Chapter 13: Attack
A/N: 3 notes, I added 500 extra words to the end of chapter 12, so if you haven't read those, then please do before reading this chapter. Also lotta swearing in this chapter, I have a potty mouth. Also, also, this chapter was written before I watched the first episode of season 2, and then I watched it and began screaming about both it and this chapter and the next. I also noticed I write Gabriel much less extra than he is in canon…
Adrien woke up to the sound of his alarm clock with a groan, his face pushed into his pillow to block out the light starting to fill in from outside. He smacked the machine until it went silent, and drew his arm into his blankets again. His mind was groggy but he felt his hand reach for the ring underneath him, quietly rubbing it between his fingers.
He stayed still like that, if he was lucky he would be able to slip out of the house to school without having to confront his father and-
"Sleep well Adrien?"
Adrien shot up from where he lay in bed at the sound of his father's voice right next to him.
"What the fuck?!" Adrien gasped seeing his father sitting poised at the end of his bed with a tablet in hand.
Adrien ran his hand through his hair to move it out of the way, using the movement to quickly look down and check that his ring was hidden beneath his pajama shirt without being obvious. It was, and he was glad to know that Plagg was tucked away in his corner up on the second level of his collection of books, out of site.
His father waited patiently for Adrien to look him in the eye before turning down to his tablet in hand, acting as if this occasion was the most normal one in the world.
"I was just having my coffee when I came across a curious article this morning," He said coolly, not showing how he felt about it at all, Adrien said nothing as he continued, "I think you would find this most interesting, "Ladybug and Chat Noir Spotted Exploring the Night and Watching Over the People of Paris," how nice of them to do that."
His father finally let a frown fall on his face as he turned back to Adrien waiting for an explanation, or even an excuse so he could thwart it, but Adrien had none.
"Y-yes, how nice of them to… uh, to look over us," Adrien mumbled, his father narrowed his eyes.
"Adrien why were you sneaking around last night with Ladybug? You know how dangerous it is."
"How… how do you know it's me?" Adrien asked dumbly.
His father said nothing, simply pulling up the security footage of Adrien sneaking out onto his windowsill on his tablet and turning it to him. Had the situation been different, Adrien might have found it amusing how he struggled to climb around while not transformed, but this was not the situation.
They were both quiet for a moment as the video finished.
"…Adrien do you have the Chat Miraculous right now?" His father asked.
"No…" Adrien lied quietly.
"You shouldn't have it Adrien, you're a child and could get hurt again," His father easily saw through his lies, likely having also seen the footage of him sneaking in as Chat Noir.
"I'm not a child dad, I'm 17, almost an adult," Adrien weakly defended.
""Almost an Adult" is still a child Adrien, both you and Ladybug shouldn't be in the possession of such dangerous items," Gabriel pushed.
He and Adrien have had this conversation before, and it always ended in an odd dead end, with Adrien defending that "At least he didn't have his Miraculous on him now, so his father should relax". Adrien couldn't hold up that argument anymore.
"An item that dangerous should be with an adult, give me your Miraculous," His father said, holding out his hand.
Adrien felt his mind go blank, was his father really asking this? He couldn't possibly.
"No," Adrien stated simply. He folded his hands together as a way to keep them from shaking and to show his father that he didn't have it. His father looked down at his hands and frowned.
"Where did your put it?"
"Put what?" Adrien was being childish, but it was the only way he could think of getting around this.
"Your Miraculous, where did you hide it?" His father held his growing anger together tightly, not wanting to blow up in front of Adrien.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Adrien," His father growled, losing more of his composure, "This is not the time for games."
"This isn't a game, an item as important as a Miraculous cannot simply be passed from one person to another," Adrien snapped, not knowing the legitimacy of his statement, just knowing that he was actually a bit scared of his father and how he was acting, "Besides even if I did have it, why should I give it to you? What are you going to do with it?"
"That is none of your concern Adrien! Just give me your Miraculous!" His father yelled, causing both of them to freeze.
Wrong answer.
What was his father hiding? That he wouldn't tell Adrien what he would do, he wasn't simply going to put it away or hide it, that much was clear.
It was tense for a good few seconds, Adrien's nerves shot as he looked at the dawning realization on his father's face at what he just said.
"Adrien-" His father began, leaning forward, his voice infinitely softer than it had been just previous.
But it didn't matter, Adrien was already out of his bed, instinct causing him to run out the room and continue out the house, slamming the button to open the front gate on his way out while Nathalie yelled out in alarm. He barely thought of where he was going until he could feel his bare feet slamming on the pavement, to Marinette's, he decided right then, hoping that Plagg had followed him out of the house. He barely saw the reporter across the street watch him as he went soaring out the house and down the street.
Halfway through his sprinting he finally slowed down, letting his exhaustion set in, but never stopping. He slowed to a jog and saw that no one was following him, good. Slipping into a nearby alley and looking around he found Plagg flying a fair distance above, keeping pace with Adrien but not seeming like they were at all connected.
