Chapter Ten

Adrien was exhausted. Every swing of Hawkmoth's sword numbed his hands a little more. Every glance of his eyes numbed his heart.

How could he not have seen it? His father's rapid descent into despair? His desperation? His frantic obsession?

It wasn't madness, although Adrien wished it could be. If it were, then he could believe that it wasn't his fault. That there were circumstances beyond their control.

But those gray-blue eyes were too cold. Too calculating. His father knew exactly what he was doing. He had planned it all from the start. They held no regret. Only resignation.

And Adrien hadn't paid enough attention to notice. He'd acted too late to save him. All that was left was to stop him.

Somewhere in the distance he could hear Rena Rouge's flute and the cry of "Mirage!" ringing through the old observatory.

Immediately, Adrien found himself surrounded by dozens of illusions of himself and the other members of his team, each charging at Hawkmoth in a coordinated attack. It was the same illusion that she had used before, and Hawkmoth snarled in frustration as Adrien lost himself in it, darting in whenever he saw an opening. The real Rena - Alya, he'd come to find out while they huddled under Carapace's shield and Trixx scarfed down beef jerky like no one's business - joined him, forcing his father to block every attack, just in case it was actually real, stretching him thinner than ever now that he had lost Mayura and the monster that she had created.

"You can't stop me, Chat Noir! Rena Rouge! Ladybug! Carapace! Queen Bee! I will defeat you, and I will get your Miraculouses!"

"Alright seriously, is that all you know how to say?" Rena Rouge grumbled, cartwheeling elegantly out of the supervillain's reach. "Just face it: it's over Gabriel. You can't beat all five of us, especially now that you're down a partner."

"I can! I can and I will!"

"Ugh, just shut up already!" Chlo's voice rang out, just as her top flashed out of nowhere and slammed into his back, providing the perfect opportunity for Rena to leap in and crack her flute across the side of Hawkmoth's head. Adrien hesitated, then he ran in, too, baton twirling in his grasp.

That moment of hesitation almost cost him dearly, as Hawkmoth had the time to shake off his dizziness and dodge Chat's initial strike, raising his sword to counterattack.

Out of nowhere, Ladybug's yoyo flew through the air, clanging against the rapier and sending it careening off course.

"You alright, Chat?" she panted, landing beside him.

"Better, now you're here, m'Lady," he flashed what he hoped was a smirk in her direction. "You take care of the defense system then?"

"Carapace is finishing off the last of it," she replied, and for the first time he noticed the green clad superhero standing on the other side of the room, his shield flying Captain America style as it smashed through three different guns.

"He's sure enjoying himself."

"I think he considers it payback or something."

"Figures. So, let's-"

Ladybug caught his shoulder, forcing him to look at her while Rena, Bee, and the illusions pressed the attack. "Chaton, are you sure you're okay?"

He hesitated, gazing into those beautiful, bluebell eyes that had so captured him when they first met.

He'd never been able to lie to her.

"No, m'Lady. I'm not sure at all."

Her grip tightened on his shoulder. "You don't have to stay for this, Minou. We can handle it from here."

"I know. But I have to stay, Ladybug. This isn't just about stopping Hawkmoth anymore, not for me. I have to be the one to do this."

"You have nothing to prove to us. You know that, right?"

"Of course I know that. But there are some things that I need to prove to myself."

Ladybug's hand fell to his elbow. Her eyes were kind. Understanding. "Okay. Just don't take any unnecessary risks. I need you, Chat."

"I know you do," Adrien replied, trying for a cheeky grin, one that would lighten the mood.

"I don't think you do, Kitty," she murmured, her eyes unbelievably soft.

He instantly turned fire engine red.

Then she gently pulled him down, going up on her toes to kiss his cheek, right at the corner of his mouth.

He was pretty sure there was steam coming out of his ears when she smiled shyly at him and leaped back into the fight.

He might have stood there all day, blinking dazedly into the distance and trying to remember what his name was, had Carapace not jumped in, lifting his shield to block a wayward strike from Chloe.

"Careful, Queenie!" he yelled.

"Not my fault he dodged it!"

"Come on Adrien, snap out of it! We need you on this one!"

"R-Right," Adrien stammered, shaking himself.

He hefted his baton, his gaze dancing about the room. Practically all of the illusions had vanished now, and Rena was down to her last minute. Queen Bee was fighting hard, but she was clearly exhausted; he doubted that she and Pollen could manage a third Venom attack. Carapace and Wayzz might still have a Shelter in them, and he and Ladybug had yet to use their Lucky Charm or Cataclysm.

But Hawkmoth was still holding his own. A snarl curled his lips as his rapier flashed one direction then another, blocking and dodging strike after strike by his friends. Even as he watched, Rena Rouge's transformation disappeared in a flash of orange light, and an instant later Alya was thrown across the room by a powerful kick to her gut. Carapace leaped in, catching her before she hit the wall, then reluctantly left her to recover when she waved him away.

Now they were down to four.

They had to finish this, and fast.

