SORRY this took so long. Finals + Christmas + Work + Writer's Block = crap. This story is coming to a close, and I always start to lose gusto after the climax. Feedback works wonders! Thank you for all the kind comments and motivation.

Adrien shut the door behind him, leaning back against it.

This was serious.

Had he done something wrong?

(This was totally the voice his father used when he'd done something wrong.)

"What is it?" he probed, rooted to the floor. He didn't want to approach his dad when he got like this.

"She's been here, hasn't she?" Gabriel hissed.

"Who? Lila?"

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. "Ladybug."

Adrien's knees nearly gave out, and he leaned back against the door for support. How…?

"Answer me, Adrien."

"I…don't know what you mean," he attempted. But his father gave a stern shake of the head.

"Don't lie to me. Don't you dare."

Adrien watched the shadow cross his father's face. His eyes, rigid and hollow, his shoulders, stiff and obstinate. Had his father always had that look up his sleeve? That malice and contempt tucked away behind professionalism?

"She stopped by," Adrien replied carefully. "To make sure I was alright after I was…attacked by some—"

His father's hand shot out and slapped the vase off the counter. It shattered loudly on the floor, echoing down the chasm in Adrien's chest.

"I told you not to revisit your past, Adrien!" Gabriel yelled.

Adrien couldn't breathe.

"My past? What does that mean?"

"I'm talking about your ring," his father seethed, glancing down at his son's hand. All the blood drained from Adrien's face. "I'm talking about your alter ego."

And all at once, the world had disappeared beneath Adrien's feet.

Oh, shit. He knows.

He knows, and he's furious.

"How long have you known?" Adrien asked, fear latching onto his voice as he stepped around the broken shards of the vase, towards the window.

Gabriel waved his hand dismissively. "I had my suspicions. You confirmed my theory when you handed your kwami over to the Guardian. When Chat Noir disappeared from Paris."

His father had known he was Chat Noir all this time. He'd known every lie, every tall tale. Every excuse.

And he'd held it inside himself quietly.

But for what purpose?

"It's true," Adrien acknowledged, realizing he was trapped, and the only way out was honesty, brutal and cold. "I'm Chat Noir."

His father leveled his gaze, something flashing in those frozen, beady eyes. "No…you were."

Was that a threat? He'd expect his father to forbid his hero life when he lived under his roof. But he was his own person now. He was an adult.

Adrien shook his head, backing further away. "I've tried running from this fate. It's not the right path. I am Chat. I am a hero. That's my life. And there's nothing you can do to stop me from pursuing it."

"Is that so?" Gabriel challenged, and Adrien was suddenly very afraid. He'd never heard that tone before. He'd never heard the danger there. "Keeping secrets must run in the family," his father continued softly, and a purple light appeared over his eyes, accompanied by a dark suit, slowly threading into existence around his legs and torso.

Adrien backed up into the glass walls of his apartment, horrified.

"Like father, like son," said Hawk Moth.

OoO

"No."

It was all Adrien could manage. He could hardly fathom the sight before him. It had to be a nightmare. A dream.

But he'd learned long ago the pain of reality.

"You're…him," he whispered, shaking from anger, not fear. Pieces started fitting together, filling in the holes, the unexplainable. "You've…you've been after us all this time?"

Plagg growled in his pocket, and he tried to ignore the impulse to do the same.

Years of inconvenient, horrible attacks—attacks on their friends!

"I've been after your miraculous, Adrien," Hawk Moth reasoned, like he wasn't a psychopath. A criminal. A villain.

It took every ounce of self-control not to fly at the man who made his life so miserable.

Out of all the questions and accusations in his mind, Adrien could only come up with a single word.

"Why?"

Hawk Moth opened his palms. "Those miraculouses are dangerous, Adrien. They stole your mother's life. They stole your friend's. The Chat miraculous is designed for death and destruction. And by harboring such a weapon, you've allowed it to ruin your life."

Adrien opened his mouth, but nothing came. He was too overwhelmed. His mother? What did this have to do with his mother?

"I only wish to gather all the miraculouses and destroy them, son. So they can never hurt anyone ever again. So we can be free from those who wish to use them for their evil intentions."

"You mean from people like you?" Adrien said darkly.

"From people like us."

The words hit him hard, and Adrien pointed to himself angrily. "I'm nothing like you."

Hawk Moth smiled. "We both know that's not true. We both know you felt like you were unstoppable in that uniform. Like the world was yours and you could attain anything, be anything, destroy anything. So long as Ladybug was there to pick up the pieces. We both know you felt that dark desire inside you. And perhaps that's the real reason you quit. You couldn't curb the temptation."

Adrien's throat was closing in. Plagg was urging him to transform, but he couldn't.

He'd always resented his father for treating him like a valuable specimen. For denying him a normal adolescence. For being so detached and unkind.

