The chase after Gorizilla proved to be a lot easier than Ladybug thought, seeing as he was easy to spot thanks to his large size. In no time at all, Ladybug had caught up to him thanks to her yo-yo, seeing Wayhem frantically pedalling his bike after the akuma on the streets below. However, she ignored both him and his weird choice of using a motorcycle helmet as a bike helmet as she swung past him, continuing her chase of Gorizilla.

"Put Adrien down right now!" Ladybug demanded the gorilla akuma mid-swing, landing on a rooftop before running along it as she watched Gorizilla head towards Montparnasse Tower.

While still following Gorizilla, Ladybug could only watch as he leapt onto the tower and climbed up to the roof, where he let out a tremendous roar reminiscent of King Kong. But amid the akuma's roaring, Ladybug finally arrived at the top of the tower, jumping into the air far above Gorizilla and ready to attack him.

"Let him go!" the spotted heroine shouted, throwing her yo-yo towards the fist Gorizilla had Adrien captive in.

Unfortunately, Ladybug's demand had tipped off Gorizilla to her presence and made him glance back to see her yo-yo heading towards his charge. Thinking quickly, Gorizilla moved the targeted fist out of the way of Ladybug's yo-yo, making her miss as he ducked away from Ladybug as she landed on the roof a few feet away from the akuma.

"Ladybug!" Adrien cheered from Gorizilla's fist, glad to see the heroine there to help him.

However, Adrien wasn't the only one who was interested in Ladybug's arrival. Thanks to his connection to Gorizilla, Hawkmoth had a front-row view of the fight about to begin and was intrigued by what he was seeing.

"She's alone! If Adrien is Chat Noir, then he'll have to transform to help her." Hawkmoth observed, the butterfly outline appearing on Gorizilla's face as he saw that Ladybug was there without her partner... seeming to confirm his suspicions. "Gorizilla, attack Ladybug!" the hermit supervillain ordered Gorizilla, kickstarting the fight between his latest minion and the superhero.

Following his benefactors' demand, Gorizila reached to grab Ladybug with his free hand in the hopes of capturing her while her back was still turned to him. However, Ladybug sensed the attack and leapt into the air again to dodge his advance, followed by her throwing her yo-yo at his occupied fist again to try and free Adrien before truly attacking the akuma. Her first attempt failed when Gorizilla pulled Adrien towards himself, forcing Ladybug to tumble onto the akuma's shoulder and land on his thigh before jumping back into the air to try again.

The second attempt yielded a better result when Ladybug threw her yo-yo at Gorizilla's face, the hit disorienting him for a second before he reached to grab her. But that second was all Ladybug needed to redirect her fall to land on Gorizilla's arm and reach his shoulder despite the giant gorilla's attempts to shake her off of him. It went even better when Gorizilla tried using his occupied fist to block Ladybug, giving her a chance to try and open the hand to free Adrien. Unfortunately, Gorizilla's grip proved too tight for her to even budge it an inch, even with all her super strength behind her.

"There's no use! He's too strong!" Adrien told Ladybug, having tried to escape on his own during the journey to Montparnasse Tower.

Upon feeling Ladybug trying to free Adrien, Gorizilla pulled his occupied fist away from his shoulder and roared at the heroine, causing her to fall off of the akuma and the building. Fortunately for Ladybug, she managed to catch herself by using her yo-yo, landing on the face of the tower before using her weapon to try and contact Chat Noir.

However, it went straight to voicemail and left Ladybug feeling more panicked than she already felt.

"Chat Noir, where are you? I really need your help, fast! I'm at Montparnasse Tower!" Ladybug said to the voicemail, closing her yo-yo before looking up and seeing Gorizilla about to grab her again.

When seeing the gorilla reaching for her, Ladybug quickly took off running to get away from him, going along the face of the Tower while Gorizilla tried to swat her. As Ladybug ran towards the other side of the building, she then used her yo-yo to get herself back up to the roof, landing a fair distance away from Gorizilla before calling on her...

"Lucky Charm!" the scarlet heroine shouted, the flurry of magic ladybugs coming together to summon... "A toy remote-controlled helicopter?" Ladybug wondered to herself when the object landed in her hands.

"Ugh, Tikki! It really isn't a good time to play!" the spotted heroine complained as she opened the box, bringing the toy out and testing the remote out to make sure it worked. But seconds after she had done so and started controlling the helicopter, Gorizilla finally grabbed her with his free hand, greatly pleasing Hawkmoth.

"Excellent! Now take Ladybug's Miraculous while we wait for Chat Noir!" Hawkmoth demanded his akuma, cutting off the link to let Gorizilla work.

But a problem quickly arose when Gorizila found that he had both his hands full, struggling to grab Ladybug's earrings while holding Adrien and the heroine in his fists. Fortunately for Ladybug, Gorizilla's follie was a blessing in disguise now that he was hopelessly unable to get her Miraculous, giving her a chance to think of a plan.

"I'm so sorry, Ladybug." Adrien apologised to his secret crush, able to talk to her while Gorizilla moved him and Ladybug around to try and overcome his little problem.

"Don't worry. Let me try to maneuver this...thing!" Ladybug assured Adrien, straining to move her hand from within Gorizilla's giant one and managing to do so.

With the limited room she scrounged for, Ladybug was able to maneuver the joystick of the remote to control the helicopter to distract Gorizilla.

After getting the helicopter position, the first target Ladybug aims for is Gorizilla's nostril, managing to dodge the attempts the gorilla had made to prevent it from reaching him. Upon feeling the helicopter entering his large nose, Gorizilla blew it out from the other nostril and let it fly free again before it went and hit his eyes with its blades.

Pain flooded Gorizilla when his eye was hit, making him roar in pain and end up setting Ladybug free when he tried to cover his injured eye. Once the throbbing had stopped, the akuma then tried to attack the helicopter, unaware of Ladybug running to put her plan into action. Nut while Gorizila was distracted, Hawkmoth had caught onto what the heroine had in mind.

"Get Ladybug back!" Hawkmoth demanded from his lair, trying to get Gorizilla back on track while Ladybug threw her yo-yo to wrap around the thumb of the hand Gorizilla held Adrien in. Fortunately for Ladybug, her Lucky Charm was doing well in keeping the akuma distracted, letting her work undisturbed.

"Hold on!" Ladybug shouted to Adrien assurance, followed by her leaping off the building and falling towards a conveniently open window a good amount of floor below the roof.

