Lightning flashed.
Thunder crashed.
And the rain poured as footsteps splashed across the rooftops; despairing, desperate, so hopelessly wretched.
Chat Noir's silhouette lit up against the dark world.
The ground trembled beneath him with each rumble from the sky.
And each step reverberated through him as he clawed through the rain; shivering and shaking but never losing his footing. Harsh breaths tearing his throat and tears stinging his cheeks, while bile and confusion churned within him.
His father was Hawkmoth.
He stumbled as the thought flashed in his mind.
His father was Hawkmoth.
He choked on the rain and pushed himself faster.
His father was Hawkmoth. And his mother was dead.
Chat Noir gave a gut-wrenching wail that cracked through the air and ripped at his mind. He could feel himself tearing at the seams and pressure pounded in his skull. He gritted his teeth and clenched his body. He pushed himself harder and faster, bounding across rooftops, weaving through the chimneys. His muscles strained and his breathing laboured and the rain pelted him relentlessly, forcing the grief and confusion from his mind and body.
But it wasn't enough.
Adrien staggered as he dropped his transformation and the elements slammed into him. Fresh tears rose in his eyes but he kept moving, he kept running; he leapt over walls, jumped over crevices and splashed across the iron rooftops, ignoring how easily his feet slipped and slid across the slick surfaces.
'Adrien!' Plagg cried as he flitted to Adrien's side. 'Be careful! You're going to hurt yourself!'
Adrien responded by spurring himself faster. Ignoring the lightning striking threateningly close; paying no attention to the thunder shaking the world beneath his feet; disregarding the one creature actually caring for him in that moment.
He simply ran.
Because it felt good. It was relieving. He could feel the anger and despair being forced out of him as the rain pummelled him and the strain tore him and the air ripped at his lungs.
'Adrien!' Plagg yelled, 'Please! You need to calm down! You shouldn't-'
'-I'M FINE!'
Plagg looked at him in shock. Adrien ignored him. And that was when he noticed what was coming up ahead. He smiled grimly.
'No. NO, Adrien!' Plagg yelled.
Adrien slowed his breathing, inhaling deeply as he approached the small intersection; a gap in his rooftop path. A calming air fell over him. Plagg screamed at him to stop. And then, thunder clashing and lightning striking, he leapt. Adrien laughed. He hung suspended in the air for a euphoric second. All his grief left on the rooftop behind him.
But then he started to fall.
Adrien's eyes widened. He wasn't going to make it. 'Plagg!' he screamed as panic flooded him. The kwami flapped frantically around him as he reached and stretched and caught the gutter with a cry of relief which quickly turned into pain as his body slammed into the wall. Adrien hung there for a moment, eyes closed and shaking while the metal tore into his palms. With a choking sob, he hauled himself over the edge.
He crawled on all fours, coughing and shivering with cold and exertion.
'Adrien…' Plagg said gently.
But Adrien ignored him and forced himself to stand. Once more he clenched his fists and jaw and stumbled into a run. But he only managed a few steps before a muddy tile slipped out from under him and he slammed down once more.
He burst into tears.
He cried and cried as his grief overwhelmed him like the storm raging around him and he cried .
His father was Hawkmoth. And his mother was dead.
Plagg huddled into Adrien's shoulder as a soul-piercing wail tore itself from his throat. A terrible sound that ripped the world in two.
His mother was dead.
Adrien convulsed and retched into a pool of water. Shuddering, he curled into a ball and clutched his hair with his fists.
His father had been the one hurting his friends, terrorising all of Paris.
His father who was Hawkmoth.
And he was doing it save his mother.
His mother who was dead.
Adrien clutched his hair tighter and groaned.
'I can't do this,' he whispered, his voice cracking on the wind and tears spilling down his cheeks. 'I…I can't.'
Plagg huddled closer. 'I know,' he said.
Neither of them moved. The storm was relentless as it crashed on Adrien's ears and pelted his body. But Plagg was warm.
