Adrien, or Recoil, waited anxiously in the shadows for his lady. He had left for school like normal but had asked the Gorilla to take him early. He arrived before anyone else, but rather than going in, he ran to the alleys to transform. He had already shot Nino a text that he would be absent, claiming that he had photoshoots scheduled.

He ended up waiting for a good while, until a girl in green landed beside him. She wore a shield on her back, in her hand a horseshoe boomerang. She pulled off her hood, revealing dark brown hair pulled into a ponytail. On her face were stylish sunglasses, and the Turtle Miraculous was tightened around her wrist. Her suit was mostly dark brown, with deep green accents.

If he didn't know she would come wearing the two Miraculous, he most certainly would not have recognized her.

"Hey Bugaboo, I was beginning to worry you didn't wake up." He had a feeling she rolled her eyes, but he couldn't see through the glasses.

"I wouldn't sleep through this, not a chance. Sorry if I kept you waiting, though," she added sheepishly. "Are you ready?"

He took a shuddering breath.

The honest truth, no. he was not ready. He would never be ready. He had learned only last night that his father was the mastermind behind the terror in Paris. The man who never had time for him, but always had time for yet another poorly crafted akuma. It made a sad sort of sense, that the man never had time. He upheld the same double life that Adrien had, except that he could create his own schedule. Or more accurately, that Nathalie could. She was most certainly Mayura, Adrien had no doubt.

Despite the cruelty of the situation, he dared to believe that maybe he would not have to fight his father. Maybe there really was a method to his madness. And that reason was exactly what he and Ladybug were going to find out.

"Sass, Trixx, unify!" He called out as an answer. Whether or not he was ready did not matter, it was whether or not he was capable.

He looked Ladybug straight in the eyes and nodded. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

She took his hand for a moment, with a small smile. He could do this, with her by his side. "Oh, one more thing. Please, can you tell me what try you are on each time…? There..." She swallowed. "There was a Snake user that used Second Chance way too many times, and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I only want you using Second Chance as much as it helps, and no longer."

He shook his head; he knew far too well. "I promise, I will only use it as many times as it helps."

She gave him a smile. "Thank you. Alright then. Voyage!"

They stepped through the portal, arriving in a pitch-black room, illuminated only by the light of the portal. To both of their relief, Hawkmoth was not present. It would have ruined everything if he had been there, but they couldn't afford to use Second Chance early.

They headed to a corner of the room, out of sight from both the window and the door, although there was no furniture. The portal disappeared, and the room became dark. To Adrien's surprise, he still possessed night vision, from the Fox Miraculous. He kept holding Ladybug's hand, and eventually, they let out a long breath.

"Kaalki, divide," she murmured, and the little horse floated out. She gave him a quick snack, and reunified.

All that was left was to wait.

Adrien was loath to admit it, but he ended up dozing off for the majority of the wait. Like he predicted, he hadn't been able to sleep the previous night, so the quiet and the comfort of his lady gave him something he hadn't had access to that night. He wasn't quite sure how long had passed, when he awoke, and the darkness didn't tell him. When he heard the clunks of the lair system, he was startled awake, and Ladybug squeezed his hand.

"He's coming?" He whispered.

She nodded. "Shellter," she activated her ability, and the green shield appeared around them. It was slightly different from what he had seen it used before, instead of protecting from blows, this shield protected from discovery. It could not be seen through, it could not be heard through, it could not be sensed through. The only downside is that she would activate it before he activated Second Chance, and thus it would end earlier.

Though it would serve as a reminder of his timer, if it closed off early.

With bated breath, the two watched as the floor opened up, revealing Gabriel Agreste himself. Adrien choked in his throat, it was one thing to know his father was Hawkmoth, it was another to see it. But he pushed down the feeling, waiting for the perfect moment to activate his ability.

The elevator beneath Gabriel's feet ceased moving with a mechanical thud, and the man took a breath. Adrien whispered, "Second Chance," and the loop began.

He felt her squeeze his hand, catching his eye. He was grateful, it would be a good way to begin each time. "One," Adrien told Ladybug.

"Oh jeez, we've just started. What's the plan?"

He glanced at her. "We're going to wait this one out, I want to know why he came up here first. What if Mayura shows up? Is this just a regular akuma, or does he have some groundwork laid?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!" The two of them were interrupted, though they had no more to say. They watched in a sort of awe, as his transformation was covered by the white butterflies, and the window opened. As the light streamed into the room, there was not a doubt in either mind that this was certainly the lair of a supervillain.

