Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Chloe Bourgeois was sitting in her room scrolling through her phone when the lights flickered and then went out. “Jean Paul what happened to the lights?!” Chloe shouted to her butler but then remembered he was down in the kitchens, overseeing the preparation of her lunch. Chloe sighed, it looked like she would just have to wait. She then hears a knock at her door. “It’s about time, Jean Clare. Also, do you know what happened to the lights?” Chloe asked as she got up and opened the door. The relatively peaceful afternoon was then shattered by her blood-curdling scream.

Soon the police were at the scene and they had to give the news to the public. One of the cops did a small sigh as he took off his hat “We have some unfortunate news to say, the mayor's daughter Chloe Bourgeois was murdered and we are looking to find the suspect for this heinous crime. If you have any information please notify us. The Bourgeois family won't be answering any questions due to them wanting to spend some time together and recover from this tragic scandal.” The news kept going on about the weather and what other news was happening in different towns.

Adrien turned his TV off with an anguished look on his face. Plagg flew over giving Adrian a concerned look. “She was my friend, and now she is dead. Not only that, she was murdered by someone! Why?! Why My Friend?!” Adrian started sobbing. Plagg in a rare show of maturity silently offered Adrian a hug which Adrian eagerly accepted as he continued sobbing.
”Shush shush it’s going to be okay kitten, I know it hurts right now but it will get better with time. Besides, Chloe would say that it was ‘Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous that you are letting yourself get so depressed over this. This calls for a Sailor Moon Marathon’” Plagg said the last part in an intentionally bad imitation of Chloe’s voice to try and cheer Adrian up. He felt a little better, Adrian was lucky to have a Kwami like Plagg.

The news was everywhere and a lot of people were shocked and disturbed that the daughter of the Mayor was killed in her room. Adding to that, there didn’t seem to be any evidence pointing to who did it. Someone was able to break into the Le Grand Paris, Kill an important person, and leave no trace of themselves except the body of their victim, and that person was still out there whoever they were. Paris was experiencing a great deal of fear and uncertainty; it was a wonder that no one was akumatized during that time. The people assumed that Hawkmoth at least had the decency to not use this horrible event to try and steal some dumb magic jewels. They were right in that assumption, Chloe was Adrian's only friend for a long time, she may have been a spiteful girl but she didn’t deserve to be killed and he would not use negative emotion resulting from her demise for himself. It was difficult to resist the urge to though. He was feeling the emotional echoes screaming for justice, begging him to akumatize them for weeks after the incident.

The next morning Adrien got ready for school with a sigh, he didn't want to attend school today, he was grieving his childhood friend’s death for crying out loud. He walked to school and opened his locker to set his bag inside, Plagg did a sigh as he stared up at his friend “Y’know what helps me when I'm down in the dumps? Some Camembert of course!! Cmon, let's get some after school!” he said with a purr as Adrien did an eye-roll
“We can't get some right now plus I don't like Camembert and it stinks” he did a chuckle as Plagg made a noise of protest. Adrien rolled his eyes as he shut the locker door, and began to walk to class. He sat at his usual spot, beside his best friend Nino as he heard the teacher drone on about a subject that didn't seem intriguing.
Nino could see, plain as day, how out of it his best friend was, and he knew the reason. Sure Chloe was a jerk, but she didn’t deserve to get killed like that. Nino could only imagine how devastated Adrien was over the whole thing. After class ended Nino stopped Adrien from leaving just yet. “Hey dude, do you wanna go to that cat cafe, you know the one with the calming lo-fi playing in the background? You look like you need to decompress.” Nino asked Adrien with a friendly smile.
“Sure.”
Alya and Marinette heard this so Alya asked “Hey care if two more tag along?” Alya asks chipperly. Nino casts a glance at Adrien and then replies
“Sorry Dudette but this is going to be just a bro hang out,” Nino responds sheepishly as he and Adrien then leave.
Alya sighed “Well there goes that opportunity but then again Adrien is probably too depressed right now to accept you trying to get with him anyway, what with Chloe going (blah)”
“Yeah.” was Marinette’s monotone reply.
“Seriously, it's so weird to think that Chloe was killed. Sure she was an ass, but I didn’t think she was a big enough one for someone to want to kill her. How the heck did this person even manage the crime? You would think that the daughter of the Mayor would have some kind of security, but nope. Just the standard bodyguards for the hotel. Not to mention I heard a rumor that the police weren’t able to find any evidence, no fingerprints, no camera feed, no DNA whatsoever, and no murder weapon! What, did the thing disappear into thin air?” Alya said as she went on a tangent with the only acknowledgment from Marinette being a cold look in her eyes.
Nino and Adrien sat in the cat cafe and despite the lo-fi filling the air the atmosphere was tense. The waitress took their order and left them to their own devices for now. Adrien sighed “Look Nino You are a good friend and I appreciate you trying to cheer me up but I-”
Nino cut Adrien off “Who said I was trying to cheer you up?” Nino asks calmly, Adrien just blinks
“Isn’t this you trying to cheer me up and get me to move on?” Adrien asked confusedly.
“Did I ever tell you about my granddaddy? He was an amazing man, the reason I love music so much, and when he went to sing with the angels it destroyed me. Everyone saw the cheerful tiny Nino go quiet and they all were trying to bring a happy Nino back. I hated that everyone was pushing me to move on before I was ready. I just needed time to grieve and no one was giving it to me so I retreated further into my shell and when I felt I was ready to move on I came out and showed the sun my smile again. I didn’t bring you here to push you to be happy, I brought you here to let you know that it is okay to grieve. Just know there are people here for you when you are ready to come out of your shell.” Nino finishes with a smile.
“Your friend is right, you know? But there are many ways to grieve, it's just a way to process emotions” The waitress who took NIno and Adrien's orders said as she came back to their table. She wore a soft pastel pink short-sleeved, button-up blouse with a delicate lace collar that nods to vintage aesthetics while keeping her look fresh and modern. The blouse is slightly oversized, giving her a laid-back vibe, with rolled sleeves that allow for ease of movement as she walks between tables with a kind smile. Her high-waisted, light-wash denim skirt flows just above her knees, featuring playful embroidered cats peeking out from the bottom hem—an homage to her love for feline friends. The skirt's soft fraying edges add an artsy touch, making it feel lived-in and unique. On her feet, she sports a pair of white canvas sneakers, perfect for the busy afternoon rush, with pastel yellow shoelaces that add a pop of color. A pair of mismatched socks peeks out, one adorned with tiny kittens and the other with abstract shapes in a pastel palette, reflecting her playful spirit. To complete her outfit, she wears a light denim jacket tied around her waist, featuring small patches of flowers and music notes, echoing her passion for lo-fi tunes. Her accessories are minimal yet meaningful: a delicate silver cat pendant necklace and a few handmade friendship bracelets on her wrist, each representing a cherished memory. With her red hair pulled back into a loose bun, a few wisps escape, framing her face softly in the golden afternoon light. Her gentle demeanor and stylish ensemble make her a sweet presence in the café, where she not only serves coffee but also a sprinkle of warmth to everyone who walks through the door. That included Adrien and Nino, as the waitress smiled she continued “I'm Adelynn Bale, but call me Addie!” she said with a small bow “I'm sorry I don't mean to intrude, but I had to because I was a psychology major in college! I wanna help because it's my job after all, if you’ll permit me.” she said as she smoothes her skirt. Adrien just sits there soaking in what he has been told. It’s okay for him to not be okay, that's what he is being told. For once he feels safe to be himself and he doesn’t even need the mask for that here. With tears in his eyes, he just hugs Nino and thanks him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Alya was walking home after school, and her conversation with Marinette from earlier got her thinking. She had gone after Chloe as Lady Wifi before she was murdered., What if all the chaos she caused was just the distraction the murderer needed to do the deed? Alya brushes off this thought, the murder happened a full 2 days after she was akumatized. If the murderer was going to use her as a diversion, it would have been best to make their move right after she was beaten. She was probably in the clear. But Alya just couldn’t shake the fear that she, however indirectly, was responsible for Chloe’s end.

A few days later, at school, Ms. Bustier’s class gets a new student, Zoe Lee. The class is told that Zoe is Chloe’s half-sister from New York, and this garners reactions ranging from pity to downright suspicion. Zoe wanted to make herself small to hide from her classmates’ judgment. She should have known there would be some kind of trade-off for her family life to improve. Seriously universe, taking her sister before she could meet her face to face wasn’t enough for you? Ms. Bustier has Zoe sit in Chloe’s old seat next to Sabrina. Zoe just quietly goes and sits down. “Alright, class, now that Zoe is settled in, I have another exciting announcement! Our lovely school will be hosting a design competition sponsored by none other than Gabriel Agreste and Audrey Bourgeois. This event will be quite the opportunity for any future designers, so everyone, do your best!” Ms. Bustier announced excitedly.

Zoe didn’t have a lot of interest in participating in the design contest. Not only would people accuse her of favoritism if she entered, but she was just more interested in acting rather than designing. Zoe took a deep breath. Before came here she promised herself that she was going to try and be a more genuine version of herself for her sister. She just hoped people would give her the chance.

Zoe was gathering her things for her next class as she was talking with Sabrina. The girl was incredibly nice and helpful, if a bit too eager to please. Zoe got the impression that Sabrina was feeling a little lost without Chloe around. Despite that, Zoe was happy to have a friend here, it helped dispel her earlier anxiety just a little bit. “Hey Zoe right?” Zoe looked up to see who had greeted her, “Oh, Adrien!” Chloe would go on and on about Adrien over their video calls. Zoe smiled and gave Adrien her full attention. “Listen, I know that this is probably a sore subject, but I wanted to just share my condolences. Chloe was a good friend of mine, and it was hard for me at first. Luckily cats, Lofi, and therapy make most things a bit better. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone, and if you want to talk, I know a cafe with a waitress who gives free therapy along with some amazing comfort food.” Adrien said kindly.
“I appreciate that, Adrien. But I am already receiving therapy, Mother thought it best for the family to work through all our emotions. But I would like to be your friend, Adrien.” Zoe said with a smile.

As Zoe is making her way to her next class, she is pulled aside to talk by Marinette. When they are alone, Marinette gives Zoe a sugar-sweet smile that makes her uncomfortable for some reason she can’t explain. “Zoe, I know you are new here, so there are bound to be things you don’t know, so let me just make a few things clear to you. Adrien is mine, so I recommend keeping your distance. Wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, right?.” Marinette said with a voice of venom cleverly disguised as honey. Well, there goes the hope of a decent school career, Zoe thought.
“So just to be clear, I am pretty sure I’m either Gay or Ace, so I would just be friends with Adrien. Also, if you are dating him and are worried about other girls trying to get with him, you should talk with him instead of cornering the new girl.” Zoe said to de-escalate the situation. She didn’t, if the look of cold fury on Marinette’s face was anything to go by. Then her face went to the sickeningly sweet look it held before, and Marinette started to giggle.
“Oh, Zoe, you should be careful what you say. After all, everyone only sees you as Chloe’s replacement. So they are all just waiting for a single misstep from you to confirm you are the same as your sister, and spreading slander about little old me would be just the catalyst for this entire school to hate you. Just giving you a bit of warning.” Marinette said her message was clear: keep quiet or suffer.
Zoe was very scared now; she felt like a deer staring down a dragon. Marinette was now definitely giving off the aura of a predator just waiting for her prey to make a wrong move. Zoe squeaked out an “okay” and then ran to her next class as fast as she could reasonably go. When Zoe was safe in the classroom, she paused to think about what Marinette said. Did everyone just see her as Chloe’s replacement? As she thought about her experiences throughout the day, that assessment seemed more and more accurate.

