Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Adrien was having a bad day.

He hadn’t spent personal time with Marinette all week. Which was bad enough on its own, no girlfriend time was a cruel joke on him. It was like stealing the sun from the sky. His father had been demanding all of his free time, while Marinette had been even more hesitant around him than usual. She talked to him, but refused to go anywhere with him, meaning he had no reason to deny Gabriel their awkward dinnertime chats. It had come to a head today when he found out from Alya that Marinette had yelled at ‘Poor Lila’ so badly she had burst into tears and was suspended for the day. 

Now, logically, he had no reason to think this, but he just knew Lila wasn’t a victim here. It was like his father knew he wanted to comfort his girlfriend since he’d been told to go directly home during the school lunch break and was taken straight home after school. He’d been left fuming as Gabriel refused him the right to even visit her, it had bubbled up within him as he’d stomped around his room. So, encouraged by Plagg, and annoyed by how he’d been suffocated recently, to the detriment of Marinette, he left his room to ask what what going on with him

Which led him to his current predicament. In retrospect, he absolutely should not have followed his father into that strange lift without calling Ladybug. It had been far too suspicious and he was far too curious. He’d headed up, finding himself in an attic that was completely alien to him. His father was standing near a giant window and probably would have noticed him if he wasn’t gleefully monologuing. A small Kwami was floating beside him, and that did notice him. He froze, expecting him to call out that Adrien was here, yet instead, he nodded his head to the side. Adrien’s gaze followed him and his heart plummeted into his stomach, sickened by the sight in front of him. 

There were Kwamis trapped in little spheres, barely any space to fly or move. Most of them looked visibly exhausted, all of them were depressed and hopeless. He heard a quiet, persistent hiss in his ear and wasn’t too surprised that Plagg was floating by his head, glaring daggers into Gabriel’s back. He’d never seen the normally lax kwami so fueled by rage.

“Master, why are you doing this to that designer girl?”

He snapped back to them, hearing Gabriel (Monarch?) tut, disappointed. He knew that feeling all too well, he'd been on the wrong side of it before. His heart was frozen in his chest. Did they mean Marinette?

“You need to pay attention Nooroo. When I almost had her akumatized, I felt so much power from her. With her rage building the way it is, it will only be a matter of time. And with Adrien also becoming so frustrated for her…Well, it seems I’ve accidentally stepped into a double akuma that could wipe out Ladybug and Chat Noir once and for all”

Wait. What?! He’d been giving his father the benefit of the doubt, but he was purposefully trying to make Marinette’s life a misery?! Just to akumatize her?! He gritted his teeth, blood boiling over at the sheer audacity of it. 

“I’m with you kid, whatever you decide to do to him. Let’s finish this”

Plagg didn’t need to speak up, he knew they both craved vengeance. In fact, his rising anger should probably scare him, but he couldn’t really care about that right now. 

“She just needs one more push. Maybe if I denounce her fashion designs she-”

“No! Father, you won’t!”

Gabriel-No, Monarch paused in his musings, before slowly turning around to face him. Despite the fact his identity had been revealed to his son, he seemed relatively calm. It was chilling, how little he seemed to be bothered by him. 

“Why Adrien, I didn’t hear you come in. You should know better than to be so rude, did I not properly teach you any manners?”

His lip curled, extreme hatred beating down any remaining love or care for this stranger in front of him. All that time wasted, trying to appeal to an out of his mind criminal, someone who would never truly see him, someone who probably never really cared about him.

“That’s rich coming from you! You’ve been terrorising Paris! Hurting and using my friends! You’ve got the Kwamis locked up in what looks like some sort of science experiment! How is any of this right?!”

“Kwamis? How do you-” He finally noticed Plagg, floating beside him protectively and ready to kill. “Oh, you’re Chat Noir, well that makes things easy for me. Give me the ring Adrien”

He stepped back, repulsed. Was he really that delusional? Did he really think he would hand over Plagg and let him be stuffed into one of those cages? Never in a million years!

“I’ll never hand it over to you! I don’t know why you want it, but it won't be worth all this pain you’ve caused”

He finally got a response from him that wasn't cold indifference. Now he was upset too, but he couldn't dream of reaching the vitriol pulsing in both Adrien and Plagg.

"For your mother, foolish boy! With the wish I can bring her back! I can make a world where we stay as a family! Who cares what happens to this one? When I succeed it will all be washed away!"

How could he think like that? Everything he'd experienced up to that point, all his days finally getting to go to school. His friends, his class, everything. It would all go away, slip through his fingers like sand.

"Mother wouldn't want you to do this!"

"How would you know what she'd want?!" He flinched as Gabriel snapped at him, but refused to falter. These were the words of a madman clearly, someone who just didn't understand. "It would seem I'll have to do this the hard way. I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no other alternative. Nooroo, dark wings rise!"

He stared at the transformation that followed, revealing Monarch in all of his infamy. It helped the final piece click into place, the truth hitting him like a brick now that it had properly sunk in. The hiss at his side grew louder and he couldn’t agree with Plagg more. His father was long gone, there was just a monster there now. 

“It's now or never kid, let’s get him!”

“Plagg, claws out!”

For the first time in an eternity Plagg jumped into the ring willingly, starting his own transformation. The black cat’s power was always electrifying, but this was different. It wasn't just magic washing over him, but a thrumming buzz in his skin. It seeped into his blood and gave him a boost like never before. All the energy he could possibly want to defeat Monarch. It was obviously Plaggs doing and he mentally thanked him.

He pulled out his baton, activating it and holding it out in front of him defensively. He glanced up at his foe and the room was deathly silent. Then the tension snapped as he ran towards him, baton meeting cane in a loud clash that filled the room. Monarch pushed back against him, but he wasn’t going to win this standoff. It surprised him, but he was able to knock Monarch away and bring his baton around to land a hit on his side. Monarch jumped back, retreating to replan. All it would do was slow him down a little, but the fact he was able to get that hit in at all, motivated him. He twirled his baton around, standing confidently. 

“Are you losing your touch Monarch? Does the butterfly need to rest his widdle wings?” 

His foe grit his teeth, glaring stubbornly at him.

“Come now, you’re not that much of an idiot. You know exactly why I’m weaker now” He purposefully grabbed his arm, clearly indicating his cataclysm. “How could you do such a thing to your own father?”

Guilt stabbed his heart, knocking him off balance. He’d never wanted to do that in the first place, to hurt anyone in such a way, but now he knew it was his father? It was a lot to handle. His guilt swallowed him up, bringing tears to his eyes and making him desperate, he couldn’t think about this right now. He could cry to Ladybug about it later, he couldn’t fall into Monarch’s trap.

