Unclean Hands 🫴🏻 (A Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction)

8 | The First Lie

Cat Noir stumbled back as he realized what he and done. He just killed his father. Not only that, but he used his powers, the same powers he used to help Ladybug and protect Paris.

As his back hit the wall, he fell to his knees and sobbed at his dead father's side. After a few minutes, his ring beeped and his transformation fell. Adrien took Cat Noir's place.

Plagg started with wide, horrified eyes at Gabriel Agreste's body. In all of history of past holders wielding the miraculous of the black cat, not one had actually killed someone—especially a human—with the destructive power of Cataclysm.

The kwami had only heard rumors of this, and he thought he would never see it happen.

Plagg faced his holder and noticed the tint of bruising around his neck. "Adrien—"

"I-I didn't mean to. I didn't want to. I... don't know what happened. I—" His shoulders shook. "I-I killed my own father..."

"From what I saw, Adrien, it looked like your father was going to kill you," His kwami whispered.

Adrien touched his neck. It wasn't the first time his father had strangled him.

Plagg sat on his knee. "It was self defense, Adrien."

He shook his head. "No, no. It wasn't. You're just trying to make me feel better.

"I was seconds away from doing the same thing myself, Adrien! You think I liked hiding and sitting by, watching as your father abused you for years? No! I wanted to hurt him every single time, but I couldn't at the risk of your secret identity." Plagg gave him a sad, reassuring smile. "You did what you had to, Adrien."

"No one's going to understand. No one's going to believe me."

"Sir!" A loud voice shouted from downstairs. "The car is packed. Are you ready to go?"

It was Nathalie calling for Gabriel.

Adrien's eyes widened. "Shit! My father's business trip!" He stood and ran out of the room, almost slamming straight into Nathalie on the staircase.

"Adrien, have you seen your father?" She asked, glancing behind him. "Our flight leaves soon."

"Uh..." He said the first thing that popped in his mind. "M-My father said he's going to take another flight. H-He wanted to talk with me about something important before he left."

Nathalie's eyebrows raised. Gabriel changed his mind? He's telling Adrien now? "He's finally having that talk with you? Good, good... umm, alright. I'll see you in a few days, Adrien."

A talk? What kind of talk? "Have a safe trip, Nathalie."

Adrien watched her leave, and as the front door shut, he ran back to his room. He walked back in and with sight of his dead father again, his stomach turned and he ran to the bathroom and threw up.

Plagg floated over and pat his back. "It's going to be okay, Adrien."

"How can you say that?" He snapped. "My father is dead! Because of me..." He threw up again.

"If it wasn't you who killed him, it would've been me," His kwami muttered.

Adrien flushed and wiped his cheek before he stood at the sink and rinsed his mouth out. He looked up and stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red from crying so much. He tilted his head back a little, tracing a gentle finger over the bruising on his neck.

His father did this to him. Surely, he deserved it?

Adrien stepped out of the bathroom and stared down at his father. "No one can know what really happened."

"You're going to lie about this?" Plagg asked. "Adrien, do you think that's smart?"

His hand balled in a fist as he stared at his father's lifeless body. He was angry—absolutely heartbroken—that his own father could treat him this way, could hate his own son so much. Gabriel never saw Adrien as his son, despite all his protections and precautions put in place all the young boy's life. He was just a means to an end, another puppet for his brand to control.

Adrien finally had enough.

"My father abused me for years. He hit me. He starved me. He said horrible things to me. He manipulated and controlled my entire life. Since the day I was born, I never had a choice. I was told what to say, where to be. What to eat, what not to eat. What to wear, how to pose. I have never been my own person because of my father. Even if he did all of that, he is still Gabriel Agreste. The most powerful and respected man in Paris. And I'm... I'm just a kid. No one would believe me."

"Adrien—"

"Besides, there's consequences for this kind of thing. I'd go to jail. How is that fair?! Why should I be punished for what he did to me?!"

Plagg took his holder's words to heart. For years the poor creature had been forced to endure the boy's abuse from his horrible father without being able to intervene. He could only sit and watch, helpless. "So, how are you going to explain this to everyone? Your father's expected in another country by tomorrow morning!"

"There's only one person who can help me." Adrien grabbed his phone. She'll understand.

His kwami saw her contact photo and his eyes widened. "What are you doing?!"

He dialed her number and raised a shaking hand to his ear. His phone almost slipped as he whispered, "Marinette, I need your help... my father is dead. You can't tell anyone."