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Ladybug watched in horror as Chat once again sacrificed himself.
The akuma was putting people in comas, where they'd apparently dream of a world where the most important thing in their life had never existed.
It wasn't even targeting Ladybug this time- not with this particular blow, at least.
No, this time Chat was sacrificing himself to protect a civilian. A young child, no more than 7, whose babysitter had already been hit by the akuma.
Ladybug steeled herself, trying to hold onto the thought that at least this time he wouldn't be dead. Just, in a coma. Having a perpetual nightmare. That was better, right?
Chat fell to the ground, knowing he'd been hit by the akuma. Maybe making a sacrifice play to save a kid wasn't the best idea, tactically, but he doubted he'd be able to live with himself knowing he'd let a kid be traumatized by whatever nightmare the akuma had in store.
A world without the most important thing in your life- for the kid, that would likely be their parents.
For Adrien, it was the Miracle Box.
Without it, he and Ladybug would never have crossed paths.
So when Adrien started to dream, he first expected a world in which Hawkmoth had won- until he realized Hawkmoth's Miraculous had come from the same Miracle Box that wouldn't exist in this world.
So this world, whatever it was, was one with no Hawkmoth. No akumas. No superheroes or supervillains parading around Paris.
Adrien woke up in his own bed. Or, it seemed like he was waking up. But with no Miraculous, no Plagg- and no sign of his Ladybug merch- he knew this was his dream.
Adrien groaned. Before Plagg's ring had made an entrance into his life, Adrien's life was difficult. He'd tried to run away to attend school, but hadn't been successful without making use of Chat Noir's powers.
So, in this reality, Adrien knew to expect that he'd never gone to school. That he was without friends or comfort.
A knock sounded on Adrien's bedroom door.
"Good morning, Nathalie," he called out. "I'll be just a moment."
Adrien climbed out of his bed, making his way to the closet to get dressed.
The last thing he expected was to hear his aunt on the other side of the door in place of Nathalie.
"Very funny, Adrien. You know Nathalie quit a year ago. Anyway, you're late for brunch."
Interesting- in a world without the Miraculous, Nathalie had quit. And, for some reason, aunt Amelie was staying at the mansion.
"As I said," Adrien called, "I'll be just a moment."
"Don't be too long," Amelie called back. "Remember your girlfriend is joining us for brunch today."
Another interesting development- without Ladybug to capture his heart, Adrien had apparently found a girlfriend.
Adrien rifled through his closet for something to wear, and was surprised to find several items that definitely weren't his father's brand.
One in particular caught his eye- a black dress shirt with a neon green pawprint embroidered onto the breast pocket.
Quickly throwing it on, and absently coordinating the rest of his outfit around it, Adrien made his way to the dining hall.
Adrien was surprised to see his father sat at the head of the table- it was where he usually sat, but he rarely if ever joined Adrien for meals.
Aunt Amelie sat to his left, and someone else sat to Gabriel's right- Adrien couldn't quite tell who from his position at the doorway.
It was probably Felix, since Amelie was present. Either that or Adrien's mysterious girlfriend.
Adrien took his usual spot at the foot of the table, several seats away from Amelie and- and Marinette?
Adrien's brain went on overdrive for a moment, trying to decipher why Marinette might be present.
Amelie provided the answer fairly quickly. "Why are you sitting all the way down there, Adrien?" She asked gently. "Surely you'd rather come sit beside your girlfriend."
Adrien glanced to Marinette, who blushed slightly. This was quite the turn of events- in a world without Ladybug, Adrien would end up dating Marinette of all people?
Sure, she was great- but she'd never agree to go out with him, would she? In reality, she was always quick to avoid Adrien, and never spoke directly to him. Adrien was fairly certain it would take a miracle- or apparently, lack thereof- for Marinette to so much as look him in the eye.
Then again, he never really understood *why* Marinette acted like that around Adrien. It was entirely possible that it was somehow linked to the existence of the Miraculous, and wasn't an issue in this timeline. Or maybe the akuma's power could only make an imperfect prediction of this alternate world. Or maybe- no, Plagg was probably wrong. He didn't even exist here, anyway.
But Plagg's apparent nonexistence didn't stop Adrien from hearing Plagg's voice in the back of his mind- "Baker Girl *liiikes* you!!!"
