Chapter Text
It was a normal Thursday night and Adrien was eating (by himself, again) at the long, lonely dining table of his grand house. He huffed. What was the point of such a great manor if there was no one to share it with, no love to fill it with? Honestly, if Adrien could share a secret with anyone without repercussions it would be that he thought his father was a bit of a jerk. Not that he didn’t still hold a little love for the man or hope that he would come around and they could be a family again, but, well. Facts were facts and statistically…his father was a jerk, and it wouldn't change anytime soon.
So it was a comfort that Adrien had Plagg and Ladybug. He smiled through a bite of escargot which (don’t tell his father) he secretly despised. Just the thought of Ladybug and their patrol later that night was enough to lift his spirits. Plagg shifted discreetly inside his jacket, as if sensing his mushy thoughts. Adrien rolled his eyes and sneaked a glance around before pulling a bit of camembert into his jacket. Muffled moaning and chewing noises ensued.
Yes, it was a normal Thursday night, the operative word being ‘was’.
As Adrien was finishing up, Gabriel Agreste walked into the dining room, accompanied by Nathalie.
“Father?” Adrien was baffled. Gabriel never joined him for dinner; in fact, he was rarely ever home.
“Hello Adrien,” Gabriel nodded at his son (though it was more a brief jerk of the head than a nod).
“Monsieur Agreste has a very important matter to discuss with you, Adrien. I will cancel your piano lesson for today so that you two can properly discuss the situation,” Nathalie said. Then, without another word, she turned heel and left the room.
Adrien looked at his father, who, unperturbed, began to eat his meal.
“Don’t tap your foot, Adrien. Learn to be more patient. We will talk after I finish my meal.” And then it was quiet once more.
What could his father want from him? Adrien had done nothing wrong in the past few weeks and his grades had been consistent; he was excelling academically. Gabriel wouldn’t possibly pull Adrien out of public school after half a year, would he? Adrien wanted to say no, but…he knew full well how ridiculous and overbearing his father could be and it was indeed a very probable possibility, one that Adrien couldn’t stand to think about.
Gabriel finally finished dinner and pushed his plate to the side. The two Agreste men stared at one another: Gabriel evaluating his son, and Adrien trying not to blink because he had the distinct sense that if he blinked he would lose. Lose what though, he had no idea.
“I never really noticed that ring of yours, Adrien. It’s quite tacky, don’t you agree?”
Oh. Oh wow. Adrien's father hadn’t noticed a lot of things due to his neglect, and now he had the nerve to point his ring out as if he had been a fully responsible, caring parent? Adrien could feel the Chat Noir in him gasping in indignation and narrowing his eyes until they were mere slits. His father didn’t even care to keep tabs on his health or his emotional state-no, he only pointed out the ring because it marred his appearance and was ‘tacky’. It took all of his willpower for Adrien not to glare at his father, but he managed. However, he could not keep the bite out of his words.
“I wouldn’t expect you to have noticed, Father. And I happen to like this ring.”
Gabriel stiffened at the hostility of his son. After all, he wasn’t used to any backlash or resistance. He subtly raised his head to look down at Adrien (a display of power and intimidation). Adrien stared back and maintained eye contact.
“Whether you like it or not is irrelevant to this discussion. I believe that the ring is a bad influence on you and an inaccurate representation of the Agreste name. I will be taking care of it for the time being.”
Panic rushed into Adrien, seizing his heart and mind, clawing at his stomach, squeezing his lungs. He sat still as his body rebelled. Gabriel had taken away his freedom, neglected to give him love, and restricted his personality and friendships by forcing him to be something he wasn’t to the public eye and…and-and the one chance Adrien had to finally be himself, to love, laugh, live, give back to the world. To be free, to be with Ladybug, to crack bad puns, to make friends, to be a superhero and fight, all of it. His father could not take that away from him. Adrien wouldn’t let him. The ring was his, the miraculous was his, Plagg was his. Every fiber of his being was saying no, and so he voiced this opinion. Which was, to say the least, a mistake.
“No?” Gabriel’s voice had taken on a dangerous edge, the glint in his eyes somehow hardening (and just when Adrien thought his father couldn’t get more cold and intimidating too). He pulled at the cuffs of his suit. “You don’t say no to me, Adrien. I really thought you were better than this. Don’t you care about preserving our name and the empire I worked so hard to build? Ungrateful. Truly ungrateful. I thought public school would have taught you to be more understanding of our superior position, but you haven't matured at all. You're still so selfish and dramatic and childish. It’s becoming obvious that this ring is not the only bad influence in your life. Hand it over, Adrien. Or do you want me to pull you out of public school too?” A shadow of a sneer graced itself upon Gabriel’s face. He was too poised for it to take over entirely though, and Adrien only found that more disgusting.
