Yeah so this took me much longer than I thought it would. But I got a new job as a sales rep — its a big girl job — and I've been busy in trainings, meetings, demos, phone calls, and conferences… so. um. Sorry.

DISCLAIMER: no I am not Thomas Astruc or Jeremy Zag, thank u very much

Please enjoy!


Nathalie sits in a quiet and secluded room, waiting for… something. Anything.

An investigator had brought her in for questioning, but it seemed as if they are leaving her alone for a while. Possibly to see how she acts when she thinks no one is watching?

However, she had never been known as an idiot. In fact, her teachers praised her; called her gifted, and her mother had her placed in advanced classes since secondary school. Cold and unmoving didn't give the impression of insanity, did it?

As she ponders this concept, another thought comes to mind: how will she get out of this?

A clever mind she was, but lying was not on her agenda. She had always prided herself in being blatantly truthful. But she had climbed up to her position as Gabriel Agreste's assistant and the job had been keeping her grounded for years now. She does not want to give up all she has worked for, although that is exactly what her boss had done. He had owned up to his actions and is now facing the consequences. The problem was that she was afraid.

She would never admit it, but she was. The idea of living behind bars with naturally aggressive inmates surrounding her was never at all appealing in her mind. After all, she was only powerful when she had a miraculous, which she had given up a while ago now; the inmates are more powerful than her as civilians, and who knows what they are capable of?

With enough luck on her side, however, she has a chance at being approved for bail. Her bank account will suffer, but she would be safe from a cell. That is the only reasonable option here, in her opinion.

The sound of a door opening has her lifting her head. The man who brought her in stands there, shuffling through paperwork, before he takes a seat across from her at the table. Finally, he looks her way.

"I am going to ask you a series of questions in relation to the terrorism caused by your boss and you are going to answer truthfully. Do you understand?"

With a gulp, she nods.

The questioning begins.


Nino glances at the clock and groans.

15 minutes left. But why is it taking forever?

Alya isn't in his final class and he had already skipped ahead to the section they are writing notes for, so he had nothing to do. Besides doodling in his notebook and pretending to listen to the teacher, that is. He doesn't consider himself the type of dude to eavesdrop on his classmates' conversations, either (he thinks it's rude). Otherwise, he would be having the time of his life.

"I heard Adrien is staying with Dupain-Cheng," says a snotty voice from across the room.

He perks up at the mention of two close friends. Oh yeah, Chloe is in his final class, unfortunately. And this time, he'll listen in. Adrien is his best bud, so it's not rude if it concerns him.

"It is ridiculous how he's staying with her, and not with me in my daddy's hotel! We even called and offered him a permanent room for only nine-hundred Euros a month! He has big money, and that's cheap! But he's accepting charity from the middle class," she scoffs, "You'd think he would have learned something from all his years growing up wealthy."

Nino rolls his eyes, vexed. This girl really gets on his nerves sometimes.

Well, all the time.

"But really, did you see them today? They were all cuddly and disgusting. Ugh. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

She's quiet for a few more minutes before another outburst.

"Oh my goodness! I also found this little brooch when I was over at his house yesterday!"

His head snaps in her direction, all doodling forgotten, and his eyes widen when he sees the unmistakeable green wings.

The Peacock Miraculous.

He nearly jumps out of his seat to grab it out of her hands, but he refrains himself.

Stay calm.

"I don't know, but it's kinda pretty…"

She starts to put it on, but—

"NO!"

Chloe turns to look at Nino, scowling. She halts the action, raising an eyebrow.

"You want it for yourself, four eyes?"

Naturally, he wants to retort, but the opportunity is right in front of him. So he nods, putting out a hand.

She laughs, starting to put it back on again.

"Chloe…" he warns.

"Omigod, what?!"

"I thought you were done being evil," he accuses.

She lowers the brooch. Just a little.

"What does this brooch have to do with being evil?"

He shakes his head.

"You can't just take something that doesn't belong to you! Give it back to me so I can give it to Adrien."

Chloe rolls her eyes, keeping a vice grip on the piece of jewelry.

"I'm sure Adrikins wouldn't mind. He gives me things all the time."

"But he didn't give this to you, you took it!"

She rolls her eyes again, and he wonders just how many times she can do that before she gets a headache.

"Oh, chill out! It's no big deal! If Adrien asks, I'll give it."

Neither of them knew that was true. So, he settles for Plan B: blackmailing.

He leans in to whisper in her ear, but she pushes him away.

"Ew, get away from me! I'll tell that blogger girl all about it!"