Adrien shook his head, clearing his thoughts. Amelie and Marinette were looking at him expectantly.
"Of course," Adrien said smoothly. "My apologies."
He moved to sit alongside Marinette just as their meal was served from the kitchen.
Adrien was mildly surprised to see more food provided him than he'd usually be allowed with his diet. He wasn't going to complain, however.
Everyone tucked in, even Gabriel putting away his tablet for the time being while they ate.
The meal was punctuated by a casual conversation between Marinette and Gabriel about some fashion nonsense Adrien wasn't particularly interested in.
If Marinette had been talking to anyone besides Gabriel, Adrien likely would've been invested in the conversation and paid more attention- but he could never find himself wanting to participate in a conversation involving his father if it was avoidable.
When the meal came to a close, Adrien offered to bus everyone's dishes back to the kitchen- he was well used to dining alone and bussing his own dishes, so doing otherwise didn't even occur to him.
Amelie, however, insisted on helping him.
While they made their way to the kitchen, something occurred to Adrien.
Turning to Amelie, he asked, "Say, where is Felix?"
"Your cousin?" Amelie replied. "I would expect he's still in London with his mother."
Adrien froze. Felix's mother was Amelie, who was here in front of him. Yet she'd just said Felix was *with* his mother. As though she wasn't, herself, his mother.
As though this wasn't Amelie, after all.
Just someone who looked like Amelie.
Someone like, for instance, Amelie's twin sister.
Someone like Adrien's mom.
Adrien started to cry.
"Adrien?" His mom asked, concerned. "What's wrong, ma chou?"
Adrien ran the couple of steps to his mother, holding her tight. It didn't make sense for her to be here- the only difference to this world was the Miraculous having never existed.
The only way for mom to be here- this had to mean, somehow, a Miraculous played a part in her death.
Adrien didn't know what to do with that information. He didn't want to believe it, not really.
And yet here was the evidence. Right in front of him.
An akuma was supposed to be giving Adrien a nightmare- yet here, his most precious dream had come true.
All it had cost him was Ladybug.
Ladybug- she needed him. She was out there, beyond this dream, facing an akuma by herself. But there was nothing Adrien could do. The Miracle Box didn't exist in this world. Even if it did, there was no guarantee its magic would be able to help Adrien wake up.
Adrien's mom gave him a slight squeeze, pulling Adrien's thoughts back to this reality.
"Mom," he said quietly. "I missed you."
She chuckled. "What do you mean, Adrien? I'm right here."
Mom pulled back from the hug, holding Adrien by the shoulders and looking him in the eye. "What's gotten into you today?"
Adrien didn't know how to answer that. 'oh, not much. Just, none of this is real, you've been dead for over a year, and I'm supposed to be fighting a supervillain right now but instead I'm having this dream.'
He couldn't say all that. "Bad dream," he settled on.
"Honey, I know we had a big day planned, but do you want to cancel? You seem like you could use the time at home."
"Thanks, mom."
"Should I ask Marinette to stay in with you? Or would you rather have the time to yourself?"
"I don't want to see her right now."
"Is everything okay with you two? You barely spoke a word to her over brunch."
"Like I said, I just had a bad dream."
Mom left for the dining room then, gesturing for Adrien to head up to his room.
When he got there, Adrien almost expected Plagg to zip out of his pocket and start blathering on about cheese.
When no such thing happened, Adrien broke down crying.
He spent a while like that before his phone buzzed with a text.
*Marinette: 'Hey Minou, your mom told me you aren't feeling well. No worries about cancelling, there's always next weekend.'*
Adrien groaned. Phone in hand, he decided he might as well do some digging into this new reality. Find out what was different, what was the same.
His internet searches revealed a few interesting things.
Firstly, Master Fu had a normal life span in this reality- and as such, he'd passed away a long time ago. It occurred to Adrien that his extended life was likely due to his connection with the turtle miraculous, a side effect similar to Adrien's purring.
Every other change he could find- and they were subtle- mapped back to Master Fu, and the different life he led after leaving Tibet. Which seemed to imply that prior to that, this reality still had the miraculous.
Adrien pulled up the Louvre website next, poring over images of their Egyptian artefacts. He wasn't sure where he'd find what he was looking for, or even whether they'd have it in this reality.
