A/N: Hey guys! It's definitely been a while since my last update. I hope you're loving season two like I am so far. I don't mean to keep making these into multi-chapter tales, but I thought of an idea to play off of the previous chapter. This one still has something of a conclusion, so I may or may not branch off of this one as well.

Chapter 15: Longing For the Past

Sequel to Chapter 14: Curiosity Killed the Chat. After learning his identity, Chat is on the run from Hawkmoth.

Chat rubbed his bright red, green eyes. They were dry and tired, and it didn't remotely help that it was now past lunch and he still hadn't eaten anything since the night before. Since the late hours of the previous night, he'd been on the run. Running from Hawkmoth- running from his father. As Nathalie and the Gorilla were surely out looking for him to bring him back to the mansion, he chose not to attend school that day. The blonde rolled his eyes at the thought. No. Just anticipating his caretakers was a thick underestimation. It wasn't just them looking for him. Gabriel had certainly called the police force by now, and more than likely created an akuma or two to do his bidding and search for him as well. Remaining undiscovered until he could find Ladybug was paramount, so he stayed on the rooftops, moving to a new location every half hour or so to avoid any civilian sightings or reports to the authorities.

In hindsight, Adrien only regretted snooping in his father's business. Sure, now he could find the villain at a moment's notice, but now that his father knew his identity as well, he would never be able to return home. Living under the same roof with his mortal enemy, the man he'd been fighting for more than a year- it just couldn't work. His father wanted the power Adrien had sworn to protect. Whatever blinded the man to such a degree would put Adrien all the more a risk if he tried to simply coexist. It was guaranteed that his father would impose a whole myriad of new rules and stipulations to keep Adrien in check and by now he had probably devised a way to separate the teen from his miraculous. And even as neglectful as Gabriel had been within the past couple years, Adrien couldn't fathom the idea of his father resorting to abuse or torture. However, now that he knew the man was behind all the destruction that had recently befallen the city, his confidence was only a margin away from shattering entirely.

Adrien shook his head rapidly as he pulled his thoughts from the bleak darkness and back to the present. Blue lights flashing in his peripheral accompanied by the approaching wail of sirens indicated that it was time to retreat again. He let out a tired sigh before shooting his baton into the roof at his feet, launching himself in the opposite direction as he darted away from the scene. He retracted the baton after landing, opening the phone device to check for any possibly missed messages from Ladybug. The log was still empty. He grimaced and sighed again as he continued to run, reminding himself that Ladybug would likely only come out before their nightly patrol's in the event of an akuma attack of which. . . hadn't happened yet. He contemplated as he sprang from one building to the next. That would be the easiest way to find him as Chat Noir, wouldn't it? Unleash an akuma, Ladybug and Chat show up to save the day. 'Tah dah!' Instant knowledge of the cat boy's whereabouts. An uneasy pit knotted his stomach causing his run to stutter into a meandering halt.

Of course it'd be easier. Easier that is, if Hawkmoth wanted to find both of them. If Ladybug was kept in the dark and continued thinking that today was an akuma free day, Hawkmoth would have to search longer, yes, but he would have longer to search and could apprehend one hero instead of two. One was likely all he wanted right now anyway. Perhaps this was all part of a greater scheme. Considering that Adrien was well versed with his father's method of action taken whenever he stayed out too long or left the house unannounced, he could safely assume Gabriel would count on the use of said knowledge. He wouldn't need to even suggest that Chat had taken Adrien. If the teen wasn't at school, the police would locate him somewhere in the public, so of course Adrien would remain Chat Noir and stay out of the eye of the media. In actively avoiding the public, Chat would seek solitude at the borders of the city, easily narrowing Hawkmoth's search by more than ninety percent. Using akumas, he could hunt down and subdue the defiant superhero without risk of drawing unwanted attention, so long as the akumas were directed not to attack anyone else or cause any damage along the way. Adrien could feel his heart rate increase.

But then again, maybe he was worried about nothing. After all, now that Hawkmoth knew that Adrien was Chat, maybe he'd want to make amends. Perhaps Adrien fleeing from home was enough to jar his father's perception of the whole battle for the miraculous. He did express his great concern for him as Adrien after he and Ladybug had saved him from being The Collector. That being said, taking his akumatized episode into consideration only further supported the side of him being consumed with the lust for power, seeing as how he went to such lengths to stay under the radar. Strong evidence suggested that Gabriel wouldn't just let this go. And whether he still sought the miraculous or not, he would still try to find his son. His father was coming for him regardless his preference. It was just a matter of time.