"Plagg, thank goodness."
"So much for keeping to the plan, huh?" Plagg snickered, diving down to hide in Adrien's pajama shirt and not be out in the open.
"Fuck, Plagg, I completely forgot about the plan and I just panicked and stars above did you see my dad? And-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down kid," Plagg interrupted Adrien's rambling, "I know it wasn't ideal but these things happen. Now where are we going?"
"M-marinette's" Adrien answered between breaths.
"Then we'll figure something out when we see her."
"I hope so," Adrien mumbled, checking once more that no one was around and slipping his ring on to transform.
Chat still felt tense as he headed to Marinette's home, constantly peeking over his shoulder on the rooftops or down into the streets to see if anyone was following him. Finally he landed on her terrace and almost too eagerly slammed on the trapdoor down into what he remembered was Marinette's room. Every second that passed made him more tense that someone, he wasn't sure who but someone, would catch him.
Finally the door swung open with a resounding slap as a sleepy and disheveled Marinette poked her head up.
"What the absolute fuck?" She asked squinting at him with the sun in her eyes, "Chat? Why-"
Chat didn't allow her to finish, instead slipping into the opening as quickly as he could, pulling her and the door down with him.
He looked up at the door and watched it carefully as if it would suddenly break open and his father would be there, Marinette felt his tenseness and remained silent for a few minutes.
"Chat, what's wrong?" She whispered.
"My… My father," He managed to mumble.
"Did something happen?" She asked, leaning forward.
"N-no, well I-I mean yes, I just…" He couldn't think of what to say, his words and mind jumbling together.
"Chat calm down," Tikki said, rising from where she was behind Marinette, "Do you need some water?"
"No, no. I just, I, I need to breath," He finally said, forcefully willing himself to calm down and reminding himself that he was safe, no one knew he was here.
Marinette rested her hands on his shoulder and he looked at her.
Something about looking into her eyes was calming, as silly as it sounds, but he managed to start breathing in time with Marinette, letting each breath sooth his nerves bit by bit.
He finally let out one big sigh, "Okay, okay, I'm better."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," He offered a weak smile in response, she seemed to accept it.
"Now, if you don't mind telling me, what happened?" Marinette asked, her voice soft and her eyes filled with concern.
"My father," He took another deep breath, Marinette's grip tightened on his shoulders but she waited for him to continue, "He saw an article about our patrol last night, and… This morning, he came to me this morning and demanded that I give him my Miraculous. And, it was nothing like I had ever seen before. I-I panicked and ran here, I just, I didn't know what to do."
"Adrien you-" Marinette was cut off by her phone blaring from its place next to her bed.
They both froze, recognizing the alarm type.
There was an akuma attack happening, right now.
"Of all the times, now?" Marinette hissed grabbing her phone and looking over the details of the alert, "An akuma spotted at the Eiffel Tower, no, it knocked over the Eiffel Tower."
Marinette looked ready to jump up and spring to action before she stopped and looked at Chat in concern.
"We should go, but we need to be cautious," Chat responded to her silent question.
Marinette sighed as Chat opened the trapdoor above them and climbed up, "What timing" she muttered before calling for Tikki to transform her.
Ladybug and Chat sprang off from her terrace to the Eiffel Tower, worried about what kind of akuma and overall mess awaited them.
A cacophony of panic could be heard from surrounding area, horns honking at the traffic, people screaming at the damage, and police sirens blaring. Amongst all of it the Akuma could be seen in obvious sight, sitting on the tipped over Eiffel Tower, much too calm for the chaos they had created. They smiled when they finally spotted Ladybug and Chat Noir from across the way.
"How wonderful! Our heroes have arrived!" They cheered, standing up from where they sat on the destroyed monument. A mixture of light blues and greens covered them in odd patterns while strange curved stilts came from their feet, or foot, they only seemed to have one, making them taller that they really were, "Now we can start our fun!"
"They were waiting for us," Ladybug whispered.
"He was waiting for us," Chat confirmed, "Trying to draw us out, be careful."
Ladybug nodded in response, the akuma cleared their throat for attention.
"What's your name?" Ladybug shouted at them, ready to dodge should they try and attack, but getting as much info about the akuma as she could from a distance.
"Ah yes, you needn't any introductions, yet I do, for I am but a stranger to you," They bowed, crossing their stilts but not moving from their place, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am a performer of sorts," they bounced from one leg to the other, their bright hair bouncing with them, "A caller of attention, someone you simply can't not notice," They posed, their arm out stretched and Chat suddenly felt the urge to scan the area should this akuma be a distraction for the real threat, Ladybug did the same.
"My name is-HEY!" The akuma yelled, finally noticing how neither of the heroes were paying attention.
