Chapter Two

Six weeks after Hawkmoth's defeat

Every single wall seemed to be grey, and not just any grey but a sinister shade formulated to drain all the fight out anyone who stared at it too long. Like its sole purpose was to induce feelings of woe and desolation. For Gabriel Agreste such feelings were not new, he'd been living with them since Emilie's departure. His world had been grey for a long time, there was nothing much left to sap. Perhaps he was now immune to the grey since his own home was muted with the same colour, or maybe on some level it had been an involuntary stroke of genius that he was so used to that hue.

Despite this, he wasn't without his regrets. He should have been smarter. He should have explained to his son. Apprehension coiled around his larynx like a snake, Adrien had finally agreed to visit him today and he needed to explain properly. To make him understand why. Looking back, he realised he should have disclosed his reasons sooner.

Since his incarceration he'd only conversed with Adrien by phone. The little that was said between them was laced with clipped tones. There was no doubt about Adrien's disillusionment towards his father and Gabriel didn't know how to fix it. He needed time to think, unfortunately this seemed to fuel the idea that both men were determined to avoid the other.

Adrien had always been an emotional creature, not surprising since his personality reflected so much of his mother's. The boy shared so many traits with her. The honey blonde hair, the warm green eyes and sculpted good looks that frequently turned heads. Although Adrien's build and stature stemmed from the Agreste side of the family. It was like he'd picked up the best bits from both parents, and while he never said it to his son's face, Gabriel was proud of the man he'd become.

Yet it wasn't in Gabriel's nature to praise, he simply wasn't wired that way. To speak those words now would seem like a copout, and he found himself regretting that fact as he was walked down the cold corridor and to a barren room. All that sat inside was a single table with a chair on either side. The designer was shown a seat but no apparent release from his handcuffs. He had barely settled when Adrien was ushered in.

The young man's cheeks were gaunt and his complexion pale. His green eyes crept hesitantly from their study of the floor to meet the steely stare Gabriel was accustomed to giving. Despite Adrien's haggard appearance, he was still being admired by the female guard stationed within the room to supervise his visit. A wry smile tugged at Gabriel's lips, it didn't seem to matter how old his son got, he was still oblivious to how strongly he effected the opposite sex.

Adrien's eyes narrowed as he sat down. "Is something amusing, Father?"

Gabriel tapped the tips of his fingers together as he delayed his answer, seeing how his son would react to his stare down. The young man didn't flinch. The smile grew a little wider. "Is that anyway to greet me?"

"I don't know, I'm not familiar with the etiquette of talking with criminals."

All amusement left Gabriel. "Watch your mouth, I'm still your father."

Adrien crossed his arms and glared so hard a muscle under his eye began to twitch. "All respect I had for you disappeared the moment I found out you're Hawkmoth."

The designer let out a sigh. "Everything is so dramatic with you."

"Says a man who created pandemonium across Paris for years. Why'd you do it? Why couldn't you let go of Mum?"

Gabriel's face lost all emotion as if turned to stone. "Your mother was too young to die. She was the heart of our family and it was never the same without her. Can't you see I was trying to fix what was broken?"

"What was broken is our relationship. People die all the time, it's how life works. Yes, it was one of the lowest times in our lives and yes, I constantly miss her too, but bringing her back isn't an option. She's gone, and life carries on with or without you."

"Spoken like a true child. What do you know of love, hmm? Nothing. You never so much as brought a girl home to meet me."

"Don't mock me, I know what love is. I might not share every facet of my life with you but believe me there is a girl. With my ridiculous schedule it's a wonder I have time to scratch myself. But this isn't about me. You're the one behind bars because you turned love into a twisted perversion that drove you over the edge."

Gabriel sat back in his chair with an appraising look. "Sounds like you've been talking to Ladybug. Tell me, did she offer you comfort?"

The model reared back in his chair, hands clenching the tabletop edge with white knuckles. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged, realising he'd over stepped the mark but continued anyway. His distaste for Ladybug was deeply ingrained. "You always had an overly eager interest in her. I thought you might have taken advantage of the situation."

Rising to his feet, Adrien slammed his hands on the table and glared at his father. "What kind of a man do you think I am? Do you think I'd stoop so low as to use my own grief to seduce a girl?" He looked away in disgust and sat back down at the prompting of the guard, shaking his head as he continued to glower. "Ladybug offered her point of view, but I didn't need it."

"Why is that I wonder?"

"I got Chat Noir's take on the situation."

Gabriel froze. "How is that possible? It's said he vanished after without a trace."

"You don't know everything, Father."

The designer's eyes narrowed as he attempted to stroke his chin, unfortunately the handcuffs made it difficult. For a long time, he'd had his suspicions that Adrien was Chat Noir, yet each time he tried to find hard evidence it always pointed away from his son. Could he have missed something? Had he been correct? His eyes were immediately drawn to Adrien's right hand and specifically to the silver ring he wore.

