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Ironically enough, Adrien Agreste’s relationship with his father had actually improved once they were both made aware of their secret identities.
It had definitely gotten a lot worse before it got better, though. Adrien never thought he could be so angry or disgusted as he was when they had removed Hawkmoth’s mask and revealed his father underneath. The minute Ladybug had disappeared to detransform for a few minutes, Gabriel took one look at him, and said wearily, “So you’re Adrien, after all.” The statement had made Adrien so angry that even now he couldn't figure out how he'd managed to keep it all at bay. Adrien freely admitted to both his father and their therapist much later on that, at that moment, he was completely ready to throw his own father into jail.
Both Adrien and Gabriel agreed that they owed their restored relationship to the revived Le Paon. When Hawkmoth had to team up with Ladybug and Chat Noir in order to stop Paris’ new-and-improved super villain, they had both agreed that they would not pursue any criminal action against Gabriel if he gave up his miraculous permanently.
“Purrhaps it’s time for you to pay attention to the family you still have, Monsieur Agreste, before they’re gone,” Chat had said, genuinely not expecting too much; but at his words, Gabriel had immediately handed the brooch over.
It had taken a lot of work, but with a lot more angry shouting, numerous counselling sessions, and apologies (mostly on his father’s part), they had miraculously made amends.
Now, the Agrestes didn’t, by any means, have a traditional father-son relationship. How could they? His father was simultaneously a little too emotionally inept and far too prim and proper. There was also the fact that Gabriel had put Adrien in danger, even though he was trying to keep him safe, because he didn’t know his son’s alter ego was one of his greatest enemies. But Gabriel had tried to be a better father, and they still went to relationship counselling sessions regularly. They’d never play catch or hug on a regular basis, but they did, beyond all reasoning and logic, have a relationship based on trust. It was like his father had said all those years ago: it was important for them to trust each other. They were all each other had left. Not to mention they had no choice but to trust each other with their secrets. It also made it a lot easier to be themselves, and to be appreciated for it; there was no reason to try to hide behind a facade when the other knew exactly what was going on.
Adrien also found that the private discussions he had with his father about the miraculouses had also helped with their relationship somewhat. It was like he’d stumbled across a fountain of wisdom. Although not Master Fu approved, Gabriel’s research into the miraculouses actually resulted in a lot of extra knowledge that Adrien would’ve never gotten otherwise. Plagg, after all, wasn’t the most forthcoming of kwamis. Aside from extra knowledge, it was nice to talk to someone who understood, without having to alter parts of the story to keep his identity safe. Whenever he got into these discussions, Plagg would often appear out of nowhere, glare at his father, and then say, “Whatever he says, just remember to do the opposite. Okay, kid?” But the kwami never banned him from talking about such things, either. (“If talking to your weirdo evil dad means I get to eat more camembert in peace, and you don’t turn into a super villain? I’m okay with it.”)
It was weird, going to your former enemy and ex-super villain of a father for advice. But Gabriel was his father, and a former miraculous wielder, who may have encountered similar sort of problems. That was why Adrien wanted to go to talk to him over lunch.
With fashion week around the corner, Adrien’s father and girlfriend were pretty much living at the Gabriel studio. Adrien himself had been spared the chaos; his modelling projects and involvement with his father’s company had been scaled back significantly after he’d mentioned how much he’d hated it to their therapist. Normally, Adrien would be avoiding the studio like the plague, especially at this time of year, but Adrien was bailing out on the Agreste Mandatory Wednesday Dinner and he needed to talk shop with his dad ASAP. Plus, surprising Marinette was always fun. He’d barely seen her over the past few weeks. Technically she was still interning, but Gabriel valued her input and her outside-the-box thinking so much that he’d had her working as a junior designer without the title.
When he arrived at the studio, it was just as chaotic as he’d remembered it. People brushed past him without any regard—and while he didn’t mind it so much usually, he was carrying a bunch of food and he wouldn’t have minded if they were a little more careful. Thankfully, Nathalie spotted him in the hallway.
“Hello, Adrien. Mlle Dupain-Cheng is running errands at the moment,” Nathalie said, the minute his eyes started wandering around the studio, looking for his girlfriend. “She’s getting Jacques some lace. Your father is currently in his office, though, and is free for the next hour.”
Adrien held up a container. “This is for Marinette,” he said. “If she gets back before I’m finished, will you let me know? I need to give this to her—she always forgets to eat when she’s busy.”
