orders?” She asked again.

“...I have been placed under orders by previous holders, yes,” He said.

“Are you under any orders now?” She asked.

Longg said nothing– or perhaps he couldn’t.

She touched the choker on her neck, which she had worn since the day she had received it. She stared at her kwami, her closest companion– and she was afraid of what happened next. Marinette swallowed, mouth feeling dry as she spoke.

“Can I order you not to obey previous orders?” She asked quietly.

“A holder can free a kwami from past ones, yes,” Longg said eagerly, eyes bright.

How long had he… how long had he been bound, while she had just sat here…?

“I free you from all orders you’ve been given,” she whispered, mouth dry– and suddenly a bright golden light surrounded Longg.

She pulled back, watching as the energy crackled about Longg. The Dragon looked to be in pain as he doubled over, the light seeming to pulse straight through him. Marinette reached out, and with a burst, the golden light seemed to shatter, Longg falling down as it dispersed. She caught Longg in her hands, pulling him in close, yet another wave of fear running through her.

“L-longg?” She whispered. Had she hurt him? What had she done to him?

“Hello, Marinette,” Longg said quietly, looking exhausted as he blinked his eyes– but he smiled. “Thank you, I have been waiting for this day.”

“What… what’s happening?” She whispered.

Longg drifted up, placing a paw on her cheek. “I… I was confined under many orders, Marinette. Down to what I was allowed to say to you, how to interact, and what I could tell you. So many orders being released at once had its effects, but I am fine.”

“And… and Indigo?” Marinette asked quietly.

“I assume that either Calamity Dusk or Cobalt Plume managed to get their hands on his Miraculous, and free Nooroo from his orders,” Longg replied, tail flicking in thought. “Or perhaps other circumstances happened, but that doesn’t matter– we are both free now.” He looked at her, gaze gentle. “And I know this is a lot to take in, but I promise you can trust them! They are not your enemies.”

“And Master Fu?” Marinette asked, not sure if she wanted the answer.

“Master Fu… Master Fu, I believe, has been using the Fox Miraculous,” Longg said quietly. “Which would explain the attacks that ‘Calamity’ provoked– Plagg would not tolerate a holder abusing his powers as such; not one he chose.”

“Plagg… Plagg is the Black Cat kwami,” Marinette whispered, stomach twisting into knots. “You… y-you said he was evil, that he only wanted to destroy Paris because he is Destruction–”

But what Longg had told her before meant nothing now– because those words might have not willingly left his mouth, and there could be zero truth behind them.

Longg’s gaze darkened. “And do I wish to inflict Paris with endless Storms because of who I am?”

“I–”

“Sorry,” Longg said, looking away. “I know you had no knowledge of what was happening, but what I was forced to say about my brethren…” The kwami shuddered. “Plagg is Destruction, yes, and he is destructive– but he is far from evil. Plagg has seen the worst of humanity, yet still does so much to protect it.”

“What… what is happening?” Marinette whispered.

Longg drifted in front of her. “It… it is a long story, hatchling– something I wish you had not been brought into. But we cannot change what has happened. What you need to know is that Creation and Destruction’s Miraculouses cannot be brought together, which is what Master Fu is attempting to do. We kwamis managed to send Plagg away before such could happen, but that is when we became bound with orders, and Master Fu sought out holders to get the Black Cat back for him.”

For the second time that day, Marinette felt a wave of betrayal– and she felt her chest tightening as more tears built up. Master Fu, he… he had been the one teaching her, trusting her, building her up to be a hero when she felt like she could be nothing. He was the one that gave her the Miraculous, who made her Tempest, who had introduced her to Indigo– and the knowledge that he… that it was all a lie…

Longg curled up against her neck as she burst out crying once more, drawing her knees up. It hurt– and there was no other word to describe it. How much had been faked? Were the words of encouragement mere lies? The man who had been like a grandfather, using her as a mere pawn? Could she even call herself a hero when–?

“In-indigo!” Marinette gasped, sitting straight up. “I– I just left him there! I said– I said–” She felt like throwing up– she had called him a traitor, had pulled away from him, she had run from her partner when he had been trying to save her from these lies!

“It’s going to be okay, Marinette,” Longg promised. “Go find him.”

“I– I said horrible things!”