Nino huffs, crossing his arms.

"So you want me to tell your daddy, the mayor, that his daughter tampered with evidence from a crime scene? You know that's a criminal offense, right?"

Her stoic façade slips, and he takes advantage of it. He reaches out and pulls the brooch from her hand, pocketing it quickly.

"It's a family heirloom, Chloe. Adrien just lost the only family he has left. So don't take anything else from him, alright?"

A look of defeat on the blonde's face is the last he sees before he turns a cold shoulder to her and walks back to his seat. She doesn't show any defiance, choosing to start animatedly talking about shoes, of all things.

He wishes he could've handled that better, but damn. He is pissed at Chloe.


"—my cheese, Sugarcube! Don't you dare threaten me with it. I will gladly eat it!"

Adrien blinks, waking to the faint sound of his kwami bickering with (who he assumes is) Tikki on the other side of the room. He doesn't notice the petite girl laying next to him until he tries to raise a hand to his face in order to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He can't; his arm is trapped under the bluenette beauty, but he doesn't want to wake her up. Instead, when he feels a yawn coming on, he lets the noise form in the back of his throat. He hopes that it's a subtle enough hint for Marinette to move a little.

She doesn't budge.

He twists his lips as he considers just how to get out of this predicament. Well, he could tickle her with his free arm… but that would be too harsh of a waking. He could also… hmm, no, that would be too annoying. Oh! He could…

Forget it.

He gives up, simply deciding to whisper in her ear.

"Mari?"

Nothing.

"Bugaboo?"

Despite her nose being stuffed into her pillow, he sees her scrunch it up and slightly shake her head.

"Purrrrincess?"

"Hmph…" comes her groggy voice, "What?"

"You're laying my arm, baby."

She frowns, mumbles a small, "Oh," and turns over so that his arm is free. He smiles at how cute she is while asleep.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," he whispers before getting out of bed.

Marinette, still half asleep, nods. "Ok, come back though."

A chuckle escapes his throat and he nods in response.

"I will, don't worry."

Five minutes later, he has finished his business and is ready to get back into bed when he hears his phone ping from her chaise. He frowns, walking over to pick it up and absentmindedly taking note of the time: 12:45pm.

SHIT.

He and Marinette are missing school. Ugh, Mr. Damocles is probably so sick of our absences and tardies. Hopefully, he thinks, when they are finally able to reveal their identities to the public, then he will finally understand.

But for now… he shakes his head, and wishes that they won't get in too much trouble.

Another ping vibrates his phone and he looks back down, seeing Nino's name. Curious, yet excited to be getting a text from his friend, he opens it.

"Fucking hell."


The investigator stares her down as if she's a caged animal who's ready to attack at any moment. It makes her shift in her seat.

"I will ask you again, Ms. Sancoeur. Were you ever offered to work with Gabriel on his…activities…as Hawkmoth?"

She weighs her options; an offer was never made, she volunteered because of her sickening feelings for the hopeless man.

On one hand, she knows that if she just says, "No," and he moves onto his next question, then she would be safe for a little while longer. On the other hand, she isn't stupid; he will grill the answer out of her no matter what.

So, what is at play here? Logic or Patience?

Sighing, she decides that she is ready to tell the truth. The pure, unadulterated truth.

Because, she reasons, she has never quite felt motherly love, but sweet Adrien deserves justice. She feels as though she owes that to him, at the very least.

She takes a deep breath.

"I was never offered to work with him. I volunteered."

Nathalie is nearly amused at the way his eyes comically widen at her response, and at how fast he takes a note of it.

"W-Why did you choose to help him?"

She shrugs, "I cared deeply for the man; I still do. He had just lost his wife a year prior, and I could only imagine the pain he was in. I wanted his pain to end."

He furrows his eyebrows.

"Did you agree with his actions?"

"I suppose, in the moment, I did."

"Did you ever partake in his actions? There has been speculation that you were once Mayura."

"Correct," she says, keeping her head held high.

The investigator stops asking questions for a moment, taking his time to jot down her responses. When he looks back up at her, his eyes are cold. She nearly shivers.

"Those are all the questions we have for you today. Unfortunately," he pauses and her heart drops, "you did just admit to being an accomplice to the crimes of Hawkmoth and even becoming a terrorist, yourself. Legally, I have no choice but to bring in an officer and have you placed under arrest. Although, considering the weight of your crimes, you will be granted a bail hearing, and you will be appointed a lawyer."

