"Your parents are really great. I'm glad they like me," he answered, taking another bite from the parfait. They were almost done with it. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't really been over to her house in a while. He occasionally stopped by the baker to pick her up, of course, but not to hang out.  "Just let me know when a good time would be. Maybe after I get this cast off, since it would be hard to do much with it.."

"Alright then! It's settle." They ate the rest of their dessert and then headed to the movie theater. They picked out a movie and afterward they went back to his house and ended up watching more movies.

"Oh, Adrien I have a surprise for you," Marinette said before putting on their first movie. She opened her purse and the kwami floated out. Marinette told them to be quiet on the date so she could surprise Adrien. "Hold out your hand." she then grabbed the ring out of the purse and placed it into his hand. "Now that's your nearly healed I think I can give you back the ring and Plagg. Just promise me you won't doing anything stupid if we have to fight an akuma."

Adrien grinned excitedly as she placed the ring in his hand. He quickly slipped it onto his left middle finger since the cast was in the way on the right. He hadn't realized how much he missed having it. "Thank you! I won't do anything stupid. There hasn't been an akuma since Psychic anyway. Who knows when the next one will be?"

Plagg floated over to him to land on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't transform. Besides, he won't be able to do much. Chat would still have the cast on."

"You better keep your promise," Marinette smiled at both Adrien and Plagg.

They continued the rest of their date by watching some movies. When it was around ten, Marinette went home. She went straight to bed and was happy to have the room back to her and Tikki.

A few days passed, and Adrien was starting to get restless. He was grateful to have Plagg and the miraculous back, but it indirectly taunted him since he couldn't go out at night. Sure, he'd considered it a the night before and almost went through with it, but the thought of trying to navigate the city in a cast had been enough to stop him. He didn't need to make a wrong move and fall off a building or something. Marinette would be pissed at him if he even survived the fall.

So, here he was with another night of nothing to do. His homework had been done by 8:30, and he wasn't tired. He paced in his room a bit, needing to do something, before sighing. "Let's go for a walk," he said as he looked towards Plagg.

"A walk? As Adrien, right?" the kwami asked, suspiciously narrowing his eyes.

"Yes. Just a quick one around the block or something. I need some fresh air." He grabbed a light jacket just in case he needed it and walked toward the door. Plagg was quick to find his way into Adrien's pocket.

They walked quietly down the hall, toward the foyer, when Adrien stopped. He could hear his father's voice in his office. Who would he be talking to at 11:00 at night? No one would be conducting business at this hour. Unless it was someone in another country...

"Are we going for a walk or not?" Plagg whispered. Adrien looked down to see the kwami's bright green eyes staring at him in the darkness. There was some urgency in them Adrien didn't understand, and he shrugged it off as he tiptoed towards his father's office. Curiosity was definitely a cat's worse enemy.  He placed his and on the door handle, considering if he should open it. His hand stayed there as he placed his ear against the door and decided to listen instead. He could make out two voices (his father's and another) in what sounded like a heated discussion.

"You can't avoid this forever, Gabe! Just listen to me, already. I have a solution!" the unknown voice yelled in frustrations.

"What could possibly help me get the miraculous that you haven't mentioned to me before now?" Gabriel almost growled. Adrien froze on the other side of the door.

"Look, we've gotten to the point that the earrings and the ring are unobtainable, but there is a third party that may be able to help bring your wife back. All the kwami trust him. He's the Guardian of the miraculouses."

"If this could be solved by some Guardian, why didn't you take him to me in the first place? I've wasted over a year on akumas, including two that should have never existed!" Adrien could hear his father's footsteps as he walked angrily toward what he could only guess was the butterfly kwami. He couldn't move as his mind tried to process the ongoing conversation. His father was talking about things he shouldn't even know existed... Adrien gulped, trying to keep any noise from leaving his throat.

"Because, Master Fu doesn't just bring out Tikki and Plagg to grant wishes. He's not their master, and allowing anyone to have a wish would go against his duties. The miraculouses had to be drawn out for there to be any chance."

"Then what makes you think he can help now? He doesn't even own the earrings or ring!"

