Chat Noir and Master Fu stared at the record player on the floor, secret compartment empty.

"Well, this isn't good," Chat Noir stated.

Master Fu nodded mutely.

Nino examined the video, trying to figure out exactly where to make his edit.

Let's see… need to try and cover most of its body without concealing its feet and…

There!

He adjusted the size of the pink poptart, dragging it over to the gray kitten's body.

A few splices later and a new nyan cat video graced the internet, courtesy of the bouncy kitten who'd sprung all over the city a few hours earlier.

Sighing, Nino checked his phone. He frowned. "This isn't like her," he muttered, worried.

It was FAR from the first time he'd texted his girlfriend and not gotten a response for awhile. But usually just checking the news would tell him why she hadn't messaged him.

This time several hours had gone by without a response, and with no clear reason behind the delay.

He didn't like it.

And with Ladybug's disappearing act added onto that?

He was seriously considering biking over to the Cesaires, uninvited or not. If something bad was going down he wanted to be there at Alya's side.

Especially with what happened on Heroes Day…

He shuddered. Seeing her take that arrow for him, seeing her twisted, her love turned to hate, and her subsequent akumatization was one of the worst experiences of his life. He'd had nightmares about it every night since, and he doubted it was going away any time soon.

A news alert popped up on his phone.

Ah! So there was an akuma after… all…

He blinked.

HAWKMOTH was active?! Again?!

Was this going to become a regular thing?!

And the cat by his side… was that an akuma? Or one of those new creatures, like that purple moth that blew them all away last time they faced him?

*knock knock*

"GAH ah ah- oh," Nino startled, only calming down once he saw the culprit. "Dude, don't scare me like that!"

He opened the window for Chat Noir, expecting the cat-themed hero to simply jump through.

Instead he deposited some random old man in Nino's room first.

"Um… dude, who's this?" Nino asked, pointing to the stranger.

Chat rubbed the back of his neck. "This is gonna be a long story…"

Nino stared.

And blinked.

And stared some more.

Chat Noir - wait he's ADRIEN, what the hell?! - waved his hand in front of Nino's face. "Nino?"

Nino shook his head. "Sorry, dude. That was just… a lot."

Adrien laughed bitterly. "Tell me about it."

Nino winced.

"Don't worry about me, I already had my freak out over Father's actions," Adrien hastened to add, noticing Nino's expression.

He really thought that was enough? "I don't think this is the kind of thing you can just get over in a few hours."

"We came here for a specific reason," the old man spoke up, taking off his bracelet.

A bracelet that suddenly looked very familiar.

"Nino Lahiffe, will you bear the Miraculous of the Turtle once more?"

A few minutes later, Chat Noir and Carapace bounded towards the Agreste Mansion.

Fu was currently staying with Nino's parents. Turns out "Chat Noir's dropped by and needs to leave this elderly man somewhere safe for awhile while I help him with something" was all the explanation they needed before sitting him down and piling food onto his plate.

Chat Noir's baton beeped. He stopped, opening it up and expanding the screen so Carapace could see.

"RENA!"

The heroine blinked, then smiled. "Miss me?"

"I was worried! You're never silent for this long!"

She chuckled. "I've seen too many movies to risk leaving my phone on while I'm sneaking around."

Her smile fell, resuming a serious expression. "You two need to get over to the Agreste Mansion right away, I'm on the second floor. I found Nathalie… and the Peacock Miraculous."

Looking at her resting on so many pillows, Adrien would've thought Nathalie looked peaceful.

After seeing his mother in her own magically-induced coma though? He couldn't quite make himself see it that way. Especially after learning that she'd used the same broken miraculous that had evidently put his mother to sleep.

An arm came around his shoulder.

"How're you holding up?" Nino asked him softly.

"I…"

He couldn't tear his eyes away from Nathalie.

Intellectually, he knew that she would probably be fine if she stayed here.

But part of him was still scared.

Scared that she'd vanish or die or… or just leave him in some way.

"Do you need a hug?"

Adrien nodded mutely, still not taking his eyes off his unofficial caretaker. Off of the woman he suspected (and had been hoping) would become his stepmother.

Nino embraced him, squeezing him tightly, but being conscious of Adrien's line-of-sight, careful not to get between him and Nathalie.

The pressure broke something within Adrien.

He sniffled once.

Then twice.

And finally broke down.

