Getting back out of the Black Wood was... difficult, to say the least. Adrien wasn't prepared for how differently Ladybug would treat him, just because he looked a little different on the outside. His prowess hadn't changed, nor had the magic in his sword that won every battle. Yet the huntress seemed insistent on protecting him at every angle, instead of their usual 50-50 partnership.

It got to be so bad, that one time he completely lost his temper at her. "Don't treat me like a girl!" he had snapped, causing Marinette to jolt with guilt and apology. She tried, she really did. However, the chemistry just wasn't there anymore. It made him feel ill.

Adrien supposed he couldn't blame her for having trouble adjusting. He felt like he wanted to crawl out of his own skin in revulsion. He could hardly stand to look at himself, much less feel the foreign and alien landscape of his own body. Now he understood the wrongness that had plagued him his entire life. No matter what his father or his mother said, he knew what he was now. They would never take that away from him. Not ever.

They barely made it out of the Black Wood with their skins intact. With supplies diminished and both bruised and exhausted, they scraped by to the closest town and used his 'filthy' stolen money to let a room to sleep for a whole week. Marinette didn't even make a peep of complaint.

When they were sufficiently recharged, the pair of them took stock of their situation.

"We can't just go after him in his tower," Marinette reasoned, the pair of them discussed over some rather tepid stew. "You saw what he did before. He completely destroyed us without even trying. Did you learn any weaknesses of his when you were, er, growing up with him?"

It was a little difficult not to make a snarky remark. Adrien reigned it in, trying to not let his circumstances rule him. "Believe me, if I did, I would tell you. What I do know is that he can phase in and out at will. He's a fiend at magic. The only thing that seems to make a dent on that curse he put on me is this ribbon," he gestured to the black knot that tied back his ponytail.

That was when Marinette's eyes lit up. "That's right! Fairy magic! It was fairy magic that made your mother sleep and kept her safe from him. ...Relatively," she added, a disgusted pull tugging at both their stomachs. "We should ask our fairy godparents!"

That took Adrien aback. "Uh... okay? Sure? If we could find them."

"Oh, yeah. Tikki's back at my parents' house," Marinette said simply. "She likes their cookies."

The blond stared. "...What?"

"You don't talk to your fairy godparent?" the huntress asked innocently.

"Um... no," Adrien replied slowly. The little black fairy had shown up for all of about ten minutes, barely explained a thing, demanded cheese, then took off. He hadn't seen hide or hair of him since. Might've been nice to have advice while he was out in the real world for the first time.

"...Oh," Marinette intoned awkwardly. A beat passed. "W-well, we can talk to Tikki! She's really sweet! You'll like her!"

With that plan in place, they headed out to the center of the kingdom where Marinette's parents resided. The Ladybug books told Adrien that his Lady was raised by a family of foxes in an magical wood. However, that turned out not to be the case as they approached a humble bakery that was filled with the smell of delicious pastries. Oh ho, so this was where Marinette learned to bake. Adrien was more than a little smug to learn something that no one else knew, watching as Marinette called out to the couple working the stall out front. "Maman, Papa!"

A hugely impressive man and a small friendly faced lady came out to greet her with wide smiles. "Marinette! You're home!" her mother cried, gathering her daughter up into her arms, soon followed by her father. That was when they noticed Adrien. "Oh? Who's this? A friend of yours?"

"Um, y-yes!" the huntress replied, her cheeks warm. "A friend. Yup, she is."

"He."

All three looked to Adrien, who had spoken up. Unapologetically, he reiterated, "I prefer he."

"Ah, r-right," Marinette laughed weakly. "He's a friend. His name is Adrien."

Marinette's parents exchanged a brief look, then took another look at Adrien's unmistakably feminine body. However, they otherwise they seemed to take this in stride. "Er, right!" Marinette's father spoke up. "Well, welcome to our home, young... man. Come in, come in. We still have some food leftover from breakfast."

After they were sufficiently stuffed to the hilt and Adrien was interrogated to grossly personal levels, Marinette took them out to the little grove where Tikki liked to stay. The little patch of trees was quiet, filled with fairy stars that twinkled above a small pool, reminding him of the cottage in the Black Wood. "Tikki! Tikki!" Marinette called, holding out a tray of cookies.

A second later, a little red blur appeared. A tiny fairy appeared before them, smiling brightly at her visitors. "Marinette!" Tikki cooed, nuzzling her goddaughter's cheek. "It's so good to see you! How have your adventures been!"

"Aha... yeah, about that," Marinette said with a strained smile.

That was when Tikki noticed Adrien. "Oh!" she chirped excitedly, "You're Plagg's boy!" The blond's eyes widened, surprised and delighted that he was recognized from the start.

"You know Plagg?" he asked excitedly.

"Oh, of course I know him!" the fairy smiled. "He and I go way back. We're both fairy godparents for your mother actually."

