Adrien's phone dropped to the floor, the protective case keeping it from breaking into a million pieces. It did little to stop himself shattering.
There's a type of fear that only arises when your loved ones are in danger. It was that kind of ripping, tearing, violent anguish that dug its rotten fingernails into the core of Adrien, into his heart, into everything he was. It was hopelessness and guilt and crushing despair and action, action, action. I must ACT.
He stumbled backwards, gripping his desk chair for support, his knuckles turning ghostly white.
"Plagg," he choked, "Plagg, claws"-
-"Woah hold on there kiddo, what do you think you're doing?" Plagg flew out of his hiding place, slamming himself against Adrien's mouth to silence him, "You want some security guard to hear you? Or a camera to catch you leaving your room as Chat? Think!"
Adrien was trembling, unable to think, unable to process anything. Except for the fact that Marinette was in danger. In danger. Marinette was in danger and it was all his fault. His petty jealousy. His lies. And now she was under threat and he was stuck in here and he needed to get out, needed to make sure she was ok.
"Marinette," he rasped, reaching down to his phone. He held up the message so Plagg could read it. "Plagg, I- I have to..." his words trailed off into nothing as another wave of panic seized his throat.
Now he was taking this seriously. It didn't matter to him if someone came for him. He had powers. He could defend himself.
Images flooded his mind of Marinette walking back to the bakery alone, suddenly set on by a darkened figure, hurt before she even had the chance to defend herself...
"Plagg," he choked out again and it was a plea, a desperate plea for help, to stop those horrible images from turning into reality. He ran frantic hands backwards through his hair, "What can I do? I've got to get out of here! Can't you destroy all the security stuff?"
"Sure, I could, but I'd need time to recharge," Plagg replied without his usual teasing. The fact that he was taking this seriously only served to make Adrien's fear grow. "I don't think we have much of that though."
Adrien growled, throwing his hands up in the air. "Well I'm going, one way or another."
With that, he stormed towards the door and was about to wrench it open when Plagg flew in front of him, paws up. "Come on, do you really think they'll let you wander out into the street like nothing?" he argued fairly. "There's a whole police investigation and you're the target, kid. Think about it for a sec."
Adrien wanted to disagree but, as loathe as he was to admit it, Plagg was probably right. "There has to be a way out."
Inexplicably, Plagg grinned. There was a twinkle in his eye that suggested nothing but mischief. "Well," he said, elongating the word, "I could cause a little mayhem. Enough for you to be able to sneak out!"
Adrien beamed at his Kwami companion of so many years. Sure, most of the time they spent trying to annoy each other as much as humanly possible, but he could always rely on him and times like this proved it.
As soon as Plagg noticed the grateful look on Adrien's face, his own smile disappeared. "Ok enough already," he rolled his eyes. "You humans and your emotions."
"How will I know when it's all clear for me to sneak out?" Adrien interrupted, his words coming out rushed and breathless.
The smirk was back. "Oh trust me, kid," he chuckled wickedly. "You'll know."
***
And know, Adrien did.
On a normal day, he'd be curious as to how Plagg had been able to summon so many cats so quickly (the word "swarm" came to mind). But it wasn't an ordinary day and he had more important things to worry about. One important thing.
Sneaking out of his room and heading in the opposite direction to the shrieking bodyguards and caterwauling cats, Adrien was relieved to find that the kitchens were clear, except for one tabby cat cleaning itself on the large island. He patted is as he hurried past and it chirped in response.
The kitchen had a back door which led to where the bins were kept and collected. With the pandemonium inside the manor, that exit was the most likely to be clear.
Heart pounding, and with the ever-increasing fear he'd be caught, Adrien opened the back door and broke out into a run. He noticed the back gate was locked...
But the bins were still there, propped up against the iron gates.
He ran harder and, using as much momentum as possible, leapt onto the top of the bins vaulted over the top of the gates.
The problem with being in his civilian form became violently apparent and he landed awkwardly, crashing to the ground and his left foot slipped out from under him. Adrien felt a sharp tugging sensation in the tendons of his ankle and cried out in pain, but he couldn't stop. Scrambling to his feet, he almost collapsed again when his ankle gave out.
Hopefully Plagg caught up with him soon so he could transform.
His eyes widened at the sound out yelling outside the manor and he cursed under his breath. Had they already discovered he was missing?