Nathalie extended a hand for the box. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” she said. Adrien was about to protest, but she’d taken the box from him already. She didn’t even seem fazed; she probably had dealt with stranger requests (seriously, the Agrestes were lucky she still worked for them). She opened the door to his father’s office before disappearing into the frenzy.
Adrien’s father was sitting at his desk, looking relatively unfazed by the mayhem taking place outside. The only sign of stress was in his tense shoulders, but it was hard to tell. His father was always so rigid. Gabriel looked up from his emails as Adrien approached, taking him in and the bag he had in his hands. “Adrien,” he said. “This is a surprise.”
“Hello, Father. I figured you might need a good meal today.” Adrien took a seat and began pulling out their food. Although Marinette’s lunch had been sandwiches made with love by her doting boyfriend, the Agrestes’ lunch was soup prepared by their chef—Gabriel didn’t particularly care for sandwiches, and soup made Marinette sleepy. (What could he say, Adrien really did take care of his loved ones.) Even though Adrien wasn’t an active model anymore, and despite the fact he had loosened the reins on pretty much everything else, Gabriel had insisted on keeping a rigorous healthy eating plan.
“This hour is probably the least busy one of my week, so you’ve picked wisely.” Gabriel put away his tablet and took the thermos Adrien had handed to him. When he opened it, the steam fogged up his glasses. “I’m surprised the soup is still this warm. Did you not have lunch with Mlle Dupain-Cheng?”
“Nathalie said that she’s running errands,” Adrien shrugged, trying not to look too disappointed. “She said something about Marinette buying some lace?”
“Ah. Probably for Jacques. She should be back within the hour.”
They ate in companionable silence, for the most part. Adrien used the time to try and put together his thoughts. Before he could, his father looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “I imagine, since you decided to have lunch with me at the studio rather than rescheduling our dinner for tomorrow night, that you have something you wish to speak to me about.”
Adrien eyes widened, trying to look as innocent as possible. “Can’t a son come to see his father at work?”
Gabriel’s mouth twitched. “Not when he’d pay good money to avoid this part of town altogether during fashion week.”
“Okay, fine.” Adrien sighed and put down his spoon. “The reason why I’m here is because—well, Ladybug and I are going to reveal our identities to each other. Soon. Maybe tonight. I was looking for advice.”
Gabriel looked surprised. “You haven’t done that already?”
Adrien found himself immediately on the defensive. “If it were up to me, this would’ve happened years ago.”
“That is less surprising.” His father, of all people, had known how bad his crush for Ladybug had been. Much like his name had suggested, Gabriel had watched Ladybug and Chat Noir like a hawk. Adrien tried not to be embarrassed by it, but sometimes it wasn’t so easy. “I’d imagine Ladybug has been fighting you on this the whole time.”
“Always. She’s so stubborn.”
“I’m don’t doubt it,” Gabriel said wryly. “So. You’d like my advice.” The fashion designer rubbed at his chin thoughtfully, before taking a sip of water. “I can’t say that I have much experience on such a topic. The only time my identity was revealed was when you and Ladybug took my miraculous by force. I’m not sure what would happen in a more peaceful situation.”
“Oh,” Adrien said, slumping in his chair. “So you don’t have any pointers at all?”
“Not particularly,” Gabriel confirmed. “But—if I’m honest—I had assumed you would have already figured it out.”
Adrien frowned. That definitely wasn’t the answer he was expecting. His father made it seem like finding out Ladybug’s identity was simple. He’d never really gone out of his way to try, out of respect for her decision, but it would’ve been like looking for a needle in a haystack. “You, of all people, know how much Ladybug values her identity. It took me years to find out we were the same age, and it was only because she was nervous of starting lycée.”
To this, Gabriel didn’t seem to have any response. Instead, he focussed his icy stare onto his son. It felt like he was trying to see into his soul or something, trying to pull out a truth he was hiding. It used to terrify him when he was younger, especially when he still had to keep his secret from his father; now it was just annoying. Before he could say anything, Gabriel said, “You really have no idea, do you?”
Adrien couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice. “Father, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Adrien, Ladybug has always been right in front of you. Almost quite literally.”
What. “Excuse me?”
“I have known who holds the Ladybug mantle for… quite some time now. I had merely assumed that you had come to the same understanding. Your admission is quite unexpected.”
