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Dark, gloomy corridor.
Only three words – and I almost described my house. To be precise, its dark side is hidden away from the peeking eyes of the public.
I’m going through it like a thief in the night on tiptoe.
And again it’s true. I found this side of my house literally a few days ago. And it scares me so much.
How much didn’t I know about my father? How much more should I suffer from his actions and coldness?
I’m sneaking and barely breathing
And I’m trying to not alert everyone:
I like to think that my father is sleeping. It makes my mission easier and safer. I don’t know what will happen if I get caught in his or Nathalie’s arm and I don’t want to find out.
Those that are sleeping in their beds
Or those that are caring for their business
Step by step, I’m closer to my goal.
My mother’s portrait.
“Plagg, do you remember which buttons I should press?” I ask my kwami.
“This, this and that one.” He answers.
Plagg… My dearest friend and partner. He is so close to me that I can’t even imagine myself without him. Yes, sometimes he’s lazy, grumpy, blunt and harsh-spoken to me. But still, he is very helpful, careful and soft even if he denies it. And he also will deny this, but he will protect me no matter what it’ll cost to him or anyone else.
And now we’re both standing in the lift and going underground to my father’s secret hideout. And we will learn what he is hiding from us.
Or in whose room I want to peek
Suddenly,the lift changes its direction of travel. After 30 seconds I find out that now we’re moving up.
“We’re close to finding out Father’s secret,” I whisper.
“And I’ve got a feeling that we’re going to regret it,” Plagg whispers back with concern in his voice.
Only to find out:
The lift finally stops and I look around.
I know this place. I was here a long time ago with my mother when she was with us. I liked to watch the stars from here and I always wanted to see a falling one to make a wish.
But I am not there alone.
In the midnight in your sleep
“Hawk Moth,” I whisper in clear shock.
I’m not prepared for this. I’m not prepared to see that!
“NO!” I scream loudly.
But Hawk Moth doesn’t get distracted by my shout. He’s still standing in front of Ladybug and looking into her eyes.
Those blue eyes that are now surrounded by a purple mask.
You’re changing your face, my dear.
Whose ideas are you slave to?
God, she is crying. I see that she resists his mental attacks but with every second she starts to become weaker.
I can’t let him do that.
I need to stop my father.
“Plagg, claws out!” I shout.
But it’s too late.
Ladybug fades in the dark cloud of magic and then SHE appears.
“Well, Kitty,” she smirked evilly, “do you want to play a game of cat and mouse?”
Why did people become your prey?
“I don’t mind if you’ll be a cat and Hawk Moth will become a mouse,” I answer with a tight smile.
Well, I need a plan. What have I got right now? Hawk Moth is tired and can’t fight with all his power so I need to defeat him fast and grab his Miraculous.
“Woah!” I almost got hit by the former Ladybug. “Why are you against me? We’re a team, remember?”
“We were a team, Chat. Now I need something from you.” She doesn’t hide her smirk and it’s making me nervous.
“Are you going to just give away your Miraculous and mine to him?” I try to remind her who the real enemy is.
“Why should I do that? I’m on my own right now and you’re my enemies.”
Oh no. No. Please, no. Please, tell me that she is not serious right now.
“Fallen Hero, I’m your boss right now. Grab his Miraculous and give it to me,” Father spoke hoarsely.
“Nuh-uh. Didn’t you learn your lesson, Hawky?”
And she kicks him right into the middle of his chest.
“Kitty, look into my eyes and choose your side wisely.”
There is a cross on my chest
Look at it closely.
What can it change
Deep in your soul?
“No, My Lady. You’ll look in my eyes and you’ll listen to me. This isn’t you. These aren’t your feelings,this is only your frustration and your sacred wish to make the world better. And f… Hawk Moth just dug up them and put them in your mind. Stop before you regret it.”
I’ve read a lot of books
I’ve seen a lot of tricks
And don’t even try to hide your secret from me
Because I saw it.
“Don’t listen to him, Fallen Hero, I’m your only Master and you’ll do what I say.”
Father… Sometimes you’re such a jerk. Now I see it clearly.
You once said that you and mother are meant for each other. But it’s a lie. If it were true I wouldn’t find you arguing with her and talking with your imagination. It’s not love and you can’t understand it. And you never will.
“Well, well, well… Whose little dog is barking at me right now? Chat, is he yours? Oh, what am I talking about? Of course he is yours! He is your father after all!” Wait a minute, when did she discover that?
“Thanks to him I can now see clearly some bonds in the area around us that nobody except kwamis could see. Still, I don’t know who you are, but after this-” she steps on my father, causing him to cough up blood and grabs his Miraculous, “I… No. It can’t be.”
She looks truly shocked.
And she’s afraid of me, I feel it. She’s scared to look into my eyes. She’s scared to face the truth.
No, correction: it’s the akuma who’s scared. My Lady would never be afraid to face the truth, even if it would destroy her life.
So, there is only one solution to me.
I want my Lady back. I need my Lady back.
And I will get her back.
I don’t even shoot a glance at my father. I can’t do it because it hurts.
I just leap in the air and fall on my partner.
“Now, you will look into my eyes.” I say with steel in my voice.
And then I catch her gaze.
I see in those blue eyes someone trying to break out of a cage and it is… Marinette? What?! Is she really Ladybug? Wow…
And then Marinette looks into my eyes.
I don’t know what she sees inside of them. But then the akuma disappears and under me there’s Ladybug.
“Chat, I…”
“Sh, you don’t need to say anything. I understand,” I whisper to her.
And then she starts to sob on my shoulder. I pet her head and start purring. I found out a long time ago: it is the best way to comfort her when she is sad.
“I remember everything, Adrien,” she whispers quietly but it’s enough to break the silence between us.
“But we will stand tall against it. Yes, it hurts you a lot. It also hurts me a lot. But we will not break, do you believe me?”
“Y-yes. And I’m sorry; I’m really, really sorry. I can’t imagine what nightmare you went through.” She starts to sob again.
“We can talk about it later, you know?” I ask carefully.
And then I hear my father’s cough.
“Oh, dang it! Father! He might even die!” I start panicking.
“And the akuma! It’s still here above us.” And here she is – Ladybug with the Ladybug-mode on. She might feel sadness, she might feel anxiety, but she can deal with it later. Firstly, she needs to finish her task. Only after that she can allow herself to start worrying.
“Gotcha! Bye-bye, little butterfly. Lucky charm! Miraculous Cure!” She rants very fast.
After the swarm of ladybugs flies away, I feel my father begin to breathe easier.
He won’t die. It’s a big plus.
But…
“I’m sorry, Father. I have to do this.” I whisper to him and then type in my baton the number of the police and make a call. “Good evening, officer. This is Chat Noir. I want to inform you that about three minutes ago we caught and defeated Hawk Moth. I’ll tell you the address where you can find us. Goodbye.”
I’m looking at my Lady.
She is looking back.
There will be a lot of consequences. People might start to hate me.
But I don’t care.
We will stay strong together.
You and I. Against the world. No matter what it’ll cost us and them. We’ll be together.