Ever so slowly he lifted his head and his body until he was in a sitting position. Plagg was still curled in his shoulder. It was then that he noticed the petals stuck to him. Little white flowers tangled in his laces, caught in his pockets, trapped in his sleeves. How they had survived the race through the storm he didn't know. He plucked them off, one by one, and held them in the palm of his hands. He stared at them. Soft, white, and damp but delicate.
Bile rose up in his throat once more as that memory resurfaced.
His mother, encased in a coffin, so beautiful and dead. The comfort of his father; his father who was Hawkmoth. The confusion that blossomed. The horror that followed. A hand held in offering: 'Will you stand by my side?' Disbelief. Terror. A reality turned nightmare. Scrambling back, ripping up grass and earth, until he hit the flowering bushes. Clawing at the branches as he pulled himself to his feet, spluttering as leaves and flowers fell on and around him. His father's empty stare. A family torn beyond repair. And then running. Racing. Tearing away. Because he didn't understand. He couldn't understand. He couldn't- he can't-
Adrien slammed his hand over his mouth as confusion held him down. He could physically feel the weight of it on his chest. His head pounded. His breathing quickened. He gasped. He coughed. His throat started to close up and his lungs wouldn't respond.
'Plagg, Plagg!' Adrien panicked, eyes wide and hyperventilating. Plagg flew into Adrien's face and forced him to look in his electric green eyes.
'It's okay, I'm here, you're okay,' Plagg said.
'I… I can't do this,' Adrien sobbed, horrified 'It h-hurts… and I don't- I can't- I can't- I- I-' His breathing grew faster and faster. He fell onto all fours and clenched his shivering body. He coughed; he choked; he retched. His throat closed up as he drowned in tears and rain.
'Adrien!' Plagg cried. Adrien lifted his head and met Plagg's eyes. Lightning flashed overhead. Something behind the kwami lit up in the darkness. A small flash of wings, a hint of purple. No. His gut plunged into ice.
'No,' Adrien shook his head in disbelief as the little black butterfly flew closer. 'No, no,' he scrambled back. 'No,' his voice was weak; what he was seeing couldn't be real.
Thunder clashed.
'NO!' he screamed when he realised his nightmare was real. 'NO, DON'T YOU DARE!' The words ripped themselves from Adrien's throat as he dodged the fluttering Akuma. Plagg watched, frozen with terror.
'Plagg! Plagg, help! No! NO, I DON'T WANT TO BE AKUMATISED!' His voice cracked as he slammed back into a chimney wall. He was trapped. 'No, DON'T YOU DARE!' he screamed, he sobbed. The akuma fluttered closer. 'DON'T YOU DARE!'
Adrien burst into helpless tears. 'Please,' he begged.
But the Akuma didn't hesitate as it flew into his hands.
Adrien breathed. In, and out. In. And out.
In…
And out.
The world was dark and blissfully numb.
But then he felt a tugging, a pull from deep in his gut.
And a voice spoke: 'My son,' it was soft and caressed his mind. 'You want to see your mother alive and well again.' The tugging strengthened. 'We can bring her back,' the voice whispered, sending shivers down Adrien's spine. He grimaced as Hawkmoth tugged at his grief, dragging his pain to the surface.
Adrien felt sick. 'No, no,' he mumbled as tears streamed down his cheeks. 'I don't…I can't…'
'She deserves to live.'
He trembled. 'Please,' his voice cracked, 'Not like this.'
'We can bring her back. We can be a family once more.'
Adrien hiccuped as he held down a sob. He bit down hard on his tongue. He couldn't say yes, yet he couldn't say no. For a part of him - a larger part than he cared to admit - wanted Hawkmoth to succeed.
'Don't do it for me,' his father whispered in his soft, sad way, 'do it for her.' Adrien sobbed into his hands. His felt his mind weaken. He was desperate to see her again, to hear her play piano, to see her smile, to be held in her arms. Adrien tried to fight it, he really did, but Hawkmoth pulled and pulled on his grief until it overwhelmed and consumed him.
