Chapter Five
Papillon was shaking slightly as he stood up in Hawk Moth's lair, a glowing mask appearing over his face. He was aware of the gazes behind him, watching him as he directed the latest akuma into battle. His heart was pounding, and he knew the stern emotions were coming from Nathalie and his father thanks to the Miraculous pinned to his chest.
He should have known that this would be coming– there was no way his father would only have him akumatize one person and let him be. But now he didn't have the luxury of being alone this time, instead an audience watching him closely, even though he had no experience with forcing an akumatization. He found himself wishing for Nino as he tried to keep Frozer's emotions both enhanced, and the goal focused. But it had been over a week since he had last spoken to his former champion.
"No!" Papillon cried. "We don't need Rena Rouge's Miraculous, we want the Ladybug!"
"Are you wasting a chance for us to get ahold of another Miraculous?" Gabriel snapped, causing Papillon to flinch.
"Um, grab it if you get the chance," Papillon hastily told Frozer. "But the earrings are the main prize."
Sweat was forming on the back of his neck, and he was starting to realize just how exhausting it was to work with unwilling champions, as Nooroo explained it. With Nino it had been simple, watching the battle and just talking– but manipulating an akuma's emotions was so much different than sensing them. Everyone in Paris saw Ladybug as a superhero– and deep down no one wanted to fight her. He had to keep their anger and frustration on the surface, bury their respect and fear of the superhero, all the while trying to keep them focused on the goal of the Miraculous instead of their own.
Honestly, it was less manipulating emotions, and more manipulating one's state of mind.
"Gabriel," Nathalie said, watching as Papillon leaned against the cane to support himself.
"He's done this before, I see no reason why he can't again."
"That was when he wasn't under pressure, or sensing our emotions too."
"If he can't handle pressure then how does he expect to be of any use to getting his mother back?"
Father may have been talking to Nathalie, but Papillon knew that last comment was directed at him. He forced himself to sit up straight, and tried to focus on Frozer's anger, dragging it to the surface as he forced a telepathic connection once more.
"If Ladybug wins she will reverse everything your powers have done," he said. "She wants to stop you– she's your enemy."
He could feel Frozer's rage bristling, and he let out a shaky sigh. He had watched his father akumatize multiple people, and oftentimes it was the threat of removing their powers that he used to keep them in line. But if he could get Frozer's frustration directed at Ladybug herself then maybe he wouldn't have to do as much emotional manipulation.
"You're letting him lose sight of the deal you made with them," Gabriel snapped. "Personal grudges against the hero can work– but if you let that get out of hand they become focused on the idea of revenge rather than retrieving the Miraculouses."
"You still have to give the Miraculous to me," Papillon added hastily.
"Don't sound uncertain. Akumas can turn against you."
Papillon opened his mouth to speak again– only for Frozer to suddenly be tackled from nowhere. He didn't even have to turn around to see his Father's disappointment– he could feel it through the Miraculous. He watched through Frozer's eyes as the Mirage he had been chasing vanished, the real Ladybug and Rena Rouge swiftly moving to restrain him. His mind panicked, trying to think of a way the akuma could escape–
But the connection with the akuma was suddenly shattered as the heroes went for Frozer's ice skates, and Papillon stumbled back at the sudden cut off. He fell against the ground, all of his fight of trying to manage the akuma's emotions catching up to him in a wave of exhaustion.
On his chest one of the wings of the Miraculous fluttered, letting out a chirp as the strip of cloth withered in on itself– leaving him with minutes now that his akuma was defeated. He heard footsteps coming towards him, his father's cold gray eyes staring down at him, arms crossed. Adrien could sense a plethora of emotions coming from the man, but before he could try to read any of them Gabriel reached down and pulled the Miraculous from his chest.
His transformation fell, along with the strength that came from a Miraculous. His arms trembled slightly, an ache in all of his muscles as he was left powerless. Gabriel's emotionless gaze never left Adrien as he pinned the Butterfly Miraculous back to his chest, Nooroo tumbling out from the jewel in a burst of purple light.
"F-father–" Adrien began.
"Akumas are useless on their own," he snapped, cutting them off. "They're too focused, too obsessed– and as the one guiding them it was your job to stay aware of their surroundings. You should have warned Frozer to stay alert for the Fox's illusions. The way you handled the akumatization was sloppy, and you lost way too quickly considering you had an akuma that had the battlefield in its favor."
