Trust a Butterfly

Slowly, after Emilie was long gone and Adrien had calmed down enough to not need restraining, Gabriel lowered himself to sit on the stairs, his mind still trying to catch up with what had happened. He almost had his wife back, then he lost her and… oh God. Adrien eyed him warily, not sure what to make of the sight. "Father?" he asked.

Gabriel jerked his head up suddenly, revealing tears in his eyes. "I made you stop calling me Dad," he whispered. He looked his son over, noting the tension in his shoulders as he said it. "And then it just went downhill from there; I was so horrible and abusive to you-"

"Dad, it's not your fault," Adrien insisted, running up to his father and dropping down beside him. "You heard what Mom said; those bastards-"

"Hey, language."

"-people messed with your mind; they cast an apathy spell on you!" Adrien let out a short breath, tired and scared and still somehow relieved. "It wasn't your fault."

Gabriel inhaled shakily, looking at the collar of Adrien's shirt instead of meeting his eyes. "It was still me, physically at least. You had to put up with the one parent you had left neglecting you when you did nothing wrong." He shook his head and finally looked up to look him in the eyes. "I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

"I already have," Adrien promised, wrapping Gabriel in a hug.

For a moment, Gabriel sat there, relishing in his son's embrace, but he knew it could only last so long. He let out a shuddering breath, trying not to let it turn to a sob. He knew what he had to do- what he should have done a long time ago. "I need to get in contact with Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Adrien pulled out of the hug, confusion and hope in his eyes. "You think they can help get Mom back?"

"No," Gabriel said with a shake of his head. "They're just children; they don't need to get wrapped up in the Guardians' wrongdoings. But I think I can help them." A nervous laugh bubbled up from his chest. "Or at the very least I can apologize to them as well."

That threw Adrien for a loop, Gabriel could tell. "Dad, nearly like, a hundred people have been akumatized. They're not gonna be mad at you about being The Collector."

Gabriel winced and took off his glasses, holding them in one hand and pinching the bridge of his nose with the other. "I could have easily prevented The Collector," he explained, voice slow and enunciating every word. "I could have prevented… every. Akuma." A shaky breath. "Nooroo?"

A small, purple kwami flew out of Gabriel's jacket, and Adrien's jaw dropped. "Yes, Master?"

"Please, don't call me that," Gabriel whispered. He lifted his head and let his hand drop, elbows still resting on his knees. "I never should have made you call me that, or do the things I made you do… God, I took away your ability to talk, and on your birthday no less." He shook his head, horrified by his own actions. "I'm sorry, Nooroo. I hope that your next holder uses your abilities as they were meant to be used."

Nooroo gave him a soft smile. "You're not the worst holder a kwami has ever had, Gabriel. You're not even the worst I've had. You don't have to give up the miraculous. And you don't have to give up on Duusu."

"Like anyone would be willing to trust a butterfly coming toward them right now, even if it wasn't corrupted," Gabriel objected. Lack of trust got champions killed; Emilie had told him that. "She's gone, Nooroo. She went with them to spare us."

"And how many miraculous do they have right now?" Nooroo asked. "Oh, that's right! Zero. If we hurry, there may still be time."

Gabriel sighed, defeated. "I can't do that to anyone. Besides, I've never tried making a senshi or a seijin, just akumas. I wouldn't even know how to find someone with the right emotions to do it."

Adrien thought for a moment, then looked from Nooroo to Gabriel. "Yes you do," he said. He took in a shaky breath, a plan forming in his mind. Whatever it was, Gabriel knew he wouldn't like it. "Me. Akumatize me- er, senshify me or whatever it is."

"No," Gabriel immediately objected, getting to his feet and putting his glasses back on. "Absolutely not; this would be insanely dangerous, and even then, Nooroo's powers were meant primarily to magnify the abilities of another miraculous. It would be a misuse of the power otherwise."

"Then senshify me," Adrien repeated, standing up and looking his father in the eyes. "Plagg?" Slowly, he opened his shirt a bit, and the black kwami flew out, barreling into Nooroo.

"OH NOOROO I MISSED YOU SO MUCH WE WERE ALL SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU-" He caught himself, looking over at the two humans in the room. Reluctantly, he pulled away from Nooroo and brushed an imaginary speck of dirt off his fur. He cleared his throat. "I mean- you sure about this, kid? Nooroo?"

Adrien and Nooroo both nodded. "More than I've ever been sure about anything. Still don't really get how my mom's a kwami, but that's a question for later, so… I'm sure."

"Agreed," Nooroo added. "Duusu is our sister, Plagg, and what the Guardians have been doing has to stop."

All three of them turned to Gabriel, who felt rather like he'd just witnessed a plane crash. "You… this whole time… I could've…"

"But you didn't," Adrien cut in. "Look, Dad, I know you've got a lot of guilt built up right now, but I need you to compartmentalize that until after we save Mom. Can you do that?"

Gabriel took a slow, shaky breath, then nodded. "I can," he confirmed. "Nooroo, wings rise."

"Plagg, claws out!"

Hawkmoth stared down Chat Noir, still hesitant. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "I have to stay hidden for the most part because any damage to me is instantly damage to you, but I'll stay close by in case you need me."

Chat Noir nodded once. "Let's go save Mom."

Hawkmoth waved his hand, and one of the butterflies that had appeared upon his transformation flew up to him, landing in his hand. He waved his other hand over it, but when he pulled away, it didn't look any different, still white as freshly fallen snow. He lifted his hand a bit, and it flew off, only to head straight into Chat Noir's ring.

Chat Noir gasped, feeling the sudden intrusion into his mind, and he wavered a bit before righting himself. Hawkmoth lowered his head and put a hand on his son's shoulder. He could feel the connection form, strong and steady.

"Are you alright?" Hawkmoth asked, double checking to make sure. Chat Noir nodded. "Then let's go save your mother, Chat Blanc."

Hawkmoth let the waiting wave of energy crash over them both, and after a moment, it faded to a low roar constantly in the background. Chat Blanc looked down at his suit and saw that, sure enough, everything but the ring had turned white. He looked back up at his father, a thought occurring to him. "How are we gonna find her? They've got at least ten minutes head start."

Hawkmoth nodded. "I thought of that," he assured him. "That's why the senshi isn't just amplifying your powers as Chat Noir. It's also amplifying Emilie's power within you."

"The visions," Chat realized. He closed his eyes, calling on his instincts. "I… I need to get higher up. Somewhere I can see the whole city; half the time my visions work on association." He turned to leave, then looked back to Hawkmoth. "Stay here until I know where to go; Chat Blanc is already going to draw enough attention as it is."

"I understand." This alone wouldn't be easy, standing there and watching his son out in the open as Chat Blanc. So many things could happen…

Chat nodded quickly, psyching himself up for what he knew would end in a fight with the Guardians. "Okay," he breathed. "I'll let you know as soon as I can."

Hawkmoth gave him a soft, caring smile. "Be safe, son."

"I will."