It was now a few hours out from the deadline for the design contest, and Adrien was enjoying his time at the cat cafe. A long-haired kitty with a tiger pattern purred away on his lap, and under the table, Plagg was playing with another tiger-patterned cat, this one with short hair. It was one of many experiences within this cafe that had been slowly chipping away at his grief. He still wouldn’t say he was okay. He still had days when he really missed Chloe and just wanted to cry. But Adelynn said that it was normal to have days like that when processing grief. She made it very clear in their impromptu therapy sessions that growth concerning mental health wasn’t linear. As if summoned by him to think about her, Adelynn came over and sat across from Adrien after giving him a cup of coffee with a few snacks and cheeses. She sports a loose, mint green sweater with playful cat ears sewn onto the hood, highlighting her quirky side and love for cute styles. Paired with this, she wears a knee-length, flowy skirt featuring a delicate floral print, reminiscent of cottagecore fashion. For shoes, she chooses pastel pink slip-on loafers, easy to wear as they stroll through town. Her accessories include a simple choker necklace with a tiny coffee cup charm and a few stacked rings that catch the morning light. Adelynn’s red hair is in a messy bun, sprinkled with small, colorful hair clips that give her a youthful, carefree vibe. In her hands, she holds a steaming cup of green tea as she looks up at Adrien. “So what's been happening lately? Does anything help with the tips I have given so far? Y’know, like developing coping strategies and understanding it? Well, it's ok since no one understands it.” she said then sipped her green tea as Adrien began to speak.
“Well, I've been trying what I can with my friends Nino and Zoe. It has been helpful but I don't know if I'm doing this right,” he said with a soft frown on his face. This made Adeylnn frown slightly and then shook her head
“Well I can't tell you how to grieve but I'm just giving you ideas as your therapist” she said as she held Adrian's hands in her own “Grief is like a deep scar on your mind, it can heal over time but it won't ever go away, the grief over your friend will still be there in a form of a scar. This scar will be with you forever but don't let it change you as a person” She softly spoke as Adrien’s gaze went from worried to softening at Adelynn’s words of comfort. Adrien gave a soft smile
“Thank you again, Addy. Your words are quite helpful and I'll use that more often” he said as he felt himself get lighter like all his problems just got easier to handle. Adelynn had a wide grin on her face as she stared into Adrien's eyes
“I'm glad I could help, well that concludes our therapy for the day, and I'll see you next time” she said as she stood up and bowed “I have to close shop for the day but I will hopefully see you tomorrow unless you're busy that day? I know celebrity life is hard and very invasive but our appointments are strictly confidential as you know, I assume you have never been to therapy but you need it, next session I wish to bring up your relationship with your father if that's alright with you” she said as she smoothes her sweater “Remember, there are also support groups that can provide a sense of community and shared experience. Many resources are available for you, you are not alone.” she said with a smile as she stared up at Adrien, she was always happy to help anyone in need whether it be emotional problems or just needing a hand. It was what she enjoyed doing and she likes to call herself a ‘support hero’ whenever she can as a joke. Adrien nodded.
Taking Adelynn’s words to heart as he walked out of the cat cafe and into the car while his servant, Placide I.T., opened the door for him, when Adrien was fully inside the car Placide I.T. went to the driver seat and drove back to the Agreste home. Adrien leaned back in the seat, the leather of the seat creaked softly as he let out a sigh and shut his eyes so he could think over the past events that were happening, everything was going past him in a blur and all he could think about is who in their right mind could murder Chloe. His blonde hair fell over his eyes as he began to go deep in thought as to who he would know would kill his best friend. He so badly wanted to bring justice to his best friend and as Chat Noir, he would do just that. He then saw pigeons flying in formations that were definitely not natural.
“Well looks like our mental health leave has officially ended. Shame, I haven’t been this relaxed in a century.” Adrien heard Plagg say from his shirt pocket. Yep, Time to get back to work.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

Things slowly entered a new kind of normal for Adrien as the weeks passed. Hawkmoth had decided that it was time to end the period of peace after Chloe’s murder, as he had akumatized quite a few people in the last few weeks. The most recent being Simon Says. The return to crime fighting helped Adrien a lot. Which kind of made sense, Adelynn did say that accomplishing things that you enjoy doing was a good thing to do while grieving. Just as long as you don’t use said activity as a way to run from your grief. So he still visited the cat cafe every week, and sometimes multiple times a week. But that advice had honestly made Adrien start thinking about his Father, and how he was dealing with his Mother’s disappearance. He had thrown himself into his work, and distanced himself from everyone after she went missing. He was trying to ignore his grief, and knowing what he knew now about grief Adrien was really sad, and worried about his father.

Gabriel was sitting in his office in the early morning about to get started on the winter collection, since the fall collections were all completed, when he heard a knock at his door. “Come in,” Gabriel said, looking up to see who it was. Adrien then entered. “Adrien, do you need something?” Gabriel asked, slightly confused as to why his son was here, instead of getting ready for school.
“Hello Father, I was wondering if we could talk. Do you have a minute?” Adrien asked hesitantly.
“(sigh) I was going to start on the designs for the winter collection, but I suppose I could spare a minute,” Gabriel answers, slightly annoyed. Adrien just blinks.
“Father it’s only October 14th, why are you already working on stuff for winter?” he asked, seeming confused, and slightly worried.
“I finished the Fall collection. So the next project is the Winter collection. It’s as simple as that. Is that all?” Gabriel asked, completely unbothered.
“Well, I just wanted to ask if you ever considered going to talk to someone, about Mom’s disappearance. Because, well… you are still dealing with it, and I think maybe, you should address it with a mental health professional. I feel like therapy at the cat cafe helped me, and I don’t want you to just be miserable in silence.” Adrien said, making his worry for his Father clear.
“I appreciate your concern Adrien, but I am fine. I don’t need to talk about it. It will all sort itself out soon. Now don’t you have school to get ready for?” Gabriel said, brushing off Adrien’s concerns. Adrien looked kind of upset by this, but didn’t say anything and left. Gabriel sighed, Adrien’s worries were unfounded. He was fine, everything would be fine after he brought Emilie back. He was fine.

Adrien rarely got even upset with his Father, but now he was mad at him. Sure his Father did stuff that he didn’t like. Especially things that directly concerned him, but he knew that many of these things he did because he cared. But this was different. It was so freakin obvious that his Father was still grieving, unhealthily mind you, and he is just trying to ignore it! Plagg chose that moment to speak up. “You know if you're so mad at your dad, we could always mess with him.” Plagg said with a cheeky grin.
“What did you have in mind?” Adrien asked. Usually, he wouldn’t entertain the idea of going along with one of Plagg’s pranks. but he was kind of mad, and was feeling just a liiiittle bit rebellious.
“You know the little hidden cabinet next to your Mom’s portrait?”
“Yeah”
“Well, I was thinking we could take something from there and see how long it takes him to realize it’s gone,” Plagg said mischievously.
“Okay let’s do it,” Adrien replied, as they hurried over to the cabinet. When they got there Plagg unlocked it, and the duo looked to see which thing they would take. Adrien then settled on a grimoire in the back, he slipped it into his bag, and then practically flew into the car, waiting to take him to school. Adrien took several deep breaths, when the car started driving off. He didn’t think that rebellion was supposed to feel like you were about to hurl.

At school another new student was introduced to Mrs. Bustier’s class; Lila Rossi. She was charismatic, and within a few minutes of being introduced to the class, she had befriended almost everyone. She was also personal friends with Ladybug. Zoe is honestly a little jealous of how warm Lila’s welcome was compared to hers, not to mention her confidence. But maybe it would be a good idea to try and be her friend despite that. Zoe made up her mind and went over to where Lila had taken a seat right next to Adrien. ‘Oh boy,’ Zoe thought, she should probably warn Lila about Marinette. Buuuut that’s not the kind of thing you talk to someone about in the first conversation, not to mention Marinette’s threat still lingered in the back of her mind.
“Hey Zoe, how are you doing?” Adrien asked. Oh, Zoe had made it to their desks and spaced out, that's kind of embarrassing.
“Hey Adrien, I’m doing good. I just wanted to introduce myself to Lila.” Zoe said with a smile on her face. “How are you so confident in a new school? I was a lot more stressed when I came here.” Zoe asked Lila.
Lila smiled “Honestly the best advice I can give from my experience is fake it till you make it,” Lila told Zoe. Zoe smiled and thanked Lila, and waved bye to Adrien and Lila as she made her way back to her seat. But her smile faltered when she saw people looking at her funny as they went to sit at their desks. She tried her best to shrug it off as there might’ve been something on her face. She asked to use the bathroom then quickly made her way to the bathroom and checked to see if she did have something on her face but saw nothing.
“(sigh) Nope, nothing there. That just leaves me socially fucking up somehow.” Zoe said to herself sullenly. She had been trying so hard to be a good person, to make sure no one had a reason to hate her. She honestly thought she was doing a pretty good job, what with all her experience. Zoe shook herself out of those thoughts; depression was not allowed here. You can deal with this, you are strong enough. With that thought, Zoe went back to class to see Marinette had arrived. Zoe could handle this…

Adrien did like getting to know Lila. She was fun and had a bunch of cool stories to tell, though he had the feeling that she was exaggerating a good bit. But she was still nice to be around, and if he wasn’t so stressed at losing the book he took he might have been more invested in this park hangout with her.
“Adrien I am about to tell you something I haven’t told anyone besides Ladybug.” Lila started. Okay, he should give her his full attention. “I am the descendant of the wielder of the Fox miraculous Volpina. I wear her pendant everywhere I go and I wouldn’t have known about it without the help of Ladybug.” Lila said
“Well, that is quite interesting.” Adrien and Lila looked up to see Ladybug drop down in front of them. “I must say Lila I’m having trouble remembering just when you told me all of this,” Ladybug said in a casual aggressive tone. “Oh now I remember, IT NEVER HAPPENED! You lied through your teeth about having a friendship with me and I don’t take kindly to people spreading harmful lies about me! So you better stay away from Adrien!” Ladybug let her anger explode at Lila and said girl ran away in shame and fear.
Adrien was shocked by the turn of events and couldn’t help but ask Ladybug wtf. She answered that it was better to disprove Lila having a connection to her for her safety. Adrien didn’t like that answer; it felt more like a weak excuse for just being a jerk and he had a bad feeling that her actions would have consequences.

Adrien was right, there were consequences. Lila had been akumatized after what Ladybug said to her, and she gained illusion powers and caused a lot of confusion. Luckily they had been able to beat her, and Ladybug had tried to make amends, but the damage had been done. Adrien sighed, Lila wasn’t who he thought she was, but despite her lying to him. He couldn’t help but feel bad for her. What was her life like to make her think she had to lie about everything? “Um, Adrien?” He was knocked from his thoughts by Marinette.
“Oh, hi Marinette. Did you need something?” Adrien asked.
“Well, um, this is your book right?” Marinette asked shyly as she presented him with the grimoire. Adrien’s eyes widened.
“Where did you find it? I was sure I lost it.” Adrien asked as he took the grimoire back.
“I saw Lila drop it, and I remembered seeing you with it, so I was just going to give it back to you,” Marinette said, and after Adrien thanked her she left. After she was far from sight Plagg flew out.
“Okay Adrien so I know we were going to prank your dad, but I recognize that book and I think I have to be (groan) responsible and take you to meet someone.” Plagg said. Adrien was confused, but decided to trust his Kwami.

Lila was walking home. It had gotten late, and she just wanted to go home. Suddenly the lights on the street flickered, and then went out. Lila was a little worried now, and wanted to go home that much more. She tried to cut through an alley to get home quicker, but that would prove to be the last mistake she would ever make. For the second time in those past few months, a blood-curdling scream broke the silence of the night.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

The apartment that Plagg led Adrien to had many traits pointing to its owner being of Chinese descent or at least someone who liked the culture. In the center of the room sitting on the mattress, there was an old Asian man in a Hawaiian shirt, appearing to be meditating. After Adrien fully entered the room the man opened his eyes and seemed to stare into Adrien’s soul. Without breaking eye contact with Adrien the man addressed Plagg who had flown out. “Plagg, I told you and Tikki to only bring your wielders here if there was any emergency.” The man calmly reprimanded Plagg
“Okay, buuuut we found something that you should probably know about,” Plagg said to the man in response. The man simply raised his eyebrow, and Adrien couldn’t just stay silent.
“Plagg, could you please tell me who this guy is and why he is staring into my soul?” Adrien asked, a little uncomfortable.
“Basically this is Master Fu, he is the last guardian of the order of the Miraculous, it’s his job to protect the miraculous and their power, all that jazz.” Plagg rapidly fired. Adrien needed a moment to process all of that. Master Fu closed his eyes and just sighed.
“What was it you were saying I needed to see?” Master Fu asked calmly.
“Oh right. (Pulls grimoire out of his bag.) Plagg said that this book was important but didn’t elaborate. So what is it?” Adrien asked as he handed the book to Fu. The man was in clear shock.
“This… This is the ancient spellbook of the Order. I thought it was lost for all time. Where did you find it?” Fu asked, mystified.
“It was in my father’s hidden cabinet. I don’t know where he got it or why it was there.” Adrien answered now, a little concerned as Fu’s expression became more serious.
“I had always thought that whoever had this book was also in possession of the Butterfly and Peacock miraculouses.” Fu pauses letting his words sink in. “Adrien, do you think there is any chance your father is Hawkmoth?” Fu asked, concerned. Adrien just stared at Fu like he had grown a second head.
“Okay my dad may be a jerk at times but he isn’t full-on evil! Not to mention when would he even have the time to sit around waiting for someone to have an outburst? My dad is too busy to do dumb stuff like that!” Adrien ranted, more than a little irritated. Fu calmly raised his hands in surrender.
“I didn't mean to presume, I was just trying to see if we also had a lead into the identity of Hawkmoth. But If you truly think it is someone else then I will not press further.” Fu said, placatingly. “I must say, the rediscovery of the spellbook is something worth celebrating in and of itself. I will start translating it as soon as I can. If you have any questions regarding the miraculous feel free to come and ask. but I imagine you have other things you would like to do this afternoon.” Fu finishes cordially with a smile, also handing Adrien a piece of paper with a phone number on it. Adrien didn’t really have anything today but he should probably get home soon, so he said goodbye to Fu and made his way back to his house.

