I'm really glad to see so many people enjoy reading this story; I appreciate all the feedback I get from it, from here and on DeviantART. So, I am disappointed that there won't be some new episodes for quite some time, but I've actually I haven't seen the season finale yet, but I've seen enough spoilers to know exactly what's going on. I just want this season to last a little longer for me. But I will see the season finale before I post the next chapter.

So, after that last chapter, I felt like there wasn't much action but I guess that's okay because I need to have balance. Well, this story is far from over anyway. I actually thought after that reveal I'd end the story, but it still feels like I could keep going so I continued it XD Oh well, I know you guys don't mind. :)

Well, more action will come soon, enjoy Chapter 24 of Revelations! ^^

Miraculous Ladybug © Thomas Astruc/ Zagtoon

Chapter 24 – Accumulating Ideas

As the afternoon carried on, Marinette's parents constantly came upstairs with freshly baked pastries and cookies. Marinette felt like keeping Adrien in her room a secret was a better idea so they wouldn't be disturbed all the time. But she understood that sometimes she just had to simply be honest with what she said.

So, after several interruptions from her parents and after eating half of the food offered to them, Marinette slouched in her chair and groaned as she held onto her stomach, full from the food her parents had given them.

"Ugh..." Marinette groaned. "Why can't my parents just leave me alone when I'm with you?" She exclaimed, remembering the last time when Max was turned into The Gamer.

Adrien looked with concern before stuffing his face with another delicious chocolate chip cookie, he grinned at Marinette as he scooted the seat closer to her. "I think it's because they really like me." He said with glee.

Marinette looked down in thought, she was glad that they liked him, but the way they looked at him was almost like they loved him so much that they'd adopt him if they could, he was like a precious cinnamon roll to them. Overall, she was happy that they liked him; she didn't know much about Adrien's family, only that his father is Gabriel, who is also Hawkmoth. She knew he wouldn't like her one bit now that he knew that she was Ladybug.

She always wondered about Adrien's mother, whom she assumed wasn't around often, but seeing that she was with him this entire time made it all the more shocking to her. She knew to some extent she was kind hearted, and Adrien was much more like her, meaning she was respectful, and fond of others.

Marinette snickered at Adrien in response, smirking at him as she could see the Cat Noir in him. It was still difficult to grasp the revelation, but being around Adrien more gave her a better sense of how he and Cat Noir were one and the same. In the beginning, she never thought Adrien would be someone as cheeky and flirtatious as Cat Noir, it was hard to picture Adrien doing that sort of thing, but now since she knew and he knew of her real identity, he was letting it slip through.

The navy haired teen cleared her throat, with her expression becoming more serious as she changed the subject. "Okay, so we need to find a way to get into your place and defeat Hawkmoth." She stated firmly, her eyebrows lowering in sympathy for Adrien as she said his father's alter ego.

Adrien lowered his head, his smile fading into a very apparent frown, he was disappointed in who his father truly was. He was feeling a whole range of negative emotions that almost made him want to scream it all out...anger, fury, sadness, regret, disappointment, neglect, and betrayal. But he forced them to hide away and never be expressed to Marinette; he didn't want to upset her more than his father upset him. He sighed as he looked up with Marinette, pressing his lips together firmly with a slow nod.

"What do you suggest?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.

Marinette looked down in thought, her kwami Tikki had been resting on top of her monitor and had stayed hidden from Marinette's parents, but had now come out of hiding. She could see Marinette thinking with intense focus, the kwami frowned in confusion before she looked over to Adrien, saddened by his expression.

"I don't really know...we don't want to fall into his trap..." She exclaimed, her face filled with worry.

Adrien knew that he and his father should have bonded more to get to know each other so he could know his tactics, but him being Hawkmoth all this time made him realise how much he didn't know about him, all he knew about his father was the revelation of what he had been hiding this whole time, and for the fact that he had been hiding his own mother away from him this entire time. His family was truly torn apart, he wished he could be with his mother but knew that where she was he couldn't without a plan and with the help of Ladybug.

