Chapter 16: Father

When Marinette woke up, she saw him sitting at the edge of her bed, transformed. His ears were flat against his head.

"Are you leaving?" she sat up, wanting him back at her side.

"No." he fiddled with his thumbs in his lap. The chill in his voice brought a frown to her lips.
"I'm just a little restless. Want to go for a walk?" he asked.

"I could use some fresh air" Marinette watched him carefully and decided to leave it be. She transformed into Ladybug and they found a way to sneak down the side of the house.

When they made it to the street, they paused at the bakery, as if they didn't just sleep there.

"Hey, want to try being customers?" She leaned into Chat's ear.

"What? At your own place?" Chat's eyes twinkled at the idea of mischief

"Why not? It could be fun" Ladybug tugged him into the building. A bell chimed as the door opened and their nostrils became flooded with a heavy sweetness.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir!" Tom scurried from behind the counter to shake their hands. He still had an oven mit on and they all looked down at it before laughing. He pulled it off, revealing his real hand for the duo to shake. They greeted him and made him feel more comfortable.

"What brings you here today?" Sabine called from behind the counter in a kind voice.

"We thought we might support some local businesses today! Could I please get a chocolate croissant and a hot latte?" Ladybug asked

"Yes of course! Anything for Paris' hero!" she sang. "And for you Chat Noir? Also, Paris's hero" she gave him a wink.

"Oh me? No-no I'm ok!" he held his hands in front of him, accustomed to refusing food.

Ladybug frowned. "Could we bother you for two more croissants? My partner is too polite for his own good" she finished

Tom laughed "You two are adorable! You know, my daughter almost dated him too!" He blurted. Sabine gave him a fierce glare.

The two hero's faces fell and they began acting weird, scratching their heads and swaying awkwardly.

"Well, your daughter is adorable too!" Chat blurted, making the situation worse.

"Yeah, she is!" Ladybug added. Tom and Sabine looked at each other in shock and decided to shrug it off. These two were definitely unique.

"Oh Ladybug! I should tell you that my daughter's friend Adrien Agreste, the model was in here today asking about you!" Sabine chirped to break the silence

"Ladybug dropped the bag Tom had been handing to her and tripped backwards over a chair. Chat caught her and stood her up again. "He WHAT? Me? WH-why?" Ladybug stuttered. Though Chat found her reaction to him cute, he knew it wasn't actually him. He furrowed his brow at the thought of who was really looking for her.

Ladybug could sense his distress and spoke calmly to ease his stress. She was totally over Adrien. "What was he asking?" she said in her best mature voice.

"Oh he was only wondering if we saw you around. I think he's a fan" Sabine cooed moving a large tray of macarons into the oven.

Chat stepped forward. "Did he say where he was going?" he asked sharply.

"Well- no, but we didn't ask" Tom tilted his head in confusion. Chat's eyes pierced the gap between them like a blade. His entire composure changed and he released Ladybug's hand. He was not getting away this time. He thought.

Ladybug looked at her tense boyfriend, upset that he would act so angry with jealousy.

"We should get going guys! But thank you so much for the food!" She placed a 20 dollar bill on the counter. She yanked Chat's arm out of the bakery and stomped her foot.

"Well?" she asked

"Well what?" his ears turned in opposite directions, making him resemble a confused cartoon kitten.

"What in the world was that reaction about Adrien? You know how much I love you" she frowned. "That was so uncalled for. And in front of my parents?"

"Ladybug, I can assure you I am not jealous of Adrien. That couldn't be further from the truth." He rubbed his forehead trying to come up with something to say, sweat trickled from his messy hairline. "It's only that it wasn't Adrien in the bakery asking for you. It was Felix" his serious accusation hung in the air between them.

She backed away. "How the hell would you know?" She questioned after a moment.

"uhhm… Oh!" a lightbulb went off in his head. "Adrien is in Madrid." He pulled open his baton phone screen showing her the article. "See." He pointed a clawed finger at it.

Her eyed widened. She jolted upright as if struck by lightning. Her breathing changed and Chat noticed. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Hey, I'm sorry. I don't want to freak you out. If he comes back ill protect you"

Frozen. She was frozen. Chat's hand allowed warmth to reenter her body and she thawed a little in his loving gaze. "Wh-why would he ask for ladybug at my house? Unless he knows… why was he after me in my civilian form the other day?… unless he knows" she gasped

She couldn't remember exactly what he had said to her. I know you know where he is? Who was he even talking about? She tried desperately to access her memory but all she could see was a blur of evil eyes and a grin that snapped her sturdy spine in half. She clutched Chat's hand on her shoulder. She needed his touch to keep her alert.

