Past

Today was officially the worst day of Chloe's life. She'd supported Sabrina through her experimental fashion phase, she'd cleaned up a horse's stable, she'd even suffered the indignity and having her new dress ripped in half whilst she was giving a speech; but nothing compared to the torture of watching Nino slurping down that detestable slop he was calling a drink. It was so horrifying she learned what detestable meant!

"I can't believe you drink this trash," Chloe groaned, wrinkling her nose in disdain.

Nino shrugged, seemingly unfazed by her judgment. "I can't believe you've never tasted anything this good." He took another exaggerated slurp, his grin widening. "I thought the rich girls got everything."

Chloe crossed her arms and tilted her head back, giving him her best withering stare. "Are you kidding? I have adoring fans who look up to me." She motioned toward her perfectly styled hair and flawless makeup. "How do you think they'd react if they knew I was guzzling down whatever that—" she gestured dramatically at his drink, "—melting pot of fats and sugar would do to my figure?"

Nino snickered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Chlo, we spend most of our days outrunning marathon sprinters and fist-fighting guys who could bench-press a mountain." He lifted the cup in a mock toast. "One unhealthy drink isn't gonna do much against the ultimate workout routine. You'll still look like a knockout."

Chloe rolled her eyes, but she couldn't deny his logic. They did get plenty of exercise, not that she liked admitting that anyone other than herself had a point. "Oh, so the dork is a dietitian now?" she snarked, hoping to deflect his argument.

But Nino just smirked, leaning back in his chair with that insufferable grin still plastered on his face. "I can see it in your eyes, Bee. You want to take a sip."

Chloe shot him a glare so sharp it could cut glass. "You're ridiculous."

"And this taste," Nino said, holding the cup out toward her, "is utterly ridiculous."

Chloe huffed, more at the fact that he'd stolen her favorite phrase than anything else. She glanced at the drink again, tempted despite herself. There was no way something that looked like it had been dredged from the bottom of a swamp could taste good, right? But then again, Nino was annoyingly confident about it, and that intrigued her.

She narrowed her eyes, leaning slightly forward. "I really need to trademark that…" she muttered, more to herself than him.

Nino grinned, pushing the cup a little closer. "Come on, one sip. What's the worst that could happen?"

Chloe eyed the cup, then Nino, then the cup again. Finally, she snatched it out of his hand with an exasperated sigh. "Fine. But if this ruins my perfect palette, I'm never letting you live it down, Lahiffe."

Nino watched in amusement as Chloe gingerly brought the straw to her lips, her face scrunched up in concentration. She took the tiniest sip, and then—

Her eyes widened.

"Well?" Nino asked, trying and failing to hide his smugness.

Chloe didn't respond right away, processing the unfamiliar flavor. It wasn't… terrible. In fact, it was almost kind of—

"Okay," she said quickly, shoving the cup back at him. "That was… not as awful as I expected."

Nino grinned triumphantly. "Admit it, it was good."

"I can feel my scale sweating," Chloe said, still trying to maintain her superiority. "It's passable. But I'm not having another sip."

Nino snickered, taking his drink back. "We'll see about that."

Chloe huffed, crossing her arms again, her eyes flicking to the drink in Nino's hand every few seconds despite her best efforts to seem uninterested. It irritated her how easily he could get under her skin. They didn't usually hang out—honestly, they had practically nothing in common—but here they were, sitting in a quiet corner of their temporary hideout

Chloe was pacing, her heels clacking against the ground as she vented. Nino leaned back on the park bench, watching her with a mix of amusement and confusion. He wasn't used to seeing her so worked up, especially about something that wasn't directly related to her personal appearance or social standing.

"You're such a drama queen," Nino said with a playful smirk, trying to lighten the mood. "'Sides, there's nothing wrong with some extra land here and there."

Chloe stopped in her tracks and spun on her heel to face him, raising an eyebrow. "Was that supposed to be a euphemism? Because it sucked."

