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The pain didn't register right away. It felt more like being elbowed in the ribs rather than being impaled by a blade. Truthfully he hadn't even noticed the object embedded itself in his body until he tried to stand up. That's when it hit him.
A wave of nausea had his legs giving out underneath him, forcing him back to his knees. It definitely hit something important. Adrien glanced up, watching as his opponent slowly approached him. Where was she?
Shadowmoth emerged from the shadows, an smile sitting evilly on his face.
"You're weak," he snarled, crouching to meet the hero at eye level. "Weak and pathetic without your lady. You're nothing.
Adrien swallowed. He would not let Shadowmoth win. Not now. "She's coming," he said, attempting to steady his shaking voice. "You'll be sorry you ever tried to mess with her."
The man sighed. "You never learn, do you?"
"I could say the same thing about you," he said, trying to ignore the excruciating pain. He didn't dare look at the wound, but he could tell the blood was beginning to pool beneath him, and every so often he could here the sickening 'plop' as the red liquid dripped to the floor. "Ho-how many years have you been attacking us? And you still haven't beaten us. You can't win a fight against a couple of teenagers. Who's the more pathetic one here? Just give it up, you can't win."
"You've got quite a mouth on you for someone who's dying," Shadowmoth said. Adrien might even say he was amused if the man could possibly feel any emotion himself. "It's poetic. Acting strong in the face of defeat for a girl who isn't even here to watch. I take it back. It's not poetic, it's just sad. I could easily take your miraculous right now, let's see how strong you are then."
"Th-Then take it," he grimaced. "It's not like I can fight back."
"I would, but I'd rather save that for the real show. The real satisfaction comes when Ladybug does. You're just the bait, Chat Noir."
His fingers gripped the large blade that protruded from the black cat's abdomen. With a swift yank, he pulled it out, spraying the floor with more blood. Adrien collapsed, his hands flying to the wound in a lame attempt to stem the blood flow. He was so incredibly fucked.
"Your time is running out, Chat. Do you really trust she'll make it?"
He coughed, blood staining his lips. He wasn't an expert in injuries but he was about 97% sure that wasn't good. "She always does."
Shadowmoth scoffed. "It won't matter. She won't be able to fix you. Dark wings, fall."
The transformation disappeared, leaving the Gabriel Agreste, his father, in its place. Adrien's breath caught. That was impossible, it couldn't be. Could it? He rolled weakly onto his back, swallowing the nausea that crept up his throat. He didn't want to believe it, but it had happened right in front of him. All this time...he'd been fighting his own father. All this time...his father had truly been evil.
In hindsight, it shouldn't have been a surprise. Adrien always knew his father hid things from him. He always knew that despite how much he tried to convince himself otherwise, his father was a horrible person. Neglecting him, manipulating him, abusing him. Coincidentally, Hawkmoth showing up in New York and Shanghai when Gabriel happened to be there. He was literally lying in the observatory floor of the Agreste mansion right now. It all made so much sense logically. How did I not see it sooner.
"Enjoy whatever little time you have left, Chat Noir. I've got better things to concern myself with than you weak, worthless 'hero'."
He watched as his father disappeared down the elevator, taking him back to the normal levels of the house. "I'm sorry, Ladybug," he muttered, staring at the broken observatory window where he had initially dropped in. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the broken glass glistening in the sunlight. It was cruel, really. Being taunted by the painfully, perfect beautiful day as he lay bleeding out from a wound inflicted by his own father. The odd's were certainly not in his favor.
"Chat?" A familiar voiced called out. She was here. "Are you here? I got your message. I'm sorry I was late, I had other...obligations...I couldn't get out of."
She waited a minute for a response.
"Chat?"
He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a sharp cough, sending pain shooting through his body. Her head spun in his direction, and he eyes landed on his prone body.
"Mon doux minou," she whispered, dropping to his side. She propped him up against the wall, slowly to avoid hurting him further. "What happened?"
"Got stabbed."
She tried to glare at him, but her expression just read sadness. "Not the time to be funny, Chaton."
"Gabriel..." He said, struggling to form the words. His insides felt like mush and his head was swimming.
"What?"
"Shadowmoth...he's Gabriel Agreste..."
"But–that's impossible...he got akumatized."
"I wish it weren't...m'lady...but he transformed in front of me."
Her eyes lingered at his hand, which was firmly clamped to his side, blood seeping through his fingers. He still hadn't look, but he was pretty sure the pool of blood he left behind was steadily growing at an alarming rate.
"That's not important right now," she said. "I have to get you to safety. If he comes back–"
"No," he said, as harshly as he could. "No, there's no time. He'll hurt you, too. He said I was just the bait, he knew you were coming and he's waiting for you to be vulnerable. I-I'll be okay. Just leave me."
"I can't–I mean how could I just..."
"Please."
Tears formed in her eyes, but she nodded. "I'll come back for you, okay? I'll fix everything."
