Standard disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, and am not affiliated with them in any way. Which is good, because right now I'd be crying at work. December is too freaking far away.

When I started this, I told myself: "So help me, I will write awkward, romantic fluff!"

I am a dirty, filthy liar. I'm so sorry.

And after that last chapter's cliffhanger, I'm sure some of you will want to kill me for the POV in this one. Super sorry. We're getting there. I promise. As a peace offering, I give you this 6000+ word monster.

Issues

"He's super cool, he's pretty fast. And he knows how, how to make me laugh." -Miraculous Theme

Chapter 7: In Which Laughter Is the Best Medicine

Adrien was feeling pretty good about himself. So far today, he had given Natalie and the Gorilla the slip, helped Ladybug defeat an akuma (and gotten some rather awesome information while doing it!), almost stolen a kiss from his lady-love, and chased down a paparazzi photographer. It had taken awhile, and some intimidation/bribery, but now he was going to get a nice big print of an equally-awesome picture of Cat Noir and Ladybug almost kissing. He got to pick it up later today, and he was going to hang it somewhere very prominent in his room.

And now, he strolled down the street, whistling happily to himself as he sauntered up to the school he wasn't supposed to be at. He figured his father could at least allow him to have lunch with his friends. And if not, well, as Plagg would say, it was better to ask forgiveness than permission.

He blinked when he saw most of his class loitering in the courtyard.

"Hey, Nino," he said casually, coming up behind his friend sitting on the stairs. Nino jumped about a foot.

"Dude! You scared me! No way, they let you out of solitary?" he said, hitting Adrien on the shoulder.

"Flew the coop," Adrien said with a shrug. "I can't stay long or they'll find me, but I figured I'd try to join you guys for lunch."

"Totally awesome!" Nino crowed. "But you're a too late, dude," he added, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "The school called an early lunch because the latest akuma attacked here, so I've had time to eat and come back already. Same for most of these guys." He gestured to the other kids hanging around.

"Aww!" Adrien hung his head in disappointment. Bad luck and akumas. The story of his life.

"But hey, that doesn't mean we can't hang out for awhile! Yo, Alya! Check out who decided to join us!"

"Adrien!" Alya shrieked, rushing up and giving him a hug. To Adrien's surprise, many of their other classmates also came up to see him, offering their condolences for his house arrest and their delight in seeing him. He couldn't stop smiling as he greeted them all. I have friends, he thought warmly. But there was one in particular who was missing, whom he had really been hoping to see….

"Where's Marinette?" he asked, when everyone had quieted down enough.

"She had to check in with her parents for lunch, because, you know, that reporter who turned into the akuma was after her," Alya explained. Adrien winced guiltily. Ah, yes, that other picture… he still needed to apologize to her for that one. Though he doubted she'd let him come over as Cat Noir for a while…. "She's sure gonna be sad she missed you!" Alya laughed. Adrien barely heard her over Chloe's sudden squeal of delight as she caught sight of him.

"Adrikins! You came!" she shrieked, happily draping herself over him. "And right out from under your daddy's nose too, you bad boy! I'm so proud!" Adrien chuckled as he tried to disentangle himself from her grip.

"Thanks, Chloe," he said. "And thanks for earlier too."

"Hmph. I don't know what you see in her, Adrikins," Chloe pouted, "especially when you have moi right here."

"Earlier?" apparently, Alya's reporter-hearing was still in effect. She stared at him eagerly.

Adrien smiled. "Yeah, Marinette and Chloe teamed up to make sure I wouldn't become an akuma," he said.

Everyone stopped and stared at him. Adrien was pretty sure he heard a cricket.

"No. Way." Alya said, flabbergasted.

"Oh please, it was just to stop Adrien from turning," Chloe said, dismissing it casually as they stared at her in disbelief too. "No big deal."

But apparently, it was a big deal, since the silence continued for a few more seconds. It was finally broken by Mylene, of all people.

"So, um, how are you feeling, Adrien?" she asked nervously. Adrien gave her a big smile.

"Just fine," he assured her. He turned to the rest of his classmates. "Really, guys, I don't think I'm going to turn into an akuma anytime soon." I have an excellent Lucky Charm protecting me, he wanted to add, but that might be a little too close to revealing their identities.

"All it takes is a moment of weakness," Alix warned him.

"Then I guess I won't give Hawkmoth the time of day," he countered, winking at her. She snorted in laughter.

