Hard concrete. He was lying on hard concrete. And there were people around him, voices forthcoming from all around. Voices resonating annoyingly in his clouded mind, painfully reverberating inside his grunted as he fought to open his eyes and move, causing the turmoil around him to amplify. Soon, he could decipher expressions of worry but also…excitement?
"Oh, he's waking up!"
"Hey kid, are you alright?"
"Kyaa! Is it Adrien for real?"
"The celebrity? Impossible! He's too young and all..though he kinda looks like him…"
"ADRIEN I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!"
Wait, what? The screams of fangirlism had him shoot his head up in confusion, looking around as strangers amassed before him. Who the hell were these people? There was the usual good samaritan doing the right thing such as calling for the firefighters to come pick up the unconscious boy on the street; some fellow here to help him out; but he was pretty sure he didn't need over 20 curious people staring at his teenage sleeping ass. Absent-mindedly, he grabbed an offering hand, the time for his brain to reboot and remember the event.
"Oh shoot! What about the akuma! Where's my brother?" he gasped, smacking his face and turning around frantically, searching for the menace or his brother, only to be met with compassionated smiles or frowns.
"An akuma? There were weird light beams in the sky just before, but they disappeared completely! Pretty sure Ladybug and Chat Noir took care of it!"
"Wasn't it weird though? There's multiple unconscious people and we haven't seen the 'restoration' ladybugs yet…Maybe your brother is among the victims? We can look together if you want."
"See? I told you he was too young to be him! But maybe he has a secret brother or something…"
"Let's ask him for Adrien's autograph then!"
"Leave the poor child alone, he just woke up! Jeez!"
"He came from the beam! I saw him come from the beam! Maman, it's an alien! "
"Oh hey, watch out!"
Before he could process the shower of information, Hugo felt a strong grip on his arm, and was suddenly extracted from the crowd. When he turned around, he found himself being 'abducted' by a fearsome big man who looked kinda like a gorilla in a costume, threatening with one glare anyone who tried to interpose. In merely a few steps, he was dragged towards a FREAKING limousine (like for real!), and finally coming back to his senses, decided it might be nice to interrupt his kidnapping.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing? Let me go!"
Prepared to fight back, he was taken aback when the giant halted himself and released his hand without resistance, looking at him with a frown. Both exchanged a look, the giant narrowing his eyes, scratching his head in reflexion, and then shrugging and opening the limo's door for him to enter.
"..Euh….ok? Who are you again? You want me to go in?"
The giant simply nodded. This didn't make any sense for Hugo but the man didn't seem to be a bad guy. Moreover, there was something familiar with him, like he had seen him before somewhere, but couldn't recall where exactly. Like a long time ago. Hesitantly, Hugo watched the crowd behind him still staring but from farther, being afraid of the man apparently. This man seemed to know him, or at least to want to help him. Maybe an old friend of his parents being sent to fetch him after the akuma's attack? He hoped so.
"Say, you're going to bring me to my parents?"
The man tilted his head a fraction of seconds as if bothered a bit by the question and nodded, still as silent as a rock.
He didn't seem to apply to his mother's 'Rules' apparently .
The 'Rules'...
'Louis…' he guiltily thought.
They had been separated so abruptly, and he was nowhere to be seen.
….Well, if he wasn't around, nobody would tell Mom he broke the ' Rules' twice.
It would be fine! He still had the derision miraculous safely around his neck and Xuppu still in his vest (he had felt him move when waking up).
"Ok, bring me to them please!"
And he climbed in the cozy car that felt horribly spacious for a simple taxi driver, as he believed him to be. When the Gorilla started to drive, Hugo took the opportunity to inspect the miraculous around his neck, who looked like a choker for disguise. Yeah, he couldn't think of anything else for the glamor to work more elegantly at the moment, so a choker it would be.
'Xuppu, you're awake? What is happening?' he whispered, a hand over his mouth to avoid making as much noise as possible.
'I don't know…I woke up only five, ten minutes before you did and you were already surrounded by noisy peasants.'
From the on guard look plastered on the monkey's face, Hugo felt the Kwami wasn't being completely honest. He could see the little wires activating in that tiny, but very ancient brain.
'And did you see Louis somewhere? He was..like 5 meters away and then he was gone, along with the… '
He interrupted himself just the time to shoot an awkward colgate smile of his own to the driver who'd been looking at him from the rear-view mirror.
'...the wounded hero lady. '
'I…I need time to think…I really hope it's not what I think it is…Why did you follow that guy again? '
'In truth? I've no idea!'
