Third Person
The blonde-haired man scrutinized his latest creation. Adjusting his glasses, he felt the smooth fabric with his slender fingers.
His pocket vibrated direly, a tiresome ringtone reaching his ears. This was quite unusual. People who wished to reach him usually called from the telephone for inquires. There were very few individuals who knew his mobile number.
He lowered his spectacles, walking away from the mannequin. He raised the phone from his left pocket; it was an unknown number. The intrigued male then brought the phone to his ear.
"Hello? Who is this?" he answered gravelly.
"Is this Gabriel Agreste?" A deep voice asked, arousing the designer's interest.
"And if it is?" he scoffed, furrowing his bushy eyebrows.
"This is the police. I believe you're a close friend of Miss Sancoeur?" said the man through the device. "Nathalie. Nathalie Sancoeur, to be precise."
His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach, throbbing irregularly. A bead of sweat slowly rolled down from his forehead as Gabriel's eyes expanded in terror. He was crippled by surprise.
"Yes, I'm her boss. I-i-is she okay?" he stuttered in panic, his voice summing up his dread. Impatiently, he waited for the police's response with bated breath.
"Far from it sir. She got into an accident and is being escorted into an ambulance. She's currently unconscious, but breathing," the deep-voiced man told him.
Uneasiness lurched in his stomach. The blonde was befuddled. His knees grew so weak that he could simply fall over. He was struggling to breathe, in spite of that, he held a grip on his phone and slammed his office door apart.
Wordlessly, Gabriel marched down the gigantic staircase whilst his heart thumped louder and louder each second. "What's the address of the hospital?"
The police informed him quickly, his mind memorizing the man's words. The hairs at the base of his neck standing up in nervousness. A wave of nausea threatened to take over him as he quickened his pace and saw the bodyguard he was looking for.
"Simon, take care of Adrien, make sure he doesn't leave the house, and lock the gates. I'm going out with the limousine," he ordered without pause. The gorilla did as told without hesitation, nodding and making his way.
It seemed impossible to rid his body of the adrenaline it had released. The designer pulled the car handle while apprehension flowed through his veins. He sat on the car seat, his spine hitting the backrest.
The gates opened automatically. Gabriel hit the pedal with his foot forcefully, and drove off once the two black gates closed on their own.
His chest hammered rapidly. The male's head pounded with countless questions: How did Nathalie end up in that situation? What accident took place? Is she badly hurt? Is she still okay now?
He regretted not having driven her home instead. It could have been such a simple task. He shouldn't have allowed Nathalie to commute alone. Gabriel knew he shouldn't have let this happen. It was all his fault.
"Master, where are you going?" the kwami of transmission asked.
"Keep quiet, Nooroo," said Gabriel blankly, causing the purple creature to tremble. Frightened, Nooroo phased back into his grey vest.
He steered the wheel aggressively, pursing his lips in utter rage.
The road shrunk in a narrow path, confusing him. Weren't hospitals supposed to be accessible?
Finally, he arrived. Disembarking from the limousine, his eyes squinted at the surroundings. The place was completely isolated. He wanted to ask anyone for help, to question if there were any hospitals nearby.
He looked around, and a garage caught his eye. It was covered in several plants that thrived.
The gaunt-faced man glared at it, casting a flinty stare. If he did come in, someone could threaten to kill him. Someone could steal his wealth and thieve him all affluence. Someone could maim him, terribly.
But he couldn't care less. The blonde had no worry of all the possible dangers. He wanted her safe and unharmed, even if it meant he himself would be hurt. His concern laid on Nathalie's wellbeing alone.
Not another thought crossed his mind except for barging in and finding his assistant. His palm reluctantly pressed the discolored gate. A shuddering exhale fell from his lips as he fully pushed the door open.
Cautiously, he ambled inside.
"Is anyone here?" said Gabriel hesitantly, his sonorous voice being engulfed by the gloomy setting.
The entire place was pitch black. Gabriel couldn't see anything. His environment was as dark as night. The puzzled male heard a low squeak of a boot, now unable to regain his professional and cunning composure. "Who's there?!"
Then, a thought struck him in the head. He took a device from his pocket, lifting it to dial a certain number. The phone barely illuminated his face. It emitted very little light.
Prudently, Gabriel began typing the digits with his long, but tidy nails. It rang repeatedly; he was getting impatient, so he ended the call. He was just about to put his phone back in his pocket, until it vibrated again.
The desired person had called him back, and he picked up.
"Hello? Neville?"
