Chapter Text
Monarch was Gabriel Agreste.
Gabriel Agreste was Monarch.
Adrien’s father was Monarch.
The words kept spinning in Ladybug’s head as she stood on the rooftop staring out at the Eiffel Tower. They’d been whirling in her mind ever since she’d woken from that nightmare, still vivid. Climbing an oversized plant stalk, covered in thorns, and rushing to save Adrien – his knight in shining armour, slaying the dragon who held him captive, only for the dragon to transform into Gabriel. She could still hear Adrien’s cries for his slain father ringing in her ears. She could still feel the guilt.
She flipped open her bug phone, stabbing Cat’s number again.
Still no answer. Where was he? She’d never needed him more. Literally overnight, the mission had become personal. She didn’t trust herself with it on her own. She needed him to give her that perspective – that support.
She would give herself away. Admit Adrien was the boy she loved. But it no longer mattered. Not when Adrien himself was in so much danger.
Monarch was Gabriel Agreste.
Gabriel Agreste was Monarch.
Adrien’s father was Monarch.
And Adrien himself was a – was a –
She swallowed and let out a long, ragged breath, her mind clearing and the answer coming to her.
Adrien was a wonderful, beautiful person with an enormous heart, who only ever wanted to do others kindness. He was funny and smart and supportive – like Cat.
That was what Adrien was.
And now she had to be there for him, just like he’d always been there for her.
A shadow swooped down, and she spun around, expecting Cat – but it was Argos, his expression haunted, even for him. Argos who was Felix who was…someone she was learning to see with new eyes in the morning light.
His hands were balled into shaky fists. Her mind filled with a memory of the ‘play’ they’d enacted for her the night before – with a memory of a small boy cowering under the hateful words of a father he’d never asked for.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked. The question could have been about the present moment, or about the long past.
‘No. I had a…I had a terrible dream.’ His voice was small and tight, and he gripped his head, grimacing as though in physical pain. ‘Something had happened to Kagami and…and when I woke up, I…I can’t get hold of her.’
‘Are you sure she didn’t just –’
‘No, she wouldn’t just cut me out like that. We speak all the time. I visit her in this form, every chance I get. I know exactly where she’s been staying – and she’s disappeared. Her phone no longer works. It’s like she’s completely v-vanished.’ His green eyes watered, dark under his hood.
Unsurprising. Vanishing took on new meaning when you were – were –
One of my best friends. That’s what Kagami is. Nothing I learned tonight has changed that.
‘Where she’s staying? You mean she’s not in Paris?’ She forced her voice to remain steady – for his sake as much as her own.
He shook his head. ‘She was whisked off to London at the same time Adrien was. And I don’t think I need to remind you who her mother’s business partner is.’
Her mouth fell open. Just how far back did this go? And what were they doing? What were they planning? ‘C-come to think of it, I…I’ve been unable to reach Adrien.’
‘I know. I tried him too.’ Argos’s expression was grim – and pained. This wasn’t just about Kagami. He loved both of Gabriel and Tomoe’s victims.
And so did she.
Adrenaline surging, she flipped open her bug phone, hitting the same number yet again. ‘Come on, Cat Noir, I need you. Won’t you be disappointed when you find out you missed hearing me say that?’
‘He will, he will,’ a sad voice startled her.
She jumped, falling into Argos, who caught her by the shoulders – then released her just as suddenly, practically shoving her away, as if she were a flame he’d just put his hands through by mistake.
‘Th-thanks,’ she made out.
He dipped his head, as if to say, Don’t mention it, and put his hands behind his back. Not in the arrogant way he used to hold himself, but with his head still bowed, as if preparing for execution.
She tore her gaze away, locking eyes with their surprise visitor. ‘Plagg – is Cat okay?’ Her heart was already racing. Worry for Adrien and worry for her partner tumbled together, blurring until it may as well have been one person her blood screamed out for.
Plagg hung his oversized head, his large eyes brimming with sorrow. ‘He’s been…captured.’ He sounded like he was taking great care with his words.
‘…captured?’ Ladybug echoed, her heart even faster now. Monarch had to be behind it. After all these months, he’d finally succeeded. He’d caught one of them.
He’d caught Cat.
Plagg nodded. ‘He’s being held in a sensory deprivation room.’
She gasped, touching her hand to her chest. Her head throbbed with traces of her nightmare, about another boy, trapped in his own way by the same captor. Beside her, Argos had gone very still.