"Adrien, this is seriously scary stuff!" Mylene protested, looking alarmed at his attitude. Or catitude, he thought, grinning to himself, since he was channeling a certain superhero right now.

He shook his head at her, still smiling. "That's just it, Mylene," he explained. "It's how he gets to you, right? Feeling sad, or angry, or depressed? Didn't they tell you how they beat the Horrificator? You like to sing; I make jokes. So, I gotta keep making jokes about it. After all, if I bust out laughing when he's trying to turn me, he's gonna have a bad time, right?"

"Dude, you're crazy," Nino chuckled beside him.

"But it might just be crazy enough to work," Max said, thinking hard.

Adrien beamed at them. "So, what do you guys think? What's my supervillain name gonna be?" he asked eagerly.

"Dorkasaurus," Nino said immediately, punching his shoulder.

Adrien pumped his fist. "Yes! Dinosaur powers!"

The class burst out laughing.

"Are we seriously doing this?" Juleka asked, looking excited.

"Absolutely," he said.

It was like a switch had been flipped. All around, the class kept calling out different names and ideas, laughing with him as they made fun of the worst ones, or expanding on ones they liked. Some of the kids from other classes got involved. They even started making jokes about their own past forms (no one remembered exactly what happened when they turned, but thanks to the Ladyblog, there was plenty of footage) and what they should've done differently, or what they could do now if they still had their powers.

"Mine was definitely the best," Kim was saying. "I had wings!"

"I beg to differ. My transformation turned into a giant robot," Max countered.

"Oh please, I have you all beat," Chloe said disdainfully. "I turned into Ladybug!"

Adrien looked around with delight. I hope you're watching, Hawkmoth, he thought. Just so you know you'll never have them under your thumb again.

"You know, technically, Adrien, the powers come from each person's specific personality," Max pointed out. "So, your akuma could have something to do with jokes."

Adrien's eyes lit up. "Oh, that could be fun," he said, posing. "The Punster!"

"Ladybug's worst enemy!" Alya laughed. Adrien winced before he could stop himself. Yeah, he really would be….

"Actually, it'll probably have something to do with his modelling," Sabrina said softly, thinking. Adrien blinked. That… might be more accurate than he wanted to admit….

"What?" Chloe snapped at her friend. "Why would you even say something like that? Adrien's a perfect model!"

"No, she's got a point, Chloe," he said, intervening before she could yell at her friend any more. "Modelling can be kind of stressful sometimes," he admitted with a shrug. This just got too serious, he thought to himself. Gotta make it a joke…. "So, what do you guys think?" he asked, striking another pose. "I'm thinking, Picture Perfect!"

"Or Model Citizen!"

"Poster Boy!" (Adrien cracked up at that one.)

"Dreamboat!"

"Inflated Ego!" Alya called.

"Ouch!" Adrien gasped, laughing so hard he fell out of his pose. "Lady Wifi for the kill! I'd better get a cape to go with that one!"

"Nope! You get a floatie!" she grinned cheekily. "'Cause it's inflated, get it?! You gotta stick with your theme!" He howled in laughter at the thought of himself as a beach-themed akuma, with Ladybug chasing him down with a Lucky Charm turned into a pin, ready to pop his precious floatie.

"Well, then that one's out!" he retorted when he could breathe again. "I'm seriously feeling the cape thing. We need more cape-friendly villains! Wait a minute. Didn't anybody get a cape?"

"Oh my gosh, they didn't!" Alya's eyes went wide as she realized.

"Hawkmoth is slacking." Adrien said solemnly, shaking his head. "Capes are gonna be the next big thing. I can feel it."

"Dude, didn't you see The Incredibles?" Nino exclaimed. "'No capes!'"

"Awww…."

"You could be the Next Big Thing, though," Nino said, pondering. "And like, grow to humongous sizes!"

"YES!" Adrien's eyes lit up. "And smash buildings and—!"

"ALYA!" As one, the class turned towards the new voice, tinged with panic. Adrien blinked. Marinette's father was coming through the school doors, his face white. Adrien felt his own stomach lurch. This could not be good. Tom ran up to them. "Please tell me Marinette is with here somewhere!"

Alya went white as well. "S-she said she was going home for lunch!"