He lowered his head, closing his eyes. He didn't know what to expect– his father was unpredictable when he was upset. He could throw cold and degrading words at him, or he would restrict what little freedom he had, or in the moments Adrien tried to flush from his mind when his Father's hand would be raised against him– but Nathalie was here right now. She wouldn't let it go too far, she would stop Father before he became too angry–
"However, you were actually willing to do it," Gabriel said, and as Adrien's eyes flickered up towards him he realized there was a smile on his face. "Even after the so-called success with Bubbler I had my doubts, I know you don't like the idea of akumas, I sense it from you often."
"I– I would do anything for Mother," Adrien whispered. "Even if I don't like it."
"Anything?" Gabriel asked, and the boy didn't know what to make of the gleam in his eyes.
"Of course, F-father," Adrien stuttered out.
"What if I told you that you could help me in fights against the akumas?" Gabriel asked, stroking the Butterfly Miraculous. "And you would never have to akumatize another person?"
Adrien just stared at him, aware that his father could sense every feeling from him. It was true, he didn't want to twist another's feelings around as he had with Frozer, especially if Father was going to be staring down his back. But yet... there were things he liked about the Miraculous. He loved Nooroo's companionship, he liked being able to talk to Nino, but if he never had to feel the pressure as he had just now...
"Stand up," Gabriel snapped. "It's unbecoming of you."
Adrien had barely even realized that he was still collapsed on the floor of Father's lair, and he shakily pushed himself to his feet, Nathalie reaching out to help him stay balanced. However he was feeling stronger by the moment, no longer fighting against Frozer for control. His father headed over towards the elevator, he and Nathalie right behind him.
"Father?" He asked as they sank down into the elevator, the whirling of machinery around them.
"I have a gift for you," Gabriel said.
Adrien blinked. "A... gift?" That hadn't been what he was expecting for the failed akuma. "But, why?"
"You have proven your loyalty to me, and Nooroo confirms the same for when I'm not around," he replied as they once again returned to his office. "Perhaps the powers of the Butterfly Miraculous is not a good match for you, but you still did what you could with it to help your mother. In return I wish to give you something of your mother's."
Nooroo's eyes widened. "Master, you don't mean–"
"I order you to stay silent," Gabriel said without missing a beat, and the kwami found his mouth sealed shut. Adrien's eyes widened as he saw the terror on the kwami's face, and he glanced at his father, who was smiling. "Useful, isn't it? Shame that doesn't work on you."
Adrien's mouth went dry.
He watched as his father approached his mother's painting, which he knew hid the buttons for him to access the lair and the basement, so he wasn't too surprised as he watched his father grab the frame, pulling it back to reveal a safe hidden within the wall behind it. He craned his head forward, watching as his father went to open it, but a hand on his shoulder from Nathalie caused him to look away as his father typed in the code. As the safe opened he looked back up, trying to catch sight of what was inside.
The first thing his eyes landed on were a picture of his mother, propped up against a book about Tibet. There was what looked like an old ticket next to a leather bound book, but what Gabriel was reaching for was the purple brooch near the book. He carefully held it in his hands as he closed the safe, though the painting of Emilie still remained swung open.
Gabriel held out his hands towards Adrien, allowing him to look at the purple brooch. Five purple segments flared out from an indigo gem, each one topped with a pink crystal. "This was your mother's," Gabriel said softly. "And I want you to have it."
Adrien felt his breath get caught in his throat, eyes flickering up towards his father as if to make sure he was serious. He was surprised to see the softness in Gabriel's gaze, something he hadn't seen in so long, and he held out the brooch towards Adrien. He reached to take it from his hands– only for it to start glowing a deep blue as soon as he picked it up.
His eyes widened in realization, because he had seen this exact same thing before. He watched as an orb of light pulsed up from the brooch, dancing about him as it materialized into a small being. Adrien stared at the little kwami in awe, blue feathers covering her entire form. A fan of tail feathers flicked out as she stretched, vibrant magenta eyes blinked.
"Gabby!" the bird-like kwami cried, zipping over towards Gabriel excitedly.
"Th-this is a Miraculous?" Adrien stuttered out, looking down at the brooch in his hands– which was now silver, with only three segments. "Mother had a Miraculous?"