Seeing the open window, Ladybug used it to swing inside the building and ended up in a business office. But she didn't really take notice of her surroundings, focusing more on her plan and running past the workers to get to another open window on the other side of the building. From there, Ladybug jumped up from the window and landed on the building side before running back to the roof and going under Gorizilla between his legs. Soon enough, she landed back where she started and looked up at Gorizilla as looked away from the toy helicopter and finally noticed her.

"Let go of Adrien right now!" the red heroine demanded, pulling on her yo-yo string and causing it to become taunt. As the string went tight, the added tension from wrapping it around the office below the rooftop had made it easy for Gorizilla's thumb to be pulled away from Adrien, finally freeing him. "Jump, Adrien! Quick!" Ladybug exclaimed to Adrien, using her foot to help keep the sting taunt while using her hands to keep the toy helicopter distracting the akuma.

Now free to escape and Gorizilla kept busy, Adrien stared down at the vast distance below him and weighed his options. He could very well just jump onto the roof and run to the elevator, but that would put the building and the people inside in danger if Gorizilla got free from Ladybug's hold and started tearing it down to find him. Or he could still jump onto the roof and find a place to hide and transform while Ladybug kept the akuma busy. However, that could end up being suspicious if Chat Noir showed up seconds after Adrien disappeared. So it only left him with one option... 'play the damsel in distress and let Ladybug save him'. Not that he didn't like the idea of having an excuse to be in his crush's arms, though.

"You have to trust me!" the red heroine yelled up at Adrien, hoping he would hurry it up so that she could get him to safety as soon as possible. But that was the kick-in-the-pants Adiren needed to know what he needed to do.

"Always!" Adrien replied, rising to his feet to stand on Gorizilla's hand before jumping off of it. "YEAH-HA!" the green-eyed boy hollered as he fell, going over the side of the building and towards the ground.

"NO!" Hawkmoth shouted in protest from his lair, having seen his son jump off the building from Gorizilla's eyes.

Unaware of Hawkmoth's anguish, Ladybug let Gorizilla's hand go and went to jump off the building to save Adrien. But before she could even make a dent in the distance between her and Adrien, Gorizilla grabbed her mid-jump, preventing her from following the boy.

"NO!" Ladybug cried in despair, unable to help Adiren from falling to his death. Meanwhile, Plagg appeared alongside Adrien as he plummeted to the ground below with the hopes of convincing him to save himself, identity be dammed.

"If you don't transform soon, you might wind up like a gooey pile of Camembert!" Plagg warned his holder, the wind rustling in Adrien's ears doing little to prevent him from hearing his words.

"I can't, Plagg! Not in the open like this! I'm sure Ladybug has a plan. I trust her!" Adrien yelled past the rushing air around him, the ground coming closer by the second while Ladybug tried to escape from Gorizilla's grip. Unfortunately for her, he's too strong. And on top of that, the only reason why Hawkmoth wasn't telling his akuma to let her save his son, was because he was hoping to finally have an answer to his biggest theory... 'Was Adrien Chat Noir or not?'.

"If indeed you are Chat Noir, then transform, son. Please." Hawkmoth begged aloud from within his lair, using his connection to Gorizilla to watch as Adrien continued to fall downward. However, Adrien resolutely remained as he was, still falling to the ground and further worrying the villain. "Come on, son!" the father in disguise pleaded, hoping that he was right and Adrien would save himself.

But as the seconds passed and the ground grew closer to Adrien, those witnessing the fall; Ladybug, Hawkmoth, and the crowd on the ground below the tower, were getting more and more worried. It wasn't until Ladybug looked down at Adrien and then raised her head to wail for Chat Noir to come and help that Hawkmoth had enough of this game of chicken.

"Gorizilla, drop-" "TENEBRIS EXILIUM!!"

A voice behind Gorizilla echoed, unknowingly interrupting Hawkmoth's command before a black bolt of magic hit Gorizilla's shoulder, the impact burning it and the fur around it while making him let go of Ladybug. Enraged, Gorizilla ignored the released Ladybug and placed his other hand on the injury to try soothing it as he turned to look behind him to see who attacked him. But much to his and Hawkmoth's surprise, they find no one was there... leaving the resident supervillain puzzled by the unusual assistance Ladybug had been given before Gorizilla turned to watch the heroine.

Now freed, Ladybug raced down the side of the building at lightning speed, getting close enough to Adrien to throw her yo-yo at him. The yo-yo's aim rings true and catches Adrien by the waist, letting Ladybug pull him back up into the air and right to her.

As Ladybug caught Adrien, the rest of the world seemed to slow down as they stared into each other's eyes, both sets filled with relief at the rescue. The feeling of relief continued as Ladybug threw her yo-yo up to grab onto the open window she used earlier, slowing their descent to the ground to a pleasant lowering from her yo-yo. Upon reaching the ground, the crowd that had gathered around the tower started cheering enthusiastically for Ladybug while she and Adrien let go of each other.

Unknown to the masses, Hawkmoth was also glad that Ladybug had been successful, deciding to let the mysterious attack on Gorizila slide for the moment since it helped save his son in the end. But after letting a sigh of relief slip past his lips, the resident supervillain refocused on the task at hand and told Gorizilla to try again, ordering him to not mess up this time. Heading the order, Gorizilla started climbing down the tower, heading towards the celebrating crowd while Adrien and Ladybug were still facing each other, too wrapped up in their little world to notice the cheering.

"I just knew I could count on you, M'Lad... uh, Ladybug." Adrien praised the smiling Ladybug, nearly forgetting that he wasn't transformed at the moment before a familiar face broke away from the crowd around them.

"Adrien You're safe!" Wayhem exclaimed, running up to hug Adrien and breaking the model and superhero out of their little moment. Surprised by the sudden affection, Adrien chuckles nervously at Ladybug while mentally cursing Wayhem for interrupting them. But the sound of Ladybug's earrings ringing distracted Adrien from his ire.

"Your earrings are flashing. Is there a problem?" Adrien asked Ladybug, feigning ignorance to protect his identity after his near slip-up.

"It means it won't be long before I transform back. But don't worry. Chat Noir will be here soon to take care of things." Ladybug assured the model, yanking her yo-yo free from the tower just before Gorizilla had finished climbing down the tower and landed in front of everyone, causing the crowd to scream and run away.

"You can leave, Ladybug! I'll keep him at bay!" Wayhem declared, not leaving like the rest of the crowd and coming to stand in front of the heroine and Adrien to protect them from the akuma.

"No. I want you to find a safe place to hide." Ladybug told Wayhem, only to suddenly see the helmet he was still wearing from riding his bike over to the tower. "Mind if I borrow this?" the spotted heroine requested, getting Wayhem to glance back at her as she pointed to the helmet.

