A/N: I've been wanting to write something like this is for a while. This is based on a theory/headcanon of mine, and I'd like to see what everyone thinks. My friend who introduced me to the show helped me edit this.
P.S. A lot of this is inspired by the origin episodes.
Mon Petit Papillon
Gabriel and his son used to be so close, despite being so... different. Gabriel was very even-tempered and cautious. Adrien was like his mother, free-spirited and always gentle. They used to defy that, gravitating towards each other and rounding each other out. But after Celine's mysterious disappearance, they had started to drift apart. Gabriel felt different, darker, and he didn't want to infect his sweet son with such bitterness.
As they began to grow apart, Gabriel found himself becoming fiercely protective of his son. His beautiful wife was gone, and he could not let the same happen to Adrien. He tried to hide his child away from the world, away from the predators and the destroyers.
He never wanted to see such terror and pain in his son's eyes again.
Fire seemed to rain from the dark clouds that blotted out the sunlight. Someone was screaming, and all he could think was-
No, he could not allow himself to get lost in such thoughts. It would only distract him.
-[]-
The platinum blonde man swiftly made his way up the stairs. The closed window loomed over the hundreds of petite, white butterflies resting on the floor. It was strange how something so delicate could become something so twisted and powerful.
He took a moment to kneel in the center of the room and gently stroke over his butterflies. They were calm and happy in his presence, so much like his own son and yet not.
Finally, he stood and called for the little purple being that was always with him.
"Nooroo, transform me!"
The familiar energy settled over his skin and his purple suit wrapped around him as it always had. His miraculous glowed with the negative emotions it sensed, and he followed those feelings with the power of his Kwami.
A heartbroken man was late for the most important job interview of his life, the one that could make or break his career.
"The future is a looming presence, isn't it," the platinum blonde muttered. "But the present drags your attention in so many places at once. Fly, my little akuma, and help this young man who is so overwhelmed." He cupped his hands around one of the butterflies, letting his energy pour into it. The dark energy took over the delicate creature and sent it flying out over the city of Paris.
-[]-
The tiny akuma let itself rest on the brunette's messily crafted book. The man looked up in surprise as he heard a voice in his mind.
"Disparaîtrer, I can help you be fast enough to never miss such an opportunity again. People will beg you to work with them, and all you have to do is help me with a little favor."
-{[(•)]}-
Adrien was on his way home with the Gorilla when something flashed in front of their car. They crashed into the object without any chance to stop, and the blonde teen began to panic.
"Stay in the car," his bodyguard grunted and opened the door.
"But I-"
"Stay."
There was silence for a few moments as the Gorilla checked what they hit and people on the sidewalk stared on in shock.
"Um," Adrien called hesitantly. "What was it?"
His bodyguard didn't have time to answer before he disappeared with a light spray of sparkles. A tall figure stood up in front of the car, dressed in the same crazy clothes as most villains that came to the streets of Paris. He was dusting himself off, and Adrien carefully sneaked out of the car.
"Plagg, transform me!" He whispered anxiously in the nearest alley. The cat-like Kwami disappeared into his miraculous ring, and he quickly changed into his secret other half, Chat Noir.
"What's up?" He called as cheerfully as possible, swinging up on to a light-post. "You seem a little different than the usual villain-y types."
"I am Disparaîtrer!" The white and cyan villain shouted and raised his hands above his head. "Master of teleportation and space itself!"
"Oh, so you're one of those guys," the hero mumbled wearily. There was always one villain who couldn't shut up about how great they and their powers were. "You wanna tell me your plan?"
"I-" the villain stopped suddenly, seemingly hesitant. "I tried to go to my job interview now that I could get there on time..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "They wouldn't take me when I looked like this, so I thought I'd, you know, wreck some havoc, randomly teleport people to let off steam."
"Why?" Chat Noir scoffed. "Can't you just change back to yourself? All you have to do is destroy whatever has your akuma."
"You mean that little butterfly thing?"
"Yeah."
"..." The villain thought about it for a second. Hawk Moth was screaming in his ear, but he really needed this job. "You think they'll give me the job?"
"What're you going for?"
"Tryin' to be a writer," the man held up his book. "Main character can teleport. I thought it'd be a cool power to have and I could get that job, but..." He awkwardly rubbed at his limbs again.
"Hey, you don't need superpowers to be a writer. I mean, whoever you interviewed with probably won't give you the job now since you were late and terrorized their employees, but you could totally do it-"
"What?!" Disparaîtrer snapped. "No! I need this job! They're the best in France! I have to be with them for my work to mean something!"
"You don't have to-"
"You don't understand! None of you understand!" The villain screamed. He slammed his hand down on Adrien's car, and it disappeared in a violent burst of light.
"Down, boy," Chat Noir snapped, hiding his startled flinch. "No need to get rough."
