11AM

"Try harder. Chat Noir. Come at me, bro!" Stoneheart ordered loudly. Without second thought Chat raced off after the akuma that clutched Chloe within the stone giant's enclosed fist.

His teeth bared. Chat landed concrete breaking punches aimed directly towards his body only to have them absorbed upon impact. While Stoneheart's speed was outmatched. Chat was able to avoid Stoneheart's attacks that could have possibly shattered his bones.

"Come at me, bro?" Chat would say, halting his footsteps. He looked back fearfully at the hostage it had taken.

Stoneheart gave a shrug of his shoulders. "What is with you adults? You sound just like my father."

"Maybe when all of this is over you should speak to him. " Chat gently suggests. Studying the stone akuma with sound judgment. His eyes widened in alarm. He quickly backed away after Stoneheart who moved towards him. "Not all men my age are as out of touch as you think you should ask my son."

"Son? You have a son?" Stoneheart says, with cautious optimism.

Gabriel had to admit to himself for a split second Stoneheart was very much human beneath Hawkmoth's chosen identity.

Ivan reminded him a lot like a geode.

"I'm a father first and a hero second." Chat says, with an affable smile. Bringing him out of his panicked thoughts. Right then, he began to grow dizzy again. It was after hearing Ivan's response, he was able to push it aside.

"Sounds like your son's lucky to have someone like you around." Stoneheart says, before letting out a dejected sigh.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Chat dared to ask him. Genuinely concerned about the akuma's welfare. His question also served to break the mounting tension. "if it helps lift whatever's been weighing you down off of your chest, so to speak."

A husky, chuckle rolls of his tongue.

Weighing Stoneheart down. Get it because he's a stone akuma. Haha

He noticed Stoneheart's grip loosening quite a bit. Possibly allowing Chloe enough room for her airways to open and to restore oxygen deprivation.

"It's about this girl…" Stoneheart says.


"Who does this Chat Noir think he is anyway?" Hawkmoth says, angrily. She places a hand to her hip. "And those stupid puns of his. If he thinks he can talk his way out of this one he's sadly mistaken."

"But your daughter is in danger." Nooroo says, in a small voice.

"Isn't that the point of it all?" Hawkmoth says, a predatory, self-satisfied smile curls on her lips. "And without Ladybug how am I ever supposed to complete my ensemble without both of their accessories?" she stamped her cane with impatience. "Where is Ladybug! Where can that wretched hero be?"


The Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie

Marinette's bedroom

12PM

"An overreaction? Alya fainting is an overreaction?!" Nino says, while Marinette looked back at Tikki with shocked and hurt eyes.

"As I mentioned before there is nothing to fear." Tikki says, cutting Nino off using a sober voice.

It had taken Marinette a few awkward minutes mulling over Nino's heated explanation before she groped for an appropriate response. "We all just sort of figured-" she says, nervously biting the bottom of her lip. "...you…you aren't supposed to exist…"

Marinette sees no point in lying.

"...That's fair," Tikki says, softly. "...I guess…" doubtless the kwami had become confused.

"Ladybug was only a story." Marinette exclaims, but not before scooping up the bright red earrings up from the jewelry box. She had taken a few minutes to study the miraculous she held in the palm of her hand.

Old and powerful cosmic energies hummed inside of her head after Marinette sunk the magical artifacts into her pierced ears.

It was a power that had once given birth to our own universe.

The hums were venerable and ominous, all at once.

"You're just going to go along with whatever that thing is?" Nino yells at Marinette.

"What choice do I have?" Marinette argues back.


"Migraine?" Chat asks, nervously watching the stone akuma abruptly scream out in pain.

His ears suddenly perk up in alarm as the sound of approaching news helicopters draws his attention away from Stoneheart.

His eyes roam the sky observing the BBC branded helicopters that hover above them.

The lights of Stoneheart's eyes brightened.

"Seize his miraculous!" Hawkmoth ordered.

Stoneheart lumbered towards Chat seizing him with one hand and lifted him over its head. The stone akuma had swung him once before pitching him across the street. His head colliding against cold, wet concrete.

Ladybug had broken into a sprint vaulting over cars Stoneheart had thrown in her path.

"Mr. Agreste?" Ladybug says, in a panicked voice. "that is you isn't it?" she grabbed his hand hauling Chat Noir back to his feet again.

"Not too loud," Chat says, quietly. "reporters are swarming, remember?" to avoid the press from over hearing.

"But it is you, right?" Ladybug says, with fearful curiosity.

"Just call me Chat Noir while we're in disguise." Chat says, then there's a shared pause between them before Ladybug speaks up again.

"This is really happening!" Ladybug says, in a harsh whisper.

"It'll be okay." Chat exclaims, rubbing his sore nose and forehead.

"Mr.-Mr-Agreste!" Ladybug stammered out. Ladybug notices Chat Noir is somehow unaffected by his own ordeal. Thoughts of Gabriel's comatose dream had suddenly floated to the surface of her mind.

"It was all supposed to be a dream..."

"Marinette, please, calm down." Chat pleaded, sadly. He uses her name for he sake of familiarity.

"YOU TOLD ME THESE WERE DREAMS!" Ladybug screams.

"They were." Chat says, softly. He momentarily shuts his eyes in regret.

"How do we know both of us aren't dreaming?" Marinette says, her words echo. It was an eerie echo of Marinette's voice bouncing off of concrete before dying away by the cold stiff breezes that rustled the trees.

"Marinette. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Why is this happening?" Ladybug says, taking a deep steadying breath. But it's doesn't help. Deep breathing doesn't seem to help at all. She's desperately trying to fight back an uncontrollable wave of sobs. "WHY?"

Gabriel was at a loss even after their kwamis dispensed universal knowledge about his entanglement with the miraculous. He only wished everything could be different but he knew there was no way of changing what could be.

Neither was he wasn't interested in collateral damage.

"Deep breaths, Ladybug..." Chat says, as he pulled Ladybug into a gentle hug. "Breathe deeply...come on now." he instructs, a fear stricken Marinette. Ladybug presses her face into Chat's shoulder and sobs. The same loud wet hysterical sobs she was trying to stifle a few minutes ago.

They were supposed to be dreams.

Thoughts...all of them...were supposed to be thoughts inside of his head.

That alone was enough to betray Marinette's trust.