"Mister Agreste? Is that you?" The boy asked eagerly. His voice was innocent, yet a bit raspy.
Neville Sancoeur was Nathalie's little brother. Twelve years old, and very mature for his age. Like his elder sister, he had pale skin — as well as jet black hair, but without a dyed red streak. He was quite obedient, also like Nathalie. Neville was bubbly, outgoing, and had a rather spirited vehemence for painting.
Gabriel sighed with great relief. "It's me. Listen, where are you right now?"
"Me? Oh! I'm here in the kitchen," said Neville, elation and slight excitement mixing along with his tone. He was very enthusiastic speaking to the designer. "That's why I didn't answer your call the first time, sorry."
"A-aren't you supposed to be with your sister?" said Gabriel, his stomach churning for the millionth time.
"But I am," said the boy quickly.
It felt like a rogue horse had charged at him, kicking him in the abdomen with its bare hooves. "You're not in the hospital?"
"No..." Neville replied through the phone, "I'm in the kitchen helping her cook! We'll be eating baguettes with fish soup for lunch!"
"O-okay, I'll call you back later." He ended the call without another word.
So, who was the police that called him earlier? The blonde's mind raced at the unanswerable question. It was infuriating. Then again, he had no time to dwell on this. He had to get out. Gabriel had to leave at once.
But it was too late then.
He heard the very familiar beep of a miraculous, and his mouth opened steadily. Looking around in alarm, his cerulean eyes were wide open.
Unexpectedly, a vicious, piercing yell made the blood in his ears pound in trepidation.
"PEGASUS! NOW!"
A day ago
"That doesn't make sense," said Ladybug, tilting her head. "I thought he was married, isn't his wife still alive?"
"He is!" Eunice piped. "Gabriel is absolutely devoted to Emelie. And I respect him for that."
"But if Nathalie makes him lovesick, wouldn't that be considered emotionally cheating?" she said blankly, doing air quotes.
"Not technically," said Chat Noir, "Eunice didn't exactly mean that Gabriel is head over heels for her. It's just that they've been good friends for several years. Despite that, it's unlikely that Gabriel would like Nathalie romantically. Even if he did, he would refuse those feelings."
"That's true. What I'm trying to say is" —she rested her chin on her hand— "Gabriel cares for Nathalie."
"Exactly what I thought," he acknowledged, but Eunice cut in.
"Wait, Chat, how did you know I was talking about Nathalie earlier? Please don't tell me you work for him too..." she worriedly guessed. "Sorry for accusing, I—"
"No, I agree," said Ladybug suddenly, "it makes sense. You were so mad at Eunice earlier, for spilling Hawkmoth's secret."
The idea of Chat Noir secretly working for Hawkmoth was scary. All this time, could he have been a double spy? Bribed, maybe? Perhaps he had been collecting further information about the miraculous and informing Hawkmoth about it. Because what other reason could there be for condemning Eunice?
Ladybug wished it wasn't true. Although, Chat Noir just wasn't the type of a person to do such things...or was he?
"Of course not! Don't jump to conclusions. Ladybug, we've been partners for years. You guys can trust me," said Chat briskly, shaking his hands. They thought wrong. But it was reasonable, he would believe them if he wasn't Chat Noir himself.
"Then why do you know Gabriel and Nathalie's relationship so well?" said Eunice skeptically, raising a thin eyebrow.
"I'm not actually allowed to answer that, since it means revealing my identity," the cat riposted in a casual voice, making a point.
"Shoot," she cursed under her breath. "You're right," said Ladybug, rubbing her forehead.
"Come on, girls, have faith. Eunice, I know for a good reason. Honestly," said Chat with a chortle, "if we keep claiming that one of us has bad intentions, how are we ever gonna come up with a strong plan?"
"Alright, sorry," Eunice tittered softly. "So what do we need to do with Nathalie?"
"Hold her hostage, maybe? There's no other wa—" Chat Noir halted his own sentence. "I KNOW! An illusion!"
"Illusion? What do you mean?" the caramel-haired female raked her bangs.
He promptly elucidated, "Marinette used an illusion to trick Hypnosia. Hypnosia's goal was to get both the miraculous, correct? Hypnosia already caught me at the time. She was going to take my ring. So Marinette used the mirage to create a fake Ladybug, which succeeded in luring Hypnosia into her trap.
"Today is Saturday, which means it's Nathalie's break tomorrow. This could work better than we thought!"
"Genius!" Ladybug complimented, followed by Eunice's murmur of agreement.
"Just the four of us then? Me, you, Eunice, and Rena Rouge?" said the black cat, tapping four of his fingers.