What he truly wanted was for his family to reunite and become one again, but he knew that was never going to happen with how things were at the moment, he wasn't destined to be a happy ending, hence why he was given the power of bad luck. Although he hated that side effect the miraculous came with, he missed everything else that came with it. Adrien really wanted his miraculous back, he felt helpless without it, and if Ladybug wasn't at his side he truly wouldn't feel protected at all.

"I know, I wish I knew my father better, but seeing that he's Hawkmoth...I truly don't know who he is anymore." He ended with a sigh.

"We'll find a way." Tikki assured her.

He felt a light touch of a hand on his shoulder; he looked up as he could see the confidence of Ladybug flowing through Marinette as she leaned in and smiled at him. "Tikki's right, we just need some time to figure this out." She assured, before her expression turned saddened, feeling sympathetic for how much negativity was going on with Adrien's family. "And I am truly sorry about your father."

Adrien felt like he was going to burst out of anger, but when he looked up at Marinette, only a small growl of anger emitted and minor complaints came out of his mouth.

"If only I knew...I should've known. He was almost always so rude to me, controlling...strict...never spending actual time with me." He began to explain, realising the points and hints he missed. "I should've known when he took a great interest into my ring that he was hiding something..."

Marinette could see the struggle in his words and his eyes, acting on instinct; she shifted her chair closer and wrapped her arms around him. The blonde teen's emerald eyes widened from the sudden contact, but he relaxed his muscles as he gently wrapped his arms around her, feeling the warmth of the embrace.

"Thank you Marinette, I know you'll be there for me." He said, smiling as he closed his eyes peacefully.

Realising that she was hugging him, she let go as her shyness became present, her emotions still not fully willing to adapt to the massive change in her life. She fiddled with her fingers as she blushed a vibrant pink and looked to the side nervously, grinning sheepishly.

Tikki giggled at the scene, seeing Marinette act like her shy nervous self around her crush, it felt amusing.

Adrien smirked before showing love and care through his expression; he caressed Marinette's cheek to assure her that it was alright for her to hug him. He loved the physical contact with her, even before he found out she was Ladybug, he always felt more like a close friend when he touched her on the shoulders or her hands, something about it just made him feel happier to be around, plus it was to show just how nice he really is.

If only his father could act the same way.

In the state his father was in, there was no way he was ever going to be the same before he became Hawkmoth. After seeing just how much evil his own father had caused and how many times Ladybug came to certain doom, he knew that deep down he would never forgive his father.

But on the plus side, he was glad to have realised his mother was with him this entire time, and neither of them knew it up until recently, he only wished that his mother was here with him, so he could talk to her too. He loved talking to Marinette, but just speaking with his own mother and having her hold him in her arms would make him feel complete.

He sighed as he shrugged, looking down towards the ground. "I just wish my mother was here for me too."

Marinette felt his pain, although not having the experience; she could feel the pain burning inside him, making her tense with worry and concern. She could see in his eyes just how much he cared for his mother, she wished he didn't have to deal with all this pain, she felt all too lucky that her family was safe and his was utter chaos.

"I know, hopefully we can find her." Marinette assured, shrugging slightly with a small caring smile.

Adrien looked up at Marinette with a smile, it was ironic that not long ago he was the one giving her assurance, and now she was returning the favour. He could tell that she was slowly grasping the entirety of the situation.

"Yeah...but how are we going to get in to my father's place?"

Adrien felt more distant to his family when he said 'father's place' and not his own home where he lived, it felt like he could never live back at home again, and as much as he would love to stay with Marinette, he didn't want to be in her space all the time.

They both knew what the actual goal was; they didn't have to spell it out to each other. The bulk of the plan was to take away Hawkmoth's miraculous and return it back to Master Fu. That way most of the evil would be restored, however it was still uncertain how the situation with Adrien's family will unfold after the fact.

