Chapter 8:

Hawkmoth had had high hopes for the young, spurned lover to whom he had granted the power of bewitchment. The young woman's response to learning that her boyfriend was bedding other women surpassed simple heartache and betrayal: she was enraged and craved revenge. Her emotions were not cold and gray, they burned with a violent fire. When she took the form of the Goddess of Love, Hawkmoth had expected her to employ her power in a siren-like manner, leading unfaithful men to their deaths as they pined for her. Her dramatic destruction of La Pyramide Inversée had effectively drawn the miraculous-wielding heroes to her almost instantly, and with the sheer number of devoted servants she soon had at her disposal, it seemed likely that Aphrodite would be victorious.

However, Ladybug and Chat Noir were in rare form tonight. It is true that the two rarely functioned independently: Chat Noir would typically draw attacks while Ladybug strategized. For this reason, the self-sacrificing Chat Noir was usually the first to fall (if his warriors managed to get so far), leaving a small window for Ladybug to complete her plan and purify the akuma that bestowed power upon his chosen. Hawkmoth had been prepared for this, and had warned Aphrodite not to be distracted by the antics of the agile feline. If Ladybug could be defeated, there would be no way for the team to purify the akuma, and victory would be theirs. Today, the heretofore predictable duo had functioned as one powerful force. Using Ladybug's lucky charm to manipulate the environment to favor Chat Noir's night vision, allowing him to redirect Ladybug's covert yo-yo attacks before Aphrodite's legion could adapt was… unforeseen. The heroes were becoming much more formidable opponents.

Just as Hawkmoth began to consider the need for a new strategy, he felt it. The pulse of negative energy was so strong it nearly knocked him off his feet.

This feeling…. He shuddered as he analyzed it, twinges of recollection sparking in his soul. He had felt this feeling before. Negative emotions revealed themselves to him in an identifiable manner: sadness brought an icy chill, increasing to a paralyzing freeze as it neared despair. Anger burned hot, parched and dry as a seething hatred or molten and crackling with vicious ferocity. Jealousy stung like electricity, bringing with it an unpleasant sensation of dysesthesia, and fear swept through his soul, making his heart race and stealing his breath. But this….

This sensation caused his stomach to drop, as if the ground had suddenly given way under him and sent him into a free fall. A crushing weight pressed at him from all sides, suffocating him in the wide open room. Using his left hand to steady himself on his cane, he clasped his right fist over his purple hawk-patterned brooch, willing himself to focus.

Loneliness. Loss. Emptiness. Hopelessness. He knew this feeling well. The emotion that bombarded him from somewhere in Paris was the same that drove him to become Hawkmoth in the first place. Somewhere, some ill-fated soul was sharing his pain. The pain that shattered lives and destroyed dreams. The pain that could drive a man to exploit the powers protecting the world to manipulate fate itself, to change destiny and bring back his lost love, restoring the family and the life that had been taken from him… because without her, all that was left of him was this feeling.All that was left of him was… nothing.

As the aperture slid away from the window, Gabriel Agreste had regained his composure, standing tall again as the immutable Hawkmoth. He truly felt pity for the bearer of this heartache. Yet, the doomed soul provided him an opportunity that he could not ignore. The all-encompassing depth of this emotion would bring with it massive power, on par with his own. With this warrior at his side, he could finally defeat the two heroes, gaining the ultimate power of their miraculouses and altering his intolerable fate. As the pink outline of a moth appeared in front of his face, Hawkmoth prepared to address his new ally, his chosen warrior, his brother in loss… but his words caught in his throat when the face of the young man materialized in his vision.

He was looking at the tragically handsome face of his own son, Adrien Agreste.

Even as his heart broke for the boy, Gabriel understood that he must grasp this opportunity. This was not coincidence. There had been a mistake in the fabric of his fate that he must repair- a snag that removed his wife, the mother of his son, from the world. The ripples of her tragic loss had destroyed not only his own life, but a generation of miraculous wielders, and now the life of his precious son. However, the error in fate had created a butterfly effect (quite literally—the gods have a cruel sense of humor), leading him to the moth miraculous and granting him the power to right time's mistake. Destiny itself has brought his son to his side, so the two of them together could restore what had been lost.

Gabriel gathered his courage and addressed his son through the power of the moth miraculous.

"Adrien, my son…" his voice cracked with uncharacteristic emotion.

Adrien, walking the dark streets of Paris without direction, had failed to notice the tell-tale pink glow igniting his peripheral vision. Plagg, however, was quick to react, diving for cover in his jacket pocket at the first sign of a flicker. The disembodied voice caught Adrien by surprise, his head snapping to attention.

"Haw-, uh… Fa-father?" Adrien glanced around the empty alley fervently, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Yes, Adrien, it is I. Although many refer to me as Hawkmoth." The voice of his father echoed in his head as he noticed the unmistakable outline of hawkmoth framing his vision. There was only one explanation: his father was Hawkmoth, and he was going to be akumatized. He should have been shocked, or frightened. Instead, Adrien felt numb. What's the point anyway? Ladybug and Chat Noir were done. You fucked it up. Ladybug could keep fighting without him. Maybe she would, maybe not… but who cares? What were they even fighting for? He can have my damned miraculous, I don't care. I'm done.