Nino sniggered, but before he could respond, he noticed something on Chloe's lip. He pointed, his grin widening. "You've got a moustache growing there."

"What?" Chloe snapped, but before she could react further, Nino reached forward and wiped a bit of cream from her lip.

"I did not give you permission to clean me, thank you very much," Chloe said, her voice dripping with disdain. She wiped her face herself for good measure, her cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment.

"Look, I didn't call you here to debate your utterly atrocious palette," she continued, trying to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand.

"I thought you invited me because we're buddies," Nino said, still grinning as he leaned back, clearly not taking her as seriously as she wanted.

Chloe's expression turned sharp. "We spent our entire fight with Defect ripping each other apart. We are not 'buddies.'"

Nino shrugged, unconcerned. "That's just the stress and adrenaline talking. Trust me, Alya's a sweet girl, but she can become a hothead when we're fighting an akuma."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "I don't think you'd talk to Alya the way we talked back there."

"You kiddin'? We rib on each other all the time. It's nothing personal," Nino said casually, but then his tone softened, and he added, "Oh… sorry, did you take it personally? I promise I didn't mean anything bad."

Chloe huffed in frustration. "That's not the important thing, you moron!"

Nino blinked, taken aback by her intensity. "Then what is the important thing?"

Chloe stopped pacing, turning to face him directly. "The fact is: people like me, and people like you don't mix. We're not friends, we're Adrien's friends."

Nino's smirk faltered. "Oh…" He shifted uncomfortably. "Is this because of the drink—"

"Listen!" Chloe cut him off, her voice rising in frustration. "We don't get along, but that doesn't mean we can't work together."

"Okay?" Nino said, raising his hands in surrender. "So, what's the problem?"

"The problem!?" Chloe threw her arms in the air. "The problem is that we got absolutely creamed by Defect, and Nathalie got injured, and it's all our fault."

Nino's eyes widened slightly, realizing that Chloe wasn't just ranting—she was genuinely upset.

"We screwed up the fight, we ruined the plan," Chloe continued, her voice growing more agitated. "And I don't know if you've noticed, but we're the only ones still struggling with our training. We're the team losers."

Chloe stopped, her hands on her hips, her voice dropping as she stared at him. "And I've never been a loser before!"

Nino's face fell. "Alya and Adrien think I'm a loser?"

Chloe, as brash as she was, instantly felt a pang of guilt. She hadn't meant to hurt him like that. "W-Well no, they don't," she stammered. "But like, they could! And we're not losers, right?"

Nino limply shrugged, "I guess."

"So, we need to show them how kickass we are." Chloe banged her fist on her knee.

"By getting coffee?"

"All great achievements start with a trip to a coffee shop, Lahiffe."

Nino's expression shifted, the hurt still evident in his eyes. "We're letting them down?"

Chloe sighed, crossing her arms tightly. "What else would you call it? We let Marinette's killer escape."

Nino flinched at that, the weight of her words sinking in. His shoulders slumped as he stared at the ground. He knew she was right, and that stung more than anything else. They had failed. And people—people they cared about—had paid the price.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Chloe stood there, arms crossed defensively, while Nino sat on the bench, his head hanging low.

"And if we don't want to keep letting them down, we've got to… Uh…" She scratched her chin. "Get serious?"

Nino squinted up at her, "How do we do that?"

Chloe's face fell. She hadn't thought that far ahead. She was good at the complaining part, but solutions were never her area of expertise.

Chloe crossed her arms and stared at Nino, trying to keep the scowl on her face from faltering. This was serious business—well, as serious as business could get when you were teamed up with someone as insufferable as Nino Lahiffe.

"Well, first…" Chloe said, adjusting her posture like a drill sergeant. "We gotta put on our serious faces, right?"

Nino grinned, showing off all of his teeth in an exaggerated snarl. "How's this?"

Chloe winced. "More teeth! And get those veins bulging."

