Summary:
Adrien goes home after getting his ring taken.
Chapter Text
Adrien knew the feeling of being numb. After being disappointed so often by his father and the ragged schedule known as his life, Adrien began to expect things to not go his way. At the same time, getting numb got tiring after a while and he just let himself be upset instead.
But this? This was not something he expected, and the numbness had come right back. As he got lost multiple times, struggling to find his way home from where he'd been, all he could feel was the faint wind against his face and the phantom presence of something on his right hand that he dared not to investigate.
Deep down, he knew there was nothing there, so he didn't bother looking.
After what felt like an hour (maybe more), he arrived at his house and realized yet another issue he had to face: there was no way he could sneak back inside now.
If he'd been paying more attention while weighing his options, he would've noticed the camera watching him.
"Adrien!"
The voice made Adrien go stiff, briefly startled out of his numb state. He turned towards the camera, unable to see who was on the other end but unfortunately recognizing the voice.
"What do you think you're doing out there?!" Gabriel asked, his voice tense and angry. "Do you have any idea how late it is?!"
Honestly, he didn't.
There was the sound of Gabriel huffing, followed by the sound of tapping keys. "Come in immediately and see me in my office."
The gates to the mansion opened, Adrien begrudgingly trudging past them to go inside. Each step felt heavy and uneven, like he could fall over at any moment.
Nathalie opened the doors for him as soon as he arrived in front of them. She looked down at him disapprovingly, saying nothing but clearly knowing that Adrien was in for an earful.
Adrien looked up towards his room, noting Gorilla standing in front of the door. He looked tired, and Adrien could only reason that it must've been very late and he'd been keeping them up with his absence.
Silently, he walked into Gabriel's office, where Gabriel was standing quietly behind his desk, his back facing the portrait of Emilie. His monitor was clearly lit up, even though Adrien couldn't see what was on it. If Adrien had been a little more aware of himself and his own surroundings, he might've found it strange.
"Where have you been?" Gabriel asked coldly.
Adrien blinked, his usual posture traded out in exchange for being pathetically hunched over. He could only give a half-hearted shrug in response to Gabriel's question because, really, he'd been everywhere.
Gabriel's gaze sharpened at the "attitude" Adrien was giving him. He eyed Adrien up and down, then continued, "You've been sneaking out ever since you've been going to that school, and don't think I haven't heard about the things that have happened there. Will it be necessary to take you out?"
"...No," Adrien replied, though it actually took him a moment to think about it.
"No?" Gabriel echoed. "So you've finally realized that this behavior is doing nothing for you? After going behind my back multiple times to bring shame to the Agreste name, you've noticed how pointless it all is?"
Adrien had no response for him. Gabriel glared, obviously frustrated that Adrien had shut down in front of him and seemed insistent on staying quiet.
"Very well." Gabriel turned away. "Go. You're lucky you don't have any photoshoots in the near future, as I'm sure you won't get your standard amount of sleep."
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.