Disclaimer: I don't own ML.

I'm going to take a temporary break from updating until I've sorted out the chapters after this. I've largely been cutting down on unnecessary detail but now that I'm into S2, I want to take a breather and figure out the specifics of the story beyond the episodes I've got planned. Especially writing 'Hold Me', since that helped me better figure out my plotting style with full-length fics (which I'm unused to writing, considering I used to mostly write oneshots) and how to balance canon with original.

Thanks to SolarFlare579, Shiranai Atsune, Daria, SirDudeman28 and The Keeper of Worlds for your reviews :)

"I feel you, girl," Alya says after Marinette laments over FaceTime about being grounded. "I'm lucky I got Nora to split the babysitting with, or my parents would be so mad when I'm not where I should be."

"Rub it in, why don't you," Marinette grumbles. "Well, I should go and get some homework done while I watch Nino. Maybe that'll put my parents in a better mood."

"Good luck!" Alya grins. Marinette rolls her eyes and hangs up, leaving Alya to pull her legs up onto the couch so that she can sit cross-legged. On the floor, Ella and Etta are cheering as Nino makes André Bourgeois bop along to his beats, while Nora is in the kitchen making some protein shake or whatever it is she drinks.

"And now, for our next contestant, welcome Simon Grimault!" Alec Cataldi announces, ushering in a man with pale skin, dark curly hair, and a purple coat. "Mr Grimault, you are a hypnotist. You use cards to hypnotise people to get what you want from them!"

"Well, yes, I'm a hypnotist," Simon says with a shy smile. "But, uh, I don't use my skills to get anything."

Alec ignores him. "So, your challenge today, Simon, is to use your talents to bring a very elusive celebrity to this very TV set!" Alec gestures to the screen behind them, which switches to show the large profile of Gabriel Agreste. "Give it up for the king of fashion, Gabriel Agreste!"

"Ouch," Alya winces. "Of all the celebrities he could've gotten…"

"What is this show? I was told this was an interview," Gabriel says shortly.

"Do your thing, Grimault!" Alec says. "Let's see if you can bring Mr. Agreste here with your hypnotic persuasion!"

Honestly, Alya's never been all that fond of Alec Cataldi. He's far too much of a sensationalist, actively rubbing salt into wounds to score just those few extra ratings, just like he's doing now as Simon is escorted away after Gabriel's withering criticism of the show. Really, is it any wonder that just a few minutes later, a man with lilac skin and absolutely garish neon purple and lime green magician clothing appears on-screen, calling himself Jackady and dragging Adrien with him?

"So, you are Gabriel Agreste's son!" Jackady declares, shaking Adrien by the upper arm.

"Hey, let go of him!" Nino's voice shouts. Jackady smirks.

"Loyalty to your friend! Simon says…you are a dog!" He throws a card off-screen. A few seconds later, Nino runs onstage on all fours, panting and barking as he tries to lick Adrien's leg.

"Hey!" A boy with teal-tipped dark hair tries to grab Nino, likely to snap him out of it, but Jackady hits him with a card and the boy starts acting like a turkey. Is that…Luka?

"Shit," Alya mutters, jumping to her feet. "Nora! I gotta, uh…go out!"

"Seriously?" Ella whines, while Etta complains that Alya's blocking the TV. On the screen, Jackady is making some grand speech about getting his revenge on Gabriel by using the man's son.

"Alya's got some very important job to do for me," Nora says, shooting Alya a significant look and pulling her out of the way of the TV so that Etta shuts up. "And she'll be back very soon. She won't miss our games night."

"Simon says that you are in a deep sleep!" says Jackady. Adrien collapses into Jackady's arms, who then controls Adrien's bodyguard into carrying the sleeping boy, and Ella and Etta gasp. "Now I'll get my revenge on Gabriel Agreste!"

"Of course I won't miss games night!" Alya says. "In fact, I'll, uh…grab another game while I'm out! With my own allowance!"

Before her sisters can raise any further protests, Alya barrels out of her apartment and ducks behind the first wall she finds.

"And I was so looking forward to a day off," Plagg complains.

"Oh, shut your whining. Plagg, claws out!"

"Simon says to seize Gabriel Agreste!" Jackady orders a few streets away from the Agreste mansion. On a nearby rooftop, Ladybug narrows her eyes. So, the akuma's after Gabriel? That would explain why he's got Adrien's bodyguard carrying a sleeping Adrien, no doubt to use as a hostage.

