Chapter Six

Five months after Hawkmoth's defeat

Adrien flicked the collar of his charcoal peacoat up and adjusted his cashmere scarf to cover the lower half of his face. The chill in the outside air had numbed the tip of his nose and a puff of steam escaped his nostrils as he exhaled. Lacing his fingers together, the model pushed his leather gloves firmly in place as he strolled away from Alya and Nino's apartment.

Dinner with his friends had been a nice change in pace, despite his jetlag. He couldn't help smirking as he recalled Alya's constant complaining about being under appreciated as a journalist. Her remarks been made with such dry humour that Adrien couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. Reviewing eateries wasn't her thing, especially when Nino claimed he was more qualified in the culinary arts.

As always, he couldn't help but admire the pair. Nino was the easy going one, balancing out Alya's need for action and drama. Adrien continued to smile into his scarf. Those two really were made for each other. Despite their constant banter, they still glanced at one another with a warmth that he envied.

He recalled the way Nino laid his knife and fork delicately upon his plate with a faint clink and straightened them to sit side by side, indicating he'd finished his meal. Alya on the other hand plonked her cutlery into the remanent of her sauce and left them skewed. "You done with that?" he mocked.

Lacing her fingers together and resting her elbows on the table she threw a teasing smirk at her boyfriend. "What if I am?"

"You know you're insulting the chef by leaving your cutlery like that on an empty plate."

"It's not completely empty and maybe, just maybe, I like to annoy the chef."

A deep chuckle had escaped Adrien as he glanced over at his best friend. Nino shook his head. "Don't encourage her." Then he pointed between both of the guys' plates. "See us gentlemen have manners. We know how to show respect."

"Given that you're the chef and we're at home I don't see the importance of laying the silver wear neatly beside each other. Or do you secretly hope I'm sending you subliminal messages?"

Leaning towards his girl, Nino wiggled his eyebrows. "If they involve spooning then yes."

Adrien snorted. "Should I leave you two alone?"

"Nah man, I just like stirring her up."

Alya cleared her throat. "So back to what we were previously discussing before Nino side-tracked us. If you really want to bring back goodwill to the Gabriel brand I suggest you coincide the next launch with a promotion about how the business is supporting the community. Given that your old man needed some serious mental help, why not tie it in with a charity that supports depression or mental health awareness?"

Nino shook his head in disbelief. "Wow, harsh. Tell us how you really feel, babe."

Adrien waved a dismissive hand. "She's just saying what everyone thinks. I agree, my father is a nut job. However, your idea is a good one." While the model's tone was light, he was certain that Nino noticed the flicker of pain in his eyes by the pinched look on his face.

"Marinette was saying that you're planning on calling your new line 'Notorious' is that right?" Alya asked. Nino groaned quietly and Adrien contained a smirk, it seemed the young reporter was missing her best friend, she'd been dropping Marinette's name into conversation as much as possible.

"Yeah, it's going to be a line divided into two categories. Kind of like the angel or devil on your shoulder scenario. It would work well with the mental health angle."

"Is that wise? It's a little close to home." Nino said as he sat back in his chair.

"I don't see the point in hiding the truth. People know that this is essentially Hawkmoth's legitimate business. What they don't necessarily realise is that he's no longer entitled to the money the business makes. Our public relations department have been busy trying to inform the community of the change but people will believe what they want."

Alya's attention turned to Nino and he gave a slight shake of his head as if in warning, whatever that was about didn't stop her from continuing. "We heard the latest about the trial."

Every muscle in Adrien's body coiled tightly and his hands fisted until his knuckles were white. He did his best to keep his voice from cracking as he said, "It's disappointing."

Shaking her head in wonder, she frowned. "I can't believe that your Dad's lawyer is suggesting that Ladybug's testimony along with the surveillance footage inside your house isn't enough to prove your father's guilt."

Rage burnt silently within Adrien and his nostrils flared, venting enough emotion that he was able to maintain his fragile hold on control. "They're claiming that the footage was tampered with and that it's inconclusive because it's not in every room. Can you believe they're accusing Ladybug and Chat Noir of break and enter?"

Nino sighed. "I suppose there's some truth in that, they're not police but still, they were trying to stop Hawkmoth. I think that justifies their actions."

Alya crossed her arms and huffed. "If Chat Noir had given a statement it would have supported Ladybug's and this crap wouldn't have come up." Lancing pain shot through Adrien's chest as if giant hands had latched onto his innards, twisting them so hard that he scrunched his eyes closed for a moment.

Elbowing his girlfriend, Nino gave her a pointed look. "This isn't helping, Alya. It is what it is. You don't know what happened to Chat Noir during that fight. Even Ladybug looks stricken when anyone brings up her partner."

"I'm just saying, he was by her side for years and now when she needs him the most he's not around."

Guilt added to the internal churning, slicing him deep. Adrien stood abruptly, his hands balled at his sides. Yet his voice was quiet as he spoke. "You think Chat Noir should come forward?"

Nino lifted his hands. "Dude, don't listen to Alya. You know she gets more emotionally invested in this stuff than she should."

The blonde shook his head. "No, Alya is right."

"It's not like we can do anything about it." Nino pointed out.

Lifting a hand to his face, Adrien massaged the bridge of his nose. "I'm getting a headache. I think my jetlag is finally catching up." It was a partial lie but they didn't need to know that.

