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Adrien knew the game in fact he had been playing it for a while.
Something was up with the Italian student multiple akumatizations, meeting with his father, and an active distaste for Ladybug. Now, these independently would be no big deal other than the meeting with his father even he couldn’t just do that.
It was with this admittedly small list of evidence he began to take the control of the House. His first move however was bound to make or break his gambit. He needed info on Rossi and what better way to do such a thing than to give that person a miraculous.
Chat Noir was perfectly aware that Rossi would use such magical artifacts as an ace up the sleeve. Lila foremostly needed Adrien to fold his hand good thing Adrien and Chat Noir were playing separately he owned the game he dealt all the hands and played them in turn.
Lila however sat at the table and was about to be dealt 4 jokers disguised as aces.
Chat Noir made it to the school early in the morning he knew Lila would be there spinning a new web to catch unsuspecting listeners he would intervene and hand her a miraculous. She would be told to keep and hold onto it, and then. . .
She would lead him straight to Hawkmoth.
Holding her tongue wasn’t her strong suit and as Hawkmoths lackey, she would take her first opportunity to tell the terrorist himself.
His plan was to play her lying against her as all lies must have some truth to back them. She would maintain her façade of helpfulness and he would get his info.
He glanced down into the courtyard to see her walking to class. He jumped down and swooped her back up to the roof.
“Wha- What the hell?”
“Hello, Miss Rossi.”
“Chat Noir?” Lila was confused as to why Chat Noir nabbed her from the courtyard.
“Miss Rossi this is very important, Ladybug and I need your help, we can’t rely on our temps anymore and we need someone more permanent that we don’t need to get every time,” Chat Noir began to explain.
“Are you saying-” Lila trailed off as her eyes landed on the small Hexagonal box Chat Noir had in his hand.
“Lila Rossi this is the miraculous of the fox which grants the power of illusion you will use it to help defeat hawkmoth, can I trust you,” Chat knew the answer to the last part, but it didn’t matter.
Quickly snatching and opening the box Lila put on the necklace as Trixx materialized.
Chat gave her the standard your identity must remain a secret and carried her back to class explaining the situation to Miss Bustier much to the confusion of Marinette.
Now Chat Noir had many variables he was counting on to go perfectly for his plan to work. He needed Lila to know how to long con and as he observed in the past, she was good at it. Her tendency to show off though may fold his hand so he prayed she didn’t call his bluff.
While he would have liked to be Chat for the rest of the school day Adrien still had his cards and needed to play them. His job now was to observe, she had the miraculous now it was time to see what she did with it.
The school day progressed normally and to Adrien’s delight, Lila hadn’t called his bluff she didn’t mention it once. The bell rang and Lila jetted from her seat and made a break for the exit. Adrien broke from his chair as well and tailed after her. He watched as she ducked into an alley and transformed jumping off into the sky. Adrien called on his transformation and tailed her.
His odds were low of her going straight to the man himself the first time but he held his baton in one hand as he tracked her across the city marking the last location she was transformed.
Weeks passed as Chat Noir marked down the locations that she de-transformed and ladybug had pestered him about the missing miraculous. As the guardian, she had the right to know where they were at all times but he didn’t need unknowns in his game so he didn’t divulge the information all he told her was that it would be taken care of.
He had observed Rossi for the past weeks and had noticed she spent a considerable amount of time in the park an odd location, to say the least, but it was worth noting.
Its why he found himself perched above the park waiting for his target, his plan was simple, find who she was meeting with and tail them which if his wager paid would be hawkmoth.
With his thoughts rumbling in his head, he watched the fox heroine Volpina land in the park and sit down at a bench. A few minutes later a very familiar limo pulled up and Chat’s heart stopped. He watched as the window rolled down revealing his father Lila’s back turned to him most likely to hide his identity.
He couldn’t believe it and yet rage, and betrayal built within him if his suspicions were correct his father was a terrorist.
He watched their interaction, a brief conversation that Chat was unable to hear at his distance. Eventually though Gabriel rolled up his window and the limo presumably headed back to the mansion.
Chat had a new target his own father, but first, he needed to retrieve the fox miraculous from his unwilling spy. So he sent Volpina a message to meet him at the park.
Waiting a few minutes Chat jumped from his perch and strolled into the park to meet Volpina.
“Do you still have the miraculous?” Chat asked looking around the park to see if it was empty.
“Yep,” Volpina smiled holding the necklace in the palm of her hand to show.
“Good,” Chat Noir said as he ripped the necklace off of her “That’s one less loose end.”
“Hey what are you doing” Lila attempted to snatch the necklace back
“This is your only warning Miss Rossi, I suggest you stop associating yourself with that man,” Chat said coolly raising an eyebrow at her.
“But- but-” Lila sputtered.
“No, but’s I watched the whole thing just go home and forget this all happened,” Chat said raising a claw to her chin.
Lila looked shocked as she turned and bolted from the park knowing there was no web, she could spin to get her back in. She had folded and now the dealer just had to get the last player from the table, his father.
With his new goal in mind he made his way back to the building he once called home, but in his head had gained a new name, Hawkmoths Lair.
He needed more details though he needed irrevocable proof that his father was the scourge of Paris. So, he watched following his father throughout the day. Nothing of note happened until he noticed Gabriel walk to the portrait of mom. He coolly pressed his fingers to the painting and pressed the buttons. Chat Noir watched as his father disappeared into the floor. And minutes later he received a message from his lady about an Akuma.