‘There are cameras all over. But of course, kwamis are undetectable by technology, and I can go through walls, so I slipped out and promised him I’d bring you to him.’
Oh, Cat….
First Adrien, and now Cat – fierce, daring, courageous Cat.
Her eyes welled, and she blinked several times to push down the emotion. There was no time for that, now. People were depending upon her. People she cared about.
She gritted her teeth, her hands squeezing into fists like Argos’s. ‘You say he’s being held…by Gabriel Agreste?’
Plagg’s green eyes widened. ‘You…you know?’
‘That he’s Monarch? I found out last night. Felix told me.’
He reeled backwards in the air, his eyes growing larger still. ‘Gabriel Agreste is Monarch?’
She shared a look with Argos. He shrugged, just as confused as she was.
Plagg was mumbling to himself. ‘Not that I’m surprised but….’
She held up a hand. ‘Wait, wait!’
Plagg halted mid-flow, attentive but…yes, definitely anxious. Whoever his holder was…he and Plagg had a kind of bond, like she had with Tikki.
She forced back another wave of emotion. ‘If you didn’t know he was Monarch, then what did you –’
‘There’s no time for that,’ Plagg cut in, his voice frantic. ‘We need to get to Cat Noir. It’s even more important now than I thought.’
‘…and you know exactly where he is?’
Plagg nodded – but he was eying Argos with hesitation.
She took a step closer to Adrien’s cousin. ‘It’s okay, Plagg. He’s on our side.’
Argos gave a deep bow.
Plagg still appeared troubled. ‘It’s…a little more complicated than….’ He sighed. ‘It doesn’t matter, now. You’re going to see what I mean soon, anyway. All that matters is that you rescue my holder.’
He wasn’t making much sense, but as he’d just pointed out, she didn’t have time to tease out his meaning. She turned to Argos. ‘Will you help me?’
He chewed at his lip. ‘We need to be going after Kagami and Adrien.’
She lay a hand on his arm. His gaze fell on her touch, studying it, this moment of affection. A pang went through her heart. ‘Felix…to go after Monarch, we need all the help we can get. Cat Noir is my whole team. I can’t do this without him. Freeing Cat Noir is freeing Adrien and Kagami.’
He lifted his head, his eyes finding hers. For a moment, all she could do was stare – stare into those eyes, so like Adrien’s, even while Felix was transformed, and see the story of his life play out in their depths. The story that made him such a complex character to unravel.
His shoulders softened, and he nodded. ‘I will help you.’
‘Thank you.’ She cracked a smile, even though she felt anything but happy. ‘Okay, Plagg, lead the way.’
Without another word, the kwami of destruction was flying over the rooftops, and she and Argos followed.
As she hurled her yo-yo over the city skyline, Plagg’s words repeated in her mind. ‘You’re going to see what I mean soon, anyway.’
At some point in their journey, his words suddenly made sense. She wasn’t just going to rescue Cat Noir. She was going with Plagg. And that meant….
She was going to see Cat outside of the costume.
She was about to find out who he really was.
Only….
She already knew who he was. Cat was a wonderful, beautiful person, with an enormous heart, who only ever wanted to do others kindness. He was funny and smart and supportive – like Adrien.
That was who Cat was.
And now she had to be there for him, just like he’d been there for her.
‘Ladybug….’ Argos’s voice snapped her out of her reverie.
‘Yes?’
‘Are you…noticing anything?’
Noticing? What was there to –
Oh.
Oh.
They’d hit the very northern part of France and were approaching the Channel.
‘Plagg, are we….’
‘You’re going to need to power up,’ he said from up ahead, his tone troubled. He turned in the air, his eyes scanning her face for…what, exactly?
Without another thought, she transformed into Cosmo Bug and grabbed Argos for the ride. He yelped in surprise, his body stiff. This boy – this poor, poor, broken boy.
Over the water they went, and with each mile they travelled, an idea wormed its way into her mind, trying to make itself seen. She pushed it down each time it reared its head. She wasn’t ready for it. Not yet. Not yet.
I’m going to save Cat.
And then I’ll save Adrien.
Saving Cat means saving Adrien.
They landed outside an innocuous-looking building, a warehouse, in London. Plagg hovered, blinking at the wall in a way that told her he was frightened. No, not just frightened. Regretful. Guilty.
‘If only I’d known it was Gabriel…,’ he murmured, perhaps thinking she couldn’t hear him.
She met Argos’s eyes. He shook his head. He knew as much as she did.