“He’ll understand,” Longg whispered. “He was told the same lies as you. He’s been through this same moment.”

“I– I–”

“Marinette!” A voice called from downstairs– and both Marinette and Longg jumped. She was dizzy as she listened to her mother, her everyday life feeling so far away in the moment. “Come downstairs– Adrien’s here to see you!”

“A-adrien?” Marinette whispered, and any other day her face would have heated up. The pounding of her heart would have been from excitement and not commotion. She would have leapt to her feet realizing the one that held her heart had come to see her– but she couldn’t feel that now. “No, not today, not now–”

“Yes now!” Longg said, flying up into the air. He darted about, paws on her shoulders as he tried to push her up from her chair. “You need to go talk to him!”

“B-but– but we need to–”

“We need to talk to Adrien!” Longg insisted, giving her a shove, and she slowly rose to her feet. She looked at the kwami as he zipped towards the trapdoor, eyes lit up. “Don’t worry, Marinette, this is just what we need.”

With that, he phased through the trapdoor, rushing downstairs. Marinette swallowed, and slowly moved after him. Her mind was racing, trying to make sense of exactly what Longg’s words would mean, but she was not in the state to do so right now. So instead, she slowly made her way down the stairs as she pulled back the trapdoor, feeling lightheaded as she moved. Yesterday, she would have been horrified about going to see Adrien with her eyes red and puffy from crying, but right now she wasn’t sure what she felt.

Longg was waiting for her, hurrying to her shoulder as she continued her way down the steps. She could hear the sounds of curt conversation as she went, words going from mutters and mumbles to something a bit more clear, the words echoing through her dizzy mind.

“Well it is nice to have you here, M. Agreste. Marinette really admires your work.”

“I see.”

“And I don’t think we’ve met before, ma’am– what’s your name?”

“This is Nathalie, my girlfriend.”

“Gabriel!”

“You are, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but still!”

Marinette paused on the steps that lead down to the kitchen, hesitating. Gabriel Agreste was sitting at the table, his assistant next to him, while her mother was serving them tea that was going untouched. Her father was attempting to make conversation, but like always, the older Agreste seemed stiff and tense. Her focus, however, was the one pacing at the bottom of the stairs– far from the happy and composed Adrien she was used to seeing at school.

Adrien paused from his pacing when he saw her, looking up at her with a look she couldn’t quite describe. She tensed up slightly as she watched his expression turn to one of pain and guilt. The conversation in the kitchen was falling silent, they seemed to notice her presence as well– and Marinette was suddenly very aware of Longg on her shoulder, who had made no effort to hide.

Adrien took a step forward, voice quiet. “...My Storm?”

For the third time that day, Marinette found tears pouring down her face– those two words shattering the glamour that had been tightly woven around the Miraculouses for so long. It was not Adrien Agreste standing there, it was Indigo Papillon– her trusted partner she had screamed and fled from not even a half hour ago. She let out a shuddering breath as she tried to keep back her tears– but the sobs came anyway.

“I’m– I’m sorry–!” She hiccuped. “I’m so sorry!”

Then he was rushing up the stairs, his arms wrapping around her in a fierce hug. Longg drifted up into the air, her head fell on Adrien’s shoulder, leaning against him despite the guilt that felt so strong– and that embrace was all that mattered in the moment. She barely noticed her parents hurrying to the bottom of the stairs as they heard her cries.

“I thought you’d hate me,” Adrien whispered.

“I’d never hate you.”

“Marinette, Marinette– what’s wrong?” Sabine said, taking a step up the stairs.

“Let the children figure this out for themselves,” Gabriel Agreste said coolly.

“Is– is that a flying lizard?” Tom whispered in shock, his eyes locking on Longg, who was flying near the teens. 

“You’re free?” A small head peered up from Adrien’s pocket, Nooroo looking hopefully at Longg.

Longg gave a soft smile to his fellow kwami. “Fortunately, the Guardian gave no orders against telling Marinette to trust in her partner– encouraged it, actually.”

Nooroo zipped out from Adrien’s pocket, wrapping Longg in a hug, the Dragon’s tail coiling around him. Any other moment, she would have panicked at the thought of the kwamis being in plain sight, of the one secret she had been expected to keep being out in the open in front of her parents and strangers– but right now the only thing that mattered was Indigo.

