When Walls Crumble

Chapter 10: Gabriel

Life was just golden in Paris. Hawkmoth seemed inactive. Some Parisians found it awfully suspicious, but he was simply trying to be a good father.

One night, as he walked past his son's bedroom, Gabriel Agreste heard crying. Concerned, he knocked on the door.

"Adrian? Are you alright? Can I come in?"

Adrian sat up in his bed. This was unusual. His father never checked on him. That was for Nathalie and his bodyguard to do. He wiped his eyes. "Sure. The door's unlocked."

Gabriel walked into the room somewhat hesitantly. "What happened, Adrian?"

Adrian looked at his father, slightly suspicious. His voice betrayed a mixture of concern and unease as he engaged in a familial conversation with his son for the first time since before his mother...well since they were a happy family.

"Did someone hurt you?" Gabriel asked, sitting down on the bed. If someone hurt his son, He would akumatize himself and hunt the bastard down.

"No, father. I just...Today, I realized how much one of my friends reminded me of mother and how much I missed her," he sniffled.

Gabriel felt tears stinging his eyes. "I miss her too, son. I miss her too."

Adrian hugged his father. It was extremely rare that he was able to share a moment with his father, so he took them whenever he got the chance. At that moment, he was no longer concerned about being a perfect model (not only of physical appearance but also of character) and he cried shamelessly in his father's arms.

Gabriel let down his facade for the first time in years and allowed his tears to fall.

Father and son sat on the bed together until Adrian fell asleep. Gabriel gently pushed his son's hair out of his eyes and shifted him back onto his pillow. Then, wiping his eyes and standing up straight, he re-assumed his blank facade.

Back in his lair, he began to formulate his plan. His son would smile again.

"Nooru," he called.

"Yes, master?" Nooru floated timidly out of his hiding place.

"We have work to do."

He began to re-think his master plan. The stunt he pulled about a year ago with Nathalie on Hero's Day went wrong because he was too showy. He needed subtlety.

He needed the emotions of someone who was shy but unlucky in love. Someone who could be akumatized into a cross between Vanisher and Dark Cupid. And he had the perfect idea of who, but the past few times he had almost akumatized her, there was a problem. He'd need help: he needed to carefully and slowly cultivate the feelings of desperation and heartbreak. And he had to time it just right. He would need several allies and unfortunately only had one.

Wait.

He had another. And Lila was in just the right place to be of perfect use to him.

"Nooru, if I akumatize someone, do they revert back to normal when I de-transform?"

Nooru shook his head. "No, master. The Akuma holds until the object is broken or you recall it. Why?"

Gabriel smirked. So he could have someone akumatized indefinitely and as long as he didn't change their appearance. And then he could accumulate allies without Ladybug or Cat Noir spoiling his plan.

By the time they knew what was happening, it would be too late.