"Oh, sure." Wayhem replied, taking off the helmet and giving it to Ladybug, who took it and put it on Adrien before the curly-brown-haired boy started to run away.

But when Ladybug and Adrien swung away, Wayhem stopped mid-run and turned to see Gorizilla following after the retreating pair. When seeing the akuma still pursuing Adrien, the fanboy quickly got an idea and ran up to grab Gorizilla's leg, making the giant ape stop and look down at him.

"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" the curly-brown-haired teen declared, quoting his favourite movie before Gorizilla picked Wayhem up to examine him... giving the boy the opening he needed. "Radiant. Carefree. Dreamy. Adrien... the fragrance!" Wayhem shouted, quickly spraying the Adrien fragrance cologne on Gorizilla's face, causing the giant ape to drop him in surprise. Fortunately for Wayhem, he landed safely on the ground and was pleased with himself.

"Ha ha ha! Now you won't be able to sniff out Adrien, will ya, you big hairy ape!" the fanboy taunted Gorizilla, watching as he started to look around with irritated red eyes from being sprayed with the cologne. "Go ahead, try!" Wayhem challenged the akuma, prompting Gorizilla to spy a nearby column with a poster of Adrien and stomp over to it. But when he tried sniffing it to see if it was the real Adrien, the fragrance filling his nostrils prevented him from making sure. And with a large amount of Adrien posters in the area, it didn't help Gorizilla in his quest and left him confused and enraged by the turn of events. Roaring in rage, Gorizilla then ran away down the street, his anger and messed up sense of smell making him go the opposite way Ladybug and Adrien had gone. The very sight of it left Wayhem beaming, happy that his idea had worked.

"I'm coming, Adrien." the curly-brown-haired teen declared, eager to continue helping his idol as he rode off on his bike to follow where Ladybug and Adrien went. As he did, he was unaware of a pair of familiar Trolls watching him from the rooftops, tailing him in the hopes of finding where the hero and model went as well.

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

Not knowing that they were being pursued by either humans or Trolls, Ladybug and Adrien soared through the streets of Paris, hoping to avoid Gorizilla for as long as possible. Soon enough, they saw that Gorizilla wasn't behind them after Ladybug carried a helmet-wearing Adrien up to a rooftop, making sure that they weren't followed.

"I think you lost him." Adrien observed, Ladybug still holding him in her arms as she looked behind them to confirm his findings.

"Looks like it." Ladybug said, relieved to have some time to come up with a new plan. "Do you have any idea where his akuma could be?" the red heroine asked Adrien, turning her attention onto him just seconds before her earrings rang again.

"You're about to transform back." Adrien pointed out while Ladybug let him stand on his feet again, taking a few steps back from her before taking off the motorcycle helmet. "You should just leave me here and I'll stay hidden while I wait for Chat Noir to turn up." the blonde-haired model offered, hoping to have a chance to get away and transform so that he could help his partner.

"But what if the supervillain finds you before he gets here?" Ladybug argued, her protective instincts flaring up as she put the helmet back onto Adrien's head.

"He's my bodyguard. He won't hurt me." Adrien assured her as he took the helmet off again, causing Ladybug to look at the ground below in contemplation.

However, it proved more helpful than Ladybug expected when she noticed someone going downstairs that led down to the Métro. Immediately, the gears in her brain started turning and quickly gave her a plan to finally take Gorizilla down.

"Of course!" Ladybug exclaimed, quickly turning her attention back to Adrien. "I know how we can trap him! This way, I'll have enough time to find out where his akuma is!" the spotted heroine explained as she put the helmet back onto Adrien before sweeping him back into her arms and carrying him to the ground.

Once down there, Ladybug used the most likely limited time they had to explain the plan she had come up with to Adrien... which hinged on his participation as bait for the akuma. Seeing as Ladybug didn't know that he was Chat Noir, Adrien had no choice but to agree since saying otherwise would give away his identity to her. Shortly after Ladybug's explanation, Adrien found himself watching as Ladybug left a message to Chat Noir, holding his borrowed helmet in his arms to soothe his fraying nerves.

"... so, meet us at the subway station. Adrien agreed to act as bait, but we really need you and your Cataclysm to make this work. Hurry up!" Ladybug spoke into the message, both her and Adrien walking to the subway entrance before she ended the call.

"What if Chat Noir doesn't turn up?" Adrien asked, worried about the fact that he couldn't be in two places at once.

"Oh, he will! I trust him with my life." Ladybug replied absolutely, making Adrien glance downward to hide the fire-red blush and smile that appeared on his face from Ladybug's confidence in him.

But even Ladybug's trust in him still didn't soothe Adrien's worry... that is until he heard someone panting nearby. Turning to find the source of the noise, Adrien quickly saw Wayhem approaching the area on his bike, immediately giving the model just the thing he needed to pull off his sneakiest trick yet.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sure he'll be here." Adrien said to Ladybug, a grin on his face before she headed down to the Métro and finally left him alone.

"And what rabbit are you planning to pull out of your hat now?" Plagg's nasally voice questioned his holder from inside the helmet, pulling Adrien's attention onto him. "You can't be Chat Noir and Adrien at the same time!" the black kwami reminded Adrien, unaware of the boy's plan to do so.

"What if I can?" Adrien challenged his kwami, looking up from the helmet before walking out to the middle of the street to stand in front of Wayhem's way. "I need some help!" the green-eyed boy exclaimed, the sight of him causing Wayhem to stop his bike in shock.

"Adrien!" Wayhem cheered, happy to have found him as he hopped off of his bike.

"Yes, it's me." Adrien replied, tiredly accepting Wayhem's hug after he abandoned his bike and cut out to run up to him. "Look, I need you to help me with something. Are you up for it?" the blonde model asked as he placed his hands on Wayhem's shoulders and gently pushed him back from him.

"Anything for you, Adrien!" Wayhem cheered, eyes wide in excitement at the thought of helping his idol.

"Great!" Adrien chirped, dragging Wayhem back to his bike to grab his cutout before heading towards a nearby building.

From there, Adrien explained his plan of having Wayhem stand in for him in disguise. At first, it seemed Wayhem was a little scared of the idea of being in the middle of the fight. But after fully explaining that Chat Noir and Ladybug would be there in case things went sideways, the fanboy seemed to like the idea more.

"And that's about it. Are you sure you're still okay with it?" Adrien questioned Wayhem, hoping that he would be and promising himself to make sure he was safe during the fight while he was Chat Noir.

