Chapter Text
Haunting piano music echoed across immaculate halls, as Gabriel Agreste took care to minimize the sound his oxfords made across the marble floors. This rendition of the opening theme to Solitude was as perfect as its performer.
He paused by the door to Adrien’s room, and glanced into his sport coat’s breast pocket. Nooroo nodded at him and gave him a small but encouraging smile.
He waited for the end of the song, but another did not begin. Adrien had not been studying his piano in the shower, then. That was good.
Gabriel knocked. “May I have a moment of your time, Adrien?”
His son opened the door within moments, hope showing Gabriel ghosts of Adrien’s face when it was thirteen. “Please, come in! Or would you like to take a walk?”
“May I come in? The nature of this conversation is private. We should sit.”
A lifetime of modeling had not been enough to disguise the flicker of foreboding across Adrien’s face, though he schooled himself back to his manners almost instantly.
They sat in silence for a moment.
“Son, do you feel that our relationship has been… distant?”
“When I was younger,” Adrien said. “Although part of that was simply not understanding the demands on your time. You are very busy and I appreciate how much of your personal time you were able to spend with me, even if you have very little of it at all.”
“I hope to change that soon. Certain projects of mine are reaching their natural conclusion, and I hope to retire soon.”
“This is a surprise! Do you have a new project on the horizon? Gabriel is an international brand, with no heir apparent.”
Gabriel allowed a teaspoon of emotion to seep into his face. “ What I want most is a closer relationship with you. I have missed your boyhood, and you are suddenly a young man. It’s my fault I’ve been so distant. The truth is, I’ve been keeping a secret from you, and I think it’s time to finally tell you.”
Adrien gave his father a smile. “I’m glad that you and Nathalie are finally making it official. You never needed to have hidden it from me in the first place. Mom has been gone for five years now; you two have my blessing.”
Gabriel sighed with exasperation. “Adrien. I am not romantically entangled with Nathalie. While I deeply appreciate and respect her, no one will ever replace your mother for me. I am sorry to have been so distant that you have no reason to disbelieve the scandalous, misogynist narrative circulating the less reputable fashion magazines. This would never have happened if I had done a better job of being a parent for you, and I am sorry to have failed you in this way.”
Adrien was turning a bright red. “No, father, it was my mistake, and an insulting one. I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
Gabriel wrapped his son in a hug. When was the last time he had done that? The Style Queen fashion show? That was four years ago. “Son, you know I hold you to high standards because I know you can meet them, and I am sorry that this has made you believe that my love for you depends on being able to perfectly meet them every time.”
Adrien was shaking. Why was he shaking? Gabriel checked. Silent tears were running down his son’s face. He kissed his golden hair, Emilie’s hair, and let him cry until no more tears were left.
Finally, Adrien looked back at him. “That was a good secret, Father.”
Gabriel smiled with affection. “That wasn’t the secret I had in mind either.”
“Okay, I give up!” Adrien said, smiling even more widely. “Nothing is going to be more of a surprise than this.”
“I’m so sorry,” Gabriel said, “and it’s important to me that I tell you that I love you before I tell you this. It’s not a good surprise. Hold out your hand?”
Adrien held out his right hand. Gabriel’s eyes lingered on the silver ring on it, a too-important question in the back of his mind, but he forced himself to look away, and took a breath.
“Nooroo, I renounce you. Thank you for everything, little Kwami.” Adrien tensed, and, in response, Gabriel did, too. He only had one chance to do this right. He unpinned his brooch, and, before Adrien could take his hand away, placed it in it.
“Son, I’ve had a Miraculous for four years, and desperation has driven me to use it to terrorize Paris. But it’s too late, now, and Nooroo deserves a kind wielder. Miraculous and Kwami are yours, if you want them; otherwise, I will notify Ladybug and Chat Noir it is available for pickup at some anonymous location, and arrange appropriate security to ensure that a hero claims it. I will live with the shame of who I was for the rest of my days. But I will keep our family out of the news and ensure that this scandal does no more damage to it than it already has.”
Adrien was still.
Gabriel found that he could not guess what his son was thinking.
Gabriel was a man of self-control, and he waited as long as he was able for his son’s response. But he broke first.
“This is a significant revelation. I understand it influences your desire to bond with me. And, if you prefer, I can turn myself in to the authorities and suffer any legal consequences that Paris deems necessary for my actions. However, I must caution you that it will be difficult and expensive to avoid a scandal, and I cannot guarantee success. I need you to be fully aware that you could find yourself the penniless son of a terrorist if you do, and your brand may never recover.”
“What do you mean, it’s too late?” Adrien asked quietly. “How is it too late to take over the world, or whatever you wanted the Miraculouses for?”
Gabriel sighed. “I had hoped to keep this from you. It may do more harm than good. But the reason I had wanted the Miraculouses- and only the Ladybug and the Cat, I had no interest in the Fox or the Turtle or the Bee or any other- was because, together, they can grant a wish. They cannot bring back the dead. But your mother was alive. She is now dying. If I had obtained the Miraculouses in time, we could have healed her, but she does not have much longer.”
A deep breath. “How much time does she have?”
“I don’t know. She’s fading. Would you like to see her?”
He swallowed. “Yes, I would like that.”