'A family reunited. It's what your mother would have wanted.'
Tears flowed over his hands. Somewhere in his mind, he knew that phrase meant bad things. But the grief and rage were exhausting.
'Do you promise?' he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, 'This is really what she would want?'
The darkness swirled and Adrien breathed and Hawkmoth spoke sadly, in a strangely pained way: 'My fallen flower,' he said, 'Mon Fleur Déchu…
'I promise.'
Marinette jerked awake. The crack of thunder already fading along with her dreams. She peeled away the sheet of paper stuck to her cheek with a sigh. She'd fallen asleep at her desk, halfway through some homework. She rubbed the fatigue from her eyes and her dimming dreams danced on the back of her eyelids. They had been terrible.
Her yoyo had snapped, plunging her to the ground. Alya held a camera in her face, demanding why she was a failure of a hero. Adrien laughed at her, mocking her for her clumsiness. Chat Noir stared at her, asking why she was so cold-hearted. And everywhere were black butterflies that refused to be purified.
She shivered. She jumped up and stretched the stiff cold from her limbs and it was then that she noticed Tikki sat in the windowsill, gazing out at the rain hammering on the window.
'Tikki? Is everything all right?' Marinette asked. Tikki turned her wide blue eyes onto her, brimming with worry.
'Something's wrong with Plagg.'
Marinette's eyes widened. 'You two can sense each other?'
Tikki gave a small nod, 'Only if we want to.'
Marinette frowned. 'What does that mean?'
Tikki turned her gaze back to the rain. 'It means something's not-' She broke off, eyes wide, and leapt away from the window as it shattered into a million pieces.
'Tikki!' Marinette exclaimed, grabbing the kwami and making sure she wasn't hurt.
But Tikki phased through Marinette's fingers and shot to the black thing huddled amongst the glass.
'Help! You have to help! Tikki! Marinette!' it screamed.
Marinette dropped to her knees and scooped up the creature. 'Plagg?' He was twitching and breathing rapidly, clearly panicked.
'Breathe, Plagg,' Tikki soothed him, 'What happened?'
Plagg took a shuddering breath, 'He got Adr-' He blanched, 'He got someone!'
Marinette paled. 'What do you mean, "He got someone"?'
Plagg swallowed as he met Marinette's eyes. 'Hawkmoth has akumatised another person. And this time it's bad.'
He shared a knowing look at Tikki, but Marinette missed it. She was already jumping to her computer and opening up the news.
Nadja was commentating, bodies were strewn around her, all collapsed on the floor, trembling and shaking, and eerily unmoving. And there, in the background, a dark figure walked.
He was in all black with a cape that trailed white flowers in his wake; and a mask of white petals, looking deadly, yet beautiful.
The camera zoomed shakily in on his face.
His sclera were black and his gold irises, terrifying. Marinette shivered as his eyes pierced her's through the camera. There was something strangely familiar about him.
Her eyes traced his hair, shining a shimmering gold, and the contours of his face, so handsome, if chilling.
No.
Her blood ran cold.
'NO!' she gasped and slammed her hands over her mouth. 'Adrien?' she whispered, staring in disbelief. 'What happened to you?' She gingerly brushed his silhouette with shaking fingers.
Marinette yelped once more when Adrien raised a hand and shot petals towards a line of police officers. They fired, a few petals shredded to pieces but most hit their target. Officer after officer collapsed to the ground.
'Please,' Plagg croaked, 'You have to save him.'
Marinette nodded. Of course they would save him. Her and Chat Noir had never lost-
She jerked her head toward Plagg, as if seeing him for the first time. 'What are you doing here?' she cried, 'Why aren't you with Chat?'
Plagg's eyes flicked to Tikki's and back again. 'He told you he wouldn't be able to help if Adrien got akumatised.'
Marinette's eyes flashed with panic. 'Yeah, but he didn't mean it! He can't have done!'
Plagg's eyes filled with pain. 'He's not coming.' Marinette stared at him with disbelief. 'I'm sorry.'