The next minute felt like a blur as Marinette was led down the stairs, everyone sitting around the dining room table, while Nooroo and Longg were on the table itself. Her parents were staring at the creatures with wide eyes, not sure what to make of their presence. Their eyes kept flickering to Gabriel and Nathalie, who were stiff, but far from alarmed.

“We are kwamis,” Longg explained to her parents. “Spiritual beings of the universe itself. I must say, M. Dupain, that your dragonfruit tarts are delightful– I never got to tell you that for myself.”

“I’m glad that Nooroo was swift with his hints,” Gabriel said, taking a sip of tea he had been given. “We had no idea where to begin looking for you, Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

“We would have sought you out,” Longg replied.

“So I have a talking lizard and a fairy at my table,” Tom said quietly. “And… and apparently this is just normal for everyone? Does anyone want to tell me what’s happening, exactly?”

“I am Longg, and I am not a lizard– but rather a Dragon,” Longg said, bowing slightly. “I am the embodiment of Storm. Nooroo is my brother, the Butterfly of Generosity.”

“Butterfly… and dragon…?” Sabine said slowly, eyes flickering from the kwamis to the two teenagers, eyes wide.

“Ah, I see you’re catching on,” Longg said brightly. “You see, using a Miraculous, we kwamis can grant powers to our holders. I grant the power to manipulate the elements within a Storm.”

“And I grant the ability to, um, well, grant powers,” Nooroo said, giving an uncertain wave as the Dupain-Chengs stared at them.

“Are… are they saying that the two of you are… that you two are Tempest and Indigo Papillon?” Tom asked quietly, looking at the teenagers.

“Heh– surprise?” Marinette said softly.

“We are,” Adrien said with a small nod. “And… and things are kind of a bit worse than we thought?”

“With Calamity Dusk?” Sabine asked in worry.

Adrien scratched the back of his head. “So, about that… Calamity and Cobalt kind of are… not evil? That there was a big misunderstanding going on between all of us that we kind of just got to the bottom of. Like, only a few minutes ago?”

Tom’s gaze hardened. “What’s not evil about that woman who not only attacked this city, but apparently also my daughter?”

“I never attacked this city,” Nathalie replied coolly, eyes whipping towards her. “And never did I instigate a fight with the children– I only acted in self defense when I was attacked by them.”

“...What?” Tom said, staring at Nathalie.

Marinette watched the woman closely, not surprised of her identity, but still it was strange to watch the glamour fall. To realize that this was who she had been fighting all along.

“Can we come out now?” A voice said, and from Gabriel’s pocket the Peacock kwami Marinette had met earlier popped his head out. “I don’t wanna hide anymore– I wanna see Longg!”

“Duusu,” Longg said with a smile. “It’s been a long time.”

“Longg!” Duusu cried– zipping forward and glomping the Dragon, knocking him to the table. “I’ve missed you and the others so much! I’m so happy I get to see you all again– and you and your holders are going to take us to the others in the Miracle Box, right? And we’re going to see everyone, right?”

“Don’t worry,” A new voice muttered– one that sounded cold and stiff. “We’re going straight there, and I don’t plan to waste another minute.”

Marinette looked at the black figure that was curled up on Nathalie’s shoulder, cold green eyes looking out at them. Even with all that she had learned today, the sight of the Black Cat kwami sent chills down her back. She had spent so much time being afraid of this being and its holder, of the Destruction it wished to wreak upon her home.

“A peacock and a cat,” Tom said slowly, eyes moving from the new creatures, up towards Gabriel and Nathalie. “Does that mean that you’re–”

“They’re on our side!” Adrien cried quickly, holding his hands out. “Good guys, here to help– nothing to worry about.”

“Any attack you saw was either self-defense or the old Guardian using illusions to paint the story he wanted to tell,” Plagg said dryly. “What you should really be worried about is the fact that an old man decided to throw your kid into a fight that shouldn’t even be happening, telling her that the fate of the city was on her shoulders.”

“Master is the true threat on the timeline,” Longg agreed quietly.

“On… on the timeline?” Marinette whispered with wide eyes. “What do you mean, Longg?”

The Dragon hesitated. “The Guardian… the Guardian wishes to change events in the past– which would of course in turn affect our present, which we cannot let happen.”

