Chapter 4
"Chat Noir?"
The question came from a familiar voice and Adrien shifted in confusion. Why was someone calling him that? It wasn't his name. That was the name of the superhero-
His eyes flew open as he remembered what had happened the night before. It was still dark out, but someone had a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Sabine and the woman gave him a small smile.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
"I-I had to leave home," Adrien blurted. "I don't have anywhere else to go. I saw your bakery and I thought someone would be up soon, so I came. It was stupid, I'm sorry. I'll go."
"No, don't leave," Sabine said, her grip tightening on his shoulder. "It's all right. We know what you've been through."
Adrien almost said that he didn't know what he had been through, but he stopped. If they knew he was Adrien, would they call his father? He had already had them lie to his father once before, and in the end, they had told his father where he was. Not that he blamed them.
"Thank you," he said instead, allowing Sabine to lead him inside. She led him to one of the tables before disappearing into the back. When she returned, she was holding a croissant and something steaming.
"It sounds like you've had a hard day," she said, soothingly before placing the croissant and drink in front of him. "Though I'll bet you've had a hard few weeks as well."
Adrien's heart leaped at the notion. Did Sabine know who he was under the mask? He looked down at his clothes to make sure the costume was still on and it was. Maybe he had told Marinette's parents long ago and couldn't remember.
"You look confused," Sabine sighed, sliding onto the seat next to him. "I'm going to be frank with you, Chat Noir. We know about Marinette."
Adrien blinked. What was she talking about? Knew what about Marinette? Sabine looked away from him guiltily and Adrien wondered if he was supposed to know what the woman was talking about. Maybe Marinette had told him some kind of secret...but he couldn't even remember knowing the girl, much less a secret she may or may not have told him.
"We found the miracle box in her room when we were cleaning it up after the accident."
That made Adrien bolt upright. The miracle box was what his father was talking about that time he had overheard. He was asking Tikki about it because Tikki was Ladybug's kwami. He said she would know where it was because Ladybug had had it last. If Marinette's parents had found the box…
"Marinette is Ladybug," Adrien blurted.
Sabine smiled. "I know, Chat Noir."
Adrien opened his hand looking down at the earring in his palm. He looked back to Sabine and handed the earrings over to her.
"I think these are hers."
Sabine's eyes widened. "Where did you get these? Hawkmoth...he got her. It was on the news. No one knew what happened to her, or you for that matter, but Hawkmoth stopped sending akumas. Of course, we knew what happened to Marinette…"
The woman's voice choked and Adrien grimaced. He dumped the earrings into Sabine's hands.
"My father...he's Hawkmoth," Adrien admitted.
Sabine's mouth dropped open. "Oh, Chat Noir," she gasped. "I'm so sorry."
"That's why I can't go back home," he said. "I just got the ring back and the earrings."
"Why did he want your miraculous anyway?" Sabine asked, her eyes full of tears as she stared at the earrings in her hand.
"He wanted to make a wish," Adrien explained, thinking back to what Tikki had told him.
"Did he make it?"
"I think so," Adrien said, deciding if Sabine and Tom knew about Ladybug they might as well know about him and Chat Noir. He slipped off the ring and transformed back into his normal clothes. "But I can't remember what it was."
ooo
It had been a rough morning of questions and shock. Sabine and Tom had decided against calling Adrien's father, especially since Adrien had told them that he was Hawkmoth. After they had decided they knew all they could from Adrien's limited memory and talking with Plagg and Tikki, they led him upstairs and made him a bed on their couch. Adrien had gratefully gone right to sleep.
Now, he could smell the beginnings of lunch. He blinked away the sleep from his eyes and sat up. Sabine was in the kitchen, cooking. Adrien looked down at the ring on his hand and smiled at the familiarity it provided. Plagg was snoozing peacefully on the pillow next to Adrien.
"You're up," Sabine said cheerfully, looking over as she stirred her soup.
"Whatever you're cooking smells delicious," Adrien said, wiping at his face and getting up from the couch.
"It's just soup," Sabine said, though she looked flattered by the praise. "My uncle used to make it all the time. I'm making enough for the three of us."
"Thank you," Adrien said, honestly grateful. He hadn't eaten anything since the croissant this morning and he had been hoping he could stay and eat with the Dupain-Cheng's.