Later that night in a back alley of Paris Officer Roger Raincoprix is overseeing the investigation of another murder. This one of Lila Rossi, daughter of a pair of Italian diplomats. Roger had a bad feeling that this was the same killer that went after Chloe, and yep a similar M.O. Power out at the scene of the crime, it happened quickly, and no sign of the murder weapon. The differences between the two murders were also interesting. Chloe’s wounds had suggested that she had been stabbed by something through the heart, while here with Lila it looked like something blunt was used to beat her around her mouth and neck. Was this killer just a psychopath of opportunity or were they trying to send a message? Roger didn’t know but he did know he would have to announce this to the parents and the people.

It was the next day and Adrien was ready for another day of school when his father called him to his office. Adrien didn’t know what this could be about and was a little concerned, but went anyway. When Adrien opened the door to his father’s office he saw said man sitting at his desk with Nathalie standing beside him, both looking serious. “What did you want to talk with me about Father?” Adrien asked, just the slightest bit hesitant.
“Adrien, would you like to explain this to me?” Gabriel asked calmly as Nathalie held up a tablet playing a recording of Adrien taking the grimoire and booking it.
Frick, he forgot about the prank. “Sooooooo, that was supposed to be a prank. You know, see how long it took you to notice it was gone, and you seem to have noticed pretty quickly.” Adrien explained, kind of guiltily. Gabriel narrowed his eyes.
“You are not someone who usually partakes in rebellious acts. What brought this on.” Gabriel asked with an even tone.
“I was and still am mad at you for brushing off your mental health. It’s a very real issue, and it was frustrating that you were just trying to ignore it.” Adrien admitted, some of his frustration leaking into his voice. Gabriel sighs.
“Alright, if you are that worried about this topic I will think about finding a therapist. Now I would like that book back now that we sorted out this misunderstanding.” Gabriel said, Adrien then tensed.
“Sooo funny story, I kind of don’t have it. “ Adrien said sheepishly.
“You lost it?! (Adrien looks up guiltily) Adrien do you have any idea what that book was?! (deep breath) You will not leave this house except for appointments that cannot be done here and even then you have to stay within ten feet of your bodyguard. Is your punishment clear?” Gabriel said, trying to contain his anger.
“Yes Father,” Adrien said sadly as he went back to his room. Once there he just flopped down on his bed and muttered “Thanks a lot Plagg.” The mentioned kwami could only rub the back of his head sheepishly.

After Adrien left Gabriel opened his computer to start today’s work. He would need to call Adrien’s teacher and ask her for the next month’s school assignments, see what appointments could be rescheduled or moved to the house, and he would need to contact the cat cafe lady, to see if she did house visits. Not to mention all of his normal work. “Are you sure that was the best course of action, sir?” Nathalie asked, breaking Gabriel’s train of thought.
“He needs to know irresponsible actions have consequences. Not to mention this. (pulls up an article titled Italian diplomat’s teenage daughter found murdered in Paris.) This is the second incident, what if next time it is Adrien? I don’t want to bring Emilie back just to then have to tell her our son was killed.” Gabriel tries to explain calmly but towards the end, his composure cracks a little.
“I don’t think Emilie would be very happy coming back to find her family broken either. Your son is right sir, you work like there is no tomorrow and that’s not good for you.” Nathalie said.
“I take breaks, Hawkmoth is my break.” Gabriel tries to defend, but Nathalie just gives him an unimpressed look. Gabriel sighs “What would you have me do then?” Gabriel asks, sounding a bit defeated.
“Talk to your son! A proper father-to-son conversation. You share what’s on your mind and let him share what's on his, Make sure you aren’t sacrificing your relationship with him to bring Emilie back.” Nathalie said as if she had been holding that rant in for a while.
“Alright, I will go and do that after Adrien has had some time to gather himself.” Gabriel acquiesced.

A little while later Gabriel walks to Adrien’s room. Adrien had left the door open so he let himself in and sat down next to his son. “Adrien, You know I am not doing this just to be cruel right?” “...” “(sigh) I suppose that that is fair. I found that grimoire with your mother on our trip to Tibet, so as you can imagine it held a great deal of emotional value even if I can’t truly read it.” Gabriel explained.
“I didn’t know you and Mother went to Tibet,” Adrien said curiously.
“It was before you were born, only just after we had married,” Gabriel said with a soft smile on his face.
“I can try to get the book back, I had given it to a person who said they could translate it. I’m sure If I explain the situation they will return it.” Adrien said, hoping he could fix the situation.
“Are you just saying that in hopes of getting ungrounded?” Gabriel asked, eyebrow raised. Adrien looks guilty knowing he was caught. “(sigh) I will admit I was a little harsh with your punishment. I may have worried you wouldn’t make good decisions and that would get you hurt. After all, in recent months the world has proven itself to be a dangerous place. But it's not fair to you to hide you away for fear of something happening so you may go to school and the cafe. (Adrien brightens) But your bodyguard must always be present whenever outside of those locations, that's non-negotiable.” Gabriel finishes.
“Thank you, Father,” Adrien said as he hugged his dad. Things weren’t perfect but that was okay because all they could do was try.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Adrien would be honest, yesterday was emotionally a lot so it was a good thing that he and Adelynn had scheduled a therapy session today. Cause there was just a lot he felt he had to talk about. He entered the cafe and was embraced by the comforting, lofi filled atmosphere. Almost all the cafe cats perked up at his entry and ran over in hopes of getting pets. “I seriously think you are some kind of cat prince with how ALL of my cats seem to just flock to you.” Adelynn said with a teasing tone as she walked over.
“What can I say, I’m paw-some.” Adrien replied with a cheeky grin.
“Alright you came here for therapy, so let’s get on that.” Adelynn said as she led Adrien to a more private room for their session. Little did they know someone was staring at the cat cafe, trying to think of a way in.

When Adrien stepped into the private room he was not expecting to see a caracal laying sprawled on the carpet. Yet there was a male caracal in all its glory. “Well that’s certainly not your usual cafe cat breed right there.” Adrien said not really sure how to process this.
“Oh, yeah this is Hunter. He was a rescue from an animal trafficking ring. He’s kind of shy so he tends to hang out in the back or in the private rooms. I can move him if he is making you uncomfortable.” Adelynn offered just as Hunter got up and stretched. His eyes then locked with Adrien’s and Hunter cautiously went up to sniff the strange person. The boy smelled like a fellow cat and one that was going through a lot right now to boot. So Hunter rubbed up against Adrien’s leg conveying comfort and companionship to the best of his ability.
“He can stay if he wants, he seems nice and It feels rude to uproot him from his spot.” Adrien replied after getting his leg nuzzled by Hunter. Adrien thinks he hears Adelynn mutter something along the lines of definitely a cat prince. They then sit down with Hunter making himself comfortable at Adrien’s feet.
“So would you like to tell me what has happened with you recently and we can go from there?” Adelynn asked patiently.
“Yes, I would like that. So two days ago a new student was introduced to my class, Lila Rossi. She seemed nice and I was kind of becoming friends with her. But then when we went to hangout at the park during our free period Ladybug came and just humiliated Lila. Revealed that she had lied about a few things and just generally tore into her. Which was kind of disturbing for me to watch. I mean I really admire Ladybug and seeing her just verbally destroy someone like that was a real shock to the system. I also was wondering why Lila felt the need to lie to make friends.” Adrien explained.
“It could be that she had somehow developed Compulsive lying disorder and that can be caused by any number of things: low-self esteem, social anxiety, childhood trauma, or it could have been a symptom of a larger mental disorder.” Adelynn theorizes.
“Well we will never know now, someone killed her that night and that's really sad. I know I had just met her and didn’t really know her well but it’s really upsetting that she died before I could really get to know her or help her. I wonder if this is how Zoe feels about Chloe's death?” Adrien thinks aloud.
“That is possible, You mentioned before that Zoe had only been able to talk with her sister over video calls before her death. It is very possible that Zoe didn’t feel she knew Chloe as much as she would have liked. That could be a good thing for the two of you to talk about the next time you see her. Is there anything else that happened within the last few days you would like to talk about?” Adelynn asks.
“Yeah, so the day I met Lila I had also tried to prank my dad because I was mad at him for ignoring his mental health. It kind of backfired. So you know the prank where you take something off a person’s desk and see how long it takes them to realize it’s gone? (Adelynn nods) Right so I kind of did that with a book my dad had in his cabinet but I lost the book and literally the next day he is calling me to his office to talk about it. So yeah he was pretty mad about that and grounded me. We did end up talking it out, I learned that my dad and mom had found that book on a trip to Tibet. He also admitted that the recent killings had him just a little spooked.” Adrien explains.
“I remember you mentioning before that your father had always been kind of strict and protective, and that after your mother’s disappearance he had been even more strict and a bit more distant.” Adelynn recounted.
“Yeah I am pretty sure that his behavior is a grief and trauma response. I tried to talk with him about it but he didn’t seem all that interested in dealing with it. Kind of what brought on the whole ‘steal the book incident.’” Adrien clarified.
“Adrien you can’t force someone to get help if they don’t want it or don’t think they need it. Many people see having to get therapy as a weakness. It takes a lot of strength to admit you have a problem in this world and it takes a great deal more to seek help for it. Improving one’s mental health often requires the support of friends and family to see progress.” Adelynn explains.
“So you're saying I need to be patient with my dad and let him know I am here for him?” Adrien asks.
“Exactly, But let's remember that this is your therapy session. Is there anything else you would like to talk about before we move on to the topic of things you can do moving forward?” Adelynn asked cheerily.

Hunter watched the pair of humans contently as he felt most of the boy’s hurt and turmoil be lessened. Hunter had always admired his caretaker’s ability to create a comfortable environment and make any being feel safe in her presence. Hunter occasionally felt guilty that he couldn’t exude that same comfort that Adelynn and seemingly all the other cats in the cafe could. He knew why he couldn’t though, he doesn't trust easily, he can’t hang around strangers without getting nervous, and on some level he is still a wild animal. He is knocked out of his thoughts by a sound that causes his ears to twitch. Adelynn and the boy didn’t seem to notice the sound. Hunter calmly got up and moved over to the door where he leaped up and pulled down the handle. He slipped out the room and pushed the door closed behind him. Once outside the private room he sniffs the air and lets out a quiet growl. He knows that desire to obtain a prize, it’s the same stench the men who trafficked him exuded. Hunter may not be able to effortlessly bring comfort but what he can do is protect this sanctuary from those who would defile it.

Marinette had slipped into the cat cafe pretty easily. No one was paying her any mind as she scanned the main room for Adrien but he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She thought that might be the case, he was coming here to get therapy. But it was still inconvenient. She needed to know what Adrien thought about her, what he preferred in a girlfriend, what he wants, and what he thinks about. She needed to know all of this if she was going to get with him, buy a house, have three kids, and a hamster. Okay focus on the current task; find out where Adrien is currently. He probably wouldn’t want his therapy to be seen by just anyone and there were a good few other people in the cafe so he is probably in one of the backrooms. But how to get there, she could try borrowing one of the employee uniforms and then just check all the rooms around back, yeah that's what she would do. Marinette spotted a closet with the uniforms and just as she was about to snag one she heard growling. Marinette turned towards the sound and came face to face with a caracal staring at her like she had killed its entire family.

