Adrien

I watched her from below, like Romeo before he climbed atop Juliet's balcony, but I'm no Romeo and I definitely wasn't going to make myself known. After about an hour, she checks her phone, before swinging off into the city. I sigh, coming out of hiding. "I'm sorry, Marinette, but this is my fight. And I don't want you getting hurt."

I push off of the ground with my staff, landing in the spot she was in moments before. A breeze blows through, the wind whistling past my ears, they picking up sounds all over the city. I shiver, the autumn air cooler at night. I watch the quiet town as the buildings go to sleep. It's kinda early for bed don't you think?" I say to them, but there's no answer. I chuckle and shake my head. I check my surroundings one more time, before dropping back down to the streets, eventually standing in the middle of the silent square.

"Father!" I shout, my voice echoing off of the bricks and metal of the town. "I know you can hear me! We need to talk!" I listen intently for any signs of movement. Nothing. I roll my eyes, becoming annoyed. He's taunting me. "Hawk Moth!"

I hear a sudden flitting of wings in the distance, oa swarm of white butterflies morphing into view. I get into a battle ready stance, my staff in front of me. They accumulate around me, flying in crazed circles, blinding me before caving in and lifting me off of the ground in a ball. I know better than to swat at them, knowing I'll lose my chance of confronting my crazed father.

I'm suddenly released, and I land sprawled out on the floor. I roll over onto my back, glancing around the dark room, the only light coming from the butterflies and the  moon shining through the large window behind me. I grab my staff and get to my feet, spinning around, trying to figure out where I am. This isn't my house, I know that much. I have memorized every nook and cranny of that place from being locked in it for so long.

"Hello, son," an all too familiar voice echoes through the room.

I glance around, still not able to find him even with my ability to see in the dark. "Come out and fight me like a man!" I shout, spinning my staff in my hands and standing in a fighting stance.

I hear his deep, amused laugh, smothering me like the lack of oxygen to a flame. "Nonsense. We have company."

I hear muffled cries to my right. "Marinette!" I cry, taking off toward her. I'm half way there when a metal pole slams into my back, knocking me off balance, and I crash to the ground.

"Leave her there, Adrien. She's not yours to save anymore."

"What do you mean?" I call out to the room.

"You don't need her, son."

"What did you do to her?!" I shout, my anger growing.

"It's not important. We are what's important."

"Just answer the question!"

He laughs again."This is all for good reason. Don't you worry."

My rage falters for a moment, remembering why he's doing all of this. For Mom. "Father, you're holding on too tightly. You need to let Mom go. Let go," I plead, wishing against all of my bad luck that he will listen to me. That I'll strike a nerve, make him realize, but I also worry he's too far gone for that as well.

"No! I'm doing this for the both of us. You'll understand. You'll thank me." he says, and I can hear the madness, the loss of all logical reasoning in his voice.

"I will stop you. We always do," I say calmly.

"No, son. She stops me. But, she wont interfere this time will she?" There's no response. "That's a good girl," my father coos.

"Let her go!" I hiss, clenching my staff, my knuckles probably white under the gloves. My father finally steps into the light of the window, and I run at him, hatred filling my veins. He blocks me with his scepter, fending against me easily, shoving me onto my back. I scramble to my feet, going for another attack.

"Adrien! Don't!" Her voice fills my ears, my movements faltering, but I push them aside as our weapons clang together.  A sharp pain suddenly erupts in my stomach, flinging me halfway across the room, a bright light blinding my eyes as I bend over to clutch my abdomen. I see a flash of pink out of the corner of my eye, Marinette suddenly beside me in her Ladybug suit.

"What was that?" I wheeze, convulsing over.

"I tried to warn you," she says, rolling me onto my back.

"How did you get out of the bindings?" I ask, before moaning in absolute pain.

I had a small pair of scissors in the travel sized sewing kit I keep in my coin purse." I let out a strangled laugh. "I think that's your butterfly at the top of his scepter."

"How do you know?" I groan, managing to look over at him.

"It glows brighter than the others, even when it's been akumatized."

