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/Meet me on the battlefield/
They freedom he had as Chat Noir was unparalleled to Adrien. (Except maybe by Marinette’s kisses.) Tonight it was needed more than ever, especially after what he had seen. It was the ninth anniversary of his mother's disappearance, and when he had gone to see her portrait, his father had gone through a hidden staircase in his office. Which was strange. What was stranger was seeing Gabriel Agreste’s face get covered by Hawkmoth’s cowl.
Which lead to his current situation: running across the rooftops of Paris to get to Ladybug. He knew she had been concerned by his insistence on an in-suit emergency meeting. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his fiance, but this was huge and it would be so much easier to tell her as Chat Noir than as Adrien Agreste.
When he finally arrived on that rooftop, the past ten minutes felt like forever.
“Ladybug….”
/Even on the darkest night/
Immediately Marinette was concerned. Her kitty wasn't like this. He never called for emergency meetings while she was having a family dinner, and he used at least one nickname when he greeted her. What could possibly be wrong?
“....do you remember when we were kids and you thought that Gabriel was Hawkmoth?”
“Yes?”
That set off even more alarm bells in her head. Since when did he call his father Gabriel? Why was he bring up a coincidence that happened when they were thirteen? What was wrong?
“Apparently...apparently Hawkmoth can akumatize himself.”
It took a second for the weight of his words to sink in, but when it did…”
“Oh. Oh mon chaton.”
Marinette immediately moved to comfort him somehow, stepping forward and extending an arm. Her thoughts races,but even still she shouldn't possibly imagine what he felt.
“I..I just...I don't know what to do,” his voice cracked, an unusual show of vulnerability while transformed, even in front of her. “He's been hurting everyone, trying to kill us, trying to kill our friends. And I don't even know why.”
“Have you talked to Plagg?”
“He'll want to-” before the word ‘leave could come out of his mouth.
“Kid, did you really think I would care about this? I'll be here as long as you have cheese.”
/ I will be your sword and shield, your camouflage, and you will be mine/
The next akuma attack was different. Chat Noir made none of his usual puns, nor did he flirt with Ladybug. As soon as the call of “Miraculous Ladybug!” went into the air, the pair of them were cornered by the other heroes. Carapace was the first to talk.
“Alright dude. Talk.”
Nino wasn't one to mince words. Especially when his best friend was hurting and he didn't know why. Obviously Marinette did, but she wasn't talking either.
“I discovered Hawkmoth’s identity. He’sfather.”
Adrien spit out the last part so fast Nino almost couldn't tell what he was saying. When his brain woke up enough to fully absorb the message, he wished he could say he was surprised. Gabriel had always been a jerk. Especially to his son.
“Adrien, I'm your father now I'm adopting you.,
Queen Bee threw herself forward and gripped him as tight as she dared.
“It doesn't matter. His actions don't reflect who you are, only who he is.”
Out of all the others, Ladybug, Carapace, Renard Rouge,Queen Bee was the one who could relate the most. While Chloe’s father wasn't a supervillain, he was a corrupt politician. In the end, the two of them were alike, using power to manipulate people.
Adrien was markedly happier after what the Heros of Paris referred to as ‘The Great Intervention’. Unfortunately, this wouldn't last for long.
/Echoes of the shots ring out, We may be the first to fall/
“ You are my son, you live in my house, and are employed by me. You will do as I command you.”
The knocking against her window reminded Marinette of Evillustrator. All in all it was a,fairly nice memory, well, it was for being kidnapped by an akuma. Opening the window revealed Chat Noir.
“I had a fight with Gabriel. I was just so tired of pretending that he cared about me and..I guess he heard me mumbling about not having to work for him anymore, since I started looking for a different job and he just exploded.”
“Oh Adrien, come here.”
It didn't take long to get him inside and on the couch curled up in a warm blanket with some hot chocolate.
“I know it must be hard for you, but we're all here for you alright? Me, Nino, Chloe, Alya..”
