Chapter One - Blink of An Eye

Woooooot. Dagger is procrastinating updating her real stories by writing new stories instead. Will she be explaining her actions on this matter at all? Yep, here's your explanation: I wanted to write this ridiculous story because I had more inspiration for it than an actual update. Don't worry, real updates will be coming soon.

Warning: I write in the first person. If you don't like it, don't read this story. If you do? Then please keep on reading! I'll make sure to tell who's POV we're in, although for the most part we'll be hanging out with Adrien. c:

Also, this story is meant to be more on the outlandish side of things. It is meant to be a bit more fun. xD Please keep that in mind. It came to mind out of utter ridiculousness when thinking about what would happen if Hawkmoth won, and I built it to be a bit more realistic from there.

Adrien's Point of View

Just a day ago, if someone had told me Chat Noir and Ladybug would eventually fail Paris, I would have laughed myself silly. The same could be said for if they told me that Hawkmoth would be seen as a hero, that my mother might be alive and able to be found, or that Ladybug would become a murderer. If they even tried to suggest that overnight a month could go by, I would have died cackling.

Long story short, there are a lot of things I would not have believed yesterday, and another one of those things is that it would be possible for me to get to sleep in till noon. Yet that was exactly what occurred today. Somehow, I was still sitting in my bed and staring at my alarm clock which very clearly stated it was noon as I struggled to comprehend how this could happen. I'd slept in. I'd slept in on a day I had photo shoots I had to attend. I'd slept in till noon and my father had yet to send someone in to kill me for my mistake. How was it even possible?

Leaping out of bed, I race to my bedroom door and throw it open before shouting, "Nathalie?" My shout echoes through the house, but there's no response. Frowning, I try again. "Nathalie? Gorilla?" There's still no response, so I decide to try and call for my dad, though I know he won't be here if Nathalie and Gorilla aren't. "Father?"

No one makes a sound, or shows up to find out why I'm screaming. It's quite disorienting, if not a bit frightening. Frowning, I realize that there was something else missing from my morning routine, so ingrained into it that I'm surprised I didn't notice it had yet to occur: Plagg had yet to whine for his breakfast of camembert.

In fact, the kwami had yet to even bother to make an appearance. There is no way he would have let me sleep in this long, even if my father for some reason did; the little nuisance is always hungry, and his food takes priority over me in his mind. So where is he? Did he go off by himself again? What trouble has the idiot gotten himself into this time?

I reach for the ring on my finger out of habit, used to fiddling with it while I think. However, where my finger would normally graze metal, all I feel is my finger. I look down, confused, only to gape at the sight. The ring is gone, and my stomach feels sick as the realization sinks in.

Did I leave it in my room? I don't remember taking it off before I went to sleep; I never do because I worry about this exact scenario playing out. Maybe it slipped off while I was asleep? But surely I would've noticed that this morning. How did I not realize it was missing sooner?

Before I can pivot backwards to tear my room apart as part of my search, someone gives me a heart attack from shouting from below, "Adrien, dude, sorry! Are you okay?"

I know that voice. "Nino!" I exclaim, not sure if I should be excited to see another living person or confused as to why he's here as I lean over the balcony to look at him.

Blood rushes from my face at the sight instead, and I almost end up screaming. My best friend makes his way up the stairs, and while it's Nino, it most definitely isn't Nino. Instead of my best friend making his way up to me, it's the Bubbler, casually adjusting the bubble wand in his hand as he approaches.

"Everything alright?" He asks again, tilting his head and look around. "You seem a little worked up, dude."

"Nino," I realize I have to be careful of what I say, in case I upset him, "Where are all the adults?"

Bubbler blinks, seeming unsure of how to answer and pausing where he stands on the stairs, but ends up saying, "Uh, well, your dad is working like usual, and Gorrilla is out with him. As for Nathalie, I believe she's running some errands to handle some things." He adjusts his grip on his bubble wand before asking, "Why do you ask? Are you feeling okay?" The concern in his voice is absolutely baffling. "You know this is the routine these days."

I furrow my brows and give him a blank stare. "Nino, you're akumatized. That's never been a part of the routine." I don't add that him being in my house in the morning has also never been part of the routine. How is he acting so rational right now? Akumas never seem to be in this much control.