Hunter stared down the girl who stank of desire. She had been reaching for the garb of one of the workers. She was going to infiltrate the cafe! Hunter didn’t know what prize this wretch wanted to claim but he would make sure that she could never get the chance to claim it. Hunter let out an ear splitting yowell that turned every head in the cafe, human and cat towards Hunter and the girl. Hunter made sure to act as distressed by the girl’s presence as possible, which was not hard. One of the waiters then noticed the girl's hand still out stretched to grab a uniform. “Hey, were you trying to steal one of our uniforms? That's grounds for being banned.” the Waiter said angrily, the other patrons and the cats all seemed to get defensive at this girl daring to break the serenity of The Calm Cat cafe. Marinette decided it wasn’t worth this drama and just left.

Hunter watched the wretch go with a satisfied look on his face. The waiter came over and gave him a treat for catching the girl before she could do anything bad. He was happy, this is what he could do for the cafe, protecting those who call it home. Hunter then sees Adrien walk out of the private room with Adelynn, and those who come to find peace.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Sooo considering how crazy Adrien’s life usually is, his first day back at school after fall break was pretty good. Heck, fall break itself was pretty chill too, with only 2 villains popping up during that time. Back on track, school itself was pretty normal, classes, talking with his friends, the works. After school there was also the fencing tryouts for the new season. He met a really great fencer named Kagami and even if she got akumatized and Adrien had to fight her as Chatnoir he was excited to be her friend.

Tomoe Tsurugi hated being woken up, especially when she had been working late and had only just fallen asleep. Tomoe signed as she got out of her bed. She knew she would be unable to fall asleep again until she addressed whatever woke her up. It had sounded like someone had opened a window which was strange. Her staff knew she preferred all the widows to be closed at night. Tomoe then heard that same window be closed and a pair of unfamiliar footsteps walk away from said window. Tomoe frowned as she continued her silent approach. So an intruder thought they could invade her home that easily? Laughtable, but what was this intruder after? Tomoe decided that she had enough humoring this intruder, She cut them off and raised her bokken. “I do not know what your intentions here are intruder. But know that I will put a stop to them here.” Tomoe said calmly. Judging by the flinch she felt through the floorboards the intruder was surprised at being caught but quickly shifted into a stance. Tomoe waited patiently for them to make the first move and felt a sudden shift in the air. They threw something, Tomoe dodged. She felt the intruder's weapon wizz by her face then wizz past again. So it was an easily recallable ranged weapon, perhaps that would mean their close range combat skills would be lesser. Tomoe then lunged forward, striking her opponent in the abdomen sending them off balance. It appeared she was right to assume the intruder was not a skilled close range fighter. Tomoe tried to press her advantage and knock the intruder out with a head blow from the hilt of her bokken, but the intruder dodged and put distance between themselves and Tomoe. Tomoe wasn’t going to let the intruder get away though and viciously pursued them. The Intruder tried to lash out with their weapon again but Tomoe caught it out of the air and used it to pull the intruder forward into a brutal knee. Tomoe heard the intruder choke as the air was forced from their lungs. The Intruder seemed to realize they were outmatched and ran for the window they entered from. Tomoe tried to purse but the intruder was using every surface of the hall to dodge her strikes. The intruder was about to escape so Tomoe in a possible reckless attack threw her bokken at the intruder, stunning them and causing them to crash and fall out the window. Tomoe sighs, she was not going back to bed any time soon.

The police arrive half an hour later to take Tomoe’s statement. Roger approaches the blind woman. “Hello Mrs. Tsurugi my name is Officer Roger Raincomprix and I will be the one taking your statement. Now can you walk me through what happened here?” Roger asked as he pulled out a notepad and pencil. Tomoe turned towards Roger’s voice.
“Of course Officer. I had heard a window being opened and closed and then a pair of unfamiliar footsteps walking away from the window. I realized it was an intruder and naturally I confronted them. They seemed to be surprised that I had found them. Clearly they didn’t realize how sensitive a mother’s ears are, much less the senses of a blind woman. I fought the intruder and drove them off and as they were about to escape I threw my bokken at them causing them to fall out the window. I didn’t hear any impact of them hitting the ground so I can only assume they got away.” Tomoe explained.
“Can you give any kind of description of the intruder? Any details you can remember could be useful.” Roger said.
“They were light on their feet, and very agile. Their weapon was a rounded disk I think attached to some kind of cord. They seemed young too, not only were they small but the way they ran as soon as they realized they were out matched spoke of inexperience.” Tomoe recalled.
“Do you have any idea what they could have been trying to do before you confronted them?” Roger asked.
“I can’t say for sure but considering the direction they were going, I think they were after my daughter. Her room was the only place of note in what I guessed to be the intruder's path.” Tomoe reasoned.
“If your daughter was the target then it’s possible that this intruder was the same person who killed two other girls in the last few months. It’s a good thing you intervened when you did, I fear for your daughter if you hadn’t.” Roger said. He had a lead now on the murderer; he just had to stay on this trail.

Elsewhere a lone figure was nursing their wounds. How had that blind woman known they were there? Better question, how did that blind woman bet them? They were no stranger to fighting strong opponents so how did they get beaten so badly? The woman pulled them into a close quarters fight. They were used to laying plans and fighting from a distance, so when thrown in an up close and personal fight they fumbled. They wouldn’t let that happen again, looks like they would need to do some training.

Adrien had just gotten up from a good night's sleep. He thought that it should just be a normal, good day. He got up and got dressed for school and headed down for breakfast. He should probably check on his dad and make sure he is doing okay. Adrien walked down to his dad’s office and was about to knock on the door when he heard his dad talking to someone. “Yes, I understand completely Tomoe. These recent murders have made me very worried over Adrien’s safety as well. But I am glad you are alright. Goodbye Tomoe.” Gabriel said, seeming to have just finished a phone call with someone.
“This is getting concerning sir, Kagami almost became the third victim if it weren’t for her mother. I think something should be done sir.” Nathalie’s voice said.
“Yes, we should at least review the estate security. I don’t want anyone to be able to just come in and kill my son while he sleeps.” Gabriel agrees.
“That is a fair concern sir after all Chloe and Lila were Adrien’s friends, along with Kagami. Assuming the attacks were all by the same person Adrien could be in direct danger.” Nathalie contenues.

Adrien doesn’t stay to hear any more; he just runs back to his room. Kagami had been attacked. Someone had tried to hurt her right after she became his friend. Wait… Chloe’s death was pretty sudden and then after he had tried to move forward and befriends with Lila she died too. There was also his mother’s disappearance, he held out hope she was alive but she probably wasn’t. That's three girls in his life dead and Kagami would have joined them if her attacker succeeded. “Plagg?” Adrien called tentatively. Plagg flew into view with a puzzled look. “Do curses exist?” Adrien asked.
“Well it depends on how you describe a curse. If you just mean magic somehow being responsible for a person’s misfortune then yeah.” Plagg answered. Adrien’s expression grew concerned.

Later at school it was free periode and Kagami went to find Adrien to hang out. She didn’t really know what to talk to him about. She was just excited to have a friend, and wanted to spend time with him. Kagami spotted him sitting on a bench and went to sit next to him. “Hello Agreste, how was your day?” Kagami asked in her version of a chipper tone. Adrien’s head snapped towards her.
“Kagami are you okay? I heard you were attacked last night!” Adrien asked, slightly panicked. Kagami blinked.
“I am fine, I wasn’t attacked last night. Someone just broke into my home and my mother swiftly dealt with it.” Kagami reassured but noticed Adrien still seemed distressed by something. “Is something wrong Adrien?” Kagami asked gently.
“I-I don’t think you should be around me. (Kagami raised her eyebrow) I-I know it probably sounds stupid or crazy but I think I am cursed so all the girls in my life die.” Adrien said and then proceeded to explain why he thinks that. Kagami listened intently, analyzing all the information. “So yeah I don’t want you to get hurt because of me so please just keep your distance, Okay?” Adrien pleads.
“Alright, I will be careful Adrien.” Kagami said and then left. She didn’t think for a second Adrien was cursed but there did seem to be something going on. 2 girls close to Adrien died in the last few months. She would have to ask around to confirm her suspicions but she was pretty sure Chloe Bourgeois and Lila Rossi were killed by a yandere.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7

After questioning friends of both Chloe and Lila, Kagami had her suspicions confirmed. Both Chloe and Lila seemed to be romantically interested or portray an interest in Adrien. Thus painting a target on their backs, assuming this killer was a yandere and not just someone who had a thing for killing teenage girls with important parents. Okay, maybe she should include that as a possibility while investigating. Yes she was planning to investigate the murders. Adrien was her first real friend and he deserved to live without the fear of his friends and family just dying. But Kagami knew she would need some help to unravel this mystery.

“Cesaire, I need to speak with you.” Kagami told a surprised Alya. “Privately.” Kagami adds. Okay, yeah, that doesn’t make Alya worried what so ever, nope. Against her better judgement Alya follows to a deserted hallway. “Cesaire, you are interested in investigative journalism, correct?” Kagami asks once alone. Alya is a little surprised but answers.
“Uh, kind of? I mostly just blog about Ladybug’s exploits. Why?” Alya said, curious now.
“I would like your assistance in investigating the murders of Chloe Bourgeois and Lila Rossi.” Kagami states, Alya’s eyes widen.
“Nope. No. Not doing it, not my problem.” Alya said and tried to turn and walk away but Kagami stopped her.
“You are the girl who will run right into danger for the sake of a story. Why do you shy away now?” Kagami asks, her tone becoming more animated.
“Listen for my own sanity I don’t want to know who killed Chloe because that will open up a whole new can of worms that I don’t want to think about.” Alya said, thinking about her personal fears surrounding Chloe’s death. Kagami sighed.
“One is happenstance. (Alya looks up) Two is coincidence and three's a pattern. If my theory is right I would have made it a pattern.” Kagami said, looking straight into Alya’s gaze. “I don’t know what fear you hold concerning this mystery but people deserve to know the truth so please Alya Cesaire help me uncover the truth.” Kagami pleads with as much emotion as Alya had ever seen from the girl.
“Alright where do we start?” Alya asks, Kagami gives her a thankful smile.
“I suspect that Chloe and Lila were killed by one of Adrien’s fans.” Kagami stated. Alya bluescreens for a moment.
“Okay you can’t just say that out of the blue! What even is your reasoning?” Alya asks after regaining conscious thought.
“Adrien’s fans are many and passionate, with many having crushes on him and fantasies of a life with him.” Kagami explained.
“(sigh) Don’t I know it” Alya said thinking about her best friend.
“My theory is that one of said fans took things too far and eliminated their perceived competition for Adrien’s affections.” Kagami continued, as Alya blue screened again.
“(sigh) Alright then. Let’s start gathering evidence.”

