Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Plagg was bored. God, what a boring day. He had gotten used to spending a lot of time in a bag, and that's fine, but today from sunup to sundown, between school, an after school project, Chinese lessons, and piano lessons which got moved to accommodate a photoshoot later in the week, there was not a moment where someone didn't have eyes on Adrien, and so not a moment when Plagg could leave the bag. He glanced over at the sleeping boy. After a boring day, Plagg would normally just find something to do in the room. He'd gotten pretty good at both of the arcade games, and not so bad at the dancing game, even if he did "dance" like a guy with one foot. However, after today, more than anything he needed to roam. The kitchen was certain to be empty this time of night, and kitchens were always entertaining. Plagg slowly and quietly phased through the door. No one should be around, but a kwami always had to be careful. Floating low and keeping to the shadows, he headed for the kitchen. Footsteps. Huh. Those are Gabriel's shoes. What is Gabe doing up? This might be interesting. Gabriel's shoes were headed for his office. Plagg followed at a distance, keeping low, and phased slowly into the room, choosing a remote corner away from the desk. Plagg watched Gabriel walk over to the desk and tap his computer awake.

He saw Gabriel move his hand over the screen and step back with a hand to his chin. Gabriel nodded, turned around, and used his fingers to poke holes into the portrait of Mrs. Agreste. Stunned, Plagg watched as Gabriel slowly disappeared into the floor. He waited a beat then zipped over to the portrait, where upon closer inspection he could make out the moving sections. His eyes fell to the floor and he could see where it opened. This is just weird. I have a feeling I better get back to the kid.

Feeling unsettled, Plagg retraced his trail back to Adrien's room, taking a few shortcuts along the way. An idea of what this could mean kept trying to coalesce in his mind, but he really didn't want to look at it closely right now. One thing was for sure though: this needed more investigating. He phased through Adrien's door and not a moment later, Adrien's Akumalert™ app chimed on his phone. Plagg pointedly ignored the idea that gained further definition when he went to tap Adrien between the eyes.

Adrien's eyes fluttered open in confusion at the noise as he tried to swipe Plagg away from his face. Then understanding cut through the sleepy haze and he groaned loudly in frustration. "I'm up, I'm up! Plagg, make it stop, I'm getting up!" Plagg wordlessly floated over to the phone and stopped the alarm.

Adrien weighed his options on the off chance that he couldn't maintain transformation for the whole trip home. He threw on flannel pants, a t-shirt, and a pair of sandals. After today he decided he didn't care what he might get seen in, as long as he was basically dressed. He was NOT going to get stuck walking home with bare feet again. "Alright, let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep." He looked over at Plagg and yawned "Claws out." As he hopped out the window, mind full of hope that this one would be quick, easy, and maybe actually deserved his frustration at least a little, he realized Plagg hadn't said a word to him. Huh.

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"Pound it!"

Ladybug looked around from the dark rooftop on this now-quiet night. "Wow, Kitty." She shook her head. "It's a really good thing that one was fairly quick and easy. I know it's late, but that fight seemed particularly rough on you."

Chat Noir yawned widely, having given up on being discreet. "I'm sorry, My Lady. Today was just really long with not enough cat naps. I'm sorry you had to pick up my slack."

Ladybug shrugged her shoulders. "No worries, Chat. If it had been a harder one, it might have been a problem, but you just go home and get some rest."

"You want to come tuck me in, Bugaboo?" Chat smarmed, leaning into her space, but Ladybug could see the wide grin was taking extra effort.

Ladybug patted his cheek. "Just try not to fall off a building on your way home, okay?"

Chat Noir bowed low. "I would do anything, including not fall to my doom, at your request." Then he saluted and vaulted away. Ladybug was now more certain Chat must be exhausted; he hardly ever left first.

She walked over to the sweet old lady and handed her back her dentures. "Here you go ma'am. Please try to be more careful of what you eat while you're getting used to those. They can be really tricky," she said with a bright smile before escorting her home.

Much to his relief, Chat made it back to the mansion fully transformed. He climbed into his room through the open window, dropped his transformation, closed the window snugly, kicked off the sandals, and immediately burrowed back into his bed. Remembering himself, he poked his head out from under the covers. "You've still got cheese in the mini fridge, right, Plagg?"

"Yeah, I've got it," Plagg responded.

Adrien faintly noted the lack of theatrics he usually would hear from the hungry kwami and resolved to check up on him in the morning. Probably just the long day, he mused to himself. Adrien was asleep before he had another thought.

Plagg, however, was wide awake. If his hunch from earlier was right, where would Gabriel be now? Would he still be in… the floor? Would he also be back in his room asleep? Plagg would bet his best cheese that the bastard slept soundly after the fight was over. Plagg gobbled up his Camembert and floated out of Adrien's room to a dark corner in the main part of the house and just listened. Nothing. He hated doing it. The man gave him the creeps after all, but Plagg needed to be sure he wasn't going to run into him while investigating. With that in mind he very carefully meandered his way to Gabriel's room. He had never actually been there, since it wasn't a place Adrien ever went, but he knew where it was. Sure enough, when he got there it was dark and Gabriel was in his large bed breathing evenly. Damn that man. Plagg stayed near the door, shaking in silent fury watching him sleep peacefully after what he did, or tried to do, to his own son. That is, if Plagg was right. Time to go find out.

Plagg floated back into the now-dark office, largely forgoing stealth. Both Agrestes were asleep and there wouldn't be any staff around this time of night. He phased through the iris-like entryway in the floor and the platform underneath it. On the other side, he found himself in a shaft that first went down, then across toward the wall where the portrait hangs, and then… up? Up he went, until he reached an iris-like exit to the floor above him.

Taking a deep breath, he phased through that one, too, and was immediately greeted by the sound of dozens of delicate wings gently fluttering. The white butterflies were scattered all over the floor. They seemed passive but waiting. Or maybe I'm just getting the creeps. He looked around the nearly-empty domed room and gasped when he saw Nooroo asleep atop an open book on a pedestal. Plagg was struck by how much he was reminded of a butterfly mounted with a pin in a collection.

Plagg zipped over to his friend. "Nooroo," Plagg hissed as he tried to gently wake the kwami.

Nooroo jumped. "Yes Mast… PLAGG?! Plagg, what are you doing here? It IS the boy, isn't it? It's so good to see your face! Is Tikki here? Does Master Fu know where I am? You've got to get me out of here!"

"Easy, Nooroo, easy! I'm the only one who knows. The boy doesn't even know. I'm going to get you out, but we have to have a plan. You know we only have one shot at this, because if I bring you with me now and we can't get the brooch, you'll just be back here again! Then who knows where he'll bring you... AND he'll probably realize Adrien was in on it."

"Oh, thank the Guardians! He makes me stay in this room. I left the building once just to look around and get my bearings." Nooroo shrunk in on himself. "That was a mistake. He was pretty upset."

Plagg eyed his friend warily. "Nooroo, what did he do to you?"

Nooroo shrugged. "Truthfully, there's not much he can do besides keep me here and, well, not feed me. But, Plagg, I've been Awake for, what, at least a year now? Gabriel is the only one I've talked to or even seen this whole time. He's a crafty one. Manipulative and cold. So cold. You can't leave me here long. I'd never tell him what I know on purpose." Nooroo turned away, dropping his head. "But he won't be fooled for long. He has a way of getting things out of you." Tears tracked down Nooroo's cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, but you really shouldn't trust me here for long."

Plagg grabbed Nooroo's shoulder and turned him to look him in the eye. "Hey, listen to me. No one blames you. If anybody else understands what kind of a person Gabriel is, it's me! I've been watching that piece of work raise his son. Let's just say it's a good thing I've been there with him or who knows how the kid would be turning out." Plagg rubbed his chin and looked around. "I've got to let him sleep tonight; he's too exhausted to be any good for us right now. Then, maybe another night for planning. I'll do my best to get you out of here by the following night. With a little of Tikki's luck, this will all be over soon."

Plagg spent the rest of the visit learning everything he could about Gabriel's habits with Nooroo. Once he was satisfied he had all the information he could get, he promised Nooroo again that he would return soon and left to join Adrien and sleep.

Chapter Text

Adrien's alarm was an abrasive and insistent beeping as it sounded the next morning. Adrien and Plagg groaned in unison as Adrien slapped the snooze button. Plagg slowly blinked himself awake until the sudden recollection of the night before caused all sleep to leave his body. "Adrien, wakey wakey! Time to get dressed and pack the Camembert, we gotta go!"

"Mfh. What gives, Plagg? You never… morning." Adrien sat up with a groan and a yawn. He looked around while mentally recalling how to dress himself.

"Something happened. We need to talk," he explained. He dropped his voice and added with emphasis "Not. Here."

Adrien was confused, but whatever happened was definitely 'something' if Plagg was calling for an official meeting. He dressed quickly, and opted for the short version of his morning hair ritual, then headed for the bedroom door.

"The Camembert, Adrien, the Camembert!" Adrien reversed course and headed for the mini fridge while Plagg lectured him, "We need to be prepared!"

"Alright, sorry," Adrien sighed as he crammed a couple extra wheels into his bag. "Whatever is up with you had better be worth this abuse."

Plagg bit his tongue as he zipped into the school bag. Adrien walked at a fast clip down the stairs and across the entryway, where he met Nathalie at the door.

"I really gotta hurry, I promised Nino I'd meet him before school in the library to work on our research project!"

"You know you need to tell me about these schedule changes beforehand, Adrien."

"I know, I'm sorry, I won't let it happen again"

"Next time, you'll just have to disappoint Nino. Understood?"

Adrien gave his most obedient nod, "Yes, of course, Nathalie." He walked respectfully and quickly out the door. Once he made it outside, he sprinted to his favorite nearby secluded alley and glanced around to be sure it maintained its typically secluded nature. He unzipped the bag, letting the kwami out. "Alright, the coast is clear. What happened?"

Plagg looked at Adrien. I'm not looking forward to this. "You may want to sit. Or maybe not, the ground is kind of gross here… I mean, just… I have really bad news. And some good… ish? news."

"Plagg, you are not making me comfortable."

"I know, I know..." Plagg blew out a long breath. "Here goes. I found Nooroo in a hidden room in the mansion."

"...Nooroo?"

"The, um, the moth kwami. Hawk Moth's kwami."

Adrien stopped breathing. His eyes lost the signal to whatever was in front of him, his legs gave out, and he sat with a thud. "She was right. It really is him. It's been him the whole time." Adrien slowly looked up at Plagg. "Plagg, what do I do? Hawk Moth is my Dad. We have to stop him, but, I mean, I know he's been hard to connect with, but I thought we were finally getting somewhere…"

"Hard to connect with?! Adrien! He's been terrorizing Paris for over a year now with little regard to whether or not people survive!" Plagg floated down to Adrien's eye level. "Look, kid. I'm sorry. I'm sorry it's your Dad. I'm sorry he's the only family you have left. I'm sorry that you have to be stuck right in the middle of this, but he has to be stopped. We need to protect Paris from him. We need to protect Nooroo from him. Damn it, we need to protect YOU from him!"

By the way Adrien winced, Plagg could tell that his words really stung, but it was the truth and he wasn't taking it back. Adrien took a moment to digest this new information. Tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes, and he sniffed back more. "Right. Of course. It's just that we played a duet together. We watched Mom's movie together. How can that be the same guy who turned my bodyguard into a two-story gorilla? Wow. Actually, that was a really dick move." Adrien wiped at his eyes. "Hah. We need to trust each other. Good one, Dad. Okay, so." Adrien cleared his throat. "We need to defeat my dad. How do we do that? I need to tell Ladybug. Oh God, I don't want to tell Ladybug. How is she even going to react? How do I keep my identity from her AND tell her what we know?"