Marinette and Adrien exchanged a look. "That's exactly what we need to talk to you about," the huntress said, settling down to tell Tikki the whole story.

An empty plate of cookies later, Tikki's friendly face was grave. "Oh dear," she murmured, looking between the two Fairy-blessed who sat before her. "This is not good." At their expectant looks, she elaborated, "Normally, a Fairy-blessed will only have one fairy godparent. Adrien, your mother has seven. This attracted many suitors back in her day, including your father. Hawkmoth. She fell in love with him, seduced by his sweet words. However, he was only interested in her potential power. To that end, all her godparents came together and decided that the only way to prove he was a fraud was if she was put under a sleeping curse, to be awakened only by true love's kiss. Of course, Hawkmoth failed and she was kept safe from his fiendish plots."

"But... she wasn't safe," Adrien whispered.

"I know..." Tikki whispered, her eyes full of regret. "Plagg had predicted it. He was never a fan of the plan. He wasn't the type for true love's kiss. I'm sure that's why he took an interest in you, Adrien." Shaking her head, the fairy spoke, "In any case, now that Hawkmoth does have her, this means we are all in grave danger."

"So how do we stop him?" Adrien asked, leaning in earnestly.

"Normally, with all of the Fairy-blessed together," Tikki replied, before she shook her head. "Unfortunately, we don't have enough time to gather everyone. You two will have to do. Plagg and I will strengthen your blessings. The only way to defeat him is with Fairy magic. You'll have to work together if you stand a chance. Understood?" Both of them nodded. "Good," Tikki chirped. "Now wait here a moment while I fetch Plagg." With that, she zipped down into her pool, making not a ripple in the water as she disappeared.

At the prospect of seeing his fairy godfather again, Adrien felt his blood alight with anticipation. He clutched his knees, feeling his fingers tremble with nerves. Maybe, just maybe, Plagg could fix his problem. Just like he had before. He'd be whole again. Right again. He felt a hand over his and he gave a small jolt. His green eyes flicked up, meeting Marinette's hopeful smile. One of his own quickly answered.

A moment later as promised, Tikki reappeared out of the pool. Along with her came a very grumpy, black kittenish fairy. Marinette gasped. "Oh he's so cute!"

Adrien paled. Oh no.

"Cute?!" Plagg screeched in a puff of black outrage. "I am not cute! I am a great and powerful fairy king! The most powerful of them all! How dare you call me cute?!" That was when Plagg's green eyes alighted on the blond. "And you! Why are you broken again?! What happened to the ribbon I gave you!"

"Hey, don't call her- uh, him broken!" Marinette snapped, ineffectually jumping to his defense. Adrien supposed it was the thought that counted.

Tilting his head, Adrien showed off the damaged ribbon. "My father sliced it in half. Marinette tried to fix it, but..." He stilled as Plagg zipped over, examining his fairy gift.

Tsking in annoyance, the black fairy huffed. "Well, now it's ruined. It took me years to make that! Now there's only one way to fix it!'

"How?" the blond demanded, looking up at his godparent. "Tell me how!"

However, the fickle fairy only scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "Ugh, it's so annoying. I don't want to tell you. Figure it out for yourself." Adrien and Marinette could only gape at him. This fairy was worlds apart from the friendly red fairy that had blessed the huntress with her gifts.

"Are you kidding me?! This is my life we're talking about!" Adrien howled, ready to reach out and strangle his supposed fairy godparent. However, he was turning out to be much more like a fairy nightmare. "I need to go back to normal!"

Tikki coughed delicately. "Adrien, I'm sorry. You won't be able to force him to tell you. You should try him when he's in a better mood." Before Adrien could argue that he couldn't even find Plagg, she continued, "In any case, we don't have time to waste. Plagg, his ring."

Still grumbling, Plagg went to the black ring on Adrien's finger, pressing a tiny paw to it. Just as Tikki went to do the same to Marinette's earrings. Power throbbed from the tiny fairy down into the vessel, sending a chill through the blond's hand and arm as it spread. "Done," the black fairy declared. "You now have my power of destruction. You'll be able to take whatever Hawkmoth can throw at you."

"And you have the power of creation," Tikki smiled to her charge. "Whatever you can think of, you'll be able to create." Marinette's nodded, holding out her hands. A red dagger appeared. She smiled as she gave it an experimental wave. "Only one thing at a time though," the fairy warned.

Adrien was envious for all of a half-second, before he held out his own hands. Black energy formed, bubbling up like small spores. Experimentally he picked up a leaf from the ground. It withered instantly between his fingers, disintegrating into dust.

"I don't think I need to tell you to be careful," Plagg drawled, eyeing the blond with an inscrutable look.

"I know," Adrien replied softly, fisting his hands and letting the power go. A dark determination grew in him, making his eyes fierce and his expression grim. "Plagg?" he questioned, "The powers of Chat Noir you gave me. Did you mean for me to go to the Black Wood?"

