"Let go of her."

Hawkmoth's smile is sinister as he rests his hand onto her shoulder. "I'm not restraining her in any way."

The three of them are standing at an empty factory, where Chat is at one side of the room while they're at the other.

Chat tightens his hold onto his baton, teeth smashed together. "Stop lying to me."

The cane, the damnable cane taps twice on the floor before Hawkmoth moves to her side. "Why would I? I'm not even touching her."

"Don't lie to me," Chat snarls, because he's furious and worried, she shouldn't suffer this. She doesn't deserve this. "Whatever magic you have on her, stop it. Now."

Hawkmoth chuckles. "Ask her yourself."

"Princess- Marinette," Chat tries to make sure his voices doesn't waver, but it's hard, so, so hard. "Listen to me, get out of here, alright? I'll come back for you."

But she doesn't say anything, there's no emotion on her face as she stares blankly back at him, and his heart sinks.

"What have you done to her?" He asks in horror, holding onto his baton that he thinks it might break as he searches for her under that mask she wears, so different than his Marinette. "What have you done to her?"

"She came willingly, if you have to know," Hawkmoth says casually, almost humming the words out. "I have nothing to do with this."

Chat lets out a bark of laughter. Bitter, scathing. "Everything has to do with you if she's here."

"Is it?" Hawkmoth asks caustically, the smile on his face could easily be mistaken as a sneer. "Why don't you find out then? Prove to me that she didn't come to me one day, striking a deal with me, so that I wouldn't hurt you in any way."

Chat feels his insides seizes with fear. "What?" He asks quietly, because he can't possibly mean what he says. He's wrong, Hawkmoth is just playing with him and he's wrong.

"And I'll be keeping her promise of course," Hawkmoth sighs with feign remorse, tilting her chin up to have a look at her properly that Chat growls in warning, taking a step forward. "I wouldn't attack you like I would want to initially, and after all," he meets the vigilante's eyes. "A life spared is another life spent."

"Stop this," Chat hisses, taking another step forward with his baton raised. "Let go of her."

"Oh, if you want to fight, I won't touch you at all. Rather," he takes a step back and let's go of her chin, still staring into Chat's eyes.

"She will."

There's a flash of red light, and standing in Marinette's place is Ladybug.

Chat feels his breath is sucked in sharply.

No.

"No." He chokes out when she takes out her yo-yo, the compact gleams under what little light they have.

"Finish him." Hawkmoth waves his hand dismissively as he walks away, making his way out of the empty factory they're in.

The battle scream she lets out as she runs towards him rivals with the wail that shrieks in Chat's heart.