The enormous mansion Adrien grew up in was exactly how he remembered it—empty, chilling and unwelcoming. The only homely feeling he received when he entered was Nathalie's warm embrace, a kiss to each of his cheeks, and her proud smile as she gave him a steady once over, marveling and gushing over just how much he had grown since she last saw him as if she were his actual mother herself.

Adrien did consider Nathalie to be like a second mother, though. Upon his father's coldness and overall absence throughout most of his childhood, Nathalie had been there. She became family. Her and his gorilla-like bodyguard.

Nonetheless, he was happy to see her.

She had aged slightly since he last saw her, but her aging had done her well. A little bit of grey could be spotted in her bun. Her skin still looked young. Her eyes still looked just as bright even despite who she worked for.

"It's so great to see you again, Nathalie, and I can't wait to catch up..." Adrien was grinning as he pulled away from her second hug. "But I really do need to speak with my father. Is he here?"

The excitement in her features sobered ever-so-slightly. "He is." She answered, though she hesitated before adding, "But he didn't exactly call you here to catch up."

"I know." Adrien placed a hand on her shoulder. He too felt the disappointment rising as much as he wished it wouldn't. He knew why his father had summoned him here. It wasn't to catch up, and it certainly wasn't to rekindle any type of father and son relationship (not that they had one in the first place.) His father was simply going to lecture him about returning to Paris and leaving all of his sucess in someone else's hands.

Nathalie accompanied him to his father's office in silence. Adrien could even sense she was carrying her own weighted tension. When they reached the office doors, Adrien exhaled through his nose before lightly tapping his knuckles on the wood.

A muffled 'come in' sounded from the other end. With an encouraging smile from Nathalie, Adrien picked up whatever courage he had left dragging on the floor and opened one of the doubled doors.

His father was standing at his drawing board when he entered. Gabriel glanced up over the rim of his glasses as soon as he heard him come in. Almost instantly, Gabriel placed down his pencil, and suddenly, Adrien had his father's full attention.

He'd never had his father's full attention before.

The door shut behind him with a soft click, but in his ears, it boomed like a slam. Suddenly, he felt a bit trapped. His father's study was colder than he remembered. Swallowing nervously, he questioned, "You said you wanted to see me?"

"And you said you wanted to see me."

Gabriel didn't miss a beat. It was almost as if he had prepared for this meeting. Either way, he wasn't planning on making the first move, which was shocking, considering Gabriel Agreste was known to never miss an opportunity at lecturing his son.

"I have two things to say to you, and then I'll be leaving."

Gabriel arched a brow at that. "Well, go on then. I don't have all day."

Adrien's brows furrowed. "Firstly, I'm going back to America... like you wanted, so you don't have to worry about whatever lecture you've got up your sleeve regarding that matter." Surely, he thought said news would please his father, but Gabriel looked far from delighted. In fact, he looked... nothing. There was literally no emotion on his stone-cold face. In an attempt to regain his confidence, Adrien cleared his throat. "And secondly, you're a grandfather. So, if you're any interested in that title, congratulations or whatever."

That seemed to gain him a bit of a reaction from his old man. Gabriel's brows raised, mostly in shock. "You're married? Since when did something of that nature happen?"

"I'm not married, father. People can have children without being married."

"I'm aware." His father replied dryly, his voice void of any amusement. "Why am I not surprised that you had a child out of wedlock? There you go once again ruining the name I built."

"Annnnd there it is." Adrien drew out with a long sigh.

"Have I taught you nothing, Adrien?" Gabriel grumbled out in disapproval. "You could have, at the very least, used a condom."

He had, but he wasn't about to defend himself in front of his father. He didn't need to stoop down to such a low level. He knew his father would find pride in that, towering over him like such.

"What about the mother?" Gabriel asked next when silence on Adrien's end followed. "Who is she?"

"It's Marinette Dupain-Cheng. We went to lycée together."

"Oh yes, I remember her." Gabriel said with a nod. "She was a promising young lady. Very talented too. She actually recently quit from my firm. Sad to hear you ruined her life with a child."

That caused an animalistic growl to rumble deep from his throat. "Emma did not ruin anything, and neither of us regret her existence."

"I never claimed you regretted the child," Gabriel said evenly, "But guilt? I can assure you Marinette has that heavily weighing on her shoulders, wishing she could have done things differently; like waiting, for example, or wishing she could go back to school."