Without warning, Ladybug drummed the table, pressing her lips together excitedly.
"What is it?!" Eunice's smile grew.
"That's it! We need more heroes! At least two more, aside from Rena. This isn't gonna be much of a complicated plan. But we need more than just four people. I just need my lucky charm to figure out what exactly we need to do."
"Two more heroes?" Chat repeated.
"Yes, two more heroes." She nodded, wearing a self-assured beam. "We'll strike tomorrow. It's a bit late, my parents could be looking for me." She fisted hair in a tight grip.
"All right then, thank you, Ladybug and Chat Noir. It was an honor to discuss this with you," said Eunice, flashing her snow-white teeth. "I'll see you two tomorrow."
"Thank you for doing this, Eunice. We wouldn't be able to do this without you." He accompanied his words of gratitude with a bow, and a quick kiss on her hand.
"He's right, we don't know how we could repay you," said Ladybug brightly, lips growing into a grateful smile.
"You're welcome!" She giggled, admittedly liking the praise as she flushed a bright shade of scarlet.
Being good really did have its perks.
*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*
Her flat shoes created a faint, rhythmic sound as she ran across the pavement, lifting herself slightly by swinging the unlimited string across chimneys of houses, whether tall or short.
Ladybug landed smoothly at the spacious balcony. It was beautifully fenced. It had several, luxurious chairs and sofas that laid around too, surrounding a small, blue, coffee table. Only now had the bug appreciated the view it gave; she was amazed.
The heroine saw the ponytailed female, smiling slightly as she saw the blonde hugging a stuffed toy of a Ladybug while scrolling through a phone's screen. The sight made her heart fill with awe; Ladybug was Chloé Bourgeois' role model, and it was such a wonderful thing to know.
Even at the time when they hated each other, Ladybug believed in her abilities. In spite of being astonishingly mean, Chloé would do anything to protect and care for her friends. She may have been egotistic and arrogant, but eventually, she chose to humble herself.
Chloé just needed a little push, and maybe that was when she realized how terrible it is crossing the line — like when Lila did, dreadfully hurting Marinette. The blunette simply misunderstood her before. Nonetheless, those times have passed. She was glad that the mayor's daughter decided to change her ways.
It was around eight-thirty am, and the day before had melted away quickly. Ladybug then attached her yo-yo back to her waist, gingerly knocking on the transparent, glass door.
The blue-eyed female reacted, jumping from the magenta-colored chaise she sat on. Immediately, she opened the door for the heroine, unable to contain the excitement shining across her pupils.
"Ladybug?! W-what are you doing here?" Her smile spread broadly.
"Chloé Bourgeois, Paris needs you," said Ladybug instantly, taking out a miraculous box. "Here is the Bee Miraculous, which grants you the power to immobilize your opponent. You will use it for the greater good."
"Me? Why me? There are better heroes out there. You remember when I stole this? Y-you wouldn't want for me to show such ineptitude again—just like my mother said. The train incident was unforgivable.
"I immobilized that poor conductor just to look righteous in front of the public," said Chloé nervously.
"I remember. But you proved yourself during your father's akumatization. On hero's day, you demonstrated outstanding courage, too! And I know you can succeed again," Ladybug told her.
Chloé's cheeks were tinted a light pink. Carefully, she began opening the box as a yellow ball of light spun around her, momentarily blinding her. "Ready to serve you, my queen!" The respectful kwami bowed.
She smiled, taking the comb and securing it on her hair. "I missed you, Pollen."
"As did I, my queen," she chirped.
"Once the job is complete, be sure to return the Miraculous to me. I trust you, Chloé," Ladybug stated, "but don't transform just yet. I need to introduce you to someone first."
Nodding, they both traveled not more than two minutes to arrive at their intended destination.
Ladybug put her down, striding to the entrance and landing her hand on the rusty door. "Where are we?" the blonde asked, looking around with intrigue.
"You'll see. Follow me." She cast a confident sideways look, going in with an expression of pride.
Knitting her eyebrows together, Chloé stumbled inside, her lips parting dramatically. "Woah," she squealed in a soft undertone; the corners of her pale, salmon-colored lips rose.
"Ah, I see you're already here, Mr. Kante." Ladybug patted his shoulder.
"Glad to be here. Chat Noir was very quick to approach Alya and I," said Max, looking at the two heroes willingly.
"One more question though, why isn't Nino here?" the redhead interrupted, seemingly glum.
"Sorry, Alya. Even if he's an amazing superhero, we don't need Carapace as of now," said the spotted heroine morosely.