"Totally! Let's do it!" Wayhem declared, greatly pleasing Adrien with his answer.

After that, the two boys changed out of their respective clothes and swapped with the other, the clothes thankfully being the same size. Once they were changed, Adrien found a pair of scissors and severed the head of the cut-out from its flat body, punching eye holes into it before placing it in the motorcycle helmet. Following Adrien's arranging the cardboard to cover the eye area of the helmet, he placed the helmet onto Wayhem's head and stepped back to take a once-over of the disguise. Pleased to find that there was no way to tell the difference, Adrien smiled at his handiwork.

"Looking good. We could be twins!" Adrien announced, followed by him smiling as he placed a hand on a now excited Wayhem's shoulder.

"That means so much coming from you! I hope I'll make you proud!" Wayhem gushed, nearly jumping up and down where he was standing before Adrien had to place his other hand on the fanboy's free shoulder to gently stop him.

"Okay, okay, settle down, please. Otherwise, the cardboard mask will fall out of the helmet." Adrien chided Wayhem, managing to get him to settle down again. "Thanks again for agreeing to do this." the green-eyed boy thanked, glad that Wayhem was standing in for him.

"Of course!" Wayhem replied, giving Adrien a thumbs up before they heard thundering footsteps outside. Gorizilla was almost in the area.

"Alright, here's the moment of truth." Adrien announced, leading Wayhem over to the door. "Remember, don't talk while out there, otherwise, it'll give you away. You got it?" the blonde-haired boy reminded Wayhem, getting a nod in confirmation as he opened the door.

"Great." Adrien said, watching as Wayhem walked out of the building. "Good luck out there, 'Adrien'!" the green-eyed boy farewelled his body double, watching as Wayhem nodded again and headed out to the open streets, finally leaving Adrien alone before Plagg flew to his side.

"Quite a sneaky plan you came up with, kid. Very cat-like thinking on your part." Plagg praised his holder, impressed with his Ladybug-level plan.

"Thanks, Plagg. While I don't like putting a civilian in the line of fire, this is necessary to avoid anyone catching on to my identity." Adrien reasoned, only to shake himself out of his funk to focus on the task at hand. "But we've been wasting enough time. We've got to get back out there." the blonde model said, taking his disguise runestone out from under his shirt and donning his Chat Noir disguise. Once it was in effect, all that was left for Adrien to say was...

"Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien exclaimed, transforming into Chat Noir and exiting the building to join the fight.

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

Thanks to Wayhem's earlier exclamation when seeing Adrien again, Gorizilla's heightened hearing had alerted him to the screaming. Now having a good idea of where to go, the gorilla akuma turned around and headed to where he believed Adrien was, unaware of the trap awaiting him. As he drew nearer to the area where Ladybug was waiting in the subway tunnel, the spotted heroine could both feel and hear the thundering footsteps of Gorizilla, knowing her plan was about to be put into action.

"He's coming!" Ladybug observed while waiting in the empty subway station, only to hear her earrings ring once again. "Hurry up, Chat Noir." the scarlet heroine pleaded aloud, hoping that her partner would show up before her earrings timed out... which was about to happen in the next two minutes!

Above ground, however, Gorizilla had arrived in the vicinity of the trap and spotted the helmeted 'Adrien' kicking the wheels of several cars to create loud alarms. Upon seeing who he believed to be his charge, the giant gorilla jumped over the buildings separating him from 'Adrien' and landed behind him, causing the disguised boy to turn and see the akuma.

"Over here!" 'Adrien' called to Gorizilla in his best Adrien impression, waving his arms above him to further entice the akuma's attention onto him while backing away. Fooled by the impression, Gorizilla reached to grab 'Adrien'... only for Chat Noir's staff to come out of nowhere and block the akuma from touching its target.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Chat Noir taunted Gorizilla as he turned to face the hero, retracting his staff and spinning it before resting it on his shoulder. When seeing the hero, Gorilla immediately tried to attack him and jumped into the air to slam his fist at the feline, to which the hero countered by jumping down from the roof and landing on the ground. "Don't worry, 'Adrien', I won't let him touch a hair on your head!" the hero in black assured 'Adrien', standing at the ready for another attack.

Unknown to Chat Noir, however, his little misdirect hadn't just fooled Gorizilla... but also the witnessing Hawkmoth from his end of the psychic link.

"So I was wrong! Adrien and Chat Noir can't possibly be the same person when both are in the same place, side by side!" Hawkmoth observed from his lair, surprised to be proven wrong... before it morphed into relief. "Just as well." the resident supervillain remarked, glad that he wasn't fighting against his son on the daily.

"Gorizilla, grab Chat Noir's Miraculous and be done with him!" Hawkmoth ordered Gorizilla, eager to use his newly made revelation to his advantage.

Having received his new orders, Gorizilla made quick work of trying to catch the feline hero, slamming his large hand onto the ground where he was standing. However, Chat Noir proved to be much too quick for the giant akuma, repeatedly dodging Gorizilla's hand while flipping away from the gorilla.

"Missed me! Missed me! Missed me again!" Chat Noir taunted the akuma, his leaps leading Gorizilla right to the open area of concrete above the metro station Ladybug was waiting in. "That's it, big guy. Come on, just a little more." the feline hero muttered to himself, continuing to lead Gorizilla right in the middle of the open area before running underneath Gorizilla to stand on the edge of the soon-to-be sinkhole.

"There!" Chat Noir exclaimed after leaping the rest of the way across, pleased that Gorizilla was now directly above the Métro station before calling on his... "Cataclysm!" the hero in black yelled, summoning his power before touching the pavement and causing it to cave in, trapping Gorizilla in the destroyed section of concrete. When seeing Gorizilla trapped, the satisfied Chat Noir then pulled out his staff and called Ladybug.

"This is Chat Noir Express Deliveries. Did you order a giant beast, M'Lady?" Chat Noir warmly greeted his partner on the other end, his voice leaving Ladybug feeling relieved and joyful.

"I knew I could count on you, kitty!" Ladybug praised her partner, glad that he pulled through for her. "Where is Adrien?" the red heroine asked, wondering if her crush was safe now that Gorizilla had been captured.

"He's safe." Chat Noir assured her over the phone, leaving Ladybug further relieved before she hung up the call and turned to face the trapped Gorizilla.

"I'm very sorry, but I'm gonna have to search your pockets!" Ladybug teased the akuma, jumping onto Gorizilla and started looking in his pants pockets for the akuma. Her search proved fruitful when she found Adrien's bracelet in the akuma's pocket. "Here you are!" the heroine announced in accomplishment, quickly pulling it apart and revealing the akuma before she took out her yo-yo and opened it to reveal the parking pool of cleansing energy within it.