“You did that to yourself! Rather than get unmasked you purposefully hurt yourself! Then you took the charm with you so Ladybug couldn’t heal you! If there’s any proof of how insane you’ve become, then that’s it!”

Right, he was a broken man, in soul and in his mind. He needed to deal with that, he needed to push back the guilt and pain right now. Focus on the anger, focus on Ladybug, on Marinette. What would they want him to do in this situation? They’d want him to win! Monarch needed to be defeated, that’s all that mattered.

He steeled his heart, ready to strike once more, when a sickly shudder rolled over him. A violent power sped through his body, like tendrils slinking through him. They bombarded his skull, attacking his mind and filling his thoughts with darkness. He glanced down at the ring, filling with horror when he realised it had been dyed a disgusting dark purple, it could only be an akuma. 

His gaze turned back to the man who was looking down at him as if he was nothing but a speck of dirt. A monster willing to manipulate, beat and even akumatize his own son. His anger raged, mixing with the dark power of the akuma and only making him hate Monarch more.

“You think I wouldn’t prepare an akuma just in case? Such powerful emotions I feel from you, you will make the perfect akuma. Now, submit Adrien” 

He slammed to his knees, his body screaming in pain as he tried to resist the whispering in his mind. A dark temptation, telling him to fight Ladybug, to hand over the Cat Miraculous. He was being assaulted, wrapped up in a fake warm imagery of his family. A life with his mother and father, together forever with his fami-

No! He had a family! He had a loving brother in Nino, a fun and caring sister in Alya. Plagg was more of a guardian figure to him then Gabriel had ever been in recent memory. And then there was Marinette, precious, sweet Marinette. His soulmate, the one he wanted forever with. The one Gabriel was threatening, the one he needed to protect. If he let Monarch win, he’d never go to school. His mother had never wanted him to go, it was depressing to finally realise his father only let him go to reduce the chance of him finding out about Hawkmoth. So he’d lose them all, he’d be trapped in his house never knowing any better. In fact, if he had a love life, he could almost guarantee they'd choose it for him. No, he couldn’t allow that, he wouldn’t lose Marinette, his heart refused to lose her. He’d destroy everything and everyone for her. He’d burn the world to protect her, his one and only family.

Our Family!

He was assaulted by images of the despairing Kwamis, of a fear of Tikki joining them, and realised Plagg was akumatised too. Perhaps not as fully as himself, but the little god was there too, angry at how his friends were being treated. It seemed Monarch got a double akuma like he wanted, but this one wasn’t going to lie down and give in. No, this akuma was going to kill him, for the ones they loved the most. Mind made up, the focus of his akumatization completely chosen, the magic finally solidified, the darkness giving way to a moving form.

There stood a demon drenched in white. Chat Blanc himself. His tail flicked from side to side violently, matching his deepening glare. He snarled, bearing his fangs at Monarch, his monster of a father. All the while, a butterfly across his face was desperately trying to keep him under control. The voice in his head was getting louder and louder, and far too annoying for his tastes. Cataclysm flashed like white fire on his hands, the only warning before he dug his claws into his skull. 

He let out an anguished roar of pain as his power scorched through his brain, following his order to burn away his connection to Monarch. He almost pulled away, almost stopped himself, but sudden thoughts of Marinette pushed him through. He was going to hurt her, he was a threat to her life, her happiness. That could not stand! Through tears of pain, his magic surged and finished its deed. The butterfly disappeared, the voice vanishing as his arms now hung limp at his sides. Something had snapped within him, his power of destruction burning away far more than just the akuma’s control. His sharp glare landed on Monarch and he felt…nothing. All this man was, was a threat to his princess. All threats had to be destroyed, she would live in love and happiness, he would destroy the world to guarantee it. 

He slowly stalked forward, intrigued when Gabriel’s grasp went to a ring on his finger. 

“Adrien, you will listen to me. You will go out there and get me Ladybug’s Miraculous!”

“Why would I do that?”

His raspy and deep voice caught them both off guard, but he happily leaned into the power he had here, into toying with his prey. He could feel Gabriel trying to access Miraculous magic, to use it to control him, but all ties had been ruined. He didn’t know what this other magic was, but it didn’t matter. The fool would pay. He resumed his stalking, smelling the fear coming off this decrepit, weak man. He revelled in it as Cataclysm once more danced to life on his fingers. The room was tense for a moment as they squared eachother up, before he pounced forward.

Gabriel fruitlessly swung his cane at him, weaker and slower than he could recall any akuma being. That Cataclysm creeping up his arm must be doing some real work. Well, it was time to finish what his weaker self had failed to do. 

He caught the cane with ease, the weapon disintegrating upon coming into contact with him. His only means of self-defence gone, Monarch backed up until he hit his giant window, the one he no doubt looked down on Paris through. The one he looked down on Marinette through. The thought made his stomach curl, how dare this insect think he was better than her?! Better than his princess?! He couldn’t even dream of being in her shadow.

A thrill shot up his back at bearing down on his cornered prey, a smirk curling his lips and once more revealing his fangs.

"Any last words?"

"Ladybug will defeat you, then I'll have your ring"

He let out a cold laugh, enjoying the delicious irony in front of him.

"No she won't. I'll have defeated the major threat to Paris. Unless Marinette asks for it, I won't destroy this pitiful town, won't attack Ladybug. So why would she fight me? No, you're done. Goodbye forever"

Before Monarch could even flinch he pounced forward, easily crossing the distance between them. He pushed his hand harshly against Gabriel’s chest, letting his claws dig in. His power jumped from him into Monarch, it slowly crept across his skin, breaking him apart slowly. He made sure that he felt true agony as he slowly burned away into ash. He marvelled at the way he just fell away, coughing up ash violently before becoming it himself. It all slumped to the floor, no longer alive, trapped in his civilian clothes. The Butterfly Miraculous rested on the pile, shining brilliantly among the dullness that had once been Monarch. He leaned down to pick it up, pocketing it. Now it could never be used to hurt Marinette again…In fact he could use it to-

He looked around, focusing on the trapped Kwamis, and one specific Kwami in particular. Marinette had clearly enjoyed their presence in the small time together he’d seen, she would want them to be freed, she was far too kind. It was a weakness of hers that he cherished and sought to protect. Besides, he didn't want to anger his princess that way.

They're our family too!