"What did he do to you?" I ask, glancing back to her.

"It doesn't matter right now."

"You were crying. Your eyes are all puffy," I say, cupping her cheek.

She shakes her head, a determined look on her face. "We go through with the original plan." she orders. I nod, getting to my feet and standing beside her.

"Adrien, listen to me," my father urges.

"I'm done listening to you Father," I spit at him, indignation taking over my body again.

"Don't pick the wrong side. You know something's amiss. There's no such thing as a superhero with the power to destroy. You're not the hero, son."

"You don't decide what I am and am not!" I seethe between clenched teeth.

"Think about it, my boy. You destroy everything you touch. You are bad luck. Ladybug is meant to be the hero. It's her destiny. Not yours. She's creation. Good luck. The symbol of purity. Search your thoughts. You know it to be true."

My stance relaxes some as I process his words, they resinating in my nervous system, like the tick of a clock on the hour. My mind awakening and body buzzing to life. It's all so clear to me now. I loved being Chat Noir. I finally felt that I was free, but not even in the suit can I be truly sovereign. They are still morphing me into what they want me to be and become. I don't make my own decisions. I do what they expect of me. I come when called, satisfying the people's every whim. I am confined. Defined. And I allow it.

"Adrien, don't listen to him. He's trying to get in your head."

"You know I'm right, son. Who gets all the credit? The true fame, the love of the city? Who they interview. Who they place on posters around town." I drop my hands, my staff resting against my thighs as my head reals and spins. "They don't trust you. They are afraid of you. Look how quickly they turned against you during the Copy Cat fiasco. You don't mean anything to them. You're just the sidekick."

"Chat. That's not true. We are a team," Ladybug reassures me, reaching a hand out to grab my arm, but I jerk away.

"Just because you believe we are a team, doesn't mean we actually are. I've always stood back and let you accept your acknowledgement for our success, quietly and graciously. I told myself you needed it more since I  receive more recognition than I care to have in our civilian lives. But, it still hurt my feelings. I did good deeds and I received nothing in return. I smile for a picture, and I get more than I can handle. I just want the real thing, you know. I didn't ask to be a model, but I was bestowed the honor of so-called hero. But, lets face it. You heal the cities wounds and I'm just the distraction. I get captured. I mess up. I get turned evil because I'm trying to protect you, and nothing. Ladybug saves the day!I I risk my own life to save you, and still nothing. Never once have you jumped in front of me to save my life. The only me you cared about was the glossed over version of me, and you pushed the real thing away."

"Adrien, I-I'm so sorry. I promise I care bout you. Both yous. But, I don't like you because your a famous model. I like'd you because of the day with the umbrella, the kindness you showed me. You could have been a snobby, rich, daddy's boy like I originally thought, when I saw you messing with the gum Chloe had put on my seat, but I was wrong. You're a really nice person and treats everyone kindly, you just so happen to make really bad puns constantly." Ladybug says, eyes large and pleading.

"She's lying. Join me. You can show this city what you can really do. You can take over for me. They will obey your every command. You were made for the darkness. It's why I named you what I did. Adrien means 'the dark one', Agreste translating to 'the grayling butterfly'. Son, the darkness chose you for a reason. Don't try to ignore fate. You just have to join me."

A small smirk creeps its' way on to my lips, tugging the corners upward. I can taste the madness, it on the tip of my tongue as I drink it in. Marinette gives me a worried look, my father grinning ear to ear. It would be so easy to just give in. To be what I was really meant for. But, the fact that Master Fu entrusted me with this amount of power, that I would look over the citizens. No one has ever trusted me like that, except Ladybug. Logic and sense trickles its way back into my system, and I know I can't do it. They rely on me wether they want to or not, and I can't fail them now, so I look back to my father collecting my words. "The thing is, Father, because of you, I'm so used to disappointment."

His eyes widen, probably thinking he had me within his grasp. I charge forward, knocking him to his knees, with a new found strength, channeling my rage back to him. He regains composure, swinging at me. "You don't have to join me son, all you have to do is give in to evil. It's not me who has to turn you."