This time it was Alya who elbowed Nino and he rubbed his arm as he turned back to his friend. "Dude, you can stay. We can drop the current conversation. We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"It's okay," Adrien said as he laid his hand on Nino's shoulder. "I just wish this whole trial was over. It sounds terrible but the less I have to do with my father the better. I've come to realise that it doesn't matter what I do, I will never measure up in his eyes and finally, I'm okay with that."

"You're a good man, Adrien. Anyone who says otherwise is a moron."

But that's where Nino had been wrong, he wasn't nearly as good a man as he should have been. As Adrien strode away from his friends he clung to a piece of knowledge that they didn't have. He was Chat Noir and could still back up his lady. If he did, that would be the final nail in his father's coffin of conviction. Gabriel deserved everything he got but it seemed fundamentally wrong to stand so completely opposed to his kin. Not that blood seemed to be all that important to Gabriel, at least in regards to his offspring. Yet there was another reason why Chat Noir hadn't been willing to give a statement. He'd unleashed a violent streak he didn't know he possessed.

With Hawkmoth's sword turned to ash via the power of cataclysm, the villain had grappled for its wooden sheath in attempt to club Chat Noir with it. By this stage the younger man was running on pure adrenaline and attacked with the fury of a berserker. In some part of his mind he was aware of Ladybug calling up her lucky charm. At this point Chat Noir's skill with his weapon far outweighed Hawkmoth's and he managed to drive him towards his waiting partner.

Ladybug welded a pair of red and black spotted long handled tongs. As usual the mystical object seemed ridiculous. Chat Noir swung his staff hard and caught it within millimetres of Hawkmoth's masked face. As his feline eyes glared into his enemy's, Ladybug used the tongs to pry the brooch miraculous free. As soon as it was done, the magic melted away and the man beneath was exposed.

While Chat knew the possibility had been high that it was Gabriel under the mask, he'd rationalised that it wouldn't be true. Shock rivetted Chat Noir to the floor as he forgot to breathe. The blight of horror seeped into him like blackened oil clogging an engine. Eventually the burn of his lungs made him suck in air through his constricted throat. But Hawkmoth didn't notice Chat Noir's reaction as his hateful glare had been sharply focussed on Ladybug.

"Give me back my miraculous!" he demanded. His artic gaze shifting to fiery hate so potent that Chat Noir had immediately swung to Gabriel's back, hooking his horizonal staff under Gabriel's throat and pulling so roughly that the older man's spine pressed firmly against his chest. Gabriel's fingers clawed at the metal staff as he gasped for air.

Lowering his mouth to his father's ear he gave a threatening growl of warning. "You even think of harming her again and I'll kill you." The menacing voice that escaped his lips didn't sound like his own.

Gabriel stilled for a moment, then stomped his heel on the toe Chat Noir's boot in attempt to free himself but since they were steel capped it did nothing to alleviate the stranglehold the younger man had on him. Chat only eased up when Ladybug instructed him to. From that point Gabriel began monologing, spouting a heap of gibberish before he said something that chilled the blood in Chat's veins. "I need your miraculous to save my wife."

Shoving Gabriel away in disgust, the words escaped Chat Noir with an authority he immediately regretted. "Your wife is dead." Did he just give himself away?

"But I can bring her back. I can correct the mistake." His father's eyes held a desperate wildness that made his skin crawl.

Chat Noir rounded on him, his posturing very much the impression of a panther circling its prey. Disgust was evident in his voice as he spat as his depraved foe. "No, you can't! Dead means gone. You need to accept that."

Ladybug appeared shocked by the forcefulness of her partner's voice. She cleared her throat and added, "You do realise that someone else would have to die. Because there has to be balance. Whatever you wish for comes with a price."

"Lies! Even if someone else has to die so I get my wife back, then so be it. They don't matter to me."

Ladybug shook her head in disbelief. "What if it was your own son?"

Chat Noir's head snapped up at that, surely his father would never consider trading his son's life for his wife's. Stark vulnerability trickled into every pore and he knew it was displayed in his eyes. But Gabriel was busy stroking the place where his miraculous usually sat with this thumb. Crazed unfocussed eyes stared at something unseen by the pair of superheroes. "I would do anything to get my wife back."

With his heart torn asunder, the son who had endured years of verbal torture lashed out with uncharacteristic cruelty. He swung his staff with all his strength at the back of Gabriel's knees with a sickening crack. The older man crumpled to the floor as Chat hover over him, his feet pawing the ground like an angry bull. "You bastard!" He lifted his staff, holding it like a golf club ready to act but rationale crept through the fog of his rage. His shoulders heaved as he drew in ragged enraged breaths.

Ladybug's voice brought him out the haze and when his eyes met hers he felt utterly ashamed of his actions. How could she possibly know that a father had just emotionally destroyed his child? Ladybug had no idea that Adrien Agreste lay under the mask. How could she? She never wanted to share their identities. In that moment Chat Noir felt completely isolated. Ladybug would understand if she knew him but she didn't. And when she stepped forward to touch his face he flinched away. Alone was what he was and always would be. He'd never been enough for his father and he certainly wasn't enough for her.

Adrien realised he'd stopped walking and was poised under the beam of a lonely streetlight. He had a decision to make. Yet how could he ever justify his behaviour that night without revealing himself? Would coming forward simply make matters worse? He really didn't know. Sinking his hands into his pockets he physically moved forward and wished it could be just as easy emotionally.

Well it's 1am here and I really need to get to bed but I wanted to get this up first. I apologise for any mistakes, I'll read over again in the morning. I was stoked to reach 100 followers for this story, thanks for the support! Until next chapter...