The panic on Tom Dupain's face doubled, and he looked frantically around, as though hoping his daughter would materialize somewhere. "We came over here when we heard the reporter was after her, but we couldn't find her here and when we went back…." He gulped, stopping himself from finishing that sentence. Adrien felt the rest of the blood in face drain. Whatever had happened, it hadn't been good.

"I'll try to call her," he said quickly. Before he could, Tom shook his head.

"We found her purse, and her phone was still inside it," he said. "Please, I need all of you to help me search the school. Her mother is already phoning the police." The class quickly agreed, and they split up to search.

Adrien headed for the door, under the pretense of having to go home and check in first. He was certain Natalie would let him out to search if he asked, but he had no actual intentions of going home. Marinette wouldn't be in the school, that was for sure. They needed to search more places, faster. This called for a superhero.

"Plagg, claws out!"

He started at the bakery. Or rather, Marinette's balcony above the bakery. Her mother was outside talking to the police, already crying. And suddenly, he couldn't do it. He couldn't face that sweet woman, knowing it was probably his fault Marinette was targeted in the first place.

I shouldn't have gone to see her! He cursed himself as his super-hearing picked up what they were talking about. A broken window, some overturned furniture, jewelry and money missing—he bit his lip, daring to hope for a moment that it was just a robbery gone wrong, not his fault, not his fault—but it was too coincidental. The picture. The akuma. Hawkmoth now knew she was a contact of Cat Noir's, at the very least. His tail positively twitching, he decided he had to move now, or he would go insane.

If it was Hawkmoth, he tried to reason with himself as he raced along the rooftops, where would he put her? As bait for him (the most likely scenario), she would be somewhere prominent. Hawkmoth knew how to put on a show. He gritted his teeth and started searching.

The Eiffel Tower. Nope.

Trocadero? Nobody he knew.

The Louvre. Not there.

Notre Dame? (please, please, please don't let her need a priest…) Nada.

Landmark after landmark, hour after hour passed by. No sign of Marinette. He tried calling Ladybug, daring to hope, but their communicators showed she wasn't transformed. Damn. He didn't dare go near the bakery. He felt like such a failure. The police hadn't come up with anything either, according to the news he tracked with his baton.

He sighed as he slowed to a stop on top of the building they had fought the akuma at just hours before, reduced to pulling his own hair.

Useless. Utterly useless, stupid alley cat!

Surely Hawkmoth should've tried to contact him by now? Maybe it was just an ordinary robber. Though, if it was, he doubted she was doing very well if they hadn't let her go by now….

"Cat Noir!"

He looked up to see the paparazzi reporter from earlier, climbing the last of the stairs, waving a sheet of paper at him. He had been an akuma earlier that day… maybe Hawkmoth sent him? Were they finally going to negotiate for her release?

"I have the picture you wanted!"

Cat Noir blinked. Oh. Right. Was it already that late? He took it from the man with a shaking hand, his throat closing as he saw it. As he saw her. Ladybug was blushing bashfully (but not pulling away!) as his grinning self was playing with a piece of her hair and leaning towards her, only a breath away.

What if-? Oh God, what if that was the last time he ever saw her?

I should've kissed her. Dammit, I should've—

His fist clenched automatically, and he forced himself to relax and breathe as he tried to smooth the wrinkles in the photograph.

"So? We're good, right?" the photographer asked nervously. Cat Noir tore his eyes away from the picture to look up at the man and clear his throat.

"Yeah, yeah, all good," he said, trying to sound casual. The man's anxiety cleared immediately.

"Great! And, just so you know, if you and Ladybug ever want to—announce your engagement or anything, I'll do the photos for you, cheap!" he said, handing Cat Noir a business card.

If I get her back in one piece, I might just take you up on that, he thought. But as soon as the man was gone, he couldn't help but laugh. Yeah, right. Ladybug would probably kill him if he suggested they use the same man who stalked her balcony late at night and turned her into a trending news story.

He glanced at the photo again, heart clenching. He'd promised himself, from Day One: he would always have her back. No matter what. The crazy, vibrant woman who'd literally dropped into his life and wrapped him around her little finger with a yo-yo string. She was the leader. The healer. The Miraculous Ladybug. And he… he was her sword and shield. Her protector. The Ultimate Weapon. The one chosen to pick her up and stand by her side when she was saving the world.

I let her down.

He took a deep breath. It would be sunset in less than an hour. No more stalling. He'd go home, drop off the picture, let Plagg recharge quickly, then go to the bakery and face her parents. He owed them that much.