Unfortunately, not everything was photographed to see online. So Adrien would have to visit the Louvre to see for himself.
Adrien grabbed a coat, his wallet, and headed for the door.
He ran into his mom on the way out.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" She asked slyly. "I thought we were taking a day off."
"I- I wanted to go for a walk. Get some air," Adrien stammered.
"You're hiding something," his mom accused. "Are you sneaking off with Marinette?"
"I-" Adrien paused. It would probably be easier if he let mom believe that, so- "yeah. Yeah, I was planning on going for a walk with her."
"Just stay safe, okay?"
"Yes, mom. Of course."
Adrien made haste leaving the mansion, starting in the direction of the Louvre. He pulled out his phone on the way, sending a text to Marinette.
*Adrien: 'If anyone asks, I'm with you. Needed to get out the house for something and told mom I was going to see you.'*
*Marinette: 'After what happened last time, I'm not covering for you unless you bring me on whatever mission this is.'*
*Adrien: 'Fine. Meet me @ Louvre in 5.'
"So what are we doing at the Louvre?" Marinette asked.
It was a fair question. "I need to see something in the Egyptian wing," was all Adrien could think to say.
Marinette smirked. "Getting into Egyptology, are we?"
"Not exactly."
"Then what, pray tell, are we looking for?"
"Evidence of an ancient Egyptian superheroine."
"Excuse me?"
"Marinette, your best friend is obsessed with superheroes. So sue me if I have a passing interest." That was a bit of a gamble- Adrien knew that before the Ladyblog, Alya had been a fan of Majestia and the American superheroes. To what extent, he wasn't sure.
"So you have a passing interest in something because of your girlfriend's best friend? That's a little tangential. And why now? She's been into superheroes since before I even met her."
"I- it's hard to explain. I just need to see this one thing."
At that moment, they rounded the corner and Adrien saw what he'd been looking for- the exhibit that had led to Jalil's akumatization, on King Tut. He'd never have remembered the details to find it online; he was relying on his memory of where the encounter with Pharaoh had taken place.
"I think it's somewhere in these hieroglyphs," Adrien said. "We're looking for someone wearing spots and holding a yo-yo."
"You mean Ladybug?" Marinette asked. "Why would Ladybug be on these hieroglyphs?"
Adrien froze. "You know about Ladybug?"
Marinette frowned, seeming concerned. "Why would you think I don't?"
"Marinette, I'm really sorry that I can't explain, but I need to know everything you know about Ladybug."
Marinette sighed. "I know the same things you do. Nath designed the character, and after he met Marc they started writing a Ladybug comic together. Pure fiction, the whole thing, but her appearance is based on me."
Adrien blinked. "Nath came up with the idea for Ladybug?"
"Yeah. But Chat Noir was Marc's idea."
"...I'm going to need to see these comics."
"Adrien, you're wearing a shirt based on them. What's going on?"
"It's- I don't know that you'd believe me."
"Try me, Agreste."
"I'm Chat Noir."
"Well, yeah. He's based on you."
"No, I mean literally. I was fighting an akuma, and it sent me to another reality. To this reality."
"Have you hit your head?"
"I told you you wouldn't believe me."
"Answer the question, Agreste."
"No, I haven't. Show me the comics."
"Fine." Marinette sighed, pulling up a website on her phone- apparently it was a webcomic.
Adrien began to read, right from the beginning.
It sure looked like Ladybug. But her powers were all wrong. She fought against a Pharoah God-King, not Hawkmoth. At first, she was a solo hero, until the Chat Noir character was introduced. He looked nothing like he should- it was like someone had told Nath to put Adrien in a leather catsuit, without actually describing Chat Noir's outfit.
"How'd they come up with the characters?" Adrien asked, looking up to Marinette as she casually looked over the hieroglyphs.
"I'm not sure about Ladybug, but Chat Noir was Marc's thing. He said Ladybug needed a partner, and who better than my boyfriend? So we started brainstorming ideas. Since my hero was associated with ladybugs, we wanted to pick an animal for you. I was the one who chose a black cat- the bad luck symbol to a ladybug's good luck- then you came up with the name Chat Noir."
Adrien sighed. It seemed like dumb luck. "And you don't know where the idea for Ladybug came from?"
"No idea. All I know is Nath used my hairstyle for her, not where the rest came from."