"Hey If he knows, then I'll protect you." He assured her. He could feel her trembling under his touch.

"But-but he could use that. He could see us together as a way to.." she couldn't formulate sentences.

"No don't go there, ok? Don't over think us. We make sense, my lady. We are stronger together remember? Our powers too." He couldn't lose her.

She relaxed a little. "Ok but now we have to be really careful. I need to think of a plan. Shoot, but I can't go home now. Can I go to your place to think for a little?"

"Yes, anytime you want to you can. You always have a place to stay with me. I'll come over later ok? I think I might try and find him right now. Not to start anything but just to keep tabs" Chat sounded distant but she didn't have time to overthink it. She gave him a nod and a look that told him to be safe. His eyes flicked at her and told her he'd miss her. She smiled and leapt away from him.

Chat searched the city to no avail. Wherever he was, it was a damn good hiding place. He spent the rest of the afternoon staring at his baton. The blinking time synced with his heart rate. He would be meeting the senti-adrien again this afternoon. He transformed into astrocat and headed towards Madrid again. This time he had a destination.

Chat landed in the restaurant parking lot. It felt weird to be alone again. He looked at the time on his baton one last time "2:55pm." He was early. He walked inside. An aroma of cilantro and something savory wafted past him. He felt his stomach grumble. When was the last time he'd eaten? He pushed the thought back into his head. No time to eat. He refocused on the tables of people. Surprisingly, the restaurant was packed. All hunger left his body when he saw his blonde hair. The other Adrien sat at a booth, scratching at his arms and the back of his head. Funny. Even his nervous habits are the same as mine.

"Hey." Chat sat down. Not a lot of eyes were on him, being that Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't all that huge in Spain.

"I have to make this brief" the other Adrien spoke in a low voice. The sound of his voice made Chat uneasy. He sounded like him, like Félix, and slightly, like his father.

"Go, on." Chat continued with a sarcastic attitude in his voice. He had his guards up.

The other Adrien leaned down and placed a menu in front of the two of their heads, blocking them from the rest of the restaurant. A loud crash sounded in the kitchen, and it made them both jump. They listened, alert. It had just been a regular restaurant occurrence. They relaxed. Their movements were synchronized and Chat hoped the boy wouldn't notice.

"Felix is going to be pretending to be Adrien tonight. He's going to try and lure the real Adrien in by creating an illusion of a girl named Marinette Dupain-Cheng being captured. He knows he has a soft spot for her… anyway he's going to lure him and attack him or something. He wants to steal his life… he thinks he's also a senti… like me… so he's going to try and snap him out of existence. He said he has his object…" he began to bite his lip at his last words. "take this" he handed him a small tube with a dart inside of it. It was the same one Lila had during their battle. "it's a tranquilizer. It knocks people out fast without killing them. They've been using them against the senti monsters when they try and escape. That or they just erase them…use it against him and take the peacock miraculous. Please" he shuddered.

"A-Adrien? A sentimonster? How could that be possible?" Chat gasped. He took the dart into his hand and stared at it before putting it in his pocket.

"I don't know. He thinks it must be true… because well… he's one himself" The boy spoke sullenly. "And if Adrien really is one… that means there are three fake versions of the same boy that doesn't exist."

Doesn't exist. No. That couldn't be true…Chat gulped. Five for three to one… breathe out.

Chat felt the words of everyone in the room swarm around him like the sounds of flies. The buzzing grew louder until he felt his knee bouncing. He scratched the back of his neck. "I have to go. Thank you" Chat spoke sternly and got up. The other boy stared, hoping he would do as he said and get the miraculous.

He walked out of there with his legs shaking. He needed her again, but he didn't want to tell her… he couldn't face the possibility of losing her because of knowing his identity when she wasn't ready… he couldn't risk losing her over the fact that… he might not even be real. But how? He aged, he felt, he remembered being a child. Wouldn't he remember being created? Sentimonsters were also human. They were also real. He tried to relax. Chats head spun and he reached the top of his hair and twisted a piece tightly. Stop. Relax. Why would Felix suspect Marinette as his girlfriend? Sure, he could've seen them together at school but he never talked about his feelings about anyone to Felix. Unless he knew both their identities. Felix was sneaky, cunning, and tactful. If he had a plan, it was well thought out. Since they were children, he'd known this. He recalled a time Felix had elaborately managed to swap all of their Christmas presents before the holiday. Children. They had been children together. How could either of them be sentimonsters? Why would his mother stand for that? He took a restrained breath and headed back to Paris. He knew where he had to go. But he wanted to face his father first.