That urging from Plagg had returned, nagging at him to act with increased fervour. With a simple thought, he shot a weak variation of ranged cataclysm, one after the other and destroyed all of their containers. Unsurprisingly, they didn't float over to him, rather, they huddled away from him. He shrugged, unbothered by their reaction, he had done right by Marinette and Plagg, nothing else mattered. He felt Plagg's voice fade, his soothed rage a cooling balm on his own, allowing him more space to think, and was immediately rewarded for the downtime. He walked over to the Miraculous items, only half interested that they were now all rings. He had a new and exciting idea, one that would help him fully protect Marinette and allow them to live together forever. His smile was finally real as he picked up a single ring in particular, full of love for her and ready to save her from everything that would harm her. 

Unable to properly contain his love and increasing desire to see her, he decided he needed to enact his plan immediately, it absolutely could not wait. He ran towards the glass window, destroying the wall easily with a projectile cataclysm. He jumped through the falling debris, beaming wildly. He was going to finally spend time with his girlfriend! She was going to be so surprised!

Marinette had been having an awful week. It had started when she’d worn Adrien’s charm to school, in a display of wanting to be an overt flirt. She wanted to show it off, show to Adrien that she truly treasured it like she treasured him. She’d put it down on her school table when she walked into class, she’d been distracted by Alya for only a moment, but that’s all that mattered. It was gone. She’d gone into full panicked overdrive. Because, after all, if Adrien knew she'd so carelessly lost a precious birthday gift from him, one he'd made personally for her! He'd obviously be disgusted with her. How could she just lose such an important gift? He'd think she didn't care about him and leave her and she'd lose her best shot at a happy life with him. She'd ruin everything!

So she had denied any possible outcome that could lead to the slightest chance he would bring it up, which backfired on her since it was clearly making him miserable. She'd spiralled further and further until finally finding out that the stupid witch Lila had swiped it on the way past her desk.

No one could say she hadn't tried to give Lila the chance to be good, to just hand it over with no drama involved, but when she gleefully exclaimed she was going to break it and tell Adrien she'd seen her tearing it up, well…She may have lost it. Not her proudest moment and it had allowed Lila to cry crocodile tears and get her into trouble. Her parents were disappointed in her, so she'd worked double duty in the bakery as punishment. To top it all off, Lila still had the charm. She definitely was going to break it now. Adrien was going to be so upset with her.

"Marinette…It'll be ok! Adrien knows Lila lies all the time! There's no way he'll believe you're purposefully trying to hurt him"

"No. He'll be disappointed it’s broken though, I’ll still upset him”

She sighed heavily, almost tempted to scream into her pillow, but she only had the energy to lie in her bed, feeling sorry for herself. She was surprised Monarch hadn’t sent an akuma her way yet. It was good that Ladybug hadn't been akumatized of course, she wasn't arguing that. He must be asleep right now. It meant she could stew in the unfairness of it all, which wasn't helping her spiralling mood. She was about to just go to sleep and end this awful day when there was an energetic knock on the hatch above her. It was accompanied by joyful shouting, that only made her so glad that her parents were already asleep downstairs. 

"Princess! Princess! Can I come in? Plllleeeaassee?"

Chat Noir? What was he doing here? He sounded excited? Maybe he could cheer her up? She'd appreciate the company of her dear friend either way. She made sure Tikki hid herself before sitting herself up in her bed. The thought of chilling with her partner was already lifting her spirits and she couldn't hide her responding joy, not that she tried.

“Come on in Chat!”

The hatch opened up above her and a blur of movement dropped down onto her bed. She instinctively closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, sitting up straight. She felt his knees land on her bed and a blush dusted her cheeks when she realised he was straddling her legs. He got comfortable, so he clearly wasn’t moving anytime soon. She finally opened her eyes to properly scold him, but her words immediately died in her throat.

Her heart stopped, her blood freezing in her veins. Instead of the black she’d been expecting, there was a being of white in front of her. Her nightmares given flesh, a terrifying reminder of all her biggest failure, had she let him down again? What happened to make him become…Chat Blanc? And why was he here?! Did he know her identity and had come to take the earrings? But he didn't seem angry with her, he was smiling at her like a lovesick fool. She was clearly taking too long to get past the shock and pain ,since he leaned forward into her space. Hands planted down on either side of her hips, nose inches from hers and his tail an admittedly cute question mark behind him.

"What's wrong Marinette? You seem so sad… who's hurt you?"

The last part came out as a growl, causing her to involuntarily shudder. She wanted to push him back like she normally would and give herself room to breathe. She had no idea how he'd react though. She squirmed, uncomfortable and tried to at least respond convincingly.

"No one!” He huffed, clearly not believing her, but she strode on. “I-it’s just you're akumatized and I wasn't expecting it. Why are you here? A-are you here to hu-"

He growled, showing his fangs and convincing her that she'd somehow managed to upset him enough to get his revenge on her. He closed the remaining distance and she flinched, ready for some amount of pain. Yet, his cheek touched hers. She froze as he rubbed his cheek against hers, a stressed purr rumbling through him into her. His tail slumped down to curl around her leg.

"I wouldn't. I wouldn't, wouldn't, wouldn't hurt you. Never Marinette. You're the only person worth keeping alive, to not destroy. My power will only be used for you, to protect you. If there's something or someone you want to disappear, you just let me know. I'm yours to command"

He was far too close, saying far too crazy things. She pushed on his chest and he obliged her, leaning back slightly and out of her immediate space. She did her best to ignore his deranged exclamation, it only brought about memories of a destroyed Paris 

"So, why are you here then?"

She felt proud that only the tiniest bit of her fear snuck into her voice. If she stayed calm she might not set him off. He broke out into a wide grin and sat back onto her legs. It was annoying but it didn't look like she was going anywhere soon. She had to push aside her worry for her partner and put her Ladybug hat on, to think of a way around this and soon.

"A great question, Marinette! Ooohhhh you're going to love this!" His tail had let go of her while he'd manoeuvred, it now wrapped around her bare ankle, squeezing it in excitement. He reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a ring. "Here you go princess!"

He held the ring out to her, overly excited and pleased with himself. Her heart bloomed into a barrage of difficult emotions, heat burning her face.

"C-chat, I'm honoured, really, but I have a boyfriend"

He tilted his head in amused confusion, his eyes sparkling with a joke she didn't quite get. 