It took a few more minutes to get through it this time, Nino gently stroking his hair all the while.

At last he looked up, eyes still rimmed red. He took a shaky breath. "We- we need to get the Peacock Miraculous back to Fu. And- and I want to get Nathalie to a hospital - to somewhere safe."

Nino's eyebrows drew together. "What about-?"

Adrien shook his head. "I can't move Mom. I don't know what's going on with her, it might not be safe. I HATE leaving her there, but- but I'd hate accidentally hurting her even more."

"I can take the Miraculous to Fu," Rena chimed in. "It's not like I don't know where Nino lives, and I can hide myself better than you two can."

Chat nodded. "Th-thanks. We'll head back afterwards, so just be on the look out."

Rena Rouge slipped through Nino's bedroom window.

Hm… you know, if she got to keep her Miraculous, she had the feeling this wouldn't be the only time she got to do that…

She shook her head. Focus Alya! You can think about sneaking over to see your boyfriend later!

Besides, it's not like she actually NEEDED to sneak over. She was more than welcome at the Lahiffes, just as Nino was treated as one of the family over at her own house.

Still… sneaking over held a certain allure to it. It just felt exciting to get together in secret, even if it was something they could do normally.

"Rena Rouge? Where are the others?"

She jumped about two feet.

So the whole "don't get distracted by your own thoughts" plan had failed.

"They're fine, just taking Nathalie to a hospital before heading over here." She fiddled with her flute, opening up a hidden storage compartment within it. These weapons were absurdly versatile. "I was assigned with bringing this back to you right away."

Fu leaned in, getting a closer look at what she had in her hand.

"The Peacock Miraculous-!" he gasped, looking shocked… and a bit scared?

Maybe because it was broken? It'd already put one person in a coma and may have hurt a second one after all.

Gingerly he took it, as if afraid it would leap over and bite him.

"Are… you okay?" she asked.

He sighed. "Miraculous should never be misused. This one especially. I learned that the hard way."

Wait, what? "You've used it before? What happened? Does it have anything to do with how Hawkmoth got ahold of it? How-?"

She stopped, noticing Fu's pained expression. "I- I would prefer not to talk about it. Please. Not unless I have to. I made a big mistake when I was young, one I cannot take back. One that I've had to live with every day since then. I do not wish to relive it while I'm awake, when I already cannot escape it while I sleep."

Her stomach curdled with guilt. "...Sorry."

He shook his head. "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known."

This wasn't the first time this had happened though. Sometimes she got started talking, asking questions, investigating, and it took a little while for her to realize that the other people around her were getting uncomfortable or bored, or that something else was going on with them that she needed to pay attention to instead.

Luckily everyone in class was pretty understanding. Most people had had the experience of getting really excited or concentrated on one thing, to the exclusion of everything else. It was just a little more pronounced with her than with most of the others - though Max could give her a run for her money, with how utterly engrossed he ended up being in whatever project or activity he decided to work on.

Fu examined the brooch. His eyes lit up. "I think I can repair this."

Alya blinked. "Wait, seriously?!"

He nodded. "So long as I have the right tools and potions at least."

"...Would these happen to be materials the Lahiffes have on hand?"

"How do you feel about retrieving some things from my shop while I start?"

Chat Noir and Carapace climbed back through Nino's window, having dropped Nathalie off successfully.

Luckily people didn't usually question two superheroes when told to keep an eye on a woman in an enchanted sleep.

Adrien thought about telling them that she had been working with Hawkmoth, but couldn't quite make himself do it. Not when she'd apparently objected to his latest plan, with his father even knocking her out to ensure she couldn't turn on him.

She still shouldn't have covered up for him all this time, nor helped him near the end of Heroes Day, but… but he just couldn't make himself turn her in.

Laughter thundered from the direction of the living room.

He and Nino looked at each other questioningly. "Do your parents like watching comedies?"

Nino shook his head. "Haven't found a lot of good ones."

They entered the living room.

"Have there always been this many bottles and…" Adrien picked up a round flat object that had fallen on the ground. "Gongs in here?"

"Oh, you're just in time!" Fu greeted them, looking happier than Adrien had ever seen him.

Not that he'd seen him very often.

"In time…?" Adrien asked, confused.

"We've been working on fixing the Peacock Miraculous for the last few hours," an exhausted-looking Alya told them, leaning against a nearby doorway. "Repairing Miraculous takes some weird things."

