Book Two: Chapter 9

Gouda with the Bad

Cat's mind scattered to a thousand places as he soared back through the city towards home. He should be as exhausted as Marinette, but he wasn't. His work as Cat wasn't wearing him out like it used to, as if the energy needed to maintain this role had lessened. It wasn't fair. He didn't need the boost, or the power upgrades, none of it. He'd give it all to her if he could. She was being too hard on herself, criticizing her progress by comparing it to theirs. Couldn't she see how far ahead she'd always been? Her cleverness alone made up for any time limits and single-use abilities. They'd defeated Hawkmoth without this level of skill, there was nothing stopping them from defeating Mayra and the Guardians and anything else that the universe wanted to throw at them. Ladybug—Marinette—could do anything. Why couldn't she see that?

He used the bathroom window to enter, the camera blinking off as he soared through thanks to the auto function he'd programmed with his staff. His cameras captured everything except for him.

"Plagg, claws in." Adrien leaned against the tiled wall as Plagg slipped free with the magic of his suit. "I'm worried about Marinette."

"You should be. If the Guardians have their sights set on her, she's in trouble."

"What can you tell me about them?"

"Nothing without a whole wheel of cheese."

Adrien checked his pocket. "You already ate it?"

"It was a pre-transformation snack." Plagg shrugged his tiny shoulders. Adrien rolled his eyes, feeling particularly moody between his concern for his secret girlfriend and annoyance over his multi-dimensional best friend.

The cheese safe in his room was also empty.

"Plagg." His voice offered nothing other than reproach.

"I was celebrating!" He zoomed over and wilted a little. Adrien caught him.

"What, exactly?"

"You and Marinette have been with us for five years." Plagg scratched his cheek and looked embarrassed.

"Plagg," Adrien's voice softened and he slipped a little smile. "You—"

Glass shattered outside Adrien's room from somewhere in the house. He and Plagg stilled. Sounds of rapid footsteps came from the hall. Something heavy fell with a thud. Muffled voices permeated the door.

"Get to the kitchen. Eat whatever you can find."

"Oh no, no way I'm leaving you."

"Go!" He ordered, leaving no room for argument. Plagg soared off just as something heavy hit Adrien's bedroom door. He inventoried his room for weapons. He had a saber next to his gym bag and slid it free. The door crashed open.

The Guardian filled the doorway. Adrien almost dropped the saber. How had the Guardian found him? Was he after Plagg? He curled his hand tighter.

Mayura slinked in after him. "Take him."

"Who are you? What do you want?" Adrien assumed the en garde position, but without Plagg he doubted he could take them both. Etan darted forward almost too fast to see, bending around Adrien's strikes with flexibility he hadn't seen outside of Cirque du Soleil. He couldn't land a strike or even defend as the Guardian slid into his space and struck a nerve on his shoulder, making his whole arm tingle and weaken.

Immediately he was disarmed, but he jumped back, using the agility learned through years as Cat Noir. It didn't feel the same fighting like this. He was hyper aware of the protests his body made and the fatigue in his muscles.

The Guardian aimed low, kicking towards Adrien's knees. He dodged, but realized he'd fallen into a trap. Mayura appeared behind him and forced him to dodge. His feet skid across the hardwood floor and his ankle buckled. Something popped.

Adrien fell. His arms were wrenched behind him and tied together. He glared at Mayura as Etan worked. They hadn't demanded Plagg or his Miraculous, and he wasn't about to confirm anything.

"My father won't pay any ransom for me."

Mayura crouched, getting her purple-hued skin and violet eyes all too close. "No. He won't. But he might give me something more valuable than money. Bring him." She said to Etan. Despite being bound, a knot eased in his chest. They didn't know who he was. They were after his father, not him.

Strong arms heaved him up, then Mayura gagged him. Past her shoulder, by the door, Plagg hovered. Adrien shook his head just enough. He couldn't let Plagg be seen, couldn't risk them taking the Miraculous away or worse. He tried to tell him with urgent eyes and quick looks towards the window to get help. Plagg disappeared into a wall. He better get Marinette and not more cheese.