He squinted harder, gritting his teeth and flexing his arms. "Like this?"

Chloe smirked, crossing her arms as if she was examining a piece of artwork. "Not bad, not bad. Alright, alright, me next." She positioned herself in front of Nino, determined to look even more intense. "Squint your eyes, like you got the weight of the world on your brows," she instructed herself. "Really tense your muscles, feel the- The-… Determination!"

Nino lifted his phone, snapping a few shots as Chloe struck an exaggerated pose, flexing her arms and squinting so hard she could barely see straight.

"How'd I look?" Chloe asked, striking another pose just for good measure.

Nino glanced down at his phone, flipping through the pictures with a smirk. "I think I got some good shots here."

Chloe peeked over his shoulder, expecting to see something embarrassing, but instead… "Huh. These aren't half bad." She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you knew how to use a camera."

Nino shrugged, pretending to be humble. "That's literally the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

Chloe rolled her eyes, but there was a slight smile tugging at her lips. "Savour it. I won't do it again."

Nino chuckled, scrolling through the photos a bit more. "Though, I think you're just really—what's the word? Photogenic?" He grinned up at her. "I've never seen a bad photo of you."

Chloe puffed up slightly, flipping her hair back over her shoulder. "Well duh, I've got a 'Hottest Girl in the World' rep to maintain."

"Alright," Nino said, sliding his phone into his pocket. "We've saved our serious faces. What's next?"

Chloe frowned, tapping her chin. "What's next…" she muttered, pacing again. This was where things got tricky—actually coming up with a plan. Talking about how much they sucked was one thing; fixing it was another.

"We need to figure out why we keep losing focus during fights," she said, her voice dropping into a serious tone.

Nino scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I think part of the problem is… well, we don't really like each other. That's kinda been a thing."

Chloe groaned. "You think?" She waved a hand dramatically. "We're not exactly a match made in heaven, Lahiffe."

"Hey, it's not like we gotta be BFFs," Nino shot back, shrugging. "But we at least need to get on the same page. You know… teamwork and all that?"

Chloe stopped pacing, narrowing her eyes at him. "Okay, so what? You think we should… what? Hang out? Do some dumb bonding activity?"

Nino grinned. "I dunno, maybe we should."

Chloe looked horrified at the thought. "You want us to… bond? Like, over more disgusting drinks or something?"

Nino laughed, holding up his hands defensively. "Whoa, chill. I'm just saying, if we're gonna fight akumas and try not to die, maybe we should figure out how to at least not hate each other's guts the whole time."

Chloe sighed dramatically, rubbing her temples. "Fine. Fine! But let's make one thing clear—this is strictly professional. We're only doing this so we don't screw up again and make the others look like losers."

"Deal," Nino said, standing up and offering her his hand. "I can live with that."

Chloe hesitated, eyeing his outstretched hand like it might bite her. Then, with a dramatic eye roll, she took it and shook it.

"Alright," she said, her voice still dripping with reluctance. "We'll… bond."

"Awesome." Nino grinned. "Now, where do we start?"

Chloe thought for a moment, then smirked. "Well, I suppose you could start by teaching me how to make that disgusting drink of yours."

Nino chuckled. "Oh, Bee, you're gonna love it."

"I highly doubt that."

"Adrien said the same thing," Nino started, not really thinking about it.

Chloe didn't bother to hide her scoff. "Well, Adrikins isn't here right now—"

Nino cut her off, pointing across the park. "Yes, he is. He's been sitting over there since we got here."

Chloe froze, whipping her head around to where Nino was pointing. Her eyes widened when she spotted the man. "Wait, where!?" she exclaimed.

Nino pointed again, clearly confused. "Right there. On the bench. Throwing bread at pigeons."

Across the way, a man who looked suspiciously like Adrien was sitting on a bench, casually tossing bread to a crowd of pigeons. Chloe's brow furrowed as he squinted at the figure. "That doesn't make sense…"

"Yeah, I thought he was allergic to pigeon feathers."

