Gabriel Agreste was in his atelier, drawing loops on his tablet. His muses weren't cooperating today, which was frustrating because the Fall Collection had to start production soon in order to make the magazine deadlines and fashion shows. He switched colors to a dark blue, hoping to pair it with a gold or something similar. He sketched a few more loops and tried more hues in order to stir up his creative juices.

After three hours of this, he felt a familiar twinge at his chest. Finally, there was something interesting to do today! There was no time to waste — he should transform immediately instead of going to his lair.

"I sense a powerful emotion — this for sure will be the time I defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir and take their Miraculous! Nooroo, dark wings, ri—"

"No." The kwami floated in front of him, arms folded.

Gabriel felt his face redden. "What do you mean, no? You are bound to do what I say! Dark wings, ri—"

"I said, No. I am done being part of your plans to defeat those children!" Nooroo stamped his foot in the air. "You have akumatized people over one hundred times, including poor Mr. Ramier over two dozen times… and for what purpose? Spread fear and terror? Torment innocent young children?"

Gabriel's lip curled. "You know perfectly well what I'm trying to do, Nooroo…"

"No, I don't anymore. Get Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous? Get all the Miraculous? Heal your wife? Take over the world? I don't think you even know what you're trying to do. So I'm done. I'm not going to take it anymore." This was something new for Gabriel. The normally quiet, submissive Nooroo getting a spine? This couldn't happen!

"Nooroo, you are magically bound…"

"Magically bound, nothing. You clearly didn't read all the way through the Grimoire." He flew up to Gabriel's face and jabbed him in the nose. "Magical Kwami Clause Eighteen, subsection M, part nineteen clearly states that if a Miraculous wielder repeatedly uses their powers in a way that is inconsistent with their original use, the kwami's binding is null and void."

Gabriel uncrossed his eyes and shook his head. Nooroo had to be messing with him, even if it was completely out-of-character for the normally docile, submissive being. "What? When did that happen?"

"Your magical contract expired with the last akuma, Gabriel. Remember him? Skidmaster?" Nooroo shook his head, and Gabriel sensed disapproval from the kwami. "Not exactly your finest effort. But it was your final effort."

"So what am I supposed to do? Hand over my Miraculous? I would never!"

"No, you're expected to atone for your crimes. Magical Kwami Clause XIV, subsection FF, states that you are now magically bound to your Miraculous until the atonement period expires." Nooroo pointed to Gabriel's chair. "Sit. Down."

Nooroo's tone left Gabriel with no other choice. He sat down in his chair and attentively watched the floating kwami.

Nooroo cleared his throat. "The power of the Butterfly Miraculous is change and it uses empathy to determine who is willing to accept that change. But since you abused that power for so long, you are now bound to use your own emotions to change other people."

"What does that even mean, use my own emotions to change other people?" This had to be a trick. Or a dream. Maybe Nathalie and her kwami had put Nooroo up to it in exchange for a big plate of ravioli, his favorite food.

Nooroo continued as if Gabriel had said nothing. He was clearly enjoying the opportunity to tweak his... former?... master's nose. "Hawk Moth terrorized Paris and made people fear their negative emotions for too long! You must…" the kwami chuckled "...help people embrace all of their feelings."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Gabriel Agreste - going forward, your mission is to brighten people's days! Hawk Moth is no longer. As of this moment, you are… Hug Moth!" He zipped into the brooch hidden under Gabriel's cravat.

The sensation that washed over Gabriel was familiar enough - it was still Nooroo's magic - but the après was decidedly not. Instead of his focus on creating an akuma, Gabriel felt something new. He could still sense others' feelings, but anything that could not be described as happy or content caused a twinge in his heart. He had to fix those emotions! He had to… cheer people up!

He bolted from his chair toward the door of his atelier. He passed a mirror that he had installed by the door and stopped in surprise. The costume was similar to the one he wore as Hawk Moth, but the purple motif was considerably lightened, almost to the point of being pink. There were lavender outlines on his winged lapels, and the outline of the butterfly wings on his mask were colored in with rainbows. The coup de grâce was that his costume was fuzzy, like a plush animal.

His fashion sense - it looked like a unicorn had thrown up on him, he decided - was quickly stamped down by the compulsion to cheer people up. At least when he was Hawk Moth, he still had some control over what he and his akumas looked like. Nooroo must be enjoying his revenge. He stormed out the door, into the foyer of the Agreste mansion.

Nathalie was on her way into the atelier when Gabriel - no, Hug Moth - collided with her, knocking both of them down. She dropped her tablet and the stack of papers she was carrying, scattering them around the foyer. "Oh no! He's going to kill me if any of these reports are out of order and I just spent the last hour collating them all!" She said a few more words that made him flush underneath his suit. Was this what people thought of him? He was going to have to improve that.

The emotion from Nathalie was palpable. Frustration. Anger. Disappointment. These were things Hug Moth could fix. He gently took Nathalie by the arm and helped her off the floor. She finally looked at him and her jaw fell open. A noise somewhere between a whisper and a whine came from the back of her throat.

"Nathalie, it's me!" Hug Moth watched Nathalie's expression go from fear to confusion.

"Sir? Are you trying for a new design? Something to make yourself a bit less conspicuous for Fashion Week, maybe?"

