Before Marinette left to retrieve Adrien's ring, she transformed into Ladybug in front of him and used her yoyo to try to find the miraculous. She didn't expect to see it until Adrien pointed to a tiny green paw print form on the screen. "There." He said. Ladybug stared at the point on the map, a pit forming in her stomach. She knew where he was pointing and was surprised that he didn't realize it right away. As angry as she was at him, she couldn't handle the idea of him finding out that his father could be the villain they'd been chasing all along. She knew that it would crush him and she hoped that she was wrong.
"I'll go and get it. You stay here." Ladybug said after a short pause. She didn't want to let him know what she was thinking. However, since the ring wasn't at Agreste, she was assuming that whoever took the ring was probably Hawkmoth. And there it was, a green paw print right where Gabriel Agreste's mansion was.
"But…" Adrien started.
"No, Adrien. If Hawkmoth has it then you won't be able to get it back." Ladybug cut him off. There was no way that she was going to let him go there with the possibility that Gabriel was Hawkmoth. She had suspected him years before. However, when he, himself, was akumatized she assumed that she was wrong. Now she had more evidence and her old theory was resurfacing.
"If Hawkmoth has it, you shouldn't go after it. He could catch you. Plus, chances are he doesn't have it." Adrien stated causing Ladybug to look at him calculatingly.
"Well someone does." Ladybug stated, looking back at the yoyo. She couldn't look at him right then, not while she thought about his father possibly being Hawkmoth.
"How do you know?" He asked.
"Because that's not Agreste." Ladybug stated, showing Adrien the screen again. "Agreste is here." She said, pointing to another place on the map. Adrien's eyes widened as he looked at the map. Ladybug wondered if he had figured out what she had known since looking at the spot to begin with. She decided not to stay to find out. "Stay here." she said. "I'll be back." She added in a softer voice before she ran and jumped from the window, swinging through the air. She bit her lip as she made her way to the mansion, hoping that she was wrong.
As she approached the building, she saw that there was an open circular window. She slipped through it without thinking. She found herself in a dark room with white moths flying around. She gasped, knowing in her gut that this was Hawkmoth's lair.
"Mr. Agreste?" She shouted, looking around to try to find him. That was until she heard him start to chuckle softly. She turned toward the noise. Despite the light from the open window, she couldn't see who was making the noise. Then he stepped out of the dark. In that moment, Ladybug felt more terror than she had at any time before.
Standing before her was a new Chat Noir, Gabriel's Chat Noir. Before she could properly react, Chat's staff extended, hitting her in the chest and knocking the air out of her lungs. Ladybug staggered as her foe moved with unexpected speed and grace as he darted forward. The staff shrunk as he lifted it and Ladybug didn't have a chance to block the blow to her shoulder.
She let out a shout as she was forced to the ground. Before she could get up, a black gloved hand swiped at her chest. The claws dug in and tore the fabric of the Ladybug suit and sank into the skin beneath. She shrieked and moved to kick Gabriel off of her, but he swiped at her leg with the staff before striking her again with his unoccupied hand.
Before Ladybug could react, Gabriel moved again. This time he was pinning her shoulders to the ground with his knees. "How lovely of you to drop in Miss…" trailed off. Marinette's eyes widened as she felt the earrings being taken off. "...Dupain-Cheng." he ended with a smirk as the room filled with a brief pink glow before Gabriel chuckled and stowed the earrings. He sliced at Marinette's torso again as he got up before he heard her phone notify her of an incoming message.
Marinette tried to keep him from grabbing her phone, but Gabriel was far too quick especially when he was using the miraculous and she was injured. He smiled as he opened the phone.
"You really should have a password. And what's this? An email from Chat Noir? Am I to assume that this is the original Chat Noir?" He asked gleefully. Marinette shook her head and tried to sit up.
"It's n-not him." She said shakily.
"You've never been a good liar, Ms. Dupain-Cheng." He stated as he tapped on the phone quickly. "Don't make me regret not using Cataclysm on you." He said threateningly as Marinette tried to make her way to her feet. She started to feel dizzy and slumped back to the floor. She was losing too much blood. He had sliced deep into her stomach and chest. "I must say, I was surprised. I didn't expect you to be Ladybug. But then that IT worker told me that it was you and gave me this ring." He said with a laugh. "Imagine my luck at akumatizing the new Chat Noir." He added, laughing again. "And now to get your partner here." He stated as he tapped on the phone quickly.
"Why d-do you want to h-have Chat come here?" She asked, her vision swimming as she spoke and rolled onto her side. She didn't even notice that he told her who the new Chat was.
"To make sure that he doesn't come after me." Gabriel said simply as he took off Chat's ring and retrieved the earrings. "And now we wait." He said. After a while of waiting and not knowing whether she was even conscious or not, Marinette heard the tapping of heels on the floor above them.