The little black fairy regarded him for a long moment. Then he turned away. "She shouldn't have had to sleep forever because of a mistake we made."

That was confirmation enough. Adrien nodded solemnly. "Okay," he spoke, rising up from the ground. Double-checking his power was off, he held out a hand to Marinette to help her up. "We should get going."

~o~

Marinette watched Adrien out of the corner of her eye, while the pair of them traveled through the dense forest valley that surrounded Hawkmoth's tower. She worried for he- uh, him. Him, him, she reminded herself. Pronouns aside, she was very worried. Her light and happy Adrien was gone, becoming consumed by a darkness that seemed to eat away at her (him) every day they drew nearer to the stone tower. She wanted to blame Plagg, for the powers that he bestowed on his charge. However, Adrien was already depressed and moody even before that. Ever since he became she, back in the Black Wood. He, yes, he loathed mirrors (any reflective surface really), was revolted by simple acts of hygiene, and generally just hated himself to the point that it broke her heart.

Marinette wished that there was something she could do, but she feared that she was only part of the problem. Adrien was right. She did treat he-him differently. She didn't even have any excuse for it. She'd encountered more than one cursed individual in her travels. This was no different, though it was still ambiguous whether Adrien was actually cursed or not. The problem was that she wasn't in love with any of them. Before all this, she had thought for sure that if she were in the position that she had to look past a physical deformation to break a curse, she had the heart to do it. Now, she really wasn't so sure and it made her absolutely disgusted with herself.

Now Adrien was just so lost, so angry, so... broken.

What kind of hero am I? Marinette wondered, suddenly furious with herself. If the readers of Alya's penny-novels knew that she was like this, they wouldn't think to cheer her name. Odsbodkin, Adrien had been one of those readers and she had let him down in the cruelest way imaginable. Her lips set into a thin determined line. She was going to have to fix this.

Tentatively, the huntress reached out a calloused hand, wrapping Adrien's delicate fingers up in hers. So focused on his own thoughts, the blond gave a fierce start at the touch, looking up at her in bewilderment. Another barb of guilt joined the others that Adrien should be so surprised at receiving such a simple touch. Marinette grinned and squeezed his hand, wordlessly walking with him hand in hand through the underbrush. When no explanation was forthcoming, Adrien's cheeks bloomed into a bright blush, ducking his head down as a tiny, giddy smile spread across his lips.

There you are, Marinette smiled, her heart glowing as she finally recognized her Adrien in this sullen companion of hers. It was such a small act. She could do so much more to be loving and supportive. And she would. She would do all those things. Anything it took to bring her sweet and happy blond back.

The first of which was to rescue his mother.

The pair of them were only able to revel in the renaissance of their tender relationship for about a day before they came to the base of the tower. The stone structure spun to dizzying heights, nearly touching the clouds. There was not a door anywhere but there were arrowslit windows lower down and then what Adrien assured her were observation windows at the very top. A dark vortex spun slowly above them in the sky, the tower at its center.

"...That doesn't look safe," Marinette noted, her neck craning up to peer up at the tower and the sky above.

"Magic's keeping it up. It's not nearly this tall on the inside besides," Adrien replied, his expression dark. "The vortex is new. We should hurry, Milady." A moment later, he turned into Chat Noir, while the huntress brought out her yo-yo.

"This one's going to be a doozy," Marinette said, having not scaled anything quite this high before. She threw her yo-yo upwards, watching as the nearly infinite line whizzed through the air. It caught onto something, although she wasn't quite sure if it was all the way at the top or only part of the way. She held out an arm, gesturing for Adrien to hang onto her. "C'mon, let's go."

"...Are you sure about this?" Adrien asked dubiously, giving a very worried glance at the questionable thin black line that faded into nothingness from afar.

"What? I thought cats were supposed to land on their feet," Marinette teased, causing her companion to huff. "How did you get down last time?"

"Made a rope from my cut hair and then tried to climb down the rest of the way as Chat Noir. I slipped near the bottom," the blond replied flatly. "I nearly died."

Ah. "W-well, this is almost totally safe!" the huntress assured him. "Just hang onto me, kitty. I won't let you fall." Looking no less doubtful, Adrien latched tightly onto her waist. With a tug, the line began to reel them upwards and the pair rappelled up the stone wall to ascend the tower.

An hour later, they came to the horrifying realization that the fairy yo-yo had not actually made it all the way up. Instead it had snagged onto one of the tiny arrowslits that dotted the tower. Halfway up, they were at a point where when one looked either up or down, either end of the tower narrowed in perspective from the sheer distance.

"Odsbodkin," Marinette cursed, as they hung in the inbetween, while Adrien began to sweat in terror. His eyes fixed on the forest below, probably imagining all too well the nice splat noise their bodies would make at this height. The huntress looked to the arrowslit above them where her yo-yo connected. "Adrien, think you can hang onto that while I reel and throw again?" she asked, looking down at her companion, only to double-take when she saw his hand crackle with black energy. "Adrien, what are you- That's not safe!"