She barely hears him as she stares at a random spot on the wall, letting her eyes unfocus. He sounds distant, but she knows he is still there. Her body is static, her face is stoic, and she's sure that by now he has already left the room.

Nathalie does not hear him when he thanks her for being so cooperative, nor does she hear him when he stomps out of the room. She does not register another person walking into the room, nor the rights being read to her. Her body moves robotically, as her mind is in a different place completely. She does not hear or feel the clasping of metal around her wrists. Nor does she remember being guided out of that secluded room, out of the police station, and into the backseat of a squad car.

This has always been her worst nightmare, but she wishes it were as scary as it were while sleeping.

Instead, she only feels numb.


Adrien doesn't tell his girlfriend about the… situation….with Chloe and the Peacock miraculous. Not yet, at least.

She had mentioned last night before they fell asleep that she wanted to make a video as Ladybug, addressing the defeat of Hawkmoth and answering as many questions as possible (without releasing too much information, of course). She had invited Alya over that afternoon so that she could record it and post it on the Ladyblog. He might even make an appearance as Chat Noir, if he's feeling up to it.

He and Nino had come to a mutual agreement that they would tell the girls after the video is made, unless one of the questions that fans wanted answers had to do with the certain winged miraculous. Currently, it was safe in Nino's hands, so he wasn't worried anymore. Although he just knows that his girlfriend is freaking out about it. He's not sure how he will break the news to her; she has never been a fan of his childhood friend, and he hasn't been a fan of her recently either. She will get angry, that's for sure. He's not entirely ready to deal with her wrath yet, whether it's directed towards him or not.

So, he watches from Marinette's chaise as she rushes around her room, gathering any items laying around and putting them back in their respective spots. Her face flushes when she's pressured, or hot, and he finds it extremely endearing that she is so worried about how her room looks. It's not like she's making the video in her room, anyways.

Right?

He raises an eyebrow as she stands up on her desk chair, readjusting a crooked poster on her wall and stepping back down to give it another critical look.

"Uh, Mari?"

"Hm?" She turns toward him with an innocent look on her features.

"It's just Alya… why are you freaking out about your room so much?"

Marinette shrugs, resuming her frantic organizing.

"She does't care how your room looks, honestly. And you're recording the video outside, right? So why are you trying to make it picture-perfect?"

He sees her hesitate before putting a stray pencil inside her art drawer.

"I never said I was doing the video outside."

Adrien's eyes widen, "You never said you were doing it in your civilian room!"

She turns to him sheepishly.

"Don't hate me," she starts, "but I think it's time to reveal our identities."

His breath catches in his throat.

"But… what? You just said a couple days ago that—"

"I know, I know. But I talked to my mom and she had the same reasoning that you did; if Paris knows that Adrien Agreste is Chat Noir, they won't put any blame on you. I didn't agree, at first, but there's really no other way to clear your name… and I figured that if you are going to reveal yourself, then I won't let you do it alone. Hence… why I'm making this video."

Marinette winces as her boyfriend gapes at her words. She's not sure why she's so nervous for his reaction, because she know he will be all for it, but she still is.

"Uhh," Adrien clears his throat, "Sure. Yeah. Mhm."

She raises an apprehensive eyebrow.

He continues, "I just—I wasn't expecting to do this today."

"You don't have to! I was just going to…by myself. And then whenever you decided that you were ready to—"

"No, I'm ready, Mari. I've been ready for a while. I don't want you to do this alone. Can we do this, together?"

The bluenette smiles, nods, and offers a hand for him to hold. He gladly takes it, returning a smile. He is thankful for her warm touch.

"So," she says, "we have about half an hour before Alya and Nino get here. Wanna prepare some words?"

At this question, his smile fades.

"No, I think I'll just come up with something claw-ver on the spot."

Marinette rolls her eyes, but nods. "Okay, but let me know if you don't want to answer a question. Alright?"

"Purr-haps I will, m'lady."

"I think you just pun when you're anxious."

"I disagree, but it might be a paw-sibility."

"Ugh. You're so annoying."

"What do you mean? I'm hiss-terical!"


Shortly after their conversation, Alya and Nino are making their way up the bakery stairs and into the Dupain-Cheng living room.

"Oh, hi kids!" Sabine greets. "Adrien and Marinette are in her room!"

Nino thanks her and the couple heads up to their friend's room. When they open up the door, he is surprised to find the girl's room extremely neat and tidy. Usually it's clean, but not this clean. He's taken aback for a moment.