Again, Bubbler hesitates, but quickly recovers to say, "Oh! Right. Sorry, I forget that my akuma form freaks you out so much." He scratches the back of his head with his free hand, looking embarrassed by his mistake, before snapping his finger. In the blink of an eye, the Bubbler melts away in a burst of bubbles to reveal a normal looking Nino, who tosses me a grin as he readjusts his orange cap. "My bad, bro. Better now?"

I gape, torn between shaking my head to honestly answer his question and running away. "How did you...?" I trail off, not even sure how to ask my question.

"Dude, after a month of this, I thought you'd be used to this gig." Nino sighs, having finally reached the top of the stairs. He now is standing near them and leaning on the railing, acting way too nonchalant about this entire situation. How the heck does he think this is normal? A month of this? This has never happened before! "Your old man runs this. If anything, that should have made it even easier to adjust to. Hasn't he been talking to you at all about this? He said he was working on normalizing things for you again." I don't even make an effort to hide how lost I am, and Nino full out facepalms. "Right. You must need your meds. I hate dealing with you in this state. It's why Anti always gets this shift."

"Anti? Meds? Shift?"

"Come on," He waves for me to follow him as he begins to descend the stairs.

Like a lost dog, I trail after him, unsure if I should demand answers from him or play along thanks to how darn confused I am. "Did you say this has been happening for a month?"

Nino stops at the door to the dining room, swinging it open and gesturing for me to go in. "Ya, a month. Give or take a few days, of course."

"And why, exactly, did this start happening a month ago?" I stand my ground, not stepping into the room till I get my answer. "Indulge me. Please."

He emits an exasperated sigh before grabbing my hand and tugging me in, but thankfully gives me an answer. "A month since Hawkmoth saved Paris. What else would it be, dude?"

"Saved Paris from what?"

Apparently Nino is startled by the incredulous tone of voice I use, because he stares at me for a moment with a frown while gesturing for me to sit down before actually saying anything. "From Ladybug. Ladybug and, uh, you." I freeze, going slack-jawed, and he begins to wave his arms around rather wildly. "I'm sorry! You asked! I know, I know, I'm not supposed to bring it up. You're still coming to grips with what happened. I know, it's just you asked and-"

I cut him off, certain I must have misheard my friend. "I'm sorry, what?"

Nino bites his lip, pulling me towards a chair he's pulled out and once again gesturing for me to sit. I oblige in hopes of getting more answers. But he exits the room, not even bothering to say if he'll be back. I fidget, unsure of what to do in this situation I've now been put in. Do I make a run for it? Do I stay? I need answers, but I'm terrified of the idea of staying here. What the heck is going on? Before I can make a decision, Nino returns, setting a tray in front of me. It's got a breakfast - or actually more of a brunch - on it that my father would be horrified to see me eat in the course of a week, let alone all at once, as well as a few brightly colored pills and a glass of orange juice.

Finally, Nino speaks again. "I know, I know, you weren't in control as Chat Noir. Ladybug was playing all sorts of games with you. I get it. I swear, I'm working on separating the two of you in my head. It's just hard, you know?"

"What on earth are you talking ab-"

"Just take your pills, dude, okay? Look, I love you, but you're being a real headache right now. I don't want to have to bother your father and make him think I'm incompetent or something." He holds a hand against his forehead and sighs like he's dealing with a toddler.

"Um, okay." I look at the pills on the plate and feel the butterflies in my stomach. "And what do these pills do?"

"They help whenever you're acting like this. The doctor says they'll clear your head up. You shouldn't need to take them forever, just until they've done their job and fixed whatever damage Ladybug did."

"And where are our friends?" I pick up one of the pills, giving it a cursory sniff as I look it over, trying to figure out what it really does.

Sounding like he's almost at the edge of his rope, he says, "Anti and Lady are both at school, like we should be, and Strator might be since you took so long to wake up." I don't miss the pointed edge to his statement. "And before you inevitably ask, Anti is Antibug or Chloe, Strator is Illustrator or Nath, and Lady is Lady Wifi or Alya. The rest of the crew are probably scoping Paris and making sure everything is okay. At least, I think I remember your dad saying Volpina and Copycat - er, Lila and Theo, that is - were on duty today."

