Ch3

(Ten years ago)

Adrien sat across from the lawyers and businessmen of the Agreste estate. "Adrien we know this is difficult for you. Gabriel was our friend to," His lawyer said. "But the company needs direction we need to know if you are willing to step up, if not we will manage the Agreste brand until you are of age."

He looked down at his reflection, his red eyes devoid of any emotion, the numbness inside of him left no room for anything else. "You all believe me right," he said softly as he looked at the photo of Father and Nathalie in his hands.

The men in the room shifted in their seats and looked down. "We saw the video Adrien," his lawyer said calmly. "But public reaction is very split, Ladybug is the hero of Paris after all. Pursuing charges wouldn't be wise."

He didn't want to press charges, he just wanted his life to be theway it was. With his dad and Nathalie. He winced at the memories of their dead bodies, their lifeless expressions as they passed away in his arms.

He did his best to not cry. Ladybug how could you do this? He clenched his fists, anger swelled inside of him. Every news article and video blogger seemed to call his father a criminal even though there was no evidence of wrong doing.

The security footage was clear as to what happened. He watched it countless times till his eyes hurt, till he cried himself to sleep. They killed them. How could they do such a thing?

His father was many things but still his father and he knew he loved him. Now he was gone and the estate he worked so hard managing was falling apart without a head.

I won't let you down dad. I won't let all that you built go to waste. He looked up at the men in the room. "Gentlemen I won't lie I'm not in a good mood but I intend to do all I can to make sure the Agreste brand won't fail. My father trusted you all to me and I'll make sure we work together to make sure the business does not fail."

The men in the room nodded. He knew some of them, they were his father's closest advisors in the brand. At fourteen years old he was the heir to the estate and it was time to grow up even if he didn't want to.

"We will gladly work with you," one executive said as other people nodded in agreement.

He sat through the meeting and let the men talk, he gave his opinion once in a while and to their credit they listened to him but he was still more tired when the meeting was over.

"You ok?" Plagg asked as he sat down in a private room.

He shook his head. "I don't think I ever will be."

Plagg looked at him with concern. "I don't know why Ladybug and Rena Rouge attacked your father, if you want I could go ask their kwamis? Ladybug is the Guardian after all."

He clenched his fists. "No," he said coldly. "I want nothing to do with her. She murdered my father and Nathalie." He let out a sob as tears fell down his face at the memory of their blood on his hands and their lifeless bodies on the ground.

Plagg gave him a tissue. "It's alright I'm here for you."

His kwami had been one of the few supports he had and he was grateful that Plagg didn't tell him he should make up with Ladybug or talk to her. "As far as I'm concerned I don't want to work with either of them," he said his voice hollow. "How could I work with the person who murdered my family?"

How could I fall in love with someone who did it? His heart ached, a part of him still did love Ladybug but her murdering his father and Nathalie made him want to scream into the wind.

As far as I'm concerned I don't think I can love her that way anymore. I can't love the person who destroyed the last family I have.

Since his father's murder his life had turned upside down. With the upcoming funeral and running the Agreste brand he had to leave school, he barely had time to be Cat Noir let alone talk with Ladybug. Luckily there haven't been any akuma attacks. I don't know what I would do if I had to see her again.

He wasn't guilty that he told her to leave him along as Cat Noir, in fact he didn't want to speak to her at the moment or to anyone else about her.

"Don't worry Adrien I'll support you," Plagg said. "Just make sure you don't do anything reckless."

"I won't," he said softly. "My aunt and Felix should be here soon, I could really use their support." They'd be helping with the funeral and making sure the executives stayed in line.

Plagg nodded. "Just take everything one day at a time. You have people who care about you and love you."

"If only the people in the city were more kind," he sobbed. "If only they would believe that my dad wasn't a criminal." He sobbed and cleaned his face again, it wasn't fair that people saw his dad as guilty when there was no proof he did anything wrong. He didn't hate the city of Paris he was just disappointed in it.

