Author's Note: I can't imagine Gabriel Appreciation Week without some angst (no matter what some people say, you know who you are). This is a two-part story, that's going to find its conclusion on Day 6. Prompt for Day 2 is Hero/Villain.

This is an idea that I've been contemplating for a while, but I never got to write the full story (although some of it is even outlined). As I have no idea if I ever get the time to write it, I've decided to use it here in a much shorter version.

I still hope you'll find it interesting.

One more thing: this was mostly written before Sapotis was even announced to air, this has nothing to do with that episode.

"Days of Gabriel Agreste", Day 2: "A Reckoning Day"

In the hindsight Chat Noir thought he should have been more careful. But new powers and new teammates apparently gave him a false sense of security. Time hadn't managed to temper his bravado and recklessness. He thought they were invincible, like any teen would. They weren't. He wasn't.

The akuma, although unsettling, as this was Alya's little sister, seemed pretty easy. Had he been paying attention to Alya's blabber about her siblings, he would have known Etta and Ella were inseparable. Where one went, you always found the other too. It was only logical, that they would share not only the DNA signature but also the evilization. But by the time Chat understood that Twinster wasn't a singular akuma it was already too late.

He'd been bound with heavy rope beyond the point of being able to free himself (who would have thought kids were so good with knots? [author's note: any parent careless enough to leave a kid with a piece of string and enough time]). What was even worse, Ladybug and Queen B were still fighting with the other twin, who held Alya hostage. They were oblivious to the fact, that both Etta and Ella had been akumatized.

Last thing Chat remembered was the whirlwind of toxic green fumes and then everything went black.

He woke up tied to a chair, in the middle of an angry hissing exchange happening above his head.

'I told you not to harm him!' Someone was seething.

'He's all right, just a bit battered,' a tiny voice dismissed the concern. Chat recognized it as one of the Twinsters. Who would the first person be? 'Anyway, you have what you wanted. The first miraculous is yours. Can I go back and play with my sister now?'

Now that answered his few initial questions pretty quickly. Chat decided to play possum for a little longer. The retreating footsteps indicated that the Twinster left. He held his breath as he was trying to pick up any sounds indicating what his enemy was doing. He shuddered when he felt a wisp of warm air on his cheek.

'I know you're awake. I'm an empath, I can sense these things, you know,' the low, honeyed voice whispered by his ear. 'You can open your eyes now.'

The feline hero stubbornly kept them closed. He scrunched his nose and wiggled in his bonds. This learned him a heavy sigh in reply.

'Please, stop. This won't get you anywhere.' The voice retreated. Now it was coming from somewhere above him. 'We need to talk.'

Chat decided to ignore this. He heard a chuckle. He already suspected Hawkmoth had more than one screw loose. It seemed like the basic requirement for someone who decided to terrorize an entire city with the use and because of powerful magical artifacts.

'I don't know if this is good or bad news for you, but your teammates seem to be losing without you,' the man teased. The boy could practically hear the shit-eating grin stretching Hawkmoth's lips. 'Especially the charming spotted girl you seem so fond of.'

The black hero knew his captor was trying to vex him. But he couldn't help it. At the mention of Ladybug his eyes popped open. He was expecting some screens or other devices enabling the villain to follow the battle through the media. He only saw the back of the man, looking just like in Volpina's illusions. A purple glow surrounded his head, and when he turned to face him, Chat Noir saw that it was caused by a butterfly-shaped outline covering his eyes. Hawkmoth pierced him with his stare and the purple overtones somehow made it a hundred times more powerful. The corners of the man's lips quirked in sinister smirk.

Chat balled his fists almost involuntarily and he hissed when his claws sank in the pads of his palms. 'Why are you keeping me here?' He growled through clenched teeth. 'Why haven't you taken my ring?'

He noticed the glow around Hawkmoth's face faded as the villain strolled casually in his direction. Chat could tell he had the man's full attention now. Good, he thought, keep him talking so that he can't advice his Akumas. The boy knew that all Ladybug needed to win was an edge, and he would happily provide her with even this small one.

'Oh, you're finally ready for a little chit chat?' Hawkmoth came to a stop in front of Chat's chair. He stood firmly, straight and proud. There was something extremely familiar about his demeanor when he looked down at the boy, his gaze bearing such authority and intolerance of disobedience that Chat had to fight the urge to cower. It took all of his superhero strength to hold the villain's stare. He silently nodded his confirmation never breaking eye contact. Something flashed in the purple man's eyes when the boy metaphorically stood his ground in the stare contest. Something very much like appreciation.

'First of all,' Hawkmoth drawled in a low murmur, his voice suddenly not so cold anymore, 'as a fellow miraculous holder you know as well as me, that you have to give the jewel willingly or it won't be accessible to anyone else.'

Chat nodded again, keeping his face carefully blank. After the time they had been captured by Dark Owl, he and Ladybug talked at length with their kwamis and between themselves. The "willing" part was a great advantage, although it didn't change the fact that taking away their miraculous would result in exposing their identity. Besides, some of the akumas were really close to effectively blackmailing them into giving the miraculous out of their own free will - Ladybug almost did it for Volpina, and only Chat's wits prevented her from doing so.

Hawkmoth smiled. 'And I have no doubt you're not exactly willing to share yours?' A ghost of a chuckle escaped the villain's lips, as if he was amused with his own joke.

Chat couldn't help but to grin at that. Somehow he felt more at home with an opponent who seemed to like to banter. And then his captor surprised him again.

'But basically,' Hawkmoth hesitated for a moment, returning to the serious tone, 'I'm not interested in taking it away. I would be quite content if you keep it, actually.'

