The afternoon sun barely dispelled the darkness of Shadowmoth's lair. The bold, stubborn Kat faced the equally stubborn Gabriel Agreste in an ultimate staring contest. A determined teen and a devious adult. It struck Kat that perhaps this wasn't the smartest course of action. It actually reminded her of the time one of her brothers had opened a container of worms and dared her to eat one. This was her can of worms, and she wasn't about to back down now.

"This is merely an…observatory," Mr. Agreste said finally. White butterflies danced around them. Kat looked unimpressed.

"That is the stupidest excuse I have ever heard. If I were you, I would have told me that this was one of those butterfly garden things. Though, I wouldn't have believed you anyway. You don't have any plants here. I bet your butterflies are absolutely miserable! Would it kill you to get a couple of flowers?"

The staring contest continued silently. Mr. Agreste broke first. He looked out the window, hands behind his back. Kat let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. This situation isn't exactly what she had been planning when she had decided to face off against Mr. Agreste. She had forgotten exactly how callous, secretive, and cruel he could be. And now, according to her new memories, it appeared that he was worse than ever. It made her heart hurt a bit. He had been on the road to being a better father when she had last seen him, and now he was back to his old self. Poor Adrien.

"So, what is it you want?" Mr. Agreste asked.

"Nothing much," Kat replied. "I want friends. Your son is one of the friends I would like to have. All I ask is that you not get in my way. The rest will be up to Adrien. Oh, and I want you to let him have a cheat day every once in a while. Like, at least four days a month. If it were up to me, he would be able to eat anything he wanted when he wanted."

"And in return?"

"In return, I don't tell anyone that you're Shadowmoth. And I warn you, if you try to akumatize me, I can resist and reject the akuma. If you send an akuma after me, I will fight it until Ladybug can de-evilise it. Do we have a deal?"
Mr. Agreste considered it.

"I suppose," he said slowly. "But I have one condition that I would like to add."

"What is it?" Butterflies spontaneously appeared in Kat's stomach. Once again, this was not what she had been prepared for. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't been prepared for anything other than seeing her pretend little brother.

"You must work with me."

"How do you mean?" Kat's brain worked overtime. Maybe she could influence Mr. Agreste the way she had last time. Collaborating with him might just give her a chance.

"I want you to cause akumas," Mr. Agreste smiled evilly.

"How about I just tell everyone that you're Hawkm–I mean, Shadowmoth?"

"And who would believe you? After all, I've been akumatized, remember?"

Kat cursed her season four knowledge. This was really starting to backfire. Maybe she should have just befriended Adrien at school and then tried to gradually convince Mr. Agreste to let her into his son's life. At the very least, she should have made a better plan! What on earth was wrong with her? She never used to rush into things back home. Well, almost never.

"I don't know if I can do that," Kat said. "I'm not very good at being mean."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. And if you can do this, I'll let you have all the time with Adrien that you want."

Mr. Agreste's words tumbled around in her mind. It would be nice to be able to coddle Adrien again, to let him know that he deserved to have one family member that didn't mess with him. But to make so many people feel bad enough to be akumatized…

"I'm afraid I have to reject your counter offer, Mr. Agreste. I won't be like you."

"Then you won't be with Adrien either. And do keep in mind that there are plenty of young women who are interested in him."

"Pft. Like you'd even let those girls have a chance at dating him. And do you really think that's why I want to be his friend?" The anger behind Kat's words seemed to take Mr. Agreste by surprise. "You like to make people think that Adrien is your number one priority, but he's not. He's constantly in the back of your mind, unless he has a direct link to what you're doing. It's like you forget that he's a person, too, that he needs a parent just like the rest of us. You see him as a prized possession. He doesn't deserve to be treated that way."

Mr. Agreste didn't say anything, so Kat continued a little more quietly.

"I just want him to have someone that doesn't…someone he can depend on. Someone who's there all the time and doesn't constantly ignore him."

The nearly silent flap of butterfly wings filled the space. Kat didn't–couldn't–look the older man in the eyes. She didn't know how he would react, and she didn't care. Mr. Agreste deserved to be called out. If no one else would do it, she would.

"Why do you care about him so much?" Mr. Agreste's question was so quiet that the butterflies were almost louder than him.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Kat said, "but I do care. I guess he reminds me of my own little brothers. I don't really get to see them currently. But, if you'll let me, I could be the big sister that Adrien never had and always deserved."

"All right. A revised deal. I get to akumatize you whenever I need to, and you get to play big sister to Adrien."

Kat considered it. Ladybug could take care of any damage Kat caused as a villain, and she wouldn't actually have to be mean to anyone. There were plenty of downsides to this arrangement, but it was better and easier than the alternatives. Kat held out her hand.

"You have a deal."

Hello my wonderful readers! I can't believe how easy this chapter was to write. And once again, I didn't know that it was going to go this way. I hope you liked it! I know I did. I can't believe how much fun these parts have been. (Also, I thought I posted this like a week ago. Oops.)