Under The Mask 🎭 (a Miraculous Ladybug Fanfic)

-32- Playing Mom and Dad

"I think Hawk Moth is your father."

Adrien's heart drops and his eyes widen. "W-What?" No. It couldn't be true. "Marinette, you've already had this suspicion before and you were wrong. Hawk Moth akumitized my father."

"What if he akumitized himself?" Marinette asks, reaching for Adrien's hand to calm him down. "To throw us off. It'd make sense."

"No!" Adrien snatches his hand free and turns around. "It can't be my father."

"Adrien." As Marinette steps forward, Master Fu grabs her hand, shaking his head no. She steps back, frowning.

Plagg floats in front of Adrien as he starts to cry. "Adrien...?"

"If Hawk Moth is my father, then that means he hurt innocent people," He whispers, reaching up to wipe under his eyes. "He hurt people I love and care about. How could I ever forgive him for that?"

"It's just another theory," Marinette says, ignoring Master Fu and walking over to Adrien. She cups his face and makes him look up at her. "And what do we do when we have a theory?"

Adrien starts to smile. "We test it out."

"Exactly. So, for now just think of your father as a suspect until we have proof." Marinette steps up and kisses him on the cheek.

"If Hawk Moth is Gabriel Agreste, then it's far too dangerous for you to stay at home, Adrien," Master Fu tells him.

"But my father won't hurt me," Adrien whispers, looking away. "I'm his son."

Master Fu sighs. "We have to be very careful. If we're right and Gabriel finds out you're Cat Noir, all of Paris is in danger."

"How are we going to even see if my father is Hawk Moth?" Adrien snaps, crossing his arms over his chest. "My father keeps his office locked like a fortress. I'm not even allowed in there unless he is."

Marinette smirks. "Then we'll have to break in."

Adrien and Master Fu turn to Marinette. "What?"

"There has to be a way can we distract your dad long enough to snoop around his office," She says like it's the simplest thing in the world.

"Well, my father has a safe behind the painting of my mother," Adrien starts, rubbing his chin as he thinks. "Plagg can unlock it again and we can search through it."

Master Fu shakes his head. "No! It's far too dangerous!"

"What else are we supposed to do, Master Fu?" Marinette asks.

"Right now? Be teenagers!" Master Fu starts pushing them out of the room. "I promise I'll think of a plan, one that isn't going to risk your lives. Right now go and... get some ice cream or something."

Marinette and Adrien try to stop him from closing the door. "But Master Fu!"

Master Fu slams the door shut.

"Well, then..."

Adrien turns and faces Marinette. "Now we can go somewhere and talk. About everything."

"Yeah..." Marinette smiles. How could Cat Noir been Adrien all this time? "Race you to the Eiffel Tower?"

Adrien smirks.

"PLAGG, CLAWS OUT!"

"TIKKI, SPOTS ON!"

Ladybug and Cat Noir race to the Eiffel Tower, leaping and jumping over the buildings. They look over at each other and smile. Ladybug blows Cat Noir a kiss and he stops, mesmerized. He runs into a billboard of Adrien.