"Because, he can bridge the gap between you and Adrien and Marinette. Tikki and Plagg trust him, so they will too. You're not going to talk to them yourself, so Fu's the only one who can help you."

"Fine. I'll talk to this Fu person tomorrow. Do you have his number?"  

"No, but I know what his business is called. It should be easy to look up."

Adrien finally forced himself away from the door as his father's footsteps approached. His father had gone in his office to not be overheard. Adrien quickly turned the corner and ducked into the kitchen, waiting until he heard the distant sound of a door closing before releasing a held breath. His father was Hawk Moth. The thought sounded so wrong, but made so much sense. Every piece of the puzzle since Jackady seemed to fall perfectly into place, and he could probably fit the other pieces together if his mind wasn't already overwhelmed.

"Adrien..." Plagg whispered.

Adrien didn't answer. He could feel himself start to shake. So much for that walk around the block. He needed a run. A nice, long run. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and sent a quick text. 'I'm coming over.'  With that, he hurried from the kitchen and slipped out the door, running towards the bakery while hoping Marinette was still awake. He was out of breath by the time he got there.

Marinette was sitting in her bed reading a book. Her eyes would often wondered as she read. Tikki was floating around the room as if she was restless. She has been doing this for about an hour. Marinette was about to say something, when she heard her phone go off. She grabbed it and frowned as she read the message from Adrien. "What did he mean he was coming over?" She panicked! Was he coming over as Chat!? He shouldn't be climbing walls!!! 

"Tikki!" Marinette said. 

"Yes?" the kwami turned to look at her.

"Adrien, says he's coming over." she then climbed to the rooftop. Tikki quickly followed her. "I pray to God that's not coming as Chat." she leaned over the rail and tried to see if he was coming. Pretty soon Plagg flew up in front of them. Marinette then looked down and saw Adrien standing in front of the bakery. Marinette then left her balcony and went outside to meet Adrien. He seem upset. "Is everything okay?"

Adrien was quiet, both catching his breath and trying to organize his thoughts.  They'd jumbled in his rush to get over there.  His mouth opened as he tried to say something, but no words formed.  Instead he shook his head and tried a different approach.  "Can we talk inside?"

They snuck up to her room, not wanting to alert her parents that he was there.  The kwami were whispering to each other but quickly fell silent as they entered. He was too mentally disoriented to notice, though; basically collapsing onto her couch chair instead.

He took a few more deep breaths to calm himself further before finally being able to say something.  "Hawk Moth..." He started.  He paused.  Apparently saying the sentence was harder than he would have thought.  So he backpedaled, "I know his identity..."

He trembled.  Those words were easier to say, but still shook him to think about.  At least now, all he'd have to say when she asked was one phrase...

Marinette sat down on the ground beside him. She held in her shock that Adrien knew Hawkmoth's identity. His reaction worried her. For some reason he couldn't say it. She notice him trembling so she grabbed his hand and held on to it tightly. She just sat there and let things sink in. His identity was upsetting Adrien which meant he knew him. Hawkmoth saved his life... Only one other person would risk themself to save Adrien's life. Marinette looked at him. "Do you want me to say it?"

Adrien paused, squeezing her hand like a lifeline.  He should probably say it.  It might help his mind process.  But he'd rather not, and her offer to say it took the burden from him.

"Yes..." He whispered.

"Your dad is Hawkmoth," Marinette said. She took her other hand and gently stroked his hair. Her eyes then traveled to the kwami who were floating above Adrien. They looked guilty. She narrowed her eyes at them. "How long have you two known?"

"It's complicated," Tikki replied. "But I guess the party? We weren't 100% positive until he saved Adrien."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Marinette was trying to sound calm. She had to keep it together for Adrien.

"We.." Tikki looked at Plagg for a second then back at them. "We wanted to be certain and we also didn't want to hurt you two." Tikki landed on the couch chair by Adrien's feet. Her tail drouped "We love you both very much and we apologize about all of this." she looked at Plagg urging him to say something.

Adrien closed his eyes as Marinette stated what he couldn't. Hearing it hurt just as much as him trying to say it.  The gentle hand through his hair was the only thing soothing him enough to keep himself together.