He took off for home. It was probably too much to ask for that no one had noticed his absence all afternoon. He hoped he could play it off as going to find Marinette (still true!). Maybe his father wouldn't be too angry….

He dropped into his room and released his transformation, laying the picture on his bed.

"Go eat something, Plagg," he said tiredly. "We'll be going out again in just a few minutes."

"Adrien?" a voice said, from near his doorway. Adrien froze, looking up in horror. Out of the shadows came Lila, her eyes wide. Adrien gaped. WHAT THE ACTUAL—she was akumatized! AGAIN? He thought Ladybug had taken care of her! No, scratch that, he thought Chloe had taken care of her! She shouldn't even be in Paris, much less stalking his room as Volpina. AGAIN! But here she was, staring at him after watching—oh, shit! "You're Cat Noir?"

"Well, well, well," another voice drawled from the shadows of his room. Adrien jumped. "Looks like little rich boy's got a big secret." A shadow detached itself from the rest, jumping down from the upper floor of Adrien's room to land a few feet away from him. Adrien stared. He looked like a stereotypical robber: ski mask (though it was pulled down for now so the man could talk), gloves, bags tied to his waist, dressed all in black… there was even a large gold money symbol on his chest.

"Don' suppose you 'member me," the big man chuckled through a thick accent, "you and yer little girlfriend stopped me and me mates from gettin' clean away from a big job downtown few days ago."

Adrien took a step back, clenching his teeth. The bank robbery. The locked vault. It seemed like forever ago with everything else that had happened. One robber had gotten away. And had apparently been akumatized.

"I remember you," he said carefully. Plagg was still hovering near his shoulder, in case Adrien needed a quick transformation. Secrecy wasn't an issue; they'd both seen him transform already.

"Name's Money Bags now," the man said casually. He leered at Adrien. "Yer man Hawkmoth offered a good deal."

"I'll bet he did," Adrien replied, trying to stay calm. Two akumatized villains, and no Ladybug. This was very not good. Not good at all. And they knew his secret identity! Super not good! His mind swirled with a litany of swear words. Words his father would kill him if he were to—his father!

"My father can pay you," he said quickly. "If money's all you want, I'm sure he'll be willing to negotiate a ransom."

Money Bags laughed. "Aww, kiddo, I like you! But," he grinned darkly. "I been havin' me a bit o' fun these past few days, and there's only one way me man's lettin' me keep these here powers. So, why don' you just hand me that there fancy ring o' yours?" Plagg hissed and Adrien took another step back. He'd never actually timed how long his transformation took, but he had no doubt this guy would be on him in an instant. And if not him, then… He glanced at the other supervillain in the room. Lila's fox ears were flat against her head with displeasure at the situation she found herself in, and she was chewing her bottom lip.

"So, that's it then?" he asked her, hoping to appeal to the part of her that still liked him. "You're just going to stand there and let this guy take me to my archenemy? Maybe help him rough me up a bit?"

"That's not—you're not supposed to be Cat Noir!" Lila cried.

"Aww, save the tears, girlie," Money Bags said. "Makes our job easier this way." He took another step towards Adrien.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" Lila shrieked, brandishing her flute.

Money Bags turned on her. "Careful, Foxy. I don' take my orders from you," he growled. His hand burst into flame. Adrien shied away from it. Oh, that was not good….

"Adrien, just give him the ring!" Lila said desperately. "Here!" She pulled a glass ball out and held it out to him. Now both he and Plagg recoiled in horror. Inside the ball was a little, black butterfly, fluttering in its tiny cage. "Give him the ring and Hawkmoth can give you new powers! Then we can be superheroes together! Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Now, hold on, missy," Money Bags interrupted. "I'm kinda likin' that ransom idea after I get me that ring."

"You'll stick to the plan!" Lila snarled at him. He turned on her.

"I don't like yer tone, girlie."

"I'll give you a tone," Lila growled. She brought her flute up to her lips and played a simple tune. A glowing ball appeared in front of her and she hit it with her flute, right into Money Bags's chest. He flew backwards with a yell to crash into Adrien's wall. She followed him just enough to see that he was unconscious, then turned back to Adrien, holding out the akuma in the glass ball.

"That won't hold him for long," she said desperately, "quick, Adrien, take it! Trade your ring to Hawkmoth for your friend, and the akuma will give you new powers! I already made the deal for you! All you have to do is—Adrien?" She paused, finally seeing the look of fury on his face.

