He Can't Forget | ✓

18 | a cat's intuition

With a grunt, Chat Noir landed on all fours on top of an apartment complex. Across the street stood one of the largest mansions in all of Paris—the place where he grew up and that was once his prison, surrounded by eleven-foot black fencing lined with security cameras that did a pretty darn good job at keeping everything in... and everything out. With the knowledge that his father would never change, looking at the place only caused his heart to race. Somewhere inside, his poor daughter was experiencing the same suffocating feeling he felt every day of his life.

With a father like Gabriel, Adrien naturally had doubts about being a father himself. After he found out about Emma, he couldn't help but worry about if he would be a good father. He often wondered if he would ever (accidentally) treat his daughter the same way his father treated him, or if he would ever be good at parenting when he had no ideal example of how to do so.

But he knew one thing for certain. He would never make his daughter feel trapped.

Which is why they needed to get her out as soon as possible.

However, although he was urgent to do so, Chat Noir had doubts about Ladybug's plan. He wanted to put complete trust in her plan—which was already being put into action—but he still had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something simply didn't feel right to him, and he was tempted to voice those thoughts aloud to Ladybug.

But he also felt he had no right to interject in her plans. Ladybug continued being a superhero after he left, and she continued fighting Hawkmoth without him. Every single plan that she had concocted to defeat him (which worked each time) had been made without his input. What if she didn't appreciate his input now?

The zip of her yo-yo sounded before Ladybug landed gracefully beside him. He didn't even acknowledge her like he normally would because he was too deep into his thoughts.

And, of course, Ladybug noticed. "Something on your mind?"

His shoulders tensed slightly. Exhaling, he turned to look at her. He didn't have to say anything though, because the worried look in his eye was all she needed to see in order for her expression to soften. "It's okay," she assured him softly as if she understood what was going on in his mind. "We're going to get her back—"

"I know." He ran a hand over his face. He felt a bit guilty for interrupting her, and for being a bit snappy while doing so, but he couldn't concentrate. He needed to get all of this off of his chest, even if she hated him afterward for trying to alter her plan. "That's not what's bothering me right now."

He felt Ladybug place a hand on his shoulder. "I told you to be open with me if you have something on your mind, so tell me what's on your mind."

Chat Noir exhaled through his nose. Deciding to take her up on that offer, he opened his mouth to reply, only to get nothing out when Rena Rouge and Carapace landed a moment later, robbing him of his lady's attention.

"The illusion is set," Alya announced to the group.

"And I did a sweep around the place like you asked," Carapace said to Ladybug. "But there wasn't anything out of the ordinary."

Chat Noir couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. Of course there wasn't. His father's greatest talent was having everyone believe just how ordinary he was.

Despite how discreet he was trying to be, his eye roll didn't go unnoticed. "Is there something you want to say, Adrien?" Rena questioned sarcastically. With an unamused expression directed at him and arms folded across her chest, it was obvious she had no interest in gaining an actual answer.

Chat Noir offered her a deadpanned look. "Not to you."

Her nose wrinkled at that, clearly unappreciative of his equally sarcastic reply.