Chapter 1
Adrien Agreste spun back and forth in his swivel chair, staring at the blank document on his computer screen. Performing blood testing in class had been fun, but writing about it; not so much. The ripe smell of camembert announced the arrival of Plagg.
"You're overthinking this." The cat kwami said, floating up to sit on his textbook, clutching a piece of the aforementioned cheese. "Just say you mixed some dust stuff with some liquid stuff and dumped it on the gross stuff."
Adrien looked over at his kwami, one eyebrow raised as Plagg downed the foul smelling cheese in one swallow. "Somehow I don't think Ms. Mendelieve would appreciate that." The blonde responded, turning back to his screen with a sigh. He placed his hands on the keyboard, just as the screaming started. Adrien jumped up and ran to the window, with Plagg flying close behind.
He saw smoke rising off in the distance and heard a loud smash.
"Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien exclaimed, sucking the kwami into his ring and transforming into his alter ego.
Chat Noir quickly closed the distance between his house and the smoke on the horizon. He landed on a roof in time to see the latest Akuma victim blast at Ladybug, who deflected the shot with a spin of her yoyo.
The Akuma victim was wearing a somber black and gray suit and was holding a midnight black scythe. He was currently launching some sort of dark purple plasma from his scythe. Chart Noir quickly extended his staff, catching the scythe mid swing.
"What are you supposed to be, a funeral director?" Chat Noir called down, just as the reaper spun the staff, knocking him from the roof down to the street below.
"Good thing cats have nine lives!" He called out pushing himself off the ground while dodging the plasma blasts.
"Chat, watch out!" Ladybug yelled as one of the plasma shots came a little too close.
"Hello, Milady." Chat responded turning to bow in her direction as he blocked a blast with his staff. "So, what's his deal?"
Ladybug executed a few backflips to land next to her partner to help deflect the blasts. "This is Mourner Maker, if you get hit the person you love most dies." She informed him, keeping her yoyo spinning.
Chat Noir felt his heart rate increase. "That's disturbing." He responded, trying to keep his tone neutral. "I'm guessing the Akuma is in the scythe?"
"That's my best guess, I didn't get here too much before you." Ladybug responded, dodging around to block the blasts.
They both looked over to see Hawkmoth speaking to his latest victim. "Now!" Ladybug called and Chat Noir charged as Ladybug summoned her lucky charm.
He got close enough to the reaper to spar. They traded a few blows, and Chat Noir smiled. This was his area of expertise and his opponent clearly knew nothing about swordplay. The reaper quickly sent a shot off towards Ladybug. Chat Noir looked up to see her looking off in the wrong direction. He felt his heart skip a beat as he called out her name. And extended his staff, hoping to absorb the blast. Ladybug looked up in time to block the plasma. Chat Noir let out a sigh of relief before he felt something hit him. He looked down to see the plasma clinging to his suit.
He screamed "Cataclysm" and grabbed the staff from the stunned reaper. The Akuma flew out and he collapsed to his knees weeping and wondering how he was going to stop the Akuma without Ladybug, when suddenly he heard the sound of a whizzing yoyo. He looked up in time to see Ladybug catch the Akuma. What had happened?
Across the city, Gabriel Agreste was running as fast as he could to get to his wife's side. Nathalie had informed him his wife had flatlined. Gabriel reached his wife's side, looking at her now dead body. "Come on Ladybug, Come On!" He practically panted as he opened up the lid covering her body.
A group of ladybugs spun down, surrounding his wife and the vital monitor spiked. She was back to normal again.
Once he calmed down, Gabriel went to his design studio, quickly pulling up the footage posted on the Ladyblog. He carefully watched as the fight took place, he paused just as Chat Noir got hit. He looked at the time stamp. It matched. Apparently, Chat Noir loved his dear Emilie just as much as he did.
Chat Noir snuck through his bedroom window and untransformed. He tossed Plagg a piece of camembert as he sat down at his desk. "Why didn't Ladybug die?" He asked the quiet room.
"I guess she's not the person you love most." Plagg stated, his mouth full of cheese. "Maybe your dad died."
"I guess that's possible." Adrien said slowly, picking up a pen and absently tapping it against his desk. He heard a knock on his door and Plagg quickly sped into his shirt pocket.
Nathalie walked into the room, holding her tablet. "Ah, Adrien, your father wants you to join him for a small afternoon snack." She stated in clipped tones.
"Why?" Adrien asked, with a frown.
"Because he is your father and he wants you to." Nathalie stated, in a tone that brooked no argument, before turning around and walking out the door.
Adrien let out a sigh and followed her down to the dining room. His father was already sitting at the table, staring at his food in contemplation. Adrien took his seat at the opposite end of the vast table.
A small assortment of fruits was placed in front of him.
"Hello Father." Adrien said, after a moment of silence.
Gabriel Agreste shook his head and looked up, "Ah, Adrien, I'm glad you could join me." He said, giving his son a searching look. "I was just thinking about your dear mother."