A girl squeaked excitedly, surprising the others.
"I can't believe I get to work with Ladybug again! This is way better than a manicure appointment. How utterly exciting!" she exclaimed. "And Max! What are you doing here?"
"I'm Pegasus, Chloé! I assisted Ladybug and Chat Noir in defeating Startrain. But I am very much aware you're Queen Bee," he responded, shrugging nonchalantly.
"I never would've known...well, you're doing really good at carrying the horse miraculous. Ladybug picked the right man for the job," she flattered, making Max twinkle with glee.
Chloé had lately been fond of praising people, even if they do the littlest things. Their joyous grins were so pleasant to look at.
"Wait, Lb, why are you letting them reveal themselves?" Chat mumbled in her ear.
"We'll be defeating him anyway. I didn't let them transform yet so they could get to know each other. If they're all friends, then it'll mean we can work more peacefully and efficiently. Mainly, to avoid the events that happened yesterday.
"The three of us fought so much because we didn't know each other's identities, right?" Ladybug chuckled, wrinkling her nose at the memory. Chat Noir nodded slowly, muttering in agreement.
"And who's this? You look familiar." The two saw Chloé flash a friendly gaze, which they weren't quite comfortable with yet. Not that her being an angel made them uncomfortable. Chloé's new attitude just needed some getting used to.
"That's because we study in the same school! My name's Eunice. Sixteen. Chloé Bourgeois, right? Nice to meet you," said the girl, holding her hand up to shake the others'.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too." The woman in a ponytail accepted the amiable arm, returning the gesture delightfully. "Hm, Ladybug told me this is your garage. Is that true?"
"It is, I'm sorry if it's—" Chloé halted her apology.
"It's a quaint place. Everything's charmingly old-fashioned. Even if I'm not used to these types of places, I love it!" she jovially complimented.
"Er— thank you." Eunice flinched. The most times she'd seen her in school, Chloé was always a mean brat. But now, the mayor's daughter was nicer than ever.
"By the way, I'm Max" —he turned to the dimpled girl— "a hundred percent ready to fight alongside you all." He folded his arms, looking determined.
"Hi! I've seen you around the locker room. Where's your robot friend, by the way?" Eunice rubbed the back of her head, giving an inquisitive look.
"Markov? He chose to stay home," said Max.
"And you?" She eyed the other girl beside Chloé.
"Name's Alya Césaire. I'd love to be your friend, Eunice!" said Alya joyfully whole clapping her hands.
"Glad you all can get along," said Chat Noir, beaming.
"All right, now that you're all acquainted," Ladybug whispered urgently.
"Listen up."
*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*
"So that's why there's a gigantic cage in the middle of the garage..." said Alya.
She hummed agreeably, "Does everyone understand their respective roles?" The girl in red and black scanned them head to toe.
"And is everyone ready?" The dashing, suited cat crossed his arms.
"You can count on me," said Chloé with a small nod.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Alya replied boldly.
"One hundred percent certain!" Max expressed, feeling braver than usual.
"More than ever," said Eunice, smirking ear to ear.
"As for the kwamis?" the black cat asked again.
"I will do my best to please my queen," said Pollen in her passionate, high-pitched voice.
"With a holder as majestic and noble as Max, certainly," said Kalki, no syllable of doubt in her words.
"Anything to save Paris with Alya!" Trixx responded determinedly.
Ladybug was proud to have come this far. They were all so attentive and obliging. Somehow, this all felt thrilling. "Then what are you guys waiting for?" said Ladybug giddily. Everyone nodded in approval.
Max replaced his glasses, unfolded the miraculous, and said, "Kalki, full gallop!" It shone radiantly, turning itself black.
"Trixx, let's pounce!" Alya's necklace glowed a wonderous orange, allowing her to turn into a mischievous fox.
"Pollen, buzz on!" Chloé's comb turned into a beautiful hue of yellow, and her suit wrapped around her body.
They transformed one by one — looking at each other with impressed and fascinated faces.
Pegasus took the horseshoe attached to his back, taking one of its nails which turned into an earpiece. Ladybug took a black spot from her yo-yo, putting it on her right ear to communicate with the grey-haired hero. Chat Noir did the same with his baton, taking a charcoal-colored part of it and applying it to his human ear to hear both Ladybug and Pegasus simultaneously.
"Alright. Chat Noir, Queen Bee, and Rena Rouge, stay here, I'll be back," said Ladybug firmly, "Eunice, Pegasus, you know what to do."