"And that's my cue." Gabriel said simply as he made his way toward the edge of the room and was lifted out on a platform. Marinette struggled to stay awake as she heard a scuffle break out above her. She silently prayed that Adrien was okay, that Gabriel wouldn't hurt his own son. After the commotion stopped, Marinette heard the platform lowering into the room. Marinette was only able to move enough to smile slightly as she heard Adrien's voice. He was okay. That's all that mattered to her. As she lay there still bleeding, all she could think about was how horribly she'd treated both sides of him over the last two months. She wished that she could make it up to him, but she was at least consoled by the fact that he was okay.
Then there was pain as he tried to move her. Marinette briefly recalled their conversation before Chat scooped her up and vaulted his way through the city at her request. She lost consciousness at some point during the trip.
When she woke, her eyes snapped open with a start. She didn't recognize her surroundings. She was laying on a plush bed in a minimalistic room with plain white wallpaper, a black dresser, and a black nightstand. She moved to get up, but pain bloomed from her stomach. She let out a small shout and laid back down. Adrien rushed into the room only moments later, a panicked look on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked.
"I just hurt. What's going on? Where am I?" She asked as her memories from before flowed into her mind. "Where is your father? How did you get me out of there?" She started to ask more questions, but Adrien launched himself at her and pulled her into a hug. Marinette let out a hiss as the movement caused the pain to come again.
"Sorry. I...sorry." he said, moving backward. "It's just you're okay. Y-you're at my apartment. Master Fu said that you would need somewhere to rest for a few days." He said. "M-my father's in custody." He added hesitantly.
"Oh, kitty. I'm so sorry. I wanted to...I didn't want you to have to deal with him." She said. Her eyes then widened, "Tikki!" She suddenly shouted and put her hands to her ears, feeling the earrings were gone.
"I have the earrings here. She should be okay." Adrien said hurriedly as he rushed to his dresser and grabbed the red and black studs and brought them to her. Marinette started to reach for them before pausing.
"S-should we still keep them? Since we don't have to worry about Hawkmoth anymore?" She asked carefully.
"Master Fu didn't ask for them back. And who knows, there might be other threats for us to handle." Adrien stated. Marinette nodded before taking the earrings and carefully putting them back on.
"Marinette!" a high-pitched squeak filled the room and the red creature dove at Marinette trying her best to hug the girl. Marinette laughed lightly.
"Hi, Tikki." She said.
"I was so worried Marinette." She said. Marinette patted Tikki gently before looking back up at Adrien.
"It's okay, Tikki. Everything will be okay." She said, keeping eye contact with Adrien and hoping that he felt the same. Adrien lowered his gaze and tried to back out of the room. "No." Marinette said, trying to get up again.
"You can't do that!" Adrien chided, suddenly rushing back to her side and moving to keep her in the bed. "Master Fu said that it would take time for you to heal. M-my...he really hurt you. What did he do?" He asked.
Marinette paused. "He...scratched at me. With the claws. That's it." She said.
"Marinette, you've got bruising along with the scratches." He said. "He hit you, didn't he?" He asked.
"I...he didn't use Cataclysm." Marinette said in a defensive voice.
"Well, at least he didn't do that." He growled. "I should have hurt him. I should have torn him limb from limb." He said angrily.
"Adrien, I'm glad you didn't." Marinette said and she grabbed his wrist gently. They locked eyes and Marinette could see the turmoil that Adrien was going through. "It's not your fault, you know?" She asked. Adrien broke eye contact and nodded.
"I just...it was him this whole time." He stated.
"Are you okay?" She asked after a few moments of silence. Adrien just stared down as he sat down on the edge of the bed with his back to her.
"I assume he had his reasons. The police questioned me while you were still with Master Fu. It took him hours to get you to where you are now. I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to protect you. This is all my fault." He said, keeping his gaze away from her. "If I hadn't given away the ring, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I would have been there to protect you." He said.
"If you hadn't given away the ring you would have suffered and we never would have found him." She said.
"And you wouldn't have gotten hurt." He reiterated.
"Adrien. I'm fine." She said and Adrien shot a glare over his shoulder at her, clearly telling her that he knew she wasn't. "If anything, this is my fault. I went in there with no help, knowing that I was probably going to Hawkmoth." She said. She then bit her lip, wondering if she should tell him that his father had known about her anyway.
"What is it?" Adrien asked, noticing her hesitation.
"Nothing." She said.
"No, what is it?" He insisted.
"Somehow he knew who I was...before he removed my mask. He'd said that an IT worker told him...the same IT worker that gave him your miraculous." She said hesitantly.
"You told Marcus who you were? You told him in two months, but wouldn't tell me for years?" He asked, starting to become angry.