"Ahhh, I see, thwarted and lied to by love, and these emotions, so raw." A small akuma drifted towards his staff, and he called, "Go my little akuma, and give power to his heartbreak!"

The little butterfly drifted away, and Hawkmoth watched quietly, his eyes closed.

Nothing happened for three and a half minutes, presumably until the butterfly reached its target. The two simply watched, and it never occurred to Adrien what he did until the butterfly reached its target, though he supposed there was nothing to do but wait.

"Dark Knight," Hawkmoth's voice exploded into the room, startling Adrien. "You thought you two were in love, and you opened your heart, only to be stomped to the dust. I will give you the power to guard yourself, such that you can never be hurt again. In exchange, you will bring me the miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir," he called, a glowing purple mask outlining his eyes.

It was somewhat surreal, watching him do it. Not only was it very real, but it was so close. He was a villain that operated through the shadows, and his physical presence felt vastly different from his akumas, which seemed almost comical.

Adrien watched the minutes pass, but nothing more happened until he had to reset. It seemed the ground was laid, and it was a perfect slate for him to find the truth. He took a deep breath and reversed the bracelet.

Ladybug was holding his arm, and he felt that comforting squeeze. "Two," he informed her.

"What's the plan?"

He took a breath. "I'm going to make an illusion of his son discovering, and hope that he gives the answer straight out." She nodded, and he called out, "Mirage!"

"Nooroo, Dark Wings rise!" Gabriel called at the same time.

He created the sound of the elevator working again, and Hawkmoth sighed. "Nathalie, what-"

"Father?"

Hawkmoth spun around in horror, to see his son standing, unsure in the darkness. Illusion Adrien's eyes were wide, and Hawkmoth's jaw dropped. In the corner of the room, the real Adrien could feel Ladybug shift besides him. It really was odd, watching a Mirage of himself.

"Adrien?" He breathed.

"Father, you're Hawkmoth? Why?" His voice was quiet, broken. Adrien winced as he listened to his illusion express the emotion he wanted to but hadn't allowed himself to. He wouldn't budge.

"Adrien, I-" He took some steps forward. "Adrien, please you wouldn't understand," Hawkmoth pleaded, and attempted to put his hand on his shoulder, but it went straight through." The villain's gaze twisted, as he discovered the illusion, his eyes turning murderous.

"Second Chance, Second Chance," Ladybug urged, her eyes wide, and Adrien complied.

He took a deep breath as he felt her comforting grip. "Three."

"What's the plan?" He was going to hear that a lot, wasn't he?

"I tried to show him his son, but he immediately found the illusion because he tried to touch his shoulder. I'm going to try again, but have Adrien flinch away such that he doesn't realize he is an illusion."

"Nooroo, Dark Wings rise!"

"Mirage!"

Like before, Hawkmoth sighed and turned, "Nathalie, what-"

"Father?" Illusion Adrien began once again. "You're Hawkmoth?"

"Adrien, I-" He took a step forward, but the illusion flinched away, and he stopped. "I- you wouldn't understand," he pleaded.

The illusion let out the dark laugh that Adrien felt. "You've terrorized Paris for years, surely you have some sort of reason?" Hawkmoth stiffened, and Adrien realized that as hateful as he felt, he realized that showing his emotions would probably not give him the information that he and Ladybug needed.

Hawkmoth launched into a speech about this has always been for the family, and how much he cared, and though Adrien knew he could probably glean information from it, he didn't want to hear it, and he knew he had many more loops to come. He couldn't afford to let his emotions take over.

He took a deep breath, this wasn't about Adrien and what he wanted to hear, this was about Hawkmoth, Ladybug, and Chat Noir. This was about ending the battle peacefully, and that included the gathering information. He would have to be more cautious with his approach, treating the conversation as a strategy towards an end rather than crying for answers.

Without warning, he twisted the bracelet, interrupting whatever nonsense Hawkmoth was spouting.

Ladybug's comfort washed over him again, and he continued. "Four."

"What's the plan?" She asked, and he somewhat wished the Horse Miraculous was anything but glasses. As stylish as she looked, he would have liked to see her eyes.

"I'm going to show him his son, but I went at it from too much of an emotional angle these last two times. I'm going to try and make a guess at his reasoning this time and see how he reacts."

"Nooroo, Dark Wings Rise!"

"Mirage!" they chorused once more.

Once again, the elevator spurred and Hawkmoth began, "Nathalie, what-" only to be interrupted.

