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He had fought.
He had gone through hell and back.
But in the end, he succeeded.
Gabriel Agreste could not say he liked it.
Long beforehand planning, having to anticipate superpowers that made him feel as if some superior force was conspiring so that he would never get his wish, it took a toll on him.
All the designing, the useless plans that despite having been crafted by minds that had become the top of their fields for a reason, always seemed to be debunked by a pair of teenagers.
In all honesty, being defeated every other day by exactly that, nothing more but a pair of teenagers, was frankly humiliating.
He couldn't say he was proud of having to terrorize an entire city either.
Preying on people's anger and fear often lead to him making discoveries he had not intended to make. Being in contact with so much negativity, so often, took its toll on his mind too.
Nothing seemed to be enough.
After almost two years of failure, of drifting apart from what was left of his family, of the incessant, burning pain that not having Emilie by his side was, he had finally won.
Gabriel couldn't say he liked it. That he was proud of the path.
However, he was incredibly proud of the result.
He had been the only one with enough common sense to try and defy something like that, apparently.
No death, coma, or magical illness was above him now.
With the power of the Wish, he would have defeated them.
And he would have Emilie back.
He could not wait for the moment he could see her again, alive in all her beauty.
It felt like yesterday that, long before Adrien was old enough to understand, to remember even, he had been the one to hold her hand as another shiver made its way through her progressively debilitating body.
That he had been the one to cover her with a blanket after a fainting spell when she was too dizzy to stand up yet, as her entire frame trembled with nonexistent cold created by her illness.
Gabriel had been the one to hold her hair as she expulsed the remanents of her last meal, her stomach unable to take and process so much yet so little. To hold her hand as she muttered nonsense while half delirious from fever.
Nathalie had been a great friend to her, true.
Adrien might have loved his mother, true too.
But yet, none of them were willing to do what he did.
None of them had had the initiative, let alone the willpower to keep up with the project.
Nathalie had simply given up on it.
What a great friend she was. Leaving Emilie to stay dead, for what? For the sake of a son that couldn't be less than happy to live the life he lived?
She would never understand.
Nathalie had never loved Emilie like he had. Nobody in the entire world probably would. Nobody would be able to say what he could.
That he had defied death for his loved one, and won against it.
Every deal he had to make, every trade with idiots who thought he would actually care for whatever their wish was when he had his right on the palm of his hand.
Money, power, what did any of those mean against risking the chance of messing something up when he could see Emilie again?
He had fought and shed blood, sweat and tears.
Surprisingly, Adrien had too.
All those months fighting with all his might, when the answer was right under his roof?
Adrien said he loved his mother. That he had shed his own tears when she was gone.
The difference was that he did nothing. Simply sat to contemplate his loss as something irreversible, despite knowing exactly what he could have done.
Ladybug was his partner. Based on their interactions while fighting alone, Gabriel could tell she trusted Adrien.
If he had simply asked politely for her miraculous, she would have given it up. Maybe with one or two questions, but as soon as she realized what the purpose was, Gabriel had no doubts the girl's heart would surrender.
She was too tender.
And yet, Adrien hadn't.
Instead, he chose to fight as hard as he could.
Fight with all the strenght he had left against him even after knowing it was his own father.
Even after learning what the wish would be.
Balance in the universe.
Who cared about a life gone if it meant he would get to see Emilie again?
She would be healed. She would return in all her glory, return to their love just where it had left, abruptly ended by something as now minimal as death.
Gabriel did not hold a single thought for anything else in the world.
As long as Emilie came back right where their love story had left, for all he cared the rest of the world could go down in flames.
"I wish to bring Emilie Agreste back to life. Make our story continue where it left. Heal her, and let her stay."
~(X)~
Gabriel Agreste woke up with the light of a new day.
The shine of the sun making its way through his windows gave the room an aura of magic.
Suddenly, he heard voices outside.
Specifically, one he had last heard a long, long time ago.
Emilie.
Without thinking it twice, he ran outside, eager to see her again.
The love of his life was dressed in white, a clear sundress that made her appear otherwordly.
Just as he was about to lean in for a kiss, she stopped him abruptly.
"Gabriel, it's time to stop. I know you have been avoiding me for weeks, but I need you to finally take this. I have already talked to Adrien. Nathalie will be glad to share the options for hearing schedules."
A million thoughts raced in his head. He had made the mistake of saying "make our story continue where it left."
It was obvious! Why would he want to bring Emilie back to a world where she had gone on and quit loving him?
Before her death-
All they needed was time, right? Time for her to think clearly and not be numbed by an illness. For Emilie to see everything he had done for her. Would she change her mind knowing everything he did to bring her back?