Hobbling as fast as he could, he rounded a corner and hid in the shadows of a nearby alleyway. He silently prayed for Plagg.
Adrien crouched down, feeling his injury and hissing when he touched the most painful part. Closing his eyes, he slumped back against the dirty brick wall. If Plagg didn't show up in the next minute, he was going to move on without him. Transformation be damned. He had to get to her, had to know she was safe.
That was his biggest mistake.
Adrien couldn't see the figure coming towards him, looming out of the shadows, until it was too late.
Before he knew what was happening, something big and heavy slammed against his skull. Adrien had no time to think, no time to react.
No time to defend himself.
All he knew was a sharp, intense pain in his head, exploding behind his eyes.
And then- darkness.
***
The box of pastries Ladybug had been holding clattered to the floor, its contents spilling out around her feet.
It wasn't the sight of the police cars outside the Agreste manor that made her stomach drop. That had been a normal sight these past days. No. It was the sheer volume of them, the flashing lights, the overwhelming sense of panic flooding the scene which made her realise-
-Something was very, very wrong.
Anxiety coiled in her chest like a snake ready to strike as she hurried through the gates and up the path towards the front doors of the manor. Grabbing the first officer she saw, she demanded to know what happened.
The officer, a younger man looking way in over his head, sighed with relief at her presence. But still the worry remained in his eyes and that did nothing to soothe her worries. "Oh Ladybug, thank god you're here. It's Adrien-"
The doors opened with a groan and Ladybug glanced up as Emilie Agreste stepped out. Their eyes met, and the look on Emilie's face shattered Ladybug's heart into a million pieces, the shards turning to glass which cut her from the inside out because she knew. She just knew.
Before Emilie said anything- she knew what had happened.
"Adrien's gone."
Emilie hurried down the steps, gripping both of Ladybug's hands and the officer made himself scarce. Up close, Ladybug could see the unguarded anguish on her face, the ghost of tears which had tumbled down the graceful lady's cheeks. To see her this way was almost unbearable, and Ladybug almost had to cast her gaze away from the sight. "He's been taken," Emilie continues. "I'm sure of it. He wouldn't have left. Not without saying anything to me."
Ladybug wanted to deny it, wanted to tell Emilie it was ok, that Adrien had probably snuck out for a bit of a breather. But deep down she knew Adrien would never cause his mother such worry. Not after all they'd been through.
A panting behind Ladybug startled them both and Ladybug swivelled around coming face-to-face with Adrien's fanboy- the one who was at the photoshoot. She couldn't quite remember his name, though.
"I saw it!" he cried, wildly. "I saw someone taking Adrien!"
"Wayhem?" Emilie frowned, answering Ladybug's question, then hurried forwards when she realised what he'd said. "What happened? What did you see?"
Wayhem's eyes were wider than usual, which was saying something. He looked like a bug who'd just seen a spider ensnare his best friend. "I saw a man with brown hair pulling Adrien into a shiny car. Adrien was unconscious."
Emilie's hands flew to her mouth. Worried what this must be doing for her, Ladybug stepped in, placing a hand on Wayhem's shoulder with a firm grip.
"What about the make of the car? Could you tell?"
Wayhem shook his head, "I couldn't tell the make- but I took photos. Here, see?"
He held out his phone, which Ladybug took. It was a little hard to tell from the photo, but the car was shiny, sleek and expensive looking. That only confused Ladybug further. She'd expected a van of some kind, not a sports car.
"You can take it with you, I don't mind," Wayhem said gently. "I just want Adrien to be safe."
Warmth bloomed in Ladybug's chest at that, and she was able to forgive Wayhem for his online posts outing hers and Adrien fake relationship. She even felt sorry for suspecting him of sending the threats, a suspicion which had led her nowhere anyway. "Thank you Wayhem, you really are Adrien's number one fan."
Wayhem beamed at her, even though he was still worried. A few police officers led Wayhem away to question him further, leaving Emilie and Ladybug alone.
A moment of silence passed. Ladybug could almost taste the anguish in the air. It tasted like cold ash, like the long-dead embers of a warm fire.
"I'll get him back," she vowed.
But Emilie didn't seem to hear her, her eyes were glassy and far away. "It happened again," she whispered, fragile and broken. "My family, we've been broken apart again."
