Author's Note: I made a little reference to djackalope on tumblr which is Marinette having the Butterfly Miraculous. She has a Mariposa AU. It's amazing.

A look of horror washed over Cat Noir's face as he saw Ladybug be struck and collided with the wall. Just how powerful did he get in the 10 minutes they were away from him? And how did he not hear him approach? He felt his anger rise as he turned to face the Akuma. This thing that hurt one of his best friends. His partner. He knew he was angry, but it felt like his anger rose every second. He felt different. As if his powers were rising alongside this anger.

Prism advanced towards Ladybug, his massive figure reflecting the sunlight as he moved. As he moved closer to the heroine he lifted his hand up, shooting a crystal at Cat Noir. The crystal impacted his hands, securing them to his chest. Prism waved his hand up, a crystal emerged from the ground and captured Cat Noir with only his head and shoulders exposed.

Cat yelled out as he tried to move, yet nothing would. He couldn't summon his Cataclysm as it would only touch him, and he wasn't fond of finding out what would happen. He desperately began to move, thrashing about as he saw the Akuma get closer to Ladybug.

"YOU BASTARD! STAY AWAY FROM HER!" His yell was akin to a roar, becoming animalistic. His anger building up even more as he grit his teeth. He could feel something inside him begin to boil. A power. He needed this power. He needed to help Ladybug!

Prism ignored his cries, focusing only on grabbing the Miraculous and fulfilling his role.

"I. SAID. STAY. AWAY!" Cat roared out as his eyes became slants. He could feel the fangs in his mouth as his tongue ran past them. A surge of black lightning began to spark around him as his hands slowly became fists in the crystal. He could feel this power emanate from his very being. He did not question it though and decided to let loose.

Cat Noir let out a roar, his arms and legs thrusting outwards as the crystal encasing him shattered to pieces around him. He landed on all four, his eyes focusing on Prism. With speeds he didn't know he was capable of, he ran to Ladybug's defense, reaching her within two strides. As Prism was about to grab the jewels Cat stopped him with one hand. A growl escaped him as he looked upon the crystal being with fury. Prism tried to use his overwhelming strength to overpower the hero, but the man would not move.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Cat balled his right fist and brought it up towards the Akuma. His fist connected to the abdomen and delivered an uppercut right up its torso. Prism was launched into the air as a large portion of his stomach and chest were missing. Pieces of crystal scattered in the grass as the Akuma landed on a decorative fountain. The stone structure collapsed under its weight, water beginning to spray in every direction. The damage to the Akuma was extensive. Cat had broken a large portion of his thick armor and left the Akumatized object exposed. A layer of light pink crystal showed from from the wool. It looked akin to muscle under the skin.

Cat Noir looked at Prism while grasping his right arm. The surge of power he felt disappeared. His arm felt fine one moment, then like it was on fire the next. He looked down at his hand, clenching it into a fist before closing his eyes. How did he do all that? He wasn't able to make a dent into any of the crystals before, and yet he just did it with pure strength. Was it a new power? Was he becoming stronger? These thoughts were pushed away as he heard Ladybug. His rage was gone and was overshadowed with concern for Ladybug. His body felt heavy , but he pushed through to be at her side.

Hawk Moth had stabbed the last clone in the back, hearing it scream before it disappeared. These clones were tangible. No mere illusions. The original was catching their breath as they sat on one knee. They were skilled, strong even. This battle was dragging out. His body wanted to give up. He wouldn't allow that. His arms ached and cried for relief. Bruises already forming on his body from her powerful blows.

As he stood tall he felt something collide to the side of his head. His ear began ringing as the 'original' disappeared. The real one had struck him with their flute. He flew in the air, landing on his back as he felt cold air on his head. A piece of his helmet had been broken off.

"You are strong." Hawk Moth stated as he stood up. He looked at the person as he reached his hands up. "And have reached a level with your Miraculous Rena Rouge can only dream of. But your actions. The way you fight. They are too brutal to be someone Ladybug trusts."

He clasped his fingers on the back of his helmet. A hissing sound could be heard as he unfastened a seal. He slid the object off his head and let it drop to the ground. He knew he was vulnerable without his helmet, but having pieces of it becoming embedded in his skull was not something to look forward too. He looked at the attacker with a scowl. He let out a yell and charged at them, swinging three consecutive punches. They dodged each one, countering with a jab to his stomach. Gabriel groaned as he grabbed their shoulders, slamming his forehead to their nose. The person stepped back, clutching their face. He could tell their nose was bloodied due to the drops by their feet.