Adrien looked up to notice a couple of misty figures now closely approaching him. They seemed to weave in and out with their surroundings making them difficult to discern from the architecture or the sky. He had found him, and the sinking feeling in his chest told him they wasn't to make amends. Chat muttered a curse under his breath as he brandished the baton in his defense, wishing he had managed to find clarity of mind hours ago to avoid walking into the most obvious of set ups. But if he could take those hours back, he would take back the entirety of the previous evening instead, forcing himself to remain in a blissful state of unawareness. Damn his blasted curiosity.

"Son."

Adrien hesitated for a moment as he heard his father's voice emanate from the collective trio causing his grip on his baton to slacken. The black, shadowy figures surrounded him silently, approaching and closing in from separate angles. Chat then bristled, pupils narrowing as he strengthened his resolve and handle of his weapon.

"Son?" Adrien repeated with a forced smirk. "I'll have you know, my father looks nothing like any of you guys." He would never admit it. Adrien was terrified. Playing the facade was the only thing he could muster in the moment, and if there was ever a time he needed his false confidence, it was now. "What do you want?" Chat addressed the figure at the center of the three, pointing his baton toward it.

"Why, I'm only seeking the undying loyalty and support of my own flesh and blood. How could you just run from your own father without allowing me an explanation?"

Chat scoffed bitterly as his eyes cast into a scowl at the debris on the roof. "What's there to explain? You have no excuse."

"You misunderstand me. I would like an explanation from you. You have access to such power, all this time, yet you never told me?"

Adrien's brow wrinkled against his mask. "I could just as well say the same about you," he shouted, suddenly turning to lunge at the figure in front of him as he smacked his baton downward.

The end of the metal rod struck the surface of the roof, ringing quietly from the impact. The akuma hadn't moved, the baton having traveled right through it as if passing through smoke. Misty darkness fluttered back together almost instantaneously, becoming apparent that which made up the shadowy figure was not a human, but a collection of lightless butterflies. It was reminiscent of the battle with Stone Heart. At the end of the battle, Hakwkmoth appeared in the form of a giant speaking head made up entirely of butterflies and spoke through them in a similar fashion to the being now before Chat. Yet, there was something distinctly different about this in comparison to Hawkmoth's previous persona. Aside from manifesting itself in three seperate bodies, the shadow emitted a threatening pressure that made Adrien himself feel heavy. He staggered backward, away from the akuma who remained still, staring at it in dread confusion as he mouthed the word 'how'. A deep chuckle resonated from all sides making Adrien's heart jump to his throat as his eyes darted wildly about while his body turned in circles in an attempt to evaluate his targets.

"You know," came the voice again from the three as they began to pace in a circle around the boy, "I can't say I'm entirely convinced that you are Adrien. He's such a good son. A little stubborn at times perhaps, but nothing compared to your shamelessly unruly behavior, Chat Noir."

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry to be such a disappointment," Chat growled, biting back at the sweep of emotion pricking at the corners of his eyes. "If you think I'm a disappointment, just imagine what it's like to find your own father has been terrorizing all of Paris for his own personal gain!"

Without warning, the shadows collided with Adrien, smothering him as he collapsed to his knees. Chat gasped madly as if the wind had been knocked out of him as he struggled to pull away, to then have his torso and face shoved into the clay tile beneath him. The tiles broke on impact, digging into his exposed cheeks and forehead, coaxing blood to exit his skin. The teen wriggled unsuccessfully against the invisible weight, clawing at the roof to no avail when he noticed his arms tingled. Looking more closely, it was apparent they were becoming transparent. He yelped in surprise, digging his claws into the shingles, tearing the pieces away in a mad effort to escape. Desperate for a distraction, he flung the broken shards behind him but the mass simply passed out of the path of the debris and back to their resting place.

"You can make this easier on yourself, Chat Noir," the voice reverberated over him. "Remove your miraculous now or stop struggling. I am simply making you easier to transport without attracting attention."

"Tch," Chat spat. "Even if you were able to get my miraculous, I won't return home now. Not ever."

"And there you go again. You make it sound as if the son I had still exists," the voice replied, darkening in tone with each word that sounded.

Chat's hands now melted into nothing before his very eyes. He could still feel them, still dragging and scraping into the rooftop under him, but they had become completely invisible. The teen let out a yell as he exerted himself, making a last ditch effort to free himself from the shadow that bound him only to crumple again under the crushing force of the akumas' power. He could try using his cataclysm, but to what extent? The roof would break, and he'd fall. There was no guarantee that the akuma would be even remotely affected by a terrain change, and it posed more threat to him if the weight upon him were to fall as well. A weak gasp escaped him and he could only imagine the invisible force was now overtaking his core. Slamming his eyes shut, he forced a cry, a final demand that might subdue the monster.

"Detransformation!"