Chloe face palmed, "No, Adrien back at the base, I literally got off the phone with him before we got here."

Nino's expression twisted into one of realization. "But if that isn't Adrien…"

Both of them gasped at the same time, the realization hitting like a ton of bricks. "Felix!"

Nino's voice wavered slightly. "Holy shit, what do we do?"

Chloe, surprisingly, seemed to be more composed, though her eyes glittered with excitement. "What do you mean, what do we do? This is perfect!" She practically bounced in place. "What better way to prove we're not losers than by catching the main bad guy?"

Nino's fear shifted to excitement as well. "You're right! We got this."

Chloe smirked, already forming a plan in her head. "Let's tail him back to his home, and then stake it out. If we can find out what he's up to, we can report back to the team."

Chloe turned around to give Nino a triumphant look, only to find him now sporting a ridiculous fake mustache. She blinked, then pointed at him, utterly confused. "…What the hell are you wearing?"

Nino grinned widely, adjusting the mustache with pride. "Detective Mustache," he said confidently. "Want one?" He offered her a spare from his pocket.

Chloe looked at him, deadpan, for a solid three seconds before rolling her eyes. "No." Then, begrudgingly, she snatched up the fake mustache anyway. "But if I don't wear it, we won't match."

She slapped the mustache on her face, and with an exasperated sigh, gestured toward Felix, who had stood up and was starting to walk away. "He's on the move!" she hissed.

Nino's expression turned serious—well, as serious as one can look with a fake mustache glued to their face. "Stealth mode— Engaged." He crouched down dramatically, moving in what he thought was a sneaky way but was about as subtle as a bulldozer.

Chloe groaned, facepalming. "Saying 'stealth' doesn't change the fact that he can probably hear you, jackass."

"Nah, I'm real quiet," Nino whispered back, crouching even lower as he crept along. "Felix ain't hearing nothing."

They began their 'stealthy' pursuit, both of them ducking behind benches and trees as they awkwardly followed Felix, who seemed utterly oblivious to their antics. Or maybe he just didn't care. Either way, they were in full detective mode, ridiculous mustaches and all.

As Felix moved farther into the park, he suddenly stopped, glancing over his shoulder. Chloe and Nino froze mid-step, both of them pressing themselves flat against a nearby tree. Chloe shot Nino a death glare, mouthing, I told you he could hear us!

Nino, still crouched, whispered back, He doesn't know we're here.

Felix stared in their direction for a long, tense moment. Then, with a shrug, he turned and continued walking.

Chloe let out a quiet breath, looking relieved. "Okay, we're still good."

Nino grinned. "Told you. Stealth mode, baby."

Rolling her eyes, Chloe grabbed Nino by the arm, pulling him along. "Come on, genius. Let's follow him before he notices us for real."

The two of them continued, crouching and dashing from tree to tree, determined to keep up with Felix. They were a mess of limbs and awkward coordination, but for now, at least, they were staying out of sight.

"Chloe," Nino whispered after a while. "You ever feel like we're really bad at this?"

Chloe glared at him, pushing him behind a hedge. "Shut up and keep moving."

This was their chance to prove they weren't the weak links on Team Miraculous, and neither of them were going to blow it.

Things quickly started going downhill. For one, Nino's oversized sneakers were terrible for sneaking, and Chloe's heels—while fabulous—weren't much better. Every time one of them took a step, it seemed like they were either tripping over a twig, getting their clothes caught in a bush, or loudly shuffling against the gravel path.

Felix, however, remained blissfully unaware of the chaos unraveling behind him.

"Watch it!" Chloe hissed, yanking Nino by his hoodie when he nearly stumbled into her again. "I swear, you're like a baby giraffe learning to walk!"

Nino rolled his eyes as he righted himself. "Says the girl who's wearing stilettos to a stakeout! Who does that?"

"Fashion, Nino," Chloe snapped, puffing up with indignation. "You wouldn't understand."

