Warning season two spoilers up to Reverser.

A lot will be happening in this fic. So enjoy and tell me what you think.

Through a Fog of Egos

Chapter One- Maman

"I can walk maman," Adrien said as he kicked his little feet back and forth. His expensive one hundred and seventy euro tennis shoes hit his mom gently with each swing.

Emilie smiled down at the boy in her arms, but her tone was still firm when she answered, "No, it isn't safe yet Adrien. Wait till we get to the park." Little four-year-old Adrien huffed, but obediently laid his head down against his mother's thin shoulder. From this angle he could peek over his maman's back and watch as their three giant body guards followed at his mother's heels. They were so big, but Adrien had gotten used to their presence. They were always around. They were the good guys, even if they weren't allowed to talk to him and that was scary sometimes.

Adrien heard the sounds of the park before he could see the play equipment from behind the park's tall bushes. He began to kick again, this time in excitement. A childish sqeeee pierced the air around his maman's ear in his glee. His mother took it like a champ. "Calm down now Adrien," She gently chided. Adrien clamped two hands over his giggling mouth, but the woman could still feel her child vibrating with happiness in her arms.

He knew he was being bad, and that daddy would hear about it later. But he couldn't help it! His mother never took him to the park, she never took him anywhere! Never ever anywhere.

Mother and son turned the corner into the park. It wasn't as big as some of the parks that he's seen through his limousine window. But boy was it colorful. The equipment had blues, and oranges, and reds, and greens. The medal bits twisted and curved about each other, with slides and monkey bars hidden haphazardly within the decorative metal maze.

His mother took her way-to-long-adult-time walking the two of them over to the edge of the sand pit that surrounded the play equipment. With one last smile she set Adrien down, his feet were running through the air before his shoes could touch the sand. He shot off like a child on a mission, away from his mother. Emilie took a big steadying breath and made her way to the closest park bench.

Emilie Agreste watched her little boy from the bench, poised and full of smiles, just like she always looked in public. She was the perfect image of Gabriel Agreste's beautiful, intelligent, if slightly bashful, wife.

Or that is, that's what Emilie saw herself as. The guards posted, one on either side of her bench, glanced at each other knowingly, and sadly. Between them Emilie kept her back straight and limbs still, until she began to twist and fiddle her hair, but only for a moment before she gracefully guided her hands back into their position upon her lap. She would last another thirty seconds before having to repeat the motion again. The movement looked so controlled and precise that it left the action looking purposefully delicate, and impossible to take seriously, never less gracefully.

Her eyes were a wide green, and they never left her little boy as he raced around, trying every equipment on the playground once, marveled by its newness, before racing around the thing a few times in his uncontrollable excitement.

Emilie looked at her feminine gilded watch about her wrist, 4:10. It's been five minutes. She slowly lowered her hand back down. Her body jerked as a small clonk was heard ahead of her, she snapped her eyes to Adrien and saw him rubbing his forehead with a vengeous, while a taller chubbier child did the same thing around the corner of the equipment. Adrien must have run into the boy during one of his laps.

Emilie was up quickly, forgetting for a moment to move gracefully. That boy was bigger than her son, he could hurt him, hurt her baby.

A grin split Adrien's face. He shouted an apology right in the boy's ear, and the boy mumbled a subdued 'It's ok,' in the face of his blond peer's enthusiasm. Emilie's face fell.

Adrien gripped his new friend's arm and talked about playing soccer, he bounced about in his excitement, making the chubby boy giggle as his arm was shaken against his will. Emilie sat back down.

Little Adrien ran back to his big bodyguard friend and asked for his soccer ball. Never dropping his stern demeanor the bodyguard presented the child his toy. Adrien ran back to his friend and together the two of them ran to the more open area of the grass field.

Emilie's right leg began to jump up and down in tiny little hops. Her embroidered flats kept the motion silent as her shoes moved about the concrete.

Adrien screamed, but he also screeched and yelled and laughed. He was louder than any other child, with less appropriateness than any child should shout. And as the ball was kicked about seemingly aimlessly, Adrien's new friend joined him.

Emilie checked her watch.

The boy was faster than Adrien, though he would give up on getting to the ball faster than her child would. It became of game of who was closer to the ball, and who had enough balance to push the other one off his feet before he got to the prize.

Emilie's arms wrapped about her stomach.