It was an easy fight not one of Hawkmoths greatest Akuma and before Ladybug could question him, he was off again back toward the mansion.
Night set in shortly after and He set out with Plagg to see where his father had disappeared to. He made his way across the steps to his father’s parlor sneaking his way in and shutting the door slowly behind him.
He walked to the painting and pressed his palms against it feeling it up for the indents. Finding them he pressed his fingers against the buttons hearing them click as he pulled back his hands.
He found himself moving down as the elevator took him to a large open room.
It appeared to be two circular platforms one with a large window and one that looked to be covered in foliage with a white display in the middle.
Adrien began his trek across the platform to the other end arriving at the white altar his blood froze as he peered in through the glass.
Laying there in a clean pressed white suit was his mother looking like the day she left. His heart revolted against him as his eyes stung. He pressed his palms against the glass as his tears flowed onto the polished surface creating rivers in his reflection. He felt Plagg rest himself on his shoulder and purr while he collapsed to the ground.
He couldn’t believe it she was here all this time and his own father hadn’t let him come see her. The sadness and betrayal burned within him forging his resolve to confront his father.
He sat there for what felt like hours until he heard the familiar whirr of the elevator he had rode in on. On its small circular platform was his father. He watched as Gabriel stepped off the platform and uttered the one phrase Adrien needed to hear.
“Noroo Dark wings rise,”
He wasn’t shocked he didn’t feel anything other than the maelstrom of hatred that had been brewed into him forged in the fires of betrayal. He didn’t act though he just watched as the butterfly was released. He did feel some guilt though his lady would have to deal with this Akuma on her own, but he couldn’t strike now he was vulnerable, and even if he was Chat Noir, no he would confront his father but he would do it his own way, he need only to bide his time.
Eventually, Ladybug dispatched the Akuma much to Adrien’s relief. He was also treated to his fathers' post-defeat rambling about how he hasn’t lost the war.
Gabriel de-transformed and ascended back up to the parlor, hopefully to sleep.
He waited for about 10 minutes before ascending back up to the main parlor. Reaching the top, he began to play his final hand grabbing Nathalie’s desk chair he ran to the mansions maintenance closet and grabbed some duct tape. He knew transformations could wear a person out and hoped his father was dead asleep.
He made his way to his fathers’ room and slowly opened the door to find him asleep in bed still in his clothes, so he slowly lifted the man into the chair.
Sitting upright Gabriel began to be wrapped in duct tape by Plagg as Adrien pulled the miraculous off of his shirt. He had always wanted to duct tape someone to a chair and he figured there was no better opportunity. He used humor to cope with his situation and he would use humor to end it.
He wheeled him back into the parlor his father beginning to stir as he was wheeled into the room.
“What’s going on?” Gabriel screamed as he finally came to full consciousness.
Adrien made a shushing noise as he stopped pushing Gabriel and made to stand in front of him.
“Time to cash out,” Adrien began holding up the Butterfly brooch
Gabriel’s face went pale as he saw his brooch “How did you get that?”
Plagg chose this opportunity to make himself known “Kid let's just get this over with call the cops”
Adrien held his finger up to his Kwami “Maybe Kwamis are impatient up but I want to have my fun you dig?”
“You made your last Akuma hawkmoth, sorry it had to end like this no fancy battle with me and ladybug no last chance to take our jewels.” He held the brooch up to his eye inspecting it.
“From where you’re sitting it looks like an 18-karat run of bad luck. . . Truth is. . . The game was rigged from the start,” With that Adrien called on his transformation and opened his communicator and dialed 17.
“Paris PD what’s your emergency?” the dispatcher answered.
“Hello, this is Chat Noir I’ve apprehended Hawkmoth at the Agreste Manor he’s tied up in the parlor.
The line was silent for a moment and then the dispatcher responded, “Ok we’ll send someone to pick him up, thank you Chat Noir.”
Chat Noir hung up right as Nathalie entered hearing the commotion Gabriel had made.
Nathalie dropped her clipboard as she saw Gabriel tied up and Chat Noir standing next to him.
“Hand it over,” Chat said stretching his hand out.
Nathalie looked resigned as she unclips the Peacock pin from her jacket there was no use in fighting it was over.
Chat Noir briskly made his exit as the police arrived to apprehend his father and Nathalie. He messaged Ladybug to meet him on the roof of the Agreste Mansion he had important news.
He sat there for hours he knew Ladybug wouldn’t be awake so he and Plagg just sat there as they slowly watched the police trickle out of the house. He thought about how his last words to his father were a trashy reference, but in all honesty he thought it was fitting.
The sun slowly began to rise over the Parisian skyline bathing Adrien and Plagg in sunlight a welcome reprieve from the darkness that had consumed him all night.
He watched as a spotted Heroine swung his way confused at the sight of Adrien Agreste sitting on the roof of the Agreste mansion.
When she landed, she asked “Chat?”
“The one and only Milady?”
“What’s going on?”
Chat looked down to the squad cars, lights flashing as they sat in front of the gate.
“My father is being arrested.”
“What? Why?”
“Don’t you know he was Hawkmoth?” Chat said still not looking at her as he held his hand out in his palm sat the Fox, Peacock, and Butterfly miraculous.
Ladybug gasped as she picked up the brooch in her fingers.
“How did you know?”
“He was in my own home all it took was some gambling”
“How did you stop him?”
He looked up and grinned mischievously at his lady tears running down his cheeks.
“Remember Milady. . . The House always wins.”