"Time to de-evilize!" Ladybug shouted before she threw her yo-yo toward the akuma, catching it within her yo-yo and pulling it back to her. "Gotcha!" the spotted heroine cheered when the yo-yo was back in her hands. A second later, she released the purified akuma, setting the white butterfly free.

"Bye, bye little butterfly," Ladybug said as the butterfly flew away, right before she and Chat Noir threw Lucky Charm up into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!" the heroine in red cried out, summoning the cleansing cure and the magic ladybugs.

From there, the wave that was Miraculous Cure quickly swept through the city, fixing all the damage caused by Gorizilla. Thankfully, there wasn't much damage to repair from the attack despite Gorizilla being such a destructive akuma. Any minor damage was taken care of with ease before the destroyed pavement where the heroes set up their trap had been restored to its former glory, followed by putting Gorizilla back on top of the repaired ground. And as Ladybug arrived next to Chat Noir, Gorizilla was then finally turned back into Placide I.T., who only needed to look to his right to know what had happened to him.

"Pound it!" Ladybug and Chat Noir cheered, fist-bumping each other in their post-battle congratulation ritual.

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

Yet another day was saved by Ladybug and Chat Noir. Oh, how Hawkmoth loathed the fact that his akuma had lost yet again. But seeing as Adrien proved to not be Chat Noir, the resident supervillain was less inclined to be angry about his defeat. Less ... not entirely, of course.

"One of these days I'll find out who Ladybug and Chat Noir really are." Hawkmoth promised to the fluttering butterflies in his lair, the fist not holding onto his cane clenching in anger. "And when I do, I'll make them pay for eternity!" the super terrorist promised, the lair window closing up and leaving him in darkness once again. Unknown to him, he had no idea how close one-half of his arch nemesis truly was to him... and he never would.

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

While Hawkmoth was left to take in his latest defeat; as well as take note of the rather unusual phenomenons during the fight, the heroes were still at the Metro entrance. And with the akuma taken care of, Ladybug could finally ensure that 'Adrien' was okay after his 'ordeal' as akuma bait.

"Adrien, are you okay?" Ladybug called to 'Adrien'; who was a good distance away from her and Chat Noir as he stood on the other side of the concrete area.

"He's totally fine! Right, Adrien?" Chat Noir hastily assured Ladybug, coming to stand in front of her and keep her from getting a good look at the alleged model before looking briefly behind him to see 'Adrien' nodding. "See?" the feline said, turning to face his partner again.

"But if I were you, I wouldn't hang around too long. Unless you don't mind revealing your secret identity to all of us." Chat Noir slyly suggested to Ladybug, her earring conveniently ringing to its last dot to provide incentive. Upon being reminded of her rapidly decreasing time, Ladybug knew she had to get out of dodge as soon as possible.

"Bye, Adrien! Bye, kitty! Bug out!" Ladybug farewelled before swinging away with her yo-yo, deciding that just seeing Adrien safe was enough proof for her... just like Chat Noir had hoped it would be.

"Gotta scat too. Thanks for your help, 'Adrien'." Chat Noir adieus to 'Adrien', two-finger saluting the boy before extending his staff and taking his leave.

Now that both heroes were gone and Placide was still recovering from his akumatization, the disguised Wayhem finally had the chance to walk over to the building he last saw Adrien in and knocked on the door. Seconds later, Adrien; who had raced back to the building before Wayhem got back, opened it and peered out to see his body double, smiling at him in pride.

"That was awesome! I helped Chat Noir save Paris from that nasty big ape!" Wayhem gushed, taking his Adrien mask out of his helmet now that the danger had passed.

"I knew I could count on you." Adrien congratulated Wayhem, followed by him stepping back to let the curly-brown-haired boy inside so they could switch back their clothing. Minutes later, they both emerge from the building in their respective clothes while Wayhem holds his helmet under his arm. "Again, I'm sorry I had to ask you to stand in for me earlier. You must think I'm not very brave." the blonde model apologised as they stood in front of the building, rubbing his bicep while looking at the ground in shame.

"You kidding? I got to be in Adrien's shoes for a few minutes! It was a dream come true!" Wayhem excitedly rambled while raising his mask in front of his face, having enjoyed helping both his idol and the heroes. But as he lowered the mask from his face, both his earlier actions and Artemis's words from the theatre came to the forefront of his mind, cursing his excitement to quickly fade away. "I'm really sorry I posted that photo on the Internet. You must be mad at me." the fanboy apologized while partly behind the mask, now calmer after realizing the error of his ways.

Luckily for Wayhem, Adrien was willing to forgive and forget, smiling as he reached into his jacket and took out a marker he had on hand for emergencies. With a quick flourish of his hand, the model wrote "[email protected]" on the mask, making Wayhem excited once again.

"Is that your email?" Wayhem squealed, looking at the words on the mask in awe.

"Yeah, it is." Adrien happily confirmed, putting the marker back into his new leather jacket. "If you can manage to stop running after me screaming, I'm sure we can be good friends!" the green-eyed boy said, willing to give it a try now that he had a chance to talk to Wayhem. In any case, Wayhem was ecstatic by the turn of events.

"I promise, Adrien!" Wayhem declared, hugging the mask in his arms with a smile.

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

Now being gifted Adrien's email, Wayhem soon left the boy to his own devices and aimed to get rid of his creepier keepsakes of Adrien now that he had a chance to become his friend. But now that he was alone, Adrien turned to start walking back towards where his bodyguard had been left, knowing he was in trouble for sneaking out of the house. Though it seemed fortune was smiling down at him when he heard...

"I got to say, kid. You nearly gave me a heart attack with your earlier stunt." a voice behind Adrien admitted, immediately causing the boy to turn around and see Artemis and Rayla behind him, drawing a smile from him.

"I think you know that I didn't have much of a choice in the matter, Artemis." Adrien replied with a chuckle, amused by Artemis's remark. "Especially when I know you had a hand in helping Ladybug get away from Gorizilla." the blonde-haired model added, smirking at the woman in front of him while Rayla gawked at him in surprise.

"Um, I think you might have hit your head on the way down to the ground, dude. How would Artemis help save you from your potential death?" Rayla questioned the boy, her natural response to anyone accusing her or Artemis of such things kicking in.

"It's okay, Rayla. He knows about our Stone Arc aliases." Artemis said, placing a comforting hand on her ward's shoulder. In all the excitement, she had forgotten to tell Rayla about what she had told Adrien about them while in Hex Couture.