"You wanna try and save Adrien?" says a voice from behind Ladybug. She jumps and throws her yo-yo, but it's batted aside by Reine Nuit. "Sorry, angel bug. Shoulda knocked first."

"There's too many of them," Ladybug says, although her stomach churns when she says this. "No way can we get to Adrien. Not when he's surrounded by all those soldiers. Then we'll lose the element of surprise. But I don't want to just leave him there…"

Reine Nuit frowns at her. "You really care about Adrien, huh?" the cat hero says.

"Of course!" Ladybug says. "He kinda grows on you, what with all his Ladybugreste antics. Not to mention all the people shipping us…"

"Ah. Right. Ladrien." Reine Nuit snickers. "I'm on Team LadyNuit myself."

"Of course you are, kitty," Ladybug says. But her laughter rings hollow, and Reine Nuit's smile fades.

"We'll save him, Ladybug," she says firmly, resting her hand on Ladybug's shoulder. "And as shitty as his father is, Adrien would want us to protect Gabriel Agreste rather than jump into that crowd trying to save him."

Ladybug takes a deep breath, then nods. They bound over the rooftops to the Agreste mansion, landing in the courtyard, and Ladybug reluctantly volunteers to be the one to knock on the door.

"Where are you, Mr Agreste?" she demands as soon as she shoulders the door open and she and Reine Nuit are in the lobby.

"Good evening, Ladybug." Gabriel Agreste descends the large staircase, dressed in his usual pale pink suit jacket, grey vest, red-striped white tie, and scarlet suit pants. Ladybug's never quite understood how this is fashionable but hey, fashion designers have always been eccentric. "And Reine Nuit. I take it you're here because of the akuma?"

"Yes," Ladybug says. "You need to get out of here!"

"And be dictated by a madman?" Gabriel says. "Certainly not."

"Gabriel Agreste!" A screen descends from the ceiling to display Jackady outside the gates with his army. Next to him is Adrien's bodyguard, who's holding a now-awake and wide-eyed Adrien in a reverse bear hug. Ladybug's stomach lurches at the fear in Adrien's eyes; fear that she's never seen from him around any akuma. "Come out and face me, Gabriel! Or your son will suffer the consequences!"

Gabriel reaches out to press a button on the screen. "No," is all he says. There's silence for a few moments as everyone, heroes and brainwashed soldiers and villain alike, tries to process this sharp refusal.

"Are you crazy?" Reine Nuit hisses. "He's gonna hurt your son, and you just straight-up say no? Not even an attempt to trick him?"

"I have faith in both you and Ladybug," Gabriel says. "I know you can save my son and set everything to rights. But I refuse to bow to the whims of a villain, especially one as hideous as him."

Reine Nuit scowls, then takes a deep breath. "You have a lockdown system, don't you?" she says. Gabriel nods. "You stay here. Ladybug, try and save Adrien, and I'll try and grab his akuma. Think you can be as stealthy as a black cat?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Ladybug smirks.

"Wait." Gabriel leads them into his office and activates the emergency lockdown with his password and handprint, then slides a picture aside to reveal two remotes. He hands one to Ladybug. "Use this to open and close an exit as you need."

"Okay," Ladybug says. "Uh…where's your assistant?"

"Not here. Nathalie's not in any danger." Gabriel looks Ladybug in the eye and says, "Do save my son, you two. He's…all I have left." He takes a step towards her and places a hand on her shoulder. His eyes seem to flick to her earrings, but only for the tiniest fraction of a second; it's so brief that it could have just been a figment of her imagination.

"Of course, Mr Agreste." She looks at Reine Nuit, then nods and sprints out, using the remote to open the front doors long enough for them to get outside and then closing the doors just as the mansion gates crash to the ground with a clang. Yelping, Ladybug grabs Reine Nuit and swings out of the courtyard and to a nearby rooftop before Jackady can notice that they're there.

"Seize Gabriel Agreste!" he commands. "And bring me Ladybug and Reine Nuit's Miraculouses!"

Reine Nuit's eyes widen. "He already knows we're here?" she says. "But how?"

"So much for the element of surprise," Ladybug says. "Let's take him down now before he can get to Gabriel Agreste. Lucky Charm!"

"Whoa!" Reine Nuit's eyes glimmer when a pocket knife falls into Ladybug's hands. "Cool! Finally, something useful for once!"

"Hmm…" Ladybug frowns down at Jackady, who pulls a card out of his purple packet and sends it flying at one of his minions. "What if the akuma's in his packet rather than any one card?"