"We don't. It's time to drop the secret identities between you two. You can't give her all the info she needs without telling her who you are. Maintaining her secret through all of this will hinder us way too much. This is it. We have to act now, and if it works the secrets will no longer be necessary! And if it doesn't… well… the secrets will be moot. Besides, I'm working on a plan, and that plan depends HEAVILY on the cooperation of Ladybug's other identity."

Adrien blinked at Plagg owlishly. "Sometimes I forget that you know who she is. Briefly. This is really it. I'm really going to know who she is. Is this a weird moment to be happy? I feel like it's a little inappropriate, but I can't help it. I'm going to see her actual face, and know her actual name, and maybe even be in her actual life! But what if she doesn't agree to it?"

"Calm down, loverboy. She will, even if she's not happy about it. We need to meet her as soon as possible without drawing attention."

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Marinette's alarm went off in a tinkling melodious chime. Marinette and Tikki groaned in unison as Marinette jabbed the snooze button. Tikki blinked herself awake and yawned. "Come on Marinette, we agreed that you would do better at getting to class on time starting today."

Marinette burrowed further under her covers. "Mfh. I don't want to… morning."

"Wake up Marinette, unless you want to do it like usual and slide into class with about a 30% chance of tripping, bumping into the door frame, or a person, and dropping all your stuff right in front of Adriiieeen?" The last word was delivered in the singsong teasing tone that Tikki had mastered for this occasion.

"I'm up. I'm up. I got this." Marinette clambered down the ladder and prepared herself for the day. Having actually managed to get up on time, she allowed herself a little extra time making sure her hair and makeup were just so. She headed downstairs, kissed her parents goodbye as she grabbed a croissant, and headed for school. When she reached the front steps, she climbed to the top to join Alya and Nino.

Alya greeted her with a hug and a laugh. "I can't believe you actually did it, girl! I know you said you were going to start being on time, but I'll admit... I didn't think you could!"

Nino smiled and added, "Also, if you don't mind my saying so, you look very nice today."

Marinette laughed with her friends, "Well, thank you for noticing, Nino. It's not like it's THAT hard to be on time. I just needed to give myself a good pep talk and proper motivation."

"Well for once, Motivation is a little later than usual," Alya said with a wink. "But I'm sure he'll be here shortly."

Marinette scowled at her friend as Alya grinned. Nino rolled his eyes and chuckled at them both. "You two may want to wrap this up; here he comes now. Adrien! My man!" Nino greeted his friend as Adrien started his trot up the stairs.

"Hey Nino." Adrien responded as he approached. He nodded to the girls. "Alya. Marinette."

Alya piped up, "Hey Adrien! Look who managed to show up with plenty of time before the first bell!" as she gestured to a slightly blushing Marinette.

Adrien looked up at the two girls and said, "What? Oh, great job Marinette!" as he carefully placed a supportive smile on his face.

"Thanks, Adrien." Marinette said as she looked him over. Once Adrien dropped his smile, it was clear to Marinette by the way he held everything from his face to his shoulders that Adrien was uncomfortable and distracted.

Adrien cleared his throat, "Well um, I'm going to go ahead and get to class. There was an assignment I wanted to look over again."

The three watched their friend go into the school. Alya shook her head, "Either I forgot a big stressful assignment, or something is bothering him. Is it bad that I'm not sure which I hope it is?" Nino shot her a look. "Okay fine, my grades can take the hit, but I'm still not thinking that's the problem." After a short discussion of the issues Alya was having with the comments section on the Ladyblog, the bell rang and it was time to go to class.

Adrien spent his morning completely lost in thought. His eyes were trained on a single point on the blackboard and his leg was bouncing discreetly but continuously. When Ms. Bustier had to remind him to stop tapping his stylus on his desk again, she asked him if he would like to go get a drink of water, in the hopes that the short walk would help him refocus. "Um, sorry. Yeah, I'll do that. Sorry."

At this, Nino took a chance. "May I please get some water too?" he asked as he shot a look over to his friend.

Ms. Bustier considered him and figured if something is distracting Adrien, maybe Nino could actually help. "Alright, but make it quick." she said, knowing full well that it might not be quick, but they're good boys. They'll be back when they're ready.

The moment they were out of earshot of the classroom, Nino addressed his friend. "Alright dude, what's bothering you? You've been way out of sorts all day."

Adrien automatically responded, "Nothing, I'm fine," with a smile for good measure, and then stopped abruptly. He looked over to Nino, who had also stopped and turned to stand in front of him. Adrien sighed and slumped against the nearby wall. In that moment he realized that all too soon, at least part of what is distressing him is going to become public knowledge anyway. Soon, everyone's going to know my own father is Hawk Moth. What's everyone going to think? What's Nino going to think? I mean, he'll stand by me… he always has. Not that he ever liked Father to start with, ever since he tried to throw a birthday party for me and got Akumatized - His eyes popped open wide. "THAT SON OF A BITCH!"

Nino immediately grabbed his shoulders and looked intently into his eyes, "It's your dad, isn't it? Is he pulling you out of school? Are you moving to Italy? Are you moving to America?"

Adrien jumped in to stop Nino's wild speculation. "No, no, no… I mean, I guess, maybe? I don't know." Adrien screwed his eyes shut and waved his hands in front of him. "Okay, start over. Yes, it's my dad. Yes, it's…" Adrien sighed. "Okay, it's really bad, in a big way. The thing is, I CAN'T talk about it right now, and honestly, I don't even know everything that's happening yet. I promise, the moment I can talk about it I'm coming to you, but you cannot tell ANYBODY what I've just said. Not even Alya. Oh God, especially not Alya."

Nino's brow furrowed at his friend's response, and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he stepped back. "I'm going to ignore the part where you implied that my girlfriend wouldn't take whatever non-information you just said to her grave." Nino put his hands on his own chest. "Whatever is going on, thank you for telling me that SOMETHING is going on, and the moment you need me, just say the word."

Adrien chuckled. "Thanks, man."

Nino let his arms fall and looked down the hallway towards their class. "I would so adopt you away from that dude if I didn't have to be 15 years older than you."

Adrien snorted. "You looked it up, didn't you?" They both started walking back to the classroom.

"Probably. I, for one, would be proud to be your father."

"I'll have to get you a mug."

Adrien rubbed his face as they approached the classroom and Nino gave him an encouraging thump on the back. The boys walked in and quietly took their seats. For the rest of the morning Ms. Bustier noticed that Adrien might not have been attentive, but at least he was sitting still.

"Alright class, that's it for today." She continued as the sound of backpack zippers and shuffling papers began to drown her out. "Be sure to read chapters 12 and 13 for tomorrow's lesson. Don't look at me like that, Kim, they're short chapters." Kim groaned and slumped in his chair.

Nino turned to Adrien, "Hey dude, do you want to get out of here and get some lunch?"

"No, man. I appreciate it, but I need to hurry home to take care of some stuff." Adrien stood up, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and quickly walked out the door.

Alya furrowed her brows. "Okay Nino, what is going on with Sunshine?"

Nino sighed. "He didn't really tell me much except that he's having a terrible day."

Marinette pursed her lips. "Maybe I should go grab him some macarons to try to cheer him up?"

Alya grinned. "I think that's an excellent idea, Marinette. I guess it's you and me for lunch today, Nino," she turned to her boyfriend and grabbed his hand as they all filed out the door.

Marinette's shoes slapped the pavement as she ran home. The door chimed as she entered the bakery and was hit with a wall of delicious scents she was lucky enough to call "homey."

Her father's voice boomed on her arrival, "Marinette, you're having lunch at home today?" Tom passed a box of pastries to the customer at the counter. "Thank you, and enjoy!"

Marinette walked over to the now unoccupied counter. "Yes, Papa. But I also wanted to get a box of macarons for a friend of mine. He's having a bad day."

"Mmhmm. Would this friend happen to have golden hair and sparkling green eyes?" Tom batted his eyelashes at his now pink daughter.

"Papa!" Marinette groaned, then let out a defeated sigh and groaned, "Yeah, he does."

"Well then, if I recall correctly that friend really enjoyed the strawberry ones," Tom said with a wink, and then bent down to fill a box from the display.

Marinette collected the box of pink macarons from her father. "Could I maybe get one for me too?" she asked with a grin.

"Sure honey," Tom said as he grabbed one more and handed her the treat.

"Thanks, Papa!" Marinette shouted over her shoulder as she ran upstairs to their apartment and slid the macaron in her purse. She headed to the kitchen, put the box on the counter, and heated up a bowl of vegetable soup for lunch and carefully carried it up the steps to her room.

She placed the bowl of soup on her desk, away from the keyboard. She sat down, brought a spoonful of soup to her lips, and blew on it. "You can come out now," she called to her purse and took a bite of soup. Tikki floated out of the purse happily munching on the macaron.

Marinette looked over at the kwami. "When you're done with that I'm going to transform for a bit so I can check my messages, since we have a moment."

"Sounds good, Marinette," Tikki said around a mouthful of pink cookie and cream. Marinette kept eating her soup while waiting for Tikki to finish. Once she was done, Tikki brushed the crumbs off her cheeks. "Ready when you are!"

Marinette pulled the spoon from her mouth to say, "Spots On!" When the transformation started at her shoes she suddenly realized she was still holding the spoon, and didn't want to lose it to the transformation or make Tikki take the effort to exclude it, so after a slightly panicked moment of indecision she threw the spoon up in the air. By the time the spoon reached the top of the arc, her transformation was complete and she deftly caught the spoon as she smirked and rolled her eyes at her own forgetful nature.

Ladybug pivoted in her swivel chair to face her lunch while she used one hand to open her communicator and the other to continue feeding herself soup. She saw that Chat Noir had indeed left her a message and pressed play. "Ladybug, I need to meet you as soon as possible. I've got important information on Hawk Moth. I'll be waiting on top of Notre Dame from noon to 1:00, and then again from 3:45 to 6:00 if I miss you at lunch. Just, yeah, please hurry."

Ladybug looked at her clock and it read 12:15. She dialed Chat Noir as she climbed up to her balcony.

"Ladybug?" he answered, his voice was tense.

"I'm nearby, I'll be there as soon as I can." Ladybug hung up, and launched herself in the direction of the cathedral.

When she landed on the roof she was greeted by a pacing Chat Noir. "Um, hey, My Lady."

"Hey Chat," she folded her arms. "So what did you find out about Hawk Moth?"

Chat Noir let slip a nervous chuckle, and stopped pacing to face her. "That's the thing. To tell you - this is pretty crazy - I kinda have to tell you who I am. Also, in order to catch him, Plagg says it's time for you to tell me who you are, too."

Ladybug dropped her arms to her sides and shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying not to pick up the pacing where he left off. She recognized Plagg's name from conversations with Tikki. "You're not making any sense, Kitty."

"Alright, we'll start at the beginning. You were right, Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth."

Ladybug's eyes blew wide open. "Oh no! If you're right then Adrien could be in real danger! What makes you so sure?!"

Chat Noir tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Adrien?"

Ladybug blushed and clamped her mouth closed. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Yeah, Adrien Agreste. Gabriel Agreste's son. I kinda know him. I don't think we need to worry about him being any kind of a threat or anything. He's a good guy."

Chat Noir was speechless for a moment. All he could do was stand there and blink at her.

Ladybug composed her features to what she felt was a more confident look. In an attempt to reboot her partner, she asked him, "Why do you say that Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth?"

At that, Chat Noir snapped out of his stupor. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Because Plagg, my kwami, found Nooroo, Hawk Moth's kwami, in a hidden room in our home. Claws in." Chat Noir's transformation dropped, leaving an anxious-looking Adrien Agreste in his place. Ladybug's hands flew up to cover her mouth. He continued quietly, "It really helps, by the way, that you think I'm trustworthy. I was honestly a little concerned about that."