"Yeah, and you wouldn't understand stealth." Nino shot back with a smirk, pushing a branch out of his way, only for it to snap back and smack Chloe right in the face.

Chloe let out a squawk of indignation, her hand flying up to her face. "Oh, you idiot!" she whisper-yelled, grabbing the nearest twig and snapping it in half. "I'm gonna murder you!"

"Shhh!" Nino clamped a hand over her mouth, causing her eyes to bulge in outrage. "We're supposed to be sneaky!"

She immediately swatted his hand away, glaring daggers. "I swear if this ruins my makeup…"

They tried to pick up the pace, staying low as they darted from tree to tree. Nino was in the lead when Chloe suddenly let out a small yelp—her heel had sunk into the grass, trapping her in place. "Urgh! Nino!" she hissed, trying to yank her foot free.

Nino stopped, glancing back with a raised eyebrow. "What now?"

"My heel's stuck, you moron!" she growled, yanking at her foot.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Nino groaned, crouching down to help her. As he tugged at her shoe, Chloe lost her balance and stumbled forward, her arms flailing as she crashed into Nino. The two of them tumbled to the ground in a heap, Nino's head smacking against a nearby bench.

"Ow!" Nino rubbed his head, wincing as Chloe scrambled off him, glaring like it was somehow all his fault.

"You are the worst spy ever!" Chloe spat, brushing dirt off her designer jacket.

"You literally fell on me!" Nino shot back, still rubbing his head.

Chloe stood up, huffing as she finally freed her shoe. "Whatever. Felix is getting away!"

They both looked up to see Felix turning a corner, still blissfully unaware of their disaster. Chloe and Nino shared a frantic look before they scrambled after him.

This time, Chloe darted ahead, determined to lead the way. Unfortunately, she didn't see the small hill in front of her. She stepped down and instantly lost her balance, tumbling forward.

"Oh no, no, no-!" Chloe screeched as she flailed her arms, desperately trying to keep herself from falling.

Nino, running right behind her, didn't have enough time to stop. "Chloe, wait—ack!" He crashed right into her, sending both of them tumbling down the hill in a rolling, chaotic mess of limbs, mustaches, and indignation.

They came to a stop at the bottom of the hill, both groaning as they lay sprawled out in the grass. Chloe's fake mustache had come off and was now stuck in Nino's hair, while Nino's hat had somehow ended up on Chloe's head.

They stared at each other for a beat before Chloe slapped Nino's arm. "This is your fault!"

"My fault?!" Nino shot back, sitting up and pulling grass out of his hair. "You were the one who tripped!"

Chloe pointed accusingly at him. "You were supposed to catch me!"

"How was I supposed to catch you when you fell like a sack of bricks?" Nino shot back, standing up and brushing off his hoodie.

They both froze when they realized Felix was still right there, mere meters away, casually examining his reflection in a puddle and fixing his hair.

"How… does he not notice us?" Chloe muttered, her face contorted in disbelief.

Nino blinked, still lying in the grass. "Maybe we're just that good."

They both climbed to their feet, determined to try again. They straightened their clothes, fixed their mustaches, and resumed their pursuit, now more cautious—though no less clumsy—as they tiptoed behind Felix.

"Stealth mode—reengaged," Nino muttered under his breath.

Chloe gave him a sharp jab in the side. "Stop saying that!"

Felix looked just like Adrien remembered, as if the last time they'd met had only been yesterday. He didn't look roughed up, he didn't look guilty, he didn't look like anything that could temper Adrien's expectations.

From where Chat was sitting, on the adjacent roof from the hotel building, peering through the penthouse window through a pair of binoculars – Felix looked positively content pouring out tea for Kagami. Adrien didn't want to wish his cousin pain, but he so desperately wanted something, anything, he could use to tell himself that Felix would have a perfectly good explanation for what he did.

Adrien wanted to believe the best in his cousin.