They looked at Gabriel and brought the flute to their mouth and casted another illusion. Two more clones appeared in the air and brought their legs down on the man. He blocked their kicks with his forearms but failed to block against the original. They dashed at him, sending an open palm strike directly under his chin. They followed with a 180 kick to his chest. Gabriel flew in the air, his back slamming against the butterfly window. He fell to his hands and knees as he spat out some blood. He was bruised, battered, and felt weak. This person…..they were much stronger than they let on. Stronger than him. He could feel the emotion that drives them. Determination, anger, hatred. He could also feel love and sadness.

Gabriel looked up only to have his head grabbed. The person yelled as they slammed his head through the window, his face being cut extensively from the glass. He looked out to the bright sky, the clouds dimming the light of the sun. He was suddenly pulled back in and tossed aside. He laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling. He lifted his right arm up to grasp at something. A swift pain filled his body as his arm bent at an unnatural angle. The boot of his opponent kicked his elbow and broke the distal portion of the humerus and proximal of the ulna.

He closed his eyes as he grit his teeth. The pain shooting through his body was some of the worst he ever felt. At least physically. His attacker reached down and grasped his collar, their fingers clasping around the magical jewel. He grabbed their wrist and looked them in the eye.

"Don't….don't hurt my son. Please….." He felt the tears sting his eyes. Right now he wasn't pleading for a second chance. The only thought he had right now was the thought that they may take away his son. The only light he had from his previous life. "He…he is all I have…"

He watched as they began looking away while ripping the jewel off his person. His transformation dropped and he could feel himself become much weaker. His days as Hawk Moth were now over.

"I will not hurt him. Nor tell him who you really are. But know that if you try to stop me I will not hesitate to take you down." Their voice quivered some at this sentiment. Talking as if they had some conflicting feelings. Even without his Miraculous he could tell. This person was still too inexperienced.

"I won't have too." This got a look directed at him. Their head tilted in confusion. "Because Ladybug and Cat Noir will stop you. Just like how they always stopped me."

Exhaustion finally crept up on the man as he watched them retreat. His head touched the cold metal floor that sent a shiver down his spine. What was to become of him now? Powerless and broken. He had the will to destroy the world to bring back the family he lost. But now that will was gone just like his Miraculous.

""I failed to save you….I am sorry my love." His eyes closed as he spoke, the waking world slipping away from him as he began to slumber.

Cat Noir picked the girl up from the rubble. He laid her head in his lap as he wiped some dirt off of her face. She had a small cut across her cheek with a streak of blood coming from it. Her suit was undamaged save for the portion that looked wrinkled at her stomach. He placed his hand gently on her stomach. His claws lightly moved along the fabric.

"I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to save you." He whispered to her as he leaned his head down. He placed it on hers as he could feel the tears fall down his face. "I should have been faster."

He looked at the young woman, noticing that her hair was no longer in its pigtails. It laid out against the floor in a tangled mess of rubble and dirt. He racked his fingers through her hair, only to stop when he heard her groan.

"Wha-what happened? Did anyone get the number of that metro." Ladybug spoke weakly as she brought her hand to her head.

She leaned up slowly, wincing in pain as she clutched her stomach. Her hand landed on top of Cat's who grabbed her hand tightly. She looked up at him and fully sat up. Their fingers laced together as she looked around. She opened her mouth to speak when their attention was turned to a bright light coming from Prism.

His body began to crack, purple light escaping the cracks and becoming more numerous. With one final crack his entire body exploded. The light became so bright that the heroes had to look away. When they were able to look back once more they saw a young man laying in the fountain. A white butterfly had landed on his knees.

"What the hell?" Ladybug stood up slowly. Her knees wobbled as she clenched her stomach. She took a deep breath as she pushed towards the young man.

Cat Noir joined her with his hand resting on the small of her back as she walked. She bent down, taking the butterfly and held it in her hand. Cat helped the young teenager sit up as his senses came back to him. The young man looked around with a look of confusion.

"What happened? Where am I?" Cameron asked as he looked at the feline superhero. He was helped to his feet and out of the fountain.

"Looks like you were Hawk Moth's latest victim. Don't worry though. Everything is going to be alright. I want you to get home as soon as possible. Being with loved ones right now is what is going to be best for you." Cat tried to talk as somberly as possible. He never blamed any of the people who got akumatized. But they always seem to have a sense of regret immediately afterwards. It was as if any negative emotions they had left them at that very moment. Well, almost everyone.

"I don't have a home to go back to. I live in an orphanage. No one is there to help me when I get back." Cameron hung his head low. Hearing this made Cat flinch from familiarity. He knew exactly what Cameron meant by that. And he was determined to squash that line of thinking.

