Into Another World (kotlc/mlb au)

Chapter 11

"You what?" Adrien gasped, feeling his knees buckle already.

"Yes, Mr. Agreste," Mr. Forkle said, sitting on the other side of the desk. "We were the ones who sent you to Earth."

Adrien felt sick in the stomach. His knees were already buckling, and Keefe and Ladybug rushed to hold him steady.

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Why?"

Earth held some of his most painful memories. The times where people didn't understand him. When the curse manifested in a way he couldn't understand or control. Where people like Bethany and Madison existed.

Did this Mr. Forkle even know how much he'd struggled?

He blinked back tears. "You know my life sucked out there."

"I know, and I know it's because you were dealing with things you couldn't understand just yet," Mr. Forkle said. "But we weren't punishing you or hurting you in any way. Why, if I could have intervened, I would've made sure no one got onto you again."

"Then why was he gone for so long?" Sophie asked.

"It was to protect him," Mr. Forkle admitted. "And we would've done the same for Ladybug had... circumstances not popped up. It was a risk getting Mr. Agreste away from his home to begin with."

Ladybug and Adrien shared a look.

"Why were you trying to get both of us out there?" she asked slowly.

"Don't worry, you'll get all the answers you seek," Mr. Forkle promised. "But we should all probably get settled. Please, sit."

The four teens didn't move for a moment, but finally, they all sat in the four chairs facing the man. Adrien gripped the armrests for dear life, afraid of what else he could have been hidden from his entire life.

"Okay, so we know how you know Adrien," Ladybug said. "How do you know me?"

Mr. Forkle smiled. "Surely you can remember about six years ago."

Ladybug's eyes widened.

Sophie figured it out too. "You gave her the necklace?"

Mr. Forkle nodded. "I found her, convinced her to protect it with her life. That was one of the reasons we tried sending you both to Earth. Leaving Adrien with the amulet and giving you the other one. To make sure they didn't fall in the wrong hands."

"You said 'amulet'!" Sophie jumped up. "You don't mean..."

Silence filled the air, but it was confirmation enough.

"You're joking," Ladybug said. "You cannot be serious right now."

"I'm as serious as I can get, Ladybug," Mr. Forkle said. "You're currently wielding the amulets of Tikki and Plagg."

"Get. Out," Keefe said. "They're known as the most powerful spirits!"

"Wait, what?" Adrien gasped. "Then what was I doing with this on Earth?"

"Mr. Agreste, we knew you wouldn't let it leave you," Mr. Forkle explained. "We trusted you would spend your time protecting it."

"I just spent my time using it to calm down from anxiety attacks," Adrien admitted. "I wasn't exactly protecting it."

"It's still in perfect condition, nothing bad happened to it," Mr. Forkle shrugged. "Therefore, you did protect it the entire time."

Adrien leaned deeper into his seat. "I still don't understand."

"I'm sure none of you do," Mr. Forkle said. "This is all new to you four, and I know the reasons why you have the amulets will make things worse for you."