Ladybug gave up on not pacing. She covered her head with her hands and began pacing in earnest. "Ugh! I can't do this! How am I supposed to do this?" She turned and glared at him, pointing at his nose. "You can't just surprise me like that with that face!" She whipped around and continued her laps, hands flailing. "When we're at school, I know it's coming and I'm ready for it, and we've been able to talk! I've worked so hard on that! But not like this!"

Plagg looked between his holder and Ladybug. The former looked confused and stricken, which Plagg did not appreciate. The latter looked like she was going to hyperventilate any second now. He floated over to the panicking heroine. "Ladybug! Get ahold of yourself!" Ladybug stopped and blinked at the tiny floating cat-mouse. She knew that wasn't what Plagg was, but that's what he made her think of all the same. "Now," Plagg continued, "I get that you are more than a little surprised, but we don't have time for this. I am working on a plan, and for it we need Tikki, and also a full understanding of who all is involved here!" His voice got dangerously low as he threatened, "Tell him who you are or I will."

Ladybug glanced over at Adrien, who was frowning at her. "Okay. You're right. I'm sorry for freaking out." She looked back to Plagg. "But are you sure I should be sharing my identity? I don't like making that decision so quickly without at least discussing it with Tikki."

Plagg narrowed his eyes and regarded her for a moment. "I'll give you that." Then he turned to face Adrien. "Hey kid. I'm going to need you to sit down over there facing the school. It'll only be for a moment."

Adrien pursed his lips in a thin line and shrugged. "I guess I'll be over here if you need me." He turned to face the school, walked to a few feet from the edge of the roof, and sat down.

Plagg turned back to Marinette. "Let's not take too long."

Marinette nodded in assent. "Spots off." The transformation fell away in a flash of pink light as Tikki spun out of an earring.

The red kwami blinked a couple times. "Plagg? What's going on?" She looked back and forth between Marinette and Plagg.

Plagg gave Tikki a soft smile, "Hey, Tikki. We have a situation. I think it's important for Marinette to reveal her identity to Adrien, but she didn't want to without consulting you first."

Tikki nodded, giving him her full attention. "Okay, what's the situation?"

Plagg took a deep breath. "Hawk Moth is Adrien's father. I saw Nooroo;he's not well and we need to get him out. To do that I think it would be best to bring him to Marinette's because A) it's close enough that the distance fatigue won't be that bad, and B) because she's already on our team. I think this plan will go a lot more smoothly if Marinette isn't trying to juggle two identities while we use her home as a base of operations. Either way, we have to do something now because I can't let my kid sleep under Hawk Moth's roof any longer than absolutely necessary, and Nooroo knows that I know and now he's afraid he'll accidentally let that slip to Gabriel, which would put Adrien in even more danger. Adrien needs support that exists for more than a transformation at a time, and we need a base of operations that's not needlessly complicated. I really think it's time to drop the secrets." Plagg floated defiantly in the air, and waited for Tikki's response.

Tikki hummed and turned to Marinette. "I think a lot of what Plagg said makes sense. What are your thoughts?"

Marinette's eyebrows furrowed as she frowned. "You told me in the beginning that we aren't supposed to tell anyone... that it was unsafe."

Tikki nodded. "I did, but then if you remember we did discuss that again after the Lady Wifi attack. If you recall I was somewhat surprised that you didn't tell him then - and I wouldn't have been upset if you had. However, you made the decision to maintain the secret, and because Hawk Moth has some level of mind reading and mind control ability, I believed you made the right decision in case either of you became Akumatized. It was definitely the safer option."

Tikki looked over at Plagg for a moment before continuing. "However, things have changed rather suddenly. I do think it may be time for everyone to be fully informed for logistical purposes, and also for Adrien to have better access to some kind of support. Someone who knows the whole situation and is more available to him than you would be as just Ladybug. Ultimately the decision is yours, but I think it's the right thing to do under the circumstances."

Marinette quietly paced for a few moments while she considered the kwamis' words. She stopped and looked at Adrien, who was patiently sitting on the roof with his back to her waiting for her to make up her mind. She sighed and started walking towards him. When he heard her footsteps approaching he visibly tensed. She called out to him. "Alright, Adrien, if you could... I'd appreciate it if you would keep facing that way, stand up, and close your eyes."

"Alright, My Lady. I'll admit the suspense is beginning to wear on me," he said as he began to follow her instructions.

Once he was standing and settled into his new position, Marinette walked up to him. "Alright, I'm going to grab your shoulders, and turn you around and then I'll tell you when you can open your eyes."

She could hear his smile when he said, "I'm ready when you are."

She hesitantly placed her hands on his shoulders, and with a slight nudge, Adrien turned the direction she guided him and faced her. She held her breath for a moment at how close his face actually was. Then she took a few small steps back to give him some room. She curled in on herself slightly and said to him, "Okay, you can open them."

Adrien's eyes fluttered open, and his jaw immediately dropped. "Marinette? It's you!" He took two great strides and scooped her up in a warm hug. Marinette squeaked. Adrien spoke into her hair. "I can't believe it's you!"

"S-surprise!" She squeezed him back and pulled away. She looked everywhere but at Adrien. "Look, I'm sorry I panicked earlier. I'm really trying to push past… that. It's just really hard."

Adrien's eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. "What's so hard about talking to me, Marinette?"

"Well? Um." She let out a nervous laugh and started fanning her face with her hand. "I never expected to have to tell you like this, but here we are." She looked Adrien in the eye and moved her mouth as though to speak, then abruptly looked at her feet. "I can't do it. Tikki, will you do it?"

Her kwami sighed. "Really, Marinette? Under normal circumstances, I would make you do it yourself but we really need to be able to move forward." Tikki turned to face the boy. "Adrien, Marinette has a hard time talking to you because she is hopelessly in love with you." Marinette's shoulders hunched up. "And she has been for a very long time," Tikki finished.

Plagg began to cackle. He wheezed to himself, "Oh God, they're perfect for each other!"

Adrien's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, is that all?" He barked a laugh. "Princess, you had me really worried."

"It's not funny!" Marinette shouted indignantly, still looking at her feet.

Adrien chuckled. "You're right, it's not at all funny. It's just a relief. Don't you see? We can work with this! This makes us even, after all."

Marinette snorted. "Okay, I can do this. Maybe tell a stupid pun or something? It might help me see you as Chat. Chat makes me comfortable. "

"Me-ouch, My Lady!" he said with a smirk. "I don't tell stupid puns. With the day I've been having, you should be nicer. I feel like a cat on a hot tin roof."

Marinette groaned. "Okay, that worked. You can stop now. Please." She chuckled and looked up slowly. "Okay, back to the task at hand. How are we going to stop Hawk Moth. Your dad. Oh my God, your dad is Hawk Moth." Marinette covered her mouth and looked at Adrien with wide eyes. She breathed, "Oh my God. Your dad is Hawk Moth." At that she launched herself at Adrien and hugged him tightly. "I'm so sorry, Kitty! This is so unfair! I mean I always knew he was not the nicest person, but this is ridiculous! God, here I was freaking out over you being Adrien, while you're in the middle of telling me that you've you've been sleeping in the same house as the guy who's been after us this whole time! My poor Kitty!" She pulled back with both hands on his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "We are going to fix this." She kissed him on the forehead and let go of his shoulders. Adrien slowly reached up to gingerly touch his forehead.

Marinette faced the kwamis, her hands in fists at her sides and her feet shoulder-width apart. "Alright, Plagg," Marinette said, sounding more like Ladybug than she had since she arrived at the cathedral, "you said you're working on a plan?"

Tikki spoke to Plagg, "You said you found Nooroo?"

Plagg floated to Tikki and hugged her, "Yeah, he's not doing great, but we're going to get him out."

Tikki pulled back to look at him and nodded, her eyes watering slightly.

Plagg addressed the group. "Adrien knows all this already, so let me get you two up to speed," he gestured to the girls. "Gabriel has Nooroo in a hidden part of the mansion. He doesn't let Nooroo leave that room."

Marinette furrowed her brows, "How does he keep Nooroo from leaving? Can't kwamis phase through matter?"

Plagg turned to Marinette. "Because of a thing called 'distance fatigue.' A kwami can never truly be separated from their miraculous. Otherwise, Nooroo could have run away a long time ago. We are bound to them. As long as we stay within shouting distance, meaning if the wearer can shout the transformation phrase and the kwami can hear it, we can stay within that distance indefinitely. We can travel outside that distance for limited periods of time. The farther away we travel, the less time we have. When outside shouting distance we begin to experience distance fatigue, which essentially makes us light headed and eventually pass out. It's completely different from regular exhaustion, which won't be helpful. Once a kwami passes out from distance fatigue, they disappear from that spot and reappear with their holder much like when a holder initially receives the miraculous."

Adrien lifted his forefinger and exclaimed, "That's likely why Dad hardly ever leaves the mansion and teleconferences pretty much everything! He has to minimize Nooroo's distance fatigue! If he goes too far from home, Nooroo would suddenly join him."

Tikki looked to Marinette, "You remember that time we got separated and I ended up being carried around by Chloe?" Adrien's eyebrows shot up and Marinette cringed. Tikki continued, "I was already feeling under the weather, but the distance fatigue compounded my symptoms. Even still, we maintained a close enough distance that I would probably have been able to stay that far away for a few days. I could tell how close you were based on the level of distance fatigue I was feeling. If the distance had been increased enough, I'd have just reappeared in front of you, though I don't think that would have been good for my health with the state I was in."

Plagg continued, "Technically speaking, Nooroo could wander the house if he chose. However, when he did that in the beginning, Gabriel didn't feed him for a couple of days."

Adrien and Marinette both gasped, as they were familiar with how hungry a kwami could get.

Plagg had a glint in his eye, "Now for the plan. Marinette's home happens to be close enough to the mansion that he should be able to stay there for about 10 to 12 hours. That doesn't give us a lot of time, but as long as he's outside of shouting distance, Gabriel can't transform. So while we have Nooroo, we inform the mayor that he can get his hands on the most wanted person in Paris, we get the miraculous from him, and the cops can take him into custody. Done."

Marinette had her hand to her chin. "That seems so simple. What's the best way to get Nooroo to my place?"

Adrien folded his arms, "I can get him out tonight after we're sure Dad's asleep."

Marinette looked at him with her lips pressed in a thin line. "Pack up an overnight bag. You're going to stay at my place too, probably for at least a few days. I can't have you staying there with him, especially once Nooroo goes missing. Besides, um," Marinette looked down. "once this is over, you'll probably need a place to stay anyway."

Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose. "How's that going to work? I'm sure you can hide me from your parents for a night, but beyond that?"

Marinette laughed, "If my parents ever got the faintest idea that you might not be safe at home, you'd be hard pressed to get them to let you leave their sight. Trust me, they won't have a problem with it."

Adrien chuckled. "If you say so. Okay, it's getting to be time for us to get back to class. Let's exchange numbers so we can iron out the details this afternoon."

Marinette realized she already had Adrien's number, but wasn't quite ready to let him know that. "Here give me your phone, I'll give you my number and you can text me," she said with a grin.

Adrien got out his phone, opened to a new contact and handed it to her. She quickly tapped her information in and handed it back. Adrien sent her a winking cat emoji, then eyed her with a toothy grin. "I got Ladybug's phone number."

Marinette's face burned, and she shoved him lightly. "Shut up. I'll see you in class. Spots on!" She waved, and turned away to throw herself off the building while slinging her yo-yo to the next one, headed for what he now knew was her home.

Adrien sighed, transformed himself, and vaulted his way closer to school.

Chapter Text

Adrien made it back to the classroom a few minutes before class started. Nino was in his seat talking to Alya, who was waving her arms and talking loudly about the Ladybug sighting over lunch. When he sat down they both turned to him and Nino offered his fist for a bump. "Hey, dude. Did you take care of whatever it was that you had to run off for?"

