Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or elements relating to Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Miraculous: Borderline

Chapter 15: Capturing Prey

Hawk Moth had a new plan.

After seeing the latest news on Ladybug, he'd realized that Ladybug had lost her edge. Queen Bee was rising and still going strong, but Ladybug was struggling like she was out of her element. She had no people's skills, no insight, and she could not fight as well as she used to.

Which meant that it was prime time for Hawk Moth to strike.

He set his trap in the middle of his mansion, in front of the double staircase in the foyer of the house.

And Hawk Moth knew that Ladybug would take the bait.

Adrien halted mid-step as his phone rang.

"What's that?" Adrien muttered as he pulled out his phone.

Plagg peeked out of his shirt and glanced at the screen.

"Ooh, a news alert," Plagg crooned.

Adrien hissed at him. "Get back down! People are going to see you!"

Plagg snorted but disappeared again, and Adrien clicked on the alert.

"This is Nadja Chamack, with urgent news. Ladybug has been reported robbing the Agreste mansion after she attacked fashion designer Gabriel Agreste. Police have surrounded the house and are ready to storm in—"

Adrien gaped at the screen. "What?" he cried. "Plagg, this can't be right!"

Plagg poked his head out again. "Well, you did say Ladybug was acting funny," Plagg pointed out. "Maybe she's finally gone full-on crazy."

Adrien growled in annoyance. "You're no help!"

He ran into the bathroom to transform as quickly as possible. He had to help his father.

I hope he's okay.

"Plagg, claws out!"

Tikki skulked in Chloe's fashion bag, listening to Ms. Bustier's latest lecture on the principles of love in literature.

Love, right. Look where that got Marinette.

Tikki sighed. She missed Marinette badly, and Tikki knew Marinette must miss her too.

After all, how could Marinette choose Pollen over her? Pollen was practically as stuck-up as Chloe was!

The only people she really talked to now wasn't even a person—it was a kwami! Plagg, to be specific.

As soon as Plagg had found out that Marinette had forsaken her Ladybug duties, Tikki and Plagg had met up every night to come up with a plan to get everything back to the way it was—the way it should be.

But coming up with a good plan was hard. Plagg's latest idea was to get Adrien and Marinette together to have a camembert feast and get them to confess their love over cheese.

Yeah, right.

Tikki jumped as Chloe's phone buzzed.

"It's a news alert!" Tikki realized.

Tikki poked her head out of the bag and saw Chloe staring dolefully at the chalkboard.

"Chloe!" Tikki hissed.

Chloe glanced down. "Not now, Tikki," Chloe muttered.

Tikki glared at her.

She's so apathetic! Tikki thought. She's nothing like Marinette!

No one could ever replace Marinette.

Tikki hadn't been lying when she'd said that Marinette was the best Ladybug ever. Tikki just wished that Marinette had believed her.

"Chloe," Tikki pressed. "It's a news alert—and it's about you!"

Chloe gasped. "Really? Is it something good? Did they finally realize that I'm awesome and should be recognized as such?"

Chloe looked hopeful for once, and Tikki felt almost bad for crushing her bubble.

Tikki gave Chloe an exasperated look. "Actually, they're saying you just robbed Gabriel Agreste's house. So are you going to stop the imposter or not?"

Chloe hesitated and for a moment, Tikki felt like Chloe was finally going to choose the right thing for once. But then Chloe's face fell and she turned away from Tikki.

"I can't, Tikki. I suck at being Ladybug," Chloe said sadly.

Tikki wasn't willing to give up, even if it was Chloe Bourgeois. "Chloe, it's your job! You promised!"

But Chloe was no longer listening.

"Ha!" Cat Noir cried as he burst in through the double doors of Gabriel Agreste's home.

He scanned the foyer looking for the akumatized villain, but there was no one there.

Huh?

Suddenly, someone dropped down from the ceiling and caught Cat Noir in the face with the hilt of a rapier.

Hawk Moth.

"Looks like I caught the cat and not the bug," Hawk Moth gloated as he stood over Cat Noir, who was on the floor struggling to get up. "Where is the bug, hmm?"