"No!" Ladybug's cry split the air, breaking Emilie out of her mournful daydreams and the latter blinked slowly. With tears of her own threatening to spill over, Ladybug placed her hands on Emilie's shoulders. "It hasn't. I will get him back ok? I will get him back."
This was her fault. If only she'd helped a bit more with the investigation instead of focusing on Adrien's welfare, if only she'd gotten here sooner, if, if, if, so many ifs. So many regrets.
Emilie, it seemed, had some of her own. "If only I still had Duusu," she lamented. "I would help you in an instant."
Ladybug offered a watery smile. "And be a total badass too, like how you killed Isiah in the end- I mean in self-defence and all but still! I'd be out of a job if you came back into the game."
"It was defence of you too, my dear. I thought he'd killed you," Emilie uttered, tucking a stray strand of hair behind Ladybug's ear. The action reminded her so vividly of Chat Noir for a moment that it almost gave her whiplash, completely taking her out of the moment as she wondered, with ever-increasing fury, where on earth he was and why he wasn't here helping her deal with something so important. Emilie brushed the tears away from Ladybug's face, interrupting her darkening thoughts. "Please do be safe dear, I couldn't live with myself if you were so hurt again for our sakes."
Ladybug nodded grimly, trying to ignore the sudden flashbacks that struck like lightning through her mind; the gunshot, the pain, the blood. Her blood. She fought back an involuntary shudder. "I will be," she replied. "I promise."
Emilie smiled, worry still creasing her brow but determined nonetheless. "Good," she nodded, soothed by Ladybug's oath. "Then bring back our boy."
***
The first thing Adrien noticed was the smell. Coming to consciousness with a throbbing head, the feeling of damp crept into his senses. It was so potent he could taste it on his tongue, along with traces of iron. Blood. His blood.
Looked like those death threats were legitimate after all, he thought mildly, trying to inhale as much as he could. It would help with the pain. But that only made the damp smell cling to the back of his throat. His stomach rolled.
The stiff back of whatever chair he was on was doing nothing for his posture. It clearly wasn't ergonomic.
Slowly opening his eyes, he tried to get a good view of his surroundings and try to figure a way out. He clicked his tongue, then winced. Nope. Not doing that again.
"A warehouse," he grunted. "How original."
"Oh you're awake," a voice startled him and he blinked, adjusting to the light and the figure hiding away from it. The warehouse was empty, derelict. Most likely it was on the outskirts of the city, downriver judging by the smell. Shards of afternoon light shone through the narrow windows at the top of the building. How long had he been out? "I was starting to think you'd never wake up again."
His captor didn't seem even remotely concerned about that notion. Adrien wished he hadn't been whacked on the head. It made it difficult to think. All he knew was that he had to keep his captor talking as long as possible, until Plagg or Ladybug found him. It occurred to him, in a vague sort of way, that he ought to have been worried for his own safety, but there was really no doubt in his mind that either or both would prevail in getting to him.
"So I guess that last threat was a trap?" he said, keeping his tone as flat as possible. "To lure me out of hiding?"
Condescending amusement dripped from his captor's lips, "Yes, and you fell for it my friend. Hook, line and sinker."
"I suppose," Adrien shrugged, and found the movement scuppered before he had the chance to complete it. His hands were bound to the chair. Of course. He was a bit slow on the uptake due to the giant throbbing wound on the side of his head. He squinted, trying to see if he could recognise the figure half hidden in the shadows. The voice seemed so familiar, in an aggravating sort of way. "At least you're not after Marinette."
"You can relax. I'm not actually trying to kill you, or your foolish, blind girlfriend. I simply need you to be gone for the evening."
Adrien frowned, torn between confusion, relief that Marinette would be safe and anger at the insult towards her. Still, he needed to keep him talking. "Why would you need me gone for the evening? And Marinette isn't foolish or blind- I don't know who you think you are."
"Big talk from the guy tied to a chair," came a sneering response. "And she is a fool. Choosing you over myself."
And that's when it clicked. At first, Adrien couldn't believe it. Because no, surely not, there was no way. It was just so stupid.
"Oh my god," he uttered, bewildered. "Derek?!"