And that's when realization struck, because Adrien hadn't thought about that. He always knew he felt guilty for leaving, but he never knew it was possible for Marinette to feel guilty too. Guilty for having sex with him; feeling guilty every time her parents asked who Emma's father was, and she had to lie because, of course, he was too foolish to tell her who he was in the beginning. And then, because she became a single mother, she had to quit school. She never got to be that well-known fashion designer she always wanted to be. Now she just fixed dresses.

She was living comfortably, so at least she wasn't struggling... but she never got a chance to make her dream come true. He did, though.

"You hadn't thought about that, had you?" Gabriel asked rhetorically. "Considering you got to finish school, build your own, and become one of the most famous pianists in all the world, why would you?"

Adrien's jaw clenched uncontrollably. "Don't you start with that. You were the one who taught me that the sky was the limit."

"Yes, but I didn't teach you to get your head lost in the clouds." Gabriel shook his head in disappointment. It wasn't an uncommon sight. "What surprises me most isn't even that you are a father. What surprises me is that even with knowing you have a daughter here, you still plan to return to America. I didn't teach you to run away from your responsibilities either, Adrien."

He wasn't running. "Marinette doesn't want me here." Adrien gritted out.

"Though her reasons may be valid, you're both forgetting who is most important here."

Wow. Adrien had to swallow down his next retort. He never considered his father would have such open advice about parenting, considering how terrible of a father he'd been throughout his entire life. And not only that, but realizing this wasn't just on him when it came to his bickering quarrel with Marinette, but on her too.

They were so focused on being upset with each other, that they were forgetting about who they made together, and how all of their pent-up anger would affect her.

Once again, he was being selfish... even when he wasn't realizing it.

And Marinette was being selfish too.

"So... you're saying I should stay?" Adrien asked unsurely. What he really wanted to ask was why it mattered so much to his father if Gabriel had barely been a father himself, but that was a bit of a low blow considering his father wasn't even bothering to lecture him and instead was trying to help him.

"I am." Gabriel confirmed.

"And do what? How am I supposed to fix everything?"

"Who says you need to fix everything?"

That had him pausing. He always assumed it needed to be him because he was the one who left, because this mess was all his fault. But how could he fix everything when Marinette wasn't even willing to give him the chance?

Oh wait... she had. But he had been too foolish to let her see who he was behind the mask.

"You don't need to fix everything." Gabriel continued when his son remained silent. "What you need to do is fix yourself, and she needs to do the same. That way, when you two come together again, to presumably and hopefully raise the child together, you will be united."

"Fix myself?" Adrien arched a brow at that. He didn't really like the way that sounded. "And what exactly am I supposed to fix?"

Gabriel rolled his shoulders. "Whatever is holding you back from being a man, Adrien. Whatever is causing you to run from your family."

Adrien swallowed down the lump in this throat. It tasted bitter. "And what does Marinette need to fix?"

"Whatever is preventing her from putting her trust in you." His father didn't even need to consider the question. It was as if he already knew. As if he could see right through the both of them despite Adrien's best efforts at trying to remain vague. It was a bit frightening, even. For a second, it almost seemed like Gabriel knew why Marinette didn't trust Adrien.

But that was obviously impossible. His father didn't know he was Chat Noir, and he didn't know Marinette was Ladybug either.

And since he didn't know such information, how could his father really advise him? His father didn't know the reason behind his leaving, or why Marinette didn't trust him. He didn't know it was because he was simply a coward. He needed someone who knew. He needed someone who understood. And he did. Both Alya and Nino knew. They both understood.

But they'd already given him advice. It just wasn't what he originally wanted to hear.

Besides, who did his father think he was, giving advice about relationships and parenthood as if he were an expert when he had failed tremendously at both?

Adrien forced himself to bite his tongue. That was an immature thing to say, and his father hadn't even lectured him. There was no point in voicing those thoughts other than to hurt his father.

Adrien sighed, sounding a bit defeated. "Thank you for speaking with me, father."

Gabriel didn't even bat an eye. "Are you still planning to return to America after this talk we've had?"

Adrien had already made his decision on that matter minutes ago, but confirming it aloud had a smile slowly creeping on his lips before he could even stop it. "No, no I'm not."

____________

Later that night, Adrien transformed into Chat Noir and bounded across the rooftops back to Marinette's apartment. Since he was certain Marinette wouldn't allow him to return for another night, he'd left his luggage back at his childhood home. Nathalie had graciously (and excitedly) taken it up to his old bedroom and he could tell by just how giddy her smile was that she was elated to catch up with him.