Wait. What?

The villain snickered and his smirk deepened. Did he say it out loud? Chat shook his head. Once again Hawkmoth caught him off guard, he should be more alert. 'What do you want from me then?' he asked, determined to keep his enemy occupied. 'Serve as bait? Where no one can see me?' He cast the man a disbelieving look, raising his chin up defiantly.

Hawkmoth's eyes narrowed and that pleased gleam flashed in them again. 'I'm really proud of you, son. I always admired your quick thinking and witty comebacks. I never have been among those pegging you as Ladybug's side kick. You deserve much more than to be bait.'

As appreciative as the man's reply could have seem, this wasn't answering his questions. 'If you don't want my miraculous, and you don't want me, why am I here?'

The villain snickered again. 'Oh, I never said I didn't want it,' he reached for Chat's right hand but stopped millimeters from the clawed fingers and withdrew after a moment of hesitation. 'On the contrary,' he straightened up again. 'I want your ring. And I want it on your finger, son.'

The boy felt fed up with this strange game. And the fact that the villain was patronizing him was making his stomach twist. 'Stop that,' he growled.

'Stop what?' the man raised his brows in surprise at that sudden reproof.

'Stop calling me "son". I'm not your son,' Chat Noir spat.

'Wrong again, Adrien,' Hawkmoth whispered. 'Nooroo, dark wings fall!'

Now Chat was actually glad he was tied to the chair. There was no way he would still be standing after seeing his mortal enemy detransforming into his own father. His brain was too occupied to provide his body with any instructions whatsoever, so he was also glad the heart and the lungs had their own software. Although he would appreciate if his heart could climb down from his throat and sped down a bit.

'This is a trick,' the boy finally choked out. 'It's an illusion.' Volpina had made him think he was chasing Hawkmoth. He wasn't going to fall for that trick again. Twinsters might have had more powers than they'd let on.

'I assure you Adrien, there's no trick,' the apparition said. It reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Chat felt its warmth through his suit. He saw his own masked reflection in Gabriel's glasses. He felt the man squeezing his flesh reassuringly. 'This really is me.'

Somewhere at the back of Adrien's head a tiny terrified voice was screaming that not only Hawkmoth was his father, but he apparently knew Chat's secret identity for god knows how long. His brain burst with a myriad of questions. He was unable to choose any one of them, so he settled on a single, 'Why?'

'As you youngsters like to say, because reasons,' Gabriel chuckled and shrugged. 'You'll have to be more specific.'

'Why have you revealed yourself to me?'

'Ah, glad to see you cut straight to business, Adrien,' his father nodded appreciatively. 'Because I want you to join me, of course.'

'That was a good choice, Adrien,' his father said as he let him down the secret passage and back into his study. The boy restrained from comment, still processing all that had happened. Plagg stayed silent after he dropped his transformation. He didn't even spare his father a glance, just hid in Adrien's pocket and remained quiet.

The conversation was going on repeat in Adrien's brain as they sat in silence and ate their dinner.

'Are you really asking me to choose between Mom and Ladybug?' As far as Adrien was concerned this was what his decision bore down to.

Gabriel took of his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. 'You don't understand,' he finally replied, clearly forcing himself to be patient. 'There is no choice. Once I change the timeline and reverse the damage, you can be with your Ladybug, you can keep the ring. I promise,' he concluded putting both his hands on Chat Noir's shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. All Adrien could see in them was a silent plea.

The boy already knew that scene would stay with him for days. Never before had he seen his father pleading, vulnerable. It was a first when Gabriel finally told him the true story of his mother's disappearance, his voice broken, his eyes full of regret. He never said whose fault that had been, but it was clear to Adrien he blamed himself, even if as far as the boy understood, he wasn't even there.

Once again he looked at his father and for the first time he could see past the mask he wore every day. Past the confidence, coldness and stiffness. He finally saw that inside that iron shell he was a trembling, despaired, shadow of the man he used to be.

'That was a good choice, Adrien.'

Those words echoed in his ears. Was it really a good idea to be loyal towards Gabriel, breaking the alliance with Ladybug? Was it really that simple? His father dismissed Adrien's concerns but the boy still felt that the choice he made was a choice between the love of his life and his parents. He wanted to trust his father but at the back of his head doubts still lurked, whispering, poisoning his thoughts.

When Gabriel fixes the damage will Adrien still have the miraculous? Will he even get to be Chat Noir? Will he meet Ladybug?

'Just remember your side of the bargain,' that was Adrien's reply to Gabriel's promise.

'I swear I won't hurt your spotted girlfriend,' the man repeated and then smirked, 'Or should I say I won't crush your crush?'

The boy couldn't help but to scowl at him, 'That's not the only thing you promised though,' he reminded, ignoring the terrible pun.

'Fine. You'll be the one to take her miraculous and I will return the gems to the both of you once I'm done,' Gabriel averted his gaze from the boy to open the door for them. 'You will be free after that to do whatever you want to.'

Adrien clenched his fist. Somehow the weight of the ring tripled in the last few hours and the usually cool metal burned his skin. He had made his decision and was determined to keep his resolve. But was it a good choice? Time would show.

AN: Thank you for reading. I'd love to hear what you think about this story. Feedback is really important to me. Your comments make me want to write more.

Many thanks to Remasa who suffered through a heart break beta reading this, but helped a lot with shaping it into the final version. I encourage you to check her stories, not only those for GAW. There a lot of A-class Gabriel there!

Check out my other stories (there are a few featuring Gabe!) and visit me on tumblr (perditaalottachocolate-blog). I tend to post sneak peeks of the stories I'm working on and share mostly miraculous content.