"I thought I should let you know, your parents stopped by the bakery," Sabine said softly. "They were wondering if you came here."
"Did you tell them?" Adrien asked, his worry clenching in his stomach once again.
"No," Sabine assured. "Though I'm not sure they believed me."
Adrien frowned, wondering if his father would go as far as to get the police involved. Knowing him, he probably would.
"Maybe I should go," Adrien said softly. "I could find somewhere else to hide out."
"No," Sabine said sternly, pointing her wooden spoon at him. "You'll stay here until we can figure out how to keep you safe."
Adrien smiled at the woman gratefully, and she turned back to her soup. He was just about to suggest turning his father in when the whole apartment shook. He stumbled and Sabine cried out as soup splashed all over her stovetop.
"CHAT NOIR!" a voice boomed. "I HEARD YOU'RE BACK TO PLAY!"
Adrien ran to the window, followed closely by Sabine.
"It's an akuma," the woman said, her voice soft. "He's trying to flush you out."
"What do I do?" Adrien asked, watching as large explosions flashed through the streets of Paris all around them. "He's destroying everything."
"Only Ladybug can purify an akuma," Sabine muttered. "Her lucky charm can reverse the damages."
Adrien's panic grew. "But we don't have Ladybug," he reminded.
"Maybe...maybe I could try…"
"No," Adrien said, backing away from the window. "I don't want my father hurting your family any more than he already has."
"But-"
Adrien grabbed at the earrings on the table. "I'll do it."
"Wait, kid," Plagg said, waking up as Adrien shoved the earring in his ear. "Don't do that."
"Adrien, the cat and ladybug aren't supposed to both be used," Tikki said, appearing in a flash of pink.
Adrien ignored them both and put the other earring in. It was his father who was doing this. It was only fitting that he fixed it. A surge of power flashed through him, and Adrien fell to his knees. What was happening? Was the Ladybug miraculous way more powerful than the cat's? He gripped at his head which was pounding.
What do you want? His mind screamed. Adrien grimaced, wondering if he was dying. He was vaguely aware of Sabine calling to him, but he couldn't hear her over the demand in his mind. What do you want? What do you want?
"To fix it," he muttered, squeezing his head harder as if it would stop the pounding. "I just want to fix it!"
There was a pop, and Adrien felt like his body was on fire. He screamed and realized he had made a major mistake. It was too late to do anything about it now, though, so he simply succumbed to the pain.
ooo
Adrien hadn't meant to find out Ladybug's identity. It had been a complete accident that had happened as a result of there not being many places to hide and transform in the theatre their class had been on a field trip to. The insulted actress was turning people into her own personal crew, and there was no time to waste on telling Ladybug about what he had seen.
Now he was sick about it, knowing he would have to tell Marinette. He also knew that as the guardian, the girl might take away his miraculous, but he had decided that being honest was more important than that. He twisted the ring nervously as he started toward the bakery after his photoshoot.
He paused in front of the bakery, looking at the display of baked goods. They had all his favorites today, which was both exciting and depressing since he very well could never step foot in this bakery again after he broke the news to Marinette. He headed toward the door, opening it for a few straggling customers, before entering himself with a pounding heart.
Marinette was at the counter, ringing up some last customers. She laughed as she tied up their order with her skilled hands. Her eyes flicked up and met his and suddenly the smile became strained. Her face turned pink and she started stumbling over her words with the customers she was currently working with. Once the customers were gone, Adrien took a deep breath and headed right for her.
"Adrien! What do you here today?" she asked, her cheeks reddening further.
Adrien tried to think of what to say, but nothing came to his mind. His throat was dry and trying to tell her what he had seen at the theatre was like trying to rip his own heart out. At last, he managed to say one word.
"M'lady."
"W-What?"
"I'm sorry," Adrien continued, running his hands through his hair. "I didn't mean to figure it out."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Marinette stammered, looking fearfully at Adrien. "You're being so strange, Adrien. She turned to leave, but Adrien grabbed her.
"Our favorite place to meet after akumas is the tower we can sit on to overlook the Eiffel Tower. I took you to the rooftop dinner both as Marinette and Ladybug before and after we fought Glaciator. Your father was akumatized because I rejected you."
Tears filled Marinette's eyes and she swallowed.
