Keep the Mask, It Goes With Your Costume

~Chapter Eighteen: The Secret Identity~

Cat Noir was devastated at all he'd done to both Ladybug and Marinette. For at least an hour he went around the city trying to find some inspiration for a plan to save her, but he never did. And every time he came across some citizens they would flatter him and say how horrible it is that he has been treated poorly by Ladybug as he had described in the video, which didn't help. All these people were just reminding him how everyone would still hate Ladybug even if he did manage to save her. It was no use, and now that he thought of it, Hawkmoth had surely taken her miraculous by now. Would she even want to be saved by him? Would she ever even forgive him? He felt no point in even coming up with a plan with absolutely nothing to go off of, maybe it would just be better if they never saw each other again.

After he made it home he detransformed and flopped himself into his couch. His face turned red and he closed his eyes and took deep breaths to avoid crying. There was no way he would ever be able to find Ladybug, what was the point in even trying? Plagg was going to say something consoling, but it wasn't even a minute before there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Adrien said quietly, not even looking back to see who it was. Nathalie walked in.

"Adrien." She said, but then as she walked closer she realized that the poor boy was definitely upset about something. "What's wrong?" she asked, forgetting what she originally came in to ask him.

Adrien just shook his head, obviously he couldn't tell Nathalie he just made a deal with Hawkmoth and traded away Paris' most trusted protector. So he decided to bring up the other thing really bothering him.

"I miss Marinette so much." He told her quietly. Nathalie had no idea what to say, she barely knew Marinette other than as the girl who had gone missing and everyone in Paris made a big deal about it. Gabriel hadn't told Nathalie about Marinette's alter ego yet and how she was actually chained up in their basement along with his unconscious wife.

Gabriel was standing in the doorway, listening to his son brake down. He had just finished talking to Ladybug and left her alone to cry. And with his son crying because that same young lady was missing made him upset. Part of him saw himself in Adrien, both of them missing someone so much and willing to probably do anything for them. It hurt to see Adrien hurt over the pain he also felt, especially when he knew where Marinette was.

Gabriel didn't want to listen more, so he slowly walked away to his office. Nooroo flew out of his jacket. "Master, Adrien is really hurting and Marinette shouldn't have to deal with this kind if choice. They're both just teenagers master you're going to hard."

"Nooroo this is the only way we can get Emilie. If Ladybug lets me have her miraculous all of us will be happy and I will even let you go, she just has to agree." He tried to convince.

"Master your son is breaking over the loss of his friend."

"I know Nooroo!" he snapped. "But Ladybug is not leaving until I have her miraculous!"

Nooroo froze, scared to speak again now that Gabriel was angry, lest he block off the poor Kwami's voice.

"Uhg" Gabriel said, he didn't want to get angry but he knew this was what he had to do. "This is what I'm doing Nooroo, and Ladybug will agree for the good of all of us."

Nooroo knew he couldn't let Gabriel go through with this plan. Even if Ladybug agreed like Hawkmoth suggested, it will never be happy for everyone, there will always be a price to pay, and a loss for someone.

~

So that night as Gabriel lay asleep in his bed, Nooroo made the difficult decision he knew he had to make. Forgetting about the rule, Nooroo tried flying away, only to get stopped by the invisible wall keeping him close to Hawkmoth so he couldn't escape. But the Kwami was determined, and made a seriously risky move. Nooroo slowly pulled off Gabriel's miraculous and set it on the nightstand, then flew down to the Agreste Basement.