“Wait. Wait,” Adrien said, holding up a hand. “You know who Ladybug is?”
Gabriel nodded. “Yes. I do.”
That single moment seemed to go for an eternity. Adrien’s brain was scrambling, trying to make sense of the situation. “Does—does she know you know?”
Gabriel paused for a moment before answering, “I may have made a rogue statement that alerted her to the fact I was aware of who she was, yes.”
Adrien was completely overwhelmed at the moment. His partner, Ladybug, had been discovered by his father. They’d known, and neither had mentioned this to him. Not as Adrien, and definitely not as Chat. Not to mention—
Launching himself from his seat, the model began to tread a track into Gabriel’s designer carpet. “Does she know who I am?”
Gabriel shrugged, looking too calm for such a situation. In contrast, Adrien was so antsy he felt like he could bounce off the walls. “I doubt it. If you had to organise a reveal, surely she doesn’t know. She probably would’ve just told you if she did.”
The idea that Ladybug might’ve known who he was this whole time pushed him too far too quickly. Adrien slammed his hands onto the desk, leaning over it in distress. “How could you not think to tell me this? I thought we were supposed to trust each other!”
“There is a time and place for dramatics, Adrien, and this is not it,” Gabriel said mildly, still sipping at his soup. “The primary reason why I never mentioned it was because I thought you already knew.”
“I’ve already told you,” Adrien replied, with gritted teeth, “That Ladybug doesn’t like to give much away.”
“Yes, but I assumed that she would perhaps be more open with her boyfriend—”
Gabriel immediately fell silent, but the damage was already done.
All Adrien could hear was the blood pounding in his head, and the way Gabriel awkwardly cleared his throat, unsure of what to say next. Even if Gabriel figured out a way to steer this conversation into safer ground, his words were already playing on repeat in Adrien’s head: I assumed that she would perhaps be more open with her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend… Adrien knew Ladybug had been dating someone, the same way she’d known he’d had a girlfriend for a while now, too. But Gabriel had implied Ladybug had been his girlfriend, which was impossible, because he was dating—
Adrien all but collapsed back in his chair.
He thought of his girlfriend, Marinette, and her bluebell eyes and little pigtails. He thought of the way she got fired up during competitions or during committee meetings. She had an eye for small details and was incredibly creative. Clumsy could’ve been her middle name, but she often moved quite gracefully when she wasn’t tripping over her own feet.
And then he thought of Ladybug, and it was like a fog inside his mind had cleared. She had bluebell eyes, and Marinette’s trademark pigtails. He’d always assumed that Ladybug’s appearance was altered when she transformed, like his was, but hers wasn’t altered in the slightest. Whenever there had been an akuma to capture or other sorts of trouble in Paris, Ladybug was completely focussed on the task at hand. Her lucky charm abilities were solely dependent on her wacky creativity and her ability to notice things no one would. Normally Ladybug was the epitome of grace and being light on her feet, but Chat Noir had witnessed some spectacular Ladybug fails in his time. Not to mention during their first meeting, when they’d both been learning the ropes, the way Ladybug had fallen on him and dropped her yoyo on his head.
“I’m M—Ma—Madly clumsy. I am so clumsy.”
Two people, with a lot more in common than anyone could have ever thought. They completely matched up, all the way from their hair to their big hearts and the way they had trouble stringing sentences together when they were flustered.
How had he not seen it?
“Oh, God. Oh my God. Mon dieu,” Adrien said. He could see it perfectly now; he couldn’t believe his obtuseness. His father was right; Ladybug had been in front of him, this entire time. Marinette had literally sat in the seat in front of him during all of collège. “I can’t believe Marinette is—”
There was a knock on the door. Adrien held his head in his hands as Gabriel sat up straighter in his chair. Adrien wished he wouldn’t, but it was fashion week soon, and emergencies were common. “Enter.”
Adrien heard the office door swing open, and then he heard the worst thing he could’ve possibly heard at this moment.
“Monsieur Agreste,” Marinette Dupain-Cheng—his girlfriend, love of his life, his… crime-fighting partner Ladybug—was breathing deeply, sounding like she’d run all the way back to the studio. Or perhaps she’d yo-yoed here. Adrien had no idea anymore. He had no clue about anything. “I’m sorry about the interruption,” Marinette continued, a bag rustling as she walked towards the desk and set it onto the table next to him, “But Jacques said I needed to consult you immediately, and Nathalie let me in. I went to pick up the lace, but the one you had specifically asked for was unavailable. I told them that you had requested it and you would be disappointed that they didn't have any left, so they let me take all of their available lace instead. I just needed to ask your opinion on which one you prefer for the Chrysanthème dress—oh! Adrien! You didn’t tell me you were coming in today!”