Alya, on the other hand, is in business mode. She doesn't say a word to him as she grabs a chair, greets her best friend, and sits down with her camera ready. Dumbfounded, all Nino could do is take a seat next to Adrien and watch as Marinette transforms into Ladybug right in front of his eyes.

"Woah," he mutters.

"I had the same reaction," Adrien says next to him.

"Alright, I'm ready," Marinette—well, Ladybug—declares.

"Okay!" Alya exclaims, and you can hear the excitement in her voice. "Recording."

Ladybug takes a deep breath and smiles at the camera.

"Hello everyone. I know that Chat Noir and I haven't been seen for the past few days, following the defeat of Hawkmoth. I also know that there has been a lot of hate towards the Agreste family, especially Mr. Agreste's assistant, Nathalie Sancoeur. She is suspected to be Mayura, which she is currently being questioned about. I do not have any information on the matter, but once the answer is finalized by the police, you all will know, as well as Chat Noir and I. We wanted to update you all on a few…"

Adrien lets out a long exhale, listening to his lady talk. He said he was ready, but he's not. When she calls him up, he's not entirely sure that he won't have an anxiety attack.

A little nudge to his side interrupts his train of thoughts. He looks over to Nino, who glances down. Following his line of sight, Adrien's eyes land on the Peacock miraculous. With a grateful smile, he takes the brooch into his hand and pockets it.

"…have revealed our identities to each other. That is part of the reason why we have not been seen — we decided to spend this time together as our civilian selves, and make sure that we're on the same page. We have also been dealing with the aftermath of Hawkmoth's defeat. Since we were there, we had to be questioned. The second matter I would like to address with all of you… is our identities."

Collectively, everyone in the room takes a deep breath.

"This is a very interesting situation, and not what any of us wanted. Of course, we wanted to know who the man was that terrorized all of Paris, but certainly no one expected, or wanted, it to be Gabriel Agreste. Personally, I love fashion design, and he was my idol growing up. I'm sure that for a lot of you, hearing this news has broken your heart. But there is one heart in particular that has been broken significantly from this situation. This situation that was supposed to be a victory for him, but instead… it's bittersweet."

A large gulp rips through his throat as Marinette looks over to him and nods. Then, he stands on his shaky legs and walks into the frame. He takes a seat next to his partner on her comfortable bed, flashing a nervous smile at Alya's phone.

"Hi…"

He feels her gloved hand rub back and forth gently on his thigh, immediately calming him. Ladybug turns back to the camera and continues.

"I have Adrien Agreste here, who many have been accusing of being a part of his father's plan. I just want to clear up that he is not an accomplice, and he never even knew about his father's villainous secret identity. Right, Adrien?"

She looks to him, waiting patiently.

The blonde nods in confirmation, licking his dry lips.

"I had no idea, really. Even finding out that he went to all these lengths just to bring back my mother…" he shakes his head, "it makes me sick. Of course, I miss her and I want her back, too, but I would never EVER be so selfish as to traumatize people, much less all of Paris, just to see her again. She still lives in my memories, and that's all that matters."

He gulps again.

"I would definitely never agree to him hiding my mother in our basement, in fact that's psychopathic and I don't even feel bad saying that. And—"

A hand on his shoulder effectively cuts him off. He shoots Ladybug a grateful, watery smile.

"—And… Chat Noir and I agreed that if there's any time to reveal our identities, that it's right now. For everyone to see. So…"

Ladybug takes a deep breath, "Spots off."

A bright flash of pink engulfs the frame, and Alya is quietly amazed at how her favorite hero turns into her best friend.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You may know me from winning the hat-designing contest for Mr. Agreste a while back, or from the cover art on Jagged Stone's last two albums. But most importantly, you all know me as Ladybug."

When she glances over at Adrien, his heart rate picks up. But nonetheless, he clenches his fist, closes his eyes, and says the two words.

"Claws out."

A bright flash of green momentarily blinds the other teens in the room and suddenly, Chat Noir is sitting on Marinette's bed.

He takes another deep breath and says confidently, "I am Chat Noir.

"And no. I was not working with Hawkmoth, with my father, because if I knew it was him I would have told m'lady immediately. I had no idea that I was fighting against my father this entire time. And before anyone accuses me, I was not secretly working with him to get Marinette's miraculous. In fact, we both found out his identity at the same time, as Ladybug and Chat Noir.

I would NEVER use magic to bring my mother back. And my father shouldn't have tried to, either. He has caused all of you, and me, a tremendous amount of trauma and pain. No one deserves to be punished for having emotions and on behalf of him, I am so incredibly sorry. I wish I had found out sooner, or this would not have gone on as long as it did. I would have made sure of it. But in fact, I did not know, and apparently we were both very good at hiding our secret identities. It's a shame, really. I apologize for not recognizing him sooner. I truly wish I did.