But maybe that's why Adrien had to take a step back and let Chat Noir take point on this.

He'd been surprised when Chloe and Nino called in with a bead on the man who'd practically been a ghost since Argos' last public appearance, but he supposed that, at some point, Felix had to get sloppy. They'd followed him through the city, but eventually lost him. They'd thought he'd given them the slip, but it was Adrien who knew that Chloe and Nino had lost him right outside of Kagami's apartment.

He wanted to believe the best in Kagami too, and he took her words about having no choice in the matter to heart. But he couldn't deny the sting of betrayal he felt, or any of the questions of how much she knew flooding his mind.

"You sure you don't want us there?" Rena called over the communicator. She and the rest of the team were scattered around the area, covering exits, watching over his shoulder, but keeping their distance.

"I don't want any Felix pulling any surprises." Chat replied firmly, "You guys stay at a distance; I can handle Felix."

"No one's expecting you to do this alone, Bro." Carapace chimed in.

Viperion piled on the support, "Confronting family can be hard even when they're not super villains."

Chat kept his cool, but under the surface he wanted to snap defensively, wanted to show them how much he needed this. He felt his cheeks wrinkle under the strain of keeping his frustrations back. He owed it to these people to be reasonable, to not push them away.

"Knowing our luck, Chrysalis is gonna release an akuma at the worst time." He sighed, already feeling the weight pile on just from knowing they wouldn't be right there. "We need the team on standby. Just in case."

"Just…" Queen Bee sounded uncharacteristically nervous, "You know we're only one word away, right?"

Chat smiled, "Believe me, I know. I guess I just need to prove to myself that I won't let the truth scare me."

"I know I'm not supposed to be the optimistic one…" Pegasus cleared his throat, "But if this business has taught me anything, it's that there's always room for a contrived explanation."

Chat sucked in his breath as he stepped to the edge of the roof, glancing down at the streets below. There was a good bit of distance between the two buildings, and the penthouse window wasn't exactly in a good position to be climbed into, so going into the window was gonna be tricky without a grappling hook or something.

Now, Chat knew he could just go in through the front door, it wasn't like Felix attempting to flee through the window wouldn't have him run right into the rest of the team.

But when you're interrogating a suspect, an impactful first impression is important.

Falling was easy, you just needed enough confidence to tip yourself too far to pull out and let gravity do the work. Falling with purpose was another story. As puberty worked it's magic over the years, Chat Noir found it harder to adjust to how much heavier and taller he grew to be, his body no longer offering the same springiness and flexibility as when he was fourteen. But if there was something that never left him, it was his precision.

People often underestimated how much thought had to go into his movements, how making good use of his baton or his cataclysm required so much split-second calculations to find the precise point of impact that would bring his strength home. Or how much trust he had to have that his aim was true before pulling off a crazy stunt like this.

Halfway into his drop, which he had measured in his head as roughly when he passed the flag pole, he whipped out his baton and dug it flat into the building wall. It stretched out into it's incredible length and, using the building as leverage, propelled him outwards towards the hotel like a rocket.

In the blink of an eye Chat Noir felt glass crumble into shards against his head, and in another blink he was rolling into a landing crouch as the remnants of the penthouse window rained down around him.

Kagami's surprised yelp didn't have time to escape her throat before Chat was on his feet again, a wall of lean muscle and leather towering over the two, his eyes bearing down on Felix. "Mr. Fathom, we need to talk."

Where Kagami looked shocked by Chat's sudden appearance, Felix only managed to look mildly annoyed. He sat in a big chair in the middle of their modest apartment, his tea set to the side as he lazily dusted glass off his shoulder.

"Oh look, a vagrant." He sighed.

Chat Noir clenched his jaw, the urge to wipe that smug look off Felix's face stronger than ever. He kept his cool, though, ignoring the dismissive comment as he stood tall, arms crossed. "You're a difficult man to get in touch with." He said, his voice low and steady. "I have some important questions to ask you."