My mind reels as I try to process what he's just said. "And what about Marinette?"

Nino sounds stiff - if it's even possible to sound that way - as he answers, and I swear I can feel how he's gone rigid even though I can't see him behind me, too busy looking over the pills he wants me to take. "Well, you know." When I shake my head and glance back at him, noting how uncomfortable he looks, he tries and fails to relax before saying, "Getting attacked by Ladybug and seeing your mom die is rough, Adrien. I don't know what else you want me to say. But besides that she's fine, I guess." I open my mouth to let a flood of questions spew out, but Nino doesn't let me. "Take your dang pills, Adrien. Miss Bustier will give you grace, but don't push it by actively trying to take forever to do what you need to do."

Hesitating for a moment, I finally give in and stick the pills in my mouth, grabbing the glass of orange juice and chugging it to wash them down. They taste like absolute garbage, not to mention they change absolutely nothing about my current mindset. I still remember absolutely nothing, and have no idea what is going on to have caused this. The simplest solution I can think of is that this is some crazy nightmare, because nothing Nino has said has really even sunk in for me. But, for now, I guess all I really can do is play along. If this nightmare really is happening right now, I need to have all my wits about me and stay under the radar. If I cause too much of a ruckus, it'll draw unnecessary attention and then I won't be able to solve anything. So right now, I just have to play along. I can act natural, right?

Forcing myself to relax, I push the tray away from me and stand up, turning to face Nino. "Sorry about that. I'll skip breakfast, we need to get to school." I rub the back of my neck, praying he buys it. "And I swear I'm working on that. It just gets so foggy..."

"Dude, it's fine." He gives me a thumbs up back, smiling. "Feeling better now?"

"I'm getting there. It takes a bit to settle in, you know?" I tilt my head, still praying that it isn't suspicious.

And somehow, it works. Nino is all smiles and jokes again, walking with me to school and acting like absolutely nothing has changed. Everything outside, despite my expectations of it all floating or being upside down, is absolutely normal. People are going about their lives normally, and I do my best not to gawk, so confused as to how everything could go from so out of whack to typical so fast. Did I imagine everything Nino said? Glancing down at my finger and seeing the still absent ring, I'm inclined to say no, but I'm not sure. Besides, even beyond that, the way Nino scans the streets isn't natural in any way. It's all too reminiscent of Gorilla, and how he scanned the streets when he was supposed to keep an eye on me.

Something tells me getting away from Nino will be a lot harder.

"Hey Nino," I ask as we walk up the stairs into our school, "Do you think I could visit my father after school, or will he be too busy?"

"I mean, I don't know, dude, but I could probably take you to see him..." I note the fact that, despite not saying I wanted Nino to go, he talks about going with me. That basically confirms my theory of him being my new and - I guess in someone else's eyes - improved bodyguard. Although to be fair, I don't really know where my father is, so I guess I would need him to come anyways. "I'll see what I can do. I'm sure he can make time for his son. Why?"

Thankfully I manage to stifle my snort. Oh please, now I know I'm dreaming. My father would never be able to make time for me.

This time I thought things through and came up with my excuse already for if he asked. "I was thinking, if the one year anniversary of Ladybug and Chat Noir's defeat is at hand, I could convince him to throw a party."

Nino grins widely at the prospect. "A party? That would be so cool. I'm sure he'd love that idea."

Instead of responding - mainly because I'm afraid I'll end up laughing so hard that I can't stop over the idea of my dad thinking a party would be a good idea - I just nod and walk inside, noting that we've arrived just in time for lunch. Our classmates are all in their collective groups, and most don't pay us any mind. Two in particular, however, swiftly approach, one accompanied with a Sabrina who trails and waits a few feet away.

"Adrikins!" Chloe greets, throwing her arms around me and planting a kiss on my cheek. I do my best not to wince and gently push her off. "You took forever to get here."

"Hey, I needed my beauty sleep." I joke, trying to act normal and failing miserably. I never would say that, unless I was Chat Noir, and even then, I would say it much better.