“This ‘Guardian’ they speak of is the man that gave our children Miraculouses,” Gabriel said dryly. “The one that put them out on the battlefield in the first place. I don’t understand his full goals, but he wants the Miraculous of Destruction to destroy our timeline and create a new one. Basically, he’s going to kill us all if he wins.”

Marinette wanted to throw up.

“W-well, maybe not kill,” Nooroo said quickly. “There’s still a chance that history would play out in a way that you all will be born. Or– or maybe not, though, and everything would be completely different by the time this year would have come around again–”

“Stop!” Duusu cried, the Peacock kwami covering his ears. “You guys are scaring the little humans. And you’re making Tempest feel so guilty, and she’s so sad, and now she’s even more sad and we should talk about something else–”

“Duusu, enough,” Gabriel said, picking up the kwami. “Don’t announce people’s Emotions without their permission.”

“But they’re making them unhappy and they’re just little chicks!” Duusu protested, feathery paws waving about.

“Marinette, has this ‘Guardian’ hurt you?” Sabine asked with wide eyes.

“No,” Marinette whispered, and she just wanted to curl up. “He… Master Fu just gave us the Miraculouses and told us what to do. He… he would tell me about the Miraculouses and how they worked, h-he said he wanted me to be Guardian after him, but… but I guess that was all a lie, too.” She closed her eyes. “I don’t know how much of this was a lie!”

“Hey, kid,” A gruff voice said, and she jumped slightly when she found Plagg floating right in front of her. “I know Fu. I’ve known him since he was just a little kitten. He… he’s been going down a path he knows he shouldn’t go down… but I promise you it wasn’t all a lie. He had no reason to teach you a thing. To take you under his wing– he just needed to give you a Miraculous and point at who you were to fight, but he didn’t.”

“He wants– he wants to–” Marinette whispered.

“He wants to fix his mistakes,” Plagg said, gaze unwavering. “He tried the Rabbit Miraculous, but previous holders wouldn’t allow him entrance. If he wanted to change time, his only option left was uniting Tikki and my Miraculous, and if that failed… then his only choice would be to pass on the Miracle Box and its secrets to someone worthy, and though I don’t think a child should have that burden, he didn’t make a bad choice with picking you. You were his backup plan, the one he felt could be trusted with the Miraculouses if all else fails.”

Marinette said nothing, just trying to focus on breathing, and Adrien wrapped his arms around her. 

“Why don’t you two go somewhere quiet,” Longg said softly. “Take a break, talk with each other– and we’ll explain everything to your parents, okay? When I said to rest earlier, that wasn’t just to stop you from going to Master Fu– you do need to rest, Marinette.”

“O-okay,” Marinette whispered, because the thought of escaping all of this felt so inviting. To escape the tears and the stares and this guilt that had settled in her heart. To just let everything vanish and to be with Indigo like nothing had happened.

So she pushed herself to her feet, Adrien right at her side as she turned to the stairs. She said nothing to the adults or the other kwamis, just rushing away from it all, one hand going to Indigo’s to make sure he didn’t vanish. To keep him rooted to her in this chaos that was crashing around her.

“My Storm?” Adrien asked the moment they were alone.

“Mon petit papillon,” she whispered back, burying her head against him. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for what I said to you! I– I–!”

“You did nothing wrong,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry for scaring you. I should have come alone, I shouldn’t have let them come.”

“I don’t care,” Marinette whispered. “You’re here. It’s okay. We’re okay.”

Adrien smiled as she looked up at him. “I can’t believe my Storm was sitting right behind me in class this whole time.”

It was then that Marinette seemed to truly take in the fact that it was Adrien in front of her. That he was the one holding her, comforting her. The one by her side that wasn’t about to leave. She felt her face slowly growing red, and she buried her head into his chest before a word could escape her. His arms immediately wrapped around her once more– and she didn’t know if that was helping, or making it all even worse.

Marinette wasn’t about to let go, however, because, Adrien or not, this was her petit papillon, her partner, and she didn’t want anyone else there in that moment but him.

Nathalie watched as the two teenagers left the room. She felt horrible, for the stress that had been put on them– and the stress they had added today. They weren’t the only ones overwhelmed, however, because as her gaze turned back to Tom and Sabine, she saw a reflection of how she had felt she had learned it was Adrien under the mask. Of everyone, the only ones that seemed to be truly doing well were the four kwamis– all of whom were mingled closely together on the table.