After a particularly off balanced kick by Adrien's friend, the ball went skywards. Both boys screeched delighted cries of 'I got it!' as they stumbled about the general area the ball would land. Teetering over his friend's sneakers, Adrien fell. Emilie gasped.

His friend, oblivious to the fall and the small 'oof,' that came out of Adrien's mouth, repeated another 'I got it,' and promptly tripped over his new buddy, landing his bigger body on top of Adrien's smaller form, almost hiding the blond child from view with his mass. The ball landed a few feet above both of the fallen boy's heads. Adrien looked up dazed from his downed spot. His new friend looked back, eyes wide. They began to laugh. Oh Adrien laughed first, but it was contagious, and his friend followed. They rolled themselves off of each other, his friend already inching his way back towards their ball.

Emilie stood up. On shaking legs she slowly made her way over to her son. Her bodyguards followed her, in their own silent cloud of knowing inevitability. Emilie's breathing was harsh, and her heart hurt, but she did not move fast, she would move with grace, even now. Other parents eyed her as she paced. No one saw any grace.

"Adrien honey, come here," Emilie said to her child. Adrien froze, as did his friend who was about to attempt kicking the ball towards Adrien, in an actual straight line this time he was certain. Emilie bent down onto her haunches, "Come here Adrien," She said again. Shuffling his feet and clearly suspicious Adrien looked to his friend, then to his ball, before coming to some sort of conclusion and walking towards his mommy. Emilie smiled sweetly, "Could you bring your ball honey."

Adrien froze, his face twisting in childish grief at the implications. Emilie smiled brighter, feeling sorry for crushing her son's hopes that if the ball stayed here, than he would to.

Like she ever cared about a ball, she'd buy him more.

Moister began to fill his bright green eyes, one hiccupped sob came out, then another. Tears dribbled down the boy's face. Startled Adrien's new friend jumped into action, going for the automatic state of offering comfort in the form of a toy by picking up the soccer ball and running over to bump it against his new blond friend's chest.

Emilie never lost her smile. She simply stood and walked over to her son. Adrien's hands flew to his face, his pale complexion growing red in his distress. "No!" He finally shouted at her between his sobs, "It's not time yet, I know so, its hic, no time yet. I don't want to go hoooome."

Feeling calm now that she had a plan Emilie made a swiping motion with her hand and one of the body guards marched forward to the chubby child, the child became white and shaky as this large man approached him. From the corner of her eye Emilie saw an equally chubby man rise from his place on his own bench, no doubt the father. The bodyguard gently took the ball from the boy's unresisting hands and stepped back. That didn't stop the boy's father from making his own way to the scene. Eyeing the father's approach warily, Emilie gracefully harshly picked up her son. Adrien screamed his outrage, "You promised!" He yelled at her "You promised one hour, you promised!"

"Adrien hush now," she told him sternly, gripping his leg tightly before he could start kicking her in his anger. "Hush right now or you will never be going to the park again, do you understand me?"

Adrien hushed, only letting out little groans of despair, he rubbed his teary face harshly in his anger, being too young to know what to do with his rage and having no other way of letting it out. Once in a while he whispered a small broken, "You promised," before being silenced by his mother's glare.

Behind the party of mother, boy, and guards, the chubby boy's father had made it to his son. Bending down to better meet his son's confused eyes, and hear his confused questions.

Adrien was confused to, so confused, and mad at his mommy, and mad at himself, and not knowing why his mom never let him stay even though she promises. He didn't understand. He was confused, he looked up at his mommy, she kept her gaze steadily ahead. With one last sniff, and giving into his confusion on whom to be mad at and why, Adrien submissively laid his head against his mommies' shoulder in post crying exhaustion. Emilie patted his back encouragingly, and Adrien rubbed his face into her shirt, allowing her to comfort him.

They made it home much faster than they had made it to the park. Emilie held Adrien the whole way, even as her skinny arms shook from the strain. Dismissing the guards at the gate, she walked them both up the steps of their mansion. Gabriel Agreste, her husband, opened the door before she could touch the knob.

"Welcome home," he said blank faced and emotionless. Emilie smiled at her husband, loving him for his oddities, and not asking things a normal husband would ask like 'why are you back so early?'

Gabriel didn't need to ask, he already knew, he hadn't liked the idea of the park anyways. "We're back," Emilie smiled, Adrien lifted his little tear stained face to look at his father, pouting his lip low in silent communication of his feelings.