"No, no. I didn't tell him. I don't know how he figured it out, but I don't think he would have been lying." She said. Adrien looked at her with a curious look on his face. He then nodded without a word after a moment. At that moment, Plagg peeked out of Adrien's shirt pocket.
"Tikki!" He shrieked as he flew out of the pocket at top speed to the other kwami.
"You're just now noticing her?" Adrien asked.
"Hey, some of us need beauty sleep. You could use a bit more of it, that's for sure." Plagg stated before the two kwamis started flying around the room, chasing each other.
"Plagg." Adrien groaned as he put his head into his hand. Marinette smiled as she watched the kwamis. She hadn't seen Tikki be this energetic for months. Adrien sighed.
"You never answered my question." Marinette said absently as she watched the kwamis.
"Hm?" Adrien turned to look at her again. Marinette leaned over slightly to make eye contact.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
Adrien thought for a moment. "No." He said simply. Marinette nodded.
"What can I do?" She asked.
"Heal." He said briefly.
"Anything else?" She asked. Adrien thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'll need you to stay here for a little bit alone. You need to stay in bed while I'm gone because I won't be here to stop you from getting up." He said.
"Where will you be?" Marinette asked.
"I'll be making an announcement and police statement as Chat about what happened with Hawkmoth." He said. Marinette nodded solemnly.
"You're sure I can't come with to support you?" She asked. Adrien raised his eyebrow as he stared at her.
"I'm sure. You can't even walk let alone swing through the city as Ladybug." He said. Marinette gave him a pained look as he looked away.
"Maybe you should put it off? Take some time?" She asked. Adrien shook his head.
"I just want to get it over with. I just hope he won't tell anyone our identities." He said, hesitant to say the last statement. Marinette nodded.
"Adrien?" She asked, thinking back to how she felt when he found her. When he looked back at her, she continued. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that I put you through these past two months." She said. Adrien stayed silent as he turned away again, his face set in concentration.
"Marinette…" he trailed off. He set his jaw while he thought and clasped his hands. "I...when we...did what we did I was hurt. But I got the chance to heal. And I know you didn't intend to put me through that, but you let me have that time and you worked with Marcus. I…well, thank you." He said.
"You can't thank me, I kept pushing you. First I pushed you away and then pushed you to come back." Marinette said. She then finally had a moment to realize how the whole situation started. She put her head in her hands.
"Marinette?" Adrien asked, unsure of what to do.
"I just shouldn't have put you in that situation." Marinette said, tears starting to pour into her hands. "I'm sorry." She sniffled. "I've just been really emotional." She said. Adrien nodded silently as he watched her. He moved to put his hand on her shoulder, but stopped a few inches away until she sniffled again. He felt his own tears well up as he started gently rubbing her shoulder with his palm.
She finally looked up at him again, her eyes red and puffy and the tip of her nose a reddish color. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what words to say, so he leaned in and gently kissed her on the forehead. He then rested his forehead against hers, keeping his eyes closed. "Don't cry." He managed to force himself to say.
Marinette pushed gently against his forehead with her own. "I'm just...so sorry." She said. Adrien's vibrant green eyes opened to stare into her bluebell eyes. As conflicted as he felt about everything else, he couldn't feel upset about Marinette in this moment.
He sighed deeply. "I'd better get going. Wouldn't want to keep people waiting." He said. "I'll be back soon." He said. Marinette nodded slightly, her forehead still rubbing against his.
"Just...come back and we can talk more." Marinette said. It was Adrien's turn to nod before pulling away and turning to get up from the bed.
"Marinette?" He asked hesitantly and Marinette didn't detect the nervousness in his voice.
"Yeah?" She asked.
"I just...I love you." He said, as he turned to look at her. Marinette just sat with wide eyes and stared at him. She hadn't expected him to confess his feelings like that. Especially not now. It was then that she saw his eyes tear up.
"Adrien?" She asked as he wiped at his eyes.
"I just...you scared me. With...this." he said. "I wanted to let you know before I left the apartment." He said. Marinette was about to respond when he transformed and Plagg was sucked into his ring. "I'll be back in a little bit." He said, now standing. Marinette nodded as he made his way out of the room.
Marinette continued to stare at the door as Tikki flew to her side. "I'm worried about him, Tikki." She said, not tearing her eyes from the door as she spoke.
"I know, Marinette." Tikki responded.
"I can't imagine how he feels." she said, shaking her head. "Finding out that your father is a supervillain. And more than that, finding out that the only family you have is a supervillain who has been terrorizing Paris for years…" Marinette trailed off. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. "I never wanted him to have to know. Once I saw that was where the ring was, I knew."
She sighed, wiping at her eyes as Tikki patted her on the leg.