"Oh. My. Guardians," the new kwami said as she turned her gaze towards Adren. "No. Way. Is that little Adrien?"
"Y-yes?" Adrien stuttered out– and the kwami swooped down towards him, little arms wrapping around him in what seemed to be an attempt to hug him. He felt his nose itching as feathers pressed against him, the kwami nuzzling him. She then swooped up, cupping his face with her arms.
"Look at you!" She cooed. "Last time I saw you... you were tiny! Look how much you've grown up!"
"Adrien, this is Duusu," Gabriel said. "And in your hands is the Miraculous of the Peacock."
Adrien's response was a loud sneeze.
"He's still allergic to me?" Duusu pouted, crossing her arms. "That's not fair!"
"Unfortunately, the Peacock Miraculous does revolve around feathers," Gabriel said stiffly. "Which is why I was hesitant to give this to you in the first place. However, I'm sure with some allergy medicines you'll be able to use it just fine, if you still want to accept the Miraculous."
"Are you kidding?" Adrien asked, carefully pinning the brooch to his chest as he fought against another sneeze. "Of course I do!"
Gabriel smiled. "Then Duusu is officially yours. Nathalie will make sure to purchase you some allergy medicines. I know those can have side effects though... drowsiness, dizziness... if you experience any you are to tell me right away. Is that clear?"
"Yes Father."
"Duusu, you will teach Adrien how your powers work tonight, and soon we will see how Paris handles a sentimonster."
"A senti-what?" Adrien asked, blinking in confusion, but his father cut him off with a wave.
"Duusu will explain," he replied simply. "Now leave, me and Nathalie have things we need to discuss."
"Of course, Father," Adrien said swiftly, his eyes flickering between the two adults. Nooroo was still watching him, tears forming in the kwamis eyes– which Adrien didn't know what to make of. However Duusu was letting out a cheer, zipping around him, before grabbing his sleeve and pulling him towards the door.
"Let's go! Let's go let's go let's go!" She sang, leading him out of the office.
Gabriel was well aware of the kwami glowering at him, eyes watery– but thanks to his earlier orders the kwami still could not talk. He turned to carefully replace the picture of Emilie, a smile on his face as he looked up at his wife, because everything was going according to plan.
With the presence of the Fox Miraculous he knew that the guardian had to be around– which meant that the Black Cat Miraculous couldn't be far. When only the Ladybug had first appeared against Stoneheart he had his worries, but it was now that they had been alleviated. Victory was so close that he could almost taste it.
He felt something poking him, and he looked down to see Nooroo banging his tiny paws against him in what seemed to be a rage. His eyes narrowed, and he flicked the small creature away.
"Never do that again," he said, the kwami freezing up midair as he came charging at him again. "You may speak now."
"How could you!" Nooroo cried the moment the magic keeping his silence was lifted, tears pouring down his face. "He's a child! He's your child."
"He wanted to help," Gabriel said coolly, turning away from the kwami.
"You gave him a broken Miraculous!" Nooroo screamed. "Do you want him to suffer the same fate as Emilie? The last family you have–"
Gabriel's eyes flashed. "I order you to never speak of that again."
Nooroo instantly fell silent, and Nathalie laid a hand on his arm. "Sir."
He took a deep breath. "Nooroo, you are forbidden from telling Adrien about how the wish works, or about how his mother fell into the state she's in, or of telling him about the broken state of the Miraculous. If he's to ask about any of the effects you are to imply it's the allergy medicine."
"You're disgusting!" Nooroo spat– and never had Gabriel seen the kwami so defiant, eyes flashing.
"The sooner we get our hands on the Ladybug and the Black Cat the sooner Adrien will be free of that Miraculous– do you have any information that might be helpful? For Adrien's sake?"
"I already told you everything I know," Nooroo said, shaking with rage.
"If my theory is correct Adrien is the best candidate for the broken Miraculous," Nathalie said. "He is young, and children struggle fully supporting the magic of a Miraculous, hence the limited time they have for transformations. The magic cannot fully merge with them, which means the harmful energy should struggle to connect with him."
Nooroo looked at her bitterly. "Perhaps the effects will take longer to take hold– but he is not immune. Each time he transforms the wounds of the Miraculous will become his own. You are not just subjecting him to what Emilie went through, you are slowly drawing it out for him."
"Then stop fighting us and help us win," Gabriel said.