He gave her a half hearted smile. "Not going anywhere." He didn't have the heart to tell her that he might not be here when she returned. "Be safe, okay?"
"I will."
She planted a soft kiss on his forehead, much to his surprise. "Don't go dying on me yet, minou. I won't be long."
She meant what she said. She intended on ending this as quickly as possible. Of course, with her partner out of commission it would make things a million times harder then they would have been, and she didn't have time to search for a replacement. Chat, her Chat, was lying in the room above her bleeding out.
The Agreste Mansion was quiet, the only noise being her own footsteps. It was oddly quiet. It had been two hours since school let out, and Adrien didn't have any fencing classes of photoshoots today. He should have been here.
She approached the study, catching a glimpse of gray hair disappearing through the large double doors. She followed, watching through the crack of the door as the fashion designer pressed on the portrait of Emilie on the far wall. To her shock it revealed an elevator of some kind. He was gone as quickly as he came.
"Where is he going?" she asked aloud, approaching the painting. Her fingers brushed against the textured canvas, feeling for the buttons hidden among it. She heard a click, and smiled. "Gotcha."
She regretted the decision as soon as she saw where it went. The lights were still on, leading a clear path to a rectangular shape at the far end of the room.
"Oh my god," she whispered, approaching the glass box. Inside lay the still figure of Emilie Agreste. "What have you been up to?"
She heard a thud behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"I've been waiting for you, Ladybug. I see the bait worked perfectly."
She clenched her jaw, the reminder of Chat lying in his own blood haunting her mind. "I know who you are, Gabriel."
"So I see he hasn't perished yet. Don't worry, he will soon."
"Why are you doing this? What was the goal, here? Terrorizing children and for what? For some stupid wish? What could you possibly need so bad that any of this is justified?"
He glared and Marinette swore his eyes bore into her soul. "Give me your miraculous, Ladybug. Then you'll see."
"You know I can't do that."
"I wasn't asking."
In his hand he revealed a blade, the same blade he must have used on Chat. With terrifying accuracy he threw it at her, only escaping with an inch of her life.
"You can't win," he snarled, advancing. "Not without your little sidekick."
She jumped quickly out of the way of his second attack, landing atop the glass coffin.
"You want to bring Emilie back, don't you?"
He stiffened at the sound of her name.
"What would Adrien, your son, think of this?"
"I'm doing this for him," he growled.
"Do you really think he'd want all of this just so you could bring back someone's who's already gone from his life? Do you really think he'd condone all that you've done just so you could be selfish? Because you don't know your son at all if you do."
"Don't," he said, pointing his stick at her accusingly. "Never talk to me about my son. Never speak his name. You don't get to do that."
"And you don't get to cheat death," she said, gripping her yo-yo tightly. "Nothing comes without a price. What if that price was your son? Would you still be willing to make it?"
He was silent, unable to answer the question.
"Your lack of response is concerning. Emilie is dead. She'd gone and yet you care more about her than your son, who is alive. Who wants you to be in his life. You don't deserve your miraculous. You never did. You're sick, Gabriel Agreste. You don't get to be selfish."
She flung the red and black spotted yo-yo in his direction, only to get it flung back at her. She dodged it easily enough.
"You're worthless, weak and pathetic, just like your partner," he said. "He was easy to defeat. I hardly broke a sweat before he slipped up."
Her mind wandered back to the black cat miraculous holder, and she suddenly felt anger flush through her face, turning her cheeks a deep red.
"You're wrong," she said, jumping down from the box. "He's not worthless. Or weak. And you'll regret ever laying a finger on him."
What happened next had been a blur. She didn't recall much, allowing the anger inside her take full control of her. All she knew was that somehow they ended up back in the observatory room. Back where Chat was, and she was determined not to let Shadowmoth hurt him again.
In all honesty, overpowering him was less difficult than she insinuated. Of course, it had been a grueling battle, but without his posse of akumatized teenagers and Mayura there to act as a second body, it hadn't taken nearly as much as she anticipated. Or maybe it was the burning rage inside her that carried her through. For what it was worth, though, none of that mattered. What was important was that she had Shadowmoth's miraculous, and he was incapacitated. She could find him.
"Chat?" she called, frantically running to the spot where she'd last left him, propped against the wall. Instead of the black leather suited hero, in his place she found a familiar blond haired boy, lying in a crimson stained white shirt
"No..." she gasped, kneeling beside him. "How–you...it can't be you..."
"Disappointed, m'lady?" he asked hoarsely. "It's okay. 'M used to being a disappointment."
"No! No, not at all I just..." she trailed off, feeling tears forming in her eyes. "I still have my miraculous cure, I can fix this."
He shook his head weakly. "Won't work," he murmured, his eyes losing focus. "It-it wasn't caused by an akuma...it won't work."
"Then...then I have to get you to a hospital. You need help, Ch-Adrien. I can't just leave you here like this, I can't–"
"Can you do something for me?" he asked.