The remaining time in the car was silent, mainly to avoid the bodyguard to change his destination for the hospital thinking he had bonked his head too hard, talking alone to himself. Instinctively, he looked at his smartwatch and tried to call his parents (or frankly anyone), but the screen remained pitch-black no matter how he pushed, to his dismay. This was weird, uncle Max's technology was top notch…The guy worked for the fricking NASA after all! There was no way some simple electromagnetic interference could damage his , it wasn't long for them to reach their destination.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the one he had hoped for.
"Wow."
The house they were entering was…well, was it like a duke house? A fortress? How could a building like that exist in Paris?
'He might be confusing me with a celebrity or something. ' Hugo had first thought.
Maybe he should tell him there was a misunderstanding. But curious about where his destiny was unfolding, he still followed the man obediently. The moment he stepped inside the hall, his eyes were caught, not by the emptiness of this ridiculous spacious entrance, but by the main painting above the stairs.
"Hold on, where did they get that painting…"
"Adrien! What were you doing outside?! Your father will be really displeased by your behavior! Adrien? Do you listen?"
The pre-teen took a moment to understand he was being addressed and turned his head toward the source, ready to exasperatedly reply ' Why all the people I'm meeting are calling me Adrien today?', before feeling a wave of relief. Finally, a familiar face!
"Granny Nathalie?! Thanks Kwami gods! "
His joy faded shortly afterward when he saw the face she made. He didn't mean to startle his substitute grandmother, and certainly didn't expect her to look at him like he had grown 2 heads.
"Wait! Placide, this isn't Adrien! You, who…how do you know my name.. "
"Uh? Nathalie…? You..you don't recognize me?"
"That's.."
"It's me, Hugo!"
"..."
'Your grandson? Adrien's son? The one child you happily brought with you on the Mont-Saint Michel during the previous scholar vacation only a few months ago? ' were tempting replies too but a voice inside his mind told him it would be a bad idea. Or maybe it was because Xuppu had started to frantically shake his T-shirt in an attempt to get his attention. Anyway, instead of trying to bring back some senses in his beloved Granny (nice robotics legs by the way, was it a new technology for back pains? And let's not talk about the makeup, she looked rejuvenated today!), he stood still and waited to be scanned from head to toe by the hawk-like gaze of the strict woman, waiting for her to decide his near future fate. Adjusting her glasses in nervousness, she finally stated, her voice betraying a faint tremor :
"We need to bring you to Mister Agreste. You can dispose, Placide ."
Great! Wasn't that good news? There was only one mister Agreste he could think of, so it would only mean he was going to see his father, right? Something told him it was too easy, so it's warily he followed the still disturbed Nathalie to the stairs. They were almost reaching the door on the left when he felt being tugged by the collar.
' Hugo! I remember now! I understand what is happening ! We need to get outta here!'
' What? What do you mean?'
'We need to…Oh no…not him…not here…'
"Nathalie. I thought I told you I didn't want to be disturbed in any circumstances. "
Hugo had never seen the Kwami so frightened, and soon enough, he understood why. They had entered first in a big room with, from his perspective, megalomaniac bad taste decorations, except for a painting on the back wall. If he had taken a better look at it, he would have probably mistaken the drawn woman on it for his great aunt he couldn't have gotten a better look, as he was focusing on the man who'd talked.
"Gabriel, I'm sorry to interrupt but this is important."
The jerk didn't even lift his head's up, seemingly only annoyed by their presence, which for Hugo honestly, was a good thing. He wasn't so eager to meet with THIS Mr Agreste anymore.
"I already told you that if Adrien has something to ask me, he has to respect my schedules."
"Sir, the point is…this is not Adrien."
Oh no, why did she have to say that. Now the man had lifted his head, and his impassive cold blue eyes had fallen on a very pale Hugo, whose blood was drained out of his face and pupils dilating the more seconds he remained fixating the imposing stylist. If the man looked taken aback, it was nothing compared to the low blow the child had received. Because right now, he was standing before his supposedly deceased grandfather Gabriel. The previous supervillain his parents had affronted and the great demon from the past of his father, Hawkmoth/Monarch in bones and flesh.
"What the…who are you ? Is it an akuma…or a miraculous power? Why does he look like my son.. "
"Father? May I enter? What's all this noise?"
Hugo had thought the situation couldn't get messier. By all Kwamis was he wrong. His eyes shifted in dramatic slowness to the door's entrance, where the last protagonist of this comedy had made entrance. Then, despaired turquoises met with widening greens.
Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Realization hit him so hard that he could have swore his jaw fell on the floor with a deafening boom. He was in the past, in his dad's childhood house, surrounded by younger Nathalie, resuscitated evil Grandpa and a very teenage Adrien who probably thought HE was a sentimonster replica of some dubious akuma. Nausea started to take over as he felt a lump in his stomach, his mind flooded with colliding thoughts and considerations. At this moment, everything went in a blur, an instant that seemed like an eternity. Despite the chaos, all the fictional voices in his head reached the same conclusion and were screaming insistently, as pressing as his drumming heartbeats : He needed to get out of here before committing a mistake. For example being caught by Hawkmoth/Monarch.