"My son," Hawkmoth continued to address Adrien telepathically, "I apologize that I had to reveal myself to you this way. I apologize that I have taken such drastic measures to restore our lives, but please understand. This is the only chance… the only way to heal those negative emotions that have possessed your… possessed our, souls. We must obtain the miraculouses. With them, I can fix this. We can fix it all. I can bring back your mother, undo all this pain, restore our happiness. We can be a family again. We could be whole. But I need your help. Please son, join me."

His father was reaching out to him for help. Was there really a chance to go back, to restore what he had broken? To have a family? To be loved? Adrien closed his eyes, focusing on this last thread of hope that had presented itself from a very unexpected source. Even if the chance was slim… Adrien had nothing left to live for in this current state. He had nothing left to lose.


On the top floor of the corner bakery, Tikki had choked down a chocolate chip cookie as fast as she could manage. She flew to Marinette, who was face-down on the bed, head buried in a soggy pillow, still sobbing despite the fact that her tears had run out long ago.

"Marinette, you need to stop…" the little red kwami tugged on her chosen's ear, encouraging her to roll over.

Marinette begrudgingly rolled face-up, acknowledging Tikki's attempts at comfort. "I should have known, Tikki. Why did I let myself fall for—" as the distraught girl's eyes met those of her kwami, she cut the familiar lamentation short. The look on the small red creature's face was not one of compassion. She was furious. Marinette blinked in confusion.

"Just stop Marinette!" the little kwami fumed. "Stop feeling insecure and sorry for yourself and wake up! Do you realize what you did to Chat?!"

Marinette reeled, unaccustomed to seeing Tikki angry. "What I did to him? Tikki, he played me! First he tells me he has feelings for Marinette, but then as soon as Ladybug is in the picture, he tells her he loves her!"

Tikki wanted to scream. Her chosen had issues with self-worth, as most of her Ladybugs had to some extent. This, however, was getting out of hand. She was so stubborn in her insistence of her own inadequacy that she had hurt Chat's feelings, badly. The bug-god could feel Plagg calling to her for help. They were in trouble, and Ladybug needed to fix it now.

"STOP BEING SUCH A HYPOCRITE!" For a tiny creature, she sure could produce a big sound. "You proclaimed your undying love for Adrien for years, and then made out with Chat Noir without hesitation!"

"But they're the same person!" Marinette exclaimed defensively.

The spotted kwami made an exaggerated gesture in midair, flailing her tiny arms and legs like windmills as if gripped in a sudden seizure.

Marinette's eyes widened slowly, understanding dawning on her with agonizing delay.

"Oh…oh my God…" Marinette's hands shook as they came to her gaping mouth. "His flirtation, his attention, his love... Ladybug and Marinette, it's only me. Tikki, what have I done?"

Tikki winced as Plagg's desperation reached her again. Something was very, very wrong.

"You have to find him Marinette! You have to fix it, now! I—I think he's in trouble!" Tikki's voice had an edge of panic that chilled Marinette to the core.

"Right!" the blackette nodded, gathering her resolve. "Tikki, spots on!"


Plagg was panicking. Seeing the glowing outline of the moth light Adrien's dejected face, he knew he had to do something to intervene, to help his brokenhearted chosen. He had to admit, he had grown fond of the kid. He wasn't ready to lose him. But he was the god of destruction. He couldn't heal anything, only destroy. "Tikki, please," he called to his other half again with all the strength of his soul as he trembled in his hiding place. "Please help him!"

Adrien's eyes opened, but they were empty, devoid of emotion. He nodded solemnly and spoke into the night. "Yes, Hawkmoth… Father. I will join you. I will help you fix this. We will be whole again."

It only took seconds for the black moth to appear, its wings glowing with dark power. Plagg watched in horror as it fluttered toward his chosen's silver ring, and Adrien made no move to resist. In a split second decision, Plagg did the only thing he could think of to save his chosen: he shot out of his hiding spot in Adrien's jacket pocket and dove for the akuma.

With a flash of black energy, the cat-god and the akuma swirled together, both of them disappearing into the ring. Dark power erupted from the blackened ring, consuming Adrien where he stood. As it disappeared into the boy, a new form emerged from the bubbling, purple-black mass. His lean frame clad in rich black leather, a long belt wrapped around his waist, two black peaks standing out from a mess of golden hair, lime green eyes piercing the darkness. In Adrien's place stood the figure of Chat Noir.

Gabriel stared through his telepathic window in disbelief. Adrien was—Chat Noir! This was truly destiny! Chat Noir's miraculous was his. His own son had obtained it for him, and now would join him in the fight to obtain the Ladybug miraculous. With Chat Noir, his son, at his side, it was only a matter of time before he had them both. I will not let you down, Adrien. I swear to you, I will make this right. Hawkmoth offered the silent promise to his son as a single tear glistened in his eye. I will not fail you. WE WILL NOT FAIL.


Author's note: THANK YOU so much for the encouraging reviews! I love to hear that you guys are emotionally invested (like me!) in this, it definitely inspires me to write more :) :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Get ready for Ladybug vs. Chat Noir!