But never would he have labeled his father a monster. A twisted, twisted man, who knew Adrien's darkest secrets.

Not until the face of his enemy emerged from the man he once loved.

"All I want is to destroy the power to destroy, Adrien. Once I have terminated the miraculouses, including my own, my reign will end alongside Chat Noir's. Then we can lead regular lives. We can be a family again."

Adrien's eyes stung with unshed tears.

"Until we destroy the mechanisms for such evil, they will always fall into the wrong hands, as unimaginable power always does. And people we love will continue to pay the price," Hawk Moth concluded. He grinned, extending his hand. "Join me, Adrien. Help me end the suffering."

Adrien stared, watching as his hand reached for his father's, fingers stretched for that acceptance. That love.

Then he watched as his hand curled into a fist and as his father's face broke when he realized he'd lost him.

"Claws out!"

The blinding green energy splashed the walls of his apartment, permitting a chance for escape.

With tears in his eyes, Chat Noir crashed through the window.

OoO

Hawk Moth stared after his son, his eyes narrowing with disappointment.

"For a moment, I thought I'd convinced him."

Nooroo hovered near his ear, weary. "You lied about your true intentions."

"And he still refused me," Hawk Moth sighed, releasing the tainted akuma from his palm. It fluttered out the window into the night.

"But he'll regret it."

OoO

Marinette could not stop smiling.

She'd just kissed Adrien.

She'd just kissed her partner.

And he was planning on kissing her back.

She'd been so positive she could repress her feelings, bury the love for her friend, for the sake of their partnership. Yet as soon as she'd seen Adrien as Chat, as the person she'd missed so desperately, all senses fell to the floor with her judgement.

She'd kissed him.

She'd kissed him!

Chat Noir!

She could only imagine what Alya would think. Would she be proud of her for acting on her feelings? Would she be motherly and caution Marinette about leather-clad heroes?

The thought gave her that familiar bittersweet feeling—the persistent longing for her dearest friend.

Tikki nuzzled her cheek, and Marientte smiled.

That's right. She wasn't alone.

She never really had been.

The sound of a bell had her turning around, forcing down a blush.

"How did she take it?" she asked as Chat landed softly on her balcony.

One of his ears twitched, and he smiled mischievously.

"Chat?"

He slipped closer, wrapping an arm around her slender waist. "I've waited so long for this…"

Her heart raced in her chest. He was so warm—not scalding, not harsh in any way—soft, like a blanket in the cold of the night.

"Did she flip out on you? Lila?" she persisted, staring at his lustful gaze.

He slow-blinked, and he leaned forward, brushing his lips against her ear.

"No more talking about her, Bug. You're the only girl on my mind right now."

Her nails dug into his shoulder.

Oh hell. Why did he have to act as hot as he looked?

He placed a kiss at her pulse point, and her knees nearly buckled. The kiss trailed higher along her neck, and she curled her toes. Holy hell.

"Chat…" she murmured, as he placed another wet kiss against her skin. "Do you think we're moving…too fast?"

His hand slid from her waist to the hem of her night shirt, numbing her words.

He hummed into her skin, and then he nipped her ear gently with his teeth.

"Hey, I'm not a chew toy," she reprimanded, sliding her fingers into his hair. She'd never been this intimate with a boy before. She wasn't sure what she was doing, only that it felt right.

He pushed her up against the wall, and her back arched uncomfortably into the bricks.

"Chat…"

He bit her again, but there was nothing romantic about it.

She felt her earring begin to dislodge, and her eyes snapped wide.

Using all her strength, she threw him to the floor, landing on top with her elbow to his throat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

Chat smiled, but it was all wrong. Too wide. Too knowing.

Sinister.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt a stinging pain behind her eyes.

"You're akumatized."

She should have seen it immediately, but she'd been so swept up in this new romance she'd looked passed the odd look in his eyes, the hunger to his kiss.

Stupid.

"That's my girl. Always so clever."

She forced her elbow deep into his jugular and he coughed painfully.

"You can tell Hawkmoth to go fuck himself. I don't care if he knows my identity. He can't beat me. Even by using you, Chat."

Though it tore her up within to see him like this. Twisted, and evil.

"You can tell him yourself," Chat said, and he flipped them over, straddling her hips. He had one of her arms pinned above her head, and he reached with his right hand to steal her precious earrings.

Just as the pad of his thumb pressed against her ear, Tikki flew in to the rescue, viciously tugging at Chat's hair. He growled, swatting at her, and momentarily distracted.

Marinette thrusted her free hand into his face, feeling something crack beneath her knuckles.

She rolled out beneath him and whispered a hectic, "Spots on!"

The bright flash enveloped her, and some distant part of her reprimanded the carelessness of her action. Transforming? Here? On her balcony?

