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He didn't want to be the villain. He really didn't. He had a son to take care of and a life to live. But when an opportunity to find his wife presented itself, what else could he do? How else was he supposed to draw the ladybug and black cat miraculouses out? His son deserved to be as happy as possible, and his mother was what made him happy. Having both parents was crucial to a child's upbringing, though his was hardly what could be called a child anymore.
He did have to admit that the evil laugh was fun, though.
Sadly, being the villain of the story probably had more cons than it did pros. He was forever drifting further away from the only light of his miserable life, and the quest to retrieve absolute power was immensely fruitless and only brought more pain to the city of Paris. Thank goodness for that miraculous cure Ladybug had.
As for his work, that was really the only other thing he did besides sending out akumas and such. Being a designer was tiring, you know. But it did give him ideas and inspiration for different akuma names and costumes. And his son had plenty of things to keep him busy, especially since he had let him to go public school. He probably should've let him have that birthday party he wanted, but then where would he have found the Bubbler?
That one failed, though you had to admit that he was quite entertaining. And he had made his son happy, at least for a little while.
If only he knew that his father was only doing what he had to do. He had wanted to tell him since the beginning, especially since he discovered that he was the one hiding behind that black mask. But it would only cause him pain, he knew, and that was the opposite of his goal. And as for that lady of his, she made him happy. And that both frustrated and relieved him. Oh, why did his wife have to disappear? None of this would have happened if she had just stayed put.
Of course, it might not even be her fault. He had thought through every possible scenario, and most of them involved her being forced.
Back to the subject of his son's choice in romance, he was glad that he'd found love, but he wished that it could've been someone normal. Someone who didn't have ties to a miraculous, yet was miraculous enough in themself. Like that Marinette girl. She seemed incredibly nice and talented, not to mention that her parents owned a bakery. His son loved pastries. And she seemed to take a liking to him.
He really wished none of this had ever come to happen. But it had, so he must continue on in his quest, however dim it may seem. Maybe when it was all over he could make amends for all that he had done. For now, all he could do was carry on.
Because, for Gabriel Agreste, nothing was too drastic in the means of his son's happiness.