Marinette opened her mouth to respond but screams came from the screen. Nadja collapsed to the ground and the camera followed soon after, turning the broadcast to static.
'Please, Ladybug,' Plagg begged.
Marinette jolted, it was jarring being called the super-heroine outside the suit. 'You can save Adrien without Chat Noir, I know you can.'
Marinette swallowed. Thoughts and worry scrambled in her head, but she couldn't focus on it right now. She had a victim to save. She nodded.
'Okay, but I'm going to need help.'
It didn't take long for Ladybug to round up a team of heroes. They swung, leapt, and bounded through the air; Ladybug at the helm, Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee hot on her heels. None were smiling. All breathed heavily. And all were trying to ignore the gaping hole in their team made by Chat Noir's absence. Plagg had begged to come along, but Ladybug had forced him to stay with Master Fu. He was too distraught to trust; his power too strong to let emotions get the better of him.
Ladybug came to a stop high on a rooftop. The others landed around her. They all gazed into the darkness; the storm showed no sign of letting up. Rain poured and thunder rumbled and lightning lit up the silent people scattered down the streets. It was a bone-chilling sight.
'Maybe this is why Hawkmoth was targeting Adrien,' Rena Rouge said, her voice oddly quiet, 'Because he knew he'd make a strong villain.' Ladybug didn't say anything. 'Who do you think did this to him?'
'His father,' Carapace said harshly. They all looked at him, surprised at his viciousness. He shrugged. 'His dad's a douche.'
'But Hawkmoth was the one to take advantage of Adrien's emotions,' Ladybug said, her tone careful and precise, 'don't forget that.'
They all fell silent a moment and the rain pattered around them.
'Oh, Adrien,' Queen Bee exclaimed softly, eyes brimming with tears, 'Where do you think he could be?' her usual haughty scorn was replaced with concern.
Ladybug shook her head. 'I don't know.'
She slid open her yoyo and turned it to the news channel, but there was only static. No reporters had been successful then. She closed her yoyo, brushed her dripping fringe out her eyes, and faced the others.
'I think we should split up.'
'Are you sure that's a good idea?' Rena asked, hand splayed on her hip.
'We'll cover more ground that way.'
'But what if Hawkdude catches us?'
'Make sure he doesn't,' she told Carapace. He hesitated but then nodded. 'Message when you find him, but do not engage until we are all there. Understand?'
They all nodded and took off with a splash into the watery dark.
Once they were all out of sight, Ladybug dropped down onto the street. She stood still on the pavement as water ran over her feet. And then she slowly made her way over to the nearest victim.
It was a boy, bloody and bruised, kneeling on all fours. His bike lay twisted and fallen next to him. He was shivering and shaking and was eerily silent, but she could tell his pain wasn't from falling off his bike. She waved her hand in front of his face but he made no movement of recognition. Hesitantly she put her hand on his shoulder and gently pulled him back. The boy complied, rolling back and sitting on his heels and turned his eyes to her. Ladybug shivered. He was looking at her, but he wasn't seeing her. His eyes were glazed over and silent tears streamed down his cheeks. She looked out at the other figures scattered down the street. All were suffering the same fair. Expressions of horror, of pain, of numbness, of shock, all wracking their bodies.
Ladybug took a step back with realisation, bringing her hands to her mouth in horror. They were all wearing expressions of grief. All were trapped in their heads, experiencing private horrors no-one could comprehend.
She felt ice trickle down her spine.
What must Adrien be feeling, to cast this pain, it didn't bear thinking about.
She turned her head to the clouds and gave a shaky breath. Icy raindrops pierced her skin and flowed down her face.
Never before had she faced an Akuma without Chat Noir. There had been times when he'd sacrificed himself and she'd finished the battle alone, but they always started as a pair, as a team.
Never without him.
She clenched her fists so their shaking wouldn't betray her anxiety. The others were all capable fighters, but Chat Noir was her partner. They were a duo. She looked back at the frozen boy and held down a sob. She needed him!