Marinette thought deeply, she could see Adrien was trying to think of ideas also to ease the pressure on her, even though she was the only one that still had her miraculous, he was going to help her defeat Hawkmoth somehow. They both knew that gunning straight towards the mansion was far too easy and risky, they would be caught within an instant, and the big problem was that neither of them knew what Hawkmoth's plans were to get to Ladybug's miraculous.

Although Ladybug had broken his staff, there was no doubt that it had become fully repaired after his next transformation back into Hawkmoth. So he was still able to create akumas like he was able to before, the most likely move he could make was infect someone with an akuma and make them go after Ladybug, she would be forced to come out of hiding and eventually Hawkmoth would get to her.

They worried themselves deeply at the thought, because since then it had been dead quiet, and although it had only been a day it was still a big amount of silence in between the revelation and present time. Tikki flew in between them, wanting to give the two deeply focused and frustrated teens some confidence about the situation and hint at some of her own ideas.

"You two working together will definitely be the best option." Tikki stated, grasping the pair's attention as they looked up. "And I know without Plagg you're not Cat Noir." She began to say, focusing her attention to Adrien. "But you can still be Cat Noir in a way without the miraculous."

Adrien and Marinette knew Tikki was getting at something; however they were both still having a difficult time figuring out how Adrien could be of use to the final fight if he didn't have his miraculous. Adrien knew for certainty that Ladybug can't help defend Adrien every time, even if she wanted to more than anything else; there would be the time where he was on his own.

He tried to understand Tikki's statement; he could still be Cat Noir without his miraculous. In a way it was true, personality wise, but Adrien couldn't think outside of that. Marinette was having the same struggle, until Adrien realised what Marinette's kwami meant.

"You mean my fencing skills would help?" Adrien suggested, his finger lightly touching his chin as he looked up at the kwami.

Marinette looked up in sudden realisation. Of course he done fencing...she thought to herself. That would definitely come in handy. She could see from Tikki's nod and her short hum in understanding meant that they were on the right track. She smiled, glad that her kwami was helping while also at the same time only giving enough help so that she and Adrien could figure the rest out on their own.

"Yep, but not just your fencing skills." Tikki implied with a wink and a grin, hoping that Adrien would understand what she truly meant.

With a raised eyebrow, Adrien looked at the kwami in utter confusion, unsure of what to make of what the kwami just said. But with the smack of reality, he lightly face palmed with a quick sigh as he realised what Tikki meant by not just fencing skills.

"My other skills with help me, of course!" He said, smiling with confidence, before he rested his palm against his forehead in embarrassment. "Why didn't I think of that before?" He whined softly, lowering his eyelids slightly before straightening his posture to look at Marinette.

Marinette smiled, glad that they were finally getting somewhere, thanks to the help of her kwami. Although it wouldn't be the same as Cat Noir's ultimate skills, Adrien would use all the skills he could to help out and help defeat Hawkmoth alongside Ladybug. It was something both she and Adrien should've thought up earlier, when Adrien was Cat Noir, he would in almost every battle use his fencing skills to battle the villains.

"Yes, we can use them to help with the fight!" Marinette claimed with determination, her hand forming into a tight fist of confidence. "Now we just need to –"

Before Marinette could complete her sentence, the trap door opened, causing Tikki to panic and then hide. Marinette's mother Sabine appeared, smiling brightly at the two of them. Marinette and Adrien could see that she wasn't carrying in any food with her this time and grew slightly confused.

"Dinner's almost ready, how about you two come on down and help out?" Sabine kindly suggested, smiling.

Marinette groaned, annoyed that the three of them were finally getting somewhere with figuring out how to defeat Hawkmoth when they suddenly got interrupted by her mother. Reluctantly, Marinette obliged, Adrien followed Marinette downstairs towards the kitchen and living room where the television was switched onto the news channel.