"He promised me! Everyone will want me and my work, when they see what I can do! And if they don't..." His hand lit up with energy. "I'll send them away!"
"Disparaîtrer!" Hawk Moth chirped through their connection. "Send Chat Noir to me! I can take his miraculous and he won't be able to stop you from reaching your dream!"
"I can't watch this," the hero drawled. "You can't just send away people who don't give you what you want!" He dropped down from the light-post and took a step towards the villain. "You're a smart guy, and you clearly think this is going to accomplish something. But, as a writer, think about... well, every story ever. The way you're going on now, nothing will end well for you. Give me the book. We can end this right here and now."
He held out his hand.
"He's a distraction!" Hawk Moth whispered. "He just wants to take away your powers. You know the only way to get rid of that little akuma? He's going to take your work and rip it right in half."
"It doesn't have to be this way," Chat Noir promised when he saw the author struggling. "Ladybug will catch the akuma, and I'll... I'll help you find someone to get you out there, get you published. I have connections. You don't have to hurt anyone else."
"How long have you worked on that manuscript?" Hawk Moth cooed. "Weeks, months, years of hard work, gone before you even have a chance to try. You have the power right now, to take charge of your own future! You can make people give you what you want! Everything you ever dreamed, and all you have to do is-"
"Give me the book."
"Give me the boy."
Looking down at the book in his hands, Disparaîtrer frowned. He was having trouble remembering everything about it, but he knew it was more important than anything. It was more important than him or some little hero or those silly little things called morals. This was everything, and he had to make sure everyone would love it as much as he did.
"Okay," he agreed with an innocent smile. Chat Noir took a relaxed step forward. The man's hand clamped around the blonde's wrist like a metal cuff. The hero gasped in surprise and tried to pull away, but the villain quickly whispered, "If you're going to harm my precious work, I'll send you away."
And Chat Noir was gone.
-[]-
Hawk Moth grinned victoriously as the teenage hero dropped to the ground at his feet. A little butterfly landed gently on the cat's ear, and the man quickly scooped it up before the hero could harm it. The hero moaned, stomach churning.
"Hello, little kitty," Hawk Moth teased. The taste of approaching victory was sweet, and he savored it with enthusiasm. "It seems we finally meet face to face. It's a shame that you'll be without your miraculous so soon. You'll be exposed to the power of my akumas when that happens, and I will gladly use you against your lovely Ladybug."
"No," Chat Noir panted. He couldn't understand why his entire body felt so drained, but he knew he had to get away. He tried to push himself up, but he was quickly pushed back down by the heel of Hawk Moth's boot.
"Poor little kitty," the villain whispered gently and ran his fingers down to the hero's limp hand. Dark akumas swelled behind him like a wave, waiting to crash down.
"No!" The teen tried again. The man relished the fear in his eyes as he plucked the miraculous ring from the boy's gloved finger like the wings off an insect. Those cat-like eyes faded to a familiar green, disguise slipping away like water.
Those terror filled eyes turned on him once again.
"Adrien?-
-Fire seemed to rain from the dark clouds that blotted out the sunlight. Someone was screaming, and all he could think was 'my son, my wife, my family'. He pushed himself out of the flaming wreckage and weakly began to search. His mind felt blank, his memory empty.
"Adrien?" He called. "Celine?"
"Papa!" A frightened voice called. It was very faint, from inside the wreckage, and he panicked. "Papa, help! Help me!"
The man surged forward and ripped the door off without a moment's thought. His heart pounded in his chest, breaths coming in short pants. His sweet, innocent, seven-year old boy was caught under the front seat. There was metal sticking out of his leg.
The father didn't even consider that his son might never walk again.
In less than a second, he had cradled the boy close. His petit Adrien was sobbing quietly, his inner fire dimmed by what had happened. The man's mind was still blank, and he wished he knew what his son had seen. He wished he was able to reassure him and help him.
"I'm going to get you out, Adrien," he promised. There was red in his son's beautiful golden hair. So much like his mother's and now it was being tainted.
He pushed against the seat with all his might, carefully pulling the metal from his child's body. Adrien sobbed harshly, cheeks blotchy as his hands gripped the seat underneath him. As soon as his son was free, the man scooped the child up in his arms. Green eyes disappeared into the crook of his neck.
Now he just need to find the matching blue.
"Celine?" He shouted. He moved past the wreckage, stepping over rubble and metal parts. He stood in front of the truck that had slammed into them. The driver was through the windshield. "Don't look, papillon," he whispered and cradled his son's head. He kept going. "Celine? Celine!"
His wife was gone-
The villain shook at the fear in those green eyes. The teen weakly pushed himself up, and the man stumbled back when he remembered where his boot had been.