"Don't care, don't care, don't care!" he cried, pressing his palm against the stone wall. At once, the stone began to crumble and disintegrate, including the wall beneath their feet. They suddenly swung helplessly in the air as the disintegration threatened to spread up to the arrowslit still keeping them anchored.

"No, no, no!" Ladybug cried, using their combined weight to swing into the tower before they fell to their deaths. The arrowslit crumbled, just as they swung into the interior of the tower, sending them flying against the opposite wall and toppling onto the winding wooden stairs. "Ow..." Marinette groaned, feeling the corners of the steps dig and splinter into her back. "Let's not do that again."

"I'm not sure we're going to get the chance," Adrien whispered, as the tower creaked ominously from the gaping hole in its structure and defenses. If Hawkmoth didn't know they were there, they had just announced themselves in the most conspicuous way possible.

"Well, there goes the element of surprise," Marinette muttered, as the pair of them readied their weapons.

Not a moment later, the tall purple and black clad figure flew down from the height of the tower, floating in the empty space around which the staircase wound. The sorcerer looked to the damaged tower, before he turned an infuriated gaze on the two teens. "You again?" he hissed, sneering at them as if they were worms. "One would have thought you would have learned from last time. Especially you, Adrienne." Without warning, he sent two black butterflies in their direction with a flick of his palm.

Adrien growled, his sword taking on a black hue as his destructive power extended to it. With two quick slashes, he cut the insects down. Their wings fell like petals before they disintegrated into dust. "Don't call me that name!"

Hawkmoth sniffed, taking pause to examine the pair of them. "I shall call you whatever I please, daughter." Both his arms lashed out, sending a swarm of butterflies that filled the air all around them. They were too many to hit, even with Adrien's power and his sword.

Without thinking, Marinette thrust her hands outwards. A thin red bubble engulfed them, keeping the butterflies at bay like a protective shield. Even so, it was unnerving to see the light all around them blotted out by thousands of crawling insectoid bodies and legs. "Okay, is that all he can do?" the huntress asked, glancing at Adrien's glowing green eyes.

"Offensively? Beats me," the blond admitted. "Hold up a second." He put his palms up against the red bubble, feeling the way the viscous surface flexed underneath his fingers. A moment later, the butterflies all around them began to crumble, coating the red bubble in gray dust. "Ha! Suck on that!" he crowed triumphantly.

"Now that's using your head," Marinette grinned, letting the bubble pop. They faced Hawkmoth again, who was livid with anger. "There's no point sending more of those things after us," she called to the sorcerer. "Just tell us where Eglantine is."

The masked sorcerer merely tsked at them, flying up to the top of the tower without a word. That was when the wooden steps beneath their feet began to rattle and give. The pair of them shrieked as they began to tumble downwards. Which was when Marinette thrust her hands below them and they both landed in a painful heap on top of a red platform. "What the-" Adrien looked below them. "You can do that?! Why didn't you do that outside the tower?!"

"Give me a break, I'm still learning," the huntress grumped, before her eyes widened. "Watch out!" She grabbed Adrien's head, shoving him down as a wooden step sailed through the air like a javelin. Soon followed by another and another as the interior of the tower began to fall to pieces.

Pushing himself up, Adrien hissed, "I am really starting to get sick of this!" Taking his rapier out, he slashed at each block that flew towards them, sending clouds of dust scattering in his wake.

Meanwhile, Ladybug looked instead to where their real opponent had gone. Where he had come from when they entered the tower. "We need to get up there," Marinette said, using her yo-yo once more to fling it to the top of the tower. Wrapping an arm around Adrien's slender waist, she tugged on the line and sent them hurtling up towards the ceiling, causing the blond to make an undignified yowl of surprise.

The yo-yo had latched onto a support beam just below the trap door that led up to what used to be Adrien's bedroom. With nothing below them besides crumbling stone, Marinette created another platform below the hatch. "You ready?" she asked, putting a hand to Adrien's shoulder. "We don't know what's up there."

"Ready, Milady," the blond promised, eyes set with determination.

With a nod, Marinette shoved the trap door upwards and they climbed up to the highest room of the tower. All around them, bright light beamed in from the large observation windows, diminished only by the dark swirl of clouds that circled above them. The wind pushed outwards and whipped at their red and black cloaks, forcing them to steady their footing. At the center of all this stood two figures. One was Hawkmoth, who loomed over his prisoner. Eglantine stood before a black crystal ball placed on a pedestal, her hands clasped over the dark orb as the winds churned around them. She looked different than before, not from the starlit blue dress and tiara she wore, but from the way her green eyes were glazed and empty.

"What did you do to her!" Adrien snarled, gripping his rapier tightly.