"...Upcoming fashion week in North America, the world's top designers will be attending...including Paris's own top fashion designer Gabriel Agreste."

Adrien and Marinette paused as they glued their eyes to the television screen, they gasped as they saw a small icon of Gabriel next to the reporter as she continued to talk on about the fashion week. The pair glanced at each other with the same thoughts, they knew that this was a ginormous problem for the both of them, but at the same time it was temporary relief from any possible battle.

So as dinner progressed, Adrien and Marinette kept those thoughts constantly on their mind, however Adrien was shifting to more positive thoughts while Marinette was starting to feel like this was a trap of some sort that Hawkmoth was planning, she couldn't be sure. Meanwhile, Adrien was hoping he would be able to go into his room and collect some of his things, he wouldn't stay to risk it, but he would go there to clean himself up a little.

He wasn't sure where his mother would be, but he seriously doubted that his father would leave his mother alone in the mansion; she was more than likely going to be taken with him to North America.

During dinner, Marinette's parents constantly asked Adrien a lot of questions about his life, most of them being where he's from, his family, friends, and how he came to meet Marinette. Adrien didn't tell them about his current relationship status, even if they asked he wouldn't say anything on he and Marinette being together now, in risk of Marinette's secret identity.

Adrien felt admired that Marinette's parents asked so many different questions, and the more questions he answered, the more fascinated Tom and Sabine grew. Marinette felt embarrassed, but at the same time pleased they were having a nice conversation. Adrien too, was really glad, he was happy that someone that was an adult liked talking to him and getting to know him.

"It's nice to have other parents to talk to." Adrien stated, before taking another bite-ful of his food.

Sabine and Tom raised an eyebrow in confusion, from what Adrien had told them before about his family, they seemed to be similar, but now Adrien was talking in a more different tone, as if he was neglected by his family. Adrien was only lying to them so he wouldn't overreact and let out all his negativity towards his father onto them. He really hated talking about his father now that he knew who he really was, but was more than willing to hold it back and let it out on his father when he had the chance.

"Oh? Why is that?" Sabine asked with concern, a hand resting slightly above her chest.

The blonde teen shrugged him response with a small smile. "It's nothing to be concerned about, don't worry. I'm just having some trust issues with my father at the moment." He explained truthfully.

Marinette could see where Adrien was going with this, he really was telling the truth, and he just wasn't telling the whole basis around why he was having trust issues with his father. But she was glad that he was calm and collected to talk about his father after everything that happened, but she knew he must be fighting really hard inside not to explode.

A little while after dinner, Tom bought in an actual mattress for Adrien to sleep on instead of what he slept on from the night before. Adrien admitted that it was rather different to his overly large bed, but didn't mind, as long as he could sleep on it, it was fine by him.

So after Tom left, both the teens took in a deep breath and sighed before looking at each other, both having the same thoughts about what they heard on television before.

"You what that fashion week means right?" Marinette reminded, her hands pressing firmly against her knees.

Adrien nodded with a smile of determination. "I can go to my place and get my things, and also I've been seeing my father always admiring that portrait of mother, I wonder if he's hiding anything there. We should check it out." Adrien explained, his mind filling up with thoughts of curiosity and excitement.

It wasn't exactly what Marinette was thinking but if Gabriel was truly going away, this was their chance to see if they could find anything hidden. But because Marinette had very high expectations when it came to trust, she worried that anything they could be looking for Gabriel may have taken with them.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." Marinette stated firmly, smiling with determination, accepting Adrien's idea.

I found this chapter hard to budge out here and there, but that wasn't because I was sleepy, it was because my damn parents kept distracting me, but hey I managed to get it done in the end. So basically this chapter was setting up for more big stuff that's going to happen. I won't say what it is, but I think you can take the hint I added in the end there with the Volpina episode...;D

See you Sunday/Monday for the next Chapter! ^^