A/N: Requested by Ranger209, here is a follow up chapter to "Unsatisfactory Performance". As with all chapters in this collection, all of the stories are more or less standalone oneshots. I've tried to write in such a way that chapters 'continuing' a previous storyline can still be read without previously having read any of those preceding them.

Without further ado, I present to you the longest chapter I've posted in a while. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 21: Choices and Consequences

Confined to the house, Adrien contemplates his remaining options.

There were far worse places he could be confined to. Well, actually, this was the only place he could imagine his father keeping him. It wasn't bad but being the place he had been home schooled since he was small meant it wasn't great either. Being handled with increased security and unable to leave the house, he opted to stay in his room and more specifically in his bed. Not that he wanted to sleep. He had already been doing that for far too long and preferred the option that no longer existed: to be at school. What with the more vigilant surveillance, he couldn't even sneak out if he tired. Well, perhaps he could if he wanted to break his legs. Fortunately, after Gabriel took his leave from his 'one-on-one time' with his failure of a son, he had lifted the lockdown and sunlight was able to enter his room again. The problem was not that he didn't have the option but rather an issue of not even so much as a tree stood close enough to his window for him to grab onto. If he wanted to escape without being spotted, he'd have to stick a landing after scaling the building or in the more likely scenario, post free falling. Chat could handle an issue like falling a story or two without breaking a sweat while Adrien on the other hand, probably couldn't manage it without injury on a good day and certainly not in his current state.

His abdomen was still bruised and tender from the altercation but looking at the clock told him he had only been resting around three hours since regaining consciousness anyway. In fact, upon sitting up, Adrien realized that even such a basic motion was more taxing than usual. Perhaps it was a good thing he couldn't go to school today. He cringed as he pushed himself from the edge of the bed, keeping a hand on the mattress as he stood since he didn't necessarily trust himself to remain standing. He soon found himself upright without incident and without aid so he shuffled slowly over to the bathroom. Passing the sink, he caught a glance of his reflection. Exhaustion darkened the skin under his eyes, fittingly matching it with the bruises around his throat. He glared at himself and passed by without bothering another moment of evaluation, peeled his clothing off and stepped into the shower.

He turned on the tap and wet a hand towel then promptly turned the faucet off and wrung most of the water from the cloth. Learning against the tiled wall, he proceeded to clean himself minimally. His arms could hardly stand the slightest of pressure, as did his stomach and lower torso. Working his way to his shoulder he found a pad of gauze on his scapula. Apparently the skin had been broken open enough that Nathalie felt it merited dressing, so he left it alone. Standing for even those few minutes soon proved to be arduous so Adrien set the cloth down after another moment and toweled off. Disregarding his clothes from the day before, he left them in a pile on the floor and proceeded to his closet. After finishing dressing, the teen pulled a hoodie over his head, made his way back to the bed and flopped into it face down with a grunt. The faint stench of strong cheese filled his senses causing him to lift his head as his eyes darted to his pillow but it was empty. He dropped his head back onto the comforter in disappointment only to return to the scent of Camembert. Tears watered the blanket and Adrien let out a shudder as he wondered if he'd ever be reunited with Plagg. Maybe he should have just listened to the kwami and fled when he had the chance...

Sighing, he turned over and grabbed his phone, proceeding to scroll mindlessly through texts only to find Nino had yet to respond to his last message. Opening a browser, he pulled up the Ladyblog. If he couldn't be around the real thing then he could at least watch videos of her. Perhaps that would take his mind off of everything. Watching footage of Ladybug and him fighting in tandem against various akuma from time to time was useful for evaluating his performance and finding ways to improve his technique, but on this occasion he just wanted to remember happier times. He proceeded to scroll when an update appeared on the side of the screen only moments later and started playing a live stream. Alya was following what appeared to be a frog man covering the street and surrounding area with thick mucus. Ladybug was in hot pursuit. Adrien shot out of bed, ignoring the pain that flared up at his abdomen as he hastily made his way out of his room. He had to find Plagg.