"Makes sense," Reine Nuit says. "Otherwise, what'd stop him from accidentally using it? So, what's the plan?"

As the minions finally bash down the mansion's front doors, Ladybug slowly concocts a plan with the knife, her yo-yo, and Reine Nuit's baton. She snatches her partner's baton and uses her yo-yo to tie the knife to the end, creating a makeshift javelin.

"Use that to stab the card packet," she says. "Easy plan this time!"

"Aww." Reine Nuit takes the baton. "I thought we'd have a way cooler plan the one time you get a freaking knife. But sure."

Ladybug holds onto Reine Nuit so that she can lower them to the ground, and then they sneak around the back of Jackady's army. At Ladybug's nod, Reine Nuit extends her staff to propel herself into the air, then hurls the makeshift javelin at Jackady when he turns around. He's too late to react, and the knife slices through the packet and releases the akuma in the blink of an eye. Reine Nuit also tackles him for good measure.

"Ladybug!" Reine Nuit unties the knife and throws Ladybug's yo-yo back. Ladybug snatches it out of the air and proceeds to capture and purify the akuma. When Reine Nuit tosses her the knife, she throws it in the air and cries, "Miraculous Ladybug!"

"Huh?" says Simon once he's detransformed from his akumatised state. "What am I doing here?"

"Pound it!"

While Reine Nuit goes to talk to Gabriel, Ladybug approaches Adrien, who's just been released by his puzzled bodyguard. "Are you okay?" she says. "Sorry you couldn't get any footage of your epic capture."

Adrien laughs, but it rings false. "Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for saving me, Ladybug."

Ladybug frowns at him. "What's wrong? I would've thought you'd be buzzed after being that close to the action."

Adrien doesn't say anything. Then, at a concerned look from his bodyguard, he sighs. "Today was…different. I've never…well, I've always been the damsel in distress for you and Reine Nuit. Sure, I'll accept that. But I've never been used against my father like that before. And it was just…" He runs a hand through his soft golden hair and says, "It's different with you guys, you know? I know that you and Reine Nuit can get back up and keep fighting. You're superheroes. And even when I was trapped with Kagami when Kung Food attacked, I wasn't being used against you. Heck, we weren't even the main focus. But today…"

"There was someone else at stake from you being kidnapped this time?" Ladybug says softly. Adrien nods, casting his eyes down to the ground.

"It made me realise how selfish I've been, running after the akumas all the time to get the best footage for the adrenaline rush," he mumbles. "I've always thought it was brilliant that I could give Father more grey hairs. Teenage rebellion, you know? Coping mechanism to deal with being trapped inside and suffocating and having my life dictated. But now I realised…well, maybe my father does care more than I thought. Maybe there's a good reason why he's so overprotective. Especially since I didn't even get the chance to chase after this one – he found me. But if he does care more than I thought, why did he just straight-up say no to Jackady's demands? Why didn't he at least look like he was trying to stall for time?"

"Reine Nuit and I were appalled at that too. But I think it was because he had faith that we'd save you." Ladybug steps forward and takes Adrien's hand with a small, reassuring smile. Her earrings beep, but she pays them no mind; she's still got a few more minutes before she turns back, and Adrien needs her more right now. "Maybe there's a grey area here. Your father is overprotective. Quite frankly, I think he's outright controlling and neglectful, but that's not my place to say. So, you've overcompensated by going too far in the other direction. Maybe you can find a balance where you can still chase the thrill and film for the Ladyblog while not putting yourself in danger." She flicks his skull and says, "Brains over brawn, yeah? If anyone can figure out how to balance akuma chasing and self-preservation, it's you."

Adrien smiles back at her, this time wider and sincerer. "Thank you, Ladybug." He throws his arms around her, holding her tightly. Ladybug laughs and hugs him back, enjoying how warm and snug she is with him holding her.

His footsteps echo in the dark room, the soundwaves reverberating off the walls, casting his presence everywhere. There's suddenly a loud whirring sound and the massive butterfly-framed window slides open, flooding the room in soft blue light and scattering pure white butterflies everywhere.

"How did it go?" The speaker is a tall, slim woman in the centre of the room, dressed in a formal purple jumpsuit and smart silver boots, with her black hair twisted in a bun at the nape of her neck.

"Excellent. There wasn't any need for my capture."