And so, only a mere seconds was needed to take the only escape he got. He locked his gaze back at Gabriel, the greatest menace here, and shouted with all the adrenaline vigorously pumped through his veins.
"XUPPU! SHOW TIME!"
He felt the warmth of his transformation but couldn't appreciate the sensation, nor could he brag about his unique costume. Taking advantage (and pride) over the shell-shocked expressions of all the other humans (plus probably 2 kwamis for all he knew), he jumped on the table, turned hills and made the run of his life before fly kicking through one of the huge windows of the room, shattering the glass without mercy. Began a short fall, then, pushing against the wall with the magical stick, he propelled himself above the fortress walls and jumped on the first tree, then rooftop he found, disappearing without trace into the wild Paris for no one to find him.
Or so he thought.
It was a day of strange occurrences, even for Chat Noir.
His Friday afternoon had started with electromagnetic perturbation, impacting the radio; phones, TV, alongside some electronic systems. The experts couldn't find the cause, until some white 'Lights Tornadoes' or ' Sky distortions' had appeared out of nowhere, presumably from the sky. His school being at the center of the phenomenon, they were all evacuated before the second afternoon class and he had regretfully left his girlfriend behind to be escorted back home. Immediately thinking of an akuma, the blond had tried to transform and inspect the phenomenon, but hadn't succeeded to escape his extra added Chinese lessons of last minutes, his father probably fearing (defitiviely not) he might be 'bored'. And when he had finally been freed, the phenomena had ended and all victims had already been evacuated, leaving only the TV option. He had felt a mixture of relief and deception thinking his Lady had taken care of the akuma without his help, but there had been no info about a fight or an identified akuma. Right now, the only information they had was that the phenomenon, called " The Shift" by the media's expert, had lasted about 5 minutes and that about 50 people had been found unconscious all around Paris, and were waking up little by little.
"Say, isn't it weird Plagg? I didn't feel Ladybug's magic clearing the akuma."
Adrien had waited for a half-hearted reply from his Kwami, but was struck by the seriousness the cat Kwami was displaying today. Him who always put his camemberts above all hadn't touched it since being back home, when 'The Shift' had occurred.
"Yes…something feels wrong kid. This 'Shift', it was a Kwami's magic."
"Wait, so it's not an akuma?"
That was new.
"No."
After that, Plagg hadn't given much details to his pressing questions, and the teenager had decided to investigate the matter. But not right now. If nobody was hurt, and no akuma was involved, it could wait for after his hang out with his friend Nino, who wanted to show him his new mixtape. Of course, He already had phoned Marinette to be sure she was okay and if she wanted to join, but she said she was busy at the right now, he just needed to have his father's approval. No big deal, yeah?
"Why don't you go as Chat Noir? You wouldn't have to inflict yourself with an unpleasant conversation. "
" No, it would be too risky! If father finds out about my civilian self being seen in Paris without him knowing, I'm not sure I would be allowed to go out anywhere EVER..And I don't want him to strengthen the security around me…like putting too many cameras around. "
With his best friend, he could easily lose track of the time and be found out, which would be a disaster. So, he prepared mentally all the excuses to obtain his Dad's approval as he directed himself before the door in the opposite aisle, casting a last grin to Plagg along a " ..But I'm not going to tell him the whole truth though. Studying is reeeaaallly important to me. "
Breathing heavily, ready for the cold shoulder, he wasn't expecting the room to sound this 'crowded'; nor for his stoic father to be alarmed by something. So, when he had heard his paternal figure asking a surprised " What the…who are you?"; he didn't bother knocking, firmly opening the door whole.
"Father? May I enter? What's all this noise?" he had asked, with all the politeness he could master in case he had just interrupted something he shouldn't.
And then he saw him. A kid, a bit younger than him, who looked hella a lot like him, standing next to both exchanged a look, and it was like the kid had seen a ghost. But well, he could talk! For him, it was like seeing himself in a mirror a few years ago. It had tucked his heart in a way he couldn't describe, and he hadn't been out of the woods yet. Without warning, the boy had transformed with a miraculous and escaped through the windows without a word, an explanation, leaving three gaping fishes in the rooms.
His father was the first to recover.
"Impossible! Nathalie, I need to find him…" - He chewed his word when he registered Adrien's presence- "..I mean, we need to find who that boy is. He might be related to an akuma power and it seemed Adrien was struck by it…maybe…"
The model had never seen his father losing that much composure in front of him before, but he felt that this event was going to fall back (in a bad way) at him, and he was right.
