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Cat-like fingers reached out for the butterfly broach, tearing it away from Hawk Moth. At the moment, Cat Noir fell backward while Hawk Moth's miraculous persona faded into oblivion. In the back of his mind, Cat Noir knew he needed to stick his landing, let alone disappear from Hawk Moth's sight, as both he and Ladybug both used their powers. That meant their miraculous persona would fade away.
Instead, Cat Noir's mouth hung open, and his eyes widened in shock upon finding out who Hawk Moth was.
His back hit the edge of the rooftop entrance hard. From his mouth escaped a scream of pain before his body tumbled to the side. He crashed onto the roof with just as much force. Cat Noir attempted rolling onto his side so he might stand up and get away from the man but discovered his legs wouldn't move.
Hot tears poured down his face, and he looked up at Ladybug.
"I still like her, but if she were to find out I'm his son..."
"Give that back. That doesn't belong to you."
"Ladybug!" Cat Noir flung the broach at her, hoping she would catch it. His personal feelings for Ladybug weren't as important as making sure Hawk Moth could no longer hurt people. "Catch!"
He watched her reach out, her delicate fingers wrapping around the broach, but she looked at him. The concern on her face was evident. "What about-"
"Please." He felt his father lift him, holding him in a headlock while his legs continued not to work.
"Ladybug, give me back the Butterfly Miraculous."
She hesitated, so Cat Noir said, "I'll be fine." That was a lie. "I'll never forgive myself if you don't, so please leave!"
"I'll be back. I'll come back for you. That's a promise."
"Don't. Please don't." Cat Noir closed his eyes. "I don't want you to know who I am, that it's my dad who caused all this mess. But..." Another thought crossed his mind. "I don't want you around when my dad finds out I'm Cat Noir." It hurt, knowing his father was a villain, but he wanted to vomit in his mouth as Ladybug thankfully disappeared.
"To think she doesn't care about you as you do her."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I've observed quite a lot, so I know how you feel about Ladybug," his father said.
"Why do I have the feeling he's mocking how I feel about her as if there's something better he's comparing it to." Cat Noir sucked in his breath. "Is he comparing my feelings for Ladybug to how he feels about mother?" He swallowed, closing his eyes as the tears continued to fall. "Would you mock my feelings if you knew who I am?"
"What?" Hawk Man, his father, scoffed. "I'm going to know who you are in just a bit, right?"
"Would you be so pleased with yourself right now if you knew who I am, what you've done?" Cat Noir sighed, feeling himself pass out from his injury as his miraculous persona faded. "But then, did you ever care? Sometimes, I think you don't."
"What are you..." His father stopped speaking, then said softly. "Adrien?" His voice got louder as Adrien passed out. "Adrien!"
~
Adrien's eyes flickered open. "Hospital bed. I'm in a hospital bed." He let out a sigh. "Not surprising."
"Adrien?"
"Natalie," Adrien muttered.
"I am so sorry!"
He glanced out the window. "Where's my dad?"
"He's..." She cleared her voice. "Not here."
"Disappointed, huh?" He continued looking out the window. "Why wouldn't he be?"
"In himself. It's..." Natalie sighed. "It's complicated."
"What's complicated about him being Hawk Moth?"
"He's not anymore."
"And?"
"It's not worth the cost. No, the cost turned out to be worth too much, in the end." Natalie's voice strained. "He knows this isn't what your mother would have wanted."
"Why didn't he think about that before?" Adrien didn't think she answered.
"To bring your mother back."
"She wouldn't have wanted any of this, but he should have known even before he started."
"Grief does that to you."
"It's still there, isn't it, though? If he gets the Butterfly Miraculous back..."
"He won't."
"Really?"
"I told you, the cost was too much."
"What would that cost be? What was too much for him?"
"Don't you hate him?"
"Why would I?"
"Adrien, do you realize you can't walk anymore? That, and the cost of you hating him, that is what is too much."
Adrien turned his head to look at her. "Then why isn't he here? Why is he never around when I need him?"
"I told you, he's disappointed in himself."
"I see." Adrien looked out the window. "She acts like things have changed, but they haven't. Sure, he might not go back to acting like Hawk Moth, but he's still avoiding me."