"I don't agree with you there young man. The world may throw you many obstacles and sometimes you feel like there is nothing that can be done to fix this." Cat looked over at Ladybug as she inspected the butterfly. For just one moment he swore he was looking at Marinette. The inquisitive look she gave reminded him of the fashion designer. "But there is one person who believes in you. You may not see it or believe it yourself. But I guarantee you there is one."

Cat turned his attention back to Cameron and noticed something in the fountain. He picked up the crystal pendant and gave it back to him. He only sighed as he looked at the jewel. He slipped it around his neck and began walking off. Cat wasn't about to take him home. He needed time to think.

Cat turned around when he saw Ladybug holding her Lucky Charm object. It was just a rock. A simple red polka dot rock. He shrugged at her then pointed up to the sky. She tossed the object into the air and released the magical ladybugs to fix the damage.

"Oh my stomach feels a thousand time better." She patted her stomach while giving a cheeky smile.

"Are you sure that you are totally ok though? We haven't dealt with an Akuma that strong in a long while" Cat approached Ladybug and set his hand on her shoulder. She looked away and muttered something to herself.

"If only you knew…"

He was about to say something when his ring began to beep. He looked down, seeing that he only had five minutes remaining.

"What the! But I didn't even use my Cataclysm! And I'm basically an adult…..well I still got a few months left anyway. And I thought it got extended to 15 minutes as we got closer to being adults."

"We'll discuss this later on during our patrol. Right now I need you to get to a safe place. Can't have everyone know who you are before I do." Ladybug gave him a big smile and bumped his fist.

Before he could leave though she gave him a hug, causing the boy to stiffen at her touch. He wrapped his arms around her. He could feel the deep breath she took that was accompanied by a sob. She released him and kissed his cheek before wiping her eyes.

"Thank you for saving me today."

Cat could only watch as she whirled her yo-yo and swung away. He rubbed his cheek and blushed. When she was gone he wiped the feeling off his cheek. Acts like that are what made a heart waver. And he already decided who to give his too.

Jumping back into the abandoned classroom Marinette dropped her transformation. She let Tikki fall into her hand before producing a treat for her. Marinette looked at the clock, having been gone for about an hour. She could hear the people walking outside, making their way to the lockers. This Akuma was too close to the school and it was closing for the day. Assignments and projects were probably handed out at the gate by the teachers. Standard protocol. Marinette made sure the door was locked before turning her attention to Tikki.

"That was too close Marinette. You were hurt badly and my tummy still is kinda sore from that punch." She rubbed her little nubs across her belly while eating the cookie.

"You can say that again. That Akuma was different. It grew too strong too fast. Has Hawk Moth figured out how to use his powers more efficiently?" Marinette's tone was somber as she sat in a chair. Her mind began to wander about the possibilities of a stronger Hawk Moth.

"You'll have to ask Master Fu about this. He is the only one who is capable of telling you anything at this point." Tikki floated to fly in front of her chosen stretching a bit. "That is something to be discussed another time though Marinette. I want to know if you are feeling alright."

"What do you mean?" Marinette looked up from staring at the floor. "I'm doing just fine. The ladybugs healed me good."

"I mean mentally Marinette. I haven't seen you so down from an Akuma fight before. What's wrong?"

Marinette let out a sigh as she fiddled with her good luck charm bracket. "I just feel powerless right now. I didn't do anything during that Akuma besides getting Kagami out of there and being knocked out. Cat did most of the work. And he beat Prism." She looked up to her Kwami while slouching in the chair. "It's not that I am supposed to be better than Cat Noir or anything. We are equals. It's just that I feel I should have done better for myself. I need to improve myself with every Akuma. But today… today it felt like I took a big step backwards."

"There are times where you can't help the outcome no matter how skilled or knowledgeable you are. Some things happen regardless." Tikki floated up to hug Marinette's cheek. Her tiny antenna tickled the girl. "I know you tried your best today and that's all we can ask for."

Marinette smiled and rubbed the small creature's head. Tikki was always able to make her feel better. Her advice was always sound, though not always correct.

"Now all we need to do is go home. Gotta say bye to Adrien, Alya, and Nino before though." Marinette said with a smile as she headed for the door. He hand grasped the knob before her eyes widened. "I CAN'T FACE ADRIEN RIGHT NOW!"

"Why not? He is your best friend."

"Because Tikki he touched my….ya know! That was so embarrassing! We aren't even a couple yet and he got a feel. That's not supposed to happen until much later in our relationship!" Marinette grabbed her hair and wrapped it around her face. She could still feel the phantom touch of his hand.