"He does?" Rayla asked, looking up at her caretaker to see Artemis nod confirmation, allowing her to sigh in relief and turn to Adrien. "Oh, thank goodness! You have no idea how hard it was to hide my excitement in seeing my favorite hero again!" the eight-year-old exclaimed, going to pull Adrien in for a hug around his waist.

"It's good to see you again too, Maray." Adrien warmly replied, lowering himself to his knees to hug her back.

"It's Rayla to you right now." Rayla cheekily lectured the boy, pulling back from the hug to smirk at him.

"Oh, of course. Pardon my mistake, O spunky one!" Adrien playfully mocked Rayla, bowing his head to her in respect before looking up at Artemis again. "And I saw that blast of magic on the way down. Recognised that spell aura in no time at all and knew it was you who helped Ladybug." the green-eyed boy revealed, remembering when he heard the voice that echoed through the 15th arrondissement while he was falling from the tower.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't, kid. Who knows what really happened up there?" Artemis coyly replied, closing her eyes and turning to face the building next to them. But upon seeing the smirk on Artemis's face, Adrien gave her a playfully pointed look, making Artemis chuckle after she opened her eyes again. "I already told you. I promised your mom I'd keep you safe. And letting you fall to your death certainly goes against that." the older woman reminded Adrien, turning to face him and Rayla once again.

"But weren't you worried that Hawkmoth could have seen you? You had to have been on the rooftop to have blasted that spell at Gorizilla." Adrien inquired, wondering why Artemis was so calm about her little show of magic when it could easily out her to the city's resident supervillain.

"Rayla and I were on a rooftop away from Montparnasse Tower when you fell and it was the first one that came to mind to help. I even had to use a cloaking spell to make sure no one saw the spell until it hit him." Artemis explained, her black aura coming to surround her hand as she spun her finger in the air next to her. "Fortunately, while the spell I used is quite powerful, the distance helped avoid hitting Gorizilla with the full brunt of it." the sea-green-eyed woman added, leaving Adrien concerned by the new tidbit.

"What would have happened if he did get hit full-on?" Adrien asked, now worried about what would have happened if Artemis was closer than she actually was.

"Nothing good, I'll tell you that. So let's hope you don't find out the hard way." Artemis said, hoping to spare Adrien from finding out just how destructive Old Magicks could be when used hastily.

"If you thought the blast was awesome, you should have seen her when she cast the spell! Her eyes were glowing like a nebula and she was even floating! It was so cool!!" Rayla gushed as she jumped up and down in place, having been with Artemis when she had done the spell while Adrien looked at her in awe.

"Yes, I would think it was." Artemis bashfully reflected, blushing in slight embarrassment as she rubbed the back of her neck. "But Rayla seems to be forgetting how knackered I was after that. I almost didn't have enough energy to get here." the greying-brown-haired woman chided her ward, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked down at Rayla with a playful smirk.

"Really? How come?" Adrien asked, concerned that Artemis might have hurt herself in trying to help him.

"I told you before. I'm more of a potion maker than a spell caster, so I don't really use spells that often. Plus, I'm more used to tamer combat spells and that one is a heavy hitter. As Rayla said, I haven't used that spell before." Artemis explained, her arms going behind her back as she used them to stretch her sore body. "And to top it all off, any magic user has to practice a spell often to get used to the energy drain, otherwise, everyone could do those higher-level spells." the older woman added with a groan of satisfaction, her arms going back to her sides now that she had stretched.

"Makes sense." Adrien replied with a thoughtful nod, rising to his feet. "In any case, thank you for the help. It's nice to know I got people looking out for me when not transformed." the blonde model thanked with a smile, grateful for the help.

"You're welcome, Adrien." Artemis replied, smiling at the boy who had no idea just how right he was before clapping her hands together. "Now, I believe we still have a movie to see. Shall we head back?" the sea-green-eyed woman asked, immediately leaving Adrien puzzled when hearing her question.

"But I thought earlier was the only time it was showing." Adrien said, recalling how his research on the once-in-a-lifetime showing said there was only one chance to see it.

"Dude, what sense would it make for a movie to be shown only once for the entire day it's being screened? There is another showing of Solitude in about twenty minutes." Rayla stated, looking at her favorite hero like he wasn't the sharpest tool in the garden shed. Now thinking about it, Adrien quickly realised that Rayla was right and that his earlier assumption truly made no sense. But before he could admit it, another thought came to him.

"But what about my bodyguard? He'll definitely not be keen on losing sight of me after being akumatized." the green-eyed boy pointed out, earning a critical stare from Artemis at his constant rebuttals.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to get out of seeing the movie when you went through so much trouble to see it in the first place." Artemis coldly remarked, causing Adrien to wince in fear of offending her. However, when Artemis saw his worry, she couldn't help but let out a laugh at his reaction. "Relax, kid. I'm only teasing. Lighten up a little." the greying-brown-haired woman told Adrien as she calmed from her laughter, leaving the boy relieved.

"In any case, leave Placide to me. I have ways of convincing him." Artemis said, once again leaving Adrien surprised by her assuredness.

"How?" Adrien questioned the sorceress, only for Rayla to take that as a sign to suddenly climb up onto his shoulders.

"You'll see. Now, onwards!" Rayla proclaimed, turning Adrien's head towards where the heroes had left Placide and pointing in that direction. Despite the surprise of Rayla easily climbing onto his shoulders, Adrien decided to just go with it and listen to his biggest fan and turned to go back to his bodyguard.

From there, the trio heads make the trek over to where Placide was, talking about any and everything as they do. However, their conversation took an interesting turn when Artemis asked Rayla if she liked the new Trolls movie, leading to her stating that it was very amusing but not very accurate in depicting the Trolls. Despite that, it led to Adrien asking about the mythical creatures that were still out there, just to satisfy his curiosity. Imagine the look on Adrien's face when he learned that dragons were still alive too after being told by Plagg that he caused their extinction. So he was delighted to find out that Plagg had not only failed to eradicate the dragons but that the vast majority of them were still in their ancestral home, Hidden World. Not only that, the survivors of the portion that remained on the surface evolved into the supposed ancient talking dragons that magic users associate themselves with. Needless to say, Adrien was shocked by the discovery.

"Talking dragons? That's a thing?" Adrien asked Rayla as he kept walking, looking up at her as she gushed about that particular dragon species.

"Yep! Pretty cool, right?" Rayla chirped, smiling as she tilted her head to look Adrien right in the eye.