Pegasus opened the garage door, helping Eunice pull the Ladybug-themed cage outside. It was as heavy as a giant boulder. Regardless, they worked together and ended up carrying it twenty meters from the garage with ease.
They carefully dropped it in front of an old, abandoned building while wiping the sweat that formed on their foreheads.
It had fifteen storeys. However, the entire place was begrimed. There were see-through windows covered in sparkling dust. The spider webs and caliginous aura made the interior appear as though it was haunted.
They needed to be somewhere where Gabriel wouldn't see them while driving past. Somewhere where they couldn't be heard. Somewhere that wouldn't attract much attention. And this place was that perfect somewhere.
The bug swung her way up to the flat, tall, structure. The strong wind hitting her masked face like it was a punching bag. "Go," Pegasus' voice had signaled through Ladybug's earpiece. She gestured a thumbs up to the two below her.
She threw the magical string around the lucky charm, hoisting it up while steadily backing up. Ladybug pulled it to the center, elevating Eunice and Pegasus next.
They landed on the surface safely. "We'll take it from here," Eunice reassured with a smile. Ladybug mouthed a quick thank you, proceeding to the next step. The pigtailed heroine set foot in the garage, seeing everyone in their places.
Rena Rouge stood in the middle, readying her flute. Chat Noir was on the very left corner, clenching on Eunice's phone while typing in the number of a particular someone. Queen bee was on the right side of the entrance, looking a bit nervous whilst reciting her special power in her head.
Everything was in place.
"Okay. It's done. I haven't pressed dial yet," said Chat, his clawed finger hovered over the green button.
"Alright. Prepare yourselves," Ladybug warned in a low, sharp voice.
"We're ready," they all said in unison.
"On my signal," the heroine voiced. "Three, two..." she paused, delaying for a split second, "one."
Rena Rouge played her flute, imagining the specific situation. "MIRAGE!" the brown-eyed heroine yelled, activating the illusion.
Chat Noir pressed the call button, holding the phone up to the phantom.
"Hello? Who is this?" Gabriel questioned. He seemed to be restraining his irritation.
"Is this Gabriel Agreste?" the figment asked.
"And if it is?" They heard him say icily.
"This is the police. I believe you're a close friend of Miss Sancoeur?" said the mirage in a gruff voice. Even they were convinced the illusion was serious. "Nathalie. Nathalie Sancoeur, to be precise."
There was a heavy silence before he replied at all. "Yes, I'm her boss. I-i-is she okay?" They heard his frightened voice through the speaker.
"Far from it sir. She got into an accident and is being escorted into an ambulance. She's currently unconscious, but breathing," the illusion told him, succeeding in its task.
The four heroes heard his trembling exhale, followed by an ear-shattering impact of a door and a wall. They all knew he was highly-strung. "What's the address of the hospital?"
Rena's figment gave the man the address of Eunice's garage. And not more than a millisecond, the designer ended the call. Everyone finally let go of their worried breaths. Anything was possible at the time, and all were anxious about things going wrong.
"Reality!" She swiped her flute down, the mirage disappearing into nothingness.
"Good job, everyone," said Chat Noir. He then put the phone on top of the cabinet that was beside him. "The Agreste's mansion isn't too far from here. He'll come in not less than five minutes."
"But how can we be so sure that went well?" Queen bee suddenly blurted out with an uneven voice.
An uncomfortable thought had stuck in the back of her mind, refusing to leave her alone. She couldn't shake off the feeling that, maybe, in some peculiar way, Hawkmoth knew what they were doing.
"She has a point. What if our idea backfires?" said the girl in the orange suit. It was certainly a possibility. But every part of her hoped she was wrong. Maybe they were just a bit edgy, and it caused them to overthink.
"We can only hope it doesn't. We'll have to ask Pegasus." Ladybug seemed just as perturbed. "Any sign?"
"Nope," said the brown-suited hero with a sharp sigh.
"The limousine isn't currently in our sight. So no, not yet," Eunice added exasperatingly.
"Well that's unfortunate," said Rena Rouge, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"You don't have to worry. Hawkmoth knows it's an emergency. Remember what Eunice said? One becomes gullible if the person they care about is in any sort of danger. Didn't you all hear him? He sounded like he was gonna pass out because of shock.
"And of course he isn't here yet. We just called him, remember?" said Chat Noir.