"I know that. What are you-" He glanced down at the ring and then back at her, the gears in his brain finally chugging along. He laughed boisterously, leaning over with the force of it. For a brief moment, she could almost believe this was her Chat, almost. "Oh no, my love. When that time comes I'll get you a much fancier ring than this, one worthy of you. We should go out on some dates first…unless you want to skip straight to the wedding. I am already dressed in white after all!"  

He held out his arms in a grand gesture, his manic grin ruining what was clearly supposed to be a joke. She couldn't ignore his fangs, his sharpened claws, the power within him that she's had to fight once before. This was no time to relax.

"Then what is that then?"

He hummed in thought, lowering his arms so he could stare at the ring thoughtfully.

"I suppose you wouldn't recognise it, but it's the mouse miraculous!"

The Mouse Miraculous?! But it looked so dull and lifeless, plus it was a ring! It didn't make any sense. 

"Monarch let you take this?"

He snickered like a naughty child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"I took all the Miraculous from him, Marinette. He didn't exactly have much of a choice, being dead and all"

He said it so casually, like he hadn't just taken a life. Sure Monarch had been cruel and was terrorising Paris, but did he deserve death? She couldn't believe that her sweet Chat would just kill him randomly. She clung to the hope there was a reason, it wasn't justification but it was something. Something to stop her brain breaking.

"W-what? Why?"

"He was going to akumatize you" Her entire body froze, she was the reason. Her Chat had been…turned into this, for her. He took her distress at causing his akumatization as distress at Monarch's actions. He reached out and she allowed him to pull her in for a hug, she didn't exactly have much choice. "Shhhh, it's ok princess, he's gone now. He can't hurt you anymore. I got rid of him, I was your good kitty, right?"

A satisfied purr rumbled through him. He rubbed his cheek against hers, hugging her tightly against his chest. He clearly expected praise. He was akumatized, his morals were completely screwed up. She just needed to purify him, then everything would be ok. She patted his head, rubbing behind his faux ears.

"Yes, you were my good kitty"

She could feel his beaming grin against her neck as his purr increased in volume. Well, at least someone was happy. He let go of her, leaning back to hold out the ring to her. 

"Here! Be Multimouse again! It doesn't matter that I know your identity anymore! Ladybug can't be upset if we're together now!"

No, but Ladybug could be upset that her partner was currently akumatized. But given his current position, he could pin her down and rip off her earrings before her transformation was finished. She needed an excuse to get away from him. If she could get him talking, she might spot an opening.

"No, I suppose not. Will you tell me what happened? I want to know everything"

"Put on the ring Marinette. Superhero talk should happen between heroes."

He was persistent, she'd give him that. Chat had enjoyed working with Multimouse, his melodramatic complaining that she couldn't be a permanent member of the team had only increased recently, even with the fact they didn't have the Mouse miraculous. Perhaps it shouldn't surprise her his akumatized form would be equally obsessed, if not more so.

She sighed, getting him angry would just cause far too many problems, she had no choice. She reluctantly took the ring from him, ignoring his excited squeal. His tail had let go of her to shoot straight up, slightly curling at the end. He was entranced by her, watching without blinking. Creepy didn't properly describe how she felt about it. She put on the ring and something felt… off. Mullo appearing from it was normal, but the poor Kwami looked exhausted. The ring was cold on her finger, the magic that usually sprang to life feeling dulled and suppressed. She frowned down at it then up at Chat, suspicious of his intentions.

“The ring feels weird Chat”

He didn’t miss a beat, almost like he’d known the ring would feel weird, that a faint, almost like background noise, magic would fill her. It wasn’t a sensation she could pin down, it definitely wasn’t something she’d connect to using a Miraculous anyway.

“Well, Monarch did do something to make them a different shape, maybe that’s why it feels weird? He also had all the Kwamis in weird prison bubbles”

He’d kept the Kwamis in prisons? She was rightfully disgusted with how cruel he must have been, to treat them like tools not living beings. She held out her hands, allowing Mullo to rest in her palms. She looked tired, she could only imagine how the other Kwamis were.

"How could he do this to you?"

Her voice was barely a whisper, yet she felt something ripple inside her. It was light, barely there, but it wasn't a feeling she was familiar with. Her thoughts returned to the ring, Monarch couldn't control her anymore but he had made these rings, maybe this strange pressure was from the remnants of that. It would hopefully pass then.

"He said that when he succeeded the world would reset. He didn't care about his family, why would he care about Kwamis?"

Her emotions surged with anger and hatred taking over. How could he do such a thing?! It was another reason to defeat him, to free them from this pain. Miraculous Ladybug would return everything to normal, but if she knew his identity, she could plan a surprise attack! She could make sure he was properly brought to justice, for Paris, for the Kwamis and for Chat, for whatever issues he was clearly facing. But he wouldn't even hint at Monarchs identity while she was like this, she'd bet on that. So, she needed to play along. Just for a bit.

"Mullo, get squeaky"

She heard a resigned sigh from the small mouse, before she got sucked into the ring. Mullo absolutely needed a rest when this was over, they all did. To see the usually mischievous Kwami so lifeless was eye-opening for her. It helped her see just how far Monarch had crossed the line. 

Mullo' s power washed over her, transforming her into Multimouse. As she feared, the whole thing felt subdued, less exciting than it normally was. Monarch had really done a number on the ring if even the spark of transformation was subdued. Chat (she refused to add Blanc to his name) seemed pleased though. His purr rumbled throughout the room. She felt like prey under a predator’s gaze. 

“You’re absolutely beautiful Multimouse”

She flustered, annoyed with the way her heart thudded in her chest for him. She thought Adrien had fully taken his place there, but apparently Chat had still snuck in. She huffed, trying to turn him away from flirting by being difficult. 

“Suggesting I’m not as beautiful as Marinette?”

He scoffed, clearly annoyed she’d taken his words that way.

“Not a chance, you’re a goddess regardless of how you look. I just wanted to compliment your hero self.”

Right, of course. Well, she was going to push past this, for Adrien’s sake! She wasn’t going to go behind his back with anyone, not even Chat. 

“Let’s go up onto the balcony. I don’t want to talk about hero stuff where my parents might hear. They probably also shouldn’t see Chat Blanc talking to Multimouse”

“If they got upset with you, I'd just take you away, no big deal"

He shrugged like he wasn't casually suggesting he'd kidnap her. In his eyes it was probably more like rescuing. Either way, it was a dangerous mindset. She shifted, uncomfortable with this new information. She couldn't let him become suspicious then, couldn't give him a reason to take her away, never to be seen again. 

She shuddered at the thought, shaking her head to block out such thoughts. She was still in control of the situation, he was listening to her, she needed to keep it like this.