Her yoyo buzzed. She exhaled with relief, grateful for an excuse to turn away from the victims and her emotions. She flipped it open to see Carapace.
'Yo, dudes,' he said quietly, 'I've found him.'
Fleur Déchu swept down the street. Rage in his blood. Despair in his veins. Darkness in his heart as Hawkmoth pulled and pulled on the grief inside him.
Grief which everyone deserved to feel.
He paused in his steps and watched the late-night Parisians flee before him. White petals drifted across his vision, serene and tranquil. He slowly raised his hand. The petals froze in their drifting and shot towards the fleeing crowd. Within seconds every single person was collapsed on the floor, mud and dirty water splashed up their arms as grief rendered them paralysed.
He walked through them, cape billowing and petals fluttering despite the pouring rain. It flowed down his shining hair and ran off his boots, but it could not touch him. For he was a storm too. A storm of emotion and he was never letting up.
'Adrien!' A voice cried, 'You don't need to do this!'
Fleur Déchu whipped around. And there, on the rooftops, he saw them. Four silhouettes shining bright against the darkness. The red one shining brightest of them all. And all Fleur Déchu felt was hate.
With a yell, he sent a wave of petals towards the heroes.
They all scattered as they dodged the pellets, hiding behind chimneys and rooftops.
There was a thud and a blur of orange and he was surrounded by a hundred Rena Rouges. He spun on his heel and sent a wave of petals into the crowd, dispelling the illusions as they raced towards him.
He ducked in and out of their attacks, dodging flutes and sending petals back until there was only one. He dodged the real flute just in time, his petals shielding him before striking back with a wave of white. Rena flipped out the way and skidded to a halt. Her chest heaved before sprinting back towards him.
'What do you want, Adrien?' she yelled, bringing her flute down in a deadly strike.
'My name's not Adrien,' he snarled, holding off the blow with his shield of petals - which was instantly shredded as a flying green shield decimated them.
'Adrien, come on man, we know you're in there!' Carapace yelled and caught his shield. Fleur Déchu bared his teeth and lunged towards him.
Carapace rolled away and Rena jumped in once more.
The two heroes were a blur of orange and green around him. Weaving seamlessly in and out in perfect unison. But still, they couldn't land a hit on him.
Then yellow entered the fray.
Queen Bee darted and dashed in perfect harmony with the other two. His snarl deepened as time and time again he only just managed to evade her stinger to be faced with flute and shield.
With a roar he sent another wave of petals out, forcing all them to scatter.
Fleur Déchu eyed them all with contempt as the rain formed a wall between them. They all breathed heavily. Thunder rumbled overhead.
'You're being ridiculous, Adrien!' Queen Bee shouted in her haughty tone, 'How could you let Hawkmoth control you like this?'
Fleur Déchu took a shuddering breath and looked at the heroine. Her hair whipped across her blazing eyes and he felt something stir inside him.
Queen Bee.
Chloé.
He stood up a little straighter as doubt creeped into his mind, but it was quelled instantly by Hawkmoth.
'They don't care about you. They don't care about your mother. They don't even care about this city and its worthless inhabitants. All they care about is preventing you from reuniting with your mother.'
He cried with pain as Hawkmoth pulled on his grief and rage once more and drowned out all other emotions.
Fleur Déchu attacked with a scream. Petals flew like bullets and sent the heroes scrambling for cover. His eyes lit up when Carapace rolled just a second too slow, but he was saved from harm by a yoyo from above.
Fleur Déchu raised his gaze to meet Ladybug's. Red against black, she was a terrifying sight; hair whipping in the wind and eyes thunderous as the storm around her.
'Where's Chat Noir?' Hawkmoth spoke in his mind.
He didn't reply.
'Hawkmoth!' Ladybug yelled staring right through him, 'What do you stand to gain?'
Hawkmoth was silent in his mind and Fleur Déchu glared blankly up at her. Ladybug then jumped down onto the street. He jumped back into his stance, petals quivering by his head, but didn't attack. Ladybug shifted her gaze to stare right at him. Right at his soul.
