Chapter Ten

Seven months after Hawkmoth's defeat

Adrien walked across the smooth cold tiles of the mansion's entrance and flicked the sunshine strands of his hair from his eyes. With a huff he bent down to place his final pieces of luggage at the large front doors. Resting a hand at the small of his back, he straightened and arched his spine in a very feline move. It hadn't been necessary for him to do the job on his own but frankly he needed some way to burn his nervous energy.

It still seemed surreal that the trial had finally ended, that his father had been found guilty and was about to spend the next eight years in prison. Adrien had been in the courtroom that day, supposedly supporting his father but truth be told, he hadn't been able to sit any closer to him than two rows back. From his vantage point he'd had a clear view of Gabriel's profile. He'd watched as the stiff posture sagged, the defiant eyes had dimmed and the older man's jaw had worked as he'd swallowed hard.

At some point Gabriel had dropped his head into his hands and glanced sideways at his son before burying his face in his palms. Strong emotion loosened itself in Adrien's chest as he'd watched, something quivering and unsteady. Perhaps it was grief, sorrow or disappointment, maybe it was all three. Despite knowing the fact that his father had done everything he'd been accused of, there'd been a shard of hope within Adrien that somehow, he was wrong. That there had been a mix up. Hell, maybe his father had an identical twin in the rafters somewhere.

As he sat contemplating the impossible, he watched as Gabriel was ushered to his feet and out of the room. There was no backward glance at his son, nothing to portray any sense of loss or attachment. It was an act but it still hurt Adrien. While he understood that his father cared for him on some level, he'd often wondered if he'd ever truly had his love.

Standing alone, staring at his suitcases, Adrien exhaled sharply as if it would expel his sombre mood. Spreading his fingers wide, he combed back his wayward locks and strode towards his room. A shadow moved from the private office below and Nathalie's stern expression caught his attention. "Nathalie, I didn't realise you were here. Was there something I missed?"

The assistant removed her glasses and polished a lens before putting them back on. "Actually, there is. I have something to tell you, something I've been avoiding."

A deep crease settled between his lowered eyebrows. "What is it?"

"Come with me."

Adrien padded down the stairs to follow and was surprised when Nathalie led him into his father's studio. His breath caught in his throat when she stopped before the abstract painting of his mother. "Stand there." She instructed, pointing to a spot on the floor as she neared the painting.

"Okay," he said cautiously, moving into place.

Nathalie's hands lifted, her fingers splayed as she lined them up with a number of peacock feather eyes on the painting. "I witnessed your father do this a number of times. I knew he was Hawkmoth but I couldn't tell you. He found a way to buy my silence, but let's not get into that."

"Wait, you knew the whole time?"

"Yes."

"Were you helping him?"

The assistant turned her head, her profile on display, highlighting the magenta streak in her hair as she looked at the opposite wall. "The simple answer is yes. But nothing is ever simple."

Adrien opened his mouth to say more but Nathalie pressed her fingers into the painting, activating a sequence of buttons, hidden within the design. No sooner was it done than the floor opened beneath him and he was transported swiftly to another section of the mansion. At first, he thought he was going downward but his journey ended on the upper floor.

The room was dark at first, the circular window sealed closed until the lift he stood upon stopped. An electrical whine filled the silence as an ominously large metal iris cycled to open. Moonlight pooled into the room and exposed its secrets. On the floor was a littering of dead things, initially Adrien thought they were dried leaves but then he realised they were actually the carcasses of moths or butterflies. He cringed as he realised they had been the vessels for Hawkmoth's akumas. They spanned the entire floorspace and his stomach contracted.

"Why so many?" he asked himself. Hawkmoth had only been able to control one akuma at a time. He looked to his pocket, expecting Plagg to answer then remembered he couldn't. Adrien lifted his hand to the chain around his neck and his fingers smoothed over his miraculous looped through it. Then the answer came to him. "Short lifespan," he murmured into the silence.

The only other object in the room was a narrow table and upon it sat a small hexagonal box. A box he recognised as the same design in which his own miraculous had been contained within. Ladybug had returned the butterfly miraculous to Master Fu, or at least Adrien assumed that she had. There was some mention of it in one of her many voicemails he'd listened to. While the box itself was inert, Adrien felt the need to return it to the miraculous guardian. After all, it was a relic that deserved respect.

Despite this urge, Adrien lowered his hands to his sides and tucked his fingers into his palms. If he returned the box to Master Fu, should he return his own miraculous? The reason he wore it around his neck was because it seemed safer than stuffing it in a drawer, regardless of the security to the house. His brow crinkled in conflict. He didn't want to give up his miraculous, he already missed his kwami, but it seemed the wiser decision given his pending and continued absence.

Plagg would be livid but this wasn't just about him. If things went wrong in Paris, Ladybug would need a partner and Chat Noir wasn't exclusively his mantel to hold. The responsibility was wearing him down. The selfish part of him wanted to place the ring back on his finger simply to return his constant companion to him. While Plagg was a grumpy, whiny creature he also had a gooey centre, just like the cheeses he loved.