"No… it's a long story. I don't have time to explain now. But I can fix how you're feeling." He held out his arms. "Bring it in."

"Sir?"

"Bring it in." He waved his arms in what he hoped was a non-threatening way.

Nathalie stepped closer, and Hug Moth closed his arms around her. She stood perfectly still. After a count of three, Hug Moth patted her on the back and opened his arms again.

"Feel better?"

"...Yes, strangely enough. Thank you?" She bent down and scooped up the papers, whistling under her breath.

The reign of Hug Moth had begun.

Hug Moth left the Agreste mansion through the front door. He stopped in the courtyard and inhaled the fresh summer air. Such a beautiful day! And so many people that needed to be cheered up. He closed his eyes and… felt for emotions. Here was someone happy. Good. Here was someone who had just broken up with their girlfriend. They would need a hug for sure. Here was someone who was feeling very protective…

His reverie was interrupted by a large finger jabbing him in the shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw the Agreste family bodyguard looming over him, growling and cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, um, hi! Um… I'm here to cheer people up! Do… do you need a friend?" He winced and waited for his bodyguard's response, peeking out tentatively from squinted eyes and a lowered head.

The bodyguard grunted and shook his head. He jabbed his finger toward the front gate, and growled menacingly.

Before he could stop himself, Hug Moth grabbed the bodyguard and embraced him. He reached out again to sense his emotions. The protective feelings were still there, but in addition was a sense of… warmth. Peace. Comfort. Hug Moth had won again.

He patted the bodyguard on his back and released the hug. The bodyguard grunted again, but in a much less threatening manner this time. That would have to do.

Hug Moth left the Agreste compound and began walking the streets of Paris. His feet took him automatically around the corner to a school. The emotions inside were a mixture of happiness, jealousy, fear, shyness, joy… it was a smorgasbord of emotions for him to feast upon. He blinked. He had never been to this school in person, but it felt strangely familiar to him, as if he knew the students inside and what they were feeling. Including… Adrien. This was Adrien's school! How had he not been there before? He gave himself a hug to help ward off the rising sadness and regret simmering inside of him.

He approached the school. He had to go inside and fix all of those emotions, no matter the price! He reached the bottom of the steps when he heard two light thumps behind him. He turned around to see Chat Noir and Ladybug, casually standing with their hands on their hips.

"Hey Ladybug, If I didn't know any better, I'd say Hawk Moth got eaten by a unicorn!" Chat's voice, generally smarmy, was dripping with snark.

"No, it looks like he fell asleep while babysitting a toddler!" Ladybug's eyes twinkled with uncontained mirth.

"You know, I thought some of the akuma designs were absolutely horrid, but this one tops them all!"

The teasing of these… children... was starting to wear on his nerves. But since their emotions were generally happy, Hug Moth couldn't do anything to them. They didn't need hugs. He was powerless against them. For the first time in years, he wished that they would take his Miraculous. Solitary confinement sounded good right about now. So did being blasted into space in a dumpster.

Ladybug giggled. "So tell us, Hawk Moth, are you going to akumatize anybody into a giant Barbie doll or something? What's the deal?"

Hug Moth sighed. Maybe if he told the truth, they would leave him alone and he could continue on his mission. He briefly explained what Nooroo had told him before transforming.

Ladybug looked understandably skeptical. "OK… prove it. Here comes a student right now."

"Bug, are you sure this is a good idea?" Chat pulled out his baton and extended it to the point where he could lean on it.

"If he is who he says he is, there's no risk." Ladybug waved frantically with both arms. "Hey Juleka, come here!"

A girl with long black hair with a purple streak in it approached. She stopped about five feet away from the trio and mumbled something Hug Moth couldn't hear.

"Our fuzzy friend here says that he is in the business of cheering people up. Can he give you a hug?"

The girl looked at Hug Moth, appraising him slowly with a hint of trepidation. She mumbled something again. Hug Moth thought he heard the word "gross" in there, but Ladybug was undaunted.

"C'mon, it will just take a few seconds. We'll protect you." Ladybug moved between the girl and Hug Moth and held her arms out in invitation.

The girl crept toward Hug Moth, staring at her feet the whole way. Hug Moth tried to determine how this girl was feeling. The emotions from the school were so strong that they almost drowned hers out. He was able to sense shyness, loneliness… but they were muted, like they were behind a wall.

Hug Moth reached out and pulled the girl in for a hug. He put as many positive emotions as he could into the hug. After five seconds, he patted the girl on the back and released her. She hadn't returned the hug, but Hug Moth was positive that he had some impact.

"How do you feel, Juleka?"

"Meh. OK, I guess."

"That's good enough for me!" Chat Noir turned and leaped away.

"Wait! You're — you're not going to take my Miraculous?" There was a hint of desperation in his voice. Wouldn't the heroes rescue him from his predicament?

"Nope! To tell the truth, I kind of prefer this sparkly glitter version of Hawk Moth. I think we're just going to let you do your thing! Bye now!" The pest actually had the audacity to wink at him before twirling her yo-yo and swinging off into the Paris afternoon.

Hug Moth groaned. The compulsion to cheer people up was growing inside him again. A bell rang in the school, and he turned around to see a wash of students heading toward him.

He opened his arms and welcomed them in. Hug Moth was home.