‘Plagg,’ she said. ‘Take us to Cat Noir.’
He gave her a long look – then nodded and led them around the building, to the back, where there was a door.
Ladybug nodded at him. ‘Do your thing, Plagg.’
He reared back, building internal momentum. ‘Cataclysm!’ He slammed into the door and it dissolved on impact, dust flying everywhere.
She waved it away, coughing, hardly able to see. Somewhere out there, this was having consequences. The Eiffel Tower had just disintegrated, perhaps. But it didn’t matter. All that mattered was saving Cat Noir.
Argos coughed too. ‘It’s a good thing you two aren’t interested in making a living off crime,’ he observed when the dust had cleared, and then he coughed again.
‘If there are cameras here, someone will notice our break-in,’ Ladybug said. ‘We need to get in and get out, fast.’
They followed Plagg through the door. Inside was nothing like the outside. Not a warehouse at all but an elaborate office building of some sort, with long hallways they walked down and too many doors to keep track of.
At last, Plagg stopped in front of a door that looked like any other. Except it was different, and her heart knew it. Because this was where Cat was being held.
By Monarch.
By Gabriel Agreste.
By Adrien’s father.
If not for Plagg, maybe no one would have found out. How long would Cat have been stuck in there, desperate for rescue? What would Gabriel have done to him? The thought made her stomach roil.
‘You ready for this?’ Plagg asked, his eyes on her.
No.
‘Yes.’
He gave her a sad smile. ‘You don’t even know how not ready you are…but okay.’ Without further ado, he cataclysmed the door.
Through the smoke, she heard him. ‘Plagg?’ Then, louder, ‘Plagg! You did it! You came back for me.’
‘Of course I did. Did you ever doubt me?’
‘Of course not, Plagg.’ He sounded so soft, so small, so fragile. There were tears in his voice, a mix of hope and despair and amazement that anyone cared enough to save him. She’d never heard Cat talk like that.
Gone were the jokes, gone was the carefree kitty, gone was the bravado. This was what lay beneath – the vulnerability under the mask.
This was a voice she knew as well as she knew the voice in her own head.
‘Come on, let’s get out of here,’ Plagg said. ‘Security are probably on their way right now.’
They burst through the remaining haze of the destroyed door, and then – there he was.
He stared back at her, his eyes wide with shock. She’d had time to prepare, but he hadn’t. And now here they were, face to face – her safely hidden behind her mask, and him completely exposed.
She’d never seen Cat Noir shy or nervous before. Not like this. She’d never seen his lower lip quiver or his eyes wobble or his arms tremble.
‘L-ladybug –’ he choked out, his voice hoarse.
‘Adrien.’ As soon as the word left her lips, something unlocked in her chest, and she threw her arms around him, pulling him close. ‘Oh god, Adrien.’
He wrapped his arms around her in return, holding her tight, and she sank into his embrace. If only she could freeze this moment, never let him go, never have to break apart and tell him the truth about his father.
Too soon, he pulled away, his gaze on Argos. ‘What…what are you doing here, Felix?’
‘…helping Ladybug save Cat Noir,’ Argos made out, his voice hollow, like he’d seen a ghost. ‘You…are a much more interesting person than I ever gave you credit for.’
Adrien gave a silent laugh, then gripped his head, wincing and sucking in air as he breathed through some kind of pain.
‘Have you had nightmares, too?’ she asked.
He eyed her carefully. ‘Y-yes.’
So it wasn’t just her. ‘Must be some kind of horrible magic Monarch’s cast over us all.’
Argos was worrying at his lip. ‘So, if you’re here…does that mean Kagami is, too?’
‘I can find out,’ said Plagg, and he zipped through another door. Only a moment later, there was another explosion. More dust filled the corridor, and Plagg popped out. ‘Found her.’
Argos fled into the room with him.
Alone again, Adrien dared to meet her eyes – her eyes that had never left him. His fingers clenched in his blond curls, messy in a way that told a tale – a tragic tale of just how badly he’d been hurt since she’d last seen him. ‘So you’re…okay that it’s…just me?’
‘What do you mean “just you”?’
‘Well…that your partner all this time has been nothing more than that stupid pretty boy model you see on ridiculous perfume ads.’ His voice was bitter. And why shouldn’t it be? He’d been lied to his whole life, and he didn’t even know it.
‘That is not who you are, Adrien. It never was. You are so much more than that.’
He blinked at her ferocity. ‘I…I am?’