"Yeah... it is." Adrien remarked, looking at the path ahead again. "Man, I can't wait to tell Ladybug about all of this! She's going to flip when she hears about what I learned from you guys!" the blonde-haired boy exclaimed, which immediately caused a nervous look to appear on both Artemis and Rayla's faces.

"Um, you're not going to tell her about us too, are you, kid?" Artemis asked, looking at the boy with concern.

"Why wouldn't I? You've always helped us when we needed it and this is no different!" Adrien said, not seeing the reason why Artemis was so worried about Ladybug knowing about her.

"It actually is, Adrien. I know you want to tell Ladybug about us, but until I tell you everything, I'm asking you to keep our secrets from your allies. At least for the time being." Artemis almost pleaded, hoping to keep the boy from saying anything about her and her wards' little deception.

"Why? I'm sure Ladybug would understand why you do what you do if you just explain yourself." Adrien said, trying to assure Artemis that she had nothing to worry about.

"While I'm sure you're right, it's currently too risky for them to know about our abilities. You can tell her about what you've learned, I'm not going to keep you from talking about that. All I'm asking is that you not say who told you all of this." Artemis reiterated, which seemed to finally sway Adrien to see things her way in the argument.

"Okay, fair enough. I won't tell Ladybug about you guys." Adrien sighed, understanding that he needed to do the same for them as they were doing for him: 'keep their alter egos a secret'.

"Thanks, kid. It means a lot to hear you say that. And I promise you can tell them very soon." Artemis said, both she and Rayla smiling at him in gratitude.

"How do you know?" Adrien asked.

"Call it a hunch." Artemis cheekily replied as they came around a corner, soon seeing Placide where the heroes had left him. "Ah, there he is!" the sea-green-eyed woman proclaimed, the trio quickly walking towards Placide.

"Are you sure you can convince him?" Adrien questioned Artemis, still unsure of how she could do so when he never talked to anyone.

"Absolutely." Artemis simply replied as they reached him, causing the bodyguard to look up and see them. "Salut, Placide! How have you been?" the greying-brown-haired woman greeted the burly man, her hands signing as she spoke and leaving Adiren stunned before Placide perked up when seeing them and started signing back.

"What's he saying?" Adrien questioned Rayla, looking back up at her in the hopes of her knowing sign language.

"You don't know sign language?" Rayla asked the boy, turning her gaze back to him with a perplexed stare.

"Unfortunately, no. It's one of the few languages Father hasn't made me learn." Adrien admitted, not very proud of that fact about him. Sure, his father had him learn so many languages but he tended to enjoy some of them.

"Well, Artemis has been homeschooling me all my life. She taught me sign language alongside many other languages, so I can translate." Rayla said, leaving Adrien surprised to learn that they had that in common. "He said 'Artemis, it's nice to see you again. How have you been?'. " the eight-year-old relayed, ignoring Adrien's surprised staring while repeating Placide's greeting to Artemis.

"I'm doing well, old friend. Same with here with Rayla." Artemis replied, speaking the words she signed so that Adrien could understand the conversation too. "Though I should be the one asking if you are alright, seeing as you were just akumatized."

"I'm doing just fine thanks to the heroes saving me. As they always do with akumas, of course." Placide signed back, Rayla following Artemis's example and translating for Adrien.

"Glad to hear it." Artemis said, still signing while Adrien looked at them with wide eyes.

"Wait a minute. You two know each other, too?" Adrien questioned the adults, causing Placide to glance at Artemis with a knowing smirk before they went into a silent tangent about Artemis introducing herself to Adrien, with Rayla deciding not to translate it. Needless to say, Adrien didn't like the sudden secrecy. "Could someone please explain what's going on?" the blonde model demanded, not liking that he was out of the loop for part of the conversation.

"We were about to, Adrien. Have a little bit of patience, please." Artemis chided the boy, finding his impatience amusing as she signed for Placide.

"Right, sorry." Adrien apologised, feeling bashful for his impatientness. "So, how do you and Placide know each other?" he asked, hoping to finally get an answer.

"We've known each other since he was still employed by your uncle, Colt. While he doesn't know as much as Emilie did, we're still very close." Artemis regaled, once again signing as she spoke.

"Especially when we both have a bit of a grizzled past, huh, Arte?" Placide playfully added, Rayla translating for him again.

"Yes, indeed. Especially when." Artemis agreed, smiling at his little jab.

"While I can understand you have some form of dark history after our last conversation, Artemis, what kind of 'grizzled past' could my bodyguard have?" Adrien questioned his bodyguard, now wondering what they had in common to be so friendly with each other.

"I can understand why they didn't tell you, but Colt wasn't always on the up and up when it came to his business. His biggest guilty pleasure was dealing with very shady organisations and clients." Artemis explained, revealing Placide's so-called 'grizzled past'. "As such, he needed bodyguards on him 24/7, and Placide here was his best one before he came to work for Emilie and Gabe."

"Placide worked for my uncle?" Adrien asked, shocked by the new tidbit about his bodyguard.

"Yep. But that changed on one fateful day. A year before Placide went to work for your family, Colt crossed the wrong guys in a business deal and they hired hitmen to take him out. The hitmen were eventually taken care of, but not before they nearly got Colt when he was off guard." Artemis continued, leaving Adrien further intrigued by the unintentional history of his uncle alongside Placide's. "If it wasn't for Placide taking a hit for Colt through his cheek; which ripped his tongue right out of his mouth mind you, your uncle would have died a lot sooner. Ever since then, Placide hasn't been able to speak a word. So you can imagine how happy he was when Gabe offered him a job. After that, the rest is history."

"Wow... no wonder my father wants you to stay by my side at all times. You're hardcore!" Adrien exclaimed, looking up at Placide in amazement. "Though, if you don't mind me asking, how come you don't have any scars?" the green-eyed boy inquired, his curious cat tendencies bubbling to the surface when thinking about that detail.

"Oh, I do have scars. You don't go through what I did without some form of a souvenir. And in my case, mine are hidden under my sideburns." Placide signed as he moved the offending hair, Rayla still translating while he showed the scars.

"Woah! That's pretty cool. I officially have a new-found respect for you, Placide." Adrien praised the burly man.

"Thank you, Adrien. And please call me 'Gorilla' I honestly prefer it over Placide I.T.." Placide admitted in sign, bringing a smile to Adrien's face.

"You got it, Gorilla!" Adrien said, all too happy to comply with the request.

"Glad to hear it. But something tells me that you're here for another reason other than catching up." Placide observed, Rayla still translating his sign language while he turned to face Artemis.