"He slept in till noon, Anti." Nino groans, and I scowl at him, getting a laugh out of my - or is our? - blonde friend. "I'm never taking morning duty again. Remind me of that if I ever volunteer again." Chloe giggles - and not a fake or mean laugh either, a genuine giggle - as Nino glances around and asks, "Hey, where's Nath?"

Chloe pouts. "Not here, sadly."

Nino's eyes widen in understanding, and Alya says more passive aggressively than I suspect, "Since you two took so long to get here, he was stuck at home, despite it being your turn, Bubbles."

My friend gets defensive, and I glance between him and his girlfriend, trying to figure out what has them at odds. "Hey, blame it on Adrien, not me. I didn't ask him to sleep in. And for the millionth time, stop calling me Bubbles."

It seems like now is a good time to jump in and switch the direction this conversation is going in. "Hey, as much as I care about Nathaniel," Which isn't a lot, but maybe in this place I care a lot, "Where is Marinette?"

Apparently that's not the right thing to say. Nino cringes as Alya and Chloe stare at me, slack-jawed, before turning to look at Nino. If I didn't know any better, I'd even say there's a hint of disgust in Alya's expression, but I must be imagining it. That's Chloe's thing, not Alya's. Instead of focusing on that, I try to think through all the ways to backpedal and change the subject again, but none come to mind. Crap, what do I do?

"He's a little out of it this morning, since he only just woke up and took his meds." The two girls nod in understanding and instantly relax, only adding to the peculiarness of this situation.

"I want to finish my lunch," Chloe announces, latching onto my arm and grabbing me in the direction she came from. Nino and Alya merely follow after the pair of us, and Sabrina hangs back before again following at a distance. "Hungry, Adrien?"

"Sure?" I rub the back of my neck, not sure that I'm sure of anything anymore.

School ends, and I breath a sigh of relief over finally escaping being under the scrutinizing eye of everyone in the room. It's even worse than when I was just a model. Despite it seeming like not everyone knew I was Chat Noir, it feels like everyone does from how they all watch me like hawks. And even if they weren't, Chloe and Alya join Nino in watching me when they think I'm not looking. I never expected to have to worry about Antibug, Lady Wifi, and Bubbler all at the same time, especially not as Adrien Agreste.

As we all exit the building, I'm impatient to go, but wait seeing as Nino hangs around to chat with Alya and Chloe. "Hey, so where are you two headed off to?"

"I'm switching out with Lila and patrolling with Theo." Alya says with a sigh, adjusting her glasses. "It'll be an annoying."

Nino gives her a sympathetic look. "Good luck."

Alya rolls her eyes. "If he wasn't determined to flirt, it'd be fine." I note the possessive look that enters Nino's gaze and make a mental note to never - accidentally or purposefully - make a move on Alya. "Theo's nice enough, but he's just so cocky."

Chloe interjects, steering the conversation towards herself. "Nath and I are heading out for lunch. I'm excited."

"A date?" I ask, surprised at that development but unable to think of anything else it could be. Chloe doesn't strike me as the type to go anywhere with a guy if there's no romance involved.

"With Nathaniel? Ew, no way, Adrikens." She looks disgusted, but there's something particularly off about it. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that, just for a moment, she even blushed. "He just hasn't had the chance to go out much as of late, so I'm treating him to some food."

Alya looks as if she's smelled dead skunk as she asks, "But isn't he busy with someone?" I frown, trying to figure out what the heck that means.

Chloe rolls her eyes. "We're bringing them along. Trust me, Wifi, I got it all under control."

"Bringing them along? Are you sure about that?" Chloe seems to, for once, be getting under Alya's skin unintentionally. Although the Wifi nickname was probably uncalled for, seeing as Alya didn't seem to appreciate it very much. "The boss might not be happy."

"For your information, we cleared it with him already. He thinks it'll be good for them. Besides, it's not like they'll be unsupervised."

"Still, is it really safe?"

"Are you questioning Hawkmoth's decisions?"

Before either can continue, I decide to chime in. "Who, or what, are you guys talking about?"

Nino jumps in before either girl can explain themselves. "Oh, no one important, dude. Don't worry about it."

Alya tilts her head, thankfully keeping the attention on Nino and I as she asks, "What are you two going to be doing?" It's funny how she assumes we'll be doing something together, further confirming I have a bodyguard.