What had started as a normal Thursday was rapidly turning into a disaster. Adrien could feel the life he had worked so hard to maintain slipping from underneath his fingertips. His perfectly manicured nails simply couldn’t hold on. It was unfair. He knew he was bad luck; Plagg had told him so much, but still. Still. His father didn’t do much parenting. Adrien only received the strict odds and ends, the rules and restrictions that would benefit Gabriel himself. It had been a while since he had been offered love or any from of selfless parenting. But Gabriel had never before affected Adrien like this. Adrien shook the thoughts out of his mind, allowing his father the benefit of doubt for now. Gabriel didn't know the weight of the ring, of course, and he couldn't know. A small part of Adrien hoped that if he knew, the circumstances would be different. It wasn't likely though and Adrien recognized that with a heavy sigh. He couldn’t wait until he was truly in charge of his own life, until he could escape the stifling emptiness of the Agreste mansion and fade away from his father’s influence. But for now, he was stuck and he had to choose. Either he would lose his ring, Plagg, and the freedom that came with being Chat Noir, possibly endangering Ladybug and Paris in the process...or he would lose his friendships and the normalcy of public school. It wasn't a hard decision. Adrien knew that he had to give up his school and his friends. He had to do it to protect Paris, protect his partner. And in order to do so, Adrien had to keep the ring away from his father at all costs.
It was then that Adrien began to plan his escape. He tried to keep his calm, he really did. But it was rather hard to form an escape plan and look for exits and at the same time not give away the fact that he was, well, forming an escape plan. With a quick change of tactics, he looked straight at his father, face stuck in a perpetual grimace. There were two possible exits that he had a chance of successfully escaping through. And-and-and his train of thought was stopped momentarily.
Was that a brooch on his father’s suit? Since when did the great Gabriel Agreste wear brooches? It seemed like it was a butterfly-shaped brooch too. Weird. Adrien’s mind came to a full screeching stop now. Wait a minute. He backtracked. Brooch…butterflies…wanting the ring/miraculous. It couldn’t be, right?
But if it was...
Steeling himself, Adrien straightened. It was a gamble, but it would either prove or disprove his theory. “I will give my ring under one circumstance,” He said, hoping his father couldn’t see through his bluff. His words sounded just a bit too loud, a bit too strained to his ears. Like a shoddily made thin fabric being marketed as silk. His father only looked at him expectantly, the way he did whenever he wanted to entertain a "ridiculous" idea and give the person false hope.
But Adrien didn't falter. “Give me your brooch,” Adrien noted his father’s eyes widening slightly, darkness flitting (ha) over his face. Of course, he thought bitterly, just my luck. In an effort to protect himself from his father (Hawkmoth, he corrected himself in his mind, not quite believing it), he continued, “You have to agree that it's just as tacky. And I have a friend who is looking for a butterfly brooch, anyways. I’d like to at least get something out of the loss of this ring. My other friend, Marinette, gifted it to me, so not only is it special, but the loss of it would add strain to our friendship. I’m sure you understand the social dynamics.” Darn his big mouth. Why did he have to give names? Now he had to remember to ask Marinette of all people to lie for him.
Gabriel snarled (like, full on snarled-it took Adrien by surprise because his father never let his guard down ever. Except that one day his mom disappeared, but he didn’t want to think about that day. Even then his father had not broken down in front of him, but in the private of his office. So yeah, Adrien was shooketh). “Listen to me, Adrien. You are still a child, and I am your father. You do not ask or demand something from me, got it? You will give me the ring and go to your room, and if you resist any further, I will pull you out of public school. To be clear, I am not giving you the brooch. You will get the ring back when you have proven yourself mature. Do not make this mistake again, Adrien. Our name is much more important than you might realize, and I will not have you tarnishing it with your reckless actions. Now, the ring. Give it.”
Adrien knew there was no way out of this, but he also knew that there was no way in hell he would ever give his ring to Hawkmoth willingly. It was about time he stood up for himself. He would pay the price later.
With a grunt, he launched himself out of his chair and rolled across the dining table. In one swift motion, he snatched the brooch from his father, effectively ruining the suit in the process.
Gabriel’s face contorted, purpling at the cheeks. Adrien had never seen his father this angry before, but he refused to be afraid. He had to run. Now.
Adrien jumped off the table and ran up the stairs, flipping himself over the railing and skidding into his room. He slammed the door behind him, still clutching the brooch, and leaned against it, hard. But he was no match for his father’s stature and strength. Gabriel was pounding against the door relentlessly and Adrien knew it was about to give. Quickly, Adrien transformed and used his baton to secure the door. Frantically, he turned his head around, eyes searching for an effective hiding place.
Aha! His eyes lit up at his bed, the closest thing to him. It would have to do for now. He hid the brooch under his mattress and whipped the baton out, stepping to the side. He was ready to f i t e. Sixteen years of pent up anger and frustration boiled to the surface, but was never put to use.
Adrien had expected the door to open immediately. The sudden loss of resistance and his father’s own weight against the door should've sent Gabriel flying into his room. Should've. What Adrien hadn’t noticed was that the pounding had stopped before he had removed his baton. Gabriel stepped through the door with an eerie calmness and, before Adrien could move, slipped the ring off of Adrien’s finger and into his coat pocket. When Adrien finally recovered his senses, he lunged at his father...only to come up with thin air. He had failed Paris. He had failed Plagg. Most importantly, he had failed Ladybug.