'You don't need to do this, Adrien,' she said softly.
'My name's not Adrien,' he repeated, 'and I'm going to save my mother.' He held out his hand, 'So give me your miraculous.'
'You know I can't do that,' she said, her expression pained. He lowered his hand as anger bubbled in his veins.
'Then feel the grief I feel.'
With a yell, he sent a volley of attacks towards Ladybug and the others.
They ducked, rolled and leapt out the way as they dodged strike after strike, petal after petal. And the rage built and built inside him.
'YOU HAVE NO IDEA THE PAIN I FEEL!' he screamed as he sent another onslaught of white. Petal's shot with unnerving speed and this time, they hit a target. Queen Bee collapsed on all fours, shuddering and shaking as silent tears flowed down her cheeks.
'ALL I WANT IS TO SAVE SOMEONE I LOVE!' he cried with fury, sending a blast towards Carapace and Rena. They collapsed to their knees in shock and horror.
He turned on Ladybug, the only one standing, and met her terror-stricken gaze with a pained one of his own.
'Why are you denying me that?'
He raised his hand to prepare an attack but something made him stop. He thought it was just the rain, but no. She was crying.
'Adrien.' Fleur Déchu shivered. Something about her voice hit his soul. 'You don't need to hit me to make me grieve. Watching you like this, it fills me with more pain than you know.' He looked into her eyes. He staggered. They were so sorrowful and blue.
A memory flashed in his head, of them playing games in his room.
They were laughing together.
They were hugging each other.
They were falling asleep in each other's arms.
'You don't need to do this,' she said, taking a step closer to him.
He wavered.
'No! Remember your mother, Fleur Déchu!' Hawkmoth yelled, 'Remember why you're here!'
Tears, real tears, welled in his eyes. 'She's gone,' he choked, 'This is the only way.'
'There's always a way. Choose love, choose life!' her voice dropped to a whisper as she moved closer, 'Choose me.'
Fleur Déchu stumbled and clenched his hair in his fists as another wave of memories overwhelmed him.
He was by her side on patrol, bounding through the air as she flew by his side.
They were munching on cookies she had brought, high up on the Eiffel tower as the stars shone down on the both of them.
They were fighting an Akuma, scared and desperate, but Ladybug gave him an unwavering smile which told him they could win.
'I love you, Adrien.'
His head shot up.
She was right in front of him, close enough to touch, close enough to attack…
His hands fell limply to his side and the quivering petals drifted harmlessly to the floor.
Ladybug reached for his hand. She gently tugged at the petals in his grip.
'NO!'
Hawkmoth's rage flooded Adrien's mind and forced him to knock Ladybug to the floor. She gasped, winded.
Adrien's eyes widened with horror as he was forced to raise a trembling hand, and sent a petal shooting towards Ladybug. She closed her eyes and raised a hand in defence.
'No!' Adrien screamed and the petal froze an inch from her face, quivering in the air. He gritted his teeth and grimaced with the effort. Ladybug slowly opened her eyes. She looked past the petal to Adrien, eyes widening with realisation. Adrien gave a wordless cry of exertion as his hand violently shook.
'NO!' he screamed and tore his hand back. 'No, I won't hurt her!' He doubled over and clenched his whole body as he fought off Hawkmoth's control.
'Get out! Get out of my head!' Adrien stumbled back, 'I won't hurt her!' he held his head in his hands. 'I'm a hero,' he fell to his knees. 'I'm a HERO!' he roared. 'I'm her PARTNER!' He started sobbing. 'I-I love her.' He groaned. 'I LOVE HER!' he screamed, a gut-wrenching wail. 'She's my partner and I love her and GET OUT MY HEAD!' He heaved. 'GET OUT!'
He fell on all fours with a splash of muddy water, coughing and spluttering as thunder rumbled overhead.
A little black butterfly fluttered around in the rain.
And Ladybug stared at him in shock.