Adrien bumped the offered fist,. "Yeah, that little errand turned out easier than I expected."

Alya folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask anything, Marinette came jogging into the room. At seeing Adrien she smiled and blushed slightly. Alya's face brightened. "There you are, girl! Did you bring it?" she asked as she began rummaging through Marinette's bag.

"Alya! Stop it." Marinette pulled her bag out of Alya grasp. "And yes, I did bring it." She set the bag down on the desk between the boys and carefully reached into it with both hands.

"Bring what?" Adrien asked while trying to peek into the bag while Marinette lifted the box of macarons out.

Alya grinned. "At the start of lunch Nino mentioned that you were having a bad day, and Marinette," she gestured broadly to the black haired girl like she was the grand prize on a game show, "thought you might appreciate a treat to lift your spirits."

Marinette blushed furiously at Alya's antics as she stepped in front of Adrien and handed him the box. He mumbled low where only she could hear clearly, "Through his stomach, huh?"

Marinette rolled her eyes and grumbled, "Oh hush."

Adrien looked up at her and flashed a toothy grin and quietly said "I hear it's the quickest way."

She smacked his arm with her hand as she passed him to go sit at her desk as Adrien opened the box. Alya and Nino exchanged questioning glances. Adrien exclaimed, "Ooh, the strawberry ones!" and promptly shoved one in his mouth, with a second at the ready in his hand. He turned to face behind him. "Your timing is perfect Marinette! I didn't didn't get to eat lunch, and these are amazing!" Marinette smiled at him despite herself. As he ate the second one he offered one to each of the three, and ate two more before carefully stowing them in his own bag, because more students were beginning to take their seats. While he had his bag open, he made a series of eyebrow waggles and closed mouthed gestures at Plagg that roughly translated to, "Don't you dare eat these, you have your cheese." Plagg responded with the most open and innocent face he could muster.

Now that Ladybug knew what was going on, and just happened to be sitting right behind him wearing the face of a person he already trusted and adored, and now that there was a plan, Adrien was in some ways more calm about the whole being-the-son-of-Hawk Moth situation. His mind was no longer overfilled with frightening unknowns. There were definitely still several, but there was also a plan. In some ways that made him able to focus, but in other ways it made him more anxious. Now that there was a plan, it could go wrong. There could be variables they forgot to account for. Timing could play out differently than they expect. He could screw it up. It no longer felt like freefall, now it felt like a tightrope walk with no net, or magical cat suit.

Between classes Marinette noticed that Adrien just seemed a little lost. His shoulders were hunched up and he was constantly reaching up to rub his neck. When he stopped in the middle of the hallway like he forgot he was going somewhere, it was just too much for Marinette and she grabbed him by the elbow and asked with a smile, "Could you walk with me?" He looked down at her and his furrowed eyebrows relaxed. At her locker he stood by and waited patiently while fidgeting with the strap on his bag. Then at his locker, she briefly rubbed a circle on his back, trying to soothe him. "You okay, Kitty?" she asked when she was sure no one was listening.

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I will be. Just nervous. Going home is going to be weird. Last time I was there, I still didn't know."

She continued watching the other students around them as she spoke, to be sure their conversation remained private. "I know it's hard, but it will just be a few hours. I'll just be a phone call away, at most, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen."

He closed his locker door and grabbed her hand, interlocking her fingers with his. Her cheeks pinked slightly and they walked to their next class. From the outside it looked like a purely romantic gesture, and to some extent it was. However, as Adrien held on tight, she was very much aware the connection helped keep him afloat. Suddenly worried about their unusual behavior, Adrien asked, "Do you think this is okay? Are we going to somehow blow our cover?"

Marinette considered, "Well, we're definitely acting differently, but I don't think it will connect us in any way to… our other selves, at least not in one day. Especially since we're not really acting like them, either. I think it's safe. I think it will be okay."

Adrien let out a breath in relief.

The rest of the day went by faster than he was prepared for. During class, she would offer small touches and eye contact whenever the situation would discreetly allow. Nino and Alya could sense a mood coming off of the pair in waves, and they agreed to stay out of the way of whatever was going on with their best friends. When the school day was over and the four of them stepped through the outer doors to stand at the top of the steps Adrien's bodyguard was already waiting next to his car. Adrien inhaled sharply when he saw him. Marinette stepped up to Adrien on her tippy toes and wrapped him in a hug. "Call me," she said into his shirt.

"I will," Adrien responded and he strode down the front steps to the silver car awaiting him. The gorilla-like man closed the door behind him, climbed into the driver's seat, and drove him away down the busy road.

As the three of them watched the car drive off, Alya broke the mood, "I don't know what's going on between you and Adrien, Marinette, but I think the Macarons of Seduction may have worked this time."

Marinette gaped at her friend. "Oh my God, Alya! What is wrong with you?"

Nino doubled over and barked out a surprised laugh. Alya continued, "You know what they say girl, the quickest way to a man's heart-"

Marinette cut her off, "I know! I know! Just stop already!"

Alya threw her hands up in exasperation. "Well, what do you expect me to say? You two have been in each other's personal space all afternoon! And then you just looked like you were sending him off to war. What is going on?"

Marinette cringed. "I'm honestly not entirely sure? I think something crazy is happening at home right now, and for some undetermined reason, he's feeling comfortable leaning on me for support."

Alya folded her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I still say it was the macarons. You fed him something delicious when he was famished and stressed. I'd have started following you like a lost puppy too, to be honest."

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Adrien walked into his home, for what very well could be the last time. Each step echoed from the marble floor through the expansive space. It occurred to Adrien that if this house had a noisier family in it, this room would get uncomfortably loud. Good thing we Agrestes are always so quiet. Nathalie was standing in the entryway, dutiful as always, tablet clasped in her hands. "Good afternoon Adrien," she said coolly, "I trust that your project with Nino went well?"

Adrien looked at her askance. "Project? OH! Right, the project I had to meet Nino for!" His eyes were large circles as he reached his hand up to grab the back of his neck. He quickly clasped his hands in front of himself before it got there. He looked at Nathalie with a practiced smile. "I'm sorry, it's been a long day and I hardly remember this morning." He continued with an even tone. "We got a lot done. Thank you for letting me meet him on such short notice. We might even be able to finish up the rest in class."

Nathalie raised her eyebrow. "What was the project on, again?"

Adrien firmly declared the first thing that came to his mind. "Puffer fish. They're more interesting than I expected."

Nathalie's eyes were on her tablet as she started typing one handed. "And when is it due?"

"The day after tomorrow." This conversation won't matter by then anyway.

"If you need to arrange to meet with Nino again, be sure I'm informed well in advance. Your schedule for this afternoon has also been updated. You have a piano lesson in 30 minutes. Your snack is waiting for you in your room." With that she turned on her heels and strode away to some other pressing matter. As he watched her walk away, he wondered how much she knew.

Adrien walked into his room, closed the door firmly behind him, and continued to his white couch where he collapsed. On the coffee table in front of him was a shiny domed cloche covering his afternoon snack. He sat forward and uncovered the plate to find an artful arrangement of assorted fruits, cheeses, and a croissant. He grabbed a handful of grapes and said, "Plagg, it's clear," before popping them into his mouth.

Plagg floated out of the bag. "Waiting is just the worst. I really hate this part. Ooh, can I have the gruyere?"

Adrien passed him the wedge of cheese as he took a bite out of the croissant. "Me too." He glanced at his clock. "We have 28 minutes to kill before I have to act like a dutiful piano student for an hour, and then we can call Marinette and start packing and prepping in earnest." Adrien rifled through his school bag for something relatively mindless he could do to pass the time. "And then we sit on our hands until Father goes to bed and is fully asleep." He let out a long, shaky breath. "I really hope his day was exhausting. It's not unheard of for him to stay up until the wee hours working on a design." He pulled out a notebook, having found something that might fit the bill.

Plagg floated over to sit next to the plate and looked up at Adrien. "You doing okay?"

Adrien tapped his chin with a pencil eraser and regarded Plagg. "I dunno. In just a few hours everything is going to be completely different and I have no idea what to expect. I know I'm doing the right thing. Heck, we're taking just about the only option that isn't distinctly the wrong thing, but I still kind of feel a bit like a traitor, you know?" He combed his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I feel like I'm about to ruin everything that's left of my family, even though logically I know that my Dad already did that a long time ago." Adrien pressed his lips in a thin line as his eyes and nose started turning pink. He put the pencil down and pressed his palms to his eyes. Plagg floated up to his shoulder where it meets his neck, settled in, and started to purr. After a moment Adrien rubbed his face, put his hands on his knees, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Thanks, Plagg. How are you holding up?"

"I just keep thinking about Nooroo. Every time I close my eyes, there's his terrified face. I know this is really hard... but you're right: we are doing the right thing."

Adrien stared at a fixed point between himself and the remaining fruit. He nodded and said, "We're going to get him out. This is going to work." He put his hand up to his shoulder and gently grabbed his kwami. He regarded him with furrowed eyebrows. "Hey Plagg, could you do me a favor? I mean, if it's not too risky. If it's risky at all, please d-"

Plagg cut off his backpedaling. "What do you want? I promise not to take any unnecessary risks."

Adrien sighed. "Father used to keep a necklace my mother loved on the bedside table on Mom's old side of the bed. The left side. If it's still there, do you think you can get it for me?"

Plagg rolled his eyes and snickered softly. "Yeah, I'll see what I can do."

Adrien put his notebook and pencil away, giving them up as a lost cause. He got up, went to the piano, sat at the bench and began warming up, thinking it would give his stir-crazy fingers something to do. Shortly thereafter, his piano instructor joined him. As Adrien played, he thought of his mother in a way he hadn't allowed himself to in a long time. He played for her. When the hour was over his instructor complimented his progress generously.

------------------------------

Adrien paced in front of his window. He took twelve purposeful strides in one direction, pivoted, and took twelve purposeful strides in the other direction. He had been packed for hours. They had a plan for discreet camembert storage at Marinette's house. Plagg had confirmed that the elder Agreste was sleeping quite heavily. She said she was on her way. What could be taking so long? Her house is really close. Heck, that was the whole point of this plan in the first place. Plagg just watched lazily from the bed. Ten, eleven, twelve, pivot. Knock, knock, knock. Adrien turned abruptly to the sound, and saw Ladybug waving at him through his window. He hurried over to push open the unlocked panel, and she flipped inside.

"Hey there!" She said brightly as she turned to Adrien. "It took him long enough to finally fall asleep, huh? Spots off!" The pink transformation light enveloped her, replacing Ladybug with Marinette.

Adrien rolled his eyes. "If I had to wait another half hour I'd have lost my mind. Okay now, let's head to the secret lair and get Nooroo." Marinette snorted a laugh. Adrien raised an eyebrow at her. "If my dad is going to have a secret lair, I'm going to call it a secret lair."

Marinette grinned. "Fair enough, Kitty. Let's go."

Adrien quietly opened his bedroom door and looked around. He's left his room in the middle of the night and walked around the house with some regularity, so this shouldn't be too different to some extent. At Adrien's suggestion, they had previously determined that for this particular mission it made more sense to be Adrien: resident of the household, and Marinette: girl he uncharacteristically snuck in, in the event that they were seen. It was nerve-wracking to be outside the suits, but both kwamis were close at hand and transformations just a phrase away.

Adrien had Plagg perched on his shoulder, ears swiveling continuously. The house was dark, so he was confident that if he were seen, Plagg would be easy to miss. His night vision and sensitive ears were certainly a comfort. They carefully and quickly worked their way to the office. Adrien hesitated a moment to take in the sight of his mother's portrait. Marinette placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Adrien swallowed and placed his fingers on the hidden buttons where Plagg had told him they would be. He took a deep breath and pressed them. A circular hole opened up on the floor exposing a platform. The two teens stepped next to the platform and looked at it.