All of a sudden, her voice was overtaken by worry. "Chat, you don't understand. Anything could happen. What if Gabriel knows we know who he is? What if he was just acting earlier? What if he also has some plan to take us down while we attempt to do the same? What if I slip up? What if this was a mistake? What if—"
"Stop with the what if's," he snapped, making her wince, "if you hesitate, you'll never get things done. The fear your experiencing is a natural reflex, and we can overcome it. Always believe in yourself, and trust the process." He shook her shoulders, encouraging the heroine. "And that goes for the rest of you."
"You're right," Queen bee agreed. "Setbacks can happen. And that's normal."
"We're in this together, Ladybug. You're not alone," the redhead asserted.
The bug beamed with happiness. "Thanks, you guys. I—"
"Sorry to ruin the moment. But, HE'S HERE!" Eunice screamed through Pegasus' earpiece.
"He's driving toward the garage," said Pegasus breathlessly.
"Queen Bee! The switch!" Ladybug shouted, feeling the acid in her stomach frothing madly.
The yellow-suited heroine scurried to the light switch, turning both of the bulbs off. And Chat Noir was tall enough to yank the string of the ceiling fan, tugging it down, and turning it off.
"Get on your places!" The green-eyed feline directed them to where they were supposed to be, considering only he and Rena had night vision. The heroes did as told, and prepared themselves mentally. "Pegasus, what's going on, now?" He landed his finger on his earlobe.
"He's examining the place, and it looks like he's about to go inside," he responded instantly.
The four of them sealed their lips shut, not another word escaping their lips once the doors flung open, and there appeared the villain they had been wanting to beat since the start.
"Is anyone here?" he uttered hesitantly, receiving nothing but silence as a reply.
Chat Noir hated doing this. He was about to trick his father. But he knew it was for the best. Accidentally, his boot slipped, creating a low squeak. He cursed under his breath while quickly fumbling his foot back. The blonde tried his best not to make another sound.
"Who's there?!" Gabriel's voice was overtaken by confusion and fear, and it only floated across the darkness.
Without warning, the designer took a device from his pocket, lifting it for an unknown reason. It was a good thing his wallpaper was dark. The phone's pool of light wasn't able to reach their figures. Gabriel began typing digits cautiously.
The heroes freaked out, not knowing what to do if he called Nathalie herself. But if not her, then who else?
Whoever person he was calling didn't respond, so Gabriel ended the call straight away. It was a bit ironic. He was impatient when it came to phone calls, but would last years in his lair just to chase after jewels to bring back his comatose wife.
He was just about to put his phone back in his left pocket, until it vibrated.
The man's phone began to ring. And to be frank, the ringtone sounded relatively irksome. If they had his phone, they would most likely be in a bad mood when waking up to this alarm.
To their relief, he answered the mysterious person's call, halting the displeasing music. "Hello? Neville?"
Neville? Who's Neville? they all asked themselves, while trying to be as still as a statue.
He exhaled. Gabriel looked more at ease because of the caller. "It's me. Listen, where are you right now?" They all could barely hear the person he was talking to. The caller's voice was garbled. Maybe Gabriel's speaker wasn't on — and that made them panic more than they already have.
"A-aren't you supposed to be with your sister?" he stuttered obliviously, sounding brittle. They didn't know whose sister he was talking about. Neville's sister maybe? If so, who would that be?
But none of them had seen Gabriel like this before. Not even Chat Noir. It was an odd sight.
There was no uncertainty of Eunice being right. She always was. Gabriel's actions only proved her point. People would indeed worry so much, that they wouldn't be able to think straight.
"You're not in the hospital?" At this point, Gabriel looked like he was about to vomit. And spew his breakfast all over the cement floor due to the overflowing stress.
In a trice, they heard an enthusiastic yell about...fish soup?
"O-okay, I'll call you back later," he faintly said, pressing the red button.
As he stood there in unmitigated shock, they knew Gabriel had realized that he had just made probably the biggest mistake of his life.
His dread was Ladybug's cue. She began equipping herself to signal the other hero. Out of the blue, her earrings beeped. She only had three minutes left. Ladybug couldn't back down now. After swallowing the lump of tension stuck on her throat, the heroine assured herself; it was time.
Ladybug unzipped her mouth, and in an aggressive, menacing shout, she yelled:
"PEGASUS! NOW!"
Present
Having heard Ladybug's fierce voice, it felt like his ears were ripped into two.
"VOYAGE!" The neon ring shot to the air, creating a lurid portal. Eunice gave all her might, and pushed the lucky charm closer to the hole. It sucked the cage in, and it teleported on the ceiling, making a resounding BANG as it fell to the floor.
It trapped Gabriel, and he attempted to shake it, or even carry it. But the spotted bars were as thick as the pages of a novel. It was no use.
