Discordant Sonata

Chapter 7: Syncopation

Music glossary:

Syncopation:
A disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm

-------------------

         

(Mood Music: I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace)

Ignoring  Ladybug's and his friends' frantic shouting, Adrien sprinted towards  the villain with only a vague and most likely very, very stupid plan.

Whether  or not it was the intrinsic bond between the cat and ladybug  miraculouses that compelled him to do so, he couldn't say, and at this  point, he didn't care. All Adrien knew was that he couldn't let anything  else harm Ladybug. At this moment, absolutely nothing was more  important than keeping his other half, his partner, his Lady, safe.

Nothing else mattered; not even himself.

Upon reaching the monster he stood in front of it and yelled, "Hey, did you know that Chloe actually has a boyfriend?"

That certainly got Reaver's attention. He stopped in his tracks and bellowed, "She WHAT?!"

"I  bet he thinks you're jealous of him!" Adrien continued his ruse. "Did  he whisk her away from you right under your nose, big guy? Boy, that's  gotta suck!" He could have sworn he saw Reaver's eye twitch, and he had  to suppress a chortle. "He probably thinks you'll never find out who he  is, or that he lives in an apartment by the Seine because you're dumb as  rocks!"

Reaver sputtered, enraged, "Why, that son of a— I'll rip  him apart!! I'll show him! He shouldn't have messed with me!!" In a huff  he spun around and ran towards the Seine river with a new (yet vague  and questionable) goal in mind.

Adrien quirked a triumphant grin,  turning his head to give a quick wink at Ladybug (who was staring at him  slack-jawed like he'd grown a second head, along with Nino and Alya),  then followed behind Reaver. He could hear Ladybug clamoring and  demanding that the couple allow her to stand up and run after him, but  thankfully to no avail.

Once he was far away enough from his  friends that they couldn't see him anymore, he sneaked into an empty  building, its inhabitants having already evacuated to one of the nearby  akuma shelters.

He transformed into Chat Noir and quickly dialed  Hawkmoth's number on his staff's communicator. He struggled to keep his  anger in check while it rang, trying to figure out what he would say.

Hawkmoth's face finally appeared on the screen.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Chat yelled urgently, manners and decorum tossed out the window instantly.

"What I'm supposed   to be doing. Unlike yourself," Hawkmoth snorted loftily. "You had so  many opportunities to take Ladybug's miraculous just now and yet you  didn't. What's the matter with you, Adrien?"

"W-what's the matter with me?!" Chat stammered. "Your akuma is out of control! He's more violent than any others we've ever had! You can't do this, you have to call him off!"

Hawkmoth  scoffed in annoyance, clearly already fed up with this conversation.  "I'm only doing what I must to achieve our goals. Goals which you   clearly seem to have forgotten. You shouldn't have any sympathy for  that two-faced sham pretending to be a hero. All of this wouldn't have  to happen if she'd just give us the damn earrings."

Chat recalled the conversation he and Ladybug had had a few weeks prior, while they were dancing at the akuma's ball.

  "I'm not just holding on to my miraculous to spite you and Hawkmoth, or  because I'd rather keep my superpowers instead of helping you guys. I'm  protecting it. Using a miraculous for  personal gain always ends in tragedy. Always. I know you have no reason  to trust me or believe me, but what would I gain by lying to you?"