Marinette whispered quietly, "Do you think we will both fit?"

Adrien looked at her and nodded. He whispered, "We'll have to basically be hugging, but my dad is pretty big, and I'm sure it's not cramped for him." He looked at it and considered. "We should probably step on it at the same time. It might start moving as soon as there's someone standing on it."

Marinette nodded. "Okay, let's hug first, then step on three so we don't have to adjust after we're already on the platform."

"That makes sense," Adrien replied. They stepped close and hugged each other tightly, trying to make as small a combined footprint as possible. Adrien whispered with a grin, "This is my favorite part."

Marinette muffled a snort with his chest. "On three then. One, two, three." They stepped together onto the platform, and their stomachs lurched as it sank quickly into the ground. The tunnel was softly illuminated, so they could see as they traveled down, unexpectedly across, and then up, and were deposited into a giant domed room filled with delicate white butterflies. Marinette's immediate reaction was to think of them all as purified, but she then realized that maybe they just hadn't been corrupted. In the center of the floor was a purple winged kwami, with a butterfly perched on each hand. He looked at them with eyes as wide as saucers. Marinette tapped her purse, and Tikki shot out and flew straight to Nooroo, stopping just short of tackling him, and caught him in a fierce hug. "Tikki!" he exclaimed as he hugged her back.

Plagg floated over to the pair of them and asked Nooroo. "When was the last time Gabriel was in here?"

Nooroo responded over Tikki's shoulder, with a broad smile, "He was here this afternoon to feed me and check up on me. I did it, Plagg. I didn't tell him a thing, and I don't think he suspects."

Plagg rubbed his chin. "So from what you told me earlier, and the akuma attack last night, it would be highly unlikely for him to come up here and see you missing anytime tomorrow."

Tikki let go of Nooroo to face Plagg. "What about the distance fatigue, Nooroo can't be within shouting distance unless Gabriel's actually in here with him, right?"

Nooroo responded, "At first that was true. But then he had lots of little holes drilled in the floor, connecting to several rooms in the rest of the mansion. According to him, they're hard to find unless you know where to look. That way he can be within shouting distance through most of the house without actually having to come up here. He couldn't be bothered to do that every day, after all."

Adrien blinked at Nooroo, then looked to Marinette. "All that just so he doesn't have to interrupt his day to see his charge in person? Hawk Moth really is my dad."

Marinette frowned. "Why wasn't he caught so much sooner? Wouldn't the workers suspect something weird, drilling holes in the floor?"

Nooroo regarded her with a flat stare. "Not all the akumatized victims were after the ladybug and black cat Miraculouses."

Marinette and Adrien's jaws dropped in unison.

Plagg cleared his throat. "Okay, well this is all very interesting, but we can have this discussion somewhere else." He floated halfway to Adrien, and turned to Nooroo and smiled. "Are you ready to go?"

Marinette lifted the side of her jacket, showing that she had sewn an extra kwami sized pocket to the inside. Nooroo did not hesitate; he shot in there so fast that Marinette stumbled slightly. Tikki and Plagg silently took their respective positions. Adrien and Marinette walked to the small platform, hugged again, squeezing tightly. Marinette looked up at Adrien and smiled broadly. Adrien looked down at her and chuckled. Both of them were a little giddy at having made it this far.

Tikki popped out of Marinette's purse, "Wait a minute you two. One of us should check the office first."

Plagg smiled at Tikki, "Excellent point, I'll be right back." and he disappeared into the floor. A second later he reappeared and rejoined Adrien." The coast is clear."

Tikki re-entered Marinette's bag and Adrien counted them off, "One, two, three." and they stepped onto the platform which dropped into the floor again, and deposited them back in front of the painting. Adrien and Marinette smiled at each other as they separated. They quickly padded back to Adrien's room and closed the door.

Marinette let out a breath she had been holding and slumped on Adrien's bathroom door as Tikki floated out of her purse. "I know we're not quite done, but that was nerve-wracking. Let's get out of here. Are those your bags?" She gestured to two small duffel bags on Adrien's bed."

Adrien nodded as he walked over to them. "Actually, this one's mine, and that one's Plagg's."

Marinette cocked her head to the side, "What's in Plagg's?"

Tikki answered for him, "Camembert."

Plagg huffed in annoyance. "Well, you didn't expect me to leave it did you?"

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Plagg?"

Plagg looked over at his holder, "Yes?"

"Claws out."

Marinette laughed at Plagg's surprised face as Adrien was replaced by Chat Noir."

Marinette took Nooroo out of her jacket and placed him on the bed, "Spots on." the picked him back up. "Will you be okay in Adrien's bag?"

Chat Noir unzipped the bag and Nooroo settled into it among the folded clothes. "This will do nicely."

Ladybug smiled and nodded. "Good. It's a short trip, anyway."

Ladybug and Chat Noir each grabbed a duffel bag. Chat Noir took one last look around.

"You ready, Kitty?" Ladybug asked quietly.

Chat Noir sighed and nodded. They fist bumped, and leaped out of Adrien's open window into the night.

Chapter Text

Ladybug and Chat Noir landed together on Marinette's balcony. She opened the hatch and they both jumped inside and dropped transformation. They hugged each other in giddy relief and laughed. Adrien pulled back and rubbed his eye with his palm while he continued to giggle slightly. "Oh God, what a day."

Marinette slung the duffel bag off her shoulder and unzipped it. "We're here, Nooroo."

Nooroo floated out of the bag and found himself in a feminine and whimsical room. He slowly turned with a small smile on his face and took everything in.

Marinette said, "This is where you'll be staying until we complete phase two of the plan, where we will separate Gabriel from the moth Miraculous and have him arrested." She gestured to the corner of the room near the mannequin. "Tikki and I created a little kwami oasis here where the three of you can rest. There's a large pillow to share, three small blankets to hog," she nodded to each kwami in turn, "and plenty of cookies, Camembert, and cashews." She smiled broadly at Nooroo, who squealed in delight.

The three kwamis settled into the corner, each enjoying their own snack, as Marinette continued. "There's even a curtain we can close if we need to hide them from my parents." She looked to Adrien. "You get to hide up on the loft. If you lay down you can't be seen from the trap door."

Adrien smiled at her fondly. "You thought of everything, didn't you?"

She chuckled at him. "Well, I certainly tried. I'm going to bring the camembert down to the bakery storage fridge and then change into my pajamas in the hall bathroom. You can either change into sleep clothes now or wait until I'm done in the bathroom, whatever you're more comfortable with." She walked over to her dresser, picked through a drawer, and lifted out a folded bundle of clothes. Then she grabbed the strap of Plagg's duffel bag, hoisted it on her shoulder, and climbed down the stairs.

Adrien squatted next to his duffel bag and pulled out his favorite Ladybug pajama pants and a soft white t-shirt. As he changed out of his day clothes and into his sleep wear, he started to feel the exhaustion he earned that day. He balled up the dirty clothes, shoved them into a corner of his duffel bag, and then hoisted the bag up to Marinette's loft where he hid it next to Marinette's bed. He climbed back down and eyed the chaise lounge, which already had a pillow and fluffy pink blanket blanket neatly folded and waiting. He walked over to the lounge and was unfurling the blanket when he heard a knock on the trap door and a muffled voice say, "It's Marinette."

Adrien, not wanting his voice to carry at all to the rest of the house, went to the trap door and opened it, blanket still in hand. Marinette's head popped through the trap door and she climbed inside, wearing soft pink pajamas with a button down top and white piping at the hems and cuffs. Once she had closed the trap door, and stood to look at Adrien she put a hand to her mouth and giggled. "Nice pants."

Adrien struck a heroic pose, still clutching the blanket in one hand, and overtly preened. "They are the best pants. In fact," He looked at her with an evil glint in his eye. "They're the cat's pajamas."

Marinette clasped her head and collapsed theatrically. "No! How could you? I thought our friendship meant something!" she whisper yelled.

Adrien laughed as he wrapped the blanket around himself and then reached down to help Marinette up. Marinette snorted, then her eyes widened. "I hope you don't think you're sleeping on that." As she pointed to the chaise lounge.

Adrien adjusted the blanket on his shoulders, "Well, yeah. You got it ready for me, didn't you?"

Marinette put her hands on her hips, "No! I got it ready for me and you get my bed!"

Adrien crossed his arms and shook his head, "Look, as much as it might cramp your natural hostess style, I'm not taking your bed from you. This will work just fine."

Marinette walked up to him and poked his chest. "Normally I'd agree to that if you wanted, Kitty, because my lounge is quite comfortable, but not today for two reasons." She lifted a finger, "One. You have officially had the worst day I have ever had the privilege to witness in person and I require you to sleep in the most comfortable bed available so I can feel better. And, two," she lifted a second finger. "If for some reason my parents come check on me in the morning, which they usually don't, but you never know, the LAST thing I want them to see, besides the kwamis, is you."

Adrien frowned at her for a moment. He looked at the trap door, and then over at the lounge, then at the loft. He sighed, "Fine. I'll sleep in the bed."

Marinette flashed a toothy grin and swiped the blanket off of him before he could tighten it around himself. "Now go on up, we really need to get some sleep. We do have a big day tomorrow."

At the mention of sleep, he remembered the exhaustion he discovered not a moment ago and found himself yawning.

Marinette yawned in response and began settling herself on the chaise. Adrien climbed up the ladder and crawled under the covers. When his head hit the pillow he smelled a combination of freshly laundered sheets and the general mix of aromas that always surround Marinette Dupain-Cheng. And Ladybug. Adrien felt like an idiot at that. A very warm and cozy idiot. He closed his eyes, eager to leave this day behind him and be fresh and ready in the morning. Yep. He was really worn down. Completely out of energy. His eyes slid open. He looked up at the ceiling and the door to the balcony. He looked over at the pictures of himself and smiled. He looked at the moonlight and ambient glow from the city streaming in from the round window. He was totally and utterly awake. "Marinette? Are you asleep?"

He couldn't see her, but he heard the chaise creak as she shifted and said, "That's not a question you ask a person you intend to let sleep, Adrien. But no. No I'm not."

"Well, I was just thinking, I'm wide awake and I realized I think it's because we really haven't had a moment to really talk since all this started. You know? I just feel like... maybe it would be nice to talk for a bit? And it would help me settle down. If that's okay with you."

Adrien heard Marinette sigh. After a moment, he heard her blankets shift, and her feet thumping on the floor towards him. When they got close he heard the ladder squeak with tension just before her head popped up over the edge of the loft. She rolled her eyes and smiled at him and said, "Yeah, we can talk for a little while. Not too long, though."

"No, of course not."

Adrien was lying face up on the bed with his hands behind his head. Marinette climbed onto the bed and sat close to him with her legs crossed. "So, what's on your mind?"

Adrien chuckled, "Everything. I never expected disarming Hawk Moth and running away from home would amount to the same thing. I'm nervous about tomorrow. I'm wondering if it will be hard to do this and keep my secret identity away from the rest of the world. I'm curious about this whole new, Ladybug/Marinette and Chat Noir/Adrien dynamic we've found ourselves in. There's just so much."

Marinette let out a large breath, then laid down next to him, hands behind her head so they could stare at the ceiling together. "Is that all? I can't imagine why that would be keeping you up." Adrien chuckled, and she continued. "I don't know what else is going to happen, but I can say with 100% certainty that my parents will let you stay here unless they come up with a solution that would be somehow better for you. But they absolutely will look out for your best interests, and you will have a good and safe home."

Adrien barked a rueful laugh, "Yesterday I thought I had one. I mean, it was lonely, but I never felt less than safe." They laid in silence for a moment, at that.

