"I love you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
"Adrien, I- I-"
"There's been a call about La Santé." Max's voice came over their communication units, interrupting the moment between them.
"God damn. Why do we always have these things in!" Adrien threw up his hands in defeat and Marinette giggled as she stood, calling her transformation. Adrien followed as Marinette collected as many details from Max as possible.
"Suspected akuma activity. The prison's whole system just shut down, back up power grids and generators all down."
Ladybug and Chat Noir began making their way towards the prison as Max suddenly huffed.
"False alarm, everybody. Power is back on. You'd think they'd verify these things before contacting us."
They could all practically hear the way Max rolled his eyes as their comms went quiet.
"So what was that you were saying back there, M'lady? You- You-"
"Shut up you jerk." Ladybug laughed, playfully shoving her partner off the roof and laughing as he caught himself and twisted back up to join her once more.
"I know you love me, M'lady. No need to be so catty."
———
Adrien stood up from his spot at his mother's grave, digging his incessantly ringing phone out of his pocket.
"Hello?" He snapped as he accepted the call. His friends never called him on Tuesday mornings. They knew to give him his space when he visited his mother.
"This is Alice Durand with La Santé Prison. I'm looking to speak with Adrien Agreste."
"This is he." Adrien answered, heart sinking. A call this formal could only mean trouble.
"Hello, Mr. Agreste. I've called to inform you that Gabriel Agreste has been reported missing from his cell. Authorities are doing their best to locate him, but until he has been found it would be in your best interest to be on high alert."
Silence.
"Mr. Agreste?"
Adrien ended the call and took off for his car, trying to unlock it with the remote as he ran. He wrenched his car door open, only to slam it shut as soon as he was in the driver's seat. He prayed as he started the engine and continued the prayer the whole way to the bakery, only stopping when he slid the car into the familiar side alley. He burst through the bakery's back door and into the kitchen.
"Adrien! Your shifts not for another few hours, what are you-"
"Where's Marinette?!" Adrien yelled, cutting off Sabine as he glanced around frantically.
"Last I saw her she was in her room, I-"
Adrien practically flew up the stairs to the apartment and up to Marinette's room, pounding on the trap door and calling out her name.
"Marinette! Are you in there? Open up!"
"Adrien, what's going-" Marinette didn't have time to finish her sentence as the second the trapdoor was opened Adrien barreled through it and tackled her to the ground.
"Are you hurt? Has he been here? Have you see him? Let me see you." Adrien examined every inch of her exposed skin for injuries and, once he was sure she was unharmed, sat back on the carpet with a sigh, hugging her to his chest. "You're okay. Oh, thank Kwami you're okay."
"I feel like I'm missing something here." Marinette mumbled into his shoulder, anxiety beginning to pool into her brain at his words. "What happened? What's going on?"
"I got a call from La Santé. My father escaped."
———
Gabriel Agreste had never been required to be stealthy.
Gabriel had been a supervillain, yes. But his work as Hawkmoth, Shadowmoth and then Monarch had been completed, at least the majority of the time, in hiding. Whether that had been his lair, dark alleyways or the occasional restroom..he had not had much experience with hiding in plain sight, especially as himself.
Perhaps that is why the subject of his interest knew the moment that Gabriel Agreste appeared in the background of his life. Gabriel Agreste, who was supposed to be in prison, had been behind him in line at the coffee shop. Gabriel Agreste, who was a known super villain, had been waiting on a bench across the street when he had taken the bus. Gabriel Agreste, who should have been nowhere near London, stood in the crowd outside The National Gallery as he walked past on his way to work and again on his way back.
There was only one reason Gabriel Agreste would be following him.
The younger man ducked into a crowded shop and did a quick turn around a few of the displays, fleeing out the side door and losing his tail. Sliding around the building and crossing the street, he hailed a cab and instructed the man to drive to the airport.
His only option in a time like this was a flight out of London.
———
"Okay, I've got eyes on the akuma. Another one of Lila's goons. These guys are definitely getting akumatized on purpose." Rena Furtive growled as she slid past the akuma and into a small office room.
"And if her guys are the only ones getting akumatized.." Carapace hedged, creeping through the air vents.
"It's probably safe to say that Lila is the new butterfly." King Monkey finished the thought from his hiding spot in the office building's café. He took a small bite of a danish someone had left lying around and smiled. "The food here is great."
"Kim!" Ladybug groaned through his earpiece. "When I said we should split up I meant so we could figure out how to defeat this akuma, not how to get a snack."
"I was hungry! You try living with a heavily pregnant woman. She eats everything. And if I eat anything she starts crying like I've ruined her life!"
"The chances of Lila being the new butterfly holder are high, but not certain." Pegasus interrupted. "We can't accuse her without proof."
"Why does this suddenly seem so very familiar to me." Ladybug groaned with a scowl.
"Nobody is falling for her tricks anymore, Ladybug." Queen Bee promised as she watched the akuma stumble through the atrium.
"And while we may know that she's a liar and a terrible person," Polymouse began.
"I know, I know. We can't just accuse someone of being a terrorist. Got it." Ladybug sighed.
"I mean, maybe you can. My father was your first suspect and look how that turned out." Chat joked as he settled in next to Ladybug. "What's our plan here?"
"I'm not sure." Ladybug frowned, leaning into her partner's side. "I don't know where the akuma is. I'm afraid to call my power without knowing more."
"Guys!" Queen Bee and Rena Furtive cried at the same time. "Get your eyes on the akuma! We have a problem!"
Ladybug and Chat Noir raced out of hiding, sliding into the railing to look down in the atrium as a giant white butterfly the size of a school bus began fighting the akuma.
"Is that.." Carapace questioned from their left.
"Another akuma..?" King Monkey finished as he joined them.
"No." Ladybug whispered, eyes darting to glance at her partner. Chat Noir looked at her, their eyes meeting as he frowned.
"Its a sentimonster. Someone found the peacock miraculous."
"But they're fighting the akuma. Are they on our side?" Rena inquired as she moved closer to get a better look.
"Fall back, Rena. Wait until we have more information on what's going on." Ladybug hurried to order when she noticed her best friend's movements.
"But it looks like it's helping, what if-"
"Rena! I said fall back!" Ladybug ordered again, trying but failing to hide the fear in her tone.
"Hey, Bug, if you need to step out-"
"No. I'm fine. Please, let's just let them hash it out. The damage is pretty contained and the civilians have all evacuated by now. I don't want us jumping into a fight between them without knowing for sure."
"It's a smart plan." Pegasus agreed. "Once we give away our locations it will be harder to fall back should something go wrong. Better to be informed."
Together they watched as the giant butterfly targeted the akuma, knocking a pencil from behind the giant's ear and breaking the object with it's wing, setting the akuma free. Chat elbowed his partner and she hurried to catch and purify the akuma, watching in awe as the miraculous ladybugs set about to fix the damage.
And just as quick as it came, the white butterfly ceased to exist