Etan was a shorter than Adrien, but stockier. He wasn't as old as he'd originally thought, either, probably closer to his father's age with a similar flat expression, but his gaze was less calculating and more focused.

"You're sure the boy's father knows?" His voice was deep and harsh like a smoker's.

"Or he knows someone that does. He wouldn't have given up such power otherwise."

They knew Father had been Hawkmoth? He thought he, Marinette, and Mother were the only ones that knew. And Master Fu, he supposed, but his memory had been wiped when he relinquished the Miracle Box. The Guardian shoved Adrien ahead, but his ankle felt both burning and icy under his weight and he limped badly. Hopefully it was only a sprain, he needed to be able to fight. Unlike Luka and Kagami, Ladybug hadn't given him a tracker. It seems stupid now, but at the time these two were only targeting their allies, not them. Now he had no way to contact her, except through Plagg.

Slowly, Adrien made it downstairs at their insistence and was dumped into Father's office. His ankle wouldn't support him, and he fell hard on the tile floor.

"No!" As refreshing as it was to hear Father anguished over Adrien's wellbeing, he was more concerned with why they'd targeted them. Both his parents were tied to chairs, but they'd left Father ungagged.

"Leave our son out of this."

Adrien gritted his teeth and sat up, which was tricky with his hands tied and ankle aching. A Sentimonster lurked behind his parents: a headless mannequin wearing one of Father's recent designs. It moved with unnatural angles and appeared to be guarding Mayura's prisoners.

Etan slipped off a pair of tan gloves and tucked them into the pocket of his flowing cotton garb before sitting near Adrien on the couch. The lighting accented Etan's heavy cheekbones and prominent brow. He turned to face Father.

"Gabriel Agreste, you held the Butterfly Miraculous until it was removed from your person three years ago. Your use was unsanctioned, and by ruling of Guardian Law, you're to be removed to the temple. There you'll be required to submit to the service of the Guardians."

Adrien muffled out false surprise at Father's identity Time to let him know he knew. Father and Mother watched his carefully mimed shock and horror. Finally, Adrien didn't have to hide his disgust. He gave his father all he had, every ounce of betrayal he felt, every inch of hate. It freed the dark seething mass inside him, the one he'd swallowed down with every family meal, the one that he barely contained when Father threatened him and Marinette. The hurt on Father's face etched deeply into his features. Adrien hoped it was permanent.

"You can't honestly expect me to go with you on some absurd claim." Father's vitriol was finally being put to decent use, though his voice had lost some strength. The Guardian was overconfident if he thought he'd abduct an Agreste without the world noticing.

"You chose to abuse the magic of the Kwami. If they weren't shackled to their Miraculouses they'd have risen up and torn you apart. Don't be fooled by their appearance. Those creatures are dangerous, unpredictable, and not of this world. Especially those working with Ladybug and Cat Noir, but I have the authority to make a deal with you, Mr. Agreste—"

"What about me?"

"Emilie, be quiet." Father shot her a pleading look.

"No. I held a Miraculous as well. Will I be joining him?" Mother held her head up proudly and glared between both the Guardian and Mayura. Adrien almost forgot Mayura was even there. She stood by the door with an odd familiarity.

They scanned Mother, Mayura with narrow eyes and Etan with curiosity. "Dusuu was poisoned as the false Guardian ran off with the Miracle Box. You've already paid for your crime with your health. But you," Etan turned back to Father. "Have a choice. Submit your life in servitude to the protectors of the Miraculous... or you can tell me who the owner of the Ladybug Miraculous is."

Adrien stopped breathing. His pulse soared. That was what they came for? How did they know Father knew? His mind whirred, catching on errant thoughts like stumbling down a path. He couldn't let Marinette be revealed.

"No," Father answered in one hard, flat tone. Adrien dared a shallow breath. Maybe Father would hold strong. He was stubborn and the Guardian really couldn't force him to go. The risks were low. Stay calm.

"No? No, you won't submit, or no, you won't tell us the young woman's name."

"Both."