I notice the butterfly in his scepter, the once purple wings, dimming to an ugly eggplant color, quickly nearing black. I drop my staff, my head and stomach throbbing. I back away, trying to reorient myself. "Adrien!" Marinette screams. I look up in time to see her shove me out of the way of another blast.

"No!" I cry out from the ground, as the white bolt slams into her chest. She hits the hard tiles, rolling, her pigtails now escaping her ponytail holders. "No!" I slide over to her, brushing her dark hair out of her face. "Mari, Mari answer me." Her eyes peel open slowly. "Why did you do that?"

"I care about you," she whispers.

"You stupid girl!" my father hisses, stricken with shock. 

I glare up at him, getting to my feet. "I'm gonna kill you!" I shout, charging him.

"Chat, don't!" Mari, wails after me.

I ultimately knock him to the ground, straddling him, one hand around his throat. "Cataclysm!" I lean over him, my right hand buzzing over my head ready to destroy what ever I place it on.

My father coughs, still slightly smiling. "You're almost there."

"Shut up!" I bark, my whole body vibrating with hatred.

"You wont do it. I know you."

"You know absolutely nothing about me." I growl.

"You may not see it now, but we are a lot alike. You have to trust that I'm doing this for the both of us."

"We are nothing alike."

"I can bring her back," he wheezes out still under my hold.

"What?!" He coughs again. "What?!" I demand, moving my hand closer to his face.

"I can bring her back. Your mother. That's why I needed your miraculouses. That's why I needed you to join me. I'm not strong enough on my own. But, you are." I sit back, hesitant again, my anger morphing into pain. "We could be a family again. Happy again. Please, son."

The tears slither down my cheeks, all the heartbreak and despair from losing her filling my chest like hot, melted lead, my heart tightening and constricting. "You can bring her back?" I ask. He nods, encouragingly.

I glance down at my ring, my miraculous. My best friend inside. He would understand. I look to Marinette sadly. She's posed in a fighting stance, hunched forward more than normal from the pain, yo-yo spinning, forming a shield. I hope she'd understand. I tug on the ring, preparing to remove it. She lurches forward some, wanting to stop me, but she knows it's my decision. Then I realize, if my best friends would understand, then so would Mom. She wouldn't want me to do this, especially at her expense, and with what I would have to go through in order to achieve her return.

"No," I say, releasing my ring. "That wouldn't be enough for you. You are too far into the grips of power. You love it too much. And I can't let you gain more. Mom would understand. That's why I can't join you. I wont let you or anyone else empower me to do the wrong thing. This is my life, and I have to take control of it. Not you, or Ladybug or anyone else. Me. And only me."

I scramble over him, snatching up his scepter, before ripping the butterfly broach off of his chest. I get to my feet, adrenaline coursing through me, and pumping into my shaking limbs. I look to my right hand, the black magic still bubbling around it. The realization that I'm holding two miraculouses at once shoots a stinging venom down my spine. I could end this all. For good and forever. Destroy all of the miraculouses. But, I could still get my mother back first, and get what I want from the people.  I glance back to Ladybug, the horror on her face snaps me out of my evil thoughts. No. I have to prove him wrong.

"I'm so sorry, Mom," I whisper, my tears still streaming down my stinging cheeks. I channel my thoughts into my actions and what I want to do with them. My body burns as my magic grows, spreading through me, both my hands blackened with it. My power is no longer destroying something I touch. I am destruction. I smash the scepter's end into the tile, the black magic traveling down it, the floor splitting open like an earthquake, the butterflies pulverizing in the air and raining back down to the tile. I lift the scepter back up, staring at my own akuma before smashing the glass ball it's trapped in, the whole staff reducing to ash as it slithers between my fingers. I stomp on the broach on the ground, a white kwami flying out of it and lowering itself down slowly, weak and tired. My magic whirls around the room, getting rid of anything my father created, even his lair.  "Your days of torment are over Father," and I collapse on to my knees, slumping over in exhaustion.