Adrien sat back with a thump, looking back to the webcomic. The details were too accurate, like Nath had seen Ladybug before. Which couldn't be possible, if the Miracle Box had never existed.
"Adrien..." Marinette said quietly. "How did you know this was here?"
Adrien glanced over- Marinette was staring at a portion of the hieroglyphs. He stood up and came to investigate.
Marinette had found the very thing Adrien had come here intending to find. There in the hieroglyphics was a depiction of an ancient Egyptian Ladybug; the same one Alya had seen and posted on the Ladyblog in reality.
"Call it a hunch. Come on, I need to talk to Nath."
Adrien was ecstatic to see the hieroglyph. He'd realized in his research that history didn't seem to have changed prior to Fu leaving Tibet- and since he knew how much of an impact Plagg had on history (Atlantis, Dinosaurs, etc), he knew that the miracle box couldn't have been completely erased. It just wasn't possible. The heiroglyph was proof of that- Tikki had still existed, at some point- even if it was thousands of years ago. So had Plagg, if the lack of dinosaurs was anything to go by.
Adrien was buzzing with questions about this new reality. Foremost in his mind, however, was how Nath had managed to draw Ladybug in a world where she didn't exist.
The answer, however, turned out to be disappointing.
"Nath," Marinette asked gently, "How did you come up with the idea for Ladybug?"
Nath blushed slightly. "You know she's based on you..."
"Not that," Adrien cut in. "The rest of it. The red and black, the yoyo."
"It- why do you ask?"
"Nath, please," Adrien begged. "For my sanity. Where did you come up with it?"
"Some hieroglyph I saw in the Louvre once."
Marinette narrowed her eyes at Adrien. "Nathaniel, dear," she said sweetly, "Have you ever told anyone that before?"
"No, I haven't- it's not important, is it? It's not like hieroglyphs are copyright protected! And I put a spin on it, using your hairstyle and making her a superhero."
"Don't worry," Adrien intoned. "She just wanted to know if I knew that before we saw the hieroglyph at the Louvre today."
"You don't think it counts as plagiarism, do you?"
"Nah," Adrien quickly replied. "You put enough of your own spin on it."
Adrien let Marinette do the rest of the talking- he'd found what he'd come for. Instead, he pulled out his phone to do some more research.
Best he could tell, history changed when Fu fled Tibet. Likely the Miracle Box had been destroyed then. Since Fu wasn't around anymore, Adrien could only think of one place to go for answers.
"I need to go to New York," Adrien declared, leaving Marinette and Nath to stare dumbfounded.
Adrien walked into the mansion with one goal: get to New York.
With his family's money, it'd be simple enough to get plane tickets. The hurdle was getting that money from his parents, and securing his passport.
"And why," Gabriel sneered from his atelier, "do you need so much money?"
At that moment, Marinette burst into the room. Adrien glared at her, but she didn't pay any attention to it.
"My apologies, Mr. Agreste. Adrien wanted to take me to New York- I've been telling him how much I want to meet the superheroes there, and hopefully, design some clothes based on their uniforms."
"I see," Gabriel said slowly. "Well, I suppose a weekend trip as a present for your girlfriend is an... acceptable use of those funds. I'll run it by Emilie, and make the arrangements."
"Thank you, father," Adrien said meekly, before retreating from the room.
Marinette kept pace with him, grabbing Adrien's shoulder once they were out of the room. "Adrien, you're going to tell me what's going on. Now."
Adrien sighed. "Fine," he relented. "But not here. Let's go for a walk."
Adrien left the mansion once more, Marinette in tow. He knew where he wanted to get- the rooftop he and Ladybug always used to meet on before patrol. The one place he thought he'd feel safe talking about everything.
It took a bit of climbing and dealing with several objections from Marinette before they found themselves sitting on the rooftop. It was a place of many memories for Adrien- some of his happiest.
"Adrien, what's going on?" Marinette asked once more. "I've put up with your shenanigans all day, and even let you talk me into climbing up here. Now spill."
Adrien let out a sigh, and spoke. "It's like I said in the museum. I'm literally Chat Noir. But, Nath got a lot wrong. Can't blame him, really- he didn't have a reference to work from. Me and Ladybug protect Paris from a villain called Hawkmoth. There's a lot of complicated details, but long story short he sent me to a reality where none of our powers existed. Not mine, not Ladybug's, not his."