"That is nothing you need to know," Hawkmoth replied coolly. He put a gloved hand to Eglantine's shoulder, speaking gently to her, "My love, I'll take over. Do be a dear and take care of these pests for me."

"Of course, Gabriel," Eglantine replied woodenly, stepping away from the orb. As the sorcerer resumed what foul ritual he had afoot, Eglantine stepped out in front of the pair. She wielded a beautiful blue and green peacock fan. No doubt one of the fairy gifts she'd been given by one of her many fairy godparents.

Marinette went cold. Her eyes snapped over to Adrien, who had gone alarmingly white. Neither of them had ever expected they would have to fight the very person they were here to rescue.

Before either of them could react, Eglantine waved her fan toward them. A powerful blast of air sent both of them flying straight towards the observation windows. Adrien managed to claw onto the frame of one window, while Marinette used her yo-yo to grapple one pillar and slammed unceremoniously into the side of the tower.

Grunting in pain and effort, Marinette scrabbled up the stone wall. She grasped Adrien by the scruff of his cloak, trying to shake some sense into the blond as he froze paralyzed in terror attached to the side of the tower. "Adrien, I got you. Don't look down," she hissed, glancing upwards to the open window. "Someone needs to stop Hawkmoth from- from whatever it is he's doing. Maybe if you knock him out, that will stop whatever enchantment he's got over your mother. I'll distract her and cover you. Got it?"

"G-g-got it," Adrien replied, his teeth chattering. Despite her warning, he looked down and let out a terrified whimper.

"Okay, I'm going to let you go now," the huntress said, "I'll go round to the other windows. Can you get up on your own?" He nodded frantically, in spite of his fear. "Good kitty," Marinette smiled, kissing the top of his head. Then she let go and ran along the outside of the tower, towards the observation windows opposite the blond. Creating another tilted platform in mid-air, she jumped on that to propel herself back into the tower.

"Hey!" she called out to Hawkmoth and Eglantine's backs. "You missed!" Eglantine turned to face her, lips set in a grim line as she opened her fan once again.

~o~

Meanwhile, on the other side of the tower, Adrien braced himself for declawing his hands out of the stone handholds he'd managed to find purchase on. How had he ever thought it was a good idea to sleep this high up the tower? Did he have some kind of death wish? Well, perhaps a little one at the time. Now, however, he very, very, very much wanted to live.

C'mon, move it! he scolded himself, knowing he couldn't very well stay stuck to the side of the tower forever. Steeling his nerves, he peeled himself off the stone and carefully clambered back into the tower. On the opposite end of the room, Ladybug was making due on her promise to distract his mother. She fought as though she had wings, her red cloak billowing in the air as she sailed fearlessly in the air thousands of feet above the forest below, primarily using her yo-yo and her creativity to keep from plunging to her death. Adrien couldn't help but stare in complete awe, a blush spreading over his cheeks as his heart gave a warm pitter-patter.

Reluctantly, he shook it off. Now was not the time to be distracted. Instead, his green eyes focused on Hawkmoth, who was similarly distracted by his Red Lady. His hands were still placed on the orb in the center of the room, which had only grown darker and more sinister in the moments that passed.

Adrien had no idea what would happen if he simply destroyed the thing. However, seeing as it was the one thing he was terribly good at, it was as good a plan as any. Creeping along the floor with his Chat Noir stealth, he left the darkness form in his palms as he readied himself to pounce on the orb.

"Daughter," Hawkmoth's cold voice ran over him, sending a chill down his spine. His father peered back at him, eyes narrowing. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

Adrien didn't let himself be goaded. Not this time. Instead, he lunged, catching the base of the pedestal that the orb sat on. It began to disintegrate just like everything else. He looked up smugly to see his father's expression. His smile dropped when he realized that the masked sorcerer had simply lifted the orb up and cradled it in his hands. Gritting his teeth, Adrien pushed himself up to his feet, drawing his silver rapier out to attack.

"You are truly getting tiresome, child," his father spoke, his mouth set into a snarl. "Exactly what do you think to accomplish here?"

"Rescuing my mother and stopping you!" Adrien snapped, lunging forward to thrust his rapier at the orb. His attack just barely missed, as Hawkmoth sidestepped the assault.

"Really?" the sorcerer asked in bemusement. "Is that what you really want? After all, you seem to be under some misguided delusion that you were born in the wrong body." His lips formed into a cold, calculating smile. "That is something that I could fix for you."

That stopped Adrien in his tracks. "What?" he whispered, shock running through him.

"Oh, that got your attention, did it?" Hawkmoth drawled. "Yes, it would be mere child's play, as soon as the Orb of Carabosse is finished. I could remake you into whatever you want. Permanently. No ridiculous fairy ribbon required."

