A/N: You guys are amazing! I love reading your feedback in the comments. :) Seriously, hearing from you guys always brings a smile to my face. Here's a continuation of "Choices and Consequences". Hopefully I haven't bored you yet.

Chapter 22: Backpedaling

An injured Chat Noir is on the run from Hawkmoth. Can Ladybug find him before his father does?

"L-adyb-ug. Help-"

The baton receiver slipped from his grasp and knees hit the rooftop out of time, a dull thud immediately followed when the remainder of his body followed suit. Green light dissolved the leather that covered the boy, reverting his clothing back to what he had been wearing before he had transformed: a black hoodie, blue jeans, and a pair of shoeless socks. The blonde haired teen let out a quiet moan, struggling to remain conscious as the black kwami hovered over his face and repeated his name, instructing him to keep his eyes open.

"Come on, kid," Plagg coaxed, pushing his ounces of weight against Adrien's cheek. "Talk to me. Can you tell me what hurts?"

Adrien whimpered in response only to be interrupted by a pain of such intensity that all of his core muscles tightened simultaneously, rendering him unable to breathe. His eyes blew wide as he wrapped his arms around his abdomen and wheezed, not hearing Plagg as he called out anxiously. Adrien writhed convulsively as he took in shallow gulps of air whereupon his body fell slack. His eyes fluttered closed as he dropped, his face coming to rest against the surface of the roof and his hands fell away from his stomach, his back rising and falling erratically as irregular breaths were taken in. Plagg darted about him urgently in an effort to look the boy over when he found blood on the fingers of his left hand. A closer look informed the kwami that the boy had a significant laceration at the right side of his abdomen just above the pelvic bone. The blood had already stained where his shirt met his pants and had started to saturate the fabric of the hoodie. A small red puddle beneath him grew slowly in size as more precious life-giving fluid drained away.

Plagg's face filled with fear as he found Adrien's life in jeopardy. He needed to find Tikki, which meant he needed to find Ladybug. The kwami's green eyes glinted in the sun as relentless tears found their way to the surface. He furiously blinked them away as he shot high into the air, scanning the city for any hint of red or akuma. He muttered impatiently to himself as he scoured for details, growing all the more upset as each second passed without result. He dragged his paws over his eyes, wiping angrily at the tears that started to fall. This should never have happened. Plagg berated himself as he decided that had he been stronger, perhaps he could have better protected Adrien. At the very least, he should have endured the detransformation to give his charge more resilience to his injuries until they found Ladybug. He scrubbed again at his face when his ears picked up on a faint hum in the distance. Turning to the side, he saw a low cloud rapidly approaching him from below becoming obvious as it rose unnaturally that it wasn't a cloud at all. A swarm of butterflies surrounded the kwami and he beat his paws angrily at them.

"I didn't think it was possible to hone in on kwami emotion," a voice said with interest, emanating from the butterfly cloud.

"Beat it, bastard," Plagg hissed, glowering at the insects as they flitted about him.

"Are you with Adrien?"

"What the hell do you care?!" the kwami spat, punching a butterfly as it passed his face, watching it grouchily as it fell pitifully from the impact. "If you want him, then come and get him. I will destroy you."

A mildly amused chuckle reached Plagg's ears and he glowered.

"Good. Stay with him. Assistance will arrive shortly."

The butterflies departed as quickly as they came, leaving a thoroughly confused and flustered Plagg in their wake. He ground his teeth before scoffing angrily and sped back down to Adrien to find the boy shivering feebly. Plagg pulled the hood up over his head and his fury died quickly as he discovered the boy's skin had become sallow. More tears pushed over his eyelids and the ghastly sight made Plagg so sick to his stomach that he couldn't stand to look any longer than half a minute. Nuzzling against the blonde instead, Plagg nestled in the crook between the boy's neck and shoulder in a sad effort to give of his warmth and cried. He didn't want to believe the notorious man had anything but evil intentions, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Adrien in such a state either. While it wasn't typically possible, he hoped that Tikki would somehow hone in on his distress. It had happened in the past on more than one occasion. Whether by intuition or their long existence together, he and Tikki had been able to find each other when one of their chosen had fallen into a position where they were unable to protect themselves. I.e. mortally wounded. Plagg just hoped that Ladybug wasn't so overwhelmed that Tikki wouldn't be able to sense their plight. All Adrien had to do in the meantime was hang on, just survive so he could recover. That was all, Plagg told Adrien as he burrowed his head against his jaw. His kitten just had to be okay.

A thump hit the roof behind Adrien to startle Plagg. Darting out from under the hoodie, the black cat appeared to find a large man towering over Adrien. The kwami hissed violently and screamed with rage as he flew up to rest an inch away from the man's misaligned nose. Crusted blood still decorated the man's face which pleased the kwami immensely, but he was still incredibly pissed.

"You've got five seconds to talk me out of blasting you to ashes."

"Can you get Adrien to the hospital?" Hawkmoth inquired skeptically, quirking an eyebrow at the kwami. The small entity scowled dirtily at Gabriel and let out a roar of frustration, throwing his paws in the air as he turned away to spare having to look at the man's face any longer. "I don't expect you to trust me," the man said simply.

"No kidding." Plagg's voice was venomous as he rolled his eyes.

"But I don't have time to argue with you either, kwami."

Plagg glared at the masked man as he added a threat, the kwami promising Gabriel he would swiftly erase him if he did anything other than get Adrien help. He yelled another angry growl and dashed back into the shelter of the hood before Hawkmoth could construct a response. Gabriel blew a huff and his brow furrowed in irritation as he stared at the back of the hood, holding his breath as he anticipated the kwami's return. When Plagg didn't immediately resurface, he stooped down and picked the boy up, his lips folding uncomfortably as Adrien's pallid face tipped toward him. The boy's breathing was labored and his muscles felt strained against Gabriel's arms. Carefully, the masked man settled the blonde in his arms when he let out a soft grunt.

"Don't- father." His fragile voice cracked with anxiety. "Please-"

Hawkmoth froze at the weak mumble, glancing back at the teen's face, his rigidity only relaxing slightly upon finding Adrien was still out cold. But his words hung in the air. The stinging words biting and gnawing at Gabriel's soul as he leapt with the boy to the alley below. Thick regret saturated his being making him feel ill. Had Adrien grown to fear him to such an extent that he now haunted his dreams? He suppressed a shiver when Nathalie then came up behind him. Gabriel led her to where the alley met the main road, placing the blonde gingerly in her arms. She held him tightly, nodding solemnly at the masked man as she took to her directive. The man brushed the backs of his fingers against the boy's cheek before Nathalie departed.

"Please, live," Gabriel whispered. "Please. Live."

He watched from the shadows as his assistant took his son out into the public street to await the arrival of the of the paramedics. After Nathalie left his field of vision, Hawkmoth slunk deeper into the alley to avoid being spotted by any passers by. Wracked with guilt, he sagged with his back against a wall and clutched at the fabric above his heart. A bitter sob escaped him, shivers shaking his frame as tears flowed out uncontrollably. Placing a trembling hand against his mouth, he gasped in lament, remembering when he looked down at Adrien's anemic face as he held the teen's listless body. There was no sharing the blame, for he knew every blemish, every scratch that scarred the teen's fair skin came by his hand. And while he wished for it, Gabriel did not expect forgiveness, for no man deserved to be called father after doing what he did to his son.

A/N: Again, thanks for your continuing support. :) Don't hesitate if you have a request. I can't promise I'll come up with an idea for all requests, but I'll definitely do what I can.