Trade your ring to Hawkmoth for your friend.

He had her.

Hawkmoth had Marinette.

He had to trade the ring for her. That was the deal. Adrien had expected it, but… wait.

"Lila," he said slowly, "if you didn't know I was Cat Noir, why were you waiting for him here? And how did you know you had to get my ring?"

"That was Money Bags's job!" she cried, "Hawkmoth just said it was valuable! He said Cat Noir would be with you, not—you!" She gestured to him. "We were supposed to defeat Cat Noir, Money Bags would take the ring, and I would akumatize you! Hawkmoth knows Ladybug is in love with you, so we were going to use that! Three against one! It would've worked! But not… not if you're—" She fell to the floor, shaking and sobbing.

"Hawkmoth's been lying to you this whole time, Lila," Adrien said, his mind strangely calm.

Hawkmoth knew who he was. He knew Adrien was Cat Noir. That was the only explanation. He had sent out two akumatized victims to fight him, hoping he'd be weak against strong villain and a girl who professed to love him. Or maybe he was hoping to make him feel guilty, when Lila was forced to choose between him and the powers she clung to so stubbornly. Then Money Bags could finish him off easily.

Whatever the reason, there was some good news in this: Hawkmoth must not know Marinette was Ladybug. He had been hoping to use Adrien to get to the superheroine, when he already had her in his grasp. Adrien clung to that desperately. Marinette was safe. Or would be, as soon as he….

Suddenly, Plagg darted inside his jacket.

Moments later, the Gorilla came barreling into Adrien's door, followed closely by Natalie, who was armed with some sort of gun. Adrien nearly laughed. They must've heard Money Bags going through his wall from the other side of the house. Still, better late than never.

Natalie took one look at the man-sized hole in Adrien's wall and the orange-clad girl on the floor and instantly signaled the Gorilla to go get Money Bags, while she kept her weapon trained on Lila.

"Adrien, are you ok?" she asked calmly.

"Yeah," he said, his voice shaking a bit as the adrenaline started to wear off. Lila was still between him and the door, so he didn't dare try to escape, but—

A roar over to the side signaled that Money Bags was now awake and fighting with the Gorilla. Adrien looked over just in time to see the robber crash through his door and disappear into the rest of the house, with his bodyguard hot on his heels. Lila attempted to bolt, and Natalie quickly shot her with what Adrien realized was a high-powered taser. Lila shrieked as the current raced through her body, swinging her flute wildly to free herself from the pain. She caught Natalie's gun just enough to get it out of the other woman's grasp. As soon as she was freed, Lila darted after her cohort, apparently done with this whole situation and the boy she could never have. Natalie turned to chase her, then looked at Adrien, caught between wanting to protect him and going after the girl.

"Go!" Adrien called to her. "The Gorilla can't take them both on at the same time. I'll be fine!"

Natalie nodded and grabbed her weapon off the floor. "Stay here!" she ordered, running out the door.

Adrien remained where he was for a moment, half-expecting one of them to come back for him. Then he crossed the room to the little glass ball that Lila had been carrying, now laying forgotten on the floor. The akuma inside was still fluttering and there seemed to be a little piece of paper in there with it. No doubt it was a message from Hawkmoth. But… Adrien looked at the little, black butterfly speculatively. Hawkmoth always communicated directly with his victims, right?

"Plagg," he called slowly. The kwami slowly floated up to his face, looking apprehensive.

"Tell me you're not thinking of doing what I think you're thinking of doing," he said flatly.

"Can he read my mind?" Adrien asked.

Plagg shook his head. "Just your emotions. But those will tell him plenty, kid. There's gotta be a better way. He left this here on purpose."

"I need to be able to find her," Adrien argued, picking up the little ball. It felt strangely cold. "And I need to find out how he knew who I was. Which means I need to talk to him. This may give us the answers." The kwami looked at him uncertainly for a few moments, before sighing and nodding.

"You'll need an object to akumatize," he pointed out. "And it has to be something you're attached to emotionally."

"It won't go into the ring?"

Plagg scoffed and crossed his arms. "As if I'd let it."

Adrien smiled weakly and went to his bed, picking up the picture. It'd be easy to rip apart once he was done with the akuma… but without Ladybug to restore everything, there was no guarantee he'd ever get it back. "It's like I'm not allowed to have anything I want," he muttered, turning back to the akuma. He sighed. "Let's do this."