But now he is in custody, and you are all safe. Paris is now safe. As Ladybug said, this is a bittersweet victory. I want all of you to celebrate, really. As I continue to deal with his unveiling on my own, with Marinette and my best friends and her parents by my side, I want everyone to be happy about this and to not accuse anyone else. Thank you."

The room is silent as he finishes speaking and he releases his transformation with an exhale.

Marinette gulps, making sure to rub small circles on his thigh with her thumb as she turns to the camera again.

"Thank you for listening, Paris. Bug out!" She salutes with two fingers.

Adrien waves goodbye awkwardly, and then Alya stops the recording.

"And… cut! I know that was hard for you, Adrien, but you did amazing," Alya complements.

"Thanks…"

While Alya and Marinette start talking about when the video will be posted and whatnot, Adrien wordlessly joins Nino, sitting on the chaise next to him.

"Wow, dude. I mean, I knew you were Chat Noir but watching you transform is just… insane. I can't even describe it."

Adrien hums in response, seemingly lost in his own world.

"Dude?"

This finally brings him back to reality.

"Yeah, Nino?"

"You okay?"

The blonde shrugs, "Yeah, I guess. Just… where did Chloe find this?"

The question causes Nino to raise an eyebrow in confusion. With a quick glance downwards, he finds that it is sitting in Adrien's hands, being caressed lightly by his thumb.

"She, uh…" he meets Adrien's eyes, "She found it on the floor in your house or something. I'm not sure, she didn't really say much."

Adrien scrunches up his eyebrows, "She was in my HOUSE?!"

"That's what I said! I was like, why was she snooping around in a place that isn't hers', especially when it's closed off to be investigated," the olive-skinned boy scoffs, "She probably used the 'My daddy's the mayor' line. Claiming what isn't hers'."

"She always treated me like I'm just some trophy to be fawned over. She probably thought she had rights considering she owns me," the blonde utters sarcastically.

"That's not right, dude. Doesn't she, like, jump all over you and stuff too?"

"Yep."

"And you definitely don't feel comfortable with it?"

"Nope."

Nino sighs, "You need to stop letting people walk all over you."

Adrien, who was looking at his girlfriend, glances back at his best friend.

"I'm not."

"Dude…"

"I'm not anymore!" He exclaims exasperatedly, standing up from his seat. "Look, I know I've been sheltered my whole life and I know that I can't follow social cues that well. But I'm not dumb, I just…"

"I never said you were dumb," Nino stands up, "You're doing really great right now, you know that? Literally fighting this battle the entire time, with Hawkmoth and then your dad... how he hit—"

"I don't want to fucking talk about it, alright?!"

All conversations stop as the two girls look in the direction of the commotion. At this unwanted attention, Adrien mutters his transformation words and makes his way to the balcony. The olive-skinned boy, left in the dust, sighs.

"Adrien, come on," he pleads.

But his words are not heard by the superhero, as the hatch had already slammed shut.

A pinch on his arm makes him flinch and turn to his attacker. His eyes widen when he sees her angry face.

"What did you say to him?" Alya asks, quite threateningly.

"I was complimenting him, ok?" He doesn't miss the look of confusion on his girlfriend's face. "I was saying that he's been so strong through this whole thing; this entire time. How he has been literally fighting a supervillian and dealing with a cold, abusive father at the same fucking time."

Alya's face softens.

Nino continues, "But he wouldn't let me finish. I was trying to say that he didn't grow up the best but that never stopped him from being a good person. I just wanted people like Chloe to stop walking all over him." He rolls his eyes, "But right when I mentioned his father, he just—"

"Snapped."

He nods miserably.

"I'll go check on him," Marinette speaks quietly from behind them.

Alya turns to her, speaking before he could say another word.

"No, I'm sure he wants to be alone right now."

"Alya," Marinette stresses, "he's been alone his entire life. I'm not leaving him alone right now."

No one protests this time when she transforms and makes her way onto the balcony, in search of the broken blonde.


"Little kitty on a roof, all alone without his—"

"Hell no, I am NOT doing this again."

Chat Noir turns his head, oddly not surprised to see the red and black polka dots. "Milady, I—"

"I am NOT leaving you alone, Adrien," she says firmly.

His eyes widen, "You just said my name—"

"We just revealed our identities, remember?"

