My One And Only - A Daminette Story

Chapter 25

This chapter is dedicated to 0bs3ss3d-Idi0t and getira Thank you both! :DDD

"Yeah I did, doesn't mean I understood it." Chloe murmured. Adrien laughed in good humour, Chloe joined in. He would have finished nearly all of the croissants, if Chloe didn't steal the last one. But Adrien didn't really mind, he didn't get much time to spend with his friends nowadays, so he cherished every moment. Even if he did want that croissant.

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Gabriel Agreste sat in his dining room, eating his late breakfast. Adrien had long been gone, already at school, so it left the man more or less alone in his house. He reached for his tie, stroking his fingers lightly over the brooch. A frustrated expression crawled onto his face. Gabriel already came to terms with the fact that he was temporarily unable to use his miraculous, but that didn't mean that he wasn't irritated. He still had no clue as to what Ladybug had used to give her the special ability to restrict him of his powers. Gabriel scowled at the memory, he as Hawkmoth falling onto his knees in a moment of pain and then paralysis. It didn't hurt tremendously, it was more in shock than in agony, but it was enough to make him fall.

Abruptly, he stood up, leaving the dining room and his plate of unfinished food. His footsteps echoed as he made his way into his office, closing the doors behind him. Gabriel stood in front of the painting of his wife, his fingers gliding across the artwork until they landed on the buttons he was so used to using. The floor opened up under him, bringing him to his lair. Once surrounded by butterflies, he decided to try again.

"Dark Wings, Rise!" The usual command did nothing, except ignite a bright spark from the middle of Gabriel's brooch, which quickly went away soon after. The man scowled and left his lair, soon making his way back into his office and in front of the painting of his wife. Gabriel opened it, revealing the safe hidden behind and used the code to open it. He then grabbed the book, the Grimoire, and brought it to his work surface, gently placing it on top of his tablet. Gabriel flicked through the pages, going faster with each passing page and no matter how long he looked, the lines and circles made no sense and spelled nothing out to him. There were no pages showing how to undo this odd spell, or how to heal any miraculous.

Wait. Gabriel slammed the book shut and put it back inside the safe, closing and locking it. Even if the quick read turned up fruitless, it gave him an idea, one that involved a different broken miraculous. "Nathalie." Gabriel called for his assistant. She arrived a few moments later, tablet in hand.

"Yes sir?" Nathalie asked, her voice as formal as ever.

"Ladybug found a new power, one that has temporarily restricted my use of my miraculous." He stated. Nathalie nodded as soon as he finished.

"Yes sir, you told me yesterday." She responded formally. Nathalie didn't come across as rude or sarcastic. Even if she did, Gabriel wouldn't reprimand her after all she's done much for him, as Gabriel and Hawkmoth.

"So until this ban is lifted, I would like to ask you tell help me as Mayura." The man didn't want her to do this against her own will, especially when the consequences would cause her to suffer. To the outside world, Nathalie was Gabriel's personal assistant, but it wasn't like that entirely. They had a friendship, a formal friendship for lack of a better term.

"You don't have to ask, sir. I will always be willing to help you." Nathalie told him. Gabriel frowned at her words.

"I don't want you to feel obligated to help, Nathalie. If you don't want to use your miraculous then it's completely fine, I understand. I don't want you to suffer." He placed his hands on her shoulders so that Nathalie would be forced to make eye contact. Gabriel figured that this would be the only way for her to see that he was being genuine.