Appreciating Chat Noir

Chapter Twenty-Six

Ladybug, Chat Noir, Carapace, and Rena Rouge all leaped across the Parisian rooftops in the evening dusk, a serious tone set over the group of what was to come. They went over the plan, and it was a good one. Now all they had to do was go to Hawkmoth's not-so-secret layer, confront him, and take him down.

It was easier said than done.

Chat Noir for example was trying desperately not to think about it too much considering how much had recently happened and what exactly they were going to do. If he thought about it too much he was going to scream or cry or both, and he didn't have the time nor space to feel safe enough to cry – not with the risk of being caught with an akuma.

He was trying not to think about the fact that he was leading a group of people to help him fight his dad who was secretly evil, he was trying not to think about the fact that his dad kicked him out of the house after refusing to change when he had been so close, and most of all he was trying not to think about the fact that if this failed, the whole world could end. It was far too overwhelming to contemplate.

Actually, he was trying not to think about anything at all.

Ladybug noticed his tense facial expression and grimaced. She really hoped he was okay. This was a pretty big deal and if he couldn't handle it then, she wasn't sure what was going to happen. This is Hawkmoth they were dealing with. And also, Adrien's dad of all people!

If they didn't take Hawkmoth down...

She shuddered at the thought. They had to. It was their only option.

The four superhero's saw the Agreste Mansion in the distance and paused for a moment on one of the rooftops. They all looked at one another.

"Is that it?" Rena Rouge asked, looking between Ladybug and Chat Noir. "Are you sure his hideout is in there?"

Ladybug glanced over at Chat Noir, gauging his reaction. He had a firm stoic look on his face; calm, but distinctly un-Chat Noir like. She figured he wasn't going to respond and answered the question. "Yeah, I'm sure."

Rena Rouge noticed this and squinted but didn't have much time to analyse it as Chat Noir was pulling out a map out of his pocket. He flattened it out and laid it on the roof so all four of them could see. It was the floor plans of the Agreste mansion.

"So, as you can see, here is the front entrance, the dinning room, and most importantly - the office. This is the room you are going to want to pay as much attention to. Inside is a painting of Mr. Agreste's late wife, and hiding behind it is the entrance to his lair. That is what we are going to be focusing on today." He finished his explanation only looking up to see if the others had received it. They were all giving him a strange look. It was as if they all knew. But they couldn't have known – Ladybug knew of course, but his other friends... Surely, they didn't know?

But upon closer inspection he remembered that Alya had been very perceptive in the past, it was a great mystery that she hadn't figured it all out much earlier. And Nino, what he missed in small hints and clues, he made up for by being a good friend.

"What?" He asked anyways. He was going to play obtuse to the very end if that is what it took to avoid talking about his dad being Hawkmoth.

"Chat Noir, I know this must be very hard for you. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Rena Rouge asked, speaking up for the group.

They knew. They had figured it out. Of course, they had – Alya and Nino are very smart people! He should have known they'd figure it out. And yet they weren't running away... His heart softened. And his eyes welled with tears. "Thanks for being there for me. I have to – I have to be there, you know? He threatened to do what it takes to get his wife back. He even threatened to destroy Paris, or the world. For a moment there he was so close to changing his mind. But then I lost him and now I'm afraid that if I don't do anything about it, Paris will be destroyed forever."