Control (Miraculous Ladybug)

Control

ADRIEN'S POV

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Adrien was slumped at his desk, staring miserably at his computer. His mother's past-time smiling face gazed back at him, but he couldn't smile back. All he could do was listen to the clock tick and wish she were still there with him.

Plagg was on the couch a little behind him, noisily devouring his camembert. Per usual, he was no help at all.

Thoughts of all the negatives in his life whirled through his head. His poor relationship with his father. His constant longing to have his mother back. Normally he could put these thoughts aside and focus on all the positives, like hanging with Nino, being with Ladybug, and helping her destroy evil. But here, now, all he could think of was sadness.

He finally stood up, walked out his door, and slowly descended the stairs to the main room. Strangely, Nathalie was nowhere in sight. The Gorilla was standing by the base of the stairs, unacknowledging of Adrien's appearance, like the normal. Sighing, he continued towards the doors, but halted as he heard voices coming from his father's room.

Curious, he moved closer to the occupied room's door and leaned closer, trying to make out what his father and assistant were discussing. He managed to make out Nathalie's voice saying, "So then, if you already had a copy of the book, why'd you go through all that trouble?"

Book. The strange book about miraculouses that he'd lost just the day before, until his father had somehow recovered it. That had to be what she was talking about.

But . . . his father had another copy? He'd told Adrien that the book was one of a kind. But it was his father's reply to Nathalie's question that startled him more.

"I did what I had to do to keep my secret."

Unable to help himself, Adrien pushed the door open ever so slightly, just to get a glimpse of what was going on inside. To his shock, his father was standing in front of the portrait of Mrs. Agreste, running his two hands along the surface. Upon reaching a specific position, he pressed harder with his fingers, revealing special indents where he'd pressed. He then stepped back and descended through a small tunnel into the floor. As soon as he was down far enough, a panel closed up again where he'd vanished so it looked as if there was nothing but floor.

Where had he gone?

But it was Nathalie's next words that struck him the hardest.

She turned around and walked back to Gabriel's desk, then glanced back at the painting and said softly, "Bonne chance, Hawk Moth."

* * *

Ladybug had been right after all.

A small part of him was wondering how he'd akumatized himself, but the rest was swallowed up in shock and grief.

His father was the supervillain of Paris. Hawk Moth. Hawk Moth. For real. This wasn't some huge nightmare.

What would he say if he knew his son was Chat Noir?

* * *

Things were never the same from then on. He couldn't look his father in the eyes or speak to him anymore. He wasn't cheered up at the sight of Nino anymore. He couldn't look at an akumatized victim without knowing that his father was responsible. The smallest bit of comfort he got was being with Ladybug. Seeing her smile, and hearing her voice. But also knowing she'd been right and being unable to tell her.