Ignoring their son Gabriel and Emilie embraced. With little Adrien nestled easily between them. Adrien leaned his head against his father's chest, resting himself against his dad while his mom carried him. Still leaning against his father Adrien turned his head so he could look outside, at the trees, the breeze, the backs of the bodyguards, and the gate. He kept looking out from the circle of his parent's arms as his father lazily closed the front door.

Adrien never admitted it to anyone, never told a soul, but he always wished he had kicked and screamed more in the park that day. It was a vindictive feeling of petty revenge, and he felt guilty for the little evil wish. Or perhaps he simply wished he had a good reason to give himself, for why his mother never took him to another park again.

Ten years later Adrien Agreste opens his eyes calmly, looking out blank faced at the newly created space in his room. He had moved his couch, TV, desk, piano, foosball table, rock climbing equipment, and arcade machine to one corner, leaving an open space of possibilities. "And here today Adrien Agreste will attempt what has never been done before on this floor. A Triple-Twisting Double Layout," Adrien whispers to himself in the voice of a monotone golf announcer. He takes a running stance, "Truly if he succeeds this, it will be history in the making," Adrien bends lower, "and here's the dismount."

"Whoooo gooo Adrien!" shouts a tiny high pitched nasally voice from inside the laundry basket, a basket which was also pushed into the corner. Spurred by the noise Adrien does a sort of have half-run, half-stumble, as his mind refuses to commit to one action. His arms windmill stupidly as he uses them to stop himself from face-planting.

"Plagg!" Adrien whines, "You have to stay silent or you'll mess me up."

Plagg snorts through a face full of dirty Adrien sock, "Oh please who cares, you're already cheating with your super powers."

Adrien's smile widens, "Oh this'll still be cool, you'll see, besides this is ten times harder without the suit."

Plagg shrugs, "Just showing a little support."

Adrien's green eyes roll.

Starting over Adrien closes his eyes and focuses. One deep breath later and he was off, momentum moving him into a front handstand, then twisting into a back handstand by the next flip around. Another up then down. And another. Then the launch off with a twist. Keeping his body straight and his arms crossed over his chest, Adrien spins about in the air. He lands with a harsh bang upon his mat, knees only just bent, hands already up to pose to the crowd. Just for good measure he widens his legs and poses again. Perfect.

"Hahah!" He shouts, "Perfect finish, and the Plagg goes wild!"

Ears twitching and hearing his queue Plagg flies upwards giving his own shouted "Hoozah!" and throwing his tiny armful of three socks atop Adrien's head like flowers. One lands in his hair, Adrien sputters as the toe of the wool gets into his smiling mouth. With a flick of his hair Adrien gets the thing off his head, only for Plagg to take the socks place. Laughing, the little god rolls his body around in the boy's hair.

Adrien joins him, in the laughing of course, he can't roll in his own hair. "That was perfect Plagg."

"I'm always perfect," Plagg replies automatically. With a self-satisfied purr Plagg starts kneading his paws through Adrien's silky fine hair. Adrien snorts and moves back to his pile of stuff in the upper left corner of his room, mentally planning his strategy of what item to move back first.

Plagg continues to knead and fuzz up Adrien's hair, knowing that Adrien will ignore him. Messing up his kitten's hair is one of his favorite things to do. It's his favorite because Adrien doesn't care. It's hilarious to Plagg, this sleek haired model child truly doesn't care, he never has. Yet none of the humans seem to know just how little shits the kid really gives. But Plagg knows, so he messes up Adrien's hair, with the sad knowledge that it will be fixed before his kitten goes out in public, public being anywhere his father could potentially learn about his state of shag, which is basically everywhere.

Keeping flats under the legs of the piano so as to not damage his floors, and taking advantage of some convenient superhero strength, Adrien finishes returning the instrument to its prier location. He's about to start preparing his foosball table for movement when Natalie knocks twice and opens his door. Plagg hides behind his kitten. "Adrien," Is all she says but Adrien sees more. He sees how her nose wrinkles in distaste at the state of his room, his hair, and his loose fitted mismatched workout clothes.

Oops.

Blank eyed, Natalie continues her purpose, "Once you are presentable your Pѐre would like to see you in his study."

