The weekend came, and the superhero partners showed up at the Eifel Tower. The Sun just started to set, coloring the city in hues of orange. Cat Noir stood, staff in hand, with his eyes closed. Breathing deeply, taking in every moment. He had sent his father off hours before, Nathalie accompanying him just like he suspected.
"Ready, Kitty," Ladybug said, chasing away his sense of calm.
"Yeah, let's go," Cat said, following her to the direction of his home.
The mansion appeared sooner than Cat would've liked, but the two climbed the walls and entered the place through Adrien's bedroom window.
"Huh, I wonder where Adrien is," Ladybug said, searching the giant room for the model.
"He's probably with his father overseas," Cat said, the lie rolling off his tongue.
"You're probably right. We need to hurry before housecleaners find us or something," Ladybug said.
Cat said nothing, but he wasn't worried. The two descended the staircase, finding Gabriel's office without much trouble.
Ladybug alternated between staring at the portraits of Adrien and the newest fashions on mannequins, trying not to fawn over either. Cat focused on the painting of his mother, remembering breaking into safe once before.
"That must be Emilie Agreste," Ladybug said, materializing behind him. "She's beautiful."
"Yes," Cat said, coughing to open up his rapidly closing throat, "She is."
"Look at the monitor," Ladybug said, pointing down at it. "I wonder what's on it."
Cat shrugged, typing on it. He tried a few passwords, landing on the correct one when monitors opened on the wall.
"They're security cameras," Ladybug said, pointing at the ones for different rooms. "There. It's one for his office. I bet if we rewound the footage, we might could find evidence."
"Do you know how to do that," Cat asked, looking at his partner, but she was already at the screen on the pedestal, going through various settings.
Cat watched as the screen rewound, showing an opening in the floor as Gabriel rose out of it.
"Wait, Bug, I think you found something."
Ladybug paused the video, showing Gabriel standing in front of Emilie's portrait. She played the video, and the couple watched Gabriel Agreste press buttons on the portrait before the floor opened and the fashion designer descended out of view, the tile in the floor replaced only moments afterward.
Cat's stomach fell to his feet, but Ladybug motioned for him to stand beside her. She pressed the same buttons, and the floor swallowed the heroes.
"Do you think this is it," Ladybug said, reaching for Cat's hand.
Cat took her hand and squeezed it, trying to cover up the shakiness of his own. "I don't know, Milady. I don't know."
The platform stopped, and the lights turned on layer by layer. A butterfly insignia glowed in the window, allowing natural light in. Hundreds of white moths flittered across the room.
Cat shut his eyes, hoping to see a secret room with hidden fashion designs. Nothing at all. Anything but what was right in front of him. When his eyes opened, however, the room remained the same. His father was Shadowmoth. No denying it now.
"Oh my," Ladybug said, spinning in slow motion, a small smile forming on her lips. "Panthera was right. This is awful but amazing. We can defeat him, Cat. Now that we know who he is, we can bring the fight to him. We just need to come up with a plan."
"Shouldn't we find out why he wants our miraculouses first? We don't want any surprises," Cat said, struggling to avoid picturing walking his own father out in handcuffs. Or worse.
"You're right. Let's look around for clues," Ladybug said, trying to tone down her excitement.
The guy they have been fighting for three years, the person who hurt all of her friends, family, and fellow citizens was right here. This could end. The knowledge alone changed everything. Ladybug practically skipped around the room, her astonishment overshadowed her partner's overwhelming hurt.
Ladybug spotted a dark corridor, lights turning on as she stepped toward it. The lights revealed a catwalk surrounded by a hidden garden with a glass fixture at the center, another butterfly insignia in the window behind it.
"Cat, you may wanna take a look at this," Ladybug said, walking down the catwalk. Cat's ears turned before his head, his eyes widening at the sight. He jogged to catch up to Ladybug, the fixture slowly growing bigger in their vision.
"It looks like a giant box of some sort," Cat said, running his gloved hand along the rail. What are you up to, Father?
"There's something inside of it," Ladybug said, pointing.
The couple stepped up to the side, peering into the box. Ladybug covered her mouth with one hand and gripped her stomach with the other, running away from the scene. Cat, on the other hand, continued staring into the box he now knew was a coffin. He focused on each stitch of her clothes, her hands holding a bouquet of red and white roses. His gaze scanned upward, her shoulders and neck coming into view. He tried to stop himself from looking at her face, but his eyes had a mind of their own. Part of him knew he wouldn't believe it if he didn't see her face for himself. As his eyes fixtured on her closed ones, he froze.
Cat opened the coffin, ignoring the clouded voice of his partner. As he stroked her hair, his legs unglued from the floor. Closing the coffin, Cat ran as fast as his feet could carry him, his normally soundless gait breaking way for his thundering footsteps across the metal.
"Cat," Ladybug called, looking from Mrs. Agreste to her fleeing partner.
Ladybug sprinted after him, cursing herself for her slowness. She followed the small, black dot across the city, wondering why she couldn't have gotten night vision as a superpower too. Soon, it stopped, and Ladybug dropped onto the top platform of the Eifel Tower once more.
Looking around for her partner, she heard choked cries. She circled the platform, finding a doorway.
Cat curled into a ball inside of the stairwell, alternating between screaming into his lap and sobbing when Ladybug wrapped her arms around him.
"It's okay, Kitty. It's okay," she said, a few tears slipped from her eyes and dropped onto the top of her partner's head.
Cat tried to make words, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate. Words seemed too big to fit in his mouth properly, his throat too full of guilt and despair to fit anything else. He turned and hugged Ladybug, burying his head in her neck.
Through the faint light coming through the crack in the door, Ladybug saw an akuma faze through the door.
"Cat, watch out," she said, but it was too late.
The akuma sunk through Cat's belt, a purple mask surrounding his eyes.
"No," Ladybug said, doing the only thing she could think of.
Gripping Cat's face between her hands, she kissed him with all the strength, passion, and hidden desire she had.