"Oh. Right."

Marinette takes a seat next to her boyfriend, de-transforming. Then she leans her head on his shoulder.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, just watching the Parisians breeze about the city below them. Birds are chirping, there are no clouds in the sky, Mr. Ramirez could no longer be akumatized; no one could (thank goodness), and the cheerfulness of the people they have saved countless times is simply breathtaking. Marinette basks in the sunlight, grateful that she can't sweat while she's transformed, and is very comfortable in her current position.

Had the silence not felt so tense, she would have appreciated the beauty of her surroundings to a much larger extent.

"Mari…" starts a quiet voice, belonging to no one other than Chat Noir.

She exhales slowly, "Yeah?"

He's silent for a moment, hesitating. She waits patiently.

"Am I a pussy?"

"Literally, or…?"

She figured she would get at least a chuckle out of him. He loves puns. But, she got nothing.

Nothing except for a small, "No. Am I a pussy?"

Marinette must be tired, because she can't comprehend anything right now.

"Pussy as in… scared? Like, a scaredy cat?" She finally comes to the realization.

He nods, biting his bottom lip. Some police sirens are heard from below and his cat ears perk up at the sound before relaxing again.

"Yeah."

"No, of course not," comes the immediate reply. "You fight off akumatized people every day, and bad guys on the street—"

"But I can't fight my own father."

The bluenette frowns.

"Technically, you did—"

"Technically, I didn't," he huffs. "I let him lock me in the house, hit me 'til I turn black and blue, and then I hid the fucking bruises. I'm a pussy."

She's quiet for a moment.

"It's alright to be scared—"

"I wasn't scared of a supervillian, Mari, but I was afraid of my own father. Only to find out that they're the same person. What kind of fucked up person does that take?"

"A really, really strong-willed one."

"A hypocrite," he mutters.

"Stop that!" Marinette pulls away from his shoulder, looking at him incredulously. "I'm so tired of hearing you say these terrible things about yourself."

He shrugs, "It's not terrible. It's the truth."

Silence passes over them.

"Look, you're not gonna like what I'm about to say…" she trails off.

He still doesn't look at her, just continuing to stare forward. He shrugs.

"You're very blunt, m'lady," he says, with no hint of teasing in his voice whatsoever, "It's one of the things I like the most about you."

She knows that he was trying to divert the conversation. But she wasn't going to let that happen. So she ignores his subtle compliment, and speaks her mind.

"I think you need therapy," she says calmly.

Her voice held no emotion, although there was a softness to it that Adrien knew existed. She was trying not to let her worry show, as to not upset him, but he could tell. He could always tell with her.

Therapy wasn't something that was ever offered to him. Not when his mother 'disappeared,' not when his bodyguard saw his father hit him for the first time, not for the social isolation that his father subjected him to all his life.

It was… weird, to be told that he needs it. Of course, he always knew deep down, but hearing it from someone else almost feels nice. Because someone noticed.

Someone noticed that his smiles are fake, someone noticed that he shouldn't be this skinny, someone noticed that his father treats him like shit; someone noticed that he wasn't happy.

Although he doubts that seeing a therapist would make him happy, at least not right away, he acknowledges that it's another person on his side. He knows that it's someone to talk to; someone that won't judge him.

So, saying that the little hole in his heart, which was dedicated solely to fixing himself and being better, was immediately to the brim with tenderness and love just with that single statement…

Well… that's an understatement.

Adrien doesn't know what to say. He forgets how to speak, even.

All he can do his look to her, with his watery eyes and trembling figure, and nod.

And when she takes him into literally the best hug in the history of hugs, he doesn't want to let go. Because this is is home. She cares, and he knows it. She loves him, and he knows it.

It makes him feel complete again.

Marinette doesn't judge him when the tears fall. She doesn't even judge him when he whimpers and sniffles. She simply rubs soothing circles into his back and whispers little affirmations into his ear.

And that's all he could really ask for.


The court date had been settled since the day of Gabriel's arrest. A terrorism case was of the upmost importance for the Paris judiciary system. Petitions among petitions were signed in a single day, all fighting for Hawkmoth's trial to happen dès que possible.

Parisians triumphed. The trial was set to take place 5 days after the fashion designer-turned-terrorist was taken into custody.

And today is the day.

Nadja Chamack, god bless her heart, wanted to stay away from the commotion. Her connections to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, to Ladybug in her civilian form, put her in as a front runner for the top reporter on the most watched news cast all around the world. As much as the thought sounded appealing to her, the last thing she wanted to do was to invade Ladybug and especially Chat Noir's privacy.