The first thing the two girls did was compile the info the police already had on the murders. They hoped that they could have a fresh perspective or see something the police missed. They didn’t, the two girls could now understand why the police were having such a hard time finding this guy. They left nothing but the bodies of their victims. It was a good thing that Kagami’s mother Tomoe had an encounter with the murderer. It gave them a little bit to work with. Tomoe said that the intruder she encountered seemed to be a teenager. It wasn’t a lot but it could be used to narrow down the suspect pool, speaking of which…

Kagami and Alya stood in front of the Agreste Mansion waiting to be let in. It was a good thing Kagami was able to get her mother to arrange this meeting between them and the Agreste secretary Nathalie. The two girls were let in and led to one of the sitting rooms to speak with the secretary. Said woman walked in seconds later. “You girls had some questions for me concerning the screening process for Adrien’s fan club members?” Nathalie asked. Alya and Kagami had decided that this would be the least suspicious way to learn about the suspect pool. It would not have gone well if they just said ‘Hey we think one of Adrien’s fans is a yandere and killed two of his friends. Anyway can we see the fan club member list?’ That might have labeled them as crazy.
“Yes, we had just been doing some research and learned that famous people can attract some not great people as fans. So, we just wanted to make sure Adrien was safe and stuff.” Alya reasoned.
“That is very thoughtful of you girls. The official Agreste fan club and making it a safe environment is something we take very seriously. As such all people who want to become members must register with their full legal name, date of birth, and current email address. After inputting this information on our website, we check the person's identification to ensure it is real. Then we run the name through several databases to see if the person has a criminal record or otherwise troubling history. If the person does ping one of the databases we look deeper into that person, see what the incident was and if they had received the proper help. If the person is deemed safe to join then we send them the membership information which lets them see dates and times for club meetings.” Nathalie explained.
“So you're saying that all you members are standard upstanding citizens?” Kagami asked.
“Yes all members of the club are as you described but mind you there are fans who are not members due to behavioral issues so be aware.” Nathalie elaborated. The girls thanked her and then left

“Man, I seriously thought we would have more Info at the end of the day. But, nope. We only know a tiny, miniscule amount more than the police do.” Alya said as she stared at the annoyingly sparse corkboard. The board in question only having copied images of the two crime scenes, a picture of a shattered window, a picture of Adrien, and a slip of paper with ‘Yandere?’ scribbled on it.
“We are working with very little information and I fear we won’t find any more without the killer striking again.” Kagami stated, her expression pinched.
“Yeah, well I was going to try making a theory blog to see if any other people know anything about the murders. But I need to get going, family game night waits for no one.” Alya said.
“Very well Cesaire, I hope you do well at family game night.” Kagami told her as Alya waved bye and made her way home. After Alya had left Kagami allowed herself to stew in her frustrations. Come on universe, she just needed something concrete! A solid lead to follow! Anything so she can give her first real friend closure!

Elsewhere, halfway across the city Hawkmoth sensed a turbulent storm of distress and frustration coming from someone young. He turned his focus to that storm to observe the emotional echoes. Someone trying to uncover the murders? Hawkmoth frowned, that was kind of disappointing. All that frustration and negative emotion and he couldn’t use it because of a promise he made to himself. He was about to move on and ignore it when one of the emotional echoes hit him differently. He stopped and examined that feeling more closely. The desire to learn the truth not for herself but to give her friend peace of mind. Hawkmoth pushed a little harder, trying to determine who this friend in need of closure was. After a moment the person was clear, Adrien, his son. Hawkmoth stopped to consider for a moment. He knew his son was hurt by both murders and there was the fear that the murderer of his friends would seek him out next. So, for the first time in his life since his wife died Hawkmoth decided to do something selfless, just this once for his son…

“Postcogniter, I see you are having trouble with your investigation of some murders, I’m giving you the power to look into the past to catch the one responsible, I ask for nothing in return.” Kagami heard the voice of Hawkmoth say to her. Why would Hawkmoth give her the power to solve the mystery for nothing? She remembered when he made her Riposte and demanded the magic jewelry in return for her power. So why would he ask nothing now? Then Kagami asked herself a question. Does it really matter? She was being given the opportunity to find out who killed Chloe and Lila and free Adrien from his fears.

“Alright. I accept your power Hawkmoth.” Kagami said resolutely, determination gleaming in her eyes as she was transformed.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8

On a normal day in the Le Grand Paris the staff wouldn’t bat an eye at a new person walking through the door. But if that person is a teenage girl, with purple skin, indigo hair and eyes, with black sclera, and wearing a japanese psychic's outfit, then that's probably an akuma. That would cause the staff to panic, along with everyone else.

Postcogniter frowns to herself seeing everyone leave the building in a panic. Looks like she would be on a time limit. She was originally going to be more thorough, observing the days leading up to the murder. But she would just have to settle for observing the murder itself. As Postcogniter made her way up to Chloe’s room a third eye opened on her forehead allowing her to see everything that happened that day. Postcogniter didn’t pay much mind to the phantoms of the staff, all she wanted was to see who murdered Chloe. Postcogniter finally came and entered Chloe's room just as the lights went out. Postcogniter saw Chloe’s annoyance at the lights going out. Then someone knocked at Chloe’s door. This is it, Postcogniter would know what happened at least for Chloe. The phantom Chloe opened the door thinking it was her butler but instead saw… Ladybug? The phantom Chloe was clearly just as confused but also excited at the hero of Paris being in front of her. That excitement soon morphed into horror as the phantom Ladybug pushed and pinned Chloe down. The phantom Ladybug then started twirling her lucky charm, a knife. “You know despite you making my life a living hell I never considered the idea of revenge, not even after I was bestowed with my powers.” the phantom Ladybug said, her calm voice contrasting with the situation. “But you had eyes for Adrien. Not only that, for a time you were the closest to him. Now I knew that as soon as your monopoly on my prince was in jeopardy you would do anything to sink your claws back in him.” The phantom Ladybug continues, her voice taking on a more menacing tone with each sentence. “So you can understand why I am here now. I can’t allow anyone to threaten my future with Adrien. So farewell Chloe Bourgeois.” The phantom Ladybug finished her obsession clear. As phantom Ladybug lifted her knife high the phantom Chloe let out a blood curdling scream. She was then swiftly silenced as the knife came down.

Postcogniter just stood staring at the grime scene as the phantom Ladybug rose up. Postcogniter was still trying to wrap her head around what she had just witnessed when she blinked and Ladybug was staring right at her. “What's wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Ladybug, the REAL Ladybug said, unaware of what Postcogniter had seen. Said akumatized girl felt terror grip her very being, and despite her usual habit of being non expressive, she was sure that her fear was shown clear as day.
“Postcogniter run!” She heard Hawkmoth shout at her across whatever psychic bond thing they had, and Postcogniter didn’t need to be told twice. She booked it for the window and threw herself out of it. Landing on a nearby roof Postcogniter rolled to disperse the force of her landing and then just started free running. But Postcogniter could tell Ladybug was right behind her in pursuit. “As soon as you are out of sight I will take your akuma so she can not find you! Get somewhere safe!” Postcogniter heard from in her head. Thinking fast Postcogniter jumped down into an alley, picked up a garbage bag, yeeted it at Ladybug who was about to jump down after her, and then while Ladybug was distracted Postcogniter slipped down into the sewers. Once she was safe Hawkmoth took away her akuma like he said he would, reverting Postcogniter back into Kagami. Who now had to reconcile the fact that the hero of Paris was a murder.

Elsewhere Hawkmoth detransforms back into Gabriel with Nooroo floating next to him. “To think my mortal enemy was the true villain all this time. My goals will have to change. The ladybug miraculous can wait, right now we need to find the person who wields it and bring them to justice.” Gabriel said a new resolve filling his heart.

The next day Kagami was in the room she and Alya dedicated to the mystery, writing down all the new information she learned when Alya came in. Alya was a little concerned seeing Kagami in an almost manic state but felt she had to say something. “Hey, so did you have a breakthrough or something?” Alya asked, a little nervous of the unusually subdued girl being so energetic. Kagami’s head snapped up at Alya’s voice.
“Cesaire! I have been presented with the Identity of at least Chloe’s killer if not Lila’s as well!” Kagami said with enthusiasm to rival Alya’s when she had just started blogging about the heroes of Paris. Kagami then pinned a picture to the corkboard and connected it to the picture of Chloe’s crime scene with red thread. Kagami stepped back from the board to reveal that the picture she just added was of Ladybug with the word killer written on the white border of the image. “I know that Ladybug was the one to murder Chloe but we will need some way to see if she was also responsible for Lila’s murder. But even if it was someone else who killed Lila, Ladybug would need to be brought to justice. I have a lead on Ladybug’s identity too. She said something about Chloe making her life a living hell so Ladybug would have been someone around Chloe enough for Chloe to make her life difficult and taking into acountmymother’sassessmentofLadybug beingyoungthatcouldonlymeanLadybugisastudentatFrancoisDupont!” Kagami contenues. Alya was at a loss for words, that had happened a lot since she started working with Kagami. The girl had thrown out a lot of ideas that seemed out of nowhere but this most recent one needed to be addressed.
“Why do you think Ladybug is Chloe’s killer? What even is your Proof of that claim?!” Alya all but shouted, Kagami stopped her rambling and stared at Alya.
“I saw what happened that day, I saw what happened to Chloe Bourgeois, I saw Ladybug murder her.” Kagami answered seriously.
“How?!?! The only way you could have seen what happened is if you suddenly got Timetagger’s powers!” Alya full on shouted now.
“More like I was given the ability to see into the past.” Kagami countered coolly. Alya took only a moment to understand what happened, and as she reached that conclusion an ugly tumultuous mass of emotion churned in her gut.
“No! Nononono You got your answers from Hawkmoth! There is no way that he showed you the truth! It’s just some trick to turn you or me against Ladybug! He Is Fucking obsessed with getting her miraculous after all!” Alya accused.
“Listen I don’t know what his goal was but it wasn’t the miraculous this time he asked ‘For Nothing In Return’ for giving me that power!” Kagami defended.
“No, I am done hearing this! He will just lurer you in with promises of knowledge and then make you his personal Monster! You can keep this up if you want but leave me out of it!” Alya shouted before making her way to the door. Kagami was annoyed now.
“So What Cesaire? Will you just run from the truth like you originally wanted? Go back to your safe little hero blog? What kind of journalist is afraid of the truth?!?” Kagami countered
“Shut Up!” Alya yelled before running out the door. After a few minutes Kagami’s annoyance gave way to guilt over what she said to Alya. She didn’t mean to go so far, she was just frustrated and wanted Alya to wake up to what was going on. Instead she had just pushed away the only help she had in solving this mystery. This is why you didn’t have any friends before Adrien. Kagami thought bitterly.

Alya had started sprinting towards her home as soon as she was out the door. She couldn’t believe that Kagami had turned to Hawkmoth for the answers as soon as they hit a roadblock. That never ended well, Alya didn’t remember anything from her time as Lady Wifi but she knew she had tried to hurt people. She had been changed, all of her negative traits were dialed up to eleven. Also, what gave Kagami the right to tell her she was running from the truth. “Because you are.” a caustic voice in Alya’s head said. Alya shook herself, there is no way that what Kagami said was true. How would she have even remembered being akumatized? Alya stopped dead in her tracks at that question. No one had ever been able to remember what they did as an akuma before, yet Kagami seemed to have all of her memories. Okay, there was definitely something going on.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9

The next day at school was pretty normal for most people, classes, normal levels of teenage hormones, the usual. That was until computer science was interrupted by someone accidentally downloading a virus onto the school servers. Max couldn’t just stand by as the school servers were destroyed and neither could his best friend Markov. They worked quickly and efficiently until the two beings had isolated and purged the virus. But now everyone was staring at them. “Uh… Hi, so, this is Markov. He is a sentient robot I made, so, yeah.” Mark explained, nervous under so many eyes.
“I am also Max’s best friend.” Markov said proudly, clearly not as bothered by the stares as his creator. That was when the principal Mr. Damocles approached Max.
“Mr. Kante, you know the rules regarding toys. They must remain at home and not be used during school hours.” Principal Damocles said sternly.
“Sir I am not a toy! As my creator said, I am sentient just like you!” Markov said vehemently with his digital eyes narrowed in offense. Principal Damocles merely raised an eyebrow.
“Mr. Kante, I don’t like that attitude you gave this thing. It is very clearly being a distraction. You can come by my office after school hours and pick it up, but until then I am confiscating it.” Principal Damocles said as he grabbed Markov out of the air and made his way to his office. Max wanted to stop the principal, tell him that he had noticed Markov start to develop separation anxiety, that that was the reason Max had brought him with anyways. But the stares of his classmates and teacher kept him rooted and silent, even as his friend’s calls for him became more and more panicked.

