Hey there and welcome! I'm finally back after so long! I wrote and posted this on AO3 at the start of the month. It's a two-shot that I didn't work on because I was in a fic exchange (which I'll post later) and I posted it at 5AM and it's also on AO3.
Now that I'm done talking about that I'll just let you read now!
Just a warning, minor character death! Doesn't go too much into detail though
It all started when Gabriel came to Adrien.
Yes, you read that right, Gabriel came to Adrien.
Any other day, Gabriel would've walked right past him, but not this time.
Maybe in another universe, he would've gone to Nathalie in the future, or Nathalie at all, but not in this one.
In this one, he came to ask for help.
Adrien stood before a coffin; if he could even call it that.
"Mother?"
He was shocked. He felt like he couldn't breathe. He had no idea where she went before. He finally had a chance to at least say goodbye.
Gabriel laid a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "That's right, Adrien. I need your help."
Adrien turned to face him. "Help? With what?"
To bury her? He couldn't think of any other possibilities.
"To get her back. To use the wish from the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous' to bring her back."
Bring her back? That wasn't possible.
And what in the world was a Miraculous?
"Miraculous? Bring her back?"
"Yes, these are the ones you'll be using." Gabriel passed a brooch to Adrien. It was shaped like peacock feathers. What could a brooch do?
"You will use it to make senti-monsters when necessary."
Senti-monster? What the heck was that? He wasn't sure what to do, but he knew he would get a complete explanation later. He just needed to ask one question.
"Okay… But what about you?"
"Me? I will be known… as Hawkmoth."
And Hawkmoth he was.
On that same day, he found a case containing a ring on his desk.
Light blinded him and a cat flew out. It looked a lot like Duusu (Was that the name? He couldn't remember)
It was called a kwami. It explained to him what it was.
'The Cat Miraculous...' He thought.
"You're part of the Cat Miraculous?"
"Yeah? What's it to you?"
Without hesitation, Adrien closed the box.
Plagg seemed to realize this. He lurched forward to stop him. "NO-"
It was too late. He was sucked back in the ring.
Adrien grabbed the box and shoved it into the far back of his closet.
"It's for a good cause… I'll give it to father when we get the ladybug and we can make the wish. It'll all work out…"
At least that was what he hoped.
Stoneheart.
That was the name of the very first Akuma.
It was the same day Hawkmoth and Petit Paon were born.
Adrien observed his father. A monologue, a butterfly- Akuma. He held it. It sported purple spots on its wings. It flew away to feed off its first victim.
That was the process of akumatization.
And that was the day he saw Ladybug for the first time.
Maybe in another universe, he would've fallen for her. Found her charming and witty. Loved how she could solve puzzles so quickly.
But here, he saw her as the one and only thing standing between him and his family. Between normalcy again.
And from that day forward, he chose to despise her.
When his debut day as Petite Paon finally came, he thought it was a chance to really escape, to act how he wanted and be himself.
He was wrong.
"Good act, son. They'll never suspect us."
His smile faded. His heart crumbled.
It wasn't an act.
"Y-yeah… an act…"
There was really nothing out of the ordinary. Not at all.
At least not until it happened.
He never intended to hurt anyone like that! He just wanted his mom back!
He dropped his fan. Feathers scattered and flew away
He watched an innocent civilian fall to the ground.
Not moving. Not breathing.
Fear flowed through him. He never meant to! He hadn't! He didn't!
He was scared.
Not just scared, terrified.
Terrified of himself.
Of what he was capable of.
Of what he did.
He could never, would never forgive himself.
And at that very moment, he decided.
Decided he would stop.
Decided to be a hero, not a villain.
Decided to do what she would want.
He dug it out. It was found.
On his desk was what held the Cat Miraculous.
It was under everything and hidden in the far back.
He was face to face with the thing he thought he'd never come back to.
At least not until the Ladybug Miraculous was seized, that is.
He opened the box and slid on the ring. A bright light. The kwami.
'Plagg. His name is Plagg.'
He looked furious.
"You better have a good reason for doing that!"
"I really don't."
"Then what do you want?"
"...How do I become a hero?"
Someone glided across the rooftops. Someone new and unseen to everyone in Paris.
Blond hair whipped around. It was so… freeing. Much more than being Petit Paon ever was.
His feet were about to touch a roof once more but he was hit.
Adrien landed face-first into the ground. Before he could understand what was happening, he was wrapped up in a… yo-yo? He was pulled to sit up.
He couldn't move. His arms were stuck to his side.
"Who are you?"
Was that…?
"Ladybug…?"
So there you have it! I'll be posting another fic wrote for a fic exchange laterand with that done I'll have more time to finish up the second chapter and call this complete!