But there wasn't time for regret.

Chat's lip was bleeding, and he stared at her with seductive malice.

"That hurt."

She clasped her yo-yo tightly.

"Chaton, you should know by now—love hurts."

He smiled, and she never thought she'd hate Adrien's smile so much.

He pounced after her, and she was off running over rooftops, cursing her heart for breaking a little each time she heard him calling after her.

"Fer de shell!" she cried into her communicator. "Upper strip, ASAP."

She trusted Wayzz to transmit the message in time.

Trusting herself in a battle with the boy she cared about so deeply...that was another matter.

She'd dealt with a possessed Chat before. But not one quite so…off. He'd been akumatized for a reason. Had it been the breakup with Lila that had gotten him so distraught? Had it been…her?

Maybe she should never have kissed him. She'd finally gotten him back and then she'd gone and scared him off again.

Chat landed in front of her, crossing his arms. "Always running from your problems, aren't you?"

"You're one to talk," she spat.

He came at her quickly, but she dodged, swiping at his legs. He tripped, but he managed to turn the fall into a cartwheel, regaining his balance.

"What, you don't trust me, Bugaboo?" he teased.

She swallowed angrily. "Don't call me that."

"It would make things a lot easier if you'd just submit, Princess. Give me your miraculous, and it can all end."

She sent her yo-yo spiraling towards his face, and he ducked just at the right moment, feigning a yawn. "Same old moves. You didn't come up with anything new while I was gone?"

She growled, and he met her halfway, fist flying for her jaw, then her stomach.

She ducked, kneeing him in the groin and head-butting him to all fours.

"I've been practicing the old ones."

He may have been a skilled fighter, but he'd been out of work for a while now. Chat wasn't on her level anymore.

She kicked him onto his back, digging her heel into his chest.

Where are you, Fer?

Chat panted beneath her, trying to catch his breath.

"Adrien..." she whispered, staring down at him. "How did he get to you?"

"Hawk Moth didn't get to me. This is who I am. And all of Paris knows it."

She frowned at him, opening her mouth to object, but he'd already rolled out from under her, swiping at her legs. She buckled, giving him the chance to tackle her to the cold tiles of the roof.

It was raining, she realized, as the water from the gutters seeped into her skin.

How fitting.

The skies bled, from the beginning to the bitter end.

Chat's body weight settled over her, and he held her down again, like it was a cycle they were bound to repeat. A never-ending struggle.

His green eyes softened slightly at the sight of her pained face. "If we give him what he wants, he'll stop," he said. "It's the only way to protect you."

She stared at him. Was this Chat speaking? Or his doppelganger? "He'll never stop. After us, he'll go after Master Fu, and all the other holders in the world. We can't surrender, Adrien. You know that!"

"I don't know anything anymore," he confessed, staring at her with wide, teary eyes. "All this time...he's been after us. My own father..."

Ladybug stilled beneath him, mouth opening, only to close again in shock.

"You mean...Hawk Moth...is your—"

"Father. Yeah..." he said calmly, readjusting his grip on her wrists. She'd never seen an akuma victim so vulnerable before. So calm.

Others had gone rogue because of trivial errors or hurt feelings. Chat had to come to terms with the fact that Gabriel Agreste had been their enemy all along.

Chat's own blood.

"Oh...Chaton," she said, eyes widening.

Chat shook his head. "Give me the earrings, Bug. And we can stop this. We can be happy."

"No, kitty," she sighed sadly. "Whatever Gabriel has promised you, it's a lie."

"No..." he insisted, like he was still trying to convince himself.

"Who do you trust, Adrien? The man who has lied to you all this time? Or me? Your partner? Your friend?"

His hands shook, and without meeting her eyes, he reached down, unclipping her earrings.

"This is the only way."

She felt her suit disappear with the magic of her miraculous as Chat tucked the jewelry away in his belt pouch.

She could hardly move. She was more devastated than worried. Heartbroken by the fact it was her own partner who had fallen to the hands of such evil.

"Fine. Take the earrings. I'll get them back," she said defiantly, rain spilling over her cheeks. "I'll get you back too, Chaton."

Something dark passed over his features, and he looked conflicted.

"I can't..."

"Can't what?" she said, glancing sideways over the horizon.

Nino could show up any day now...

He battled some kind of mental discourse, and then he exhaled, giving in. "Cataclysm..." he whispered solemnly, and Marinette's heart stalled, smacked with the impact of reality.

He was going for the kill.

The dark energy sparked in his palm, and she stared at him, helpless, as he drew his hand back, ready to strike.

Shit.

Nino, hurry!

"Chat, you're in there," she said quickly. "This isn't you! You know you aren't a murderer. You know you aren't a villain. Don't listen to him!"