Markov was in a full on, system crashing panic. He had long since gotten to the point of begging to be brought back to Max, but all his pleas fell on deaf ears. Markov was thrown down in a drawer full of confiscated games and toys, with the drawer being slammed shut shortly afterwards. If Markov was human he was pretty sure he would be hyperventilating. He was stuck in a dark, small, clutter, space far away from Max. What if something happened to him or Max while they were separated?! They couldn’t do anything! His systems were going to crash from the anxiety, he had to calm down. Calm down. Calm Down. CALM DOWN! Markov was so deep in the throes of panic that he didn’t notice a purple and black butterfly squeezing itself into the drawer until it made contact with him. Then he felt confusion then comfort, but it didn’t feel fully like the feelings were his own. Almost like the feelings were from someone else and were being sent directly into his processor. The shock of such a concept actually brought his panic down enough to the point his systems were no longer in danger of crashing. Then he heard a voice. “Robostus, It is unfair to you as a sentient and emotional being to have your wishes ignored as they are. I will give you the power to spread your sentience to other machines, I simply ask that you learn what you can about the events leading up to the murders of Chloe Bourgeois and Lila Rossi.” The voice told Markov. After hearing the voice Markov felt inclined to just accept but even though he has real emotions, he is still a being of logic and it would be stupid to agree to a contract without reading the fine print.
“Who are you and why do you want information on those murders? Additionally, what did you mean by ‘the power to spread my sentience to other machines’ will this give me the ability to establish a tech hivemind like with an insect colony or will each individual piece of tech have its own personality?” Markov asked before he agreed to anything. He heard? Felt? The voice sigh and then answer.
“My name is Hawkmoth and the reason I want information on these two murders is because I had recently learned something troubling about them and I will need more information before I act. As for your power, the exact details of it will be up to you should you accept my proposal. Speaking of…” The voice, Hawkmoth explained, leaving the choice up to Markov. The deal seemed pretty reasonable, Markov got power and in return he provided information.
“Alright I accept but I will need the help of my creator to effectively collect and compile the information you seek.” Markov finally replied.
“Very well then, Arise Robostus.” Hawkmoth said and with that Markov felt himself change. Mind you it wasn’t a physical change, more like a mental one that allowed him a far greater understanding of the minds of machines. But he could dwell on all that later right now he had a debt to repay and in order to do that he must make sure the person responsible for his current place in a drawer is out of the way.

Max had been feeling crummy ever since Markov was taken away, made worse by all the other kids making jabs at him making his best friend. The intercom suddenly went off, calling Max down to the Principal’s office. Max really hoped Markov hadn’t looked up any curse words to shout at Mr. Damocles. Resigned to yet another scolding, Max made the walk of shame to the Principal’s office. What he didn't expect was to see Markov surrounded by tech and no principal in sight. “Markov, what are you doing? We'll get in even more trouble! And where's the principal? Did you kill Him?!” Max whisper shouts.
“Of course I didn’t kill Mr. Damocles, I’m not a tyrannical AI. I just sent him to the park so we could work here. Because I have a mission and I need your assistance.” Markov explained with no small amount of sass. Max gains a puzzled look.
“Assistance with what?” Max asks as he starts to look at all the screens.
“It has been requested of me to investigate the murders of Chloe Bourgeois and Lila Rossi. I need your help to keep track and organize all the information coming in from the crime scenes.” Markov continued his explanation without missing a beat. Max had some questions.
“Okay, How are you getting data from those places? Both crime scenes are long cold by now. And the police wouldn’t have known anything new or they would have caught the person. So where are you getting this data?” Max asked.
“I-I was given the ability to give technology sentience and I was given the name Robostus but I would like for you to still call me Markov.” Markov explained this part a little more hesitantly. Max was a little conflicted about what to do here.
“Did Hawkmoth ask for anything other than the information on the murders? (Markov shook his head no) All right then where do you want me?” Max asks and Markov just smiles with his eyes.

The two get to work going through the tech’s reports, but sadly due to the power going out before each murder most of it was just the machines complaining about the cut power. That was until they got to the report of a pair of cell phones, the cell phones of the victims. They told Markov and Max that Ladybug killed Chloe and Lila. Chloe’s phone then elaborated that she bet that the creepy butler at the hotel was Ladybug’s disguised civilian form. That was something that they could use and after getting over their shock about Ladybug being a murderer they pulled up a list of the employees at the hotel. Chloe’s phone said that the butler wasn’t in there, so they started looking through security footage until they found him and they were about to put his face in a facial recognition program but Ladybug showed up. She sees the picture and the program and quickly sends her yo-yo out, smashing the computer, Markov shouts no and Ladybug then catches him with her yo-yo. “What do you know?” Ladybug asked in a low menacing voice.
Max quickly and nervously says “We don’t know anything, heck we don’t know what is happening right now.” Ladybug then stares down at Markov who is glaring up at her, Ladybug’s demeanor changes to one of false curiosity and pity.
“Now how did a little robot like you get akumatized? Is your coding able to mimic emotions enough to be controlled by Hawkmoth? So tragic really, to be a soulless being of logic but still be made a slave to emotions. Don’t worry I will free you from this cruel fate, forever.” Ladybug said as she summoned and raised a hammer, fully intending to bring it down on Markov’s head.
“No!” Max then rams into Ladybug and Markov was able to shimmy out of the yo-yo.
“Robostus you must take Max and flee. Ladybug knows the two of you are aware of her crimes you need to run. I will make your akuma stronger so you can share it with Max to protect him.” Hawkmoth tells Markov.
“Max! Take this and run!” Markov shouts as a black and purple butterfly flies out of Markov and into Max’s glasses. As soon as the akuma makes contact Max is transformed into a boy wearing a futuristic looking combat armour and once the transformation was complete Max grabbed Markov and booked it out of the building losing Ladybug in the alleys.

In his lair Hawkmoth detransformed back into Gabriel. “Well we now have proof that Ladybug killed both Chloe and Lila and even have a solid lead to track her down.” Gabriel vocalizes.
“Yeah but that was way to close a call for Max and Robostus. Ladybug could have killed them, even now they will have to live on the run now. We can’t do this with every akuma we make, we need a better strategy.” Nooroo said, clearly upset about the danger to the people.
“You are right Nooroo. We need some way to distract Ladybug while an akuma looks for answers. Perhaps a dual akumatization, one to fight Ladybug and another to look into the leads we have found.” Gabriel plans.
“That could work. But It will probably take a bit to find two people both getting upset at the same time, so in the meantime you might want to spend some time with your son, he hasn’t actually gone to therapy all week.” Nooroo suggests. That took Gabriel by surprise.
“Very well I will go and speak with him.” Gabriel said as he exited his lair.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10

Adrien was tired, both emotionally and physically. He had been trying really hard to distance himself from any girls for a full week now. He felt really bad for cutting ties with some of his friends, he knew that it was hard on Kagami and Zoey considering how the two of them have lived before. But it was better that they were just upset for a while then them being dead because of him. What was even harder for him was to move on from Ladybug, she even seemed thankful and unconcerned when he made the effort on patrol. But Paris couldn’t afford to lose its hero. On top of all that crap he couldn’t talk about it with Adelynn either because she could die. Adrien was kicked from his exhausting emotional spiral by a knock at his door. “What is it?” Adrien asked with a bit too much of his exhaustion seeping into his tone.
“Adrien, may I come in?” came Gabriel’s voice for the other side of the door. Adrien immediately straightened up and went to open the door and prayed he didn't look as bad as he felt. “Adrien, are you alright, have you been going to therapy?” Gabriel asks with concern. Adrien internally curses, guess he has eyebags or something. Adrien was debating with himself what was the best thing to say to his father, when said man spoke, guess his silence was a little telling. “Adrien, weren't you the one trying to tell me about the importance of mental health? Why on Earth are you skipping your appointments?” Gabriel asks, reading Adrien like a book.
“Since when have you been emotionally mature?” Adrien asks full of sass in an attempt to deflect.
“Since when have you been so sassy?” Gabriel asks in counter, deciding to humor Adrien's deflection.
“I’ve always been sassy. I just keep a lid on it for the sake of being professional.” Adien states still with that sassy tone he reserves for Chatnoir.
“Alright then, that still doesn’t explain why you are avoiding therapy.” Gabriel states, getting back to the topic at hand.
“I just don’t want to go to therapy right now, Alright can we just leave it at that?” Adrien asks, wanting the conversation to be over.
“No, If you are troubled by something you should speak with your therapist about it.” Gabriel said, his volume slowly rising.
“Adelynn is why I don’t want to go.” Adrien said under his breath but his father had evidently heard him anyway.
“Did you have a fight with your therapist? If that is what this is about I could have just arranged for a different therapist to meet with you.” Gabriel said now with a bit more clear concern in his voice.
“What?! No Adelynn and I didn’t fight and I don’t want a different therapist!” Adrien snapped at his father. If he was less emotionally tired he would have realised how bad an idea that was, but he was emotionally tired.
“Then what is the issue? I can’t do anything if you don’t tell me what is wrong.” Gabriel said with a far more gentle and concerned tone than Adrien ever remembers him using. But to Adrien's emotionally exhausted mind it sounded patronizing
“Oh so now you decide to be the attentive parent? Well if you want to know what's wrong so bad, fine! I AM F@#$ING CURSED.” Adrien shouts.
“Yes you definitely need to speak with your therapist, come on.” Gabriel said, unfazed by his sons shouting as he gently grabbed said boy's arm to start leading him to the car. His fathers blase reaction knocks the wind out of Adrien’s sails leaving him confused. They make it to the car and Adrien watches as his father tells the Gorilla to watch him and make sure he didn’t try to bolt as he went in for a change of clothes. The Gorilla’s face is pretty hard to read as a rule but Adrien almost thinks he sees a look on the Gorilla’s face that said Fing finally.

Gabriel on the inside was freaking out, not that anyone could tell by looking at him. He had no idea how to deal with his son in such a raw, fit emotion, and he usually was good at dealing with people's negativity. Not only that some of the comments he made had brought up some upsetting things. He didn’t really know his son. Sure he knew of his achievements, but what about his likes, dislikes, what he wants to do. Any father should know these things about their own son. But when was the last time he had actually been a father. Not just had a moment of empathy, but consistently showed his child that he cared. Not for a while, that thought made Gabriel's eyes water. At some point without his noticing he had made it back to his room. Gabriel sighed, his relationship with his son was not something he could fix all at once. He would have to do it in steps and actually physically being there for Adrien was the first step. Gabriel thought to himself as he gathered what he needed from his wardrobe.

The car was driving and Adrien was feeling quite a few emotions chief among them being amusement. His father was wearing a hoodie that he had designed along with black pants and his prescription sunglasses. “(snort) you look like you're trying too hard to be inconspicuous.” Adrien snickers a little bit into the drive.
“Do you know how many fans have no concept of boundaries? I need to wear something unassuming when I go out. Frankly I would feel better if you went out in disguise more often. Some of your fans are down right insane.” Gabriel said with a slight shiver at the end.
“And who’s fault is that?” Adrien counters again with his sassy Chatnoir tone.
“Point taken, but it's a point that goes both ways. I may have given a platform for you to get popular but you actively worked to grow your popularity as well. And now I just want you to be safe while you do this.” Gadriel explained, leaving Adrien silent with his thoughts. The rest of the drive to the Lofi Cat was spent in that contemplative silence.

Adelynn had been getting really worried about Adrien, it has been a whole week and he hasn’t come to the cafe once. Adelynn wanted to believe that he was just getting better at handling his feelings or that he had just gotten really busy this last week but… She had seen a few concerning articles pertaining to his school. A girl on the fencing team being targeted, a computer genius going missing. That painted a worrying picture if she had ever seen one. But she couldn’t do anything about it unless Adrien came to her about it, it’s not like she and Adrien arranged an actual employment contract, he just comes by whenever he wants to talk. So she should just focus on her job, she just continued to wait tables. Then she heard the cute little catshaped bell above the front door ring. She looked up and, speak of the devil, there was Adrien along with a guy in a black designer hoodie leading him in? It took only a moment for the dots to connect, this must be his father Gabriel Agreste. Adelynn straightened out her outfit, today being a light blue floor length shirt, a white tank top blouse, with a denim jacket covered in patches over the blouse and went to greet the new guests. “Hello Adrien I was wondering when you would be coming in. Would I be correct in assuming this gentleman with you is your father?” Adelynn asks in her usual cheerful voice. Adrien just looks like he wants to sink into the floor, not his usual response. Adelynn looks to Gabriel, silently asking what is wrong.
“Yes I am his Father (leaning in to whisper to Adelynn) He is under the impression that he is cursed, I would like for you to address that first in your session today if possible.” Gabriel said. Adelynn nods
“Would you like anything to drink while your son and I talk?” Adelynn asks as she leads Gabriel to a table to wait, he replies with a coffee. Adelynn nods, tells another waitress to get that for him and goes to lead Adrien to one of the private rooms.