"Father?" The illusion's voice was less incredulous this time, quieter, sounding as though he had geared himself for this conversation. Like he knew it was coming.

"Adrien?" Hawkmoth breathed. "I-"

"I thought you might be Hawkmoth," the illusion whispered, interrupting him. "Why? Is it-" Adrien dared to believe, but this is why he held the Fox and the Snake, rather than Ladybug. This is where his insight would come in, as Adrien himself, something she may not know of. "Is it about mother?" Beside him, Ladybug gasped.

Hawkmoth stiffened, and with a sigh he approached what he believed to be his son. The illusion flinched back, and Hawkmoth stopped. "I- how did you-"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," the illusion admitted. "She just went missing- you've never said she was dead. It didn't make sense, she was sick, she couldn't leave, why would she leave? But you never talked about it, I always assumed she was dead, and you didn't want to say so. But then- then I thought you might be Hawkmoth, and- and-" the illusion stopped.

Hawkmoth let out a deep breath. "Yes. It is for your mother." Adrien himself gasped.

"You're going to combine the miraculous to bring her back to life?" The illusion whispered, urging him further. "But isn't there a cost?"

Hawkmoth's eyes flashed. "How would you know about that?"

Adrien almost panicked, but Ladybug piped up, "Say that he found the Grimoire! I remember Adrien had it at one point, and thought it was just stories, but now he's realized the truth."

"I- it was in that big book that I found in the safe. At first, I thought it was just for your drawing inspiration, as you said, but then I got to thinking and looked at it again, and I realized that may be it. I saw the exchange, with the ladybug and cat miraculous, and realized that had to be it, but I- I wanted to confirm." The illusion sputtered, and Adrien hoped hadn't waited too long to sound believable.

"Drawing inspiration…?" Ladybug murmured. "Where did you hear…?"

Hawkmoth blinked. "You- you have thought this out." The illusion nodded quietly. Hawkmoth took another deep breath. "Yes, I am going to save her. She's not dead, she fell into an enchanted sleep, so I assumed the consequences would not be so drastic as taking another's life for hers. If it was…" he shuddered. "I would never sacrifice you, Adrien."

Adrien idly wondered if he would sacrifice someone else, but he didn't allow himself to dwell on it. He glanced at the bracelet in surprise, he still had 3 minutes. He had assumed he was almost out, but time seemed to have slowed.

"Enchanted sleep?" The illusion pushed. Adrien frowned, was she in a coma then?

Hawkmoth closed his eyes. "Yes. She..." He took a shuddering breath. "She used the Peacock miraculous, when it was damaged. It sapped her strength, over time."

"Nathalie," Adrien breathed, and quickly proceeded to have his illusion say the same. He remembered her coughing, her dizzy spells, they had been so familiar.

Hawkmoth flinched. "Yes, you noticed it, didn't you? But with the translated Grimoire, we discovered how to repair the miraculous, so she can use it without hurting herself."

"But she's not getting better," Adrien's illusion frowned, a kind of desperation on his face.

"She's not getting worse," Hawkmoth murmured. "I… I never asked her to use it. I didn't want her to, but she wanted to. She wants to help me. I just can't understand why she is so loyal…"

Ladybug let out a small noise. "Oh no…"

Adrien glanced at her, "What?" he asked quietly.

"Nathalie loves him, doesn't she?" she stated simply, sadly. Adrien stiffened. That certainly complicated things….

He shook his head; he still had another two minutes. What could he learn?

"...Where is Mother? If she's not dead…" The illusion said after the short silence.

Hawkmoth sighed. "Come." He moved again towards the illusion, bringing his hand to its shoulder.

Damn it. "A-actually- uh, is she here? Like, in the building?"

Hawkmoth paused, giving him a scrutinizing glare. He hadn't yet placed his hand but was beginning to suspect. Please, please just answer the question, Adrien pleaded.

"You saw the two paths as you came up, yes? Where did you think the other one led?" And with that, he put his hand on the illusion's shoulder, dispelling it.

"You got a lot from this try," Ladybug breathed, Adrien nodded in agreement.

As Hawkmoth began violently searching for the source of the illusion once more, Adrien took a deep breath. "We'll explore the building next time. Second Chance!"

AN: That's right, I'm going through every single use of Second Chance. Each time he learns something new, or something happens, and I wanted to explore what it was that he could learn. I really love Second Chance and want to see the ability used a little more creatively, which led to this not-quite-a-battle story. Anyways, about to push poor Adrien's feelings away in the next chapter, hopefully he won't mind too much. Thank you for giving this a read!