Adrien rolled to his side to face Marinette and said tentatively, "So, I've been wondering, ever since Tikki said…"

Marinette turned to face him. "That I'm hopelessly in love with you?" she deadpanned while turning pink.

Adrien cleared his throat. "Yeah, that. Why did you think Adrien was better than Chat Noir? I mean, I've pretty much been throwing myself at you from the beginning."

Marinette's eyebrows lifted as she responded, "I didn't, Kitty. Adrien just had dibs."

"Dibs?" Adrien said uncertainly.

"Yeah, it almost didn't matter how much I liked and cared about Chat Noir. As far as my heart was concerned, Adrien already had dibs."

"Alright, how did Adrien get dibs?"

"Well, I messed up. I messed up pretty badly, honestly. Adrien was a new kid at my school and the girl who did everything she could to make my life difficult spoke very highly of him. I compounded that with the fact that he was rich and famous and assumed the worst."

Adrien laughed, "In your defense, it did look like I was putting gum on your seat."

Marinette's eyebrows drew down in stubbornness. "Yeah, but that's not the point. If I hadn't already decided you'd be just like Chloe, when you tried to tell me it wasn't you and you were trying to remove it, I'd have heard you out because I knew there was another possible culprit in the room already."

Adrien conceded with a shoulder shrug.

"Anyway," Marinette continued, "I messed up and wrote Adrien off as a jerk, and even still, he wanted to be my friend. He chose to get rained on, perfect hair and all, so I wouldn't have to." She smiled wistfully. "It was hands down the sweetest thing a stranger had ever done for me. That was it. I was a goner ever since."

Adrien tried his best not to gape at her. "That was, um. That was a long time ago."

Marinette said matter of factly, "Mmhmm, it was. Then there was Chat Noir. In the beginning he was enthusiastic, but also a flirt and a showboat. Over time, I learned he was also very sweet, loyal, determined, and resourceful, but still a flirt and a showboat."

Adrien frowned. "Was I really that big a flirt?"

"Please. You flirted with Ladybug, Marinette, Rena, and of course, the cameras. All the time. I just assumed you flirted with me so much was because I was in your presence the most."

Adrien frowned further. "I…" He started, then quirked his mouth to the side. "I guess as Chat Noir, I like that I can be showy and draw attention to myself without worrying about how my dad was going to react. I often get the feeling Plagg encourages that a bit when I'm transformed. The flirtiness was just kind of a part of that. I'm sorry."

Marinette chuckled at him. "It's okay, Kitty. I'm not mad or upset about it. It's just that you inadvertently sent me mixed signals, and because of it I never thought your flirting was serious. It wasn't until we had that talk on my balcony that I realized how you really felt about Ladybug." She started playing with the cuff of her sleeve. "So then I started really paying attention to Chat Noir and he was so sweet and considerate, and loyal to a fault and just always has my back and makes me feel safe, and I started thinking, 'Why can't I like him instead?' I mean, Chat's everything I could ever ask for, he loves me, and he deserves to be happy... heck, I love making him happy. It would simplify so much, and I could stop driving myself crazy about Adrien if I could just fall for Chat Noir. But then I would go to school and see Adrien there, and the more I got to know him, the brighter he shined and my heart continued to insist that, whether he noticed me or not, Adrien had dibs."

Adrien had been watching Marinette's fingers toy with her sleeve. He looked up to her face, but didn't know what to say. He watched her smirk awkwardly and blush.

Marinette cleared her throat. "Alright, I told mine. When did you fall for Ladybug?"

Adrien's eyes widened, then he furrowed his brows. "Oh, I guess that's fair. That would have been the Stoneheart incident."

Marinette lifted her head slightly off the bed to give him a perplexed look. "You mean when we were rookies? The first fight?" She let her head plop back down as she listened.

Adrien nodded. "Oh yeah, definitely. More specifically, when you jumped off the top of the Eiffel Tower and then declared war against the forces of evil. That really did it for me." His fingers gently tangled themselves with her restless ones, then he blushed and smiled at her. "I was like, 'Yep. That one. That's the one for me.'"

Marinette laughed loudly, and then remembered her sleeping parents, and covered her mouth and much of her face with her unoccupied hand. Smiling broadly and still chuckling she said, "Well, when you put it that way, it's not hard to see why you liked Ladybug so much better than Marinette."

He watched their hands as his thumb toyed with her hand that he still held. "I'll admit to having polka-dotted blinders, romantically speaking. However, I've always thought Marinette was amazing."

Marinette quirked her eyebrow. Adrien continued. "No really. She's creative, cunning, thoughtful, hilarious, and always trying to make people's days a bit better." He inhaled deeply, and sighed. "Being around Marinette always made me happier. I regularly sought out her company and in some ways her approval, and that was without any idea she was Ladybug." He pulled her hand up to his face by her fingertips, and glanced up at her as he gave her knuckles a small kiss.

This time it was Marinette who wasn't sure what to say, but her face gave her thoughts away by turning red as she chewed her lip and blinked widely at Adrien.

Adrien tucked her hand with his under his cheek like a pillow. "So um, I was wondering - what would you think about changing the nature of our partnership?"

Marinette looked at him owlishly. "What do you mean, 'changing the nature of our partnership?'"

"I mean, what if we were the kind of partners who fought bad guys, prevented general disasters, hung out on rooftops and talked - like we do now - but were also the kind of partners who go on dates together, hold hands at school like it's normal, and maybe occasionally," Adrien cleared his throat, "kiss?"

Marinette giggled nervously through a wide smile. "I think I'd like to try that kind of partnership."

Adrien had always thought Marinette was pretty, but now that he had allowed himself to really look at her for most of the day he could see that she was strikingly beautiful. With that thought, he furrowed his brows and licked his lips. He cupped her jaw with his hand and thumbed her cheek as he leaned closer. Her wide eyes fluttered closed as he gave her a light kiss. She knew it was coming, but somehow the touch was surprisingly soft and warm on her sensitive lips. He pulled back for a moment, also seeming surprised, and then moved his hand to her waist, pulling her in closer, and kissed her firmly. Her hand reached around to grasp the back of his shirt and she pulled them closer still, so there was no space left as she kissed him back. The warmth of their kiss and their embrace felt at the same time exhilarating and like a soothing balm against their troubles. When their lips pulled away, he put his forehead to hers and they shared a giddy laugh.

After a moment of just enjoying his closeness, Marinette leaned over and lightly kissed Adrien's cheek. "Alright, Kitty. We have a lot to do in the morning. We should get some sleep."

Adrien rolled his eyes playfully and nodded. "I know, I know." He stretched and rolled to face the ceiling again, giving her space to leave if she wanted. "But, do you think, maybe you could stay up here? I mean, I'd hate for your parents to poke their heads in here and wonder why you were sleeping on the lounge instead of your bed."

Marinette folded her arms across her chest and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Despite that pitiful attempt to make it sound like the cautious thing to do, yes, I'll stay up here with you tonight. Don't get used to it."

Adrien settled in with his head on her shoulder and an arm around her waist, while Marinette ran her fingers through his hair and kissed the top of his head. She giggled softly and breathed, "The cat's pajamas." She felt him smile, then they both drifted comfortably to sleep.

Chapter Text

Marinette's alarm went off in a tinkling melodious chime. She groaned as she shifted and felt extra weight draped across her. Oh, right. She reached carefully for her alarm and turned it off. "Adrien, it's time to start waking up and getting ready." Adrien hadn't moved since they fell asleep, and at the sound of Marinette's voice he tightened his grip on her waist, then scowled up at her, unconvincingly.

Marinette snorted. "I'm going to get dressed and go when I usually leave for school, and then make sure everybody's ready at the mansion as soon as possible. You and Plagg stay here with Nooroo as long as you can." She untangled herself from Adrien and the sheets and climbed down. Adrien heard her feet thumping across the floor as she went to her dresser to pick out the day's clothes. "I'll be back in a moment!" she called up to him, as he heard the creak of the trap door opening and she exited the room to get dressed in the bathroom.

Adrien pulled himself up out of the bed and headed for the main floor of Marinette's room. He walked over to the kwami corner and pulled the curtain aside. He found the three kwamis curled up under each of their cute, simply designed blankets. Nooroo had a peaceful look on his face and his blanket wrapped up completely around him. Adrien chuckled quietly as he realized it resembled a cocoon.

Plagg and Tikki slept with their blankets loosely draped over them and foreheads touching. Of all the times Adrien wished he could take a picture of his unsuspecting kwami this is the one that burned the most. Adrien would have missed the shot anyway since Tikki stirred and blinked up at him.

"Good morning, Adrien." She chirped pleasantly.

"Good morning, Tikki. How was everybody's night?"

"It went pretty well. Plagg and I took turns every hour checking Nooroo and his distance fatigue. So far he's doing okay, but it is progressing faster than we would prefer. We still have time, just not as much margin for error as we wanted."

At the sound of conversation Plagg and Nooroo also began to stir. Plagg yawned and squinted at Adrien. "Where's my cheese?"

Adrien rolled his eyes at Plagg, "I'll see if Marinette can bring any up."

Plagg smirked. "Right, Marinette. You two sure got cozy last night."

Adrien snorted. "You're one to talk."

Plagg just scowled at him while Tikki giggled into her hand.

Nooroo wiggled in his blanket, his face beaming, but he made no attempt to get out of his tightly wrapped covers. "This is the best morning. It's so comfy! There are friends! Nobody's saying," Nooroo dropped his voice as low as he could, "'Nooroo, explain to me what this passage means again, but make it say what I want it to,' or 'I know you don't approve, so stop looking at me like that.'"

Tikki smiled and shook her head, "The fatigue has made him light headed so he doesn't have as much of his filter."

Adrien coughed uncomfortably. He didn't like thinking about how his dad treated the purple kwami.

Nooroo used the deep voice again, "'Nooroo! Dark wings rise!"

Plagg goggled at Nooroo. "'Dark wings rise?' I thought it was 'Wings rise."

Nooroo closed his eyes and spoke solemnly, "Oh, it is." He looked to Plagg. "Gabriel said he likes it better that way because it helps set the tone he wants to achieve."

Plagg blinked at Nooroo. Then he slowly turned himself to face Adrien. "I'm sorry. I take back all the times I ever called you a drama queen. It's clearly not your fault."

Adrien had to cover a laugh as the trap door opened and Marinette's head popped in the room. She whispered, "Hey guys, breakfast is ready! It took some doing, but I managed to sneak everyone something to eat." She was dressed and looked ready for school, and carried in a tray from the bakery with a plate stacked high with camembert, a large bowl of cashews, and a plate with two large chocolate croissants and a glass of orange juice. I'll grab Tikki's food on the way back through like I do every day. They didn't see the food for the kwamis, but I didn't manage to hide yours, Adrien, so Maman is convinced I'm about to finally have a growth spurt," she giggled.

Marinette looked at Plagg and Nooroo. "I grabbed as much as I could, because this may be it for the day for you two."

She turned to Adrien who pulled her in for a hug. She squeezed him back for a moment, then pulled away to look at him. I will get things set up at your dad's place as quickly as I can. Call me if Nooroo starts fatiguing too fast."

Adrien nodded. "Will do, Bugaboo. Tikki said that it is happening faster than we hoped, but it should be fine if we hurry."

"Alright then, I should get going." Tikki took that as her cue to zip into Marinette's purse. Marinette hesitated a moment, then darted to Adrien for a quick peck on the lips. Adrien laughed, as she scampered down the stairs.

------------------------------

Ladybug stood on an armored car so she could see the doors of the Agreste mansion at a small distance. The radio in her hand crackled to life as an officer said, "We are in position, waiting for your signal." She looked around briefly, to see if anything was out of place. It was weird not having Chat here, but if Nooroo could be absent, that would be for the best. She held the radio up to her face and pressed the button. "Go. And thanks for all your help." It crackled again, "It's a pleasure, Ladybug."