She has morals, but her job is on the line, and she was really given no choice in the matter.

So — to her dismay — she stands in the middle of the commotion, hating every second of it. Not that she would let her viewers or managers know that.

"Right now, I am standing outside the Palais de Justice de Paris, where over eight-hundred Parisians are gathered around, protesting for their rights; holding signs reading 'burn Hawkmoth,' 'Paris deserves JUSTICE,' and also, '#justiceforadrien #justiceforparis.'

We are awaiting the arrival of Gabriel Agreste, as well as the — now confirmed — civilian identity of Mayura, Nathalie Sancoeur. Her trial will not be until next week, but she is needed for the trial today. There are multiple cameras inside the courtroom and we will be live throughout the entire event. Get your popcorn out and hold onto your hats, everyone. This could take a while. I'm Nadja Chamack and this is your all-exclusive scoop. Don't be bemused, it's just the news! We'll be right back after this short commercial break."

"And CUT! That was perfect Nadja. We're going to set up for his arrival, just hang tight," the director orders.

She nods, taking a sip from her water bottle then looking at her surroundings. Uncomfortable as she is being there, she knows that this will be her biggest break and she can't help but feel guilty. Her daughter is going to be sitting in the courtroom with Sabine the entire time and she should not have to witness such a thing. Heck, Nadja would have preferred that Monon was never akumatized, twice nonetheless, as she has gotten numerous night terrors about the man behind the mask. Seeing him in person is the last thing she wants for her daughter.

However, there was no one else in Paris she trusts enough to watch her little girl. Her own father is busy with his own broadcast across the city with the mayor, so he wasn't an option either. So logically, the only way she could do her own broadcast was to have Manon in the same room as Hawkmoth.

The thought makes her shiver.

Another thought that makes her shiver: Adrien Agreste lived in the same house as a supervillian (for his entire life!) and narrowly avoided death in akuma fights, essentially fighting his own father.

She wonders how he's feeling right now.


Shaky hands. Sweaty palms. His temperature is reaching a dangerously high level. The suit and tie isn't helping, either. He's not sure why he's so nervous.

But he is. And if it weren't for the small kwami lightly patting him on the chest or the hand rubbing gently up and down on his thigh, he would already be long gone. He's panicking, yes, but lately Marinette has been trying to calm him down before any major panic attacks occur. She's been doing an excellent job, in his opinion, although it won't be able to help him now. He's convinced that the moment he sees that monster again, he will not be able to survive the rest of the trial. No matter what Mari says, that little voice in the back of his head (sounding suspiciously like his father) reminds him that he will be dead meat at the end of the day.

He knows it's irrational, and that Gabriel will be shackled up in prison transports with guards circling him, but he's watched videos where they attack.

If an attack were to happen, it's nothing new — he's endured it before. It would be different, though, because of the fact that his father now knows about Adrien's secret. Now Gabriel knows that his son has something that he's been fighting for for five long years. It would be different, because now the young blonde knows of his secret identity; and on the one hand, it empowers him because he and Ladybug have won against him every time. On the other hand, as Adrien, he was scared for his life.

He can't shake the feeling that something will go wrong. Maybe it's just the way he was raised, since he did something wrong to disappoint the man every day of his life. Or maybe it was the fact that his identity is revealed now, and Paris has suddenly switched sides from accusing him to supporting him — part of that doesn't feel right.

Regardless of whatever happens today, he might just shit his pants.

A small amount of pressure on his hand brings him out of his spiraling thoughts. Turning his head to the right, the first thing he sees is alternating clumps of blue and green blurring past him as the car moves along the road, before his eyes focus on the bluenette in his foreground. Her blue eyes sparkle as she gazes up at him with pink lips curving upwards, and he can't help but notice the worried air her expression highlights oh so well.

He barely hears her as she says, "Hey, it'll be okay."

"I know you're scared, but everything will work out in the end," she reassures.

Marinette's attempts at getting through to him are futile, but she keeps trying. She takes note of how his beautiful brown eyes warily move back and forth, almost as if they can't focus on one place. So she starts rubbing her thumb over his knuckle, giving it a light squeeze to at least let him know that she's there.

In some ways, that's all she can really do.

But then he turns his head to face her and his eyes finally meet hers. She smiles, despite her concern, and his shaking subsides — if only just a little bit. She notices. A few reassuring words later and she's still not sure he's hearing her. She frowns.

"We are all here for you. You know that, right?"

This time, he nods. She mimics this action.