"My name is not Derek!" Derek yelled, stomping out of the shadows and confirming Adrien's suspicions. Derek's suit was rumpled, creased with the effort it must have taken him to drag Adrien's limp body off. His surgically enhanced lips curled up in anger. "It's François!"
Adrien didn't know whether to laugh or scream in frustration. When he next spoke, he did so slowly. As if he was trying to get a concussed sloth to understand the concept of a neutron star. "Derek," he sighed because really, first this guy shows up on set ordering everyone to refer to him as his stage name only, harassing female staff, hitting on Marinette, and now this?! "Did you kidnap me so that I would miss the fashion show?!"
"Well your idiot father left me no choice," Derek replied as if it wasn't the most ridiculous thing Adrien had ever heard. "He has no concern for your safety. I thought all I would need to do would be to send you some death threats and throw your family into a panic. Then poof!"- he made an explosion gesture with his hand- "no more Adrien being the star of the show. I would finally get the top billing spot I deserve, which would lead me on to a great many things."
Derek sulked, pacing up and down the dirty stone floor, "I only needed you out of the way for a little bit," he sighed wistfully, "and your father couldn't give me that even when his own son's life is on the line."
"Yeah he's a peach," Adrien retorted, somehow agreeing with the guy who'd kidnapped him for attention. Still, on the other hand, he was glad his hands were bound. If they weren't, the resulting facepalm he'd give himself might've actually resulted in a coma.
All he could hope was that Ladybug or Plagg would get here as soon as possible. This whole situation was such a waste of time, time he could have been spending with his girlfriend...
An awful realisation struck Adrien that not only had this nonsense stopped him from confessing his identity to Marinette, but it had also made his mother cry, made her sick with worry when she already had a litany of health problems from her two years in captivity.
And why had Derek done this?
Because he'd wanted to be the biggest, most important person in the room. He'd done it for his ego.
Nobody made his mother cry. Nobody.
"You know your career is over right?" Adrien laughed, low and cruel. "Once you let me go, everyone will find out about this. You're finished, François."
Derek, ran his hand over his chin, a thundering river pretending to be a smooth stream. "Yes, about that," his voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed him. He was in too deep and he knew it. "You can stay here until after the show, and then I will let you go. Nobody needs to know except us."
"And why do you think I'd help you?" Adrien snapped. "Why the hell would I cover for you, you low-rate Gaston wannabe?"
Remarkably, Derek ignored the slight. Instead, he sauntered over, and Adrien saw a dangerous glint in his eye. It reminded him of a snake, backed into a corner, and for a moment Adrien was worried.
"Because," Derek leaned forwards, planting his hand down onto Adrien's shoulder with a nasty grin, his fingernails digging in, "We wouldn't want anything to happen to your girlfriend now, would we? Maybe I changed my mind in that regard."
There was a pause, a beat, and Adrien cast his gaze up and down Derek form. He arched a brow.
"She could take you."
Derek reeled back, spluttering. "She's- but- she's half our size!"
"First of all, I'm taller than you so jot that down," Adrien replied, really twisting the knife in. Of course, he didn't care about such things, but he knew Derek did and his point was proven when Derek scowled. One point against toxic masculinity (a phrase he'd learned from Alya). "Secondly, you don't know her like I do. Trust me. She could take you, and I'm not saying a thing to cover for you. You kidnapped me, you idiot. And you think I'm going to do you a favour?"
Adrien waited for the yelling, the cursing and tantrum-like behaviours he'd grown used to seeing in Derek in the few times he'd worked with him. He waited for the mask of obnoxious perfection to crumble completely as he screamed and screamed at not getting his way. Good. Let him tantrum. It would give Ladybug more time to find them.
But the tantrum didn't come. Derek turned his back, panting through his nostrils like a horse gone mad, but that was the closest he came towards losing total control.
Adrien watched, curious, as Derek pulled something out of the inside pocket of his jacket.
"I don't think you have a choice in the matter," Derek muttered darkly. "And I don't think your precious little girlfriend will have time to react. Not if she didn't expect me."
When he turned around, Adrien finally got a glimpse of what Derek was holding, and his blood turned to ice.
"Where- where the hell did you get that?" Adrien choked.
"You of all people should know that, when you're wealthy, you're also connected. Drugs, whores...guns," Derek waved the small pistol around carelessly, and Adrien flinched, a gunshot went off in his memory. The last time he'd been near a gun, what he'd almost lost, all of that hit him full force.