"Assuming I believe that," Marinette said cautiously, "why would he want a reality where he doesn't have his powers?"
"He doesn't. He isn't here. Noone is, other than me. It's all fake. He and Ladybug are out in the real world, somewhere, fighting. And I need to get back so I can help her."
"And Ladybug is me, I assume?"
"No. Well, I thought you might be, once. Ladybug and I don't know each other's identities. But I've seen you and Ladybug in the same place, so- so, no. You aren't Ladybug."
"I see."
"Do you believe me?"
"Not really. But for now, this isn't hurting anyone. So I'm willing to play along on the off chance I'm wrong."
"Get me face to face with Sparrow or Uncanny Valley and I can prove it."
"How?"
"I know their identities. Majestia and Owl, too, but- I don't think they'd take kindly to me knowing who they are."
"Alright. So either you prove to me- and them- that you're telling the truth, or you embarrass yourself in front of two superheroes. I'm game."
The flight to New York was long and boring. Adrien took the time to tell Marinette more about his reality- how Ladybug and Chat Noir's powers worked, about kwamis and akumas.
"So why did you try to sit so far away from everyone at brunch?"
"Habit. That's where I've always sat."
"Really? But your mom-"
"-is dead."
"Oh. Adrien, I'm so sorry."
"When I saw her in this world, I thought she was my aunt. I didn't realize until I asked her where my cousin was, and she said he was with his mother."
"It must be hard, doing what you can to leave this world where you have her back."
"Yeah. I just have to remember it's not real."
"Adrien..."
"Mm?"
"How is she here?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, the only difference here is supposed to be those magic whatsits. How does that lead to your mom being back?"
"That's the thing- I have no idea. It can't be because of the ones Master Fu was holding, they never left his sight. And nothing he did in his life could have led to mom getting sick."
"So it has to be the ones that Hawkman has."
"I'd assume so, but- it doesn't make sense. Those gems- Miraculous- were inactive, likely lost until Hawkmoth started using them. She fell ill a few months before that."
"So how do two missing gems make your mother fall ill and have no other effects on history?"
"I have no idea. But here's the thing- Nathalie started getting sick recently. With the same symptoms."
"Here?"
"No, in my reality. So I can't even investigate."
"Well- it sounds like she might be connected to those gems."
"She can't be. That doesn't make any sense."
"Adrien, I'm trying to take you seriously, but I swear. Nathalie being involved sounds as plausible to me as you being an imposter from another reality."
"I'm not an imposter. You just aren't real."
"If nothing here is real, how can you possibly hope to use any of it to get back?"
"I need to have faith. Ladybug needs me, so I need to act on the chance this will work, however slim that chance may be."
"Ladybug, who looks exactly like me in red spandex, but who isn't me."
"Exactly."
"Didn't you say there was a gem for illusions?"
"Yeah. What's your point?"
"When you saw me and Ladybug in the same place. What if one of them was an illusion?"
"No, not possible. Firstly, they touched. If you touch an illusion it disappears."
"Sure, totally a reasonable rule."
"Second, she'd have to have been transformed- look like a fox superhero. Or a mix of a fox and something else."
"Maybe she was. Maybe both of them were illusions."
"No, that's-" Adrien paused. "Actually, that would work. I mean, she used her cure to fix everything, but there wasn't actually much to fix. That could've been done by illusion, and then actually fixed later."
"So you're saying there's a chance that Ladybug, who looks exactly like me, might be me?"
"I- I guess I am, yeah."
"And do you know the best part?"
"What?"
"If I thought of that, it's a pretty good bet your Marinette could've thought of that."
"Marinette, I'm not supposed to know Ladybug's identity."
"Adrien, please. Either I'm right, in which case here I am consenting to you knowing, or I'm wrong- in which case it doesn't matter."
"But- but you aren't real."
"I'm real enough. Adrien, any version of me would love any version of you. I'd be willing to bet that the 'other boy' your ladybug is head over heels for is Adrien Agreste."
"I- you think so?"
"If I know myself, which I do, then absolutely."
"But what if you aren't Ladybug?"
"Adrien, Nath drew an accurate picture of your Ladybug by putting me in red spandex. And you think there's a chance I'm not?"
"Wait. Since when did you believe me?"
