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Adrien Agreste / Cat Noir

He was sitting in his bed, looking at the TV that faced his bed. He was currently on the LadyBlog, watching the new video posted by Alya. On it, he finally saw the hero who had been in that blurry footage that had gone viral a few days ago. In the footage, you could barely tell what the shape even was; just that it had orange, black, and white. Along with a tail and ears. Nothing other than that.

Now, he had a full image of the new hero. It annoyed him to no end that the tiger-themed kid seemed to have replaced him as Ladybug's partner, even if for a while. On the video, he had seen multiple times where he would've done things differently. In that second where the new hero had frozen, Ladybug had been charged by the werewolf Akuma, having called itself Howl beforehand in the video.

He felt a bit annoyed that Bengal Tiger, as he called himself apparently, hadn't paid attention to Ladybug's needs. She was in trouble, and he didn't spring in the second that it was evident. No, instead he just stood there like a blithering idiot.

What really, really ticked him off though, was that Alya seemed to have suggested a romantic relationship between the too. Ladybug seemed to have been in a hurry to leave, even though she hadn't even used her Lucky Charm, and she had gestured for Tiger to do so as well. Adrien's mind, now overcome with jealousy and betrayal, snapped to thoughts of Ladybug and Tiger kissing, having a date somewhere, and even getting a bit physical.

What could he say? He was 14.

One of the grand clocks in the entrance hall struck. The loud and reverberating sound startled Adrien, but only for a second. He checked his phone. "Twelve already!?" he whisper-shouted, staring disbelievingly at his phone. He had gotten onto the LadyBlog three hours ago! That was how long he had been watching the video replay?

His eyes wandered out towards the night sky, tempted to make a small run as Cat Noir. "Plagg?" he whispered, realizing his kwami wasn't with him. Plagg had become increasingly absent over the last few days when Adrien was recovering, his charge never knowing where exactly the small black cat kwami went to. After waiting for two seconds, the small feline's body phased through the bathroom door, camembert in his paws. "Yes?" he asked with a full mouth, his voice sounding a bit like a whine.

"I think we oughtta pay Ladybug a visit," Adrien smiled a bit at the thought of seeing his lady again. "Alright," Plagg shrugged, swallowing the wedge of camembert. Adrien just stared at the small black kwami as if he had grown an extra head. "That's it, no sarcastic comment, no protests, no dramatics?" he asked, bewildered. Plagg stretched in a very cat-like manner. "Nope; I could use a bit of exercise. These days when you've been in bed having been boring," he groaned melodramatically at the last word, turning his back to the floor and put a forearm to his forehead, acting sick. "There it is," chuckled Adrien, his mood lightened a bit at the small cat's theatrics.

"Plagg, claws in!" in a flash of light, he wasn't Adrien anymore, laying in his bed recovering after the Akuma; he was Cat Noir. The injuries he had sustained hadn't completely healed, per say, but they were at most an inconvenience as he made a lump in his bed with his pillows, opened the window, and leapt out into the Paris night.

He landed roughly on a roof, immediately wincing at the pain that seemed to streak through his back as he arched his torso to accommodate the sudden landing. Now he realized why father didn't want him to move. He didn't experience any sort of pain this bad in bed, since he had been laying still most of the time on Nathalie's requests. It had been a dull aching in his spinal area and neck, but now it felt like someone was constantly digging their finger nails into his neck and back.

He tried pushing himself up gingerly, but hissing in response to the flits of agony that seemed to jump around his torso like a bullet in a metal-lined room.

He wouldn't be able to see his lady tonight.

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Augusto Vega / Bengal Tiger

Ladybug had just stared at him for the remainder of their time on the Eiffel Tower. And the she had said her farewells and swung off, disappearing behind a clump of buildings. He had been surprised at her abrupt end, but decided it was for the best as he leapt home, upon reaching it finding out that he was sapped of all his energy. Rybbo wasn't, and the second Augusto had gracefully leapt into his room, he zipped out of his armband, disappearing into some unknown corner of the room.

Augusto was too tired to care where his Kwami had gone off to or that he was taking something off the desk, losing the transformation and dropping into his bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, uncaring for the fact that he was still in his clothes.

0-0-0

Today was a flurry of movement. Everyone in class was gossiping about the new hero who had shown up. More so than when Rena Rouge had. Augusto chalked it up to the much more threatening and intimidating outfit he wore when in transformation. Not to mention the weapons that could easily give someone a concussion, or worse.