This wasn't funny or stupid anymore.
"Oh good, you're paying attention now," Derek chuckled. "About time you took this seriously."
Derek shuffled closer, haphazardly waving the gun around in a way that had Adrien's gut twisting. Placing a hand on Adrien's shoulder, he leaned in with what Adrien assumed was meant to be an intimidating grin. But something in his demeanour had shifted. Desperation poured from every fibre of his suit.
Derek knew. He knew he was done for if Adrien got out.
No not if. When.
Derek was a wild, stupid animal, backed into a corner of his own making. Now he was trying to claw out of it by any means necessary.
"Let's repeat this, once more," Derek hissed. The threats slowly filtered through blood-rushed ears. Adrien was solely focused on the gun. "You aren't going to tell anyone it was me, are you? It'd be easy to track Marinette down. I'll find her. And I'll"-
"You'll what?"
There must have been something in the way Adrien spoke, the bite against Derek's bark, because Derek snapped his hand away from his shoulder as though Adrien's skin had burned him.
And perhaps it had. Because all Adrien knew in that moment was fire, and anger, and a dark urge to protect at any cost. It consumed him, choked out every last fibre of reason and self-preservation within him. But he allowed it. How could he not? When the very thing- the very person- being threatened, was the one he loved the most.
He would rather die than let another person he loved get hurt this way.
"You'll do nothing and you know why?" Adrien growled.. "Because you are nothing, and if you even touch one hair on Marinette's head, if you go anywhere near her, I'll make sure you become nothing. You'll be nothing, you understand me? I'll destroy you."
Adrien meant it. For a split second, he truly meant it. He would've taken his miraculous and used it to destroy. And not for the greater good. He would have fought against all the good in him, he would have let the dark roots inside of him fester into uncontrollable, poisonous weeds. All to protect her, to save her. He would have...he would have...
He would have become his father. For a moment, a split second of disgusting clarity, he understood Gabriel Agreste's actions.
The thought struck him so painfully, it was as if Derek had shot him already.
No.
He couldn't.
He wouldn't. He wouldn't ever give in to that side of himself. The side he knew, deep down, existed. If not for himself, but for the ones who trusted him to wield the power of destruction for the forces of good. He had slipped once, recently, in destroying Evillustrator's boat with no focus on the target. He'd gotten lucky that time, there'd been no injuries.
Closing his eyes, he tried inhaling deeply, surprised to find himself shaking. He couldn't give in to the darker side of himself, the side of loneliness and forced isolation and betrayal and anger. He wouldn't.
He wasn't his father. He wasn't.
"Derek"- Adrien implored, eyes focused on the gun.
"FRANÇOIS," Derek yelled, half strangled and still waving the gun after Adrien's threats, "And if you think that little speech was supposed to scare me, you're wrong. So what if you'll destroy my career? My family's just as rich as yours. If not more. My career will be fine." He didn't sound as though he believed himself, Adrien thought, hence the gun.
Adrien shook his head sadly. Poor Derek. If only he knew just how close he'd come, the true meaning behind Adrien's threats. He'd run away screaming.
He tried inhaling deeply again, and it worked better as Adrien focused on coming up with a solution instead. A peaceful one. Ladybug was always better at de-escalating a situation than he was. He always jumped in first to defend, attack, protect. Sure, he always implored Ladybug to see the best in people. But in a hostile situation like this, quick takedowns were his go-to move.
"François," he conceded through gritted teeth. "Don't you think this is all getting out of hand? Wanting more attention than me is one thing, but kidnapping me? Threatening my loved ones? Do you really want to go down this path? It's not a good path. It'll only bring you and your own loved ones pain in the end. Trust me on that."
Derek said nothing. For a moment, Adrien was worried he was doing things all wrong. But then, slowly, Derek placed the gun back into his breast pocket. He was softening, ever-so-slightly, and tiny strings of hope flared in Adrien's chest at the thought.
"You shouldn't care so much about getting the top spots anyway," Adrien encouraged, nodding his head with a faint smile. "You still have a killer following most models would dream of, and you're already rich. You don't need to do this."