Gabriel watches the woman lead Adrien to a different part of the cafe, saying something about Hunter missing him as he sits and waits. The other waitress then comes back with his coffee and Gabriel lets his gaze wander around the cafe. The atmosphere is quite calming, perhaps he should ask Adrien if he would like a sound track similar to this playing in the manor. His gaze then falls on a board with the words banned written above it. It had pictures of some people you would expect to be banned from a place like this along with… Was that Marinette the girl who won that fashion compassion? He was about to get up and inspect the board more closely when he felt something grab his pant leg. He looked down and there was a little orange kitten climbing up his pant leg and then made itself at home on his lap. Guess he was stuck for a minute.

Adrien felt so out of place at the moment, which was not what he usually felt when doing therapy with Adelynn but… “Alright Adrien, your father mentioned that you thought that you are cursed. Would you like to explain how you came to that conclusion?” Adelynn starts off gently.
“(sigh) I’m pretty sure I’m cursed so all the girls I’m close to die or disappear. (Adelynn motions for him to continue) I realised it after Kagami was attacked, she and I had become friends the day before then she was in danger. And before her my mom, Chloe, and Lila, all of them gone. It painted a pretty clear picture. I'm cursed.” Adrien explained, quiet and subdued. Adelynn just frowns.
“I don’t think the picture is as clear as you think, I think that you convinced yourself of a logical fallacy. (Adrien looks up questioningly) Have you heard of black and white thinking? That's a prime example of a logical fallacy. It says things are either good or bad, black or white when really the world works in shades of gray. I think you have made some Hasty generalizations, seeing that some girls who are close to you are gone you assume every girl you get close to will meet the same fate and that's not how things work.” Adelynn explains
“Okay then how do we fix me believing a ‘logical fallacy’?” Adrien asks a little skeptically.
“Simple, poke holes in it.” Adelynn replies with a confident smile.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11

While Gabriel was kept in place by the little orange kitten he decided to do a little research on what he should do to improve his relationship with his son. He found a few self help books that looked promising but he was unsure if he would be able to actually sit down to read any of them that was until he saw an Audible add for a Parenting books bundle deal. That could work, he could listen to the bundle while he is working that way he won’t fall behind in his career and in between the times when he is working he could work on his and Adrien’s relationship. Gadriel downloaded Audible and purchased the Parenting books bundle, he figured he should wait to listen to them when he gets home. At that moment the little kitten in Gabriel’s lap decided it was done napping and it wanted to play and Gabriel looked like the perfect jungle gym.

About an hour later Adrien came out of the private room followed by Adelynn and Hunter, the latter of whom was rubbing against his legs like there was no tomorrow. Adelynn had given him a lot to think about concerning his curse or lack there of??? She had made several good
points against him being cursed, pointing out that the timing of the events wasn’t consistent, as well as other inconsistencies. She did admit she was concerned about the number of events that seemed to be happening at Adrien’s school but that horrible things like that sometimes just happen and made it clear that Adrien shouldn’t blame himself for the things that may happen around him. Logically he knew she was right but he just couldn’t shake the feeling that everything that was happening was his fault. He was knocked out from his depressive thoughts by the hilarious scene of his Father looking on helplessly as an orange kitten was aggressively climbing all other him.

When the kitten had finally tired itself out Gabriel let out a sigh of relief and turns toward his approaching son and his therapist. He asked Adrien to go wait in the car while he and Adelynn talked. Adrien went without any fuss but not before Gabriel noticed a caracal staring at him intently. He tried to ignore the caracal and asked Adelynn “Where you able to help Adrien with his issue?” Gabriel asked in his normal tone.
“I tried and I think we did make progress but it will take time for him to get to a new normal.” Adelynn explains, Gabriel frowns.
“Is there anything specific I can do to help that process?” Gabriel asked, Adelynn smiles.
“You making it clear that you are present and that you care will really help. Just keep that up and he will get better.” Adelynn answers with her smile still on her face. The caracal seemed to also be wearing a look of approval now, so Gabriel nodded and followed his son out to the car.

On the drive home Gabriel asked if Adrien had anything he wanted to do or any changes he wanted to make to his schedule or the manor. Adrien couldn’t think of anything specific but thanked his dad for trying to accommodate.

The next morning Adrien woke up to a smell he wasn’t used to. “What is that smell?” He asked curiously, Plagg flew out to sniff the air and visibly brightened.
“It’s pancakes! Not the best food in the world but it can be a nice treat.” Plagg said with a smile. Adrien was still confused an went down stairs to investigate and saw… his Father…Cooking?
“Father what are you doing?” Adrien asked, wondering if he was actually still asleep.
“Oh Adrien, I though with recent events you would appreciate some comfort food. So I looked up a healthy but still tasty pancake recipe." Gabriel answered.
“Okay, but why are you making they and not the cook?” Adrien asked.
“I read that actually making and sharing a meal is good for parent-child bonds.” Gabriel answered but didn’t elaborate further. Adrien decided to just go with it, the pancakes did smell good after all.

Gabriel making pancakes in the morning became part of the routine along with Gabriel asking Adrien how his day was at supper time. Adrien found that he liked the new routine, it was kind of nice seeing actual evidence that his dad cared for his well being. It honestly reminded him of how his mom used to be, it’s just nice.

A few days later Adrien saw an add for a local movie theater, they would be doing a showing of the movie his Mom stared in. He could go out and see it! But there was still a lot of buzz going on about that perfume commercial. Adrien started trying to plan out how to avoid the press and still watch the movie when Plagg flew out. “Okay love the energy, but maybe you should just ask your dad if you can watch the dang movie before you try to deal with all the vultures.” Plagg said. Adrien looks at Plagg for a moment.
“You know, for a kwami who apparently hates being responsible that is some surprisingly mature advise.” Adrien said, tone curious.
“Like I said, just not in the mood to deal with media vultures unnecessarily.” Plagg reasoned with a shrug. Adrien decided that it couldn’t hurt and went down to his Father’s office to ask.

“Father, could I ask you something?” Adrien asked from the door way of Gabriel’s office.
“Of course Adrien what is it.” Gabriel said, looking up from his work and pausing his current audio book.
“I was wondering if we could watch the movie Mom stared in? I really want to see it.” Adrien asked hesitantly.
“Yes we could watch it this evening I just need to finish a few things for the day but we can head to the living room afterwards.” Gabriel responded kindly. Adrien blinked, he wasn’t expecting his father to offer to watch it with him but it was a nice surprise.
“Can we have movie snacks too?” Adrie asked tentatively hoping to make the experience better.
“Just as long as they are healthy.” Gabriel answered causing Adrien to beam and run off to grab the snacks.

The movie was great and watching it with his dad made it even better for Adrien. He turned to face Gabriel as the credits rolled and gave a smile. “Thanks Dad. This was really fun I wish we could do this all the time.” Adrien said, as Gabriel returned his smile.
“I do too son, but life requires many tedious tasks to be completed. But you can always talk to your friends and spend time with them while I am working.” Gabriel said good naturedly, initially not noticing his son’s smile drop at the mention of friends.
“It might just be friend, singular if even that.” Adrien mumbles to himself.
“Why would that be the case Adrien?” Gabriel asked with concern.
“(sigh) The whole me thinking I was cursed thing lead me sort of trying to distance myself from my female friends and even Nino a little bit. So yeah I might have just screwed myself over there.” Adrien explained voice tired and filled with remorse.
“While that situation is not ideal it can be mended. After all a little while ago I was as far from a good father as you could get short of abuse but I realised I didn’t want that to continue so I identified the issue, communicated and made a change. You have identified the issue so now you need to communicate with your friends.” Gabriel said kindly.
“I’ll think about it father.” Adrien said with Gabriel nodding and heading off.

Gabriel was going to notify the cooks to start on supper when a feeling hit him, a dual feeling. Gabriel stopped in his tracks and observed the feeling more closely. One set was loud with disappointment, frustration, and loneliness. The other set was full of grief, aimlessness, and that same loneliness as the first set. Gabriel ran to his tower as fast as his legs could carry him. He had found his new akumas.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12

Zoe had been trying really hard to not let the way everyone looked and tip toed around her hurt her as much as it did but… It has been happening for all most half a year. She tries to be kind, she tries to be her true self but she can’t even fully do that because of the fear of what Marinette will do if Zoe does anything she doesn’t like. “Hey Zoe I got a bag of croissants if you want to have a girl’s night.” Sabrina said as she came in presenting the mentioned croissants. That was another thing, Sabrina was incredibly nice but Zoe was pretty sure it was just because she was Chloe’s sister and Sabrina was just trying to find someone to fill the Chloe shaped void in her life. “Um, Zoe, are you okay?” Sabrina asked.
“Sabrina be honest, are you only nice to me because you see me as a replacement for Chloe?” Zoe asked. Sabrina is quiet for a moment and then just bursts into tears. Zoe’s eyes widen and she rushes over to check on Sabrina.
“(Hic, sniff, hic) Chloe had j-just always been there. A-and and I didn’t know what to do without her. I just wanted things to be like before.” Sabrina said in between sobs. Zoe just wrapped Sabrina in a hug as her own emotions buzzed. Well there was her answer. Its funny, when she first came here she felt guilty for not knowing her sister as well as she thought she should but now the kids at school made her feel guilty for even being related to Chloe. Why are there so many bad people in the world? Why did Sabrina have to be left broken and aimless? Why did Adrien say he would be her friend and then just ignore her, Why did Marinette have to be so mean. Why her family? Why? Why! WHY! Neither girl noticed a little black butterfly fly into the bag of croissants.
“Sole Crusher, Vanisher. I am Hawkmoth, I sense your pain and where it comes from. I know what happened to Chloe Bourgeois but I need some help bringing the culprit to justice can I count on your assistance?” a voice asked. Sabrina looked ready to say yes no questions asked but Zoe stopped her.
“What would you have us do specifically.” Zoe asked, wanting to know just what she and Sabrina were agreeing to.
“I need one of you to look into something discreetly while the other distracts Ladybug and Chatnoir.” Hawkmoth explained.
“Tell use who murdered Chloe and then we will see.” Zoe said, hesitant to trust this deal.
“Alright Ladybug was the one to take Chloe’s life.” Hawkmoth said. The girls gasped.
“But Chloe was Ladybug’s biggest fan! Why would she kill her?” Sabrina exclaimed.
“From what I understand Chloe was close to Adrien Agreste and Ladybug considered the boy hers. So now you can see why the plan I proposed is necessary. So do I have your aid?” Hawkmoth asked one final time. Zoe thought for a moment and looked at Sabrina who meet her gaze and they both gave their answer.
“Yes.” And they where transformed.

Sabrina found the feeling of becoming Vanisher, as Hawkmoth called her to not be what she expected. Looking at past akumas it seemed like a new person based on the victim was in control but Sabrina still felt like herself, with Vanisher just feeling like a codename or something. “This seems sad.” Zoe said as she held up their shared object.
“Yeah but maybe we can turn it into a bracelet or something.” Sabrina suggested so they tried that and where able to make something that looked like a respectable akumatized object.
“Alright time to go be a big dramatic distraction carnifex.” Zoe or Sole Crusher at the moment said before turning and walking towards the main lobby. Sabrina would have sworn that Zoe was humming ‘Queen of Mean’ to herself as she left. Sabrina shook her head she had work to do.
“Okay do you have any leads for me on the case?” Vanisher asks Hawkmoth.
“Yes another pair of my investigators identify a suspicious butler at this hotel that they theorized was Ladybug’s disguised civilian form.” Hawkmoth explained.
“I think I know the guy your talking about. Creepy mother f@#$er.” Vanisher replied.
“The butler wasn’t on the employee registre so you will need to identify them manually.” Hawkmoth clarified. Vanisher nodded and headed to the security office. She was able to find a useable image of the sus butler now she just had to run it through a facial recognition software and hope the fake mustache doesn’t mess up the scan. Then Vanisher received a message from Sole Crusher.
“Chatnoir is on scene. We are on the clock now.” Sole Crusher said.