"Well, I don't want that to happen Chat, so let's go up"

"Of course princess, one royal lift coming right up"

Before she could get out any kind of argument that she could do it herself, he'd scooted off her and scooped her up. She let out a squeak of indignation that had him chuckling even as he jumped up onto the balcony. Well, there went that idea. She'd been hoping that if she'd gone up first she could make enough space between them, so she could bail with Tikki the moment he revealed Monarch's identity. She'd have to try something else if he was going to be so clingy.

He stood in the middle of her balcony, nuzzling her cheek and purring. 

"Chat, put me down"

He pulled her in against his chest, holding her firmly but not hard enough he hurt her.

"Don't wanna. I have my dear mouse princess in my arms. I want to cuddle my girlfriend"

H-his what?!

No way! He couldn't impose himself on her like that! Akuma or not. And no, her beating heart meant nothing thank you very much!

"Chat, I'm dating someone"

He tilted his head in response, her annoyance only bemusing him. She was once more out of the loop, it was getting tiring.

"Yes you are, one Adrien Agreste right? Well you're looking at him! I get that I’m hard to recognise like this, but it truly is me. I know I’m being clingy but my father hasn’t let me visit you this week and you’ve been avoiding me…”

He pouted at her, his ears falling flat against his head. He was clearly moping, but she couldn’t pay attention to that. He’d just dropped an absolute bomb on her. What did he mean that he was Adrien Agreste?! Her goofy partner was her…goofy boyfriend. Huh. Having been dating him, it wasn’t as hard to imagine as she would once think. Of course Chat Noir would change into his pyjamas to make her feel more comfortable. Of course he would bring a console outside into his garden so they could play her favourite game. This was the guy who had given him a fun night out filled with dancing and laughter. He’d given her a rose and a kiss and filled her heart with love. He’d told her he couldn’t date her, so the cheeky stray had pursued her as his civilian identity! If she closed her eyes and put Chat Noir next to Adrien, she could definitely see the similarities, it was much harder with how he looked and acted now. She’d wanted to know his identity back then, but absolutely not like this. 

And absolutely not right now! She wasn’t ready! They needed to properly arrest Monarch and then do a mutual reveal. One that she now knew would have been filled with teasing and laughter, bemoaning the fact they’d chased each other in a circle. He’d taken that from her, that time to prepare herself. He’d just dumped this on her while she wasn’t ready and she hated him for it. She was shaking with rage and hurt, her displeasure so obvious even he realised he should stop whining. 

“Marinette? What’s wrong with my princess?...Ah! Right! We were going to talk about some serious topics, you probably want to start right? So no nonsense princess” He put her down, letting her stand on her own two feet finally. But she couldn’t go far as his hands slammed onto her shoulders, as he stared down at her, suddenly incredibly serious. “Who upset you enough that Monarch was going to akumatize you?”

That wasn’t what they were going to discuss! Her anger flared, burning through her skin for a moment, before slowly dying down. She grasped onto it anyway.

“Wait a minute, how could you tell me your identity?! You’re supposed to keep that a secret!”

“Why? Monarch is gone? Ladybug can't be mad that you know, you won’t go around telling anyone. Even if you did, I won’t let her get mad with you”

His voice lowered at the end of his sentence, no doubt a threat against her. It was more than a little unnerving. Still, that wasn’t the point and he was misdirecting her. He didn’t know she was Ladybug and he was akumatized, so anything he said couldn’t be used against him. 

“Shouldn’t you have at least gotten her permission? Or at least revealed to her first?”

“Why? It only matters to me that you know” He crossed his arms, defiant and no longer willing to entertain this conversation. His tail swished behind him, aggravated. “You’re deflecting the conversation. Who upset you? That’s the important issue here, nothing else”

She could strangle him, she really could. He clearly saw no problem here, but it meant their partnership was so completely unbalanced. They would defeat Monarch with her already knowing who Chat was. It felt wrong. She’d have to apologise to him and hope he understood at the time. She sighed, already exhausted with how stubborn he was being. 

“It’s not that important Chat, just some stuff at school.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. He glared at her, hissing slightly. His sharp fangs bared at her, ears flat against his skull. He was a monster in that moment, yet she surprisingly couldn’t drudge up any fear, even as his cold blue eyes narrowed at her. 

“You’re lying to me! Why would you protect someone who hurt you? You’re so infuriating!” White light formed on his claws and his back arched, aggressive and desperate. “I’ll just have to visit the class one by one. Someone will tell me what happened or, and this is a much more fun idea, if I turn them all to ash, I'm bound to get the one who hurt you. What do you think of that-"

"It was Lila!"

He blinked at her, stunned she'd interrupted him. Well, she was just as surprised. Sure him running off would give her time to transform, but he'd logically go to Alya first. And he would not be happy that she was defending Lila, she couldn't put her friend through that, no matter what. Besides, if she was wrong about which classmate he was going to, who knows how many he'd hurt before she caught up? It was far too risky, she couldn't sacrifice their safety. Now she just had to work out a way to make him not dart towards Lila. His owlish expression melted into a frown and he heaved a tired sigh. 

"I should have known it was that stupid, lying brat. What did she do?"

She wasn't proud of the way she was panicking inside, but she was fumbling for a plan. And she was more than a little worried that he was about to be furious with her. It was bad enough facing Adrien's disappointment, but Chats? While akumatized? This was a nightmare.

"Well…um… You know that lucky charm you made me? She stole it…I was avoiding you because I thought I'd been clumsy and lost such a precious gift. I didn't want to upset you, so I looked for it myself. Lila eventually revealed she had it after letting me panic for a bit. She was threatening to destroy it so I snapped at her…which got me suspended"

She frowned down at the ground, her previous frustration bubbling up inside her. She refused to let Chat see her cry, but she was dangerously close. He placed a finger under her chin, she looked up to see a blizzard storming in his eyes and flinched away from him.

"I'm sorry for-"

"I'm not angry with you Marinette. Why would I be angry with you? She's the one who has stolen from you and gotten you punished for it. Well, now I'll show her the error of her ways"

He turned from her, walking to the balcony railing , ready to go and hunt Lila down. She reached forward, bravely grabbing his arm. He stopped in his tracks and she hoped Lila appreciated the huge life-threatening risk she just took to save her. Who was she kidding? She wouldn't care. He looked down at her hands on his arm, clearly expecting her to let go and say this was a mistake. Unfortunately for the both of them, she stood her ground. 