So much speculation, yet it couldn't have been Adrien, even considering how masterful he was with a sword. Chat Noir's weapon of choice was his baton and he had fought with an intense fury that went beyond anything he'd ever seen in his son. Pair that with the moment Chat Noir had brought down his staff across the back of his legs, to the point of almost breaking his knees, and he was certain his son was incapable of such violence.

Still Gabriel's eyes were drawn to Adrien's unmarred right cheek. If he was Chat Noir, surely there'd be some evidence of the slash he'd landed on his enemy. The model's eyes hardened as his father continued to stare.

"What exactly did he say?"

Adrien's tone was arctic. "Enough to make me loathe you."

The cool façade Gabriel was famous for cracked. "You only have his perspective on the matter. You need to understand mine before you make any rash judgements."

His son continued to glare at him. The increased rise and fall of his chest being the primary indicator to Adrien's mounting rage. "There's nothing you could say to me that will change my mind. What you said in front of Chat Noir, I know about it. Mum came first at all costs, I was nothing."

"That's not true. While I've never been one to express my emotions openly, surely you know I love you, son."

"If that's the case why didn't you ever put me first? Why when I wanted to talk to you, did I have to make an appointment? When have I ever been anything more to you than a means to model your designs? Heck, I've been modelling since I was a toddler. Did you ever stop and consider if I actually wanted to do it?"

"But you used to be so excited about it."

"That was when I was five. I'm almost 21, when are you going to treat me like family instead of an employee?"

Gabriel blinked as if he'd been slapped. Had he truly treated Adrien as less than family? His business had taken up a lot of his time and if it weren't for his heavily monitored schedule he would have been snowballed a long time ago. For him, everything needed to be compartmentalised. There was no spur of the moment. His attacks as Hawkmoth had always coincided with a break in his schedule or an opportunity that had arisen from an appointment.

His gaze landed firmly on Adrien, taking in the hurt not quite shuttered by the anger in his eyes. "I never meant it to be that way. When I'm focussed on something it's hard for me to break away."

Adrien let out a weary breath and broke eye contact. His elegant fingers drew invisible spirals on the table. "They're talking about a 20-year sentence."

The older man raised a brow at the change of subject. "That's worst-case scenario. I have an excellent legal team. Given how elite they are I suspect the penalty will be reduced substantially."

Adrien's hand stilled. "Do you have no remorse for what you've done?"

"All I ever did was empower people who felt disillusioned. When they failed in retrieving Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous everything returned to normal. My antics were nothing more than a minor nuisance. All the trouble caused by the akumas was swept away by two little words: Miraculous Ladybug. I may have enabled people to do dreadful things, but I wasn't the one actually doing them."

An incredulous expression froze on Adrien's face and his pallor became grey. "Do you even hear yourself?"

Gabriel leant forward in his chair. "As distasteful as I am to you right now, there's something you need to do for me while I'm in here. Don't give me that look, this isn't just about me. I'm talking about all the people I employ, I'm talking about my business. You need to take the helm." Adrien didn't look convinced. "If you don't the business will sink. Do you really want to be responsible for hundreds of people losing their livelihood?" And with that Gabriel knew he had him, because the young man's ethics wouldn't allow him to turn his back on those in need.

Adrien kicked off his shoes, leaving them in the middle of the floor in quiet protest as he reached for a wine glass. Gabriel had done it to him again, though was there any doubt when the man was a master manipulator. The game of 'let's back Adrien into a corner and watch him squirm' was still in play. Grabbing an open bottle of merlot, the model smirked as he realised he was pouring it into one of his father's prized shiraz glasses.

Padding his way through the mansion, he stalked into his bedroom and reclined on the cool white sofa in the dark. Plagg floated over eyeing the glass with interest. "Shouldn't there be cheese involved with drinking wine?"

"Shouldn't you be full after a whole wheel of camembert?"

"You would think so, but no. There's always room for more cheese."

Adrien took a sip from his glass and let his eyes wander to the view outside. "Plagg, did you ever suspect my father was Hawkmoth?"

"Well he certainly fits the profile of a psycho. Misunderstood artist, lashing out at the cruel world that wronged him."

"Tell me how you really feel, Plagg." Adrien said with a sardonic roll of his eyes.

The kwami huffed. "There was the odd occasion that it seemed a possibility but no, I didn't think he was Hawkmoth."

"I'm guessing Ladybug returned his miraculous to Master Fu."

Plagg floated down to sit on Adrien's upraised knee. "You could go and ask."

Adrien swirled the merlot in his glass, watching the way the viscous liquid clung to the sides. "I'm not in the mood to be Chat Noir."

"You do realise this might be your last chance for a while, since you'll be taking on the family fashion empire."

"If my father could manage to find the time to be Hawkmoth, I should be able to do the same as Chat Noir."

Plagg eyed him sceptically. "This will all be new to you, kid. Are you sure you don't want to race across the rooftops?"

"I'm sure, Plagg. It'll be fine."

I'll admit now that Limp Bizkit's version of Behind Blue Eyes was my main inspiration for writing from Gabriel's POV. The man needs to learn to let go. That said, Adrien's life is about to become insanely busy. Will he accept a little help from his friends?

Thanks for reading and supporting! :)