"You're sure?" Plagg asked, raising an eyebrow. Adrien nodded. He had to get her back. Anything to get her back. Even if it meant making a deal with the devil. Plagg looked at the butterfly distrustfully. "If he takes you over, she's done for, you know."

"I know. I just gotta be myself, right?" Adrien said, smiling cheerfully. (Or trying to smile cheerfully. Inside he was shaking. Please don't let this go wrong… Please don't let this go wrong…. There were so many ways this could go wrong!) "Tell jokes, like you said. Remember…."

Remember her. Her silly crush. Her eccentric ways. The way she smiled at him just before they dove into a fight…. No, no he had to focus on Marinette. Not Ladybug. He couldn't give Hawkmoth any clues. Marinette and her warm smile. The smell of cookies. Playing games with her as she soundly beat him every time. The blush on her face when she tried to cover up her computer screen…. He smiled and took a deep breath.

"I'm ready."

He wasn't ready. Not at all. Still, he raised the glass ball and smashed it on the ground. The little black butterfly fluttered up to him and he held out the picture, offering it. It dove right in.

Humor faded as heat rushed through him. It felt like his head was in a clamp. Red-hot anger. Acidic jealousy. He couldn't breathe. Cold-burning possessiveness. Pure, unadulterated rage burned through his veins.

She is mine, you bastard, he thought fiercely, gasping for breath. Give her back!

Sorrow. Helplessness. Depression at not being strong enough to—NO! he fought that thought. He WOULD save her. But he was drowning.

"Good evening, Joker," Hawkmoth's voice purred. "I've been waiting for you."

Adrien jolted at the sound of his voice. He knew that voice! How could he not? This was different than hearing the supervillain shouting for all of Paris to heed him. Hawkmoth sounded like he was in the same room, talking in his ear…. Telling him a soft, short bedtime story, because that was all he had time for….

Oh God. Oh my GOD. How had he not seen—? Fury and disbelief burned inside him. NO! How could he? How DARE HE?

"Are you angry with me?" Hawkmoth's voice mocked him. Adrien shook, trying to stay above his own rage. It threatened to consume him, burning him from the inside out.

That's how he gets to you, Plagg had said, the kwami's voice coming back to him through the red-hot anger coursing through him. He forced himself to breathe again. Just be yourself. Tell jokes instead of getting angry….

Somehow, Adrien forced himself to laugh. (If it was a bit hysterical, he didn't think he could be blamed.) Instantly, some of the fire cooled. He laughed more, gaining more and more control with each passing moment. Finally, the pain was manageable. His humor at Hawkmoth was dark and dangerous, so the akuma couldn't drown it completely. Couldn't swallow it. He could use it. He could fight this.

"I'm a bit disappointed, to be honest," he said to Hawkmoth with a smirk. "I came up with some really good names earlier and that's the one you went with? Really?"

To his delight, he could feel Hawkmoth's frustration and annoyance through their connection. Still, the man had never been one to back down in an argument….

"You would prefer something else? Perhaps Cat Blanc?" Hawkmoth asked mockingly.

Adrien rolled his eyes and shook his head. There was nothing that man could offer him that would make him want to turn into an evil Cat Noir. Not if he had to fight Ladybug. Not if he couldn't save Marinette.

"Oh, please. Haven't you heard, Hawkmoth?" he said, matching the man's mocking tone. "Orange is the new black. Not white."

Hawkmoth hummed in annoyance at his unwillingness to participate. But Adrien had no intention of backing down from this one. Or for being pushed around like some doll. Not anymore. Never again.

"Why don't we just cut to the chase?" he said, temporarily allowing the rage and anger in the akuma to fill him. Marinette. Her big, beautiful eyes. The way she blushed when he teased her. "You have something of mine," he growled. "I want her back."

"My, my what a possessive little kitty cat you are. Fortunately, you have something I want as well."

"A trade, then?" Adrien suggested, hating himself. He didn't want to give up Plagg. Or the freedom he had as Cat Noir. But if it meant Marinette went free….

"You have much to learn, Adrien. I'll be waiting," Hawkmoth said. Adrien felt the rage start to drain out of himself. But he couldn't help but make one final parting shot.

"Too bad I didn't have anybody to teach me, huh, father?"

