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"Plagg, claws out."
Adrien whispered the words like a prayer and a surrender all at once. Green light burst around him in a familiar rush, leather wrapping around his body as the transformation overtook him completely. The second the magic settled, the room fell silent again.
Too silent.
Because Plagg was gone now, absorbed into the ring and unable to speak until he detransformed again.
Adrien almost wished he could still hear him.
Almost.
At least then there would be something to drown out the noise in his own head.
He stood motionless in the middle of his bedroom, staring at his reflection in the darkened window. Chat Noir stared back at him with bright green eyes and a confident grin that didn't belong to him tonight.
Maybe it never had.
His father's voice still echoed through his mind from earlier that evening, cold and cutting and impossible to escape.
"You are embarrassing this family."
"Your mother would be disappointed to see you behaving this way."
The words had settled beneath Adrien's skin like poison.
His chest tightened painfully.
Before he could think too hard about it, he climbed onto the balcony railing. The Paris skyline stretched endlessly before him, glowing gold beneath the night sky. Somewhere out there, people were laughing. Living normal lives. Existing without carrying secrets heavy enough to crush them.
Adrien wondered what that felt like.
Then he jumped.
His staff snapped open beneath him with a metallic hiss, and he vaulted across the rooftops in reckless, uneven arcs. Wind tore through his hair as he moved too fast, landing harder than necessary each time.
Usually, patrol made him feel free.
Tonight it just felt like running.
His thoughts spiralled faster with every leap.
Ladybug barely needed him anymore.
His fans only wanted perfection.
His parents was gone.
And Adrien—
Adrien didn't know who he was supposed to be anymore.
A rough landing nearly sent him skidding off a rooftop edge. He caught himself at the last second, boots scraping harshly against stone.
His breathing came sharp and uneven.
Across the street below, a glowing advertisement caught his eye.
Adrien Agreste smiled down at him from a massive poster attached to a lamppost.
Perfect posture.
Perfect smile.
Perfect son.
Fake.
Something twisted violently in his chest.
Before he could stop himself, Adrien dropped to the street below.
His boots cracked against the pavement.
The empty road stretched around him in eerie silence as he stared at the poster of himself.
That wasn't him.
That smiling boy wasn't real.
"Cataclysm!"
Destructive energy exploded across his hand in sickly green-black spirals.
Adrien slammed his palm into the lamppost with a broken shout.
Metal corroded instantly beneath his touch. The pole groaned violently before collapsing into ash, taking the poster with it. His own smiling face blackened and crumbled apart until nothing remained but dust scattered across the pavement.
Silence rang afterwards.
Adrien stared at the ashes.
Then suddenly he couldn't breathe.
His knees buckled hard against the concrete as he covered his face with both hands. Ragged breaths tore from his chest.
"I can't do this anymore," he whispered hoarsely into the emptiness. "I can't keep pretending."
The words echoed uselessly back at him.
No Mom.
No Ladybug.
No one.
Just him alone in the middle of Paris, feeling like he was splitting apart from the inside.
His shoulders shook violently as tears finally spilt through his fingers.
The Liberty glowed warmly in the distance across the Seine.
Luka.
The thought alone made something inside Adrien crack further.
He fumbled for his staff with trembling fingers and activated the communication screen. His vision blurred badly enough from tears that it took him two tries to hit Viperion's icon.
The ringing stretched endlessly.
Adrien pressed a shaking hand against his mouth, trying desperately to quiet the sob threatening to escape.
Please answer.
Please.
A minute passed. Five.
Viperion rushed over almost immediately, lyre resting against his back. The second his eyes landed on Adrien curled on the pavement, his expression shifted from calm to deeply alarmed.
"Chat?"
Adrien couldn't answer.
Viperion crossed the distance between them immediately and knelt in front of him.
"Hey," he said softly. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Adrien opened his mouth, but all that came out was a strangled sound.
Concern flooded Luka's features.
"Oh, no..."
A warm hand settled carefully against Adrien's shoulder.
That tiny bit of kindness shattered the last of his composure.
Adrien lurched forward without warning and crashed into Viperion hard enough to nearly knock them both over. His hands twisted desperately into the fabric of Luka's suit as sobs tore violently from his chest.
Luka caught him instantly.
"Okay," he whispered, wrapping both arms securely around him. "I've got you."
Adrien buried his face against Luka's shoulder, humiliated by how hard he was crying and unable to stop.
Everything hurt.
His chest ached like it was caving in on itself.