That thought brought a smile to his lips, but it also hurt his heart. He had been away for five years, and it wasn't as if he stayed in touch. He barely spoke to his father on occasion, but he abandoned everyone else including his friends and even Nathalie. Idly, he wondered how she wasn't upset by that. How she could welcome him with open arms and warm smiles as if he hadn't ignored her for the last five years.

He would have to work up an apology for her later. For now, his focus was on Marinette and their daughter.

The window to Marinette's balcony was already opened when he landed on the railing. She was seated crisscrossed atop her bed, her back pressed against the headboard with a pillow behind her for support, and a laptop littered with stickers in her lap. She was typing something rather vigorously and her gaze was zeroed in intensely at the screen.

He could tell she was frustrated. Every time her reading glasses slipped down the bridge of her nose ever-so-slightly, she roughly shoved them up. There was an evident frown on her lips. She didn't even hear him when he jumped down from the railing.

She did, however, catch his shadow when the moon from behind him casted it into the room.

Her head snapped up from the screen, her eyes instantly finding his. For just a second, the crinkles in her forehead cleared as if she were relieved to see him, but then that frustration returned in a flash, and her frown deepened even further.

That wasn't a good sign...

She slammed her laptop closed and moved to stand up, presumably to get as far away from him as possible.

"Marinette, wait!" He pleadingly called out to her with an outstretched arm. He moved across the bedroom faster than she could (courtesy of his miraculous), and stood in front of the closed bedroom door, blocking her only escape. "Please, I just want to talk—"

"I have nothing to say to you." Marinette bit out. "Now, get. out. of. my. way."

He shook his head. "I can't let you do that. I have to talk to you."

"If you don't get out of my way, I'm calling the police." She threatened. A quick glance at one of the front pockets of her beige joggers showed the shape of her phone inside. She had yet to try and reach for it. She was bluffing.

"You and I both know you won't." Was his response.

Marinette didn't stay put to prove him right. She stepped backward; her eyes angrily zeroed in on him. Her reading glasses were tossed like discarded waste on the bed behind her. Then, she recited a phrase he'd never heard her say before.

"Tikki, spots on!"

Her kwami practically appeared in thin air, only to vanish into Marinette's earring. Then, he watched in absolute awe as the magic consumed her body, replacing Marinette's oversized tee and beige sweatpants with red and black spotted leather.

Ladybug unsheathed her yo-yo, allowing it to violently spin on her finger.

"You're forgetting I have other methods to get away from you, and that door isn't my only exit." Her eyes flashed for a second at the balcony, and his gaze followed. Horror quickly captured his entire essence.

"Marinette, please wait... I really need to tell you something—"

She didn't even wait for him to finish his pleading. Like the Flash himself, Ladybug dashed for the balcony. He removed himself from off the door and quickly bounded after her, but Ladybug had more practice than he did. (After all, he'd been dormant for five years.) She threw her yo-yo out into the city and leaped, falling downward before he even reached the railing.

Stuttering over it, he looked down just in time to catch her swing into the distance, her yo-yo already grasping onto the next building.

Grumbling in annoyance, he pulled out his baton and rushed to follow her.

Ladybug was a lot more agile than he was. He was rusty, but she hadn't stopped being a superhero in his absence. Therefore, her quick maneuvers and effortless swings were no match for him. The only way he would be able to catch up to her was if she let him, and it didn't seem she was interested in granting him such a request.

"Ladybug!" He called out to her through the thick wind, which whipped through his blonde locks and beat at his flushed cheeks. He could barely hear his own voice over the wind, and if Ladybug heard him calling out to her, she chose to ignore it.

He was already growing tired. His limbs were starting to ache. He was really out of shape.

He finally stopped atop a random to rooftop to catch his breath. He watched with sad eyes as Ladybug kept on going, not once sparing a glance over her shoulder. Eventually, he lost sight of her red and black polka-dotted spandex. Now alone, he glanced down at his silver-pawed boots, simply staring at the pair of shoes that had once been able to take him all across the city without beating a sweat.

What was he even doing? What was he even trying to do? It was clear that Marinette wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. His father had insisted he try, but it was hard not to give up when all his efforts were failing. If Marinette wasn't willing to listen to him, how was he supposed to tell her the truth? How was he supposed to make things better?