Temptation gnawed at his resolve. The ring slipped in his grasp and looped over the end of his index finger, though it wouldn't actually fit while attached to the chain. Adrien snorted, Plagg was probably influencing the ring to move, he wouldn't put it passed him. Still unsure, he curled his fingers around the outside of the ring and tucked it back under his shirt.

Moving to the window, Adrien winced at the crunch of dried butterfly carcasses with his every step. At the base of the circular window, Adrien glanced outside. "And right here was the starting point of every akuma that wreaked havoc on Paris. Good one, Father." He said with a shake of his head.

Turning away from the window, the model walked to the table to snatch up the miraculous box while he tried to ignore the brittle crunching under his feet. He returned to the circular imprint in the floor and was transported back to his start point. Nathalie stood waiting, her arms behind her back and blank stare on her face. "He asked me to show you."

Adrien frowned, "Why?"

"To make you understand, to give you closure. He didn't express his feelings but I suspect that was his motivation."

The droll tone did little to comfort him and his eyes shifted to the painting of his mother. "Thank you, Nathalie."

"Sir," she said crisply. Adrien raised a questioning eyebrow as he returned his attention to the assistant. "I'm giving my notice. I believe I've provided you with enough guidance to continue successfully with the Gabriel brand. Now I'd like to make a fresh start from all this drama."

Caught by surprise, Adrien's eyebrows almost touched his hairline. "I understand. I'm a little shocked that you'd decide to do it now when I'm about to go abroad but still, I get it."

"You have a great team behind you, Adrien. All this time I've been instilling my knowledge to those supporting you. There is no doubt that you'll be fine."

A bittersweet smile stretched his lips as he tentatively reached out to pat the woman on the shoulder. "Thanks Nathalie, and good luck."

Now that Adrien was alone in the mansion, he held the miraculous box in his hand, his thumb tracing the hexagonal edge as he wandered into his dark room. He had ten minutes to lock up before he needed to leave and he remembered that he'd left his bedroom window open before his little adventure to Hawkmoth's lair.

Distracted by the object in his hand, Adrien meandered to his desk to pick up the remote to close the window he'd left open when he realised he wasn't actually alone. Looking up he was startled by the feminine figure swathed in skin-tight red with black dots who was sitting at the foot of his bed. The box tumbled from his trembling fingers. "Ladybug?" he gasped.

The heroine rose with her usual poise and elegantly swept down to pick up the box at his feet but paused in handing it over when she saw what it was. "How did you get this?"

The pounding of his heart jolted erratically. Adrien wasn't ready for this. "It was in my father's lair. Nathalie just gave me the grand tour."

Her mask lifted with the quirk of an eyebrow. "So, Nathalie was in on it then."

"Not voluntarily, at least according to her."

"Do you know what this is, Adrien?" She asked as she opened her hand to display the antique object.

"The box for his miraculous." He answered automatically, then realised what he'd just acknowledged.

Surprise lit Ladybug's face. "Nathalie told you?"

Adrien gave a neutral shrug that he left for her to interpret how she liked.

"May I have it? I know who it belongs to and it should be returned to him."

The model nodded as he stared over her shoulder at his climbing wall, he still couldn't meet her eyes. Lifting a hand, he massaged his forehead as he contemplated what to do about his own miraculous. If he gave it to Ladybug to return how would he justify his possession? To her Chat Noir would've needed to reveal his true self to pass on his ring to someone else. In that moment Adrien veered his gaze and met his partner's full on. His heart leapt to his throat.

"Adrien? Can I return the box?"

He dropped his head, allowing his hair to shadow his eyes. "Yes, take it." His hand lifted to clench his shirt front, holding his miraculous tightly within the folds of the material. Ladybug's touch to his shoulder had him flinching back. Scrunching his eyes closed he attempted to slow down his breathing. In the past he would have leant into her touch and relished it. Now he felt unworthy, but as he glanced at her he realised his reaction had hurt her feelings. "I'm sorry, this is all a little overwhelming."

Ladybug's expression softened. "It's okay, Adrien. You've been though a lot."

"So have you," he whispered as he dropped his hand from his shirt.

She stepped closer, her movements slow as her gloved hand reached for his. "I don't blame you for what happened."

Large fingers flexed as he spied her incoming hand. "I know it's not my fault but I was so blind. I should have realised." The pads of her fingers brushed his knuckles as a car horn honked. Adrien pulled away. "That's my driver."

"Adrien…"

"I'm sorry, Ladybug. I can't stay, I'll miss my flight. For what it's worth, I should have spoken to you sooner. I should say more but I can't, not now. Will you wait for me?"

A gentle smile pulled at Ladybug's lips. "I'll wait for you."

With a trembling hand, Adrien reached forward and squeezed her shoulder in a gesture of farewell. Ladybug continued to watch him as she backed towards the window, giving him a final longing stare as she leapt to the sill to wave goodbye. As she swung away, Adrien fingered the remote and watched the window close. "I miss you," he murmured knowing she'd never hear.

Notice that Adrien still has his miraculous. Not everything is going to hell in a hand basket. We're about to have a jump forward in time, hold onto your hats!

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