He landed on the roof of his old house. Five, four, three, two, one, breathe in, five four three, two, one, breathe out. He pushed open his window and swallowed his fears. He landed in his room and pulled out his baton.

"My love. I am on a secret mission right now, top secret. I promise to keep you in the loop afterwards. There is…. A lot to unpack. I love you. Don't ever forget that. And don't go to the Eiffel tower today. Felix is going to create an illusion." He sent his message.

"Plagg. Claws in." His transformation fell and out popped his beloved kwami. Adrien's watery eyes stared into Plagg's concerned gaze.

"Adrien." Plagg floated towards the boy.

"Plagg. You trust me right?" the blonde spoke carefully.

"More than any other holder I've had" the kwami responded.

"Then I need you to stay in my drawer up here, hidden until I come back." His voice dropped low, like the boy in the restaurant, like Felix, and like his fathers. The cat kwami froze. Adrien took his ring off, without renouncing him, so he was able to hold the ring. "I will." Plagg nodded and flew into the drawer. "Please kid. Please know what you're doing." He tucked himself into a sock and shook his small head.

Adrien sighed. He opened a drawer near his bedside, full of his usual clothing. Clothing he hadn't worn since he left. He pulled out his t shirt, white overshirt, jeans, and a pair of orange shoes from the drawer. He took his black hoodie off and replaced it with the top garments. He was still wearing Felix's dress clothes underneath ironically. He changed his pants and slipped on his old shoes. He faced the butterfly mark on his sneaker and without warning, it felt like his clothes stung on his skin. He didn't like wearing anything that represented his father. He walked into his bathroom to take a look at his appearance. There he was standing in the mirror. Adrien Agreste. The perfect boy who might not even exist. It was rare that he saw his own face on himself these days, and he hadn't seen these clothes in a while. He trembled and clutched the sink. Tears fell down his face and he looked up into his own eyes again, attempting to regain confidence. He broke again. Stop shaking. He turned the sink on cold. He splashed his face with the water and met his own eyes again. He put on his best Felix grin and shuddered at the accuracy. His smile faded and he was Adrien again. His lips curled at the edges again as he watched himself morph into his cousin. It was sickening to see. At least it has its advantages, he thought.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he faced his head at the large windows of his room. Paris was dark with clouds that rumbled. A storm. The window he had climbed through still had a crack in it open. A gust of wind flew into the room and shook a lamp against the wall until the light flicked out. The white overshirt he wore blew backwards, along with his hair, as he stood motionless. Oh yeah, he almost forgot one thing. He reached his hands up to his head and smoothed his hair against his head. Perfect.

He stepped into his fathers study. He picked up a picture he had drawn for his father on his desk and tossed it to the ground. Gone. He gazed up at the painting and met his mother's eyes. Hers looked like his. He had to be real. He looked like her. He took a deep breath and walked towards the painting. He placed his hands into the indents he never noticed before. You deserved better mom. A sound clicked and he was brought into a glass tube with an elevator. This is it. He watched as the ground removed itself and he was sent into a dark room with a hallway. It seemed like a garden almost, but everything was fake. The air felt heavy in his lungs. A covered casket lay at the end of the hall. What the hell? His eyes scanned the room as he breathed heavily. He felt his fists clenching but stopped as he didn't want to seem out of character. He was beginning to lose hope of finding him when he saw him, kneeling on the ground near what looked like a statue of his mother. He wasn't in his suit. For a moment, Adrien almost felt something for the man he once called his father. He looked distressed, his glasses were taken off and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Don't pity him, he thought and his warmth iced over.

"Hello Uncle" Adrien sneered in his best Felix voice.

"Ah. Nephew. Come to tell me a new plan?" His father's voice came out low and sinister. Just like Hawkmoth's.

"No, just came to talk about our next plans uncle. Yours are far more brilliant than mine." Adrien walked towards him stalling. .

Gabriel chuckled. "You flatter me boy. I have only a few to go but nothing is working as I thought it would. I thought for sure I'd have that bug squashed by now. But still,. I do have hope for Lila."