"Adrien, you understand right? You're going to stay in your room for the day."
"Wha? But.."
"There's no buts. I'm not letting you outside if there is a..menace around. Besides, you were going to have your piano's training, right?"
"...Right Father." Resistance was quickly abandoned as soon as his old man rolled the alliance ring over his finger. Not that he noticed.
To be fair, it wasn't a bad thing, because he needed to process what he saw with his Kwami asap. So, he almost ran to his room eagerly, locked the door, sent a fast 'Sorry bro' sms to Nino, and then freaked out.
"Did you see that? That kid had one of the miraculous that Ladybug lost to Monarch!"
"And you forgot the part where he looked almost like you."
"Yes! That! 'The Shift'…now this, I can't believe this to be a coincidence Plagg. "
"Yes…clearly not.." muttered Plagg, and Adrien swore he still hid something from him in the way he avoided his gaze. But he knew better than to offend his Kwami, and he felt the cheese negotiation wouldn't work this time. Instead…
"Plagg, we have to find that kid and question him. He might know something about the Shift, or even Monarch's localization. Heck, he might be working for him! Or be the akuma behind all this!"
"Wait hold on, didn't you say you didn't want to go as Chat Noir today? And I told you it wasn't an akuma…."
"It's an emergency, we don't have a lot of time, we need to find him before he escapes! Plagg, CLAWS OUT!"
Before the Kwami could protest, he was engulfed in the ring, and Chat Noir emerged, escaping easily by the window and tracking down the fugitive.
After having sent Adrien's to his room, Gabriel had immediately filled up Nathalie with orders to find out the kid's identity, and then had hurried to his secret , he soon faced his prisoners in their special glass compartments, and paused in disbelief when he saw that the monkey Kwami…was at his place.
"HOW! That's impossible! "
The angry roar had scared all the Kwamis, who were shakingly waiting for the nevrosed man to explain his whereabouts. Of course, he directed himself toward Xuppu, and almost shook his cage.
"You! How did you free yourself?! How did that boy do it?"
"Did….did what? What boy? Ma…master, I don't understand…I was there the whole time…"
To his dismay, the Kwami looked genuinely clueless, and he soon abandoned the frontal approach, walking in circles in the room while interrogating his prisoners.
"Now, I order you all to tell me the truth, as you can't lie to me. Xuppu, you were trapped here the whole time?"
"Yes master.."
"Then is there another kwami identical to you?"
"N..No master."
"Master, Xuppu's right, although there are multiple miraculous in different culture, we are all unique." added Nooroo. ' In this dimension.' he added in a breath so Gabriel couldn't hear.
"Then, Have you an idea how that boy that looked like..Adrien and a monkey Kwami appeared in my house today?"
All Kwamis looked at each other warily, and he felt that he might have a track there : They seemed to know something.
" We…might have an idea."
"Then, explain to me what it is!"
"You need to ask the good questions ... .master."
Grrr, they were trying to buy time, and he highly disliked it.
"I see, then if I destroy Xuppu's miraculous, maybe you WILL talk! There's another one outside anyway so I can always recollect it afterward!" he menaced, approaching slowly from the cage the monkey was in.
As godly they might think, the miniature animals soon abandoned their silly ideas of rebellions, and Saas started apologizing as he should have done way before.
"We…we're going to talk. Please do not hurt our brother…"
"Good. Now, speak, what is happening according to you."
"Well, earlier, we sensed a shift in the fabric of the world…It was a Kwami's power."
"A Kwami? So I was right then…which Kwami was it?"
"It was Fluff's power. But…it was distorted, uncontrollable. Fortunately, it didn't last long so the damage was minimal….however…"
Oh. Oh. Wait. Hold on. Fluff, it was the time Kwami right? The snake had tried to match his words but he knew better. So if Fluff's power was disturbed, then it meant that the perturbation was related to Time. And what that implied was that the boy from before, who looked a lot like his son, with more modern outfit would be…
No, he couldn't get any hasty conclusions, right? Because if he did…he wouldn't know how to react to the warmth he felt in his icy rock he thought he had for heart after his wife's death. The one where the word "Grandson" would appear and where the future would brighten against his current tiny vision.
No! He should be thinking about concrete and never forget his objective no matter what : if time was disturbed, he could take advantage to change his wife's story, like he planned too when he still had Fluff. If the kid knew something, like the localisation of his fellow Bunnyx, then he needed to get his hand on him.
" I think I get it, now you can remain silent."
No more words were exchanged with the Kwamis. He had enough information he could bear for now. He made a call to Nathalie and told him he would be absent for the time being.
He had work to do.