Adrien stared wide eyed at his father. His green eyes crept down to his body. No, he was deluding himself. Her body. The body she'd grown up with. The body she hated and reviled. The body that disgusted her, made her feel alien in her own skin. The body that Plagg gave no guarantee that she could free herself from. Just some vague chance that he'd spat out in contempt and annoyance.

No. No, don't listen to him, Adrien willed her-himself. He wouldn't let this foul sorcerer control him again. Not ever. Not even with what he wanted most. Gritting his teeth, he shoved all temptation away as he lunged again, carrying on a full out assault against his father. His silver rapier made contact, the fairy gift slicing flesh where once was air, all aiming for the evil orb.

Letting out a snarl of frustration, Hawkmoth called out to his prisoner. "Eglantine! To me!" His mother turned towards them with vacant eyes, ignoring Ladybug behind her. "Kill her!"

Eglantine nodded, snapping the fan closed. Then with a wave of her arm, the air around her shimmered like metal, a hundred lethal darts poised right at Adrien. "No!" Marinette cried, just as Adrien realized what was about to happen.

Everything happened in slow motion. Thousands of feet in the air, Ladybug ignored the platform that she was supposed to be standing on, instead thrusting her hands out in Adrien's direction. A red shield erected in front of him, just in time for Adrien to see Marinette plummet out of sight. He screamed as the shield in front of him pounded from the barrage of wind darts.

The shield faded, leaving his vision unhindered to find out the horrible truth. He was alone on top of the tower with only Hawkmoth and Eglantine standing before him. There was no ball of red and black tied to the arched windows.

Marinette was gone.

His Lady was gone.

Adrien trembled, his hands shaking as pure fury lapped at his insides, vision spinning until all he could see was red. The dark energy around his hands crackled and burst into black flames. He fell completely and utterly into the Black Cat, his pupils cut into small slits and his fingers curled up into claws. Hawkmoth didn't even have time to react, when Chat Noir pounced on him, screaming as those claws raked into his arm. His skin boiled and pussed, oozing in fleshy globs onto the ground.

"Kill it! Kill it!" Hawkmoth howled.

Chat Noir was only dimly aware of the pinpricks of pain all along his back, though the coppery scent of blood only drove his animal instincts further. Tearing the black bauble from his prey's arms, he crushed the ball until it shattered into thousands of glass shards. Poisonous energy released in a sinister miasma all along the floor, making it impossible to breathe. He was beyond caring as his claws tore into the sorceror who writhed in agony.

Finally, both hands clamped onto either side of Hawkmoth's face. His mask cracked as the dark veins spread through his skin and over the silver facade. It crumbled away, revealing the gaunt and ancient face within. It contorted into a silent howl, jaw bubbling and falling away as the skin melted away into a shiny white skull. The bone disintegrated as well, crumbling into dust on the floor. The wind gusts sent it scattering along the floor, until there was nothing left of the sorcerer.

Adrien panted harshly, finally coming back to himself as his vengeance was fulfilled. His head spun, the air thick with the smell of blood and gore. His back was numb, he could barely move. Chat Noir fell away completely as the blond suddenly slumped forward onto the wooden slats. His ears rang with a high pitched tinny sound, muffling the voices that screamed his name.

"Adrienne!"

"Adrien!"

Dizzy, lightheaded, he closed his eyes and darkness took him.

~o~

The smell of baked goods permeated the warm air, smells of home and comfort. It did little to bring Marinette any solace. She spent her days helping out in the bakery with her parents. Her nights were spent by a certain blond's bedside, keeping an eye on the prone figure for signs of wakefulness.

Weeks had passed since Hawkmoth's demise, weeks since the three of them escaped from the crumbling tower with their lives. Weeks since they made their way to the only place that Marinette could think of, her parents' home where they were welcomed with open arms and anxious faces. In all that time, Adrien never woke. Gruesomely injured by his own mother's hand, Marinette did all that she could to heal his neck and spine. Then spent countless hours after they arrived at her parents' healing him more. Physically, he was fine. So Tikki and Plagg said. He just wouldn't wake.

Exhausted and sick at heart, Marinette entered Adrien's room to find Eglantine hovering over her child's bed. The teenaged mother seemed to have aged decades since the the fight, her face haggard with worry and guilt. She combed her fingers through Adrien's hair, which had stopped growing since the day Hawkmoth was killed. The rest of him though...

Eyeing the delicate shoulders and the small mounds underneath the sheets, that too feminine face, Marinette moved to place a hand on Eglantine's shoulder. "You should get some rest."

"Just a little longer," Eglantine murmured, cupping Adrien's cheek. Her eyes were always hot and wet, threatening to brim with tears. She hiccuped, pressing a kiss to Adrien's fingers. "My poor baby," she whispered, her heart breaking in her words, "my sweet baby girl."

"Boy," Marinette cut in, more sharply than she intended. "He's a boy."