"Who do you think he is under the mask?" he heard someone whisper around him in the library. "I don't know who he is, but he looks great!" another voice responded. He felt the heat in his cheeks rise up the tiniest bit, surprising himself. He dug his face deeper into the book he was pretending to read, hoping to hide the blush if it was visible.

If they knew the very hero they were talking about was sitting at the table, reading about Darwinian Evolution, they would flip (get it?). He snorted at the thought, the noise drowned out by all the conversation going on. "Hey, Aug," he heard a familiar voice say. He glanced up and saw Thierre sitting down in the seat across from him. He quirked an eyebrow at the nickname, noting it was the same one that Rybbo had used before, but merely guessed that 'Aug' was an extremely common nickname.

"Yeah?" he replied. Thierre gave him an odd look. "Why are you reading 'The History of Roman Catholicism'? And upside down?" he squinted his eyes, as if reading from the spine at an odd angle. Augusto's eyes widened, finally focusing on the words on the page. Indeed, they were upside down. And, indeed, they weren't about Darwinian Evolution. He comically dropped the book down, his head still resting in it.

He heard Thierre give a laugh, before a tapping on the table in front of him brought his attention upward. He had felt the vibrations more than heard it.

"Distracted, I bet," Thierre smirked, giving Augusto a knowing look. Augusto slightly panicked internally.

Did he know?

Thankfully, he was pretty good at keeping his outward composure. "What do you mean by that?" he internally kicked himself at the tiniest bit of hesitance and panic that had seeped into his voice. Thankfully, Thierre seemed to not have noticed it, already having planned what he would say. "Y'know, about the new hero? Bengal Tiger, right? Rawr!" he gave a comical growl, raising his hands up like paws and hooking his fingers like claws.

Inside, Augusto practically melted with relief. He didn't know exactly why he was so protective of his identity. Maybe he wouldn't be caught dead running around Paris in tiger-themed stockings, or it was Rybbo's feelings and thoughts projecting onto him. Many times, it was hard to differentiate what feelings and emotions were yours or your Kwami's.

The brown-haired boy snorted in response to the brunette's tomfoolery. "Such a tiger impression; you should act like one at the zoo. Throw on a costume, and no one would be able to tell the difference!" he chuckled, keeping his voice quiet so it could only be heard by Thierre. "You underestimate me," scoffed Thierre, abruptly starting to laugh a silent laugh, making him look like he was gorging air. "You need some help there?" Augusto's eyebrow quirked up at the odd sight.

Thierre waved his hand dismissively, calming down from his laughing fit. "Okay, okay," he started, wiping tears, "Sorry about that."

Augusto merely shrugged in response, closing the book about whatever it was and setting aside, next to the pile of books he had gathered. Much to Augusto's surprise, Marinette walked up with a book in her hand, and took a seat at the end of the table. Thierre merely glanced between the two, an eyebrow raised. "I've got to go get my music homework from my locker and drop it off in class – see ya," Thierre smirked at Augusto in a teasing manner, grabbing his grey backpack and walking off.

"That was… odd…" Augusto tried to find words to effectively sum up Thierre's 180 in personality. "Yeah," Marinette agreed, staring at the receding black-haired boy with inquisitiveness shining in her eyes. And then it hit Augusto.

Thierre thought that either had had a crush on Marinette or vice versa.

Augusto thought it kind of stupid how in the higher-grade levels, the second you have a friend that happens to be female, apparently that's a surefire way to show that you have a crush on her. Not to mention that they weren't really friends, more like acquaintances if he was being honest.

He tried starting up a conversation. "So… heard of the new hero? Bengal Tiger, if I remember correctly," he mentally facepalmed. Well, that was a stupid beginner.

"Definitely - most of the news channels are still reporting on him, and Alya got so excited about it that she fainted a few moments after he left. She woke up this morning but wasn't feeling too well; that's why she isn't here today," Marinette said, the slightest stutter could be heard in her words, but Augusto didn't pay much attention to it.

"What do you think of him?" he asked. Marinette's thoughts on his new alter ego suddenly seemed important. "I think he's okay; he helped Ladybug when she needed it, and the costume sure looks cool, but he still kind of looked like a fish out of water in that Akuma battle," Augusto saw Marinette giggle a bit, seemingly remembering what she had watched on the LadyBlog. He felt the heat in his cheeks rise again, just slightly, at Marinette's comment. Had he really looked that disoriented and clueless?