"Well I believe you," Plagg said firmly.

He looked at his kwami. "Really?"

Plagg nodded firmly. "Your dad never did anything that would warrant his death, at least in my opinion. He was not evil, he loved you in his own way."

He smiled at Plagg as tears fell down his face. "Thank you Plagg that means a lot."

Plagg smiled at him. "You are my partner and the greatest Cat Noir I've had. You helped a lot of people I know you will help more in the future."

He nodded. "I know. I've enjoyed being Cat Noir," he said as he rested in the chair. "I do enjoy helping people but right now I need to focus on this mess that is my life."

"Well if you need help I'm here for you," Plagg said. "We are a team after all."

He smiled at his kwami and nodded. "Yeah that's true."

"Now come on lets show these board members what you are capable of," Plagg said. "Don't let them walk all over your, show them who is boss."

He cleaned his face. "You know with you by myside I know I can do anything."


(present day)

The cold wind of the night passed by him as he patrolled the streets of Paris. Cat Noir jumped from building to building in an area that seen an uptick in crime lately.

Pretty quiet so far. He stealthily leapt from building to building watching the nearly empty streets for anything out of the ordinary.

Walking across one rooftop he heard voices from down below. "Empty your pockets boy," said a raspy North African accent.

His ears prickled as he took a quick look down into the alley. Two men were holding a red haired boy at gun point.

He reacted quickly, in one move he fell between the two groups. The two muggers eyes turned wide he knocked the gun out of their hands and kicked them against the wall. One of them screamed in Arabic only to be knocked out by his baton.

The other man charged at him with a knife. Seriously? He knocked the knife out of the man's hands and kicked him against the wall before hitting him unconscious.

"Well that was easy," he said as he put away his baton and turned to the boy. "You ok?"

"Uh yeah thanks Cat Noir," the red hair boy said.

He squinted, the boy looked familiar. "Hey I know you. Your Nathaniel from Francoise Dupont."

It had been ages since he spoke to someone from his school, he spoke to Nino occasionally but other than that he had no communication from anyone. Nathaniel was taller and more lanky, his red hair was shorter and his face was gaunter.

"Y-Yeah you remembered?" Nathaniel said awkwardly rubbing his head.

"Yeah you were a good artist," he said. "You live around here? This is a rough neighborhood." The area had seen an uptick in crime as various gangs began to exert their control over the area.

Nathaniel sighed. "Yeah its all I can afford at the moment."

"Well if you want I can escort you home," he said. It had been ages since he saw someone from his school days.

Nathaniel shrugged his eyes betraying relief. "Sure why not."

"You still draw?" he asked as they walked the streets towards Nathaniel's apartment. The few people around quickly moved out of their way their gazes betraying fear.

"Yeah I sort of want to be a graphic designer while making my own comics," Nathaniel said gripping his bag tightly. "Though the price of everything seems to be going up."

"Yeah tell me about it," he said. "So out of curiosity do you still keep in touch with your former school mates?"

"Some but I mainly share my apartment with my friend Marc," Nathaniel said. "We both are in the art program at my university."

"Nice," he said as they arrived at a semi run down apartment with a security guard at the door. The building was in desperate need of a paint job and looked as if it were falling apart in some areas. Man this is not the place to live.

"Well thank you Cat Noir," Nathaniel said pointing to a dimly lit room in the sky. "My apartment is on the third floor."

"No problem let me know if you need anything," he said with a wide grin that made Nathaniel's face redden.

"Th-Thanks," Nathaniel said before quickly going into the apartment building.

He sighed as he watched Nathaniel enter the building. I haven't spoken to anyone from that school in ages. After a few minutes he gripped his baton and vaulted into the sky. I wish I could've attended school more. But I couldn't just let my father's brand fall to pieces.

The next morning he had a photo shoot. "Alright Mr. Agreste please look this way," the photographer said as the camera flashed brightly.