He should've seen this coming. But he didn't. Regret stabbed him in the heart, and pure dismay engulfed his entire soul. He thought of his plans. He thought of his son, Adrien, what would he think seeing him being arrested and in prison?
Gabriel didn't want to believe it. His worst nightmare had come true. And sandboy wasn't even around.
How did they even find out? How do they know his identity? He knew he should've been more careful. The same thing happened with Eunice. When she eavesdropped, she had nearly divulged—
There and then the blonde realized what went wrong. Eunice Laurent. She knew everything from his wife, his identity, the miraculous' valuableness, to his friendship with Nathalie.
It couldn't have been Lila. It couldn't have been Nathalie. So the only person who could have revealed his identity, was Eunice. To even think, that this was the second time he had been betrayed. He shouldn't have trusted anyone.
Out of nowhere, a woman emerged from the shadows. He heard another heart-stopping scream.
"VENOM!"
Queen Bee twirled the spinning top, catching it in mid-air, turning it into a pulsating bee stinger. She plunged her slim arm through the bars, hitting him from behind. The venom stung his back, and Gabriel felt immovable in his position.
"For good measure," she said, flipping her ponytail haughtily.
Abruptly, Chat Noir pressed the two switches, turning on the lights.
"Well done, everyone," Ladybug sneered at the trapped man, who wore a flabbergasted look.
Chat Noir frowned at the sight. Seeing your father in a cage wasn't the most gratifying thing to look at. Even so, he had accepted the thought. The emotional ache just didn't seem to leave his body.
He felt bad for his father. A heartbroken man, that only wished his wife back. But chose to allow evil to overtake him, thinking it was a good choice.
Chat Noir loved his mother as much as Gabriel did. Possibly even more. But using the miraculous to fulfill a selfish desire, wasn't right. Adrien would rather have his mother safe and happy in heaven. Well, he was used to that thought. That had always been his thinking ever since he was a child. He genuinely believed, and will always believe in that thinking.
To love is to let go. So if his father did love Emelie, perhaps he should move on.
Besides, the rest looked accomplished. Seeing them all smile, now that was a nice sight. Knowing that citizens weren't to be taken advantage of anymore was the positive side of all this.
"Caught you," said Rena Rouge with a smug grin.
"Like a cat and mouse," Chat Noir joked, trying to lighten his own mood.
The doors swung open, and there Pegasus and Eunice were, who strode inside. "We did it?!" said the amber-eyed girl, jumping in surprise.
"We sure did," Pegasus answered happily.
Gabriel heard Eunice's voice. He was unable to move his features, but his mind was racing in nothing but anger.
"Where's the brooch, old man?" Pugnacious, Rena Rouge glared at him, pointing a condemned finger.
"It's under his striped scarf," said Eunice half-heartedly.
"And is Neville some sort of spy?" Ladybug pouted, asking even though he wouldn't answer.
Eunice only sniggered. "Of course not! Neville is Nathalie's brother."
"Oh. I-I guess that makes sense." She scratched her nape.
Reluctantly, the green-eyed hero shoved his gloved hand inside the cage. He used his claw to toss the end of the scarf over to his father's shoulder. There, he saw the butterfly miraculous, which had a noxious, purple glow on its middle.
The cat snatched it, and giving the fact that Gabriel was frozen, he couldn't react.
Chat Noir handed the miraculous to Ladybug, with a proud face plastered on his masked face. As of now, he was a hero. He was in a cat suit. He wasn't Adrien to anyone in the room. At the moment, he didn't consider the blond-haired designer his father, but Hawkmoth. He had to face ugly reality, and do the right thing.
Ladybug's earrings beeped again; the last spot was about to disappear. "I'll be back. I'm gonna detransform any second." She ran out of the garage, hurriedly hiding behind a tree.
There was a pink, blinding flash. "Here, Tikki," said Marinette, taking a cookie from her sling bag. The red creature started to munch on it, hungrily.
"Sorry for making you wait so long," she apologized, twiddling with her thumbs, "that felt longer than usual. You must've been starving."
"It's okay, Marinette! All I did was give you a few extra minutes. But I'm full now," the kwami of creation squeaked.
She giggled, and didn't wait any longer. "Tikki, spots on!"
The heroine dashed back into the garage, and tried catching up to the heroes' conversation.
"—deserves a celebration!" Ladybug heard Eunice say. She even did a little dance.
"What'd I miss?" the blunette questioned, clapping the tips of her fingers together.
With a beam planted on her face, Rena Rouge spoke, "We need to tell Paris about this."