"Adrien wants to see his dad." My friend tosses an arm around my shoulder before grinning. "We really should get going."

"Need me to take him?" Chloe asks far too quickly for my liking, reaching for my hand. "I can postpone with Nath."

Nino, thankfully, declines for me, saving me from having to handle my childhood friend throwing herself on me. "No, that's important. I got this, but thanks for the offer. You have fun with Strator. Tell him I say hi."

Chloe looks dejected for a moment, but then nods. "I'll see you later, Adrikins!" She plants a kiss on my cheek and then hurries off, missing the fact that I furiously try to wipe the cheek she kissed off since she doesn't look back.

"See you later, babe." Nino leans into to try and kiss Alya goodbye, but she pushes him away, much to my - and my best friend's - surprise. "Hey, Alya, what was tha-"

He doesn't get to finish, because Alya snaps her fingers and transforms into Lady Wifi. I stare, unable to hide my uneasy at the sight despite how well I feel like I've been doing with my acting, as she throws a fast forward from her phone on the ground. She hops on, and only then does she say anything.

"Bye, guys." She finishes with a wave and then flies off, leaving a shocked Nino next to me.

"Sorry, maybe I'm still a little foggy, but she doesn't normally do that, does she?" I glance at my friend, hoping for some answers, but he just shakes his head.

Snapping his fingers, Nino transforms into Bubbler, and I flinch at the sight. "Sorry, dude, but I realized it'd be better if I call your dad and see what works for him. If he's busy, I don't want to waste your time going to see him only to find that out. Give me a sec, okay?" He doesn't actually wait for me to respond, shutting his eyes, and after a moment I notice the outline of a purple butterfly around his face. "Yo, Hawkmoth, Adrien would like to see you. Are you busy?"

It's then that the thing that hasn't even really been hidden from me sinks in. I don't know how I missed the signs earlier, but somehow I did. Yet, now I'm faced with the truth. My dad is Hawkmoth. How is it possible? This can't be real. Surely this isn't happening. My dad can't be Hawkmoth. Sure, he may be bad, but he isn't that evil, is he? I can't have been fighting him all along. This is all wrong. Thankfully Bubbler can't see me, because it takes a moment to keep myself from outwardly looking distraught. I have to keep the panic on the inside.

"That's fine, sir. Should I bring him by later? Alright, I'll check in then and see what your schedule looks like." Bubbler opens his eyes as the butterfly outline fades away, not bothering to change back to normal just yet. "Your dad says he's in an important meeting he can't miss right now, but he wants to talk to you and is doing his best to rearrange things so he will have time to talk to you later." I have to refrain from letting my jaw drop, shocked to hear those words leaving my friend's lips. There's no way he's actually doing that, right? My father, Hawkmoth, Nino's boss, whatever I should call him, isn't going to make time for me, is he? "Have anything in particular you want to do?"

"Think Nathaniel would like some more company at lunch, since he hasn't been out in a while?" I ask, curious to see how Bubbler will respond, seeing as he and everyone else were making a big deal out of not saying who Chloe and Nathaniel are taking to lunch with them.

Bubbler snaps his fingers, transforming back into an exhausted Nino, although I can't imagine why he'd be so tired. "Uh, let me call Chloe up and see what she thinks. I'm surprised you'd want to join them though. Don't you normally just want to go home and play video games?"

I shrug. "Can't I want to switch things up sometimes?"

Nino shuffles uncomfortably under my gaze, but nods uneasily. "Ya, you can." He hesitates, then pulls his phone out. "Let's see what Anti says."

And that's the end of this first chapter for a story that has a rather ridiculous premise. But hey, I hope it's enjoyable none the less, especially because for the most part it is not as serious as some of my other stories. I just had the thought "Hey, what if Hawkmoth won?" and went from there. Is it good? Bad? What is going to happen to Adrien? How do you think Hawkmoth won? Where do you think Marinette is? Why is mentioning her seen as so strange? What about the akumas? How do you think they will play in? Who do you like most so far? Who do you look forward the most to seeing?

Leave a review and let me know. Thanks for reading, and please enjoy the rest of your day. See you next time, wherever that may be!

~ Dagger