"I never wanted him to even know about it. I wanted to just get his Miraculous and have that be the end of it." She said.
"He would have found out when Hawkmoth was arrested." Tikki stated. Marinette shook her head.
"Without the Miraculous, he wouldn't have been a threat. I would have left it as it was. Let him continue with his life as it was. Adrien never would have had to know." She stated.
"But Marinette, he needed to face the punishment for his crimes." Tikki squeaked. Marinette clenched her fist in anger.
"That would've only hurt Adrien. He doesn't deserve that." She stated angrily. Marinette wanted to help him, but when she tried to move to get up again, her stomach exploded in pain. Finally, she pulled up her shirt, curious enough to see the damage. What she saw were sets of four claw marks making their way across her stomach going in multiple directions. The cuts looked as if they were stitched together, but she couldn't see any stitches.
"Marinette, don't move!" Tikki shouted as Marinette stared at her stomach.
"T-Tikki, the suit has never torn before. Why did it tear when Gabriel attacked me?" She asked.
"The black cat miraculous and the ladybug miraculous are equal in terms of power. I wasn't able to protect you from his claws like I could protect against attacks from his akumas." Tikki stated. "I'm sorry, Marinette." She said.
"It's not your fault, Tikki. I shouldn't have gone there alone." Marinette said. "I just wish things had turned out differently." She said.
Miles away, Chat was standing at a podium with flashes coming from the crowd in front of him. He had already made a statement to the police. Now all he had to do was tell Paris. "Last night, Ladybug caught Hawkmoth and he has now been apprehended. The threat to Paris is over. Ladybug and I will still be here in case any new threats arise." He stated. Suddenly hands raised from the various news anchors. Chat nodded toward Nadia.
"Where have you been for the last few months?" She asked.
"I had personal responsibilities to attend to." He stated and moved on to another news anchor.
"Why isn't Ladybug here telling us this with you?" He asked.
"She was injured in the fight last night and is resting now. She'll be okay. She just needs rest." He stated.
"Is she the reason you left?" Nadia cut in.
"No." Chat said simply and tried to move on to another reporter.
"Is it true that Hawkmoth was Gabriel Agreste?" Another reporter stated.
"Yes." Chat stated coldly.
"Why did he do it?" The reporter asked.
"We don't know what his motives were at this time." Chat said simply.
"Could it have to do with his missing wife?" Nadia asked.
"We don't know." Chat stated.
"What will happen with Agreste?" Another reporter asked.
"There is probably a system in place within the label for what will happen going forward." Chat said. He didn't think it would be good for him to get too in depth with what would happen with the label even though he knew it was going to be transferred into his name after his father's trial.
He answered a few more questions before he left. He quickly made his way back to his apartment, entering through an open window. He shut the window before detransforming and making his way to his bedroom door.
"Marinette?" He asked gently as he opened the door slightly. He saw that she had fallen asleep during the time he'd been gone with Tikki curled up next to her cheek.
Adrien made his way over to the bed and leaned down to give her a quick kiss on the forehead when he saw that her eyelids were puffy. It was like she had been crying. The sight caused him to pause for just a moment before kissing her on the forehead gently. He then moved to leave the room when her hand grabbed his wrist.
He turned to see her blue eyes blinking open. "It's okay, get some rest." He said to her in a low voice.
"Stay?" She asked sleepily, not releasing his wrist. Adrien smiled at her.
"Okay." He said, simply before she released his wrist. He made his way around to the other side of the bed and laid down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. Her eyes shut quickly and she was soon snoring softly. Adrien smiled, the moment making him forget about finding out that his father was Hawkmoth for the time being. Soon, he allowed himself to fall asleep as well.
A/N: And, while it would be great to end it right there, there is one more short chapter coming up. I guess you could consider it an epilogue, if you want. I'm debating on whether to give this a happy or a sad ending. Feel free to either pm me or leave your preference in a review.
FranFranWriter: I sure hope you were mentally prepared for that chapter and this one. Thank you so much for your review.
Guest: Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as you enjoyed the last one.
Dutchman75: Thank you for your review. I also thought that it would make more sense for him to use Plagg because of how much more powerful his miraculous is. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
Clarisa: While he didn't use Cataclysm, Gabriel's intent was to injure her greatly to the point that Chat would need to take her to a hospital and wouldn't be able to follow him/deal with him. However, while I think in the show he knows that Adrien is Chat, in this story he did not. You were right that he was mentally taking it like Marinette. He just has a better poker face. As for Tyler, I figured that we needed to see him a bit more and that it would be good to have a little comic relief. So, I'm glad that you enjoyed him. Also, you're right. Knowing that Gabriel used Plagg just makes Adrien feel worse.
Grandeeney Marvell: Thank you. I'm glad that you like the story. And it's actually Mrs. Author. :)