He seemed to be fighting Hawk Moth's control, shaking his head, eyes crammed shut against the voices.

She was crying now, because they had both been through too much, too young, and she was losing him all over again.

"Don't do this, Adrien. It's not you."

"It is…I've always had the darkness here…" he patted his chest, above his heart. "Hawk Moth is my father. It's in my blood. It's who I've always been."

"No," she sobbed. "You've always been the better half of us, Chat." The tears rained. "And…and I love you for it."

He bared his teeth. Wincing against the two opposing voices.

"Bug…" he whispered.

"I love you, Chat," she repeated, begging for his return. "Come back to me."

She saw a glimpse of Adrien flicker in Chat's eyes. He was fighting...winning.

"Come back."

He screamed painfully, and his destructive hand clasped around his bell, shattering the accessory into little golden shards, along with the akuma inside it. She watched Chat's angry eyes fade to sorrow.

The rain washed away the coldness in his gaze.

He stared down at her, another apology already on the way, but she shook her head, silencing him as she cried through a smile.

"You're…you?" she checked, on the verge of a breakdown.

"I'm me," he croaked, and a few tears fell to her cheek from his.

Chat didn't crawl off her. He simply watched her, eyes searching hers for understanding…for validation.

"You love me?" he finally said.

Her eyes bugged, and she tried to scowl, but she was so relieved at his return she couldn't force the corners of her smile down.

"I thought the victims never remembered anything!" she pouted. She cast her gaze away from his, blushing.

"You love me," he teased, a few more tears falling. He flashed that Cheshire grin.

Then Chat was thrown from her, tackled to the ground.

Shell de Fer delivered no mercy.

OoO

"Nino!" she yelled, voice hoarse. "Stop!"

He threw punch after punch, and Marinette feared he was going to drive Chat's skull through the roof.

Chat didn't put up much of a fight, trying to speak between blows.

It would have been funny if it weren't the two most important men in her life.

"Nino! Nino, it's me."

Thwack!

"Adrien!"

Slowly, Nino retracted his fist, staring down at the bloody face.

"What?"

"It's me, Adrien."

The silence lingered for too long. Marinette couldn't look. It was a disaster. A complete disaster.

Nino wiped a bit of the blood away from Adrien's face, eyes widening with recognition.

The rain pattered over the roof as their panting slowed, bloody lips and knuckles.

"What the fuck, man," Nino said finally.

"I'm sorry," Adrien burst. "I'm sorry for leaving. I'm sorry for not being there. I was too scared you'd hate me. You should hate me…You do hate me, right?"

Nino watched him, chewing his lip. He glanced over at Marinette, suspicious.

She nodded, encouraging him to proceed.

Baby steps.

"It was an accident," Nino said slowly. "I've watched the footage over and over. I know you were trying to save Ladybug. I know you didn't mean for it to happen. But it still did."

"I know," Adrien said, voice faltering. "I can never forgive myself."

"Yeah, well. You shouldn't."

"Nino!" Mari chided.

"But…it doesn't mean I can't," he said, though the words seemed to taste bitter on his tongue. "It might take some time. And a lot of fucking alcohol. But I think everything makes a lot more sense now."

Adrien gaped at his friend. "You're serious?"

Nino sighed, fingers unclenching from Chat's wrist. "Yeah. I guess I am."

He slapped Adrien across the face one more time, just for good measure.

OoO

Chat removed the earrings from his possession and gave them back to Marinette with another extensive apology. She smiled, and he was reminded that he definitely didn't deserve her.

The rain had waned, and he watched the crisp moon rise over the city.

"Where do we go from here?" he asked. "Hawk Moth knows. He knows who we are."

"There's no place safe for us," Marinette agreed, frowning down at Tikki.

"What about my house?" Nino offered.

Mari rapped her knuckles against the chimney. "We can't draw attention to you. We can't risk Hawk Moth discovering your identity too."

"Master Fu?"

"We'd be leading him straight to the other miraculouses," Adrien concluded.

Marinette and her kwami appeared to be having a silent conversation. Mari didn't like the conclusion.

She wrapped her arms around herself, biting her lip with distaste.

"I know a place. "

OoO

Adrien stuck his hands in his pockets. He'd given Mari his jacket because her clothes were soaked through from the rain.

Because he was a fucking idiot and attacked his best friend.

He couldn't believe he let himself get possessed by an evil fucking butterfly.

The hell?

Granted, he'd had a pretty good reason to be emotionally distraught.

His father had only tried to kill him and the love of his life throughout all of high school.

"This is it," Marinette said, and they hurried up to the apartment door. She glanced at him, a silent question, and he nodded.

She knocked gently.

After a few seconds, the door cracked open, and a pair of startling green eyes took them in.

"Marinette?" the woman whispered, confused.

"We need your help, Lillian."