As I entered through my bedroom window and let my transformation go, I could feel myself sinking into a feeling of despair. I had just said goodbye to Ladybug, the girl who I had been in love with for so many years. Tears were streaming down my face and my heart felt crushed and empty. So many times I had been tempted to reveal my identity to my lady, but I never could find the courage to do so. She obviously didn't feel the same way about me and I couldn't bear the heartbreak. Now, it was too late and I was headed off to college in China.

A knocking sound at the door pulled me from my pit of self loathing and sorrow. "C come in," I stammered trying to get ahold of myself. My father, Gabriel Agreste, waltzed into my room capturing me into a tight hug. "Son," he said, "I didn't know if I could do this tomorrow." He paused giving us time for our breathing to fall in sinc. "I am going to miss you. It won't be the same without you around."

At these words, my heart was filled with joy and love for my father. My mind drifted back to a moment similar to this that we had shared just a year prior. I had just returned from a harrowing battle with an akumatized victim. It had been the hardest battle that I had ever fought in and I was even afraid, for a brief moment, that I may lose my life. Entering my room, I released my transformation, only to find that I was much more injured than I had previously thought.

Blood trickled down the side of my face and my side was already black from what I imagined must be broken ribs. I ignored the pain as best as I could, but I knew that I would not be able to hide my injuries for long. The next day I was supposed to go to fencing lessons and had two photo shoots planned. I laid in my bed debating what I would do when all of the sudden my father rushed into the room.

"Adrien!" he panted. "Are you okay?" I had never seen such a look of fear and concern on my father's face aside from when he had discovered that my mother was gone. I tried to sit up, but the pain was too unbearable. With a load moan, I plopped back down on the bed giving my father a clear picture of how I was feeling.

"I'm so sorry," I heard him whisper. "I have let this go too far. It has to stop." I wanted to ask him what he talking about, but I felt myself falling deeper and deeper towards blackness as the pain took over my body.

I remembered waking up in a hospital room surrounded by flowers and cards wishing me to "get well." Dazed and confused, I tried sitting up but found that I could not. Visions of the recent battle filled my mind as I drifted to and from sleep. I could see Ladybug, brave as she was, pushing me out of the way before another blast could wash over me. My heart soared at the memory of my Lady being so selfless in making sure that I was okay.

My thoughts were interrupted as my father entered the room with an armful of more flowers and cards. A weak smile spread across his face as he realized that I was awake. "I'm glad to see that you are up," he said as he pulled a chair up to my bedside. "There's something that I have to say to you, and I'm not sure how you are going to take it."

Butterflies were already swarming in my head due to the fact that my father was actually there in the hospital room with me. I never would have expected my father to care enough to actually visit me. I figured that he would we have just sent Nathalie or the Gorilla to check up on how I was doing. A nurse came in to check on my vitals and replace the bandages on my forehead. My father just sat patiently waiting for her to leave which totally took me by surprise. Didn't he have important things that he needed to work on?

As soon as the door closed, my father leaned forward and whispered, "I know that you are Chat Noir."

Blood rushed to my face and my vision began to blur as the importance of this revelation sunk in. I couldn't respond sinking further and further into delirium.

"I know this," my father added, slightly pulling me out of my stupor, "because I am Hawkmoth." At this, I lost all sense of feeling within my body and swiftly drifted back into unconsciousness.

I was later released from the hospital with the belief that everything that had been said between my father and me was simply a dream. I was still quite sore and I needed several days of rest. However, I knew that Ladybug would be worried about me. I transformed and jumped out my window climbing onto my roof so that I could call my lady. Luckily she was on patrol and quickly answered.

"Chat!" she proclaimed, "I'm so glad you are alright. I was getting worried when you didn't show up for patrol." She sighed and then added, "You got pretty banged up yesterday. How are you feeling?"

"Nothing that a cat can't bounce back from," I declared enthusiastically. "Don't worry about me M'Lady. I'll be feeling purrfect soon. You can count meowt for tonight, though. I'm still feeling a bit sore."

Ladybug just huffed as she jumped across a roof and replied, "Cat, with puns like those, I know that you are doing just fine. Rest up and I'll see you soon." With that, she abruptly ended the call and I sulked back through my bedroom window.