"Honestly? Not sure I do. But I'm leaning that way."
"Mari, you're getting my hopes up. I'm going to get back, Ladybug's going to refuse to share identities, and I'm going to be stuck wondering."
"Tell her you know who the boy is. That'll get her attention."
"Yeah? Then what?"
"Make a bet. If you guess the boy's name, you get to reveal your identity to her."
"She'll never go for that."
"Firstly, as guardian she should know who you are. She's being stubborn in refusing to know. Second, if you're wrong, she gets to post whatever she wants to your Chat Noir Twitter account. And you can't delete it or let anyone know it wasn't you that posted it."
"...she'll absolutely go for that."
"Good thing you'll guess right, isn't it?"
"I didn't even tell you I have a Chat Noir Twitter."
"I just know you that well."
*"Attention passengers, we are about to begin our descent. Please put your seats into their upright position, stow your tray tables, and fasten your seatbelts. It's currently 10:34am local time, with light showers expected to last the day. Welcome to New York."*
"So, any ideas for tracking down two superheroes?"
"Not really," Adrien admitted. "But I never said we were tracking down superheroes."
"I thought you said we needed Uncanny Valley to pull this off?"
"Oh we do, but she's almost impossible to track down. No, we're better off looking for Sparrow's civilian identity."
"So, one teenage boy in all of New York?"
"Not exactly. Besides, I know what school Sparrow goes to."
"This isn't quite what I was expecting. I thought you were going to embarrass yourself in front of a pair of superheroes, but instead you're tracking down a random kid who may or may not even exist. You know calling him out as a superhero, whether you're right or not, is dangerous?"
"I wasn't planning on doing it where anyone else would overhear. You think I'd get on their good sides outing them to the whole city?"
"You've... you've thought this through."
"It's just common sense, Mari. I'm a superhero too, remember? So I just thought about how someone should approach me if they wanted me to give them the benefit of the doubt instead of yeeting them into the Seine."
"I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right. Now, this way-"
Adrien led Marinette through New York until they arrived at their destination.
Adrien spotted Jess the moment she stepped out of the school. Grabbing Marinette's hand, he rushed over to catch up with her.
"Jess! Excuse me, Jess."
"Do I know you?"
"Not exactly. I was hoping my girlfriend and I could have a moment of your time to speak somewhere private."
"And why would I go anywhere with you?"
"Firstly, because you're free to choose where we go. Secondly, because you're free to bring Aeon as backup. Even your moms, should you wish- though I'd prefer to have this conversation without them present."
"What do you want?"
Adrien glanced around briefly. "I need Sparrow's help."
Instantly, Adrien was pinned against the nearest surface. "How?" Jess hissed.
"I'm happy to explain, just not here. You're drawing a crowd."
"Fine. There's a hostel we use to put up exchange classes."
"I know the one."
"Check in there. Maybe I'll come see what you want, maybe I won't."
"Of course."
Jess releases Adrien, practically throwing him at Marinette, before storming off. Adrien glanced about the rooftops, smirking when he spotted Aeon.
A stranger knowing your identity was one thing- but Aeon would have run facial recognition. She'd know Adrien was a model from France, who'd never once been in New York before today.
There was no way they'd leave Adrien hanging- not if their identities could have been leaked. They'd come, if only to find out how he knew, and who else knew.
Of course, Marinette was not nearly as calm as Adrien. She had no combat experience, and was reacting as though Adrien had nearly been killed.
"Relax," Adrien breathed, taking Marinette's arm as they walked away from the school. "She didn't hurt me, even slightly. She needed control over the situation, so she put me in a hold. That's all."
Marinette breathed slowly, and Adrien could feel her heart racing next to him. "You're sure she's a friend?"
"Just now, I was some random stranger. Once she's spoken to Aeon, she'll know I'm just some model. I won't be seen as a threat."
"Adrien, you take fencing. She might decide you're a threat."
"Please. Fencing is nothing like actual combat. Sure, there are some applicable skills, but the same could be said of baseball. You still wouldn't call baseball 'combat experience.'"
While they waited at the hostel, Marinette and Adrien talked more about Adrien's other reality.
"Marinette, Nathalie can't be involved. It's not possible- Hawkmoth has both of the Miraculous, and he has since long before Nathalie got sick."
"Do you know that for sure?"
"What are you getting at?"