Adrien choked on the pineapple piece he had been chewing. He got his coughing under control before looking back at his father, eyes watering.
"She loved fruits, she had quite the sweet tooth." Gabriel continued, giving his son a scrutinizing stare. "But you already knew that, you probably know a lot of things about your mother. You might even know a few things I don't know."
Adrien gave a snort of surprise, "I doubt it." Adrien responded adding it under his breath, "except for maybe the part about getting to know your own son."
"What was that?" Gabriel asked sharply.
"Nothing." Adrien said defensively.
Gabriel's eyes squinted in suspicion as he watched his son carefully.
Adrien quickly popped another piece of pineapple in his mouth. He quickly swallowed as the silence stretched on.
"I have an important school project that I really need to finish" Adrien began, "May I return to my room to work on it."
Gabriel let out a sigh. "I see that school of yours is getting in the way of our family time again." He said, leaning back in his chair.
"Family time?!" Adrien exclaimed, incredulously, "You want to know something about mom that you clearly don't know, it's that we haven't had real family time since she...since she…" he stuttered off, feeling tears drip down his face.
He looked up to see his father looking at him, a small frown crossing his face, as if his son were a somewhat difficult intrusion interrupting his plans. Adrien glared at him before fleeing to his room.
Adrien slammed the door behind him, leaning against it as he slid to the floor, burning his face in his hands as he wept.
Plagg flew out of his shirt and patted him on the back with one paw. "Let it out kid." He said, somberly.
Adrien curled up on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest as he slowly fell asleep, Plagg cuddling up against him.
Adrien woke up feeling dehydrated and dizzy. He pushed himself off the ground and stumbled to his bathroom. He looked in the mirror at his red-rimmed, puffy eyes and the tear stains tracking down his face. He let out a choked laugh. "So much for being a model." He said, voice hoarse. He drank some water from the tap and washed his face.
Too emotionally drained to do much else, Adrien stumbled to his bed and crawled into it. He stared up at the ceiling, Plagg laying down in his sleeping area next to him.
Plagg watched as Adrien fell asleep, contemplating what to do. This wasn't really his area of expertise, this was more of Tikki's area. Plagg floated up as he had an idea. He could sneak out, find Tikki, and ask her what to do!
Plagg quickly zoomed out the window and through the Paris evening air to the Dupain-Cheng's bakery.
Plagg smelled a combination of sugar and flour wafting up in the air as he flew over the roof and in through the skylight of the bakery.
Marinette was stitching on a hat in the corner. Tiki sitting on a spool of thread on the desk next to her. Tikki looked up to see Plagg hovering in the corner. Tikki snuck around Marinette over to him.
"What are you doing here?" Tiki demanded in a harsh whisper.
"Hello to you too, Sugar cube." Plagg responded, attempting to lighten the conversation.
Tikki bristled impatiently, "Is there an emergency? Why aren't you with your Miraculous holder?"
"It's not really an emergency, just some family issues." Plagg said nervously, sounding a little louder than normal as the sound of pulling thread disappeared. "It got kind of bad today, he cried himself to sleep. I'm not sure what to say to him."
"Does Chat Noir need help?" A voice cut in from behind them. Both Kwamis jumped at the sudden noise and turned to see Marinette standing next to them, sewing forgotten, looking anxious.
"He'll be fine." Plagg said, attempting a nonchalant air and failing entirely.
"Plagg, Chat is my friend, if he needs help I should be there." Marinette said, a stubborn glint in her eye.
"Marinette, you can't know each other's identities," Tikki cut in. "You can't help Chat with this, if you go to his house you'll know where he lives. That's too dangerous. Plagg can take care of this."
Marinette nodded and sat back in her chair, with her clenched fists resting on her knees. "I just feel so helpless, I should be helping him." Marinette said, disconsolately.
"I know Marinette, but you have to keep your identities safe." The red and black kwami said, floating over to gently pat Marinette on the head.
Marinette slowly bit her lip, her eyes lighting up. "I know! Tikki, you could go with Plagg, just to be sure!" Marinette exclaimed, jumping up from her chair.
"But what if someone gets akumatized while I'm gone? I might not be able to be back in time to help you transform, it's too dangerous." Tikki said, "Plagg is Chat Noir's kwami for a reason, he'll help him out just like I help you out."
"Very well." Marinette said, looking defeated.
"Plagg, you just need to be supportive and understanding," Tikki said, turning her attention back to the cat kwami. "Let him know that you are listening to him."
"Not quite my wheelhouse, but I guess I gotta try." Plagg said with a frown. "I guess I better get back."
"Yes, you better." Tikki said, shooing Plagg out through the skylight.
Plagg let out a sigh and headed out of the room, and back towards Adrien's house. Supportive and understanding just weren't words that described him. Carefree, courageous, and camembert were much better words. Plagg licked his lips, definitely camembert. He picked up his speed and soon zoomed through Adrien's window.
After checking to make sure Adrien was still asleep, he helped himself to his secret stash of camembert, after all, he reasoned, he couldn't be very supportive and understanding without sustenance.