"Plagg, claws in," I called as the little Kwami flew across the room and planted his face into a wheel of cheese. I was just getting comfortable on my bed when Plagg started mumbling something with his mouth full. "What was that?" I asked not being able to understand a word that he was saying.

Plagg swallowed a chunk of cheese and then moaned, "Why didn't you tell her about your father?"

I sat straight up in my bed with the hairs rising on my arms. Why had Plagg thought that Ladybug needed to know something about my dad? My mind spun as memories of my last conversation with my father came swirling back in. Had all of that actually happened?

"Plagg," I panted, "is my dad... does my dad..."

"Know that you are Chat Noir and claim to be Hawkmoth?" the conceited little cat interrupted. "Yes, yes he does." Then just as quickly as he had started the conversation, Plagg ended it by diving back into the Camembert.

My breathing was harsh and sporadic. My head spun and my heart beat out of my chest as the thoughts of living under the same roof as Hawkmoth overtook me. Not only had my father proclaimed to be the most hated and villainous person in all of France, but he had also admitted to knowing that I was Chat Noir, a superhero who had been fighting against him for all of these years. How long had he known about my secret? Did he even care that he had been fighting his own son?

Anger overwhelmed me at the thought of Hawkmoth, my dad, hurting all of those people, including me. He could have hurt Ladybug and he wouldn't have even cared! I ran out of my room and burst into my father's office.

"How dare you!" I shouted with rage. My father looked up from working on one of his designs with a look of shock and maybe even fear. "How dare you akumatize all of those people! You had no right! And for what? Why did you do it?" I had to pause for a moment to catch my breath. "If you knew I was Chat Noir, then why didn't you just take my miraculous? You would have saved so much trouble!"

Gabriel stood up and slowly walked over to me with a stern and stoic look on his face. "I couldn't take your miraculous with revealing to you who I was. Besides, I still don't know who Ladybug is, and I couldn't accomplish my goal without her miraculous as well."

I froze as I noticed that he spoke of his goal in past tense terms instead of speaking of it as something that he still wanted to do. "Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked hesitantly.

My father then wrapped his arms around me in an unexpected and oddly sincere feeling embrace. "As I watched your last fight," he croaked, "I saw you nearly get killed." He pulled back and brushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "I couldn't stand to lose you, too, Adrien." Large tears began to stroll down his face. "I only did this so that I could bring your mother back. But... but if I lose you in the process, then would I really be gaining anything?"

His words took me by complete surprise. Was my father admitting to me that he actually cared for me? I hadn't realized it, but at some point I had begun to cry as well. As soon as I felt the hot tears on my face, I burrowed my face into my father's newly welcoming chest. Hawkmoth, my dad, had been trying to get our miraculouses so that he could revive my mother. Everything made perfect sense; even though I still didn't agree with it.

"I'm done," my father stated breaking the silence. "I'm done hurting people, and I'm done being Hawkmoth." He once again pulled away from our embrace and removed a butterfly broach that had been pinned to his lapel. "Here," he said as he folded the piece of jewelry into my hand, "take this. I never want to see it again. I trust that you will know what to do with it." My father then pushed me out of the room telling me to get rid of the miraculous as quickly as possible.

That moment had been one of the best events that had ever happened in my life. After that day, my father had returned to being the loving and caring father that I had used to know. I snapped out of my reminiscing and was brought back to the present when my father took his hand and ruffled my hair saying, "Make sure to take Plagg with you. You never know when Chat Noir will be needed."

I chuckled, "Dad, you know that Chat hasn't been needed ever since you gave up your miraculous."

Gabriel joined in on the laughter but then added in all seriousness, "Yes, I know. I just want you to be safe, Adrien. Your safety is the most important thing in the world to me." He ruffled my hair one last time and then let go of his grasp on me and exited the room.

Plagg flew out of my pocket and landed on my head. "Geez, what a day. Are you ready for this, Adrien?"

"No," I sighed falling down onto my bed. All I could think about was the fact that I may never see my beautiful lady again. "Am I doing the right thing?" I asked. But my Kwami was already fast asleep on the pillow next to me. "Everything is going to be okay," I told myself as I rolled over allowing myself to fall asleep not knowing what kind of future lay ahead of me. I hoped that this future would one day lead me back to that girl with those mesmerizing bluebell eyes and shimmering blue black hair.

One day... I would see her again...

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