"So, at first it was just the butterflies, right? And then, like a bunch of months later, the peacock got involved. Maybe Nathalie found it."
"You think the peacock is the reason my mom got sick?"
"I think it's possible. And then it went out of circulation for a while, until Nathalie found it and used it to help Hawkman."
"Why would she do that?"
"No idea. I've never met Nathalie. But it lines up- you said Hawkman looked surprised when this Mayonnaise or whoever got involved."
"Her name's- whatever. Not important. Anyway, he seemed upset- worried, or something."
"Well Mayonnaise got involved by basically doing to him what he'd been doing to others, right?"
"In a way. You think that's what got him worked up?"
"That, or he knew who was using it and what it would do to them."
"What it would do to them?"
"What if the peacock thingy is what made your mom and Nathalie sick? Because they were using it?"
"You think my mom. Was using a miraculous."
"I'm saying it seems like the easiest explanation. I don't really know how else to explain two people's having gotten sick somehow being a result of these gems."
"But miraculous don't make people sick. That's not- they don't work like that."
"Maybe it's broken, or something? It went missing on an active volcano, right?"
"No. Only Plagg is powerful enough to destroy a miraculous."
"Not destroyed. Damaged."
"I- I'd have to ask a kwami if that's even possible."
"Magic is real, apparently. Anything is probably possible."
"What bugs me is why Nathalie would help Hawkmoth. Her even being tangentially involved was strange enough to think about, but actively colluding with a terrorist? She's worked for my parents for- forever!"
"Adrien-"
Marinette was cut off by a knock at the door.
Adrien stood to answer it. "To be continued."
He checked the peephole, recognizing Aeon. Adrien quickly unlocked the door and let her in.
"Greetings," Aeon offered politely. "A... mutual friend of ours asked me to meet you on their behalf."
Adrien smiled. "It's good to see you, Aeon."
"You know more about my partner and I than one might expect of a Parisian model. Please, explain."
Adrien took his seat again at the end of the bed. "Long story short? I'm from an alternate reality. Where I come from, I'm a superhero. We worked together a couple of times, my team and yours."
"If you are indeed a superhero, please demonstrate for me. It would go a long way in convincing me your are speaking truthfully."
Adrien's face fell. "I- I can't. The source of my powers wasn't sent with me."
"I see. Why did you approach Jess?"
"For help. There's a Miraculous here in New York, and I believe I can use it to return home. But without powers, I can't get to it."
"A Miraculous. The source of your powers?"
"Yes, more or less. This one works differently to my own, but that's a good thing. It's the only thing I can think of that could have the power to send me back."
"So you expect two superheroes to help you obtain a source of power you freely admit to never having wielded before?"
"I don't expect you to do anything other than what you think is right. I can only hope that includes helping me, since it's my only chance."
"If you are from another reality, what happened to the real Adrien Agreste?"
"I- firstly, I am real. Just not from around here. As for what happened to the Adrien from this reality- I'm not sure."
"I see. This 'Miraculous' you want help obtaining. What does it do, exactly?"
"It's the miraculous of liberation. It can be used to free people from- well, from all sorts of things. I've seen it misused, freeing people from their morality or from their kindness. I've not really seen it used for good- in my world, Sparrow - she goes by Eagle- wields it. Since we live in opposite sides of the globe, I've not seen it in action since we took it from the villain who had it."
"I appreciate your candor, though you should know such a potential for misuse makes us less likely to trust you with it."
"I just want to be freed from this reality, so I can go back to my own. I don't have to be the one to free myself."
"What would retrieving this item involve?"
"It's in a museum. Noone knows what it truly is. If memory serves, it's in a standard display case."
"Which museum?"
"It's in the same display Marquis de Lafayette's sword."
"You mentioned retrieving it from a villain in your reality. Will that be a concern?"
"No. That villain only knew what it was because of someone who doesn't seem to exist in this reality. They were the one to retrieve it from the museum in my world."
"Final question. What, exactly, is the Miraculous?"
"That's a loaded question. Um, it's like- a talisman, used to channel the power of a kwami. They're like- embodiments of concepts. Like Liiri, the kwami of freedom."
"Interesting. Though not what I intended to ask. Which item in the museum is the Miraculous?"
"Oh! Oh, it's Marquis de Lafayette's necklace. Looks like an eagle talon, if I recall."