Adrien's throat tightened, and he felt a sense of darkness wash over him. Squash her? His lady? Over his dead body…or his fathers. Adrien inched closer, his hand tightly clutching the dart. Just one more step….

Gabriel turned and faced him suddenly. Adrien hid the dart behind his back and tucked it into his pocket. "Felix.. do me a favor and grab that shovel over there" He raised an eyebrow and touched his ring.

"Over there? Wh-why?" Adrien hesitated and faced the shovel in the dark corner, his confidence leaving him.

"Just… Go and grab it" a smile grew on his face.

Adrien cocked his head to the side. He began turning around but his father suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Adrien, is it really you?" his father suddenly gasped

"No!" Adrien cried yanking his arm back. Shit, shit, shit.

"Give me your arm back! I command it!" His father yelled

"No!" Adrien cried again. Run away, get away, abort mission.

"So, it is you! Felix can't say no to me anymore. Not now that I have his object." Gabriel chuckled, rubbing his ring. "But you… you've always had the power of decision. You're the only real Agreste child." He shook his head glaring down at him. Adrien's mouth tightened. He tried to break away from his father's grasp, but he couldn't. "You've always had the power to disobey me. You were just too weak to do it." He chuckled. "I have to say though, I am impressed at this charade. Maybe we are more alike" Adrien turned his head away from his sinking eyes. "Tell me son. Why aren't you in Spain? How did you figure me out?" he yanked him harder.

"I- I saw you. I heard you plotting." Adrien turned towards him again, trying not to let himself break. In all honesty however, he was terrified.

"And just what do you think you can do about it?" he leaned into the boy's face angrily.

"I just want to put stop to it all. Please. Whatever it is you want, you can get it without this…this evil" Adrien pleaded. He hoped anything would work, any way to help him see that he didn't have to be evil anymore.

"You think I want that? To do things the right way? The weak way? This is how I work… how we work! The Agreste's! Even your mother! She was the peacock miraculous holder before Nathalie ever was!" he shouted. "Join me son!" his frown grew into an excited grin.

"Mom? Nathalie? No…that can't be" his breathing quickened and his eyes filled with tears. Why was everyone around him so, screwed up. "… I'll never join you!" Adrien shouted back. His voice came out loud, shutting off any sadness that consumed him.

"Don't shout at me!" his father gasped as he raised his hand and smacked Adrien across the face. He fell to his knees. "You think you're better than me? Than the rest of us?" His father leered over him.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Adrien held his hands over his face.

"Pathetic." His father spoke softly now, still leaning down towards his son with distain. Just then Adrien opened his eyes. Still blurry with tears he saw his father's chest right above him. Under his tie, he could see the butterfly, shining purple against his father's white shirt. As if the world had gone in slow motion, Adrien moved his hand forwards. Gabriel, too slow for his own good, hadn't even noticed. Adrien grasped as fast as he could and rolled onto his stomach, clutching the miraculous with all of his will. He bolted upwards and made his way toward the elevator. His feet moved faster than ever and felt foreign to his body. He moved as if he were being chased in a dream and the world around him darkened. His eyes could barely see straight and he wasn't even thinking, just acting on pure impulse. He had it. He had the butterfly miraculous. He panted as he reached the door. He saw it closing in front of his father's terrified face. He could've sworn he heard him screaming after him but his ears rang too loud. Stairs. Find the stairs. Find Plagg. Leave. His legs kept moving. Crashes boomed behind him but nothing slowed his pace.

He threw the door open and faced his dark room, lightening was striking the ground outside and illuminated it briefly. He rushed towards his drawer.

"Plagg, now!" he shouted. The small black kwami flew out of the drawer and placed the ring onto Adrien's finger. Gasping, his hands shook. He pinned the butterfly to his shirt but didn't dare to call on the transformation. Nooroo appeared but he didn't even acknowledge him. He just stared widely at the storm outside and felt the storm inside of himself. He could hear the footsteps approaching. He reached into his back pocket, held the dart to his mouth and waited until he heard the door swing open. Lightening struck again, lighting his room. His green eyes met his father's as it flashed. For the first time, he saw the sad look in his father's eyes and felt nothing. No amount of false hope could make him pity him now. He was gone. Dead to him. He blew into the tube and watched as it hit his father, knocking him to the ground instantly as he clutched his chest. His crumpled figure on the floor didn't even seem real. Wind rippled through his room and flung the window open again. He felt the rain on his face.

"Claws out" he whispered as he reached his window and entered the storm.