My Imaginary Friend \|/ Adrienette/Marichat AU

Chapter Fifteen

Gabriel straitened his tie slowly before frowning in his assistants direction. She was standing just inside the door like always, her clipboard perched on the crook of her arm. A monotone expression seemed to be the only thing her face could do without breaking and she was almost as still as a statue.

"Natalie, go fetch me some restraints," he said, waving a dismissal in her direction. She nodded silently before slipping out of his office.

It wasn't every day that an akuma disobeyed him. No, he made sure that they were all very loyal and afraid. But sometimes, once in a very long while, an akuma would try to run away. And when that happened he would make sure that the akuma didn't get that idea again.

Today it was a bee themed akuma. She had been an I.F. to a certain annoying redhead before she had become his, and she wasn't too thrilled about her new life. In fact, she had even fought him a bit once he told her to do something for him. She was quite feisty, and Gabriel hoped he could harness that trait soon.

The quiet office seemed almost too large as Gabriel flipped through some of his designs on his tablet. Each was akuma themed, though the public didn't notice of course. He had just recently finished the Queen Bee dress when she had disobeyed and tried to escape.

Suddenly a beautiful red dress popped up on the screen. Gabriel hesitated, his fingers twitching. The dress had black swirls all around the skirt, and a ribbon bow was tied gently around the stomach. He had made the ribbon extra long, so that it only stopped below the knees.

This was his Ladybug themed dress.

But he didn't have her yet. The thought made him want to throw the tablet against the wall. He didn't have the most essential part of his plan.

He was trying. He was trying ever so hard. He had been pushing himself every day, to the point where Hawkmoth showed up more than Gabriel in his schedule.

He had resorted to killing.

It had been terrible at first, nightmare inducing when he killed for the first time. But slowly he had become desensitized to it all. And it just became another thing in his schedule.

Gabriel wasn't in a particularly good mood that morning. Especially since the young Juleka girl wasn't showing any hints that she was the one he needed. And now that Queen Bee had rebelled, well, he was furious.

But he kept a calm front when his assistant slunk back into the room with restraints. He kept a calm front when he changed into his Hawkmoth costume. He was supposedly calm when he grabbed a knife with rough edges from its hiding spot beneath his desk.

But inside he was boiling with anger and disappointment.

"Natalie," Gabriel growled, his lips twisting into a scowl he could no longer contain, "I'll be with the akumas for a while today. Keep visitors away."

Natalie flinched slightly at his tone before nodding and slipping back outside of his room.

Gabriel stomped over to his painting of Emilie before pressing the code in. A slight hissing sound filled the room before the painting swung away from the wall to reveal a tunnel twisting downwards. He immediately slunk in before shutting the painting behind him.

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"I'm sorry," Chat whimpered, his bloody claws trembling, "I'm so so sorry."

It seemed to be all he said nowadays, but it was never enough.

"No, you're not!" Queen Bee screeched from her crumpled position on the ground, "If you were truly sorry you would disobey him! You would stop doing such horrible things."

Chat shook his head violently, his cat ears pinned to his head in a show of agitation. The knife in his hands shook as he crouched back down next to the akuma.

"I can't."

Queen lunged at him, a snarl filling the silence. But she was stopped abruptly in front of his face, her arms restrained to the nearby tunnel wall. Her hair fell around her cheeks, having long ago fallen out it's high ponytail and her rosy cheeks paled at the feeling of helplessness that filled her. She was powerless.

Chat, who was preoccupied with his own thoughts, sat down on the ground near her. The knife in his claws still shook, but his mind was elsewhere. He had been given this knife to prove himself.

Killing Luka hadn't been enough.

He still wasn't trustworthy in Hawkmoth's eyes.

It was so weird. If he wasn't trustworthy, why had Hawkmoth set him loose on a mission? Unless... Unless he was desperate for something. Or someone.

Chat was jarred from his thoughts as Queen Bee started to wail, her tears splattering onto the dirty ground.

"Why?" Queen screamed, loud enough for akumas in the other tunnels to hear, "Why can't you just rebel? Hawkmoth has made you do horrible stuff, hasn't he? Then why... why?"

Chat Noir growled a warning to her before pressing the knife against her neck. "If you dare to say something so rebellious again I will not hesitate to kill you. And I have a much more painful method than a knife."

She leaned forward suddenly, causing the knife to pierce her skin. "I would rather die than be his slave."

Chat was backed into a corner. Hawkmoth had told him to do what was necessary, even to the point of killing. But he still had nightmares about the last time he had... Anyway, he couldn't bring himself to go through with the threat.

He lowered the knife.

Queen Bee scoffed, her frown laced with disgust. She turned away from Chat, the cuts on her arms and legs dripping softly.

Chat shivered. He knew that Hawkmoth would punish him for not getting her to swear that she would follow him again. But he couldn't bring himself to kill her. That was his Masters job.

"Pathetic."

For a moment, Chat bristled, thinking it was coming from his Master, but it was Queen Bee. Though she was bloody and ready for death, she was defiant.

"You are weak, Chat Noir. You killed Luka out of your cowards heart, and now you refrain from killing me for the same reason."

Chat squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to shut himself off from the world and the pain that came with it.

A N G S T

Angsty chapters give me life. Hey, sorry about the chapter being about Chat again. I'm struggling to make Marinette's timeline interesting.

I PROMISE THERE WILL BE MARICHAT!!! I just have to build up to it.

I hope the chapter was enjoyable! Have a Miraculous day.