The Akuma sprang up from their stilts, launching themselves towards Ladybug and Chat Noir's space on the rooftop. Both heroes jumped out of the way in time, but the akuma just used the force of their landing to spring themselves in the same direction as Ladybug and Chat Noir with ease.
Chat turned around to aim an attack at the akuma following them, but they easily dodged.
"My name, just so you know, is "Stilt Stalker", as silly as it is," They said quickly regaining their direction and landing at a distance for Ladybug and Chat Noir, "And you most certainly won't forget it."
"Bit of a snore don't you think?" Chat teased Ladybug.
"Who are you talking about again?" Ladybug teased back.
"You dare!" Stilt Stalker yelled before quickly gaining their composure, a smile crossing their face, "Well if you don't remember me, then you won't care if I just sneak off and have more fun on my own, will you?"
"We most certainly can't have that," Ladybug smiled back, launching her yo-yo at the akuma's receding figure and glancing at Chat to remind him to watch her back in case the akuma was a distraction.
He did, but also saw how Stilt Stalker easily dodged her attack and continued to easily dodge the ones following it, Ladybug needed help catching this bouncy bait. Chat joined in the fight and tried as much as he could to catch the akuma but every time he did they would jump out of the way just in time.
A few more attacks and dodges and Chat found himself watching as Stilt Stalker came rushing towards him in an effort to dodge Ladybug. He was about to move out of the way, but they sped themselves up, a look of determination on their face. Stilt Stalker crashed into Chat stilts first with the full of their weight and pushed off him to land nearby, sending Chat flying towards a wall. Chat felt the wind knocked out of him as his back slammed into the wall, part of his vision going white for a moment while the rest went blurry. He slid down the wall and landed on his feet with a wobble.
However Chat's brief disarming was quickly forgotten when he suddenly heard the most ear-piercing scream come ripping from Stilt Stalker. He looked at them, blinking away as much of the blur as he could to see them bowed over in pain, clutching their head, and Ladybug nowhere nearby. A faint purple light faded away from their face as they snapped up to stand straight.
"Fuck! Okay! I won't hurt him!" They screamed at seemingly no one, but Chat knew that the akuma were able to talk to Papillon even if he wasn't there.
Chat's vision came back and he surged towards the akuma again, spotting Ladybug doing the same. Stilt Stalker looked to both of them and jumped high in sky to dodge their attack. Ladybug and Chat Noir watched as their eyes went out of focus and the purple light surrounded Stilt Stalker's face once again as they soared away.
"Papillon is talking to them, we need to find their cursed item while they're distracted," Ladybug said.
Chat nodded in response but didn't spot a possible cursed item on Stilt Stalker while they were fighting. The akuma landed on a roof top far away, still distracted by the purple light, "Do you know what it is?"
"No. No item seems out of the ordinary, it might be their weapon, but that's their stilts, and which one would it be?" Ladybug pondered.
Chat looked over Stilt stalker again, they only had one leg and the stilts were made to accommodate the difference in limbs, "Perhaps the fake one?"
"That our best gu-"
"Hey!" Stilt Stalker called out for them, their tone having lost its aloofness from before and their face twisted in a grimace, the purple light was gone and Ladybug and Chat Noir had lost their chance, "This asshole," The akuma pointed to their head, "Want's to talk to you two!"
"What?" Chat asked, the akuma called themselves an asshole?
"The bug man, fucks his name?" They asked, snapping their fingers and seeming more agitated when thinking on it.
"Papillon?" Ladybug offered.
"Yes! That asshole!" They grabbed their head in pain and growled, "Fucking-he wants to talk to you, now."
"Now?" Chat asked, suspicious about such an offer.
"Yes now. He said he'll tell me where he is, I'll take you to him, and we can get this bullshit done with!" Stilt Stalker said, hopping down from the roof and landing a distance away from Ladybug and Chat Noir. They looked quite exhausted as they approached.
"What do you say Ladybug," Chat asked her, his voice low and one eye on the akuma as he remained guarded.
"He, he wants to meet us," Ladybug uttered, her eyes wide on the akuma and completely petrified.
"Ladybug, this may be our best chance to actually know what Papillon's doing," Ladybug looked at him like he was crazy, "We know it's a trap, but we're prepared."
"Are we really?" She asked.
Not really, Chat confirmed in his head, but that didn't matter, he had a feeling that this was the perfect opportunity for them.
"Yes, we've been training, and we're together," He looked her in the eyes, giving her all of his confidence while hiding all of his worry and suspicions underneath it.
"Al-Alright," She answered looking back over to the akuma patiently waiting for their answer, certainly most suspicious, "But remember we stick together and if anything goes wrong, we run, and make an actual plan."
Chat nodded, instructing the akuma to take them to Papillon.
A/N: I cut this chapter in half because it felt too long altogether, so next chapter we'll meet Papillon, exciting! Stilt Stalker is my akumasona and of course the pic was drawn by me.
Please leave a review on what you thought I'm thirsty.