"H-How do you know my name?" The green eyed boy questioned weakly. His arms were shaking with strain, but he made himself shift away from the intimidating purple figure anyway.
"Adrien... You're Chat Noir?" The man questioned weakly. Everything in his mind seemed to click with startling clarity- the strange disappearances, the silly excuses, the oddly familiar gestures and expressions. "Nooroo, de-transform me!"
"You'll loose your connection to Disparaîtrer!" The Kwami mentioned quietly.
"NOW!" The villain rumbled but quickly stilled at Adrien's flinch. Nooroo quickly drew away the power that created his suit.
"Father?" Adrien cried in alarm. "You're Hawk Moth!"
"How could you!" They both shouted.
"After everything I've done to keep you safe-" Gabriel snapped.
"You've been using super villains to try and take over Paris this whole time?!"
"-you directly disobeyed me! Is this why you wanted to go to that... that public school?! So you could recklessly play hero-"
"You meddled with and hurt so many people! How could you shamelessly attack innocent people like that?! Why did you even need to be Hawk Moth?!"
"It's dangerous! Do you know how badly you could have been hurt?! Even if not physically, think of the decline your grades could have taken! How would that effect your future!"
"Is this why you never have time for me? You're always trying to take over the world? You won't even see me anymore! Ever since Mom disappeared-"
"Ever since your mother disappeared-"
"-you've become so distant-"
"-I've been so worried-"
"-and I didn't have anyone to talk to anymore-"
"-and I just wanted to keep you safe until I could-"
"-and I wish things could go back to the way they were before she was gone," the both finished, quiet and sad.
"Why?" Adrien asked. His eyes were getting wet, so he ducked his head and curled away from his father. "Why would you do this?"
"I had a plan."
The blonde stilled. His father knelt next to him, gently stroking his back like he used to when he was little. The teen didn't have the heart to shrug him off or turn away.
"After your mother... went missing, I saw how frightened and unhappy you were. And I was too. What was happening to her? Where was she? I was scared to death." His sweet son shuddered like one of his delicate butterflies and the man sighed. "So I tried everything I could to find her. The police investigation went cold after a few months, and the private investigators were getting no where. That's when I found a book, a very old book."
"About the Kwami and the miraculous?" Green eyes looked up at him, slightly red but not as afraid. He nodded.
"That's when I started to weave my plan. I managed to secure the purple miraculous, and with it's power, I knew I could get the others I needed. The book told of a legendary power, possible with the opposite miraculous of creation and destruction. I didn't want to take over the world. I was just going to find your mother, wherever she is."
"I remember that day," Adrien admitted, soft, unsure.
"You don't have to-"
"Let me," those eyes pleaded with him, and he gave his reluctant acceptance. "We were going to the elementary school. Mom finally convinced you to let me try, to let me make friends. You were bickering in the front seat, taunting and laughing like, you know, you used to. And this truck- this truck just came out of no where-" His breath hitched and the man cradled his son close.
"It hit us straight on, and I thought you were dead for sure. Everything was on fire and I couldn't see through all the smoke. But mom was there. She checked my pulse, and my breathing. She kissed me like she always did when she tucked me in. She said 'Goodbye.' I didn't know what to think! And then she left me, left us, and then you started to distance yourself. You locked me in the house, wouldn't let me go to school or try to make friends." The boy sounded bitter, and Gabriel felt like his worst fears were coming to life.
"But then- then Hawk Moth- I mean, I guess you attacked Paris and I found this little box with a ring in it. My Kwami Plagg came out, and he told me that I could finally get out of the house, be a superhero, make a difference," Adrien was breathless, remembering the moment his life changed. "I was terrified at first. But I was free and I could be myself, say whatever I wanted, do whatever I wanted." He looked up at his father. "I can understand why you did it, but please, you have to stop."
His sweet, sweet son. His little, delicate butterfly.
Those old memories were fresh today.
The sun shone down on the open field. The tall grass was dotted with white and yellow flowers, and the warm breeze drifted in from the ocean a hundred meters away.
Gabriel and Celine sat on a picnic blanket. Celine was reading a book as she leaned against her husbands shoulder. He rubbed tender circles in her back, watching their tiny son playing just in front of them. He was small for his age, but the doctors said he would grow easily, especially with two parents as tall as them.
They'd been on vacation for a week, barely at the hotel for more than an hour as Celine kept dragging them out to see the sights.
His wife hummed happily under him as their child bounded closer.
"Papa! Mama!" The boy whispered in quiet excitement. "The butterflies like me!" There were a dozen or so of the little creatures in his hair and on his clothes, and the parents looked at him with slight awe. Celine snapped a picture as quickly as possible.
"Adrien," Gabriel chuckled. "You've become one with the butterflies! I guess we'll have to leave you here so they can keep you."
"No! Papa!" Adrien whined, anxious.