“They’re in love!” Duusu cooed happily, clasping his paws together. “The chicks are in love!”

“Duusu,” Gabriel said sternly.

“What– you’ve sensed it too!”

“That doesn’t mean that I announce it!”

“It’s okay,” Tom said, offering a small smile. “Marinette’s never been secretive about her feelings for your son. It’s sweet.”

“You don’t understand, though!” Duusu said, rising up into the air, making the Dupain-Chengs pull back slightly, still not quite used to the creatures. “She is in love with Adrien, and he is in love with Tempest– but now they know who the other is and their feelings are stronger than ever and it’s so sweet!”

“And something for them to figure out for themselves,” Nathalie said– because that sounded like it would be a story all its own. She looked over at the bakers. “How are you two holding up?”

“I’m… processing,” Sabine said slowly after a moment. “This is a lot. The fact that my little girl was the one out there…”

“I know how you feel,” Nathalie said softly. “Though we’ve had a lot more time to process this.”

“You’ve had longer than me,” Gabriel muttered. “Because somebody failed to mention what was going on with my son.”

“I told Adrien I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Nathalie replied.

“You told me in the end, anyway.”

“After he said I could tell Cobalt Plume. He just didn’t know that Cobalt Plume was his father,” she smiled softly, and then her eyes slipped back to Tom and Sabine. “We… we intend to end this today. Marinette knows the location of this ‘Guardian’ who started all this– and I will personally be removing the Miraculouses he has from his hands. There will be no more fighting.”

“Would it be possible for Adrien to remain here with Marinette?” Gabriel asked, and Nathalie looked at him in surprise. “I don’t want either of the children more involved than they have to be.”

“I don’t know if they’re going to go for that,” Nathalie said. “You’ve seen how dedicated they were to being heroes, Gabriel.”

“It’s much too dangerous,” Gabriel replied.

“They definitely won’t let themselves be left behind,” Duusu and Nooroo said at the same time, the kwamis having their heads tilted, as if listening to something in the other room. They shared a glance, and Duusu let out a giggle.

“I would prefer not to put them at risk either,” Longg said. “But my little hatchling is very skilled as a holder. You have fought them yourselves, it would be foolish to leave them behind when our powers would do nothing but help you.”

Gabriel thought this over, face furrowed. “...M. Dupian and Mme. Cheng could wield Adrien and Marinette’s Miraculouses, and using the Butterfly we could make Ezra a champion, giving us plenty of numbers.”

“...Us? Using Miraculouses?” Tom said, pulling back slightly.

“I don’t want the kids putting themselves at risk either,” Sabine said. “But… but from what I understand, they have a far better understanding of both the situation and these powers. This Guardian sounds dangerous, and if he was able to slip away because of our inexperience…”

“You can’t possibly think of sending Marinette out there to fight again!” Tom cried.

“I don’t want her fighting, but wouldn’t she be safer transformed?” Sabine asked, and she looked at the kwamis.

“Most definitely,” Longg said with a nod.

“Very little can harm them when in the suit,” Nooroo agreed. 

“And we need Marinette to tell us where we’re going,” Plagg said, fur bristled slightly. “Longg can’t take us, the identity magic will keep a kwami from revealing his location.”

Tom lowered his head, closing his eyes. “I… I would like to come if possible. Especially if Marinette is going. I have a few words I’d like to say to this Guardian.”

“We could make you a champion,” Nooroo said, wings flicking.

“It would be best for Gabriel to become a champion.” Nathalie replied. “He has a better understanding of magic and shouldn’t be Cobalt Plume more than necessary.”

“Someone else would be a more effective Champion,” Gabriel said dismissively. “I will be just fine with my Miraculous.”

“The Peacock isn’t safe!”

“And I would prefer to be using powers I am familiar with– especially since I can give us one more ally as well,” Gabriel said sharply.

“Are… are the Miraculouses dangerous?” Tom asked.

“The Miraculouses inhibits our abilities in a way to keep it safe for human use,” Longg replied.

“The Peacock Miraculous just happens to be broken, removing that safety net,” Plagg replied. “But for one more transformation to take care of Fu… he would be fine. Probably.”