He was wearing nice summer clothes in the park. The camera flashed as he did a few poses, he still enjoyed modeling and still did it for his own company.

After about thirty minutes of posing and pictures, he went to rest in a chair. "Um excuse me Adrien Agreste," said a voice that made him shiver.

He forced a smile on his face as turned and saw Thomas Astruc approaching him with a white notebook in hand. "Hello Mr. Astruc what can I do for you?"

His bodyguard got in between them but he motioned for him to not kick him out. Mr. Astruc smiled widely. "Oh Adrien you are just as perfect in real life as in your photos," Mr. Astruc said with a wide grin.

What the hell? "Th-Thanks," he said. "I'm afraid I'm a little busy for autographs, I have to go back to take pictures soon."

"Oh of course of course," Mr. Astruc said holding out a paper. "I just wanted to show you the latest issue of my paper the Daily Horn."

His bodyguard took it and handed it to him. "Thanks," he said scanning it while doing his best to not laugh. Half of the articles were bashing Cat Noir while the others praised him.

"A-Anyway if you ever want to be on my channel or on my paper let me know," Mr. Astruc said. "I always have famous people on my news channel."

"Uh huh," he said. I got to ask. "If you don't mind me asking Mr. Astruc why do you dislike Cat Noir? I notice he is a frequent target on your channel."

Thomas Astruc's eyes lit up. "So you have seen it! Thank goodness that really makes my day." The man then cleared his throat. "Well that cat is nothing but a menace to society. It's obvious that he is nothing but a criminal unlike you, you're an angel Adrien. He was nothing but a Ken to the greatness of Ladybug."

Right. Covering his mouth he fought the urge to laugh. He then noticed a familiar brown hair girl behind Thomas Astruc. She wore an orange vest over a dark shirt and had long black hair. "Hey Adrien long time no see," Lila said.

"Hey Lila," he said politely as the hairs on his neck stood up. It had been ages since he saw her and he had to admit she did grow up to be decently attractive but there was no way he was going to let her close to him.

"Oh Adrien Lila is my assistant. She mentioned you were both good friends," Thomas Astruc said.

"Oh course," he said while he bit his lip holding back the urge to laugh. "Well thank you Mr. Astruc I need to get back to work."

"Of course of course," Thomas Astruc said before his bodyguard motioned for him to leave.

"By Adrien," Lila said with a wink

"Man that guy is a piece of work," he muttered as he drank some water. Thomas Astruc one of the biggest political and conspiracy bloggers in France. At least he doesn't think Cat Noir works for Q anon. Though with the way he attacks him it's only a matter of time. He thought of Lila and frowned. Just what could she want? Is Astruc secretly rich?

He chuckled as he set the paper down and went back to work.


Lila Rossi sat at her desk at the Daily Horn revising the newest articles. Sweet Adrien I'm sure you'll come around to me eventually. She smiled as a photo of Adrien Agreste appeared on the screen. No one will be on our way.

"Hey Lila how's that new article coming along?" Thomas Astruc asked as he entered her cubicle and stared at her with his beady eyes.

She smiled at her boss ignoring the creepy stare. "Fine sir. The new photos of Adrien are in."

Thomas Astruc leaped in joy. "Great! He really is the best. I really hope we can have an interview with him soon. He really is a perfect angel."

"Indeed he is," she said. A perfect rich angel.

"Well keep up the good work. You said you were his friend right? Try to get us an in," Astruc said. "An interview with him would be the best thing that could happen to our paper."

"Of course sir," she said. "I also have that article on Cat Noir ready."

Thomas Astruc's demeanor changed to a scowl. She always wondered what he had against the cat superhero since the slightest mention of him would make her boss go into a tirade about how bad he is and how horrible he is compared to Ladybug.

"Just let the world know what he truly is like," her boss growled before turning around and leaving.

Of course sir. A smile spread across her face as she adjusted the object hidden beneath her turtleneck.