Gabriel was sure to be working so as long as he was careful, Adrien could check his typical hiding places, of which he prayed one of them would contain his ring. Peering around the door frame, he glanced downstairs to see if he could spot Nathalie or Gorilla, finding the latter sitting in a chair in the entryway while reading a novel. Nathalie was typically around the kitchen at this time of day preparing lunch whenever Adrien was home and the faint sound of dishes being moved around seemed to confirm his assumption. Taking a careful step forward, he closed his door quietly before stealthily making his way downstairs. He has almost made it to the main floor when Gorilla looked up from his book and raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"I- uh, just wanted to see if Nathalie was finished making lunch yet," he said sheepishly, pointing as he walked in the direction of his fingers. "I didn't have breakfast, since I was still asleep-" But Gorilla had already lost interest in the less than abnormal circumstance and had returned to his book. Adrien blew a sigh of relief, checking the hulking man one last time before turning and heading to his father's atelier. Peeking beyond the crack in the doors, he found the room to be vacant so he slid between the gap and entered. If his father wanted to keep anything secret, he kept it in a vault behind the portrait of his mother. Adrien had only recently learned of this and fortunately at the time, despite being unsolicited, Plagg had opened it for him from the inside and informed the boy of the code after doing so. With any luck the code would have remained unchanged. Swinging the portrait aside, Adrien input the code and lifted the lever, pleased when he found the safe opened. Fearing the worst, Adrien looked inside with trepidation, his expression exploding into joy upon finding Plagg's miraculous sitting on the shelf next to a peacock shaped pin and a photo of his mother. He took it immediately, pressing the safe closed followed by the painting. All was going better than he could have hoped for when the sound of a man clearing his throat resonated in the spacious room. Adrien's spine went ridged with alarm and his previous excitement melted into dread. He turned to suddenly find a sorely unamused Gabriel Agreste standing directly behind him.

"There's an akuma attack-" Adrien explained. Gabriel only chuckled darkly in response.

"So there is, but I'm afraid that is the least of your concerns at the moment."

"Please understand, father, Ladybug needs my help!" His petition came out with such energy that upon finishing he was forced to suck in rather large breath at which Gabriel then lowered his stare to find the teen grasping uneasily at his gut.

"I don't think you're in a state to help anyone right now, Adrien. Now, give me back the miraculous," he said, extending his open hand toward the teen.

"I'll do just fine," Adrien replied sounding slightly offended. Clutching the ring more tightly, Adrien took a hesitant step back toward the wall as he continued to watch his father with growing concern. "Look, it's clear you won't approve, but I have to do something!" Adrien's gaze cast downward. "If you still feel the need to reprimand me after I save the city, then I accept that."

"Your decision is ill advised," Gabriel warned coldly. His stony expression fell harder when Adrien looked back at the man and slid the ring on. Plagg appeared upon leaving the band's confines only able to exchange glances with his charge before Adrien initiated transformation.

"No, father. I'm leaving," he stated. "And you won't-"

"Stop you?" Gabriel's gravelly voice came again and Adrien was startled to find the man now cloaked in all purple. So great was his shock over the man's sudden change in appearance that he hesitated just long enough to give the man the advantage. As Adrien gaped in disbelief at the butterfly shaped broach on the man's collar, Gabriel darted at him, slamming him against the portrait as he rammed the head of his cane into Chat's stomach. Adrien's knees buckled as he let out a pained gasp, the only thing keeping him upright being the force of the cane pinning him against the wall. "Of course I can stop you. Just because you have additional protection from the miraculous doesn't mean you're not still compromised."

"You-" Chat's breath hitched and his expression wrinkled with despair. His voice shattered with his heart. "Why-?"

"My reasons don't concern you," Gabriel replied evenly. "Now give up."

Mustering what resolve he could, Adrien grit his teeth and kicked off of the wall into a flip, knocking Hawkmoth back as he freed himself. Adrenaline surging, he grabbed his baton and launched its extension at Hawkmoth's chest who then dodged it as he struck back against the staff with his cane. They traded parries and blocks, leaping around the room as either player tried to gain the upper hand. Gabriel sneered at the teen, musing how impressive his fencing skills had become when Chat surprised him further as he dropped low and swept the man's feet out from under him. The villain didn't relent, however, as he simply flipped back onto his feet after springing from a one-handed cartwheel. He then rounded on Adrien, slamming the head of the cane against the back of what he knew to be the teen's injured shoulder. Chat dropped to his hands and knees and his baton slipped to the ground as the wind was knocked out of him. A swift swipe of the foot sent the staff to the edge of the room and Hawkmoth bore down on his prey.

White flashes covered Chat's vision as the blunt damage spread through his back. He floundered for a moment in panic only to then receive a stomping kick to the same injury as a result, his chest being shoved against the tiled floor as his nerves exploded with anger. The wave of pain threatened to render him unconscious but Chat growled defiantly and when the cane swung downward the teen threw himself out of its path, dodging the strike by a mere margin. Defying his fate, he then drove his fist into the floor and released a cataclysm which blasted the floor into fragments as the shockwave pulsed through it. Extending its reach to the opposite wall, the destructive power shot through the windows like lightning, leaving a gaping hole of sunlight in its wake. Hawkmoth bounced back as the floor broke apart as did Chat. Ignoring the protests from his body, Chat ran on all fours, pouncing at his staff when Hawkmoth blindsided him. A kick caught him, but only barely scraped over his upper arm as Chat retracted in the nick of time. Retaliating with a kick of his own, Adrien successfully planted his boot in the man's face. A crunch signified he had broken the man's nose. Rebounding to his feet, he nearly grabbed his staff when a sharp thrust lanced through the side of his abdomen. He crumpled, falling short of his goal with a hissing grunt.