"Tell me of this kwami."
"So Liiri's been dormant in the miraculous since Marquis de Lafayette's death. He'll need to be brought up to speed- he'll wake up expecting to see him."
"Should we expect resistance?"
"No- though you should know that kwami can't be perceived by technology. I know from experience that includes you."
"Intriguing. Is there anything else I should know?"
"I think that about covers it. Unless you want me to tell you how to use the miraculous, but I'm not sure I'd remember correctly and Liiri can tell you himself."
"Thank you for your help, Adrien."
Aeon turned and began to walk to the door.
"Wait! You're going without me?"
Aeon paused in her tracks, turning to face Adrien. "It seems a straightforward enough retrieval mission. I see no reason to take an unknown element into a secure museum."
"I- that makes sense, I guess. I was just hoping to be sent home as soon as possible- which I figured would be from the museum."
"I understand your impatience. Please try to understand our reluctance."
"Of course, Aeon. You know where to find me."
Aeon nodded, and turned to leave.
Adrien stood for a moment, before closing the door and turning back to Marinette.
"Well, I guess now we wait."
Marinette narrowed her eyes. "You didn't tell her you think this is all a dream."
Adrien just shrugged. "That's an existential sort of discussion that I didn't want to waste time on. For all I know, this is a real- um, reality. And I did take the place of the Adrien from around here."
Marinette gave a pointed look.
"...or maybe it's a dream and once I wake up everything here ends. Either way, once I'm gone? Not exactly my problem."
Marinette sighed. "I guess you're right. It's not like there's anything you can do about it."
Still waiting in the hostel, Adrien and Marinette had been discussing the small differences between their worlds- such as the Ladybug and Chat Noir movie.
"So in the movie, they made Hawkmoth your dad?"
"Yeah. It's more narratively satisfying, or something. I don't know."
"You know, that would explain how Nathalie got involved with a terrorist."
"Excuse me?"
"What if Hawkmoth is Gabriel? Your dad?"
"Not possible. My father has been akumatized, so that rules him out."
Marinette considered that for a moment. "Does it though?"
Adrien frowned. "...yes, it does."
"But you know Hawkmoth has Mayura helping him out. Couldn't she have used the thingy to akumatize Hawkmoth?"
Adrien blinked. "We... We didn't know about Mayura at the time. I guess it never occurred to us afterwards."
"So it's possible? Because it would explain pretty much everything."
Adrien paused, turning everything over in his mind. "It's more than possible. We had good reason to suspect Gabriel, right up until he was akumatized and we ruled him out because of it."
"You actually suspected him?"
"Well, Ladybug did. I didn't want to believe it, but- but it makes too much sense now."
"The peacock and butterfly were lost at the same time as this book. We found the book in my dad's possession, and this whole reality is good evidence that my mom had the peacock."
"So of three things that were lost, your parents definitely had two of them."
Adrien took a deep breath. "Why? Why would my father do everything Hawkmoth has done?"
"I can't imagine," Marinette admitted. "Assuming I'm right, he would've had the butterfly thing long before being Hawkmoth. He didn't go bad until after your mom died."
Adrien gasped. "The wish."
"Wish?"
"Hawkmoth has always been after the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous. We learned once that when combined they can alter reality, grant a wish- though at a terrible cost."
"He wants to wish your mom back."
"It was the first thing I thought of when I heard about the wish, before I was told the universe would balance itself by costing another's life."
"Adrien..." Marinette trailed off, squeezing Adrien's shoulder to comfort him.
For his part, Adrien just sat silently for a long time.
Adrien was startled back to reality- or, his current reality- by a knock at the door.
Marinette went to answer it, letting in Jess and Aeon.
Aeon spoke first. "Well Adrien, it would seem you were telling the truth."
Jess smirked. "Not bad for some french model. Liiri, wings of liberty!"
Adrien watched numbly as Jess transformed into the familiar sight of Eagle, while Aeon closed the door.
"So," Eagle said. "Ready?"
Adrien took a breath, mentally reviewing the fight he'd been in before waking up in this reality. He couldn't be sure how much time had passed in the real world, but with any luck it would only be a few moments.
Time passed quicker in dreams, after all.
Adrien nodded.
"Liiri, Liberation!"
Chat Noir woke up.