Eglantine gave her a dull look over her shoulder. It only made the huntress angrier. "Why can't you accept his feelings!" Marinette hissed. "He never thought of himself as a girl! He hated it!"

"What do you know? You're not her mother."

"No, but I know him far better than you! And I love him!" the huntress snapped, her eyes lighting with fire. "Why do you think he doesn't want to wake up? He needs to be accepted for what he is inside! You're the one that's keeping him asleep!"

Eglantine flinched violently, but Marinette wasn't going to apologize. She stood her ground, arms folded over her chest, eyes livid. After a tense moment of silence, Eglantine rose from her seat and left with a terse, "Excuse me."

Glaring at her back until the door closed, Marinette turned back to Adrien as her shoulders slumped with fatigue. That conversation was more common than not. As she always did, she took the chair beside Adrien's bed, taking his hand in hers. "Adrien," she whispered, "please come back." As she always did, she leaned over him, pouring all her heart and soul into the kiss she pressed to his lips. However, as always, he didn't wake. Tears brimmed from her eyes, making her vision blurry. Droplets fell onto Adrien's cheeks, even then unmoved. "Why...?" she sobbed, clutching his hand desperately. "Why am I not enough?"

Hours later, after she cried her heart out, Marinette went to find Tikki in her grove, hoping for some comforting words. No doubt Plagg would be there as well. He hadn't left since they day they took off to take care of Hawkmoth. He certainly wasn't leaving while his mortal godson was in such a state.

What surprised her though, was finding Eglantine speaking to her two fairy godparents. She'd avoided them thus far, too broken with guilt to face them. Now however, she conversed with them in low soft tones that went silent as Marinette approached.

"Good evening, Marinette," Tikki called out to her other goddaughter, smiling as the huntress stepped into the grove.

"Hi..." Marinette said uncertainly, her brow knitting into a frown as she regarded the three. "...Should I leave?"

"Actually, this pertains to you," Plagg replied, before budging Eglantine's shoulder. "Tell her."

The blonde teen turned to face the huntress, holding an intact black ribbon in her hands. The sight of it made Marinette suck in a sharp breath, her eyes widening. Looking uncomfortable, Eglantine said softly, "Marinette, you should know that I've spent the past sixteen years dreaming about my baby girl. The fact that she... he didn't turn out the way I've dreamt is... difficult to accept." That was when she squared her shoulders back. "But I'd rather have her as a boy, than not have her at all."

With that she held out the black ribbon. "So here. Take it."

Marinette looked to the ribbon, not quite able to bring herself to touch it. "How did you fix it? Plagg said there was just one way." Her eyes flicked up to the grumpy kittenish fairy. "Was this it?"

"Unconditional love!" Tikki chirped happily, while the black fairy sulked. "Very powerful when it comes from someone Fairy-blessed seven times over." With a sly smile at Plagg, she added, "He didn't want to say it. It grosses him out. Not to mention, it wouldn't have been unconditional if we just told you how to fix it."

The huntress looked to Eglantine. "So, it was you, after all," she spoke, her voice full of dark accusation.

"Marinette!" the red fairy scolded. "She's trying now. Just give her a chance."

Gritting her teeth, Marinette wasn't quite prepared to just let things lie. However, neither could she wait to see if this would work. "You do it," she said, pushing Eglantine's hand back. "If you really mean it, you'll do it."

Eglantine looked faintly ill, but she nodded slowly. "Alright," she said, walking past Marinette back to the house. The huntress followed a step behind, ready to grab her if she changed her mind. Both made their way back to Adrien's room, where the blond still lay in repose. Eglantine took a shaky breath as she knelt by his side. "Adrienne," she murmured softly, "Adrien. I love you." With trembling fingers, she gathered the shortened blond hair in her hands, tying it back into a loose ponytail with the black ribbon. "Be true to your heart," she hushed, pressing a kiss to Adrien's brow. "Be true to yourself."

When Eglantine leaned back, Adrien - the real Adrien - lay in bed. That handsome face, strong shoulders, tall if still slightly slender frame. All that was left to see were his warm green eyes, full of life.

Unapologetically, Marinette sat down on the bed beside him, her heart filled to bursting as she looked on the boy she had fallen in love with. She peppered his face with kisses, finally pressing a warm and loving kiss to his lips. Even before she pulled away, she could hear his breath turn uneven, feeling him stir underneath her.

Two tired green eyes blearily opened, blinking against the light. Adrien's lips stretched into a smile as he saw Marinette hover above him. "Hey you," he croaked, his voice hoarse with disuse.

"Hey yourself," Marinette smiled, her eyes tearing up again. This time with happiness. "Long time no see."

Adrien looked around his environs, brow knitting into a faint frown. "...Heaven looks a lot shabbier than I thought it would."

The huntress let out a bright laugh, even though the boy had inadvertently insulted her parents' home. "Adrien, you're not dead!"

At this, the boy blinked, turning a confused look on his Lady. "I'm not?"