As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, Adrien realised it had been the wrong thing to say. The scowl twisted Derek's face even more than before. He barked out a harsh, humourless laugh. "Of course you'd say that, and that's exactly why I need to do this," he snarled, turning his back on Adrien and scowling into the darkness. Adrien used this opportunity to tug at his bindings, trying to get free.
"I know you think modelling is some sort of joke, a fake career," Derek continued. "You're just biding your time, waiting to pay your dues to your daddy so you can run off and play professor like you always wanted. But you're the one who sits on the throne, you're the most loved model, the most sought after. And you don't care. You have it all and you didn't earn it and you don't care."
Adrien winced, stung by a harsh truth he'd never had to face before. It was true. He'd never chosen to be a model, it was just something he did. He never stopped to consider the models who had made the choice to be there, it was something that had simply never occurred to him.
Even so...
"Der- François, you have a point. I'll admit. You do," he conceded. "But that doesn't make what you're doing now right. It's too far. Come on. Just let me go, 'kay? There are people out there worried about me. My mother must be worried sick. Will you just let me go?"
Derek turned around and walked towards him a few paces. Adrien smiled wider, the hope in his chest bloomed to match.
"I will," Derek agreed, and Adrien almost sagged in relief before he added, "After the show. Speaking of which, it's about to be that time. I'll have to leave soon, and you better remember my threats when I do."
Adrien very nearly swore. At the last second his composure held, even as the hope in his chest turned to anger, about to burst out of him like a monster in a sci-fi movie.
He shook with the effort to calm himself, but miraculously, he managed it. "You know," he said, staring up at Derek. "I used to think everyone deserves a second chance."
He thought back to his wide-eyed youth; the endless optimism, the unwavering faith that people were fundamentally good, the liars he forgave again and again and again.
That optimism died two years ago, when he'd looked into the eyes of his father and only been able to see his mortal enemy staring back. A black hole had been made in the spot where those eyes had struck, and it had never been filled, never healed. Adrien wasn't sure it could ever be. It had only grown, in fact, when Ladybug had almost died in his arms, when he'd come face-to-face with true evil.
Adrien pressed his lips together, his hands twisted in their bindings. He wanted to try, he wanted to believe again, to capture that optimism he once had. "You've made a stupid, stupid mistake here, but there's still time to back out. Before anyone gets hurt. You can do it. You can let me go." He tried to smile again, he tried so hard. He wanted to believe. "Please? Just let me go. You can do it. Nobody needs to get hurt, or threatened, or anything."
"Adrien's right."
The additional voice broke through the tension like a bullet through glass, and Adrien's heart leapt just as Derek's face turned to ice. Swivelling his head around, Adrien tried to look for her, but she was hidden in the shadows.
He'd know that voice anywhere, though, and judging from the stone-cold terror Derek was exuding, he recognised the voice too.
"Ladybug," Adrien whispered, a prayer answered. She was here! She'd found him, just like he knew she would.
A small weight pressed against his bound hands, nuzzling into them (though the nuzzler would never admit it). A gentle nip to his fingers, and Adrien knew how Ladybug had managed to find him.
Plagg you amazing, clever agent of chaos!
His fingers stretched to scratch at the hidden kwami however he could, wondering just how Plagg had managed to track him down and lead Ladybug here without being seen, but he supposed he could figure that out later. Immediately, he could feel his bindings starting to loosen as Plagg set to the silent work of freeing him.
A quick glance at Derek, and Adrien saw the wild fear in him; the consequences chasing him from the looming shadows. All at once, Adrien watched as the weight of Derek's actions finally crashed onto his shoulders and, with a whimper, he turned tail and fled.
It was then that three things happened in quick succession.
The first was Ladybug's yo-yo, shooting out of the shadows from Adrien's right. Ladybug herself stepped into the light, a halo of sunlight framed her, making her appear almost ethereal. Adrien's heart clenched at the sight, wondering if this was how all civilians saw her. She tugged at her yo-yo and it wrapped right around Derek's legs, catching him before he could get away. He fell face-first to the ground and she began dragging him backwards. Derek screamed, flailing like a madman, fingernails digging into hard concrete.
The second was Plagg, biting through the last of Adrien's bindings. Adrien sighed, bringing his hands up in front of him as the blood rushed back to his wrists.
The third was the quickest and most horrifying of them all. As Derek twisted himself so he was face up, he reached back into his pocket...