What had he done to make fate hate him?  Losing his mother at ten, basically losing his father at thirteen (even though the man still lived in the same house), and even now, when he was chosen to protect people, fate was playing with him.  Was he Chat Noir because of his horrible luck?

He tensed as he was pulled from his thoughts.  The kwamis knew?  Since the party?  And they thought it would be better to leave them in the dark; all in the name of not hurting them...?  A lot of good that did!

Plagg floated above him still, green eyes filled with worry.  The kwami sighed. He must have seen the hurt look in Adrien's eyes.  "I was the one that didn't want to say anything until we knew.  Adrien, you were still moving past Chat Blanc, so it would have been even worse for you to find out...  Besides, we wouldn't have been able to say anything direct like 'Gabriel Agreste is Hawk Moth' unless one of you two guessed and asked because of the magical constraints.  It just wasn't a good time to say anything.  I wish you didn't have to find out this way..."

Adrien glared up at him.  Sure, everything he said made sense, but it still hurt being left in the dark this long.  "And when were you planning on trying to say something?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"We were hoping the Guardian would get involved before anything like this would happen..." He said.  So, basically, never.  Not unless one of them figured it out first.

Adrien closed his eyes again.  Keeping himself together was making him feel sick, but he ignored the feeling to latch onto something he didn't completely understand.  The Guardian?  The same title had been mentioned in the conversation his father had with his kwami.

"Who's the Guardian?"

Plagg looked at Tikki, deciding to let her explain.

Tikki blinked.  It never occurred to her that Adrien never officially met Fu. She looked at Adrien. "The guardian is in charge of the miraculouses. His name is Master Fu. It's his duty to protect the miraculouses and choose their owners."

"You met probably met him, Adrien," said Marinette. "I saved him from being hit by a car on the first day of school."

Tikki slapped her head. "Yeah his methods are questionable. However he is very wise and powerful. I'm certain he can make things right."

Marinette nodded her head. "He's very nice, Adrien. When Tikki got sick, he was able to heal her." She didn't bring up her second meeting with Fu. Bringing up Chat Blanc probably wasn't a good idea the the moment. Marinette looked at Tikki. "So now what?"

"Like I said Fu can make things right. He should be able to find a compromise," Tikki said. She then looked at Adrien. "Plagg told me you overheard your father talking to Lycca. Was he telling him about Fu?"

Adrien tried to bring back the conversation he'd overheard. Truth be told, he'd been too shocked to really process a lot of it, leaving gaps that he could only really fill in through context. He sighed, "I think... They were arguing about what to do next and Lycca insisted on talking to the Guardian. My father... he sounded reluctant, but I think he agreed in the end. I couldn't really listen to the entire conversation..."

Plagg nodded, "It definitely sounded like Lycca won their argument."

"Excellent," Tikki said. "So hopefully this whole thing will be over soon."

"What will Fu do?" asked Marinette. "Are you going to leave?" She looked worried. She gotten so used to Tikki. Despite of all things Marinette was really happy that Tikki came into her life.

"Oh of course not!" Tikki floated over to her head and patted her on the head. "We're partners for life. I will never leave you, Marinette."

Her owner smiled at her.

"Now to be honest, I'm not sure how Fu is going to find a solution," Tikki said and folded her arms. "But I'm positive he can."

Marinette fidgeted. Fu solving this met that Mr. Agreste would get what he wanted, right? She briefly looked at Adrien and then back at Tikki. "Does that mean Mr. Agreste will get his wish? What does he want anyway?"

"He..," Tikki stuttered. "He wants his wife back."

Adrien's eyes snapped open. Tears he had been doing so well to keep down suddenly escaped. It all made so much sense now. But it stabbed at his heart at the same time. His father was too willing to use people to get what he wanted. Too quick to exploit people's most vulnerable emotions. And he could almost forgive him except... except his father had executed a month long plan that nearly broken him, leaving him with terrible memories that could still surface in his nightmares. All to bring his mother back from wherever she disappeared to. Would she even want to come back to this?

He removed his hand from Marinette's to wipe his eyes. This was a mess...