"Chat, you can't go. You promised you'd tell me what happened with Monarch"

He pouted, slumping and disheartened. 

"But she needs to be-" He took in her glare and wisely stopped his argument in its tracks. It was a relief that she could still give her patented Ladybug stare of disapproval even as Multimouse. "I guess she can be punished later…and you did tell me what troubled you…Ugh, fine"

He moved away from the bannister, dramatically rolling his eyes at her. She tentatively let go of him and was relieved when he stayed with her. He sighed, putting his thoughts in some form of order and giving her a chance to prepare herself. Considering he was akumatized, this wasn't going to be a pretty story. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, it was time to get the truth.

"I was frustrated with my situation, that my DNA donor was clearly faking wanting to be around me, dropping me like a rock when it became too late to visit you every day. He wouldn't even let me talk about you to him, to at least let me get out my trapped love that way. I wanted to confront him, ask what his deal was…when I saw him go into a secret lift I hadn't seen before" Her stomach plummeted, brain already figuring out where this tragedy was heading. The horror had her frozen on the spot, unable to stop him from continuing. "It was stupid but I followed him up to a strange attic. A room housing Miraculous and imprisoned Kwamis. So you see Marinette, the real question was how it took so long for me to see the liar for what he was. That the late Gabriel Agreste was Monarch" 

He spat out the end of his sentence, words filled to the brim with vile spite and she couldn't blame him. She couldn't imagine her own father doing such cruel things. Adrien had not only been betrayed by someone who should be supporting him, but had fought him day in and day out. How do you process that? With akuma all around you? Not safely, like he should have been able to. He needed comfort and care, but wasn't allowed that time, that security. No wonder he was akumatized, and his so-called father was completely to blame.

She didn't know whether to be furious on his behalf, or anguished by the circumstances he'd been dropped into. She settled on both. A burning fire raged beneath the surface within her, but on the outside she tried to appear calmer than what she was. He needed her sincerity right now, not her rage. That could be saved for Monarch, he's going to end up with more than just an extra kick or two from her.

She reached out for Chat, doing her best to be quiet, comforting and non-confrontational. 

"It's not your fault. Who would suspect their family of being a crazed criminal? You're not to blame for the things your father does-"

"Don't talk about him like he still is anything to me!" He suddenly snapped at her, his rage at a boiling point. His lip curled into a snarl as he continued. “He’s not family, not anymore. When I think of him there’s no love there, just numbness. All I regret when it comes to him, is that I can't bring him back to life and disintegrate him over and over again. I wish I could watch him die repeatedly, give him the pain he truly deserves. Do you think Buynnyx will let me travel through time and find him?”

“I-I don’t think she would”

He paused, before huffing lightly. 

“You’re probably right, she’s far too much of a goody-goody. It’s a shame really. When I think of all the things he put me through, what he put you through, it enrages me. No, this is much more than simple anger, this is hatred. I hate how he’s wasted the last year of my life, using me like a tool instead of seeing me like a son. I’ve missed so much because of modelling. Then, he just cuts me loose and replaces me with a thoughtless ai, I’m that meaningless to him! He’s bullied my friends and terrorised Paris over and over again. He’s fought me, fought you, hurt you, hurt you so much!” 

Cataclysm surged onto his hands in response to his rising emotions. With a cry of anguish, he grabbed harshly onto her bannister, focusing his power onto it and turning it to dust. He was heaving, taking in loud and deep breaths, staring down at the ash blowing away in the wind. He slumped, looking like a lost, abandoned stray. This was her moment. His back was turned, he wasn’t focused on her. She could run, turn into Mousebug and fully surprise him. She didn’t know how she was going to break the ring but she could steal it from him.

But he looks so miserable.

Her heart was crying for him, bleeding out soft emotions into her veins. Her head was saying run but her heart, the one yelling so much louder, was pushing her to go to him. He needed her. She couldn’t hurt him while he was already being torn apart on the inside, it just wasn’t the right thing to do. Maybe she could just convince him to hand it over instead.

She found herself walking towards him instead of away. Reaching out, to hug him from behind. She rested her forehead against his back, squeezing him tightly.

“I’m sorry, Chat. You shouldn’t have had to go through that, to deal with such an evil person. I’m here now though, I’ll keep you safe from him”

He took in a sharp intake of breath, close to a sob. She broke further fo him, desperately trying to pour all the love she felt for him into the hug, trying to glue his broken pieces together through sheer will alone. He mournfully looked to the ground instead of at her.

"I'm sorry about your balcony Marinette" He gently pulled her hands away from him, turning to look at her filled with regret. "He just makes me so angry I lose my head. I've told you what happened, so can we never talk about him again? I don't want to be angry around you, I only want to devote myself to you. To even think of him is wasting energy that should be spent on you"

That wasn't healthy, he needed to talk at some point, but not now. He was far too exhausted. She stepped forward to hug him once more, surprising him when she wrapped her arms around his stomach.

"Ok Chat. We'll talk about nicer things, anything you want. It'll be ok"

He sank into her embrace, both his arms and tail wrapping around her. A quiet and stressed purr rumbled through him, reminding her once more that Gabriel had been a far worse parent then even she'd realised. He'd been telling Adrien he was too busy to see him, then turning around and akumatizing innocent civilians! He had the absolute gall to guilt trip Adrien and make him question himself, to question his own worth. Meanwhile he was hurting him, hurting his friends. She was going to give him another piece of her mind! Awful pancakes were just the tip of this vast iceberg of terrible parenting.

She fumed silently to herself. Rage building as she thought up her future rant. For a few moments she just cuddled him and swore to get revenge for him, but something else crept in. It brought her extreme discomfort and she squirmed in his hold. He let go of her, allowing her to step back and thoroughly examine this strange phenomenon happening inside her. Her burning sense of justice against Gabriel was very slowly and quietly being smothered. This strange, new magic inside her was grasping at her anger at Gabriel and fear for Adrien and pulling it away. She could feel its sickly hold taking it all away and locking it up somewhere inside her, somewhere out of reach. Out of her own control, she was calming down. It was getting to her less and less, soon she wouldn't feel anything about it at all, or so she feared. What was worse, and was really increasing her panic, was that she felt no resistance from her. As she examined herself closer it seemed less that her fury was being stolen from her and more like her heart was willingly handing it over. Was this Monarch's doing? A secret spell he had put into the Miraculous rings to prevent people resisting him? Or was it something else? And why was this suppression of her own self not upsetting her more?