"Well, better to be safe than sorry." The figure turns around, revealing a streak of bright purple in her hair, a purple cane in her hands, and a silvery, butterfly-shaped mask across her face. At her throat, on top of her high jumpsuit collar, rests a four-pronged brooch. "And you still needed to make an appearance to Ladybug and Reine Nuit. You can't sustain an akuma when not transformed."

"Indeed. Thank you, Nathalie."

"Of course, sir. Dark wings fall." Her suit melts away in purple light, revealing Nathalie Sancoeur with the Butterfly Miraculous pinned to her red turtleneck collar. She detaches it and hands it back to Gabriel Agreste. Nooroo, meanwhile, hovers nearby, wringing his tiny hands.

"Master –"

"Quiet, Nooroo." Gabriel reattaches the brooch underneath his tie. "Thank you for affirming my trust in you, Nathalie."

Nathalie smiles and bows her head. "I told you. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help you achieve your goal. Even if that means posing as Hawkmoth to help you allay suspicion." Her brow furrows. "But sir, I think that with the Peacock –"

"No," Gabriel snaps. "You know the Peacock is damaged. I won't risk your health." He sighs as his shoulders slump. "I already lost Emilie to it. I can't lose you too."

"I understand, sir." Nathalie approaches him and, after a moment of hesitation, takes his hands. "I just wish I could do more to help."

"You help me plenty. I wouldn't function without you keeping Adrien's life on track." Gabriel sighs. "I need to bring Emilie back for Adrien. I can't be the father he needs. I can't be the father he deserves. Every time I look at him, I see…her. It hurts to look at my own son. I hate to look at my own son." Even if that means Adrien being in danger from akumas. But with Ladybug's cure, she'll just fix everything to rights again, including Adrien. And when he finally gets the earrings? He can reverse any damage done to Adrien himself.

He must succeed. Failure is not an option. And with every akuma he creates, every akuma that Ladybug and Reine Nuit purify, he's one step closer to a final, all-consuming attack. Sure, it would be nice if an akuma would succeed, but he doesn't expect them to. At least, not yet. Those foolish heroes just don't realise that in their rush to be paragons of virtue and morality.

He must succeed. He will succeed.

"Max!" Adrien slips into Kim's seat with a bright smile. Max, who's tinkering with some small robotic thing, jumps and would have dropped his tiny tool if not for Adrien's hand shooting out to grab it. "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you."

"You sound abnormally excited to see me, considering that I'm just a fellow classmate," Max says, narrowing his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Okay, first off, I actually am happy to see you," Adrien says. "I'm always happy to see every classmate because I'm a sheltered, socially awkward kid, as my friends keep saying."

"Even Chloé?"

"…Let's not go there. Second, can I ask a favour? You don't have to do it, and I'm happy to pay you if you do –"

"How about you tell me what it is first?" Max says.

"Oh. Right. You saw the whole Jackady thing on TV, right? How he grabbed me to get to my father?"

"Of course," Max says. "Do you need me to recommend you a therapist? There's a sixty-seven-point four percent chance that you were traumatised from that ordeal, not counting every other time you've been captured by –"

"What? No!" Adrien says. "I don't need – look, it just made me realise some things. How I probably shouldn't be running at the akumas to get footage."

"That's blindingly obvious to anyone with more than one brain cell," Max mutters. Adrien resists the urge to snort, because who knew his nerdy classmate could be so snarky?

"I was wondering if you could come up with a way for me to hack the security cameras around Paris," Adrien says. "That way, I can still get my footage, but I don't have to go near the akumas. Ladybug won't have to focus so much on saving me, and my father won't die of a heart attack any time soon."

"Hacking security cameras? Child's play. But that wouldn't exactly work if the akuma isn't around the security cameras," Max says, chewing his bottom lip. "However, I could certainly build you a little filming drone to send into danger instead of yourself."

"You'd do that?" Adrien moves to throw his arms around Max but stops himself in the nick of time, just as Max starts to flinch away. "Sorry. How much are you asking for it?"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of asking for payment," Max says. "Consider it a gift from a classmate. Plus, it'll stop the rest of us from panicking whenever we see you running into danger."

"Wait, you guys really worry that much when I'm filming?" Adrien says. Something fluttery erupts in his gut when Max smiles and nods.

"Of course," Max says. "You're our classmate and our friend. Also, we're terrified of Marinette's temper, because she doesn't truly get angry very often. You getting hurt would probably count as a circumstance that would trigger her rage."

"Marinette cares that much about me?" Adrien's eyes unfocus and a goofy grin slides across his face.

"And this will be my answer whenever people ask why I prefer robots to humans," Max sighs.