Nooroo's eyes flashed. "My compliance makes no difference to your abilities– and I will never condone what you have done."
"Wowy!" Duusu said, zipping about his room. "There's a lot more in here than what I remember!" She drifted alongside his bookshelf. "Have you read all of these?"
"They're mostly decorations," Adrien said, sniffing. "I keep the stuff I like down at eye level."
"Are you okay?" Duusu asked, glancing at him, immediately flying over in front of his face, causing his eyes to water.
"S-sorry," he said, taking a step back, now that he had been around Duusu for a few minutes the reactions were getting worse. "Allergies."
The cheerfully kwami instantly deflated, tail hanging low as she drifted back. He blinked in surprise as he watched tears well up in the kwamis eyes. "It's not fair," she whimpered, lip trembling. "I don't wanna have to stay away from you."
"Um, it will be better when I have my allergy medicine, don't worry," he said swiftly. "Nathalie's going to buy me some, remember? Then I can use your Miraculous."
He had been hoping to cheer up the kwami– but he hadn't been expecting such a sudden change. Immediately the kwami perked up, wet eyes drying as a smile spread across her face. She zipped through the air, letting out a loud cheer at this news.
"Woo-hoo!" She cried, doing a spin and then a flip, before settling a good distance away. "Miss Emilie's chick is going to be my new chick! We're going to be awesome! What's our mission?"
"We're trying to get the Ladybug Miraculous," he said uncertainly, not sure how the kwami would react to this– because clearly Nooroo hated their mission.
"Tikki's Miraculous? Why?"
"Father says it will be able to help heal Mother."
Duusu let out a loud gasp, clasping her paws together. "We're going to heal Miss Emilie? I'm going to get my hen back?"
More tears were in her eyes, the kwami sniffling as Adrien slowly nodded his head. Duusu rushed at him, hugging him once more, and he uncertainly patted the little kwami. He wasn't quite sure what she was feeling in the moment, and before he could think much about it she had rushed away once more, humming loudly as she looked over his room once again.
"Um, what are your powers?"
"Oh, you shouldn't be transforming until you get your medicine," Duusu said dismissively. "Your weapon will have a lot of feathers, and the costume too."
Adrien swallowed slightly at this news, remembering all too well times when he modeled clothes with feathers on it... which had never been fun. And while the allergy medicines he had used in the past had stopped the sneezing and puffy eyes, it hadn't been a magical fix-all. He remembered having such a dry throat, and just wanting to sleep the day away.
Hopefully Nathalie would be able to find a brand that worked better.
"Can you tell me about your powers then?" He asked uncertainly.
Duusu grinned. "I can do that! I'm the kwami of Emotion! You might not feel anything right now, but after you transform for the first time you will be able to sense the emotions of those around you with your Miraculous."
"I... I thought Father's Miraculous worked with emotions?"
The kwami laughed. "Nooroo can sense them and affect a person's state of mind– but his powers are nothing compared to mine– we can bring Emotions to life!"
He just stared at the kwami.
"We can create avatars! By drawing a feather from your fan and saying 'Enhance' you empower the feather with your energy!" The kwami was shaking in excitement now. "By focusing on an emotion of a target you can make an avatar of the same emotion, and whoever holds the amok can control them. Avatars can have all sorts of power, and it's so much fun~"
"So it's... like an akuma?" Adrien asked with a frown.
"Sorta~" Duusu sang. "But you're controlling the creature you make, not the champion you've found."
He turned the Peacock brooch over in his hands a few times, before hesitating. "Hey Duusu, you belonged to my Mom, right?"
"Yep!"
"How long did you know her?"
"Oh, I dunno, maybe about ten of those human years?" She said, tilting her head in thought. "So not for that long."
He hesitated. "Do... do you think you could tell me about her?"
The kwami paused midair, looking down at him. Her cheerful expression was gone, the little creature looking almost pensive for a moment. A small smile flickered onto her face– and then quickly became a huge grin once more.
"Yes! I love telling stories!" Duusu cried. "I'll tell you about when I first met her! It was all snowy, and as I'm summoned from the Miraculous I see this beautiful lady," Duusu dropped her voice to a whisper for a moment. "That was your mom, by the way. She was staring at me in awe, holding my brooch in her hand..."
The kwami rambled on as Adrien sat down on his bed, closing his eyes as he listened to the kwami tell her tale.