"I'm kidding, papillon. We will never leave you."
"I'm sorry, papillon," the blue eyed man whispered. He gently tucked some of his son's blonde hair behind his ear. "But I have to find her."
He slid the ring on his finger.
A/N: I don't have anything else planned for this. If you want to know what could of happened, I'll write something below.
QUESTION OF THE UPDATE: What would your miraculous be? I would be a chameleon. I would change colors with my emotions or something and my super power would be temporary invisibility. That would be really helpful or sneaking up on enemies.
[FULL ENDING IDEA: DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS I GUESS] {P.S. I JUST MADE THIS UP JUST NOW}
Basically Adrien and Gabriel fight for a little bit, but Gabriel is obviously stronger now and locks Adrien away like a princess in a tower. He reconnects with Disparaîtrer and tries to use the same plan on Ladybug. Someone at the previous scene warns Ladybug so she doesn't fall for it or get caught. The minor villain keeps teleporting people to random places and generally causing chaos. Marinette stays in her room trying to form a plan. Tikki tries to offer advice, but neither of them can think of a plan. Adrien keeps trying to break out, but every time he does, an akuma appears and forces him back inside, either by controlling him or just scaring him. Gabriel is disturbed by his son's unhappiness and tries to send him stuff he'll like to keep him occupied but safe.
Finally, Ladybug decides to fake turning herself in and try and fight Hawk Moth directly so she can save Chat Noir. As she gets teleported by Disparaîtrer, she manages to snag his book. She rips it in half as soon as she lands, and the tiredness effects from the teleportation go away. The akuma is trapped in the room with her and Hawk Moth, so she tries not to worry about it right then. Most of the white butterflies have turned into akumas anyway, so she can't tell it apart. Her and Hawk Moth duke it out, fighting with everything they have. She's afraid to use her Lucky Charm because the only other things in the room are the butterflies, which she doesn't want to hurt. Hawk Moth almost kills her with Cataclysm, and she finally uses it. It gives her a strange vacuum with a glass bottle, and she realizes she has to suck up all the butterflies. An awkward battle ensues, with her flipping around, running on walls, and dodging Hawk Moth to capture the butterflies. He's frantically trying to stop her until she has all the butterflies. They both stop, breathing heavily. He steps towards the glass jar, but she pulls it behind her.
"Let them go," he says. "They're so unhappy." She glances at them, confused and a little frustrated.
"I can't," she shakes her head. "They're the only plan I have to find Chat Noir. I need him."
"Give me your miraculous," he says instead. "I need them to find my wife. I need her." Ladybug considers it for a moment, wondering how she can be a hero if she won't let a man find his wife.
"No," she finally says. "You abused the one you already had. You made it's power dark and dangerous. You used it to hurt people, hurt Chat Noir. I can't trust you not to do it again."
He begs her for a moment, but she won't be swayed.
"The butterflies are unhappy to be trapped anywhere, not just in this glass bottle. They want to roam free, to fly. They'll die wherever they're trapped."
"I don't want them to die," he thinks of his own son again. "Please, this is the only way I know to find my wife."
"She's gone," Ladybug says sadly. She can tell just from the way this man looks that his wife has been gone a long time and won't be coming back. "And you're abusing what good you have with you right now. Does you Kwami agree with what you do? Do your butterflies? Your actions make everyone around you unhappy, and it's my job to stop that. Give me your miraculous, and we'll see what we can do about what you've done."
He hesitates, but then he looks again at the butterflies. They look frantic, trapped in such a small space. Were they ever happy and calm in his presence? Or were they afraid and waiting to die?
He hands over his miraculous.
Ladybug is shocked to see the famous father of her classmate, and it feels like a puzzle piece has slid into place. She finally asks where Chat Noir is, and the tired man leads her to a locked room deep in the heart of the building. The man stands aside as she opens the door and slips in.
The room is very quiet and still. Adrien is slumped against the window. An akuma had transformed into bars over the glass, a constant reminder of how he was trapped. Ladybug whispers his name is shock, and the last piece finishes the image. The boy turns around in surprise. He fears for a moment that she might have beat up his dad, but he lets it go as she slowly reaches up.
"What are you doing?" He asks. She gently removed her earrings and tucks them into the bag that had appeared at her side. "Marinette?"
They awkwardly explain themselves and confess their feelings. They walk out of the room red-faced and holding hands. Gabriel gives them a stiff smile, unsure how to treat them after their fights.
Marinette just leads the small, broken family out to front yard. The large glass jar is there, still full of butterflies. All the akumas have been set free of evil. The dark haired teen gestures the males to the jar. Gabriel is the first to start tugging at the lid, but it won't open. Adrien watches him struggle for a moment before he moves forward. Together, they manage to set the butterflies free and the scene fades to black on the disappearing forms of the delicate, white creatures.