*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*
A tumultuous crowd of Parisians began thronging around the Eiffel Tower. They applauded deliriously. Their loud, ecstatic cheers filling the cold air.
Queen Bee was just as delighted. She had her nose in the air, her head up high. She knew this was the right time to be proud. She was glad to have redeemed herself and mended her attitude.
A pink tinge had sneakily crept up Chat's cheeks. Being praised by so many people felt good. It was nice to be recognized for your actions.
"This all feels unreal," Rena Rouge remarked. She shivered at the chilly breeze, the hairs under her suit standing up.
"I still can't believe that went well," said Eunice, giggling.
"Can't imagine if it didn't either. But hey, we had your help, didn't we?" Queen Bee peered at the sea of heads.
"We couldn't have done all that without you, Eunice," said Pegasus silkily.
"I couldn't agree more," said the redhead.
The amber-eyed female was glad to be there. Standing on one of the most glorious attractions of Paris was an honor alone. Being victorious, and side by side with one of the noblest heroes of the world, was much more of a privilege.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," said Ladybug without straying her eyes away from the hero beside her.
His evergreen eyes turned into crescents. "You did amazing too, Lb."
"So did you!" she tittered. Ladybug looked as though nothing could dampen her spirits.
"Thanks, everyone!" Chat Noir waved to the grateful citizens. They all left one by one, wearing different kinds of smiles. Whether bright, thankful, or crooked. Nevertheless, everyone was filled with joy.
"Pound it?" Ladybug hung her fist in the air.
"Pound it!" they all chorused, bumping each other's knuckles.
"Well, I'll have to get going." Rena Rouge took off her necklace, handing it to Ladybug, and detransforming.
The rest followed, turning back into their civilian selves and returning the miraculous.
"I'll be taking them home, m'lady" —Chat Noir held both Alya and Max in each of his hands— "you take care of Chloé."
"Will do!" she said willingly, and sped off.
She put the mayor's daughter safely on her balcony. "Thanks for believing in me, Ladybug. You and Chat Noir are an inspiration to Paris," Chloé spoke.
"And thank you for going beyond my expectations. I knew you would choose us over Hawkmoth." Ladybug put her hands on her hips. "A little bird told me you refused an akuma once. Not even I could handle such determination. I admire you, Chloé."
The tips of her ears glowed a cherry red. She hugged the heroine, taking Ladybug by surprise. Regardless, she returned the gesture, pleased with the other's actions. The blonde let go, and bid her with a wave. She slid the glass door close, excitedly going into her room.
The satisfied female swung back to the Eiffel Tower's platform, her legs dangling whilst she eagerly waited for her partner.
*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*
He arrived a few moments later, sitting beside the girl in red and black. "We did great today, don't you think?" he said, craning his neck sideways.
Ladybug replied with an unambiguous smile. "Yeah...we did. I never thought we'd get this far."
She tilted her head in his direction, her heart beginning to beat with rapture.
They both looked at each other, longer than they usually would. And he didn't know what else to say. The hero's mouth was particularly dry. Ladybug had a certain glint in her eye; he had failed to decipher it.
The male's lips curled in an awkward smile. Her gaze made him faintly uncomfortable. He wasn't used to it. Char Noir's lips trembled, making him ask, "Ladybug, are you alright?"
The pigtailed female didn't respond. For she was engrossed by his mere appearance, and she hadn't realized she was looking at him lovingly. Ladybug was stuck in a dreamy trance.
An enchanting warmth gripped her soul. Memories of their time together flashing before her, like a projector playing a romantic movie.
Chat Noir came up with their plan in the first place. He successfully motivated her. And got over whatever thing he was going through with Hawkmoth's identity. She couldn't deny it, he was truly a wonderful guy.
The man who she'd loved for so long, but hadn't realized it. Just when they were finally enraptured in each other's arms, Hawkmoth had to put a drastic end to it.
So, would it be a mistake to do this?
Silence fell between them. Her insides dissolved, seeing his clover-like eyes. She brushed aside his bangs, which held the color of warm, golden sand. She felt his smooth cheeks; they were as soft as marshmallows.
Ladybug stroked his sharp jawline, her face growing nearer as she examined every little feature. Chat Noir's blood froze once she did so. He couldn't seem to move a single limb.
Ever so slowly, she inched closer. They were only a breath away, and with a slight blow of the wind, their lips had collided.
She kissed him.
♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡
A/N: I hope this is worth it👺this is the longest chapter I've made HAHAHAHA
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~6801 words~