"So if I do all of this, you'll keep your end of the deal? You'll give me back Marinette? If you betray me you'll regret ever speaking to me." The masked, black hero said through the phone on his baton, staring at the maniacal, dark face that called him.
"What reason do I have to? We both have something, or rather, someone, that the other person wants, I'd gain nothing by betraying you. So, do we have a deal or not?" He said impatiently, knowing Cat Noir would fall so easily into his trap. Teenagers were too blinded by emotions to be real heroes anyway, and taking advantage of Cat Noir's sad, angry, and vulnerable emotional state would guarantee his success.
He paused for a moment, before replying "of course Hawkmoth" with no hesitation, and hung up. Himself thinking only of how while Ladybug was getting a good night's rest, he was planning to make the rest of her nights restless.
~
10 minuets earlier
~Nathalie was in shock at what she saw when she opened the news, as she did often. Just merely from reading the title, she gasped and her whole body shook, causing her glasses to fall off her face. She frantically picked them up, put them back on, and adjusted them just to make sure she was reading it correctly. She was, the top news article titled "Cat Noir and Ladybug Never Again Working Together! After a Shocking Video Reveals Why Ladybug is No Longer Paris' Trusted Protector"
"Gabriel!" Nathalie called from the other end of the room, eyes still wide staring at the screen. "Gabriel Ladybug has turned sides! Could this mean....?"
He immediately got up from behind his desk and briskly walked over to his assistant to read what seemed to get her so suddenly fazed, hoping what she said was true. If Ladybug was now on the opposite side, he could so easily use her to get what he wanted!
The two of them watched the video. Mr. Agreste was confounded to see the evidence was just Cat Noir obviously lying about things Ladybug "had done". But having experience in being a supervillain himself, Gabriel knew that it wasn't Ladybug who turned sides, but Cat Noir! And with all of Paris being blind and not being able to see through to the truth in the video, everyone would now believe the "hero" and see Ladybug as the enemy. With Paris all stupefied, Cat Noir angry, and Ladybug vulnerable, he could devise the perfect plan to clutch the miraculous.
~
Cat Noir stood there for a moment flabbergasted at what just happened, still not processing it all, as Ladybug swung out of his sight. He scolded himself inside for being distracted by her kiss, and just at the fact that he still had feelings for her. But now he had more feelings than ever for her, only this time it was feelings more of hate than of love.
He wanted revenge. He wanted Ladybug to pay for what happened to Marinette. He was so blinded by his anger that he didn't even realize his thoughts. If he had been in his right mind he would have NEVER thought of Ladybug in this way, but the grief over his very good friend put his mind is a bad place. Lucky for him, Cat Noir wasn't the only one that wanted harm toward Ladybug. So, when he received a very much unexpected call on his cat phone from Hawkmoth, he answered without giving second thought. But little did he know that Hawkmoth had already devised a perfect plan, and was taking advantage of him before he even picked up.
"Cat Noir" he said immediately without even a greeting, as soon as the boy had answered. "I saw the video you posted moments ago on the Ladyblog...are you okay?" He started, trying to sound the least threatening as he could. But Cat Noir wasn't going to just trust him, he knew this villain was up to something, so he cut straight to the point.
"What do you want Hawkmoth?" He replied in the most strict sounding tone he could make. "If this is a ploy to get my miraculous than I'll-"
"It's not." Hawkmoth blatantly stated. "In fact, this isn't at all about what I want, it's about what you want" he said, trying to phrase it as best he could to convince Cat Noir he was getting the good side of the deal.
Cat Noir didn't say anything, implying he wanted Hawkmoth to continue his thought. So Hawkmoth continued "achem" he cleared his throat, "I heard that Ladybug seemed suspicious about Marinette, right?"
Cat Noir nodded his head
"Well, I believe I know why. It's because....." He paused and made a very artificial sounding sigh, "Well, Ladybug knows where Marinette is."
"WHAT?!" Cat Noir blurted out before the enemy even finished his thought, "How do you know???" He practically screamed at the camera.
"Well, I told you this is about what you want, right? Well, I'm fully aware you want this young lady back and I-"
"You-...You HAVE HER!?" Cat Noir loudly interrupted "Boy you're gonna pay, I'll-"
"Calm down!" He heckled back "I thought she would have told you but.....I have already offered Ladybug herself a deal, so she knew about it, she has known. Maybe that's why she seemed suspicious to you........" He lied, trying to hold onto the hero's attention " but, anyway, she declined my offer of a trade even AFTER I threatened the life of the girl.....seems pretty important I would have thought she'd told you as well." Hawkmoth was even better at lying than Lila herself (maybe she gave him a few tips), he had Cat Noir thoroughly convinced, and he was just getting started.
"Wha-" Cat Noir was in complete shock, and his anger levels at Ladybug were only rising now that he believed this fib that she's 'known where Marinette is' this whole time. "What did you offer her?"
"Offer?" Hawkmoth chuckled, "I told her that if she didn't give me her miraculous the girl would be done for, but she didn't seem to care much." He said wickedly " lucky for you I didn't keep my word.....yet... " he said mysteriously
"What do you mean?" the scared boy said, hoping his poor friend was still alive.
"I mean I haven't laid a finger on her. I decided it would only be fair to offer you a deal as well....." He said to him, trying to drag out the final point to keep Cat Noir's emotional levels high.
"If it's my miraculous you want, I'll give it! But I have to see Marinette first-"
"Uh uh," Hawkmoth shook his head and clicked his tongue, "I want something else from you, but I think it might be helpful to both of us."
Cat Noir nodded for him to continue.
"I want you to bring me Ladybug, alive. All you have to do is trick her into coming to the right place at the right time, and stick a harmless tranquilizer in her, I'll have my partner, Mayura, come fetch her as well as give you your prize. She trusts you, you'd be able to convince her she's been forgiven by you so she won't suspect it""
"Let me get this straight." Cat Noir said " if I get Ladybug to come to a certain place, and knock her unconscious, you'll give me back Marinette? With no harm done to her?"
"Precisely. All you must do is agree and we will both have what he want." He told the vulnerable hero.
"But what are you going to do to Ladybug?" He asked hesitantly, with the ounce of his blood that still cared for the girl he once deeply loved.
"Why that's none of your concern! After all ladybug is the traitor right? She's the one who lied to you all along! She's the one that didn't even tell you about her conversation with me!" The criminal said, hoping to keep Cat Noir as angry at Ladybug as possible.
"Yeah," the boy agreed "you're right." He took a deep breath in and out. "So if I do all of this, you'll keep your end of the deal? You'll give me back Marinette? If you betray me you'll regret ever speaking to me." He said finally, sounding as intimidating as he could.
"What reason do I have to? We both have something, or rather, someone, that the other person wants, I'd gain nothing by betraying you. So, do we have a deal or not?" He said now just a little impatiently, knowing Cat Noir would fall so easily into his trap.
.
.
.
"of course Hawkmoth" said a quiet but sincere voice, the voice of a hero about to betray the most trusted person in his life.
YOU ARE READING
Keep the Mask, It Goes With Your Costume
FanfictionParis' favorite Marinette Dupain-Cheng has gone missing for good, and Cat Noir just can't settle with the fact that no one seems to care, but he will keep searching, and never give up until she's found, even when all hope is lost, even at the cost o...