Felix leaned back in his chair, feigning a look of mild disinterest as he adjusted his cufflinks. "I'm sure you do. Alas, I have little interest in conversing with Ladybug's rebound boy."

Chat Noir remained silent in the face of the mocking name, meeting Felix's gaze head on and not daring to look away. "Breaking and entering is an interesting strategy, by the way," Felix continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure the police and Miss Tsurugi's lawyers will love that."

Chat Noir's eyes narrowed. "Her lawyers might also like to know that she was harboring a fugitive."

Felix raised an eyebrow, unperturbed. "A fugitive, hm? I don't remember being convicted of anything."

"You killed Ladybug," Chat Noir growled, barely keeping his voice in check.

Felix's lips curled into a sly smile. "Did I now? That's strange—I could have sworn the insect girl was blown to pieces by some nasty little sentimonster." He paused, his gaze hardening. "I mean, you'd know, wouldn't you? You saw it yourself. Must have been quite the sight."

Chat Noir's fists clenched, his patience slipping. "An innocent, heroic woman was murdered, and you're making snarky remarks!?"

Why? Why are you doing this Felix? Adrien's thoughts pleaded, searching for anything past the smarm and arrogance that could show him the cousin he wanted to see. She trusted you. She helped you. She gave you a chance no one else would have. That had to mean something to you.

"Oh, forgive me, Pussy Cat," Felix said mockingly, "But I tend to be irritable when some flea-bitten mongrel breaks into my lady's home making threats and accusations."

"Felix, that's enough," Kagami interrupted, her voice firm but wavering with frustration.

Felix barely glanced at her. "We've been over this, Gami."

"And I remember telling you to take your head out of your ass," She shot back, her eyes blazing. "Marinette was our friend."

Felix's gaze flicked to her coldly. "Marinette was your friend," he replied coolly. "And she betrayed us all."

Chat Noir's brow furrowed, what could Marinette have ever done to Felix? "What are you talking about?"

Felix chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, of course. How silly of me. She didn't trust you with anything. I forgot how even she knew how useless you were."

Chat's face twisted with rage, but Felix only looked more amused. "As a sign of good faith, I won't spoil it for you. But let's just say it was about time someone knocked her off her high horse."

Kagami's fists clenched at her sides. "He doesn't speak for me. I hope you know that," She said to Chat Noir, her voice pleading.

Chat Noir met her gaze, but he was unsure what emotion passed through his eyes. "I know. But that doesn't make me any less disappointed to know that you're standing with him, Kagami."

She looked away, her voice strained. "I don't have a choice."

Chat's expression softened slightly. "Ladybug trusted you."

Felix sneered. "That was her mistake."

Kagami rounded on Felix, her tone sharp. "I can't believe you'd be so—"

"Inhuman?" He snapped, putting an unnatural amount of emphasis on the word.

"Callous," She finished, glaring at him.

"Oh, please, when have I ever not been?" Felix scoffed, turning back to Chat Noir. "Must have been an awful sight, seeing her ripped to pieces like that. I heard they had to make it a closed casket funeral."

Chat Noir took a step closer, his voice low and dangerous. "Keep talking, Felix. See where that gets you."

Felix laughed, the sound cold and biting. "Of course, with no wit or intelligence to call upon, the ill-tempered thug once again just resorts to intimidation." He looked Chat up and down with disdain. "The bruises will look great for your trial; assuming you don't just save the mess and cataclysm me."

"You're a traitor and a murderer," Chat Noir growled, his voice filled with conviction. "I'm sure the people won't mind a few bruises."

Felix's eyes glittered with amusement. "Unless you have evidence connecting me to any crime, there's nothing you can really do now, is there?"

Chat Noir held his ground. "The city's under attack by monsters that only Argos could have created. That's some pretty compelling evidence."

Felix feigned a look of pity. "Then it seems that you should be seeking out this Argos fellow. As I have nothing linking me to that dashing rebel, I'm afraid you have no business with me."