“Your kwami agrees it's fine,” Gabriel said triumphantly, turning to Nathalie. “So I will be transforming with Duusu to deal with the Guardian.”

“I want to see the other kwamis!” Duusu cried. “It’s been so many human years since I’ve been in the Miracle Box! I don’t remember how many– but I know it’s been a lot!”

“Nearly two hundred years,” Nooroo said.

“Oh,” Duusu frowned slightly. “That’s not that long.”

“That’s nearly two human lifetimes,” Plagg replied– and Duusu’s eyes widened.

“Oh. That is kind of a long time. A short long-time– two whole holders’ time! Oh man, I can’t wait to see everyone again,” Duusu’s tail fanned out slightly. “Can we go now, pretty please?”

“What exactly should we be expecting from this Guardian?” Sabine asked quietly.

Her interactions with the Guardian had been few– so she explained all that had happened from the beginning. How Plagg had fallen into her hands, her first encounter with the Guardian, what she knew of his plans– and how everything had come to be. By the end of her explanation Tom’s gaze was cold, and Sabine took a sip of tea– looking far too calm for Nathalie to believe she was relaxed in any form. She had not been happy knowing what Adrien had been manipulated into doing, and she knew these parents felt the exact same way.

Tom was now staring at Nathalie and Gabriel. “You fought them knowing they were being used.”

“We defended ourselves,” Gabriel replied. “Trust me, I will never be okay knowing it was Adrien I went toe to toe with.”

“The only time we went on the offensive was in attempts to grab their Miraculouses– never to lash out at them,” Nathalie whispered. “Getting their Miraulouses was our only chance at finding and stopping the Guardian.”

Tom closed his eyes. “I– I know– I just– I–”

“Talking ain’t going to get us any farther,” Plagg snapped. “We need to go to Fu, and soon. There’s a chance he or someone else saw Indigo up on the roofs with the ‘villains’, and we can only hope word hasn’t spread.”

“I can’t reveal Master Fu’s location,” Longg said, flying up into the air. “Marinette will need to be the one to lead you there.”

“They can take us there, and stay back while we confront this Fu,” Gabriel said. “Adrien’s powers can be used at a range, and Tempest’s don’t require close quarters, they could remain as back up, and stay out of a potential fight if one is to break out.”

“You’re not leaving us behind.”

The adults turned, watching as Marinette and Adrien came down the stairs. She seemed to carry herself with a strength she didn’t have before, that sharp gaze being the Tempest she had come to know well.

“We’re supposed to protect the city,” Adrien said. “We’re coming too!”

“This isn’t your fight,” Gabriel said.

“Actually, Father, it kind of is,” Adrien said.

“It is, but it shouldn’t have been,” Sabine said quietly.

“But it is now!” Marinette said, stepping forward. “Besides, I know Master Fu better than any of you! Except maybe the kwamis, but I know him! And what Miraculouses are with him and where he’s keeping them and– and–” Her voice fell slightly. “Maybe we could… talk to him?”

“Oh, hatchling,” Longg said softly. “We have tried to reason with him, before this all began, but our Guardian has been hurt one too many times.”

“We’re going to have to use force,” Plagg agreed.

“Then we’re fighting with you!” Marinette said, stepping forward.

“It would be good for everyone to come,” Longg said. “Master is quite old, but he has many Miraculouses with vast amounts of powers at his fingertips. Illusions, ability to reset time, portals– trickery is a dangerous foe. Sheer force may be in our favor, but the risk of being outsmarted still remains.”

“I don’t care how we do it,” Plagg snapped. “We’re leaving now or else I’m having Tempest tell me where the old man is hiding and I’m going myself.”

“I’ll come with you!” Duusu said brightly.

“I don’t think we’ll gain any advantage waiting,” Nathalie agreed. “If we’re going to do this, then I say we do it now.”

Deep down, Nathalie didn’t want Adrien to come. She didn’t want to put him more at risk, for the man that had used him to hurt him further– but that didn’t change the fact that Adrien and Marinette were walking alongside them as they made their way down the Paris streets. Gabriel and Adrien were wearing hats– as their faces were unfortunately very recognizable, and the simple disguise was proving to be effective. Gabriel had wanted Ezra to drive them to the Guardian’s home, but a limo wasn’t subtle– and Gabriel was unwilling to take a taxi. Not that there would have been enough room for all of them anyways. 