She could hear the sounds of students dispersing from the school. Soon the teachers would make their rounds to make sure no one was trespassing. Marinette took a deep breath and looked at the door. She couldn't just hide here. She was confident, cool, adorable as a button, and a strong person. Her days of being embarrassed over silly things were behind her. She was a new woman and not a silly little girl. She stepped out of the classroom, book bag secured and purse at her waist. She went down the steps to the courtyard,m, heading for the gate to collect her homework.

"Marinette!"

She turned around and spotted Adrien. All of her embarrassment came rushing back. She could feel her face become flushed and the sweat form on her palms. So much for confidence.

"Oh hey Adrien." She pointed a finger gun at him when she greeted him. She looked at her hand and forced it behind her back. "How you doing? You uh followed my advice and got somewhere safe?"

"Yeah. Though Chloe was more concerned about me than anything. Anyway sorry that I didn't get to hear what you had to say earlier... What was it anyway?" Adrie gave her a warm smile. His tone having his trademark happiness to it. It made her knees weak.

She thought of her confession envelope she was carrying in her backpack. She could give it to him and run away. That would be the easy solution. But right now she wasn't in the mood for stupid plans. She wanted to go home and lay in bed. Her body felt exhausted. Even after being healed she felt like she could still feel the impact. She would need to make up an excuse.

"Oh I was just inviting you to a party that I am going to have at my place on Friday. Little get together of friends. I wanted to invite you first. Ya know, be my guest of honour." She lightly tapped his arm with her elbow. "Can't not have the guy who keeps spare clothes in my room be invited."

He chuckled a bit as he crossed his arms. The weird air she felt between them seemed to have vanished. Why was she so nervous around him again? This kid was a certified goofball who is perfectly imperfect.

"Well I hope I would be invited at least. The same goes for you too. Can't have you keep clothes at my place and not invite you over." He teased her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She looked up at him to see him leaning into her. He pressed his lips to her cheek, stunning the young girl as he ran off to his driver.

"See ya later Marinette!"

Marinette just stood there, blinking some as she clenched her fists, bringing them to her chest and began to wiggle her butt in excitement. A habit that Alya called adorable and very much Marinette.

Cameron finally arrived back at the orphanage. The yard was empty and the street light would be on soon. The sun was beginning to set and illuminate the sky with its orange glow. He took a deep breath and headed back inside. What he wasn't expecting was so many pairs of arms to surround him. He looked at the other children as they squeezed him tight and the director with the couple from before stood behind them.

"Cameron, we were very worried!"

"Why did you leave?"

"Is it because I called you a buttface?"

Cameron looked at them as tears threatened to spill. His heart felt warm as he wiped his eyes. Did he mean that much to these people?

"Cameron, I am sorry about what happened. We wanted to explain that we couldn't adopt you today. Our home is being fumigated. We had an infestation of bugs and didn't want to just take you to the hotel for the next two days." The man said as he bent down to be eye level with Cameron.

"Wait….so you mean…"

"Yes. You are coming to be our son. We wanted to give you time to say goodbyes and pack your things." The woman joined her husband, smiling at Cameron that showed genuine kindness.

Cameron couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He wrapped his arms around his new parents, a smile that hadn't been on his face in years finally showed.

Nooroo looked up at his new Master, or rather Mistress. She stood in a dark room while staring at the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculous in her hand. A sinister looking smile on her face.

"Mistress, are you going to hurt me? I know that you have plans for the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous." He said, slightly scared before his worries were dashed away.

A pair of soft lips touched his head, making the small Kwami look up at his Mistress before being handed a jumbo marshmallow. He eyed the tasty treat before grabbing it for himself. He began to chewy on the sugary substance before looking up at her.

"Of course not. I would never harm you Nooroo. Everyone else? That is a different story. If they decide to get in my way then I will have to deal with them accordingly. Though if my plans come to fruition like I hope then no one will have to be hurt.. The woman grabbed the Peacock Miraculous and was about to put it on before being stopped by Duusu.

"Mistress, I know you want to use the Peacock, but it is very dangerous. I commend your go-get-em attitude but I don't recommend it." Duusu said excitedly as she looked up at her new Mistress. "My Miraculous is very broken. Prolonged use can make you very ill and put you in a state in which you won't wake up from."

The woman looked down at the two, and instead put the butterfly brooch on her chest and smiled. "Don't worry. You know my plan is about the same as that pathetic man Gabriel. But my reasoning is much more just. The Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous took something from me a long time ago. I intend to get it back. And then show them true pain."