“I don't think she knows.”
“What?!”
“Alya had a cold so she wasn't at that akuma so unless Nino told her she doesn't know.”
/Everything could stay the same, Or we could change it all/
“Let me get this straight: Your father is Hawkmoth, you don't actual have any proof besides your word, and you all tell the investigative journalist last?”
“So you're going to..”
“Investigate this like it's a story and take all the proof I find? Adrien, you bet I will.”
/Meet me on the battlefield/
Adrien Agreste wasn't exactly incognito, so Nino was the one who helped Alya buy all her supplies, admittedly with Adrien’s money. Which was technically Hawkmoth's money.
Nino sure appreciated the irony of that. It felt..strange to just sit around and do nothing. Well, not nothing but they aren't charging into battle. Well, if there's one thing he's learned since meeting Wayzz, patience is key, even if he may not like it.
Alya burned with a righteous anger. How dare he. This emotion wasn't unknown to her, nor was the man it was aimed towards. Incidents involving Gabriel's treatment of Adrien had made the scenario far too common than was healthy. She also hadn't ever acted on it. And the stakes this time were larger than anything she had ever faces before.
/We're standing face-to-face, With our own human race/
Finally the moment came. They had more than enough evidence to bring Gabriel Agreste to court through the new magical crimes division. Unfortunately, he had figured out their plan right before they could implement it. So they got the showdown they had all been expecting. This was Adrien's first time seeing Gabriel as Hawkmoth since he first accidentally watched him transform. The first time his father saw him as an enemy.
/We commit the sins again/
Hawkmoth didn't hold back.
They didn't either.
/ And our sons and daughters pay/
Adrien wasn't sure what to make of the fight afterwards. He had detransformed. Gabriel looked shocked. He hadn't stopped fighting them though. He didn't care about Adrien enough. Walking through the streets after the battle to clear his head, he notices that even though it had been less than twenty minutes,people still eyed him suspiciously. Fine. Let them. He doesn't care.
/Our tainted history Is playing on repeat/
The Hawkmoth trials dragged on and on. They all knew he was guilty, why couldn't it just end. Adrien especially hated how they just kept repeating things. Honestly, if he wasn't required to testify Adrien would have left long ago. The battle had caught on security cameras and one adrenaline junkie that had sneaked onto to roof with the intention of scaling the wall had also recorded it. The news of their relation had spread everywhere by that afternoon. Chat Noir, Hawkmoth's Son?!’ Had been the trending news story of the week. He just wants everything to stop. Or slow down.
/But we could change it, If we stand up strong and take the lead/
“Using the powers of the destruction and creation miraculous combined turns the person using them into a god. I intended to use this power to bring my wife back to life.”
That had not been what Marinette expected. Power, sure. He was a villain going after powerful artefacts, why would he not want power. Turned out he was just a man who didn't know how to grieve. It was ..sad,really. A man so desperate to save his family tore it apart beyond all repair.
Nino wanted to talk to Gabriel. Maybe to get some closure for himself. He wasn't the one most directly affected, but… he needed to know if he really ever cared about how his actions impacted Adrien. What had been going through his head?
“I thought that once I had his mother back, he would be happy and forgive me.”
/When I was younger I was named A generation unafraid For the heirs to come, be brave/
Adrien sat down at his desk, the pen in his hand hovering above the page. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to even contemplate writing this letter. Closure? He thought that he had gotten after the trial. Maybe because he now had a child of his own?
Dear Father,
I expect this will come as a surprise to you, seeing as we haven't talked since the trial. But Paris is healing, and I still can't move on. I thought I could after the trial, but recent events have stirred up old feelings. Adeline Dupain-Cheng is wonderful. You won't be seeing her, not for a while. Possibly someday, when me and Marinette can face you again. She deserves to know who you are. I do this for her sake, not yours. I don't expect you to write back, and if you do I will be surprised.
Sincerely,
Adrien