Now in his eyes she saw a boy like Felix – a boy so in need of love and affection, so in need of some reminder of his worth. Especially after what his own father had just done to him.
His father.
Monarch.
‘Adrien, you’re – you’re –’ Unable to help herself, she grabbed his face, pulling him towards her, and kissed him. She’d only kissed him for the first time less than twelve hours ago, but already it felt like returning to someplace warm and familiar and so, so right.
He pressed his hands gently on her chest and pushed her away, his chest heaving. ‘Ladybug, what are you – I have a girlfriend.’
She stepped towards him and pulled him back into her arms. ‘Adrien, it’s okay. It’s me.’ She placed his hands on either side of her face, forcing him to look at her, really look at her.
He stared down at her, his eyes growing larger with each heartbeat. ‘Marinette?’ he whispered.
She’d barely nodded when his mouth was on hers again, hungry and searching. His fingers mixed in her hair, his hand cradling her head, holding her close, as if he thought she might leave him if he gave her an inch of space.
But she’d promised Adrien and she’d promised Cat Noir – she would never abandon him.
‘A-hem.’
They jumped apart to see Argos and Kagami, their hands clasped tightly together.
Plagg hovered at their side, and now flew over to Adrien. ‘I hate to break up the party, but we really need to get out of here. And you might want to transform to make it easier.’
‘I thought you’d never ask. Plagg, claws out.’ In a flash, Adrien became Cat Noir, and it was suddenly so obvious that they were one. Months ago, if someone had told her he was Cat Noir, she would have laughed at the suggestion. But now, it made more sense than anything else in life. His face contorted as he worked through the pain in his mind. Transforming didn’t make it go away, but it gave you the strength to bear through it a little better.
‘Come on, everyone!’ Ladybug called, and they hurried down the corridor, past all the other doors that led to who knew what, and out the back door. Argos grabbed Kagami around the waist and launched them both up onto the roof. Ladybug and Cat followed after, landing on the rooftop with them.
‘So, you’re Cat Noir,’ Kagami said, her dry tone holding…perhaps awe. ‘You are a much more interesting person than I gave you credit for.’
‘And I’ve just seen how well you suit my cousin,’ Cat said. He threw an arm around Ladybug’s shoulder and kissed her hard on the mouth. After how many times she’d had to watch Felix and Kagami make out, it felt good to make them the audience.
But when he released her, reality sank in. ‘We, um…we need to get you far away from here,’ she said, ‘before anyone spots that you’ve broken out.’
‘Is my father here?’ Cat asked.
At the word father, her heart clenched, and her eyes flew to Argos. He shot her a look of compassion – because the truth had to come from her. Because she was the Guardian. And because she was in love with Adrien.
‘Oh no.’ Cat sighed. ‘Why do I feel like I’m not the only one with secrets to reveal, today?’
Argos exchanged a look with Kagami, then cleared his throat. ‘I’m…going to take Kagami somewhere safe to hide. But please do feel free to contact me if you need my assistance. Ladybug, I…can’t thank you enough for your helping.’ He didn’t just mean today. He meant the impending battle with Gabriel Agreste.
With Adrien’s father.
‘It’s…what I do.’ An inadequate response but the only one she had. Why couldn’t this be someone else’s job? Why did everything have to rest on her shoulders?
Argos gave her a soft nod, as if acknowledging her burdens. Then he wrapped his arm around Kagami, and together they leapt off the rooftop, leaving her alone with Cat Noir – with Adrien.
Cat’s eyes slanted with worry. ‘Okay, now I’m really worried. What’s going on?’
She swallowed. ‘Adrien, I….’ The words dried up in her throat.
How, how, how was she supposed to say this? How could she tell the person she loved most in the world that his own father was such a monster? How could she tell him his whole life had been a lie?
He stepped towards her, holding her hands to his heart. ‘Marinette…you can tell me anything. You…you know that, right?’
‘I do. But this isn’t about me, this is about –’ Tears were forming in her eyes.
He wiped one away with his thumb. ‘Even if it’s about me. I can take it.’ His voice was soft.
She took a deep breath – and the words spilled out of her mouth as the tears spilled down her cheeks. ‘YourfatherisMonarch.’
He blinked, his lips parted as if to reply. But what could he possibly say to that?
‘I’m sorry, Adrien, I wish it weren’t true but it is. Felix told me. His story…it was…and then…and I….’
‘Felix….’ His chest was rising and falling fast.