And just like that no more blood rushed back to Adrien's wrists. It rushed to his feet instead. He threw himself upwards, his breath catching. No, no, no! Not again! Please not again!
"Ladybug! HE HAS A GUN!"
The world slowed down. Adrien was moving before he even realised it. Ladybug's attention swept to him as he'd shouted.
Their eyes met.
Adrien threw himself in front of her, grabbing her by the waist as he'd done so many times before. But there were no superpowers to protect him this time.
He threw them both to the ground, shielded her, protected her. Not again, not again, never again. Please, please, please...
The gun went off.
Pain shot through Adrien's hip as he hit the ground, awkwardly rolling whilst he cradled Ladybug in his arms and landed on top of her, shielding her with his body. He heard her cry out and for one terrible, awful moment, he feared the worst.
"Adrien!"
Lifting himself onto his forearms, their eyes met, noses inches from each other. Neither of them dared breathe.
Ladybug wrapped an arm around his middle and, with an angry grunt, tore her gaze away from his and nudged him out the way. Quicker than he'd ever seen her move, she shot out from under him, coming to a kneeling position and grabbing the string of her yo-yo.
The yo-yo retracted, releasing Derek's legs and he scrambled backwards, aiming again. Adrien was on his feet in an instant, ready to protect her once more, but stumbled backwards as a dizzy spell overcame him. His vision swam.
Before Derek could blink, Ladybug shot the yo-yo back out, wrapping it around his hand. She pulled hard, yanking the gun out of his grip as she came to standing. It clattered to the floor somewhere out of sight and out of reach and she began to pull Derek towards her.
Derek screamed, cried, swore at her, begged her for mercy but it fell on deaf ears.
"You know," Ladybug said, her tone calm yet laced with ice. "I was prepared to go a little easier on you because you're a civilian and all."
She grabbed his collar, pulling him towards her with a snarl. "But I think I changed my mind."
And before Derek could beg for mercy one last time, she punched him square on the jaw. Derek fell backwards, out cold.
It was only then, only when he knew Ladybug was fine, only when he saw the gun was far out of reach, that Adrien collapsed. Falling to his knees he stared at the ground, his head pounding, his ankle throbbing, the pain at his hip burning...
"Adrien!" he heard Ladybug call his name again but it was muffled sounding, far away. He began to shake. It's ok, he told himself, she's safe. It's ok. She's ok. Nothing else matters.
He looked up when he heard her kneel in front of him, her warm hands checking him all over and he closed his eyes with a sigh.
"Are you ok?! Are you hurt?! Did the gun-" she sounded frantic and he couldn't have that. Opening his eyes again he lifted his chin to her, offering her a small smile. He saw stars around her, and his vision was a little blurry, which only made her look lovelier.
"'M'fine. Not shot," He mumbled, resting his forehead against her shoulder, feeling oddly light even as he worried he'd be sick at any moment. God his head was pounding. But it was ok, Ladybug would take care of him.
"I think you have a concussion," Ladybug said aghast, and Adrien had to agree with her. He felt so strange. The sound of her communicator beeping filled the air. She must've been sending the emergency services their location. "I'm so sorry, Adrien, this is all my fault! I'm so, so sorry. I should've"-
Adrien shook his head and boy was that a bad idea. "Nah, My Lady. 'Smy fault. I'm the idiot," he nuzzled into her shoulder. "Didn't wanna lose you."
"What- what do you mean?" Ladybug asked and Adrien leaned backwards, grinning through the pain. She looked so upset and all he wanted was to make her feel better. She was so great, and he knew he could always rely on her and he loved her so much.
Maybe he should just TELL her who he really was?! He was going to tell Marinette after all. He should tell Ladybug too! To hell with their unspoken rule! It was dumb rule.
"Ladybug don't freak out 'kay?" he whispered, giggling. "It's a secret. I gotta tell you! I'm"-
A loud clattering sound interrupted that train of thought and Ladybug's hand was instantly at her waist, grabbing her yo-yo. A cat shot out of the shadows and ran across to the other side of the warehouse.
The next moment, doors lifted and the flashing lights of the police and ambulance crew flooded the warehouse. Ladybug told him to wait as she called out to paramedics, ushering them over.
"Boy do you owe me big time," Plagg murmured into his ear, before floating away to hide again.