He'd have to put that to the back of his mind, as the bell had rung, and it was time to get to class.

0-0-0

School was the same as always, despite the showing up of a new hero. The students gossiped, as expected in Augusto's mind, but the teachers seemed to have new interest in the subject of entering the circle to talk about the brown-haired boy's alter ego. Thierre, the whole time, was talking about whatever seemed to catch his fancy at the moment, which, for the most part, seemed to be Bengal Tiger.

As the school day ended and the final bell rung, Augusto practically ran out of school. He seemed to instantly raise from his chair, and bolt to the door, smoothly making the turn in front of a shocked Mdm. Bustier, and opened the door quickly, sprinting out into sort of balcony that hung over the courtyard. Quickly glancing around to see that no one had exited the class rooms yet, he put a hand on the railing and pushed his body over it with little effort, landing in a cat-like pose on concrete below. He heard a creaking behind him, and he instantly stood up, and started to walk away.

He smiled a bit. One of the things he had noticed about his Miraculous was that it was extremely impulsive. More so than the other Miraculous, maybe. The Tiger didn't plan or think; it just did. He was slightly surprised out how easily he was able to haul himself over the railing and how little the landing had actually affected him.

He guessed that the Tiger powers he gained from the Miraculous were starting to bleed into his regular civilian form. He frowned at the thought. When in superhero form, many of the things that you could use to distract a tiger could be used against him, since he had noticed that Cat Noir, in a previous cat-lady-based-akuma, had essentially been useless. He spent the whole time hopping around, playing with string, and sniffing catnip. Augusto didn't want to go through that embarrassment, especially when he wouldn't have a mask to hide his identity.

When he reached the school entrance he noted that there was a white sedan sitting right next to the curb on the street. "Hey, Aug! Wait up! You're nuts!" he heard Thierre call to him from behind. Augusto turned around, amused at seeing his friend leaning on his upper thighs, his usually jovial face flushed red, and breathing heavily. "It's just a flight of stairs; not like you're running the Olympics," grinned Augusto.

"This may not be the Olympics, but, holy crap, you're fast enough to at least knock one out," Thierre retorted, collecting his breath. Had he really been that fast? He internally cursed himself, making a mental note to regulate his speed in the future. Augusto merely shrugged, his answer to anything he didn't want to reply to verbally. "Anyways, see ya," Thierre waved goodbye to Augusto, walking towards the white sedan. The door opened allowing the black-haired boy in. Augusto waved as the door closed, and the sedan sped off onto the busy streets of Paris.

A cold breeze alerted him to the inevitable coldness of winter that was soon to come. He had a love/hate relationship with the season. One, he loved how cold it got, so the second you enter your home, you feel extremely cozy. But he hated the coldness itself. It made his nose burn and made any exposed skin feel like it's being stung. Not to mention the seasonal allergies that made themselves know. They were the standard; runny nose, exhaustion, and short temper.

He stood there for a moment, just sensing the feel of his jeans being pushed against his legs due to the wind, and the cold that seemed to sting his ears. It wasn't exactly pleasant. Augusto knew two types of cold, though. The one he really hated was the artificial AC cold where you don't really sense anything but the cold and there's nothing different about your surroundings. With authentic cold, the type that is outside during winter time, everything felt crisp and clear, as if your senses could pick up a creature a mile away.

It felt right.

0-0-0

Adrien Agreste / Cat Noir

Adrien had managed to sneak out of the house that day. Sure, it wasn't easy, what with Natalie being with him for most of the day, and the horrible pain that lanced around his back, but he managed. He had taken a pain killer that didn't make him drowsy; both expensive an against his father's wishes. He wanted – no, needed – to see his lady.

Ladybug was like his oxygen. He couldn't live without her. Not for long. He always felt a constant pull in him to be with the red-clad heroine, as if some god made sure it was their destiny to be together. And as far as Adrien was concerned, he would give anything to make sure that destiny could come true. His money, his fame, even the reputation. All that mattered to him was his lady.

The excruciating and searing pain had bee dumbed down to essentially minor cramps, being more of an inconvenience than anything else. The transformation seemed to help him a bit, him guessing that the magic was helping him heal faster in this form than the other.

His blonde, wind-swept, and untamed hair flowed freely behind him as he ran across the Parisian rooftops, his tail fluttering like a flag in the breeze. The bustling noises of the city and mixed scents of the streets creating a large image in his head. As Cat Noir, he had learned that there was much more to a place beyond its atmosphere and look. Its sounds and scents were worlds of their own.