Her mind was spiralling in circles, yet it was also calming down. Soothed and relaxed, her thoughts eventually stopped, no matter how she tried to grasp them, and she finally heard Chat speaking to her.

“Are you alright Marinette?”

“I think so? Maybe it’s something Monarch did to the ring, but I can't stay mad at him for what he did to you”

He paused for a moment before slowly walking over to her. She had no idea what he was doing but he bent over slightly, looking straight into her eyes. Examining and curious ice blue eyes held her own and after a few moments he broke out into a grin. He clearly found whatever he was looking for, since he paced excitedly in front of her.

"You…Ha! Can you believe it? I became this to save you and now you…Well there are some other reasons but still. So soon as well, you've practically half accepted it already! I'm flattered Marinette"

He beamed at her, a very light pink bringing colour to his pale cheeks. Meanwhile, her stomach was plummeting with worry.

"What do you mean? What have you done?!"

She was trying to be intimidating, but he just smiled at her, coy and mischievous.

"Can I tell you a secret Marinette?" He got closer to her, which immediately set off alarm bells in her mind. She wasn't going to like what was about to come out of his mouth, no matter how gleeful he was about it. "I put on the butterfly Miraculous, only for a minute. I didn't want to touch that thing he used for too long. But it had a very important job to do. I gave you a butterfly Marinette, my own special one, here in this ring"

She froze in disbelief. Not in her wildest nightmares did she think Adrien would ever akumatize her. She just didn't think it was something he was capable of, not even for love. 

"Y-you've what?!"

"Think of it as a blessing! You've only had it for a few minutes and it's already working! For example, how angry are you at Lila?"

She wanted to say incredibly angry, to at least be annoyed by her continued attempts to get her hated and expelled, but the emotions were far away. She focused, doing her best to drum up anything, but any spark of anger was snuffed out, taken from her and locked away. Lila wasn't an annoyance, she could barely acknowledge she was a human. 

"I'm…not?"

"See! Let me take the burden of pain from you. I won't control you or make you do my bidding like that monster, all I'll do is numb your pain and remove any threats to you. All you ever need to feel is joy and love. Let everything else disappear, it has no value to you anymore."

Let him manipulate my emotions? I can't!

She moved for the ring, something he'd predicted. He grabbed her hand while wrapping his free arm around her back, pulling her in tight against him. She flailed against him, but couldn’t match him in pure unbridled strength not while he was akumatized anyway. He nuzzled her cheek, teeth grazing against her skin at his crazed grinning. 

“Come on now Marinette, hear me out, would you? This way you’ll have infinite power, just like me! You’ll be able to keep yourself safe, even when I’m not there. Not that I’ll leave you at any point, but we can keep you protected together”

She pushed against him in vain. She could feel now, a magic besides Mullo’s inhabiting the ring. She should have known, she should have guessed when she couldn’t let go of her rising pain. When she stewed in her anger instead of pushing it to one side. 

“I don’t need that Chat! I just need you to be yourself!”

If she could appeal to him, maybe, just maybe, she’ll get the ring off in time. He hummed, seemingly none too bothered about her objection. His tail flicked about behind him. 

"Right, you never care about yourself" His annoyed growl reverberated through her. "You just let your pain build up, taking on all the burdens while refusing to share the load. I'll take on that important job instead. Think of your powers this way then, you can protect the Kwamis, they'll never be captured again. You want to keep me safe? Shield me from Monarch and those that would use me? With this power you can Marinette. You can be with me forever in peace, with no one to ever hurt us. Don't you want that?"

Something dark surged up in her heart, his words were starting to make some form of sense. It was a tempting picture he was painting, a world of just them. She shook her head, berating her traitorous heart, this wasn’t the time for weakness. She pushed on his arm and was surprised when he let her go. 

“It’s not important what I want Chat, it’s about what’s best for Paris! For everyone!”

“Is it? Prove me wrong then princess, take off the ring”

She squared her shoulders, glaring at him stubbornly. She reached up to pull off the ring, to make him go away so she could become Ladybug and save him. Her mind repeated it over and over as her fingers landed on the ring. The moment her fingers touched the ring, a powerful reaction rippled through her. Her heart cried out in rebellion, pausing her actions. Her hands were shaking, tears streaming down her cheeks. Rivers of magic ran through her body, soothing her, a numbing balm on her pain, while also encouraging her to think about this choice. The memories stayed, but the anguish felt distant, away from herself. She wouldn’t feel upset anymore if the ring stayed on, her previous anger wouldn’t fluster her, just give her a direction. She frowned down at the ring. 

“This…This doesn’t feel like an akumatization. Monarch has tried to akumatize me before, you know that. This doesn’t feel like that”

He huffed, his tail picking up in speed at his increased aggravation. He put his hands on his hips, shaking his head at her. 

“Come on now, I would never hurt you, especially not like that. I’m nothing like him, so don’t say anything like that again!” She could imagine his fur bristling and flinched away at the wild animal he was becoming, sanity unravelling in his rage. He paused, taking in her nerves and heaved a sigh. He straightened himself up, wiping away imaginary dust as he grinned, ‘friendly’ as can be. “This isn’t that horrid akumatization, this is a gift! With this, we can live forever together. This power will fuel you eternally, like it does for me. I want you to accept it willingly, to come with me willingly, so of course it won’t hurt you that way. I won’t ever hurt you”

He was really trying to drill that into her skull huh? But she knew that while she might be safe, no one else was. It should scare her. She was scared of him, wasn’t she? She rubbed the ring absently and the akuma inside reacted to her. Instead of the usual cold and heartless torment, she was swaddled up in something lighter. A powerful, possessively dark love had its claws dug into her, swallowing her up. It was electric, suffocating with its sheer aggressiveness and depth. Yet, it was also warm, comforting, it was like drowning without the primal fear, falling into security. She realised she'd long given up fighting the akuma before she’d ever started trying. Her heart had known what was going on and had long since given out, wanting to cling to the terrifying loyalty Chat offered, the promise of no more problems. 

“I…I shouldn’t. I should think of Paris first-”

She was cut off by him placing his hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her soul. He smiled softly, with care and understanding. 

“Marinette. For once, forget everyone else. Don’t think like a daughter, like a class president, a loyal friend or even a hero. Forget all that. Tell me honestly, what do you want? What does Marinette Dupain-Cheng want?”

“I-I want-” Her lips trembled, she wanted so badly to respond to him, to spill her every desire. Her resolve was crumbling. Her imagination flowed with thoughts of their future, her heart swelling and muting her brain. "I want forever with you"

He reached down, holding her hands with his own, squeezing them to comfort her. His forehead rested against hers, icy blue eyes somehow seeming friendly and assuring.