"Anything."
"Take off the mask."
"I-are you sure? I-I don't want you to be disappointed..."
"I could never be disappointed in you, mon amour. Whoever you are," he mused, giving her a lopsided smile. His eyes were half opened, his lips stained a dark red, and blood dribbled down his chin. "I'll love you no matter what. Always."
Marinette looked down, staring at the bloody hand that she hadn't even known she'd gripped. She swallowed, before giving up her disguise. "Spots off."
The red kwami flew out of her earrings, unaware of the scene before them.
"Mar–" she began, before seeing the expression of complete defeat on the girl's face. She followed her eyeline, before locking gazes with the black kwami. He looked weak, but in no way compared to the blond haired boy who lay in front of her.
"Je suis désolé," she whispered, tears running down her face. "This is all my fault, if I had just gotten here sooner none of this would have happened. If I'd just gotten myself together you wouldn't be–god I can't believe how stupid I am. I nev–it's all my fault."
Adrien reached out his hand, wiping the liquid from her cheeks. "Not true," he slurred. "You did amazing. I...it's my fault...I should've...I didn't wait for you. 'm sorry."
"It's not fair," she whispered. "You...you deserve better than this. If I hadn't been such a lousy partner..."
"You're the best partner I could've asked for," he said, cutting her off before she could finish. "'m glad it was you."
"This wasn't supposed to happen. It should have been me."
He coughed again, but she realize how much weaker they sounded this time. "I need to get you help, Adrien. Please. You can't just leave me...I can't do this without you..."
"There's not enough time." Adrien looked up into her eyes, and she stared back, noticing for the first time how dull his normally vibrant green eyes were. "This wasn't how I imagined...we'd ever reveal ourselves, m'lady..." he breathed.
She forced herself to return a small smile in response. "That makes two of us."
"Can I tell you something?" His voice was barely audible. "It-it's something I've never–never said to you before..."
"You can tell me anything."
"I love you. Not just...Ladybug you...but you you, Marinette. And I know...I know it's so cheesy...but I was just...too scared to say it before because I thought...I didn't want to betray Ladybug...Deep down I always loved you..."
"You know, that's all I ever wanted," she said tears flowing freely down her face. "Ever since you gave me that umbrella in the rain. That's when I knew."
He tried to laugh, but the noise died in his throat. "It doesn't really hurt anymore."
She could've sworn her heart really did stop. Those were the last words she wanted to hear right now. She knew what that meant, and it broke her.
They sat in silence for a moment, her cradling his head to her chest, holding his hand tightly.
"We need to get you away from here," she said, gazing at his face. His beautiful, pale face which was stained red. If she didn't know any better, she would have assumed it was paint, and she almost laughed at the absurdity of that thought. "We can't stay."
Adrien shook his head slowly. She could tell he was struggling to stay awake. "No, no just...just hold me. For a minute."
She did. They sat quietly, until he caressed her face one last time, wiping the tears from her face. She did until she felt his hand go limp in hers, as she watched him take his last shaking breath.
"Adrien? Adrien, please. Wake up. God, I can't...I can't do this without you." She hung her head, accepting the defeat. She won. She defeated Shadowmoth, but somehow it felt more like a loss. The win didn't mean anything if he wasn't there to celebrate it by her side. "I love you," she whispered. She leaned forward, her lips connecting with his cool forehead. He would get to know that.
"My son..." Gabriel said, realization of what he did evident on his face. Marinette turned her head to look at the older Agreste, who was still bound by the ropes she'd tied him with earlier, watching the scene unfold. "I–"
"No." She said, firmly. Malice dripped from her voice, spilling out into her words. "No. You don't get to call him that. You, did this. He was you family! Your own flesh and blood and you killed him. You don't get to call him your son."
"I didn't mean for it to happen like this..."
"You don't get to talk, either. You're lucky I don't just end you right now, because I could."
"Then kill me," he begged. "I've already lost everything that matters to me. I have nothing left."
She narrowed her eyes, walking closer to him , yanking him up by the collar of his shirt, until their faces were only inches apart. "I would, but then I wouldn't have the luxury of watching you suffer." She threw him back to the floor. "You don't deserve the easy way out."
She turned away, listening to the quiet crying of the man she once looked up to. He disgusted her. Her eyes flicked in the direction where her friend lay, pale and motionless. That vision would haunt her memories forever. That much she knew. It wasn't the idea of him getting hurt or even being dead that plagued her mind. He had always put himself in harm's way for her. Constantly sacrificing his life for her because he had faith that she would be able to bring him back, and she always had. But it was different today. She couldn't do that this time. She couldn't fix it, and that's what hurt the most.
"He fought to stay awake until you came back," Plagg's voice came. It was the first time she'd heard his voice since...she found him. "I kept up the transformation as long as could to keep him awake longer but the rest was just him. He didn't want to go without saying goodbye."