Chat's eyes flashed with frustration. "Kagami Tsurugi witnessed you transform into Argos at the Diamond Ball, the night of the Red Moon."

Felix turned to Kagami, his gaze challenging. "Is that right, dear?"

Kagami looked down, unable to meet Chat Noir's eyes. "I'm sorry, Chat," she whispered. "My hands are tied."

Felix smirked, crossing his arms smugly. "It seems like it's time for you to leave, Cat."

Chat Noir's expression hardened. "I'm taking you in no matter what."

Felix's grin widened. "Oh, please. Your pathetic loser's club is already plummeting in the wake of the one worthwhile member's demise. Do you really think you blundering in and assaulting a helpless and innocent civilian is going to do you any favors?"

"People know what you are, Felix. You're not fooling anyone," Chat Noir countered, his voice filled with steely determination.

Felix's tone turned mocking, almost gleeful. "God, with how rampant sentimonster paranoia is nowadays… Well, if one of the leading heroes started acting so improper, people might get some ideas."

Chat Noir's fingers flexed on his baton, but he forced himself to stay calm. Felix was baiting him, trying to make him snap. He knew that any rash move could play right into Felix's hands.

Beep. Beep.

Beeeep. Beeep.

Felix's mouth opened in mock surprise, retrieving his phone from his breast pocket and ogling the now flashing screen. He turned it over in his hand, proudly showing off the akuma alert to Chat. "Looks like we'll have to cut this meeting short."

Immediately, Rena spoke up, her rage barely contained to a tremble in her voice. "We've got this, Chat."

"Don't let that rat bastard out of your sight." Queen Bee spat.

Chat crossed his arms. "Oh, don't worry, Mr. Fathom. I've got plenty of time to spare."

"Are you sure?" Felix's expression remained unchanged, his free hand reaching out to point behind Chat. "I believe you would do better turning your attention to him. Do be careful, Cat."

"Howdy there, Noir."

The adrenaline hit him like a wrecking ball, everything in his body jolting into action and willing him to whip around to face the broken window. It was a primal, predatory instinct that rushed to him in that moment. The need to bite, to claw, to gnash his teeth and rip the threat limb from limb.

In contrast, Defect was the definition of casual, sitting on the window from with half of his body dangling out of it, concentrating more on keeping his hat on straight than keeping his eye on Chat.

"I thought it was about time you and I got to know each other a little better."

Next Time - Defect:

When the smoke parted, Chat's battered and bruised body was dropped back down, crumbling on the very roof top he started this night upon. He wasn't down yet, not by a long shot, but by god he knew he was gonna have a ringing in his ear for the next few weeks.

He had no hard time hearing the loud thump that announced Defect jumping across toe greet him, sending little tremors throughout the building with his every step. "You know, I was hoping you and me were gonna have a little talk."

"You murdered the love of my life." Chat spat, "I have nothing to say to you."

In an instant, he'd spun around his baton and extended it into a spear, thrusting the tip forward to meet Defect's head. However, it found itself stopping one inch shot as Defect's gloved hand caught the shaft, leaving the two in a tense struggle for control that left their muscles twitching.

"And I do feel awful for you, Fella." Defect expressed bluntly, though it was hard to pin down any emotion that was anger with this guy. "Gotta understand that it weren't nothing personal, just survival."

He paused long enough for a bitter thought to tinge his words. "Well, for me." He sighed. "Chrysalis was pleased as punch to wipe her off the board."

Chat couldn't help but give a dark, mocking chuckle. "Is this the part where you tell me that you're not a bad guy and spin a sob story?"

Defect shoved the baton aside, knocking Chat off balance for a split-second, but that split-second was long enough for the man to charge forward and plant his giant boot on Chat's face and slam the boy into the ground.

"Don't get me wrong, Kitty." He hissed, "I'm the worst kind of guy. Absolute scum, some would say."