"Then that's what you'll have. My family has a summer home, a large extravagant thing, outside of Paris. We'll live together forever there. What else? Tell me everything, I'll do it all for you"

"I wanted children Chat. I daydreamed about having three lovely children of my own." Embarrassment burned through her, mortified about what she was going to admit, yet she couldn't stop her mouth moving. "I wanted a family with you"

To her surprise, she thought he'd be possessive of his time with her, he lit up like a Christmas tree. He pulled her in to cuddle, his tail coming around her back to curl around her hip. 

"Yes! Our own little feral kittens! When we're older of course. We'll teach them all the right things, like how to kill someone who's in your way. To destroy those who threaten our family"

"Uh, I guess?" At least they'd be able to defend themselves… Who was she kidding? He'd lead them into Paris and encourage them to terrorise civilians. A crazy cat and their animalistic children. She rested her chin on his shoulder, trying to remove that image from her mind, a Paris burning to the whims of her family. "It's selfish, but I wanted a hamster too"

"You can have an army of hamsters, princess. I'll find every last one on this planet for you. The home will have space for them. Our home, please come with me princess. I love you"

She knew that. The akuma inside her was created from his love, the sea she was sinking into was his insane obsession with her, his endless love. It was filling her heart and thriving, growing ever stronger and more persuasive, off her own returning love. Perhaps if she didn't care for him back, she wouldn't have fallen, or at least put up more of a fight.

"I love you. Let's go home."

She finally hit the bottom of the abyss. Her heart, full to bursting, encourages the ring on her finger to glow a deep purple. A wave of magic shot through her body, powered by a destructive love, it was electric but inviting. The magic swept her up and stripped her of her inhibition. Her morals hadn't helped her when it really mattered anyway. No, it was time to let go of anything that wouldn't help her love and live with Chat. The magic eagerly took away her connections and feelings for anything else. A white light covered her from head to toe and then, standing proudly, there was a new Multimouse.

From the beginning she looked more animalistic. Her hair was barely contained in her buns, wild and untamable. Her grey changed to a dirty brown, stretching further down her arms and legs before giving away to black from her wrists and ankles onward. Her irises turned black, framed by a darker, sharper mask. The end of her gloves became sharper, claws ready to strike All traces of pink, of softness, were removed from her. Her skipping rope was darker, thicker, more tail-like, it swung low and dragged across the ground. Thin, short fur now covered the tail and it was a permanent fixture of her costume. Her new weapon was a long, dark sceptre, a silver gem decorating the top.  

Chat Blanc looked her up and down, drinking her in eagerly. He shivered in delight, reaching out before holding himself back. He was reverent, closing in but not touching her. His desire to worship her was clear, but she was in full control, she would always be in control. A smirk crossed her lips as she took him in. 

“Does my kitty like what he sees? Does he like his queen?”

Yes. Queen, that suited her much better than princess. With Chat Blanc as her loyal love and knight, no one would stop her. Queen Mouse sounded far better than Queen Bee anyway. He kneeled before her, hugging her waist tightly.

“Yes, my queen. I love you, love this new you. Tell me what you want, anything. I’ll do anything you desire, destroy anything you desire”

She reached down, messing up his hair and rubbing the back of his ears. He purred, intently listening for her orders. He was such a good kitty.

“Well, the first order of business is to ‘convince’ Lila to return my treasure. No one should get away with stealing from a queen, especially not your queen”

He stood up quickly, letting go of her to bow deeply. He was manic, buzzing with excessive energy, excited at finally getting to use his powers, to help her, Marinette. It was so cute.

“Of course, she must suffer for how she hurt you”

“Good, I’ll trust you to not fail me. Then, we shall go to this holiday home of yours and make it my castle. You shall be its guard, if anyone tries to break in, tries to take us from each other, then you are to destroy them. I don’t care who they are, any threat to our family is to be wiped from existence”

She slammed her sceptre to the ground, accentuating her order, finalising it. He shuddered in response, standing up straight and in his eyes she saw nothing but blind obedience and worship. She enjoyed her power over him, but also how she loved him. He was her most cherished knight, he would also want for nothing in her kingdom.

“Of course, my queen. It will be done as you asked”

“Do you want anything? I shall make sure you’re properly rewarded, I am a benevolent queen”

He came round behind her, the only being allowed to do such a thing, and pulled her against his chest. She relaxed against him, safe and loved in his arms. 

“Eternity with you. That’s all I desire. Give me that and the world will fall to your whims”

“So easy to please, you already have that Chat Blanc” He kissed her cheek, enjoying his true name on her lips. “I shall find ways to treat you, starting with this.”

She clicked her fingers and her tail rope glowed with magic. Suddenly, hundreds of mini queens joined them on the rooftop. Subjects created by infinite Multitude, she didn't even need to shrink herself to create countless subjects. It was power she could absolutely get used to. They mindlessly kneeled, waiting for her order.

"Go find the traitorous Lila Rossi and bring her here, be as rough as you need but don't seriously damage her" She reached up, scratching her adorable kitty under his chin. "Mon Chaton wishes to play with her"

Wordlessly they jumped away, spreading throughout the city to find their target. She stood, confident and sure, before he pulled her in for a bone crushing hug, purring all the while.

"My queen, you really know how to spoil me"

She laughed, holding onto him just as tightly. She felt light and free, that nothing held her back or down. She was so excited to see what Chat would do to Lila, then what they would do next, tomorrow and onwards to eternity. They would live a life filled with love together and only together.

“Only for you, my loyal kitty”

Paris found Gabriel’s remains the next day. What happened to him, plus the immediate disappearances of his son Adrien Agreste, his girlfriend Marinette Dupain-Cheng and their classmate Lila Rossi were a hot topic in Paris for a good, long while. The lack of akumas had people accusing one or more of them of being Monarch himself, with only the Ladyblog standing firm that he had only been Gabriel, despite accusations of bias. Despite the lack of evidence the Ladyblogger searched high and low for her friends, the only clue she’d ever found was a pet store that had its stock of hamsters and supplies ransacked.

But if she had paid attention to the dark undertones of back alley rumours, she would have heard of a strange, new castle a few hours out from Paris, in the middle of nowhere. A castle that, despite being labelled abandoned, was given a wide berth by anyone who knew better. Because, if she'd examined it properly she'd know that the teenagers and thrillseekers that broke in, mysteriously never came back out.