LadyBugOut AU (Snippets)

Self-Destruction

Adrien stared at Gabriel for a long moment, still in a daze, then slowly turned towards the door.

"...Wait--" Gabriel turned back to him. "Adrien, stop."

Adrien did as he was told, though he eased forward as he halted, perhaps too mentally exhausted to stand still properly. He didn't face Gabriel, but vaguely heard the footsteps coming towards him.

His right hand was grabbed. As Gabriel held it up, Adrien continued staring at nothing.

"Adrien," Gabriel began impassively, "you used to wear a ring. Where is your ring?"

Suddenly, the fog in Adrien's mind cleared. He snapped his gaze up towards Gabriel, glared, and jerked his hand away, all without a single thought to his actions.

Gabriel recoiled, shocked at the shift in behavior. He paused, then squinted, staring at Adrien with an emotion that Adrien couldn't recognize.

After an uneasy moment, Gabriel regained his usual demeanor, even turning his back to Adrien. He returned to his desk, then shuffled through the drawers, seeming intent on finding something.

When he walked back to Adrien, there was something held tightly in his fist. He took Adrien's hand again, though tighter this time, likely to discourage Adrien from doing the same as before. Adrien legitimately didn't realize that he was still glaring, or even that he'd been glaring in the first place.

Silently, Gabriel took what had been in his grasp and slipped it onto Adrien's hand. Adrien's anger transitioned into shock, and he could only gape at the white ring on his finger.

It was exactly where the cat miraculous had been too.

"Here." Though his tone was firm, Gabriel's gaze was directed elsewhere and he seemed to be in deep thought. "I can't have you being inconsistent with your attire."

Adrien didn't wait for him to say anything else. With an uncharacteristic huff, he turned away from Gabriel and stormed off.

Gabriel let him go, not even reprimanding Adrien for acting out.

Adrien slammed the door behind him as he entered his room. He didn't care whether or not anyone heard him. He was nearly seeing red, his Chat-side clearly bleeding into his civilian personality.

Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he tried to think, finding himself unable to process everything that'd happened in, what, the past few hours? What kind of sick joke was that?

His eyes scanning the room, Adrien took note of his computer. Even though the display was black, he knew that the computer was on, as his room had obviously been untouched.

After all, his window was still opened when he'd escaped as Chat. Naturally, Adrien grabbed the remote and shut it, not wanting to see it in his peripheral vision anymore.

He drew his gaze back to the computer, feeling as though the black screen was staring back at him.

...He had to know.

Walking over, he sat down at his computer desk and navigated to LadyBugOut's website. When he saw that there was a video posted extremely recently, his heart nearly stopped.

Hesitantly, he clicked on it.

The video opened with Ladybug, of course. She was staring into the camera, looking noticeably serious.

"Hello, everyone," she said, hands clasped at her waist. "A big change in the team has happened today, and I want everyone to know before they see it so it won't be as much of a shock."

Adrien sat there, anxious. He hoped more than anything else that someone else was replaced. He didn't want to hear that Ladybug had known about anything that happened.

Ladybug took a breath, then explained, "Chat Noir is no longer on the team. His miraculous has been taken away. Really, he was..." She paused, grimacing. "Well, I shouldn't go into the details."

She tilted her head, seeming to be thinking about something. "...Before I go, there's one more thing I want to say."

Tell them, m'lady, Adrien mentally begged, tell them how much you wanted me to stay.

"I know what some of you thought of Chat Noir, and maybe what the public as a whole thought of him. The idea of a new cat might have everyone feeling a little apprehensive, but the miraculous has already been given to someone."

Adrien felt as though he was falling.

Ladybug continued, "All I ask is that you all give them a chance. I don't know how well it will go yet, but I'm more than willing to give them a shot. I hope we'll get along and that we'll be able to take on Hawk Moth together."

She bowed her head, then smiled. "Anyway, that's all I needed to say. Bug out!"

The video stopped. Adrien initially flinched, shocked that it was just... the end, just like that.

That was it? That was all she had to say about him?

And she'd known, or at least she was aware after the fact. Maybe she was even the one who convinced Fu...?

No, that couldn't be. They were partners. They...

Adrien slumped on his desk, covering his face with his hands.

They weren't partners anymore. His miraculous had been taken and given to someone else before morning had even hit. Taking into account the way Ladybug had talked, Fu must've given the cat away and not her.

So this was probably a new cat that Ladybug didn't even know; that Ladybug wasn't even used to.

How ridiculous was that? Adrien knew Ladybug. They had a bond.

Ladybug just didn't understand that. She didn't listen to him even though he'd always given her his whole heart.

The atmosphere felt thick. It was hard to breathe. It was one thing to have his miraculous revoked, but to know that someone else had it practically confirmed that he was never getting that miraculous back.

Slowly, Adrien drew his gaze to Plagg's cheese stash, the stench of which was mildly permeating the door. He went over and opened it, staring silently at the abundance of cheese inside.

The room seemed so much quieter all of a sudden. Adrien clutched the door, feeling a sharp pain in his chest and the heat of anger rush to his head.

His freedom, gone. All because of a blog that was never necessary.

His kwami, gone. Plagg didn't even support him in their final moment together.

His miraculous, gone. He'd earned that miraculous, and it'd been taken from him.

And as a purple butterfly flew into the room, hovering just above Adrien's ring before seeping into it, Adrien himself was gone too.

Hello, Catastrophe. I am Hawk Moth.