"Does this have anything to do with the laughter we heard earlier?" Adrien asked.

Fu nodded. "A tear of joy! Ladybug helped me discover that secret ingredient."

The mood instantly dimmed.

"Any word on her?" Adrien asked.

Alya grimaced. "A few sightings, but no havoc just yet. I think they're trying to find us first instead of baiting us out. Hawkmoth doesn't have a lair to retreat to this time, no safety net if he fails. I can see why he'd be more cautious."

"At least it buys us some time," Adrien noted.

"Speaking of that…" Alya turned to Fu. "Is it ready?"

He nodded, carefully unwrapping a small cloth bundle.

"The Peacock Miraculous…?" Adrien said.

It looked a little different from before, the colors more dark blue and purple rather than the traditional peacock coloring from before.

"This is hardly the first time a Miraculous has been damaged," Fu said. "Luckily the Grimoire contained detailed repair instructions."

"So then…?"

"It can be used safely now."

Adrien grinned, moving to put it on. Fu stopped him, holding up his hand. "Just because it can be used without harming the wielder does not mean it should be used carelessly. The consequences of creating a sentimonster without firmly understanding what you put into it can be disastrous."

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked. "Doesn't a sentimonster just do what you want?"

Fu shook his head. "Sentimonsters are created based off of emotions. The Peacock Miraculous wielder's explicit intentions play a large role in determining what kind of creature is formed, what it's like, but their hidden emotions can distort those intentions.

Fu fiddled with his hands, making motions to turn something on his wrist, stopping when he realized he no longer had the Turtle Miraculous. "If you are say, hungry when you make the sentimonster, and… and angry at the Miraculous, at what they've done to your life, you can create a creature that- that will stop at nothing to devour all the Miraculous and anyone who gets in the way of that goal."

Judging by the way Fu's voice was shaking, Adrien doubted this was purely a hypothetical.

He may not be the only one coping with losing people.

Gently he reached out, putting his hand on Fu's shoulder. "Thank you for telling me. Do you have any advice?"

Fu took a moment to compose himself. "Do not concentrate on hate or destruction. Try to set your mind to something else instead. Something that's less likely to go out of control."

That… may be difficult. Whenever he thought of his father, betrayal and fear roiled in his gut.

If he was going to create a sentimonster, he needed something to counteract his feelings towards his father, even if the sentimonster was meant to help him defeat Hawkmoth.

What calmed him? Made him feel safe?

Ah!

"Claws in!"

Plagg spiralled out of the ring. Adrien threw him a piece of cheese, then rummaged through a different pocket.

Nino blinked. "You really weren't kidding about carrying Marinette's Lucky Charm with you everywhere, huh?"

"Why wouldn't I? Marinette made it, how could I not?"

Nino gave him an exasperated look. Adrien couldn't understand why, the logic seemed obvious to him.

Alya just smirked.

His friends had weird reactions whenever he talked about Marinette.

"I don't think we can do this alone," Adrien said, putting on the brooch. "It took the three of us, PLUS Ladybug and Queen Bee to have a shot last time, and Hawkmoth still has Panther with him. We're gonna need some help.

Duusu, spread my feathers!"

Adrien transformed, his skin turning blue, a blue tuxedo tail coat replacing his usual clothing.

Holding up Marinette's Lucky Charm, he concentrated.

We need help.

The three of us can't do this by ourselves.

We need something strong, something that can turn the tides of battle, even when things seem hopeless, like Ladybug does.

His eyes locked on the four-leaf clover on the bracelet.

Marinette gave him this bracelet when he kept on losing to her. Truthfully he knew that the bracelet had nothing to do with her wins, but the kind smile she gave him as she handed it to him, her soft voice as she told him to just try playing with it…

Whenever he saw the charm, he remembered that moment.

How she'd just earnestly wanted him to feel better, even if it was just over losing a match.

She was so smart and brave too. How could he forget the way she helped with Evillustrator, volunteering to go on a date with an akuma? Heck, she was even the one who figured out how to escape Evillustrator's trap!

If the sentimonster could be just a little like her, they might have a chance.

He infused the feather with his emotions, touching it to the lucky charm.

A purple mass began to form in front of him, lengthening out, forming five off-shoots that began to resemble…

...Was that a human shape?