‘Yes…. I know this must come as a shock but –’
‘I’m not surprised at all.’
She started – not just at his words but at his hard tone. ‘You’re…you’re not?’
‘…no.’ He pressed her hands. ‘You sound like you’ve had a busy night – and so have I.’
Understanding hit her, and she gasped. ‘Your father locked you up because you ran away. You transformed into Astro Cat and came back.’
‘To see you, actually.’ He touched her hair, pushing a strand behind her ear. When he spoke, it sounded like he was far, far away. ‘I was going to tell you my secret identity, so it wouldn’t be strange when I kept sneaking over every day to see you even after I supposedly moved to London. But when I went to find you at the dance, I ran into my father instead and….’
‘…he was akumatised. No – he akumatised himself. And you had to fight him on your own.’ Her heart broke at the thought.
He nodded. ‘But I’d had it. After what he’d done to me – to us…let’s just say, I had some words for him. Then, being locked up in here, with nothing really to occupy me but my memories of all the things he’s done and what he did to me last night….’ He winced at some private vision, his green eyes wet.
She touched his face, cradling his cheek in her hand. ‘Oh, Adrien…what happened to you?’
He leaned into her palm and gave her a sad, sweet smile that wasn’t happy at all. ‘You said you’ve been having nightmares, too?’
‘I think…I think we all have. What…what happened in yours?’
He pressed his eyes, as if pushing back the tears. But they needed to fall. He needed to let this out.
‘Just like I can tell you anything…you can tell me this.’
‘I know, I just….’ His eyes looked so haunted, like he could see it all again. ‘I had completely lost control and…I’d used my cataclysm to destroy the whole world…the moon…even…even….’ His words were choked. ‘Even you,’ he whispered – and the first tears fell.
‘I had turned you to s-stone, and the stone c-crumbled, and the wind blew you right out of – right out of my arms.’ He held his arms out, staring at the space between them, as if it were all happening to him in this very moment.
Her mouth opened – because she’d had this dream before. He was describing her own vision – of the future. A future she had worked so hard to prevent.
His worst nightmare was the same as hers.
He took a long breath and let it out, his chest shuddering. ‘It broke me, Marinette. Not just because I hurt you but because I – I knew, Marinette, I knew that’s what’s inside me. Deep down I’m…I’m just like my father.’
‘No, Adrien –’ She touched his other cheek, holding his face and forcing him to meet her eyes. ‘You’re not. Adrien, listen to me. That was a dream, a vision he made you see. Every step of the way, he’s tried to dictate who you are – whether you’re Adrien Agreste or Cat Noir. But Adrien – that’s not who you are.’
His eyes were so full of sorrow, so full of hurt, it burned her soul. Gabriel had done this – Monarch had done this.
‘Master Fu chose you for a reason, Adrien. You’re good and kind and warm. You have always had my back, with and without the mask. You love – and you give. You put everyone else’s needs and happiness before your own. This vision you had…like you said, it’s your worst fear. But it’s not real. The very fact that you fear it means you will never do something like that.’
Her heart told her this was so. Even after all she’d seen of the future…it was never their love that had caused that nightmare. She’d never listened to Cat Blanc’s story, never learned the details. But everything in her screamed out that the cause was Gabriel’s hate, choking that love, distorting it.
Cat blinked at her, the tears beading on his eyelashes. ‘You…you really think so?’
She pulled down his forehead, pressing it against hers. ‘I know so.’ Her mouth found his, just as it had done the night before – their first kiss.
No, that wasn’t true. She’d kissed him before, without knowing it was him. She’d kissed him other times too, but forgotten. Over and over, she’d kissed him, and each time it was like the first. She truly was lucky.
When he broke for air, a smile had spread across his face. The most beautiful smile. The smile of someone too goodhearted to be treated as he had. ‘This battle might be…hard for me…even knowing everything my father has done.'
‘And that right there is exactly what I mean.’ She touched his nose. ‘You don’t need to fight him if it’s too much.’
‘No, I – I’m going to do this.’ His shoulders squared and he let out a long slow breath. ‘No matter what…you can count on me.’
‘I know, Adrien. I know.’ She threw her arms around him and kissed him again – her partner – her boyfriend – her best friend.
No matter what Gabriel tried to do to them, or how he tried to divide them, he would never succeed. It would always be them against the world – unshakable.
Ladybug and Cat Noir.
Marinette and Adrien.
With or without the masks, they were a team.
That’s who we really are.