"No~" Marinette smiled.

"And... you're not?" he asked uncertainly.

"You can't get rid of Ladybug that easily," she replied, giving the blond a sly look. "I guess you weren't as big a fan as I thought you were, if you had so little faith in me."

Adrien stared at her in complete dumbfoundment, his eyes widening to comical proportions. "Milady!" he cried, managing to push himself up from bed, wrapping the love of his life up into his arms. He never even noticed that he was back in his real body. Marinette smiled, her cheeks rosy and eyes full of bliss. She couldn't wait to see his reaction.

~o~

Months later...

Alya huffed as she tapped her pen against her parchment, trying to will some kind of story to come to mind. Nino eyed her from across the table, sipping at his cider as the writer let out a growl of frustration. "You know she's not going to like it if you just make stuff up," he remarked idly.

"Well then she needs to actually talk to me! Not ditch our meetups to go make out with her boyfriend!" the fiery-haired girl snapped impatiently. "You have no idea what kind of pressure I'm under to write more books! My publishers are going nuts, hounding me for stories!"

"And Eglantine has no idea where they are?"

"Of course not," Alya sniffed. "They're just off on one of their amazing adventures that they have no intention of telling me about. They just don't understand! Everyone is gagging to hear about what they're up to. They're not allowed to be famous and not talk to anyone!'

"In their defense, they didn't exactly ask for infamy," the bard said with a raised eyebrow. However, his companion wasn't listening.

"Okay, how about this? Ladybug and Chat Noir go into the woods, then find a cottage made out of candy and sweets. Chat Noir leads them in, because he's hungry and they meet a witch that wants to eat him."

"And this cottage is not overrun with ants?" Nino asked.

"No, because- it's magic, obviously!" Alya scoffed. "Okay, how about they find some magic beans that grows into a giant beanstalk that leads them to a giant in the sky. Then Chat Noir being the klepto that he is, steals a golden goose and they have to run for their lives to escape the giant."

"Why exactly am I the one who's always getting us in trouble?" a voice called behind the pair. Alya and Nino looked up to the entrance of the inn, watching as Marinette and Adrien entered the dining hall arm in arm. They wore their signature red and black cloaks, his hand on the hilt of his rapier and hers brushing against the yo-yo on her hip. A hush went over the room as the patrons recognized the pair of adventurers, whispering excitedly as they crossed the hall.

"...You're making stuff up about us again, aren't you?" Marinette said as she glared at Alya, her voice dripping with disapproval.

"W-well, just a little," the writer said defensively. At the huntress' withering glare, she cried, "You don't understand! People are devouring Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir! They can't get enough of you two!"

The rogue out of the famous pairing sat himself down next to Nino, grinning broadly at his Lady. "Oh c'mon, Milady. You can't deny your adoring public," Adrien teased, stealing Alya's cider out from under her nose. He was far from the naive bumpkin that Alya and Nino first met months previously in this very same city. Of course, no one realized at the time that he also happened to be the infamous bandit terrorizing travelers on the highway. (Technically still something of a fugitive from the law.) Now it seemed he was showing his true colors, equal parts sweet and downright devious. Everyone was convinced that the only person who could keep him in check was the famous Lady du Chase.

Who was still leveling a dark glare on her old friend. "Last time you turned me into a mermaid," she hissed, folding her arms over her chest.

"It was... cute?" Alya tried helplessly.

"It was pretty cute," Adrien chimed in unhelpfully, grinning a smug smile. He batted the air, waving for the huntress to join him. "How about this? Alya promises not to make anything else up and we tell her about that."

"That story?" Marinette frowned as Alya perked up in interest. "No, we can't tell her that story."

"What story?" the writer demanded, holding her pen at the ready over her parchment.

"The story that we promised we would never, ever tell anyone," the huntress replied, giving her partner a disapproving look. "No matter who asks."

"Wait, you can't- I'm your writer! You can't just dangle that in front of me and not tell me!" Alya cried in outrage.

Marinette and Adrien both exchanged a look. "Well... only if you swear that you'll never make up anything about us ever again," the huntress said reluctantly.

"I promise!" Alya swore, making a cross over her chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die!"

"You better be joking. That stuff can happen," Nino frowned, but he was simply ignored.

After another conspicuous shared look, Marinette nodded at her partner. Adrien's mouth split into a wide grin. He leaned forward conspiratorially. "Okay, so! It all starts with a turnip."

"A what?" Alya blanched.

"No listen. It gets better," the blond assured her, before he began to spin his yarn.

Marinette leaned back in her seat, smiling to herself as Adrien launched into a story that he was completely pulling out of his ass. However, he was so bright and animated that he drew a crowd around him as they tried to listen in on Alya's exclusive story. His eyes flicked to hers, glowing with contentment and adoration, reflecting the warmth in her own heart.

He never looked happier.