"Insolent boy." Hawkmoth stepped toward him, blood freely running down his face as he kept the blade trained at the teen's chest. Adrien scurried away from the advance, pushing his feet repeatedly against the ground to scoot himself back as he pressed a hand against the seeping wound, but the man maintained the gap between them. Adrenaline shook Adrien to his core as he shivered with sweat, watching the sword follow him as he dragged himself backward. Air bit at his exposed subcutaneous tissue, eliciting a sharp gasp and accompanying tears when the tip of the blade suddenly rose, coming to rest dangerously close to his face. "Stop," Gabriel commanded. "Now."

Chat obeyed and timidly peered up at Hawkmoth, still chattering as he shook madly, surprised when he caught a glance of what appeared to be the man flinching as though his steady resolve was suddenly compromised. The sword remained pointed at his chin as to prevent his escape, but as steely as they were, Adrien could almost see the hesitation in his father's eyes. Gabriel, it seemed, appeared to be at a moral crossroads. A quick peripheral survey of his surroundings told Adrien that his only feasible exit was the hole in the wall which was located right behind him, and if he was going to run, he'd still need his baton which was a meter from where he sat. His thoughts were interrupted as a warning from his miraculous sounded. As alarming as Adrien usually found the beep, his swimming vision was an even greater indication that his time was dreadfully limited. He had to do something and he had to do it now.

"It brings me no pleasure to fight you like this, Adrien," Hawkmoth said solemnly.

"Then, why-?" the boy's voice faltered as he tried to reign in his emotions. "Why are you so desperate to obtain our miraculouses? So- desperate as to terrorize everyone just to. . . to-" Tears ran freely down his mask and reddened cheeks but Adrien had long since ended his effort to keep them at bay. He couldn't stop his father, but Gabriel's hesitation to actually finish the battle gave Adrien hope that he could still appeal to the shred of humanity that still existed somewhere inside of the man.

"To bring your mother back," Gabriel said. "That's all I've wanted since assuming this- role."

"You did- all of this. . . for mother?"

"Yes."

An immense amount of emotion erupted from Adrien.

"NO!" A sob broke the blonde's cry and Gabriel was taken aback. "Mother- she, she would never forgive this! Look at her!" Adrien screamed suddenly, thrusting a finger at the portrait on the wall. "You hurt mother!"

Hawkmoth wheeled around to look at the painting. The contrast of the shadow against the sunlight made it difficult to see, but closer inspection revealed the damage left in the canvas from their initial scuffle. A handful of dents peppered the canvas and it had torn away from the upper corner causing wrinkles and folds. He didn't want to believe it, but the longer Gabriel peered at the painting the more his eyes showed him what Adrien was talking about. Surely his mind was playing tricks on him. Paintings didn't just magically change over the course of minutes. However, even after closing his eyes momentarily, the frown on the originally serene painting of his wife was still there. Gut wrenching disappointment and grief flooded from the image. Gabriel watched as it oozed onto the floor and over his feet, climbing up his form until it seeped through his skin into his heart. He had hurt her. She frowned sadly at him. Suddenly all of the actions he had taken in her behalf, against all of Paris, everything he had done was no longer acceptable. But that wasn't the worst of it. The paint started to melt as she began to cry, reminding him of what he had done to their son- And what he had done, was truly unforgivable.

A series of taps and a rustle startled Gabriel from his nightmare. He turned around to find a trail of blood splotches that led out of the broken house to the border of the fence, indicating Adrien had successfully fled. The sword clattered lightly as it dropped from his hand onto the broken floor and Hawkmoth fell to his knees. He glanced back at the painting that remained dented and torn. It continued to weep as he now did as he cursed himself and pleaded for her forgiveness. He never meant to go so far, but in his mourning he had allowed his grief to overcome him. He was angry with himself and that had turned into rage, a rage he had misdirected at the citizens of Paris. Rage that he had regrettably directed at his son- and in more ways than one. His son whom now ran from him as he bled from wounds that Gabriel himself had inflicted upon him. If Adrien died- she would condemn him. Forever.

He had to find his son.

A/N: As always, thank you to all who continue to read and those who comment. :)