"Kitty?"
ooo
"Are you feeling okay, Kitty?"
"My father is Hawkmoth."
"I...I know," Marinette said, dressed in her Ladybug costume. "I'm sorry."
"He's been the one destroying Paris this whole time."
"I know."
Adrien buried his head in his hands. How was he supposed to live like this? His mom was gone, and his father was Paris's supervillain. He had spent months fighting his own father. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he glanced up at Marinette with glassy eyes. She got to her knees and pulled him into a hug which he returned.
"We're going to figure it out, Adrien," she said, her voice soft and reassuring. "The same way we always do. Together."
ooo
Everything had fallen apart so quickly. Adrien was beaten, bruised, and petrified. His father had been expecting them, though Adrien wasn't sure how. Had he messed it up? Was this his own fault for not being careful enough?
He was face down on the ground in his father's lair, sure something was broken. His father hadn't gotten his miraculous yet, but his ring was beeping, and Adrien knew there wouldn't be any quick recharge this time.
"Face it, Lady-luck. You lost."
"No," Marinette's grunted.
She sounded like she was in pain, which made Adrien want to be sick. He tried to roll over, but a sharp pain in his ribs stopped him.
"Stop this, Gabriel. You still can do the right thing," Marinette pled, trying to the very end to get his father to turn back to the light.
"You don't understand," Gabriel growled in response. "You'll never understand."
"Marinette?" Adrien called out worriedly, trying to lift his head.
"It's over."
Marinette cried out, and Adrien somehow managed to get to his feet. His father was holding a limp Marinette by the arm, untransformed, but the man wasn't looking at her. He was looking at the two earrings he had pulled from her ears.
"No!" Adrien cried, rushing toward his father. He had no cataclysm or weapon, but he had to do something.
His father was quick to respond, throwing the bruised and broken Marinette to the floor. She crumpled to the floor, crying softly, and Adrien felt another surge of anger. It was pointless though, as his father hit him with his cane, sending him flying once again. He hit the ground, and this time he wasn't sure he could get up.
"I've worked too hard for this to let you mess it up," Hawkmoth said, grabbing Adrien's hand and pulling the ring from his finger. Adrien felt the transformation drop and pain ripped through every part of his body.
"Dad," he tried, curling in on himself. "Don't!"
"I'm doing this for you!" his father snapped, backing away. "This is for our family."
Adrien choked on a sob and he shook his head. "Stop," he begged.
"I can't," his father said almost apologetically. "Not until I have my perfect family back."
With a flash of purple, his father transformed. Adrien winced and tried to pull himself up.
"It won't ever be perfect," he called. "I refuse to be your perfect son! I won't ever forgive you for this."
Gabriel turned toward him, hair swirling in as golden power surrounded him. "But that's just it, Adrien. You will. Because you won't remember any of this."
ooo
"Adrien, please wake up."
Adrien bolted upright at the voice, looking around in a panic. He was in a pink living room, not the basement of his house. He was with Marinette's parents, not his father. But most of all, he could remember.
"No," Adrien breathed as memories flooded back to him. School, being Chat Noir, confessing his feelings to both Marinette and Ladybug, the battle...it was almost too much. His father had wished his perfect family back, and that meant someone else's family had to pay the price.
Marinette had replaced his mother in a coma, and her family had been shattered. Adrien felt the sob gather in his chest and he pulled away from Sabine's touch. He didn't deserve her comfort-he had failed. He had blissfully been enjoying his mother's presence while being ignorant to the price he had paid for it.
"Adrien, what's wrong?"
"He's paying the consequence of being stupid," Plagg griped.
"He reversed his father's wish," Tikki said, a little shocked. "But the world still is all messed up. We're not supposed to make wishes."
"I'm so sorry, Sabine," Adrien managed.
Sabine might have been about to respond, but a ringing had her on her feet to answer. Adrien sat with his head in his hands, miserable and drained.
"What?" he heard Sabine gasp. "R-really? We'll be right there."
Adrien looked up as Sabine ran over, trying to get him to his feet. She had tears running down her face.
"We have to go to the hospital," she said.
Adrien's heart might as well have stopped right then. What had he done? Marinette was in the hospital because of his father's wish. Had he hurt her worse?
"No," he gasped. "No, no, no."