He kicked at the loose gravel atop the flat, paved roof he stood on. Now, with so much on his mind, he didn't know what to do. He didn't know whether to follow Marinette's order and leave or to follow his heart and stay. Whichever he chose, someone would still be disappointed in his decision. Marinette would be disappointed if he stayed, and his father would be disappointed if he left.

It seemed that no matter how hard Adrien tried, he could never really please anyone.

Frustrated, he glanced up at the starry sky above him. On nights like these once upon a time ago, he and Ladybug used to stargaze in their spare time. They would meet up just to lay on their backs and bask in each other's company and the beauty of a clear Parisian night.

It was simple, yet one of the most enjoyable moments of his life. What he would give to go back to those days...

He felt a few tears drip down his mask and onto his cheeks, slowly trickling down to his chin when he refused to wipe them away. For the first time in a long time, Adrien realized something important: that his priorities sucked. He was too focused on trying to find happiness as far away from his father as possible that he failed to see that happiness had always been with him when he was with Marinette. Everything about her and their daughter made him extremely happy. He had a family of his own, something he had always dreamed of having as a child.

Yet was he so quick to give that up.

His father was right... in a sense. Gabriel hadn't been the best father, but he did teach his son one valuable thing—and that was to work hard. Work had for what you want, and you shall have it. So, with that thought in mind, Chat Noir wiped his tears away. He would not sit here and cry, wishing things could be different. He was not going to give up.

He was going to fight for them.

He was tired of disappointing everyone around him. He was tired of hurting the people he loved. He was tired of feeling ashamed for his past. He was tired of feeling like he was failing in every aspect of his life. For once, he was going to do what his heart wanted him to do.

He was going to fight for his family.

A clash of thunder sounded above him. Lighting skimmed across the darkened sky. A brief glance at the weather app on his baton showed that a thunderstorm was rolling in. He should return to his old bedroom for the night and continue with his search for Ladybug tomorrow, but Marinette was still out here, and he didn't feel right leaving knowing that a storm would be over her head.

So, he extended his baton, and bounded off in the direction where she had disappeared.

Droplets of rain began to fall from the sky as he continued his search. Soon, it had turned into a drizzle, and then, it was pouring. Thunder continued to sound loudly all across the city, but Chat Noir pressed forward. Even though he was soaked to the bone and freezing, he was not about to give up on her. Not again.

Relief flooded him when he finally found Ladybug perched on a lone balcony. The building it belonged to seemed abandoned. She was leaning on the railing with her head buried in her arms. When he landed beside her, the only reaction he received was the way her shoulders lifted into the crook of her neck.

"Found you." He whispered so softly, even he could hardly hear his own voice over the pouring rain. Ladybug slowly lifted her head, her blue-bell eyes meeting his ablaze emerald. She looked at him almost desperately—but what she was pleading for? He wasn't sure. He hoped she could reconsider her decision to keep him away. He hoped he could make things right.

"What are you doing, Adrien?" She used Adrien, not Chat Noir. Not who he was right now. For some reason, he liked that she had chosen to do so.

He offered her a wan smile. "I'm trying to fix things."

"What makes you think any of this is fixable?" Her question wasn't asked out of spite. Surprisingly, she was genuinely confused.

He shrugged, because he didn't know if it was. All he knew was that he wanted to try. "It doesn't hurt to try, does it?"

"So, now you want to try? After running away all this time?" Her unrelenting questions kept on coming. "What changed your mind, huh? Is it because you've decided to be honest with me, or is it because you now know I'm Ladybug?"

He shook his head even though Ladybug was partially a part of the reason. "It has nothing to do with the fact that you are Ladybug, but it does have to do with Ladybug as a person."

"Why?" She pressed skeptically.

"Because..." he let out a frustrated sigh through his nose. "You and I both know Chat Noir was super infatuated with Ladybug, and when Ladybug didn't return those feelings, Chat Noir was a bit heartbroken and tried to find comfort."

"So, you thought it would be okay to find comfort in a civilian?"

"No, I didn't think it was okay, but I didn't know what else to do." Chat Noir admitted truthfully. "I mean, who would I go to for comfort in something like that? Adrien couldn't possibly ask any of his friends for help, and Chat Noir didn't have anybody else besides Ladybug. The only other person who could help Chat Noir in any way was Marinette."

Ladybug swallowed uncomfortably. He could tell she was struggling to believe him. He couldn't blame her.