This felt good. It felt familiar. It felt homely.

His mind was almost exclusively on Ladybug, though, wondering where she might be and how she might react to the sight of him. Not even knowing if she was transformed, he called her. But was only met with a red, down-turned phone symbol. With that little symbol, it just snapped all of his hopes.

Knowing that to look for his lady would be fruitless tonight, he ran off in another direction, not caring about where he went.

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Augusto Vega / Bengal Tiger

When Augusto got home, there was a note scribble roughly left on the nearest end table. He picked it up, curious as to what it said. He quickly looked over it, finding out that his zio Elianos had had a pop-up client that needed his help with a court case in Spain, and that the client wouldn't allow any other lawyer. So he was home alone for a few days. Great.

"Well… at least you won't have to worry about him finding me out for a few days," Rybbo suggested, painfully aware of how he was blatantly lying. "Yeah, that could be a silver lining," Augusto replied with a shrug after a moment of thought, "At least he'll have to brush up on his Spanish. It was getting pretty rusty."

"Spanish is painfully hard to speak," Rybbo deadpanned, crossing his little arm-nub over his chest and closing his eyes, "Yo.. quero… carne."

"You're hungry?" Augusto quirked an eyebrow in amusement at the kwami's strained voice in Spanish. "Very! Got any beef?" the little tiger enthusiastically flew towards the kitchen, tail flicking in anticipation. "We don't have any beef… um… fish?" Augusto offered the little animal. Seeing his enthusiastic – to say the least – response pretty much assure him of his kwami's hunger. "And please don't eat through every meat you can find in the fridge like you did the first time," the teenager begged, not wanting to have to act as if he was completely full again and miss out on dinner and go to bed earlier, even though he hadn't eaten.

"Relax. Even if I were to do that, you could simply buy back everything before your uncle got back," Rybbo dismissed Augusto's worries, his tail gently waving side to side. "I wish," replied Augusto, walking up the stairs and to his bedroom to do classwork, leaving the Kwami to rummage through the fridge to find El Planchado (Cringy Spanish Joke ;~;).

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Gabriel Agreste / Hawk Moth

When that Akuma hit, he had seen the error of his ways. What the friends and families of the Akuma victim and whoever the Akuma harmed hurt; so deeply and cutting. Adrien had recently gotten caught in the crossfires of an Akuma. He had never specifically seen the Akuma hurt Adrien, but his bodyguard had gotten him to a hospital and then called Gabriel. Being the man he was, he entered the room two minutes later, and was internally horrified as he saw the results.

Blood caked the back of his head and back, dirt hanging off the tips of his hair, and his skin a deathly pale. He stayed with Adrien until he had gotten better and well enough to stay conscious and do a few minor movements. Then, he had Adrien taken to his mansion to recover in the safety of his own home. He had given up being the Hawk Moth of old. He wasn't going to Akumatize unwilling people and feed off of their negative auras after Howl.

He had been so focused on getting his wish that he had blocked out everything, even his own son. He had to face the truth. Emily was lost to them. Gabriel had let his son think that his mother had died, and the guilt he felt every day broke him, but for the sake of Adrien, he couldn't tell him that his mother was alive and well, terrorizing Europe without even lifting a finger. As Gabriel knew, you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.

He knew this better than anyone.

He knew that Emily had only focused on personal vendettas. She had only ever focus on personal vendettas, even from when Gabriel knew her. But soon enough, she'd find a way to get even more power. And he knew that this will be soon.

Too soon.

AN: Anyways, I AM SO SORRY about how long this chapter took to update! I am uploading this on my phone's wi-fi ;~;

We went to a camping place somewhere north of where we live, so I've been pretty damn busy, what with all the mosquitos, fishing, kicking my sis into lakes, whatever.

Moving on, for once I wanted Hawk Moth to move to the side of good, and not enough fanfics do this in my opinion. And regarding the plot, a villain like Hawk Moth simply wouldn't work. I needed someone who's more up in their face. That's why I've chosen Emily, Adrien's mother, as the main villain. She'll come into play soon enough.

On a side-note, I'm trying to keep Thierre from being a knock-off Alya. Originally, his personality was going to be similar to Cat Noir's, minus the jokes, flirting, and superheroes. He was meant to be a goofy character, but could easily become serious if the situation called for it. So PLEASE tell me if he seems too Alya-like in a chapter.