The swat team had already breached the gate and gathered at all the exits of the building. Ladybug hoped their presence would remain a precautionary measure, but knew it would be best to be prepared. She listened and watched as an officer pounded on the front door demanding Gabriel's cooperation and surrender. When there was no answer, two others took the door out with a battering ram, and a dozen men flowed into the building.

Ladybug sighed. Master Fu stood on the ground next to her and nodded as he rubbed his chin. "This was a long time coming. It's an honor to be here as a witness. I'm sorry your partner has to miss it. Though, that might be for the best."

Ladybug continued to watch the mansion as she addressed him. "Did you know? Did you know his father was Hawk Moth when you gave Adrien the ring?"

Master Fu sighed. "No. No, but I wish I had. I'm so glad I did give it to him, even in my blindness."

Ladybug looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Master Fu continued, "Could you imagine how that might have gone if Gabriel Agreste were Hawk Moth and Adrien was just a kind and obedient son? He would have been defenseless."

Ladybug sighed again and reminded herself that it was almost over. Her yoyo chirped. She lifted it to her face and opened the communicator. "Chat Noir, are you on the move?"

His face frowned at her on the screen. "I am My Lady. Nooroo's condition was deteriorating quickly. We need to get as close as we can, unfortunately."

"With any luck, that should still be fine. The swat team just went in and should be retrieving the moth brooch as we speak."

"Good, because we will be within shouting distance shortly," and with that he hung up.

It was a strange matter of jurisdiction. With the Miraculous nullified, this was a matter for law enforcement and Paris's finest were arresting citizen Gabriel Agreste for known acts of terrorism. If the Miraculous were to be functioning, while it's not legally official, everyone knows to let the kids in spandex handle it.

The radio in her hand crackled to life again. "We have retrieved a purple oval brooch from under Mr. Agreste's cravat, right where you said it would be, and are sending it out to you now."

"Thank you, Captain," she responded into the device. She hopped down from the car to the ground where she could pace. They knew where to find her.

Chat Noir vaulted down from a roof to their position with Nooroo holding on to his shoulder. Chat Noir turned to the old man. "Master Fu! A pleasure to see you."

Master Fu smiled. "The pleasure is all mine, Chat Noir." He looked to the kwami. "Nooroo, how do you feel?"

"Still fatigued, though much better than I had been. I don't think I can keep my distance much longer, however."

Just then a member of the swat team came from the house and quickly approached them. Nooroo dove into a bag Master Fu had set down at his feet. The officer handed the brooch to Ladybug. "Here's the brooch we retrieved." Ladybug handed it to Chat Noir so he could show it to Master Fu, who was officially there as a "Miraculous Jewelry Historian"

Master Fu looked at it, then took in Ladybug and Chat Noir with wide eyes. "This isn't it. He still has it."

The officer immediately shouted over his radio, "The item retrieved was a decoy. I repeat the item retrieved was a decoy. Search the suspect immediately for the genuine item."

The order was given just as Gabriel was being escorted outside the mansion. There was a flurry of activity and shouting, and above it all the the three waiting miraculous holders heard Gabriel's voice shout, "DARK WINGS RISE!" Then they helplessly watched the purple kwami zoom from Master Fu's bag to the cuff of Gabriel's left sleeve.

A flash of purple light replaced Gabriel with Hawk Moth. With his Miraculously enhanced strength and speed he was able to swiftly untangle himself from the group of officers who had detained him, sending a few flying in the process. Once that was done he bounded up to the top of the fence, and then to the roof of the Agreste mansion, continuing until he reached the edge of the roof at the highest point.

Chat Noir pocketed the fake brooch to free his hand and turned to Ladybug. "May I take this one?"

With a short nod she responded. "I'll be close by."

Chat Noir vaulted up to join Hawk Moth. By the time Chat Noir was within a few paces from him, he noticed the stream of butterflies had poured out of a window near the roof and were fluttering in a group just behind Hawk Moth, who turned to face Chat Noir. "We don't have to do this, son."

Chat Noir wasn't surprised his father figured out his identity, since Adrien and Nooroo turned up missing at the same time. Maybe it was even just a guess, but it didn't really matter now. "You're right, we don't. Hand me your Miraculous, or just throw it over the edge of the roof, and we can call it a day." Chat Noir showed him a toothy grin. "Maybe we could even see a family therapist. I bet we'd be the favorite patients."

Hawk Moth smirked. "I don't think that will be happening. I don't like people getting into my head" With that, faster than Chat Noir thought was possible, a white butterfly left formation and skipped into Hawk Moth's hands for only the briefest moment, having been blackened at the contact, and darted into Chat Noir's pocket.

When Chat Noir realized what was happening he looked up at his father with wide eyes. "You arrogant bastard!" he shouted right before he felt the odd sensation of the tainted akuma merging with the brooch.

Then in his head, as well as with his ears, he heard, "Purrfection, I am Hawk Moth."

"NO!" Chat Noir shouted and he reached into his pocket and crumbled the brooch, freeing the akuma. "That won't work on me!" he snarled. "I already know you won't be keeping any promises you make me!"

Ladybug had joined them on the roof at a respectful distance. The moment the akuma cleared Chat Noir's space she snatched it with the yoyo and set it free, where it joined the others.

With his mouth twisted in rage, Hawk Moth unsheathed the blade from his cane and lunged at Chat Noir. Chat Noir sidestepped as he deflected the blow with one end of his staff, then turned and slammed the other end into Hawk Moth's back. He heard the telltale chirp of Hawk Moth's Miraculous running low on time. "Besides," Chat Noir said with a grimace. Hawk Moth spun and brought the cane around to strike Chat Noir's head. The hero swung the end of his staff up for a block. "You already chose a name for emotionally manipulating me." Hawk Moth continued the turn and attempted a stab at Chat Noir's ribs with the blade, which Chat slammed his staff down to block. "It's Adrien Agreste!" With that he lifted his staff sharply up and forward and caught Hawk Moth under the chin sending him flying backwards. A few paces away Hawk Moth was sprawled on his back on the ground. He lifted his head and began pulling himself up. "You're a better fighter than I anticipated."

Chat Noir snorted. "I ought to be. It's just one more thing you had me constantly practicing. Give me the brooch."

Hawk Moth righted himself. "Don't you see, son? I was doing this for us. For our family. With the ladybug and black cat Miraculous, I can wish your mother back."

Adrien didn't like that he did, but he hesitated.

Feeling emboldened, Hawk Moth continued. "Everything I did as Hawk Moth, I did it for Emilie."

Anger flared in Chat Noir as he snarled, "Don't you dare think for a moment that Mother would want anything to do with what you've done!"

Chat Noir lunged at Hawk Moth. This time Hawk Moth sidestepped and blocked with the cane while spinning to slice Chat Noir's side, tearing the suit and skin beneath. Chat, now with his back to him swiftly back kicked his father in the chest pushing him back while sliding both hands down to one end of his staff and swung it around rapidly at his torso, like a baseball bat. Hawk Moth partially blocked the blow with his cane, but the force still sent him staggering to the side with a cracked rib. His Miraculous gave out another chirp. Chat Noir pressed his advantage and swung his staff up and over to slam into the hand holding the rapier forcing Hawk Moth to drop it and then shifted direction on the spin and pivoted so the other end came up and across to slam into the same spot on his ribcage he hit a moment before. Hawk Moth fell to his knees.

"THE BROOCH!" Chat Noir shouted.

"Never." Hawk Moth wheezed, bent over his injured side.

Chat Noir coiled his muscles to strike again when suddenly Hawk Moth was wrapped tightly up in a yoyo string and fell over completely.

Chat Noir looked over at his partner, surprised to see her next to him. She smiled sweetly at him. "Hey Kitty. I didn't want to see you do something you might regret later."

He looked down at his battered and beaten father and saw what she had seen coming. "Thank you, My Lady." He looked back over at her and took in her loving eyes and calming smile and said, "Would you care to do the honors?"

She tilted her head at him, "I'd love to, if you don't mind."

Chat Noir bowed deeply as he gestured to Hawk Moth, who was trussed up like a package. Ladybug stepped over to him, grabbed his wrist firmly and removed the brooch from his cuff while he attempted to squirm out of her grasp. Hawk Moth dissolved back into Gabriel Agreste as Nooroo fell out of the brooch. Ladybug pinned Gabriel to his spot with a stare, but had nothing to say to him, so she stood up and unceremoniously hoisted the man over the edge of the roof, and lowered him down with the yoyo string, and with a flick of her wrist distangled him about a foot off the ground where he landed with a thud. Meanwhile, Chat Noir scooped Nooroo off of the roof and pulled from his pocket a handful of cashews, which the kwami happily munched.

The two heros sat down on the rooftop, listening to Nooroo chew and watched Gabriel get handcuffed and loaded into a police car. "Do you think they all know I'm Adrien?"

Still looking over at the activity below, she reached up and rubbed his back, being careful not to touch the gash in his side. "I don't know. I don't think they heard your conversation down there, but there's no way to be sure of that right now. Who knows whether or not your father will keep the secret." She turned her head and looked at him. "It might be best to pretend nobody knows for now, and see what happens."

Chat Noir nodded absently at that. They sat for another moment watching dozens of officers standing around and talking in small groups, packing equipment, and preparing to leave. Then off to the side there was the quiet sound of one person clapping. It didn't take long at all for it to be several people, and then the whole congregated police force was looking up at the two of them, all of them cheering and clapping their hearts out.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were surprised for a moment, but helped each other stand. Chat Noir took a few deep bows, and Ladybug blew several kisses out to the crowd and waved with tears streaming down her cheeks. Then the two of them began clapping in return in gratitude for the support they received. Chat Noir's nose was turning pink and he paused his clapping for a beat or two to rub his eye with his palm. They hugged each other and clapped and waved as the officers finally filed into their armored cars and regular police vehicles and began to drive away.

Once the police were mostly cleared out, Chat Noir extended his baton to reach the ground, grabbed Ladybug around the waist and lowered the two of them down like they had countless times before. Master Fu came over to them and smiled broadly. "That was rather remarkable. I'm so pleased to see that I truly did choose the right people for the job."

Ladybug frowned at that. "We don't have to give our Miraculous back now, do we?

Chat Noir's face fell upon hearing the question. Master Fu smiled and shook his head. "No, that won't be necessary. The ladybug and black cat Miraculous aren't only for defeating other Miraculous holders that have gone rogue. There is so much more you can do, and now that the world knows about these, there may easily be other threats to them just on the horizon. I think it's best to keep Tikki and Plagg with people I already know work very well with them. The only Miraculous I'm interested in collecting from you today, is the moth.

Ladybug opened her palm and held it out to Master Fu who carefully took the brooch. He opened it to find a picture of Emilie Agreste. "I believe this belongs to you," he said as he very carefully removed the picture from the brooch, then handed it to Chat Noir.

Chat Noir held it in his palm as he examined it and sighed. Then he gingerly slipped into his empty suit pocket. "Thank you," he said with a sad smile.

Master Fu nodded at Chat Noir in acknowledgement and then pinned the brooch to his own lapel. When Ladybug gave him a puzzled look he explained. "I wanted to remove Gabriel as Nooroo's current holder and also give him a chance to stay Awake for a time where I can debrief him," Master Fu chuckled, "and also so he can just spend some time relaxing and enjoying himself."

Nooroo happily floated up to Master Fu's shoulder, and took everything in with a wide grin. Master Fu turned to him. "Wayzz is in the bag if you'd like to join him."

"In one moment. I need to do something first." Nooroo floated over to Chat Noir and hugged his cheek. "I'll never be able to thank you and Plagg enough. I hope any time I'm Awake and you are alive that we can be friends."