Adrien charged in with a shout, taking Hawkmoth's rapier with his baton as Ladybug skipped back out of range. His flurry of blows forced the man back, giving his team a much needed breather. He shot a glance back towards Ladybug, and when their eyes met, she nodded once.

"Lucky Charm!" her voice rang through the space, the brilliant red magic flying from the end of her yoyo.

He didn't have a chance to see what the item was that fell into her hands. He was too busy countering each strike, giving his Lady a chance to figure out how to use whatever it was. There came a moment when he and his father stood practically chest to chest, each straining to gain the upper hand, emerald green eyes boring into gray-blue.

"Why?" Adrien gasped. "Why was this the only way?"

"You don't think that I tried others?" Hawkmoth - Gabriel Agreste - snarled back, his eyes momentarily filling with pain. "You don't think I exhausted every other option before seeking out the Miraculous?"

"I think you gave up!" Adrien snapped back, shoving his father backwards another step. "You lost hope! You were so focused on what you'd lost that you forgot all about what you still had!"

"You think I forgot about you, Adrien? I was doing this for you! Don't you want your mother back?!"

"Of course I do! But she wouldn't want to come back like this! She wouldn't want to come back and find that the husband she loved became a monster! There has to be another way!"

"There is no other way!"

"You're wrong! There's always another way!"

"What would you know?! You're just a child! You couldn't possibly understand just how desperately I searched for a way to save her! This is my last hope, Adrien, and no one will stand in my way, not even you!"

"Chat, his sword!" Ladybug's voice cried.

Adrien countered another strike, then his hand shot outwards, the gloves fingers of his right hand wrapping around the blade of his father's weapon.

"Cataclysm!"

Hawkmoth's shriek of rage as his sword turned to dust in his hand was nothing compared to the howls when both Ladybug's yoyo and Queen Bee's top wrapped around him, effectively pinning his arms to his side. A moment later, Carapace leaped in as well, a red-and-black spotted rope clutched in his hands before he tied up the struggling Hawkmoth with it.

"You wanna do the honors, bro?" Carapace called, glowering at the man.

Adrien hesitated, glancing towards Ladybug. Her eyes were still so soft, gently urging him forward. Chat Noir took a deep breath, then stepped forward and ripped the Moth brooch from his father's shirt.

His howl of rage and despair echoed through the observatory as a purple light exploded around him, then congealed in the air above the Miraculous, where a small purple kwami with butterfly wings took shape.

"Nooroo! Attack them!" he shrieked. "Make them release me!"

Nooroo sadly shook his head. "You no longer possess my Miraculous, Gabriel Agreste. You are no longer my master."

"Nooroo! Nooroo!"

The little kwami didn't seem to hear him. He just closed his eyes and vanished back into the brooch.

"NO! This is not over! It will never be over!"

"Oh just give it a rest, Gabe," Alya groaned, walking over and tucking her phone into her back pocket. "It is over, whether you like it or not."

Ladybug nodded in agreement, releasing her yoyo now that she was certain Hawkmoth couldn't slip free. "Carapace, would you take Monsieur Agreste to the police?"

"Sure thing, Ladybug," Carapace replied, hauling the suddenly-boneless Monsieur Hawkmoth to his feet and slinging him over his shoulder.

"Queen Bee, could you take Alya to recharge?"

"But -"

"I'd like a moment alone with Chat, if that's alright."

Queen Bee glared at Ladybug for a few seconds - something Adrien never thought he'd see - then sighed wearily, walking over and wrapping an arm around Alya's waist. "Fine," she grumbled.

"Thank you."

He watched the four of them leave, trying to identify the strange swirl of emotions in his chest. He was more than a little startled when he felt the gentle hand on his arm and turned to look straight into Ladybug's bluebell eyes. Neither of them spoke, but they didn't need to.

A soft smile touched her lips.

The next thing he knew they were both on the ground, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck, his hands clutching her waist, his face buried against her shoulder, each breath sharp and hitched in his throat. Pressed against her as he was, the insistent beeping of her earrings rang loudly in his ears, sending a sharp spike of fear through his chest. His hands tightened instinctively against her sides, unable to speak, but pleading for her to hear him just the same.

Don't leave me. Don't leave me. Don't leave me.

He was more than a little surprised when her arms tightened around him in silent reassurance, and she made no indication to leave, instead pulling him into her lap where her scent - the scent that magic had always prevented him from identifying - filled his senses, relaxing all of the muscles in his arms and shoulders.

Then he felt more than saw a wash of pink light behind his eyes, and all at once the sweet scent that was Ladybug became sharp and distinct and suddenly the world made sense because Ladybug was honey and vanilla with accents of chocolate and cinnamon and the lingering hint of freshly baked bread and she was peace and she was safety and she was home, because home was Marinette.

Then his own transformation rolled off of him, and that was when the tears came, spilling down his cheeks, because she was whispering that she loved him, over, and over, and over, as though they were the only words that she remembered how to say, and he couldn't speak but he squeezed her tighter as he buried her face into her hair, into her neck, drinking in her scent and willing her to understand, to hear his unspoken response: I love you too. I love you too. I love you too.