"Adrien," Sabine snapped. "It's Marinette. She woke up!"
ooo
Adrien stared at the girl in the bed, so many things playing through his mind. She was hugging her mom and papa, tears streaming down her face while nurses checked her vitals. He was standing in the doorway, feeling out of place. Tom and Sabine had insisted he come, but he wasn't sure he should be here, or that he deserved to be here.
"It's a miracle," the doctor had said to Marinette's parents as they had come in. "She's almost completely recovered."
After Marinette had finished with her parents, her eyes locked on Adrien's. He almost broke down right there. How could he have possibly forgotten her? How could he have forgotten how much he cared about her, or how close they had been? Why hadn't he mourned for her properly or agonized over the fact she had been hurt so badly by his father? How could he have let anything make him forget his lady?
"Adrien," she said, grinning. "You did it."
"No," he said, eyes filling with tears. "This is all my fault. I'm sorry. I should have fought harder, but my father…"
Marinette's eyes flicked to the nurses and Adrien clamped his mouth shut. He could have kicked himself for being so stupid, but the nurses seemed preoccupied with looking at all the machines.
"It's all right, Adrien," Marinette said again, her face softening. "It all worked out in the end."
"Not completely," Adrien admitted.
He had been lectured by two rather annoyed kwamis on the way to the hospital. He tried to reason with them and tell them technically he hadn't remembered the rules when he made the wish, but Tikki was still upset about it.
"What's wrong?"
Adrien glanced up to the nurses again and pulled out his phone. Marinette got the hint and Sabine handed her own phone so Adrien could text her.
I made a wish that reversed my father's. Tikki says it's still messed up, though.
Oh. It's okay. We'll figure this out, Kitty.
Adrien glanced up from his phone and Marinette smiled warmly at him. Sabine was talking to one of the doctors and Tom was fluffing Marinette's pillows. Her family was together again, and Adrien had a hard time feeling bad for making his wish. Maybe the world was still unbalanced, but at least he had fixed something.
After a bit, the doctors shooed them all out, saying they wanted to run a few more tests and keep Marinette for one more night before they released her. Adrien followed Tom and Sabine into the hallway and smiled up at them.
"I know this is more complicated than we understand," Sabine started. "But we want to thank you for everything."
Adrien looked at his feet, mumbling his no problem. He walked with the Dupain-Cheng's all the way to the lobby before Sabine grabbed his arm. He looked up in surprise and his throat caught as he realized what was wrong.
A woman was rushed past them on a gurney, doctors and nurses chattering about her vitals and what had happened. Her blonde hair cascaded down around her face and shoulders and oxygen was strapped over her nose and mouth. Adrien's legs almost collapsed beneath him as she recognized his mother.
"Adrien," Sabine said softly, holding onto him as he shook. "I'm so sorry."
Adrien allowed Sabine to lead him forward toward the waiting room, but what was waiting there for him was almost worse than what he had just seen in the hospital hallway. His father was sitting with his head in his hands, looking like he hadn't slept in days. His hair was messed up and his clothes were wrinkled. Adrien had never seen him so disheveled.
"Maybe you should come home with us again tonight," Sabine said, her voice tense.
Adrien nodded, still frozen as he stared at his father. He knew what had happened-the thought had crossed his mind the second Sabine had said Marinette had woken up. The world had to keep a balance. To fix everything, it had to go back to normal. And normal meant his mother was in a coma.
His father looked up right at that moment and Adrien met his eye. The two stared at each other for a full minute, neither saying anything. His father's expression changed from distraught to angry and Adrien felt his heart break.
"This is your fault," Gabriel hissed, standing from his chair.
"Let's go, Adrien," Sabine whispered firmly shooting Gabriel a threatening look. "You can stay with us as long as you need."
The words were apparently just what Adrien needed to hear, and he rediscovered the ability to walk. He allowed Marinette's parents to lead him out of the hospital, away from his father and climbed in the car after them.
It wasn't until he was lying on their couch when they had gone up to bed that he finally let himself cry. He was glad Marinette was back, and he still was livid at his father for wishing a fate like that upon his friend, but he had enjoyed the last several weeks with his mother. It had felt good to have a perfect family again and he so desperately wished that he could have it back. He just wished he could have it without destroying someone else's.