"And we all love you. So no matter what the outcome of this trial is, you better believe that you will be safe and surrounded by people that care for you; that will care for you. Do you hear me?"

He nods again, licking his lips. Then he gulps.

"I—" his raspy voice cracks, "I'm scared he'll—"

He coughs.

"I'm scared he'll try to get away, and—and hurt me again and—"

"Hey, hey, hey," Marinette's soft voice cuts through, "That will not happen. NO ONE… will let it happen. Listen to me, minou."

He bites his lip as she glares at him, dead serious.

"He. Will. Not. Hurt. You. Okay? Never again. And we had that added to his charges, remember? We're not letting him get away with how he treated you."

The blonde slightly shakes his head, "He didn't treat me that ba—"

"Adrien Agreste!" She exclaims, exasperated. "You are a victim of emotional and physical abuse and I will not let your abuser get away with it!"

Silence.

She resumes, "And you know it, too, so don't try to deny it. You should not be afraid of your own father, kitty. What he did—what he's been doing, it isn't right! And as Ladybug, it is my JOB to make sure that everyone is away from danger. Your dad is dangerous and I know for a fact that you hate hearing it, but it's true. And as both Ladybug AND Marinette Dupain-Cheng, it is my duty to protect you.

LET ME protect you."

She watches as a single tear rolls down his cheek. He sniffles.

"Okay."


The crowd goes crazy when the police car holding Gabriel Agreste arrives.

Slurs, insults, and accusations were thrown his way as he is pulled, quite forcefully, out of the vehicle. The cop keeps a vice grip on one of his arms as he is pushed forward. Camera flashes are blinding, so he hangs his head. His eyes trail over the orange jumpsuit covering the length of his body and the handcuffs on his wrists, which connect to a chain around his waist. Another chain flows down from around his waist, attached to a pair of heavy shackles that circle his ankles. He was ordered to pull the dangling chain upwards when he walks so that he doesn't trip.

At least they care whether or not I trip, he thinks bitterly.

He exhales slowly, gazing down at his new black anklet. During his intake, an electronic tracker was placed on one ankle, allowing the police force to make absolutely sure that he doesn't try to escape.

Is this how his son felt? Restricted?

Another cop tightly grabs ahold of his other arm and suddenly he is being guided into the courthouse, past all of the reporters and angry Parisians. His lawyer advised him not to answer any reporters' questions because that would be used against him — obviously. For years, he'd had a publicist. Although he never truly went outside, for he was very much a recluse, he was given the same instructions.

"Any bad action could wreck havoc on your career. You will be degraded as a fashion designer and the business would fail," he'd been told.

He had done a great job for a while, keeping a high profile whenever he was spotted in public. His responses to queries, when he dare answer them, were short and simple; to the point. When Emilie fell into her coma, all desires to keep a high profile vanished. He got lost in his work, but he became engrossed in other work, as well. Now he had the power to bring his wife back to consciousness. So he used all of his energy, tirelessly attempting to get those Miraculous'. He never gave up, even when he had been discovered: his back-up plan was always to use the Peacock miraculous if he ever lost his precious Nooroo. But that plan was a no-go, seeing as it had disappeared from his safe again.

His foolishness would later land him in police custody.

Gabriel never thought this day would come, but now that it had, he felt… powerless. He hadn't felt so powerless in years; having his super abilities gave him a sense of pride and leadership.

He remembers when he first found the brooches. The Butterly Miraculous was simply lying on the ground when he found it, along with the Peacock, in Tahiti — poor Nooroo and Duusu had been left in the dust and needed a purpose. He would have felt terrible if he decided to abandon the kwamis. He declared Nooroo as his own and gifted Duusu to his wife, as it was their honeymoon and superpowers seemed like a wonderful newlywed gift.

And Nooroo had always been so obedient and loyal from the moment they first exchanged words; Gabriel knew he wouldn't have it any other way. So when his wife fell victim to the broken Peacock miraculous, thanks to oblivious little Adrien, he spent his days terrorizing the city in order to bring her back.

Now, he's paying the price.

As he is pushed into a minuscule holding cell with a single window on the door to look out of, he realizes that this is now his reality.

The fate of Gabriel Agreste will be decided by the end of the day and he knows that he will end up behind bars no matter what.

He is royally fucked.


FOR THE RECORD, despite how much research of France law I did, I could NOT find anything about tampering with evidence. This is a crime in Florida (USA) at the very least. I don't claim to be a professional writer nor am I a law student, so don't come at me.

As always, hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review!

xx Lis