Chat Noir chuckled. "That sounds like a plan, Nooroo. We'll come visit you and Wayzz soon if that's okay." Master Fu nodded.

Nooroo floated over to Ladybug and gave her the same hug to the cheek. "I'm also eternally thankful to you and Tikki, and I hope we can always be friends too. Oh, and if you come visit, do you think you can bring my blanket?"

Ladybug laughed heartily. "Definitely, we can always be friends, and you will get your blanket," she said with a wink.

Nooroo floated over to Master Fu, turned around to smile one more time to them both, and then disappeared into the bag. Master Fu looked at the two teens. "Well, I guess I'll see you soon. Take care of yourselves." With that he winked, and left.

After watching him go and making sure no one was around, the two detransformed. Once they appeared, Plagg and Tikki both took in the view of the front entrance of the Agreste Mansion.

Plagg looked at Adrien and Marinette and asked, "Did we win?"

Adrien gave a halfhearted smile and nodded.

Marinette reached over and squeezed Adrien's hand and said, "Hawkmoth is done. Nooroo is safe. We'll go visit him soon."

Tikki flitted up to Adrien's cheek and gave him his second kwami hug in a matter of minutes. "That was a very brave thing you did, Adrien. Thank you."

Adrien gave a watery chuckle and said, "You're welcome, Tikki."

She smiled and then flew into Marinette's purse to enjoy her waiting cookie.

Plagg alighted on Adrien's shoulder and surreptitiously leaned against his neck. He cleared his throat and said, "Yeah. I'm um, I'm really proud of you too. If you were somebody else, that could have gone a lot differently." He looked at Marinette and looked decidedly uncomfortable as he said, "And you're not half bad either. Thanks."

Adrien smiled as he reached up and scratched Plagg behind the ear.

Plagg purred for a brief moment before he coughed and said, "I need a nap. Where's my cheese?" and flew into Adrien's shirt pocket, leaving the two teens alone.

"So," Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you want to grab some lunch? I know a great little place nearby, and I am starving."

Marinette laughed, and linked her elbow with his. "That sounds like a date. Let's go!" and off they strolled, leaving the empty mansion behind them.

Chapter Text

One week later:

After emptying his pockets into a grey plastic bin and walking through a body scanner, Master Fu was escorted down a short hall to a room. The opposite wall from the entrance of the room was bullet proof glass on the top half and the bottom half was a row of six desks separated by privacy walls. Each desk has a chair pushed under it and a corded phone mounted to the privacy wall. Gabriel Agreste was seated on the other side of the glass, at the second desk from the left, wearing an orange jumpsuit and hair that was oddly lacking in hair gel.

Master Fu strolled over to the seat in front of the man and made himself comfortable. He picked up the receiver and put it to his ear. When Gabriel did the same, he smiled. "Good morning, Gabriel."

Gabriel nodded at his visitor, face impassive. "Fu. I didn't expect to see you here."

Master Fu shrugged. "I rather doubt you'd expect to see anybody here."

Gabriel scoffed. "It's only been you and that Ladyblogger girl."

Master Fu raised his eyebrows in interest. "Oh, I'm sorry I missed that. I'll have to check my notices for the update."

Gabriel scowled at him. "What do you want old man? Are you here to question Hawk Moth as well?"

Master Fu smiled politely. "Oh, no. Everything I need to know about Hawk Moth I've already learned from Nooroo."

Master Fu let his smile drop slightly. "He doesn't know it, but I actually came here on Adrien's behalf. You see, I have a feeling you know what happened to his mother. Unfortunately, if she's dead there's nothing we can do. We'll not be using the wish to bring her back just to sacrifice someone else. If she's not dead," he paused, "there may be other resources we can use. If it's possible, I'd like to be able to help bring Adrien and his mother back together." He raised an eyebrow at the other man. "I'm here because I don't think he should ever have to see you again to be able to make that happen, if he doesn't want to."

Gabriel leaned on his elbow, and eyed his visitor. After a moment of consideration he answered. "She is not dead," Gabriel said carefully. "Have the kwamis look below the mansion. All the information you need is there. If you can get her back, please? - I need to see her again."

Master Fu's tapped a finger on the desk in front of him. "That would be up to her. Do you think she would want to have anything to do with you after all you did to her son?"

Gabriel shot forward. "I didn't know he was Chat Noir until that day, when I realized both he and Nooroo were missing!"

Fu raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Of course. I'm sure that will make all the difference." He hung up the phone, stood, pushed his chair back under the desk and left without a backwards glance.

------------------------------

Adrien sat on his bed in his room. In his room. Sure, it was a little smaller than Marinette's, but the spare bedroom at the Dupain-Cheng's was still plenty big enough, and they had just finished getting the furniture and all of his belongings put away. He left almost everything back at the mansion, but somehow this room felt so much less empty, and it had nothing to do with clutter. He heard a knock at the door, and heard Sabine's voice (she insisted he call her that), carry through the door. "Adrien! Officer Raincomprix is here to speak with you!"

"Coming!" he shouted as he bounded off the bed and to the door. He opened it and was greeted by Sabine and the red haired police officer.

Officer Raincomprix offered a handshake, and Adrien accepted. "Sorry for the intrusion, Adrien, but there were some things I wanted to speak with you about in person, regarding your situation. May we speak in private?"

Adrien felt a little awkward, but stepped aside and allowed the man in his room. Sabine looked to Adrien. "Just let me know if you need me." He nodded and closed the door as she stepped away.

Officer Raincomprix clasped his hands behind his back. "First of all, I wanted to tell you that Ms. Nathalie Sancoeur's involvement has yet to be determined. If she is cleared of charges she is currently set up to be your legal guardian in the event that Gabriel could no longer serve in that capacity. I doubt this is what he had in mind when setting that up, but here we are," he gestured with his hands. "She has asked us on several occasions to tell you that she says she knew nothing about Gabriel's activities as Hawk Moth and would never have cooperated and is very concerned about your well being. She does ask after you regularly. She says she hopes you will be able to trust her."

Adrien nodded as he let that sink in. "I hope so too."

"The other thing I needed to tell you about, is that I think you should know that Chat Noir, has your back, and probably Ladybug too."

Adrien screwed up his face in confusion at the man, "What gives you that idea?"

Officer Raincomprix smiled. "Well, I was there at Agreste Mansion when they took Hawk Moth down. When Mr. Agreste and Chat Noir were having their showdown on the rooftop, there was a lot of yelling, but most of it was hard to make out. The one thing that we could make out was when Chat Noir shouted at your dad, 'Adrien's the best!'" The officer looked at Adrien meaningfully. "We don't exactly know the context, but everyone I talked to there agreed. That was absolutely the only thing said in that fight any of us could clearly make out." Then to Adrien's surprise, the man winked at him, then continued. "So you see, even though your own dad has let you down pretty hard, there will always be some who are watching your back." The officer looked around the room. "It looks like you've got a nice set up here. That's good to see. Let us know if you need anything. I should be going now. Thank you. For your time." He offered a second handshake, which Adrien returned firmly with a wide smile. With that they walked out of the room, and Officer Raincomprix bid the household farewell.

Adrien shook his head, and remembered that dinner would be ready soon. He quickly found the kitchen where Tom (who also insisted) was just finishing putting his personal flair into the coq au vin on the stove and Marinette was mixing the salad. He looked around and found Sabine carrying the wine to the table. He asked, "Is there anything I can do?"

Sabine gestured with the wine bottle, "be a dear and grab the cheese board?"

Adrien chuckled to himself as he obliged. Of course it would be the cheese. After the flurry of activity the four of them sat for their meal. Adrien was surrounded by the sound of conversation and laughter and utensils on dishes. Dinner had never been so noisy, not even when his mother was around, but it was much closer then. Adrien loved it. "The food is amazing Tom, is there anything you can't cook?"

"You know," Tom rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I'm sure there must be."

Sabine playfully slapped his arm, "Oh Tom, stop it. Adrien, honey, if there's anything you can think of that you would like us to have for dinner, you just let us know. We'd love to try some of your favorites."

"So far so good, Mrs. Cheng." Sabine raised an eyebrow at him. "I mean Sabine."

Sabine smiled warmly. "Much better. Though really, I hope you know that I want you to be as comfortable here as you can, and if it takes a little while to adjust, that's fine. In fact," She looked to Tom, who nodded. "While I know we've mostly covered the bases on this living arrangement, but while we're all sitting here and you're nice and settled in, there's some things that need to be addressed directly." Adrien and Marinette glanced at each other and then gave Sabine their full attention. She continued. "This is your home as long as you need it. We need to you to understand that this has nothing to do with your somewhat sudden romantic relationship with our daughter." Both the teens cheeks turned pink.

Tom nodded to Adrien as he spoke. "We know you're a good kid Adrien. You and Marinette have been friends for some time, and we like knowing about the people Marinette spends time with, so we've been paying attention to you as much as we could ever since we started hearing your name around here." He smirked, slightly. "From what we knew of you before you two started dating, we'd have done the same thing we're doing now."

Tom glanced at Sabine and Adrien wondered if this had been rehearsed as she spoke. "Now, you seem to have a very healthy relationship, and you both seem very mature, but you are both young, and statistically speaking, it's likely that the two of you will eventually break up." She looked to Marinette, "I don't want you two to find yourself in the future feeling trapped in a relationship if he continues to live here long term. If it ends, it ends, and you will both just have to find a way to end it with enough maturity that you can still live in the same house. You will have your own space, and we'll just have to make the most of it." She turned to Adrien, who looked a little pale. "Adrien, I don't know how long you'll need or want to stay with us, once all the details settle out in the courts, but you are welcome here as long as you want to stay."

Tom interjected, "Until you're 40. I mean, by that time, we may have to renegotiate the arrangement. That's still up in the air."

Sabine shook her head at her husband. "Does anyone have any concerns or questions on the matter?"

Marinette and Adrien both shook their heads.

"Good!" Tom clapped and rubbed his hands together with a grin. "Now I can get back to designing your wedding cake." A loud laugh burst out from Sabine, while Marinette squealed, "Papa!"

Once dinner was over, Marinette and Adrien each got in their pajamas and then set about gathering every single spare blanket and pillow in the house for their movie date. Tom grabbed a few from the top of a closet. "Watch out below!" he shouted as he dropped them on top of Marinette's head, instead of her waiting arms.

"Hey!" Marinette shouted, but couldn't keep the grin off her face as she mock pouted.

Sabine laughed at the two of them while she helped Adrien gather up the snacks. "Now don't forget to clean up after yourselves, and have fun, you two."

They carried it all up to Marinette's room and created the greatest pile of soft fluffiness ever to grace a floor. Adrien looked approvingly at their creation. "So, what are we watching, Princess?"

Marinette snickered. "Funny you should say that. Hearing you call me that so much lately has gotten me in the mood for this." She pulled out a copy of Princess Bride.

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "That campy old thing?"

Marinette gasped, and scowled at him. "Admit it, you know you would make a wonderful Dread Pirate Roberts."

Adrien rolled his eyes and laughed. "With pride."

With that, they settled into the pile of blankets, laying on their stomachs, propped up with pillows. Marinette's feet were up wiggling in the air. They had a bowl of popcorn sitting where they could both reach. The kwamis settled in on their own pillow, snacks at the ready and they started up the movie. Around the time the farm boy, Westley, was fetching Buttercup a pitcher from the hook on the ceiling in a quaint little farmhouse, Adrien looked around the darkened room. His kwami was smiling and having fun. The love of his life was watching the screen with a grin on her face. She was the most relaxed he had ever seen her. He basked in the knowledge that they now knew everything about each other. It was better than he'd ever hoped on those cold nights bounding across the Parisian rooftops. At this Adrien allowed a peculiar feeling to really settle in.

Everything was going to be okay.