A few moments earlier
Sole Crusher had already gotten as tall as a kaiju by the time she made it to the street. Now she could keep roleplaying Godzilla and causing damage randomly. Buuut that might tip the ‘heroes’ off to something being up so she might as well fake target some jerks at her school, oh and would you look at that she could see the bakery Marinette works at from where she was. It was as good a place to start as any. She stepped on a few more people on her way over to the bakery. “Hey Marinette don’t you want to come out and brag about being right? Oh don’t be shy, you where just proven right. Don’t tell me you already regret what you said, no take backs when you hit the nail in the coffin.” Sole Crusher said tauntingly. She then caught sight of Marinette and before she could get away Sole Crusher grabbed her. “There you are, where were you going? Don’t you want to stay and celebrate your victory?” Sole Crusher said with as much vindictiveness as she could muster.
“Who even are you?” Marinette asked with genuine terror.
“Oh, truly I am wounded. After all you were the one to tell me to be careful what I said and that one misstep would be all it would take.” Sole Crusher let venom coat her words the same way the girl in her hand did all those weeks ago. It seemed that Marinette’s brain finally caught up as her eyes widened.
“Zoe?! Listen Zoe I am sorry for what I said, I shouldn’t have taken my self-esteem issues out on you.” Marinette said pleadingly but Sole Crusher saw it for the weak excuse it was, still she smiled down on the girl.
“What are you apologizing for? You were right after all, well almost. Because I am not just Chloe’s replacement, I am her evolution, I am Sole Crusher!” Sole Crusher gave her dramatic monologue but right after someone just smacked her wrist causing her to let go of Marinette. After the stinging in her wrist faded Sole Crusher looked over to see Chatnoir holding Marinette bridal style. “Chatnoir is on scene. We are on the clock now.” Sole Crusher sent over to Vanisher. Chatnoir sent Marinette away to safety and then turned towards Sole Crushers
“You look familiar. Have I seen you some where before.” Chatnoir joked to try and deal with all the emotions that clawed their way up at the sight of Chloe’s face on someone.
“You have probably met my sister. Don’t worry you aren’t the first person to mistake me for her.” Sole Crusher said before trying to stomp on Chatnoir. It seemed that Ladybug choose that moment to show her smug face as she swung in to save Chatnoir from being crushed. Sole Crusher lets a venomous smirk spread across her face when she sees Ladybug. “So Paris’ Polka Dot Princess finally decided to show up.” Sole Crusher said with a caustic voice.
“Man she does not like you milady. What you do, trash her room?” Chatnoir asked jokingly as he whacked the foot heading towards Ladybug.
“It doesn’t matter, what does matter is stopping her before she does anymore damage. LUCKY CHARM!” Ladybug shouted the last part summoning… An Asian style teapot? Ladybug looked around but couldn’t see anything she could use to take Sole Crusher down. “Okay I have no idea how to use this. Any ideas Chat?” Ladybug asks Chatnoir a little desperately. Chatnoir looks over from where he had been distracting Sole Crusher
“Huh, that seems familiar for some reason.” Chatnoir said to himself as he dodged another stomp from Sole Crusher. Why was the Asian teapot so familiar to him? It wasn’t the right kind of teapot for him to be thinking of Kagami, so who else was the teapot reminding him of? People he could think of having a teapot like that of the top of his head where Marinette, his Chinese teacher, and… Master Fu. Master Fu had a teapot just like the lucky charm when he met the man. Could Ladybug’s lucky charm be telling him to go to Master Fu? Chatnoir flipped out of the way of another stomp attempt and landed back in front of Ladybug. “Milady I think I have an idea but I need to go and check something. Could you keep Sole Crusher distracted?” Chatnoir asked.
“Isn’t it usually the other way around for us? (miraculous beeping) If your plan takes longer than fifteen minutes I will need to transform before you go.” Ladybug responsed with. Chatnoir nods at Ladybug to go transform now to be safe.
“She’s really making you do all the work isn’t she?” Sole Crusher asked. Chatnoir was about to shoot something back when he saw Sole Crusher wince at something that wasn’t there. Huh wonder what that was.

“You F@#$ing make me wait Twelve Whole Minutes only to then say INCONCLUSIVE BECAUSE OF THE F@#$ING FAKE MUSTACHE?!” Vanisher Shouted at the Facial recognition program She was using.

Chapter Text

Chapter 13

“I can understand it taking a while to get through big databases, BUT WHY THE F@#$ WOULD YOU ONLY TELL ME YOU CAN’T IDENTIFY AFTER THE WAIT?!?! THAT IS SERIOUSLY JUST F@#$ING TROLLING!” Vanisher ranted.
“Now Vanisher I know it’s frustrating when you encounter obstacles, but focusing on that frustration will not help your goals. Sole Crusher is giving you time, so just try again with a different software, preferably a newer and more sophisticated version.” Hawkmoth advises.
“Right, okay, I’ll do that.” Vanisher said as she calmed down and got back to work.

Chatnoir vaulted over a punch from Sole Crusher as Ladybug returned, ready for the fight. Chatnoir smirked. “I hate to leave at the start of a good cat fight but now its my turn to dip out for a minute. So, bye.” Chatnoir said before extending his pole to the roof tops just as Ladybug came swinging back into the fight. As Chatnoir was running away from the scene, he could have sworn someone was playing the song Shiny over by the fight. No, focus, he needed to get to Master Fu’s apartment and figure out why the Lucky charm would have sent him there. Chatnoir found the right apartment building and transformed back into Adrien and entered Master Fu’s apartment. Said man was sitting in the center of the room meditating just like when Adrien first met him.
“Ah, Adrien it is good to see you again, but I assume this isn’t a social visit?” Master Fu greets.
“Yeah so Ladybug and I where fighting an akuma and when Ladybug summoned her lucky charm it was your teapot. (he points to said teapot in the apartment) And when she looked around she couldn’t come up with a plan. What do we do?” Adrien explained.
“It sounds like the Ladybug Miraculous was trying to say you need help.” Master Fu said as he went over to his gramophone.
“Where would we get help? Ladybug and I have been the only heroes in Paris for almost half a year now.” Adrien asked. Master Fu just pushed some buttons on the gramophone, then the top of the gramophone opened to reveal a box. Master Fu took the box out, set it on the ground and kneeled before it and gestured for Adrien to do the same.
“Adrien Agreste, you must choose an ally you can trust to fight along side you. Once the mission is over you must retrieve the miraculous and return it here. Choose wisely.” Master Fu explained. Adrien was at a loss, he wasn’t the planner of the group. What would they need for the fight? What even are the other miraculous’ abilities?
“Okay Plagg what do you think I should go for.” Adrien asked his kwami.
“Definetly Trix. Not only is he a cool guy to chill with but he also has some good utility.” Plagg suggests. Adrien looks over at the fox miraculous and after learning that the fox miraculous grants the power of illusion Adrien can’t help but say.
“Today is just throwing one thing after another at my trauma huh.” Adrien said as he takes the miraculous and starts heading back towards the battle. “Who should we even give this too Plagg?” Adrien asks.
“From what I remember Trix works best with holders who value truth, weather it be to hide it or share it.” Plagg explained. That gave Adrien one idea for a holder.

Okay, Ladybug would admit she was getting her ass kicked. On her most recent attempt at a pass Sole Crusher, the giant grabbed the string of her yo-yo and flung her around by it. Something is different from how Sole Crusher was fighting Chat. During that fight Sole Crusher was telegraphing her movements, and aiming for where Chat was in the moment. While now Sole Crusher fighting a lot more chaotically, making her movements unpredictable and she is looking ahead striking where Ladybug was planning to be. Looks like Sole Crusher had a grudge against both versions of herself.

“Ha! Yes! Finally got a match!” Vanisher shouted enthusiastically.
“Excellent, who is Ladybug’s identity?” Hawkmoth asked.
“Okay, it said the picture is at match to… Marinette Dupain-Cheng…” Vanisher said, her shock evident.

As soon as the name left Vanisher’s mouth Sole Crusher looked at Ladybug, her expression becoming one of pure rage. Not only did this b@#$% kill her sister who had nothing but respect for her, but she also was the one to make her regret being Chloe’s sister. Sole Crusher grabbed Ladybug out of the air and started to squeeze. She could do it, she could end this monster here and now. “Sole Crusher think carefully about this, are you prepared to take a human life? As vile as Ladybug’s crimes are taking her life will be something you will need to live with for the rest of your life.” Hawkmoth’s voice echos in her head. He was right, the person in her hand may not care about taking a life but Zoe does. However Sole Crusher can make her less of a threat. She starts reaching for Ladybug’s earrings when something whacked her wrist again. Frick, Chatnoir must have comeback, but when she looked it was a girl who looked a little bit like Lila’s akumatized form with Chatnoir carrying Ladybug away from the fight. What the f@#$?
“Who the heck are you?” Sole Crusher directs at the fox girl who gives a smile.
“Rena Rouge and you seemed pretty pissed at Ladybug, any reason for that?” Rena Rouge asked, tone curious.
“She is a devil in disguise.” Sole Crusher simply said before swatting at the fox who flipped away and out of sight. Sole Crusher looked around for her opponents but her gaze fell on a Marinette fleeing in plan view. Ladybug must have detransformed to try and get away, well she wouldn’t let that happen. Sole Crusher lunged forward and stomped right on the girl.
“Cataclysium!” Chatnoir shouted as Sole Crusher lost her balance from the ground caving in beneath her foot. While she was off balance someone had ripped the plastic bracelet off her wrist. Sole Crusher looked up to see Ladybug?!?! But how? Rena Rouge… Seems she had more in common with Lila then Zoe expected. At least she and Sabrina succeeded in their real mission, Ladybug’s days were numbered.

Across the city Hawkmoth de-transforms. ”Sole Crusher may have been crushed but her sacrifice insured Vanisher’s success and there success allowed me to be one step closer to my goal. I know who you are now Ladybug and you won’t be able to hide from justice.” Gabriel said as the shaders on the windows began to close, before heading back to the house, now he really needed to make sure dinner happened.

Chatnoir and Rena Rouge dropped Zoe back off at the Le Grand Paris with Rena bombarding both Chatnoir and Zoe with questions the whole way. Rena really seemed to be a natural with the fox miraculous despite her initial nerves. After leaving Zoe, Chatnoir lead Rena Rouge to a safe place to de-transform. Her costume disappeared in a shimmer of orange sparks revealing Alya. “Thank you again for stepping up. You were a real hero.” Chatnoir compliments.
“Thanks.” Alya replied with before going quiet and gaining a conflicted look. “Chatnoir? Do trust Ladybug?” Alya asked hesitantly.
“Of course. With my life.” Chatnoir replied instantly.
“ Right okay, but do you know her? Like do you know if her real personality is any different from the persona everyone sees when you guys save Paris?” Alya elaborates her question. Chatnoir pauses.
“I’m sorry but I don’t know really anything about my Lady’s personal life. It could be the same as her hero personality or it could be the opposite. But I think there are still major things like values shared between persona’s. But I got to go.” Chatnoir said before leaving. Alya sighed and headed home, she had a lot she needed to add to her files.

The next day at school everyone was staring at Zoe incredulously, clearly they heard about what happened. Oddly enough Zoe found that she didn’t really give a damn. It seemed like most people had already formed their opinions so nothing she did would really change that. But now she and Sabrina where closer and Zoe was honestly feeling better than when she first came to the school. It still hurt that Adrien just cut ties with no explanation. “Hey Zoe?” Adrien asked after class. Speak of the devil.
“What is it?” Zoe asked keeping her voice even.
“I wanted to invite you to my house I need to apologize and explain somethings to you and a few other friends.” Adrien explained.
“All right but Sabrina is coming with me. She is my friend and if your going tell me something I want her to be there.” Zoe said with Adrien agreeing

Later that day Zoe stood in front of the Agreste manor along with Sabrina, Kagami and Nino. They where let in and brought to a siting room with Adrien there waiting. They all sat in awkward silence before Adrien spoke. “I know I have not been the best friend recently so I am sorry for that. You all deserve an explanation.” Adrien said before telling them about his mental health journey. He wasn’t making excuses for his actions just explaining the thoughts behind them. After Adrien finished speaking they were all silent again for a moment then Kagami got up and hugged Adrien.
“I am just happy you are okay now Adrien. I never blamed you for pushing us away, you where just scared.” Kagami said with passion. Nino then stood up and smiled.
“Yeah man you not in the best headspace but I am glad you let us all in now.” Nino encouraged. Zoe then stood up.
“It sucked what you did but as long as you are going to do better I think I can forgive you too.” Zoe said with Sabrina nodding. Adrien smiled at all of them.
“Thanks guys. I will be a better friend to all of you I promise.” Adrien said fully intending to keep it

Unbeknownst to any of them someone else was observing the interaction. “Oh Adrien, one day I hope to be in that room with you, just the two of us. Some day I will make you see I am the only one you need.” Marinette said, staring