So they were all walking along the Seine, Marinette in the lead, and all the kwamis hiding together in a large bag that Tom wore– full of bakery goods to keep the kwamis occupied and energized.

Nathalie rubbed the ring on her finger, not knowing what was going to happen next.

It was a simple plan, a painfully simple one– walk into the Guardian’s home and lay claim to the Miraculouses. Plagg refused to wait any longer to come up with something more detailed, and it felt too risky to wait as well. A picture had been submitted to the Ladyblog that featured Tempest, Indigo, and the Protector (fortunately she hadn’t been in shot), but it meant information was out there, and that the Guardian could plan. 

Nathalie had handled the Guardian just fine in their first encounter, however, and with the children no longer pawns following his every word, they had the upper hand.

“We’re almost there,” Marinette said quietly, leading them along a quiet stretch of the Seine. Small shops lined the bank, her eyes up ahead. “He… he’s always been home every time I’ve come…”

They came to a stop in front of a small massage parlor. Such a simple little place, yet inside dwelled the one that had brought chaos to the city. Who had carefully orchestrated the attacks that had left everyone on edge. Nathalie took in a deep breath, squeezing her hand with her ring.

“So, what do we want to do?” She whispered. 

Marinette replied by pushing the door open, and a small bell rang throughout the parlor as they entered. A small little desk was visible up front, with a hallway behind it leading farther into the shop. They were completely silent as all six of them stood in the small lobby, the bell ringing once again as the door swung shut behind them.

“Hello?” A soft and gentle voice called from the back.

“Master Fu?” Marinette said after a moment of hesitation. “I– um– want to talk to you?”

“Hello, Marinette,” Fu said warmly, the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall, and Nathalie found a small older man making his way towards them. He didn’t seem on edge about the large group, just smiling as he approached. “Come in, come in.”

“Um, Master?” Marinette asked.

“Would you like some tea, Marinette?” Fu asked, not even looking at them. “I have a kettle ready. Come to the kitchen.”

“It’s an illusion!” Plagg shouted, his head sticking out of the bag. He zipped forward, slamming right into the image of the Guardian– which flickered before vanishing like smoke.

The sound of a crash from the back room echoed through the shop.

Nathalie took off running, followed immediately by Adrien and Marinette, Gabriel and the Dupain-Chengs right behind them. She hurried into the room– finding a quaint little set up. A massage mat took up a majority of the room, the rest being decorations lingering around the edge of the room.

Her eyes immediately fell onto the man standing near a table, where a phonograph had been knocked over onto the floor. He was dressed in orange, a mask over his face and nine fox tails swaying out behind him. This had to be the Guardian, who turned around to whip towards them, eyes sharp. On the table rested a black box, the top opened up, drawers surrounding it pulled open. He held a comb in one hand, and a pair of glasses in the other. Two pendants hung from his neck, earrings in his ears, a ring on one finger, and a panjas bracelet on his wrist.

Six kwamis hovered about him– their eyes all wide. They looked out at the intruders, and their own kwamis flooded out of the bag to see what was happening. The Guardian sneered at them, slipping the sunglasses over his fox mask, and tucking the comb into his thinning hair.

“Master, no!” Nooroo cried, fear in his voice. “You can’t!”

“Tikki!” Plagg cried, his eyes locked on a red kwami hovering above his shoulder. “Fu!”

“Kwamis,” Fu said in a hoarse whisper. “Unify.”

Red, blue, orange, purple, yellow, pink– the kwamis all turned into a burst of bright light, being drawn to their Miraculous. The kaleidoscope of light swirled around him as the transformation took hold, brilliant and blinding. The Guardian stumbled as the luminance faded, the costume he wore a chaotic cacophony of colors, his body shaking as he took in ragged breaths.

“Voyage,” he hissed in a raspy voice, blue light surrounding his arm. Plagg rushed forward the same moment the Guardian aimed the energy towards the ground– a portal appearing. 

He fell through it moments before Plagg reached him, the gateway flickering and closing behind him, leaving them all alone in the massage parlor.

“Oh, I didn’t even get to say hi to everyone,” Duusu said, feathers puffing as he crossed his paws.