The Guardian grabbed the ties holding Adrien's wrists and forced him to stand. He had to hop to keep pressure off his ankle.

"That's unfortunate, but not unexpected. To be honest I don't give a damn if you come with us. All I want is her name." A knife flashed and then a cold, sharp line burned against Adrien's throat. He leaned back and away from the blade, pressing into the Guardians chest.

"Not the boy." Mayura stepped from her place at the door.

"If you can't stomach spilled blood, then leave."

"But you'd be punishing Adrien for the sins of his father." Her voice softened and became somewhat familiar, but the knife dug in a little deeper and Adrien gasped against the gag.

"Don't get in my way," Etan threatened.

Mayura looked between Adrien and his parents. Her face was a pained mask that at first, he couldn't read, then her brows turned down and her lips flattened. He'd seen that look before and suddenly he saw it. Saw behind the costume and the changes in her skin and eyes and hair, because her features hadn't changed. Nathalie.

Now he knew why seeing her at the door was so familiar, why her voice tickled recognition within him. Nathalie would have known the codes to the house, would have known their schedule and weaknesses. There were any number of times Nathalie lurked in the shadows while Father talked about sensitive material. If she'd managed to overhear his villainous past and that he knew who Ladybug was...

Adrien struggled against his bonds, shoving back from the knife. He was awarded a temporary reprieve. In Etan's attempt to secure his hold he sliced Adrien's cheek. Adrien cried out in surprise; the yell muffled against the gag. Mayura moved between his parents with her long nails poised over Mother's eye.

"Talk or both your wife and son will bleed."

Father blanched, his eyes darting between them. Please, Father, don't tell them. Adrien wanted to plead, threaten. Anything. He tried to yell against the gag and struggled even as the knife at his skin bit deeper.

Then Mayura backhanded Mother.

"No!" Both he and Father yelled, though Adrien's words were indistinguishable.

The Guardian dug into his pocket and pulled out a silver frog charm. "This is the Miraculous of the Dart Frog. Not once you've seen before, Hawkmoth. If I use this, I've only to touch your son to bring him agony. Even death if I wished it."

There were Miraculouses like that at the temple? How many others Miracle Boxes were out there? Adrien looked at the small charm and hoped he wouldn't find out exactly how that Miraculous worked

"Stop. Just stop." Father didn't lose his composure, but a bit of sweat lined his brow.

Mayura moved from Mother to sweep her hand along Father's shoulders. "Be honest, Gabriel. Otherwise we'll make sure you never see your family again."

"Gabriel, no. You made a promise to her. To me. Don't." Mother licked her bleeding lip and glared at him.

Adrien made as much noise as he could. He squirmed and his ankle jolted with pain. He fell out of the Guardian's grasp and landed on his knees.

Father ignored them both. "Ladybug is—"

Adrien half screamed against the gag. This wasn't happening. Let him be poisoned, let his father go into exile, anything but this!

"—Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

Adrien sank down and lost his voice. His eyes filled with tears that his anger couldn't contain.

"Thank you, Gabriel. You've been very helpful... unless you've told us a lie. We'll come for more than your family if that's the case. Release them." The Guardian nodded and Mayura sliced through Mother's bonds first.

Adrien's gag loosened and slid free, but he felt horribly empty. He couldn't look at them. This couldn't be real. The zip tie around his wrists gave away and he lurched forward onto all four. There were no words for the void inside where this new reality overwrote the safety of the past five years.

He had to get to Marinette. He had to warn her, but his ankle throbbed and Plagg was gone.


Author's Note:


Hello my lovelies! I'm hoping those of you who are stuck at home find a little reprieve with this new chapter. To those of you still heading into work as an essential worker, THANK YOU. I'm doing my part by staying home—which to be fair is what I mostly do anyway #cheating. I'll aim to post another chapter next week!

xoxoxo

Lin Lustig

P.S. My X-Men meets Sense8 book GUILDED LIES is releasing this September! Head to my website (Lin Lustig with a dot and a com) and sign up for my newsletter for cover reveals, nerdy joy, and basic Evil Queen revelry. 💜