Hawk Moth reached down for Cat Noir's ring and Cat Noir lashed out with his fist, catching Hawk Moth in the jaw.

Hawk Moth jerked back and that was all the break that Cat Noir needed. He sprinted upstairs and slammed the door to his room closed.

That was when Hawk Moth activated the lockdown procedures and bars slammed down on the windows and doors.

Additional bars started slamming in around Cat Noir, caging him in a tighter and tighter circle, activated remotely by Hawk Moth. Cat Noir stumbled back as the bars narrowly missed him as it slammed down into the ground. His space was about a couple of feet across now.

How is Hawk Moth doing this? Was this a part of my father's house design? Why would he design cages for me?

Cat Noir felt panicked. He had only one option.

"Cataclysm!" Cat Noir yelled.

He raked his fingers across the iron bars and they crumbled like plaster.

Cat Noir burst through the door of his room back into the hallway, where Hawk Moth stood waiting.

"Finally," Hawk Moth said, and he launched his rapier straight at Cat Noir's leg.

Cat Noir leapt but not fast enough, and the rapier drove through Cat Noir's boot sole and pinned him down. Hawk Moth leapt forward to rip off his ring but Cat Noir palm-heeled him in the face. As Hawk Moth reeled back, Cat Noir ripped his boot off and sprinted down the stairs.

His ring was already beeping.

How am I—

He could only think of one thing.

"Claws off," Cat Noir whispered, and his costume vanished.

Adrien hid within an alcove and saw Hawk Moth leap down into the foyer.

"Don't bother hiding, Cat Noir," Hawk Moth growled.

Hawk Moth stood in the middle of the foyer for a moment, his eyes raking the entryway. Adrien stood stock-still, barely daring to breathe.

Sudden as a snake striking, Hawk Moth sprang forward and grasped Adrien by the throat.

Adrien's expression of shock and terror mirrored Hawk Moth's.

"A-Adrien?" Hawk Moth stuttered.

"You—you know who I am?" Adrien stammered, his eyes locked on Hawk Moth's cold, grey eyes.

Hawk Moth's expression of surprise turned into cold anger. "Where is Cat Noir? Where did you see him disappear?"

Adrien pointed a finger outside. "He ran off that way."

Hawk Moth stared at him intensely, and for a moment, Adrien felt frozen in terror, feeling sure that Hawk Moth was about to discover his secret.

Then, for some reason, Hawk Moth let him go. Without a word, he disappeared out the door and never came back.

Adrien stared after him for a long time, feeling his heart pound against his ribcage, and he didn't calm down until Gabriel Agreste walked through the front door, looking ruffled but unharmed.

"Adrien," Gabriel said gruffly, and he stepped forward to engulf his son in a hug.

"Father," Adrien said, his voice muffled in his father's chest.

After a moment, he stepped back and looked up into his father's slate-blue eyes. "Father, I—" Adrien swallowed. "Hawk Moth was here and he—He used the lockdown procedures to capture Cat Noir. I saw it from the staircase."

Gabriel's eyes narrowed. "Why were you here instead of at school, Adrien?"

Adrien gulped. "I was worried about you so I came here."

Gabriel stared at him for a moment. "What was your point, Adrien?"

Adrien took a deep breath. "Father, why were there iron bars used as a cage in my room? Did you—"

Adrien couldn't continue. How could he accuse his father of wanting to lock him up, let along hurt him?

Gabriel's face was unreadable. For a moment, he didn't answer and just held onto Adrien's shoulders as if unwilling to let him go.

"Adrien, that villain Hawk Moth must've hacked into my security system and manipulated the iron bars used for the outside of the mansion," Gabriel finally said, his voice rough and hard. "I would never use it on you, you know that."

Gabriel held Adrien's gaze, and after a terse moment, Adrien forced a smile.

He wanted to believe his father. He really did. But something about what Gabriel said wasn't right. Iron bars were never used for security. Gabriel used titanium metal sheets instead.

So his father was lying.

End of Chapter 15: Capturing Prey