It Can't Happen Again
I do not own Miraculous Ladybug. If I did, season 2 would be out by now. I also would've been to Paris and own a plush Tikki.
Miraculous Ladybug
SUMMARY: "Should I tell him the truth? After all these years?" Gabriel Agreste flashbacks to when his friend died, his wife disappeared, and his best friend became his enemy.
NOTES: Obviously an AU where Mr. Agreste is not Hawk Moth, but they do know each other.
WARNINGS: Mentions of death and other stuff.
Seeing the ring on his son's finger connected all the dots. Why he always disappeared, the bruises, talking to himself. Gabriel knew Cat Noir was young – he was short and his voice sounded like a teenager's – but he never thought it'd be his own son. Adrien was a child. He was too young to be thrown into a world of danger and superheroes. The boy may think it was fun now, but what will he think in a year? Two years? Five? Six? Ten? Giving a child a miraculous was never a good idea. He would know. That was when he got his.
Twenty five years ago, Gabriel Agreste, Viola Bellerose, Adele Renard, and Stefan Mercier received their own miraculous. Gabriel was the peacock, Viola was the bee, Adele was the fox, and Stefan was the butterfly. They weren't just an inseparable team, they were best friends. The four had known each other their whole lives. They had inside jokes, secrets, spent nights at each other's houses. They knew things about each other nobody else did.
Secretly being Paris's protector's seemed like something that could bring them closer than ever. It didn't. Adele's death was what made them grow apart.
Balancing college and superheroing was not easy. Staying friends while in college was harder. Gabriel and Viola were dating and going to fashion school together. Wedding bells sounded louder the longer they were together. Stefan was going to a university studying history and mythology. His thirst for knowledge was almost obsessive. Adele was the only one not going to college – she chose to spend her time working at her family's coffee shop. They were separated, but they were still friends.
Everybody in the team had a role to play. Gabriel/Peacock was the leader, Stefan/Papillon was the muscle, Viola/Queen Bee was the tactician, and Adele/Vixen was the comedian. Adele's role on the team may not seem as important as the rest, but she kept their spirits up. She reminded them that they would win in the end. They always won in the end.
The villain from that night was strong. Really strong. Strong enough that he managed to bend steel. The battle was long and difficult, but they did defeat the bad guy. Papillon defeated him by killing him. The bad guy almost defeated them by snapping Vixen's neck.
The now three heroes stood above their dead friend. "How could you?" Gabriel angrily asked his friend. Stefan may have been an angry person, a violent vigilante, but his friends never thought he'd go as far as killing the enemy. "He killed Adele, destroyed half of Paris and would have killed any of you." His voice was calm, like he didn't do anything wrong. "That doesn't give you the right to kill him!" Viola screamed. All Stefan responded with was, "If he killed you I would've done a lot worse."
Adrien's a teenager! Adele was so young when she died. She was older than Adrien, but still young. What if Adrien died during a battle? The akumas amplify a person's negativity. What if one of them got so angry that they decided to kill? What if they killed Adrien? The villain who kills him might kill Ladybug too. He saw the Ladybug posters in his room, he knew his son had a crush on her. If Ladybug dies than his son might become just like Papillon. Angry. Bitter. Evil.
Stefan didn't show up at Adele's funeral. It was difficult explaining to her parents and boyfriend what happened. Not telling Adele's parents the truth about how their 21 year old daughter was the hardest thing Gabriel and Viola ever did. Viola hid Adele's kwami in her purse at the funeral before returning it to Master Fu. Gabriel, Viola, and Stefan still protected Paris, but it was never the same. They never spoke as much, Peacock didn't use as much witty banter, Papillon stopped holding back, and Queen Bee only focused on the mission.
Gabriel and Viola were married a year after Adele's death. Adrien was born two years later. Stefan didn't show up for either event. It's safe to say that the man was no longer their friend. He was just a partner who helped them fight crime now. Although to be honest, he wasn't even much of a superhero now.
The last battle the three ever had was the worst night of all their lives. The villain they were fighting wanted to suck the world into an alternate dimension. Why he wanted to do that, they'll never know – the beast never told them.
Gabriel remembered the final battle like the back of his hand. How they all almost died, how Viola/Queen Bee sacrificed herself. He begged her not to, but she did anyway. Her last words to him were, "It's either I die, or the world dies! Tell Adrien I love him and make sure he doesn't eat too much sugar before bed." She gave him one last kiss before leaping through the portal. That was the last time he ever saw her. He just let her go. He let his wife sacrifice herself.
The monster disappeared through the portal along with Viola. Once things calmed down, Papillon and Peacock were shock. Papillon was the first one to speak up.
"How could you?"
"I didn't have a choice. We needed to close the portal and Viola jumping in was the only way." It was difficult for Gabriel to hide the sadness in his voice.
"If jumping in was the only way than why didn't you do it?!"
It should have been him.
Tears began to stream down his face. "I loved her." 'What did Stefan say?' "And you killed her." 'Stefan was in love with Viola?' "You killed her… So I'll kill you." The two ex-friends fought. Papillon would have killed Gabriel if his miraculous hadn't timed out. He fled seconds before Peacock could stand back up in his weak state. A month later Stefan Mercier went missing. A year later he was presumed dead.
His friend was dead. His wife was missing. His former best friend turned to the dark side. Gabriel was all alone. He still had his son, but Adrien was a baby. He didn't know how to raise a child. And when Adrien started talking it was only a matter of time before he started asking about his mother. He'll probably think she was dead.
Letting his work consume his life was Gabriel's way of coping. Adrien being raised mainly by his assistant was probably the best idea. She cared about him, and she was the closest thing Adrien would have to a motherly figure.
Viola wasn't dead. She was just missing.
He knew his son wanted a close father-son relationship. That he wanted one who wasn't always working and let him go to school with other kids his age. But he did all those things for a reason. Adrien was homeschooled so he wouldn't make friends who would one day betray him. He was always working so his son would never see how broken he was inside. That was also why he usually acted like an emotionless robot.
How was a father supposed to tell his son that the reason his mother was gone was because she jumped into a multidimensional portal to save the world? How does a father tell his son that he knows the boy is a superhero because he used to be one himself?
Maybe if he had told Adrien the truth he wouldn't have been so quick to accept the miraculous? Maybe if he was more involved in his son's life and let him go outside more Adrien would be more cautious? So many maybes and what ifs ran through his head.
Walking to his son's room he paused at the door. He questioned his next action.
Should I tell him the truth? After all these years? I've been hiding the book containing stories on past miraculous owners. It wasn't in the safe, Adrien probably found it.
Taking a deep breath he made a decision. He knocked on his son's bedroom door. "Adrien, may I speak with you?"
I apologize for the minimal dialogue and plot holes. This is one of my first stories, so hopefully I'll improve as time goes on. Also, I'm not sure if Adrien's father is Hawk Moth or not. The show hasn't given enough information and backstory for the two yet. So far the two of them being the same is just a theory. I'm kind of on the side that says they're not. Here's to hoping season 2 provides more information on our favorite heroes, villains, and characters.
I chose the name Viola for Mrs. Agreste because I thought it was pretty. Renard means fox in French, so that's why I made it Adele's last name and miraculous. When I first saw the last name Mercier on a French last name and meanings website, I got it confused between "trader" and "traitor". Instead of his last name meaning the guy who will betray you, his last name means that he is the guy who will give you stuff.
Criticism welcome and flames will be put out with love. Hope you liked it!