If it was any other day, Adrien would have already been out of his seat already, giving his girlfriend the appropriate hug and kiss on the cheek, while asking her if Nathalie had given her the lunch he’d prepared already. But today, Adrien was dealing with life-changing information, and was unable to meet Marinette’s gaze without him giving himself away.
“Excuse my son, he’s not feeling very well,” Gabriel said smoothly. “We were having lunch because I probably won’t make it home for dinner tonight. Adrien saw it as an opportunity to come see both of us.”
Not feeling very well was an understatement. He was going to let his father have a piece of his mind later.
“Oh.” There was another rustle—Marinette handing over the lace—before a small hand came to the back of his neck, gently rubbing circles there with her thumb. “Poor Adrien. You should’ve stayed at home if you weren’t feeling well!”
“It was very sudden,” his father replied on his behalf.
Adrien tried to calm himself down, focussing on the way Marinette continued to massage the nape of his neck. Gabriel made a sound of disapproval, making Marinette flinch beside him. A disappointed Gabriel Agreste was never pleasant. Instinctively, despite his distress, Adrien snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. “I told them well in advance to reserve that lace I wanted,” Gabriel muttered. “I will call them to express my sentiments. None of this lace fits my vision.”
“Uh… actually, Monsieur, if I may?” Marinette said, leaning over now. “I felt the same way as I was heading back with these. But… if you combine these two, you actually get a very pretty effect that I think will help elevate the dress, particularly with the sleeves.”
Adrien slowly pulled the hands from his eyes. He watched as his father scrutinised Marinette’s choices. He watched the way Marinette explained her reasoning and her ideas, and the way Gabriel attempted to counter it but failed to do so. It was so much like the arguments Ladybug and Hawkmoth got into over the tactical planning they'd done against Le Paon that Adrien had to refrain from giving himself a headslap.
His father and girlfriend talked in fashion jargon that was beyond even Adrien’s understanding, until Gabriel finally returned the lace back to her. “Very well, Mademoiselle,” Gabriel said. “You may tell Jacques to use the mixture of the two laces.”
Marinette beamed. “Thank you, Monsieur.” She picked up the bag again, before she turned back towards Adrien. “If you’re feeling a little better soon, my lunch break is in fifteen minutes. Otherwise make sure you get home safely.” She kissed his forehead.
“Make sure you get your lunch from Nathalie, Bugaboo. I left it with her.”
His mind had been so focussed on connecting the dots, and thinking about Ladybug, and how Ladybug was Marinette, and Marinette was Ladybug, that Adrien didn’t even realise he’d said something out of place until he heard his father’s startling hiss of “Adrien!” After going over what he’d said, he quickly bolted upright in his seat and swivelled around to face his girlfriend.
Marinette was staring back at him, clearly shocked, but her gaze kept flickering between father and son. “What did you call me?” She asked Adrien first, before turning to Gabriel. “What did you tell him?!”
“Ten seconds, son, ten seconds. That was all we needed to be in the clear until tonight!”
“This is entirely your fault, Father!” Adrien retorted, not even attempting to keep his voice down. “I asked for your advice on how to deal with a reveal, not for you to actually reveal a secret!”
Father and son glared at each other for a period of time, until a thunk pulled them out of their staring contest. The bag of lace Marinette had been holding fell to the ground. Her hands were on her cheeks, and her eyes were wide as she stared at Adrien. “The only person who calls me Bugaboo is Chat Noir. And tonight is the night that we were—we were supposed to…”
Adrien tried for a smile. “Um. Would this have been less shocking if I'd called you Princess?”
“Oh, mon dieu…”
Marinette’s legs had started shaking. Adrien immediately stood and directed her to the seat beside him. “Deep breaths, Mari, come on. Don’t faint on me.”
“You’re—oh my God. Chaton?”
As Marinette tried to reconcile the image of her model boyfriend with the goofy Chat Noir, Adrien couldn’t help but notice his father sighing and pulling out his phone and hitting the speed dial.
Poor Nathalie. She really didn’t get paid enough for all this drama.