ADRIEN'S POV

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Adrien was slumped at his desk, staring miserably at his computer. His mother's past-time smiling face gazed back at him, but he couldn't smile back. All he could do was listen to the clock tick and wish she were still there with him.

Plagg was on the couch a little behind him, noisily devouring his camembert. Per usual, he was no help at all.

Thoughts of all the negatives in his life whirled through his head. His poor relationship with his father. His constant longing to have his mother back. Normally he could put these thoughts aside and focus on all the positives, like hanging with Nino, being with Ladybug, and helping her destroy evil. But here, now, all he could think of was sadness.

He finally stood up, walked out his door, and slowly descended the stairs to the main room. Strangely, Nathalie was nowhere in sight. The Gorilla was standing by the base of the stairs, unacknowledging of Adrien's appearance, like the normal. Sighing, he continued towards the doors, but halted as he heard voices coming from his father's room.

Curious, he moved closer to the occupied room's door and leaned closer, trying to make out what his father and assistant were discussing. He managed to make out Nathalie's voice saying, "So then, if you already had a copy of the book, why'd you go through all that trouble?"

Book. The strange book about miraculouses that he'd lost just the day before, until his father had somehow recovered it. That had to be what she was talking about.

But . . . his father had another copy? He'd told Adrien that the book was one of a kind. But it was his father's reply to Nathalie's question that startled him more.

"I did what I had to do to keep my secret."

Unable to help himself, Adrien pushed the door open ever so slightly, just to get a glimpse of what was going on inside. To his shock, his father was standing in front of the portrait of Mrs. Agreste, running his two hands along the surface. Upon reaching a specific position, he pressed harder with his fingers, revealing special indents where he'd pressed. He then stepped back and descended through a small tunnel into the floor. As soon as he was down far enough, a panel closed up again where he'd vanished so it looked as if there was nothing but floor.

Where had he gone?

But it was Nathalie's next words that struck him the hardest.

She turned around and walked back to Gabriel's desk, then glanced back at the painting and said softly, "Bonne chance, Hawk Moth."

* * *

Ladybug had been right after all.

A small part of him was wondering how he'd akumatized himself, but the rest was swallowed up in shock and grief.

His father was the supervillain of Paris. Hawk Moth. Hawk Moth. For real. This wasn't some huge nightmare.

What would he say if he knew his son was Chat Noir?

* * *

Things were never the same from then on. He couldn't look his father in the eyes or speak to him anymore. He wasn't cheered up at the sight of Nino anymore. He couldn't look at an akumatized victim without knowing that his father was responsible. The smallest bit of comfort he got was being with Ladybug. Seeing her smile, and hearing her voice. But also knowing she'd been right and being unable to tell her.

But another shock was yet to come.

Just a couple days later, after a vicious fight with a supervillain, he'd detransformed and was walking through the upstairs hallway on his way to the library. Trying to focus on the book he was planning on getting and not his father's terrible secret, he wasn't expecting anything strange, but the first person he spotted inside was . . . Ladybug.

What was she doing here?

But that thought only lasted a heartbeat. She'd been the first person he saw, but the first sound he heard was the familiar beep of her power-declining earrings. She'd used Lucky Charm after he'd used Cataclysm, he remembered. He forgot to look away, he was so startled, and in just a few seconds saw her suit and mask vanish in a blinding flash. And beneath the strong disguise, wearing the familiar pink capris, white T-shirt, and dark overcoat . . . was the girl he'd labeled as just a friend countless times.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

His eyes widened, and he just managed to hoarsely whisper, "Ladybug?" inaudible to her, before backing away and racing back down the hall. She hadn't seen him.

Marinette . . . all this time . . . the clumsy baker girl . . . was somehow the same person as the confident, strong-willed Ladybug he'd fought alongside and fallen for.

It, and finding out about his father, was all too much to take in. School being basically ended, he forgot all about the Gorilla picking him up and ran all the way back to his mansion. As soon as he arrived, he went straight to his room, slowed down, and stopped by his window, panting, too shocked to speak or do anything else.

Plagg emerged from his jacket and zoomed up beside him. He stared at Adrien curiously for a few moments, but, unlike the usual, he remained silent.

Stunned, he eventually slid down against the window, almost shaking. Time passed, and he gradually began to calm down enough to think clearly again. But maybe that wasn't a good thing. Now, all he could feel was more sadness. A very small part of him was relieved to finally know his Lady's identity, but he knew she'd wanted to keep it secret. He already wasn't planning on telling anyone, as she'd always wished, but he knew nonetheless. Of course, he didn't have to tell her . . .

Yes, I do, he thought, near-reluctantly. I would never lie to her. But I'll assure her that I won't tell anyone. Maybe that will make things better.

But his thoughts quickly drifted away from reassurance as he heard his father shouting at someone on the phone somewhere outside his room. It only deepened his sorrow and he once again tried to take in the fact that his father was his worst enemy.

He very slowly picked up his right hand and cupped it in his left palm, staring down at the blank, silver face in misery. He was a superhero. He could change a lot of things. But this was one he couldn't.

Just a minute later, Plagg suddenly cried out in fear, startling his owner partially of his daze. He looked up in what seemed to be slow motion and spotted a dark purple butterfly flapping towards him.

An akuma, he vaguely thought, but didn't register what his mind had just said. And before he ever got the chance to, he dropped his head again, and the akuma absorbed itself into his miraculous.

"I am Hawk Moth," a deep, all-too-familiar voice announced silkily. Adrien gazed sadly back at the two blue eyes watching him through the glowing Moth symbol, and replied quietly, "I know."

The blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but, otherwise unfazed, Hawk Moth continued, "So many secrets have they kept from you. From now on, you have the freedom to discover them all. Only one will try to stop you, but I can assure you she will fail. I will give you all you've ever wanted. All I ask is a small favor in the end."

"I know," he repeated softly. "To bring you my ring and the Ladybug miraculous."

There was a long hesitation, and the supervillain finally answered, "Yes. That's all. What has Ladybug done for you? She's rejected your love, taken advantage of you, and kept secrets from you as well. The task will be simple. So do we have an agreement?"

Deep down, Adrien knew he should refuse. Hawk Moth was purely evil. But he ended up responding, "Yes, father," and didn't wait to see the villain's reaction. He barely heard Plagg cry, "Adrien, no!" as he added, "Claws Out," and the black cat kwami was sucked into the miraculous along with the akuma. A moment later he was transformed into Chat Noir, but he felt different. Stronger, tingling with energy, but also wrong. He turned towards the window, still with free will, and with a small smile lunged through the open space to the outside world, the new but still wrong motivations spinning through his head.