He felt Hawkmoth's shock and used it to break their connection, reaching deep inside himself and snapping it like a twig. It was remarkably easy, actually. What had he been worried about, again?

He blinked and saw Plagg floating in front of his face, eyes wide with worry. Looking down, he saw the akuma flit out of his picture. Just to be sure, he quickly tore page in half, and felt a surge of anger at having to do so. Idly, he swatted the little butterfly. To his surprise, as soon as it came into contact with his ring, the akuma shattered into a thousand pieces of glittering black and purple. Plagg gaped at him.

Adrien snorted. "It would've been nice to know I could do that a while ago," he muttered.

"You shouldn't be able to," Plagg whispered, gulping. Adrien stared at him for a moment and then looked at his ring.

"That's right, I couldn't touch it before. That… wasn't you?" he finally asked. Plagg shook his head. "Huh. So, what does it mean?"

"Your powers are growing," Plagg said, looking at him fearfully.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Adrien asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not if it's because of an akuma," Plagg said. "Kid, think. Your powers are destruction and bad luck! Do you really want to be activating them anytime you're feeling emotional?" Adrien felt himself pale at the thought. Yeah, that could definitely be a bad thing.

"What do I do?" he asked.

"Nothing right now," Plagg said. "You'll need formal training soon, though."

Adrien scoffed. "And just where am I gonna get that?"

Plagg gulped sheepishly. "I know a guy."

Adrien stared at his kwami. "You know a guy," he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Who can train me to use my Cat Noir powers."

"Uh, yes?"

"And you didn't think to tell me about it until now?"

"Kid, there's a lot I haven't told you."

"Like about my father?" Adrien said. He clenched his fist. "Plagg, did you know…?"

"I suspected," the kwami admitted. Adrien stared at him, betrayed. Plagg flew to him, holding his arms out placatingly. "Cat Noirs always have bad luck, I told you that! When I realized you could walk under trees and bookshelves and stuff without anything falling on you, I knew we were gonna get a doozy! That's why I wanted you to know who Ladybug was, to make sure that wasn't the doozy! I didn't know it was him, though, or I would've told you, I promise!" His wielder stared at him and took a deep breath. It was a lot to take in.

"And now, now I have to—," Adrien slumped down and covered his face with his hand. Now he had to face the one man he wanted most to run away from. Something fluttered in the breeze his movement made and he looked down to see the bit of paper Hawkmoth had left him fluttering among the glass shards on the floor. Hand slightly shaking, he picked it up.

It was a picture. Another goddamn picture. He felt his stomach clench as he saw Marinette, tied up and unconscious in a room with a large window. At least, he hoped she was only unconscious. If she was hurt…. There was a small bit of script at the bottom, and Adrien narrowed his eyes. The picture crinkled in his fist.

"Ready, Plagg?" he asked, determination filling him once more. "I hope you got your cheese. Something tells me this is gonna be a long night. Claws out!"

"Wait! Do you even know where to goooooo-?" Plagg cried as he was sucked into the ring.

Cat Noir smirked mirthlessly as he crumpled the picture in his claws and held it tightly. Of course he knew. His father wanted him there, and his father was a planner. Cat Noir had searched there earlier, but Hawkmoth must not have been in place at the time. At least now he knew where the villain's lair was. There were only two words written at the bottom of the photograph.

Sacré-Cœur.

End Chapter 7

Additional Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the authors who've actually used any of those villain names for Adrien. In fact, I'm pretty sure I haven't even found half of the ones already out there. I tried to include the ones that made sense, as a nod to my beloved fellow authors. (And if anybody has actually written a "Dorkasaurus" one, please tell me where it is. I NEED to read it. Sooo badly.) I am also not affiliated with The Incredibles movie, Disney or Pixar. Please support the original release. Like seriously. If you haven't seen that movie, you should.

A/N: I have not been to Paris myself, but I know several people who have. They all agree, from the view we get when the akumas start their journey, Hawkmoth must be at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, or Sacré-Cœur, as it is commonly called. There are many fans on youtube who agree with this theory, so I'm going to go with it.

I understand that there are also many people who have strong feelings whether Gabriel Agreste is Hawkmoth or not. That's great. For this story, he is. If you want to argue all the minor points with me, that's fine, just send me a pm or an email. I'll happily argue with you all you want.

Next: Chapter 8: In Which Marinette Is a Little Tied Up at the Moment.