In an instant, a green light enveloped him and Adrien felt even flatter than before. Now feeling the full effect of the akuma without Plagg's protection, a laborious wheeze escaped him and Adrien watched as his world became black. The transformation dissipated. Praying for death, Adrien suddenly found himself released from the being that held him. His lungs sucked in a deep, sputtering gasp before letting out a series of hacking coughs. Slapping his still transparent arms against the roof, Adrien flipped himself onto his back, chest heaving as though he'd just been dragged from water. His bangs stuck to his blood and sweat stung face, keeping his hair a little more 'Chat-like' in the way it framed his face. As the boy's vision returned, Adrien could see the shadows had retreated slightly, unmoving with the exception of the butterflies that continued to pulse to and fro. Noticing this, Adrien scrambled back, putting some distance between him and the menacing insects.

"Adrien-" the voices said softly in unison.

Plagg fluttered to a plop on Adrien's outstretched leg, to which the teen scooped him up without hesitation, placing him in the protective cover of his inner pocket when he looked back up to the shadows.

"Yeah," Adrien scoffed quietly. "What did you expect?" His gaze drifted to the side again when his disappointment started to resurface. Blinking back the tears that threatened to spill over, Adrien expertly returned his mask of apathy and cast the akuma a glare. "Now what?"

The mass of cursed insects hovered without response. Adrien looked at them curiously, cautiously checking his peripherals for any potential avenue of escape when the collective shifted, drawing his attention back to the akuma.

"There will be no debate. You will return home this instant."

"And if I don't agree to your wishes, will you smother me again until I pass out?" Adrien snapped back.

A deaf pause hung in the air.

"Adrien. I don't care for this newfound defiance."

"Yeah, well I don't care for my father the tyrant," Adrien shouted back, gnashing his teeth in his reply.

He stood quickly, struggling to right himself as the blood rushed back into his legs. After a brief pause and a deep breath, he glared again at the shadows. They appeared to hesitate, making small motions as if Hawkmoth was doubting himself. Adrien glanced to the next building over. He couldn't just stay here, and he wasn't sure how much longer Gabriel would remain phased by the renewed revelation. If he didn't act now, there was no telling what the akuma would do.

Without hesitation, Adrien made a beeline toward the next building. The akumas' combined protests chorused behind him as he made a desperate leap. His fingertips just managed to brush the surface of his intended goal when gravity overwhelmed him, cutting his leap significantly short of that of Chat's. A wild panic blew Adrien's eyes wide as he clawed at the wall for purchase, only to scrape futilely against the tiny divots in the bricks as he plummeted downward. With little time to react, he called out to Plagg. A sharp, ripping jerk caught his arm, suddenly stopping his summon with a high pitched yelp as he struck the guardrail of an external staircase. Shredding the seam of his sleeve apart when his body continued moving downward, a white hot pain seared from his arm into his torso as he felt his limb dislocate at the shoulder abruptly before his body boomeranged uncontrollably underneath the platform. Upon crumpling to the lower level, the teen's head collided with the platform's railing, eliciting an involuntary grunt as he flopped against the metal grate dazedly. Adrien groaned, blinking heavily at the blurred surroundings when a brilliant red poured over his vision.

One of the akuma drifted deftly onto the platform he lay sprawled on, phasing completely out of view as it hovered over him. Adrien shuddered a rattled gasp, fumbling with his good hand for something to aid him in standing while the akuma continued to loom in the air above him, only to find he lacked the control to sufficiently grip anything as his sweat drenched fingers slid from every surface he reached for. Gabriel's voice came through the akuma persona again, but Adrien's ears were ringing so badly he could only discern a low, rumbling mutter. A black spot suddenly darted between the teen and the akuma, stretching it's tiny limbs as far as physically possible for the small entity as it shouted something back at Hawkmoth. The villain's puppet, however, seemed to disregard it entirely, simply brushing it aside as it stooped down toward Adrien to pick him up.

Adrien's eyes shot open in a last ditch attempt to regain full consciousness, but everything continued to darken into the same unsaturated red fading to black. The pain in his arm and the throbbing sensation at his forehead persisted, abbreviating his resistance to a mere twitch of a thrash when he tried to free himself from his captor's grasp. Pressure encompassed him as the same tingling sensation he felt before started anew. He had to get away. Whatever happened, he couldn't allow Hawkmoth to get his hands on Plagg. . . to get his hands on the miraculous. But his body wasn't cooperating. Instead, he could feel the panic welling up inside him, manifesting itself as a series of frantic, shallow gasps and his muscles tightened from the increasing lack of oxygen. Tears from the pain grew large with his desperate anguish, cascading down his face as his vision blackened. With one last cry of defiance, the teen's form drooped in complete exhaustion, his broken and bloodied self now at the mercy of his enemy.

A/N: Sooo, the ending is left wide open. What do you guys think? Any predictions on how this could end, or should I just stop beating the dead horse? Let me know in the comments. :)