Adrien nods to the back of Natalie's head as she exits the room. "Aw man, think she's mad at me Plagg?"

Plagg rolls his eyes from his spot floating just above Adrien's shoulder, "Who cares, she's always a stick in the mud."

Adrien chuckles a little, "Yeah I guess so." Adrien makes his way to his closet to change.

Plagg watches him dress for a moment, glade that his chosen has finally gotten over the initial embarrassment of having an almighty god watching you change clothes. It was annoying to try and pay attention to not seeing the human naked. "Sooooo," Plagg begins, "What do you think your Pѐre wants?"

Adrien shrugs unworried, an unusual response. Normally seeing his father unannounced causes his kitten so much anxiety. "I'm sure it's nothing bad. Things have been looking up Plagg," Adrien tells him as he attempts to find a matching pair of socks that Plagg hadn't gotten his paws on yet.

"Oooh yeah?" Plagg questions.

Adrien gives his kwami a smile, "Yeah." He finds some socks. "Haven't you noticed? My Pѐre is getting healthier. He played piano with me, and watched that movie with me. Even after I snuck out! Sure he insisted on Natalie checking in on me for every piano lesson after that, but I did kind of deserve it. Anyways the point is that he is getting better, this is what I've wanted since maman disappeared, and it's finally happening," Adrien exits his closet, now in his usual stylish Gabriel brand clothing. "In fact this is the perfect time to ask him about those changes I've been telling you about. It's time that I take my job as Chat Noir more seriously. Besides I'm feeling lucky today, that Akuma this morning was so easy Ladybug and I could have beaten him with one claw tied behind my back."

He cups his hand, waiting for Plagg to accept his invitation and land on his palms, Plagg accepts. "Things are looking up Plagg," says Adrien, "I can feel it."

Slick black Bolvaint shoes squeak, and tight butt wrapping red jeans grip Gabriel Agreste as he releases his transformation. A small purple form tumbles through the air, falling down to the man's calf, before catching himself with his butterfly wings and rising back up to his master's eye level.

His master's fury was something beyond anger, Norro the butterfly kwami watches as Gabriel's teeth clench, his eyes widen pointlessly for they look at nothing. Those were normal behaviors for the angry though. Humans ruin their teeth and waste their eyesight when they are angry all the time. It isn't his body language that is different, it's his mind, Nooroo could tell, he is inside that mind daily.

This man is slipping. Before he was banana peel slipped, by this point he's oil spilled in traffic slipped. Nooroo rubs his arm-numbs together nervously.

"Nooroo," Gabriel growls turning to his kwami, "what is this? Why is this all that I can do, why am I not getting stronger? Are you telling me that after all this time I am cursed to only grow weaker? To only have pathetic cannon-fodder to present to my enemies!" The man is yelling now, marching up to Nooroo.

The little butterfly buzzes away fearfully, ever keeping a neutral distance between himself and this man, "N-no master, it isn't like that. Or, I don't know. Perhaps Chat Noir and Ladybug are simply getting stronger, more comfortable with their powers."

"With that logic, so should I," Gabriel counters. Nooroo's back hits the wall. "Look at them Nooro," Gabriel hisses holding his phone up for his Kwami to see a play through of the last battle that was caught on tape for the Ladyblog. "They are faulty in everything they do!" Gabriel continues, "The boy wields his staff like a sword, and the girl's knowledge of fighting seems to come from how many flips or throws she can do." Gabriel breaths in deep, attempting to calm himself as he watches his own Akuma fight more dismally than both heroes combine. "This won't do," Gabriel declares, stuffing his phone back into his jacket pocket. "This randomization is not working. I need to manipulate this power I have, I need to control it. I need more efficient allies." Gabriel never stops walking towards the elevator to his office as he speaks. Nor does he bother turning around as he demands his Kwami to follow. Quivering, a tiny purple god hurries to obey.

Gabriel's phone rings on the ride up in the elevator, startling the man. Nooroo covers his mouth to hide his giggle. With a grumpy hmph, Gabriel answers.

"Gabriel Agreste speaking."

"It's Natalie Mr. Agreste, I have just been informed that..."

Nooroo stops listening after that, more content to lick his antennas till they shine, they taste like honey today.

"My son did what!" Gabriel yells, this time it was Nooro's turn to jump. "Oil, oil, oil," Nooroo murmurs, "This man is oil."