Thunderstorm Series: Part 2 (Downpour)

Chapter 11: His fate

"Alright, princess." He said, wiping his tears.

Ladybug smiled and pulled him close and hugged him one last time, kissing his nose, before they both left the Agreste household. They both landed on Marinette's balcony and walked down the ladder to her bed. Ladybug detransformed and Chat noir remained transformed due to the fact that Sabine and Tom knew Chat noir more than Adrien.

She covered Chat up in her blankets and told him to lay down while she got them something to eat and some hot chocolate, disappearing into the kitchen below. But when she returned with the food she found him turned to the wall and assumed he was asleep and decided not to wake him up. She looked over at Tikki and sighed, looking through her computer at all of the news reports about Adrien's father.

"What are we going to do Tikki?" She whispered.

"We need to talk to Master Fu," Tikki whispered back.

"I didn't want to go talk to him, what if he takes our miraculous? We still don't know if his father is Hawkmoth. We didn't exactly ask permission to know each other's identities." Marinette sighed.

"I mean, it is against the rules." Tikki frowned.

"Tikki..." Marinette groaned.

"I can go talk to him. Since you both are here, one of you can transform if there is an Akuma." Tikki suggested.

"Maybe... What are we going to do if Hawkmoth is Adrien's dad though?" Marinette said a little panic in her voice.

"I don't know," Tikki said with a frown.

"I'm scared," Marinette said, burying her face in her hands.

Tikki frowned, knowing Marinette tried to stay strong for her partner, but she was also overwhelmed. She didn't know how to handle this situation. They were still teenagers. They were still in high school. They had no clue what to do.

As Marinette and Tikki talked she was unaware that Chat noir was still awake, listening under the blankets. He remained quiet, wanting to know what she was actually thinking. He knew her better than anyone else.

He knew she would never actually tell him she was scared or worried, she would put up a front to keep him calm and he was right. That was the ladybug thing to do. That was what a partner would do. That was what he did when she was hurting. He took the hits when she was down, when he was down she took the hits.

He knew she didn't want him listening to the conversation but he needed to hear what she really thought. She honestly didn't know what to do and it made him feel a little better actually. He thought that he was the only one lost and helpless. Knowing that Ladybug didn't know what to do either, not only helped him feel like he wasn't the only one struggling but... it also scared him as well. That meant that... Ladybug... the person that saved the day every single day, the person who has a solution for everything, had absolutely no idea what to do. It was a comfort and a stab to the heart.

He closed his eyes and before he knew it, he drifted off to sleep. Reawakening his eyes to two blue ocean eyes looking at him.

"Good morning" She whispered, kissing his nose.

"Yeah... morning." He said, rubbing his eyes.

"You stay in bed, I'll go get us some breakfast." She said.

"Oh... uh... alright." He said, watching her already dressed and walking downstairs, but not in her normal school clothes.

He was a little confused but didn't care. He looked above him and jumped up to the balcony. He stretched and yawned, hearing the birds chirp as the sun started peeking above the horizon.

"What time is it?" He asked out loud, pulling out his phone.

Marinette popped her head above the balcony and put two plates on the little table.

"It's about 6 am. I figured... We would skip school today. Go... do some investigating. Prove some innocence and talk to master fu." She said, taking a piece of bacon off of her plate.

It was almost like the talk last night that she had with Tikki wasn't a secret after all. Did she know he was awake? Or did she just decide to tell him?

"Why? Do you think my father is innocent?" He asked, turning his head away, unsure of the answer himself.

"Like I said, I don't have the miraculous in my possession yet. He could have been keeping your mom safe until a cure was found and gardening could have been a hobby your mom and dad did when she wasn't sick. I'm not going to point fingers until I have the miraculous in my hand." She said, walking over to Adrien smiling.

"I'm not the biggest fan of your dad, but... he is your dad and you love him. He is your family. You're my family. Which makes... him my family." She said, blushing.

Adrien blushed and smiled, hugging her.

"Thanks, bugaboo."

"Now, eat up, so we can leave kitty cat." She said rolling her eyes.

They ate their breakfast and he watched her transform, still taken aback a little by seeing her transform. They took off towards the police station and they were face to face with Gabriel in just a few minutes.

Ladybug let Chat noir do all of the talking, though she told him that she would jump in if she felt like he would jeopardize his identity. They all three sat down at a table and Gabriel glared at both of them, Chat noir's leg was tapping the ground and ladybug took his hand to calm him down.

"Um... Gabriel Agreste? If you really are... Hawkmoth... Where are the... butterfly and peacock miraculous?" Chat asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Gabriel said.

"Why did you have that woman in your basement?" Chat asked.

"She is in a coma. I have her there until she awakens." He said.

"What is with the butterflies?" Chat said, getting angry.

"They are my wife's favorites. They are also peaceful and divine." He said.

"What about your son?" He said, slamming his hand on the table.

"What about him?" He said, monotone.

"Did you not tell him about your wife in the basement? It was on the news. She disappeared, she was missing. How do you think he felt?" Chat yelled.

Ladybug gripped his hand, causing him to turn to her. He sat back down and went quiet.

"Mr. Agreste, if you aren't proven innocent. What happens to your son? Where will he go?" Ladybug asked.

"I assume he will go with his aunt, and his cousin Felix." Gabriel sighed.

Ladybug and Chat look at one another, eyes widen in shock.

"What about his bodyguard and caretaker?" Chat noir asked.

"They aren't his kin. I have already signed for him to go to his aunt, the court date is tomorrow to determine my fate." He sighed.

"But we don't have the miraculous!" Ladybug protested. "We don't know if it was you or not!" She stood up.

"Sorry young lady, the odds are stacked against me. Though... it was nice fighting against you both." He smiled. "I will tell you both, I wanted the wish to bring her back. To simply be a family with my son... once again. I wanted my son to be happy again." He smiled, walking away.

Ladybug's eyes widened, she turned to Chat noir and saw that he was speechless. Gabriel left and the guard that was standing near the door heard every word.

"Don't report that-" She tried to yell, but he had already reported the incident.

"It's over... isn't it?" Chat said, standing up and walking to leave.

"Chat-" She began.

"You said we were coming here to prove his innocence! You lied!" He cried, running out of the police station and disappearing into the streets.

"Chat... I wanted to..." She frowned.