"I didn't mean to fall in love with Marinette." He continued on sadly when she remained silent. "That was never my intension. I was too hung up over Ladybug to even consider a relationship—that was why I rejected Marinette as Adrien. But then, Chat Noir fell in love with Marinette, and he couldn't stop himself. He made stupid decisions, and then felt guilty afterwards because he still had feelings for Ladybug."

"So, that's what this is all about?" She asked, sounding surprised. Her furrowed brows had lifted, revealing wide, blue-bell eyes. "You felt like you were cheating on me?"

He looked away from her then, nodding. He felt so ashamed of this. He really did.

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Her voice was soft as she asked him this. "We could've avoided so much if you would've just been honest with me. Did you really think I would be angry about this?"

"I was ashamed." He answered guiltily. "And of course I thought you would be angry. What kind of woman wouldn't be after finding out her so-called 'boyfriend' has feelings for someone else?"

Ladybug opened her mouth to object, probably to say that she wouldn't have been because Marinette and Ladybug were the same person, but that was only for this situation. Had they not been the same person, could she really say that she wouldn't have been upset?

"I'm sorry." He said when she didn't respond.

"I'm sorry too." Ladybug responded almost instantly. "You're not the only one who should've been honest. I...I should've told you sooner that I was Ladybug."

"And I should've told you from the beginning that I was Adrien."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence after that, unsure of what to say or do next. Now that the truth was out in the air, he did feel a bit relieved, but he also felt just as anxious. What if the truth changed nothing when it came to Marinette's decision?

Ladybug's audible sigh broke him from his thoughts. "I'm too tired for this. Let's just go home and talk about this more tomorrow, okay?"

Home. What did she mean by that? Was she offering he could come back to her apartment—?

"And I'm sorry, but no, you can't come stay at the apartment."

Almost instantly, his growing smile fell, revealing his disappointment. Ladybug, sensing this, struggled to keep her expression neutral. "I'm sorry but I just... I don't want to put myself in a position where I might make any more decisions based on emotions."

He knew what she meant. She was afraid she was going to give into her heart's desires, just as he feared he might do the same. It was probably a good idea if they stayed apart for now.

He nodded. "I understand."

She offered him a smile. It was nowhere close to reaching her eyes. "I promise we'll talk more about this tomorrow."

He tried his best to replicate that smile, but he was sure he failed poorly at it.

They were supposed to be parting ways now, but neither superhero budged. Ladybug was staring intensely into his eyes just as he was staring back into hers. There was longing in both of their irises. There was a desire there to reconnect. To become one again.

But they couldn't do that; not now. Not when they still had so much to resolve.

Sighing somewhat defeatedly, Ladybug finally unsheathed her yo-yo. As she twirled it on her finger, he was prepared to see her off with a sad smile...

But then, out of nowhere, a giant hand suddenly swung at them, causing the superhero duo to leap away just in time. The building they had been standing on crumbled into ash only seconds later, causing a mass destruction to their beloved city below. Thankfully, no one was nearby, but that didn't make it any less dangerous. Now, perched on a new rooftop, Ladybug's determined and focused gaze scanned their surroundings until she found the culprit.

Chat Noir's eyes widened in fear when his gaze also found the source.

A giant stood before them—but not just any giant. He looked like a Greek God, colored in a series of colors that resembled a thunderstorm with lightning bolts skimming down his arms in flashes that were sensitive to the human eye. Ladybug instantly readied her fighting stance, knowing exactly what was in front of her.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir," The giant's loud voice rumbled like thunder itself. "I am Foudre. Give me your miraculous, and I will spare you both from my deadly lightning bolt."

Chat Noir instantly recognized the dance he hadn't been a part of in five years. It was an akumatized victim. Hawkmoth was once again at work.

"Your deadly lightning bolt can kiss my spotted ass." Ladybug said. Chat Noir turned to look at her wide-eyed. "I will never give you my miraculous."

Foudre made his distaste in such a comment extremely known. He grumbled in fury and lifted a hand, presumably to strike at them again.

Chat Noir extended his baton, determination written in his features. He may have been rusty and in need of practice when it came to defeating akumatized villains, but he was not about to run. Chat Noir was going to stand his ground and he was going to stand beside his lady.

He was going to fight.

_______________________________

An epic battle is about to happen... hopefully I can write it as epic as I want it to be lol.

Tune in for chapter 16 on (8/19/2022) where Ladybug and Chat Noir must defeat an akumatized villain together after five years apart. It's not as easy as it seems, especially considering just how not-in-sync they are.

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