"You know me too well, you old Gorilla! Yes, there is a reason why I'm here. I'm sure you know that Solitude is being screened today, right?" Artemis questioned Placide, smiling at how perceptive he was.

"Of course. Adrien's been waiting to sneak out to see it all week, how could I not know?" Placide replied, his translated words causing Adrien's eyes to widen.

"You knew!?" Adrien squawked, shocked to hear his bodyguard knew about his plans.

"You made your plans in the limo while heading back to your house." Placide deadpanned, earning a snicker from the translating Rayla as she climbed down from Adrien's shoulders.

"Then why didn't you say anything to my father or Nathalie?" Adrien asked.

"I already knew where you were going. The only reason why I was worried was because of that new ad that was released and the mob made it hard to keep track of you after you left your phone at home." Placide signed.

"Ditching the tracker before leaving the house. Smart move, kid." Artemis complimented, impressed by Adrien's ingenuity.

"He's a slippery one, I'll give him that. Call me reckless with my charge, but I didn't feel like being ditched again today." Placide admitted, sending a pointed side eye Adrien's way.

"Yeah, fair enough. I'm sorry, Gorilla." Adrien apologised, now feeling bad for his previous actions.

"Just tell me where you want to go before thinking of sneaking away from now on, okay? That way I at least know you'll be safe." Placide requested, hoping to reach a compromise.

"Deal!" Adrien happily agreed, quickly hugging Placide in gratitude and making the adults and Rayla smile too.

"Speaking of going somewhere, we came over to convince you to come with us to see the last Solitude showing. That is if you're up for it, of course." Artemis offered, still signing as she spoke while hoping Placide would accept.

"I would love to. But I highly doubt Gabriel will like that we are taking such a long detour before heading back to the mansion. I'd rather not throw you to the wolves when it comes to Gabriel's protectiveness of Adrien. Even I know not to question him when put on the spot." Placide signed, not liking the thought of doing so.

"Oh, let me take the heat for this one. Say it was my idea and dear old Gabe will shut up real quick." Artemis replied, waving off Placide's concerns due to her many interactions with Gabriel before asking... "What do you say?"

"Oh, alright. Admittedly, I want to see the movie too. I hear it's really good." Placide relented, smiling as he signed.

"Yes!! The Gorilla is on board!" Rayla cheered, quickly climbing onto Placide's shoulders after translating for him.

"I knew you couldn't resist, you big softy! Now come on! We only have 10 minutes to get to the theatre." Artemis declared, both she and Adrien happy that Placide was joining them while the bodyguard was amused by Rayla's actions.

"Lead the way!" Adrien declared, followed by the newly made group heading out to go back to the theatre.

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

With Placide I.T. on board with their plan, the quartet made their way back to the cinema to continue watching the movies they were pulled away from. After arriving, they were greeted by a relieved Marinette; who had come back to the theatre as well in the last few seconds of her transformation. From there, the five of them went back and finished watching their respective movies, enjoying them very much. Placide even found himself crying a little while watching Solitude... not that he would openly admit it, of course. But like all good things, they all come to an end.

When the movies were done, the group went their separate ways and headed back to their homes. Granted, Adrien and Placide had to make a detour to get the limo back from the impound yard, but that was quickly taken care of. With the car back, they headed back to the Agreste Mansion, where Adrien was dreading talking to his father after the day's events. However, he knew he couldn't delay the inevitable and kept going to his room, soon entering it and seeing his father sitting on his couch.

"Sit down, Adrien." Gabriel told Adrien after the boy closed the door behind him, his tone suspiciously calm while looking at the window wall before Adrien did as he was told and sat on his father's left. But while Adrien was looking at the ground in preparation for a lecture, Gabriel surprised him by raising the model's remote and turning the TV on, starting the film Solitude. "All you had to do was ask me." the fashion designer simply stated, turning to see Adrien's surprised stare his way.

"I'm sorry, Father. I tried to talk to you, but you were so busy." Adrien apologised, his surprised stare morphing into that of guilt. "Not to mention you've been acting so strange around me lately. It started to feel like how things were like between us before Simon Says's attack." the green-eyed boy voiced, looking at the floor as he thought about the events leading up to that day.

"Actually, both you and Nathalie have been acting strange around me, lately. It's like you guys are treating me like something to be studied." Adrien "And it hurts... especially when you don't talk to me about what's going on." the model admitted, wiping a tear from his eye.

While he was feeling the shame of not being patient enough to wait until his father was less busy so that he could have avoided the whole mob in the first place, he ended up having a good time despite the chaos of the day. Not to mention he wouldn't have had the chance to hang out with Marinette or find out more about Artemis, Rayla, his parents and his bodyguard if he hadn't. So the day wasn't a total loss in the end.

But despite that, Adrien was unaware of the remorseful look appearing on his father's face after his confession. Nor did he see the small smile that followed it until Gabriel decided to finally speak.

"I'm sorry, son. I didn't realise you felt this way. In truth, Nathalie and I have been acting so strange because we've been worried about... rather delicate matters that, yes, you have some involvement in." Gabriel admitted as he turned away from the wall of windows to face his son, trying to avoid hinting at his terrorist activities and his earlier suspicions about Adrien being Chat Noir. "But I can assure you that they have been dealt with and we apologise for making you feel so out of place lately." the fashion designer said as he placed a hand on his son's shoulder, glad to know that his theory of his son being one of his mortal enemies had proven wrong.

"It's important for you and me to be able to trust each other, you know." Gabriel said, making Adrien look up and see the concerned look on his father's face. "And I realise now that by hiding the truth from you, naturally, you started imagining all kinds of things. I know that's what I would do if I was in your position, and that's the last thing I want either of us to do." he ruefully admitted, placing his hand on top of his son's hand... right on top of the very ring he coveted.

"From here on out, I promise to try and be more open with you on matters involving you." Gabriel promised, smiling gently at his speechless son processing his father's words. "As long as you try to do the same with me, yes?" the fashion mogul asked with a rather playfully arched eyebrow at Adrien, neither Agreste male knowing the truth about the other while the blonde-haired boy smiled at his father.

"I will, Father. Thank you." Adrien happily replied, his father smiling back in kind before the two of them turned back to watch the movie, where Adrien's mother was just peering out from under her umbrella. In that moment, Adrien felt closer to his father than he did before, feeling like it was a turning point for them to become as close as they once were. However...

"By the way..." Gabriel began, causing Adrien to turn his gaze away from the movie and back at him. "You're grounded." the fashion designer announced, not taking his eyes off of the movie while Adrien winced at the news, his hopes of getting away with his chaotic outing scott-free going down the figurative drain.