Chapter Text
Marinette got to her feet, readying herself to follow Hugo out of the kitchen and into the living room. But just as he went out to greet the twins, she paused, letting the door fall closed behind him.
Through the door, she could hear Emma greeting Hugo and chattering loudly to both her brothers, not letting them get a word in edgeways, as usual. It sounded like she was talking about today’s akuma attack.
Not an akuma. Just a crazy person, followed by insane versions of ourselves.
She shuddered.
Still sitting at the kitchen table, Adrien’s looked bloodless. His hands were trembling around his mug of undrunk tea. Because when they went out there and faced the twins, they’d have to tell them Gabriel was in their home, resting in Hugo’s room like some normal guest.
Only, there was nothing normal about him. And he wasn’t simply resting. He was dying.
The image of his blackened chest flashed through her head, making her stomach coil. She put a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. ‘Will you be joining us?’
He clenched his cup hard. ‘Yes, just – give me a minute.’
She nodded, squeezing his shoulder before releasing him. Then she drew in a deep breath and went into the living room.
‘Maman!’ Emma ambushed her with a fierce hug. When she let go, her expression was hungry. ‘I want to know all the details of the latest akuma attack. Namely, just how badass you were. I bet you and Papa crushed them.’
Marinette gave her a faint smile. Emma was glowing with excitement – literally. But to the side, Louis was frowning, perhaps picking up the heavy atmosphere in the apartment, pressing against the walls like it was seeking a way out.
‘Actually,’ Marinette said, ‘today’s attack didn’t quite go as expected.’
Emma’s glow dimmed. ‘You didn’t defeat the bad guys?’
‘One of them, yes. But we had some…surprise visitors.’
Louis’ forehead creased with worry. ‘What do you mean? And where’s Papa?’
‘Did something happen to him?’ Emma demanded.
‘No,’ Marinette said. At least nothing physical.
‘Then what?’ asked Emma.
Marinette bit her lip. ‘Gabriel got involved. He – he got hurt.’
‘He’s in my room now,’ Hugo said.
The twins’ brows rose in unison, their mouths falling open at the same time.
Then Emma turned back to Marinette. ‘Is Papa having a nervous breakdown?’
‘Emma!’ Louis shook his head like he couldn’t believe they were related, much less twins.
‘What? Isn’t that what you’d do if you were in his shoes? I mean, if Papa went to an alternate dimension and then just waltzed back in again, I’d be a mess. And that’s someone I like. Now, if I didn’t –’
The sound of the kitchen door opening sliced through her sentence, plunging the room into silence. When Adrien came out, it was clear in his eyes that he’d heard every word their daughter had said.
Emma shrank closer to Louis, as if seeking his protection – even though Adrien had never so much as raised his voice at any of the children.
Adrien joined them, looking more tired than he had in years. Marinette took his hand, pulling him to her side and softly kissing his cheek, a reminder that he wasn’t alone in this. Whatever happened, they would get through it the same way they got through everything else – together.
He rewarded her with a small smile before addressing the twins. ‘I’m not having a nervous breakdown. I’m just…trying to process everything, that’s all.’
Emma’s cheeks had darkened with embarrassment. ‘Papa, I’m sorry.’
‘It’s okay. Really.’ He let out a heavy breath. ‘Hugo, is he awake?’
Hugo’s brow rose, and he looked down the hall, towards his room. He angled his head, listening to something only he could hear – Gabriel’s thoughts, his intentions, his movements.
He nodded. ‘He’s awake,’ he said quietly. ‘And he’s heard pretty much all of our conversation.’
Great.
In a low voice, Louis asked, ‘Can we talk to him?’ His hopeful expression was mirrored on his sister’s face.
All eyes went to Adrien. But there wasn’t really anything to decide. The fact was, they’d known this was coming. As soon as he’d brought Gabriel to the apartment, this meeting was inevitable.
He sighed heavily. ‘Hugo, maybe you could ask Ga…your grandfather if he’d like to come out and join us, so we don’t crowd him in your room.’
Grandfather. The word sounded wrong. It was a word they’d only ever used with Marinette’s father. But he wasn’t their only grandfather. He never had been. Not even when Gabriel had been confined to another dimension.
Hugo’s eyes were scanning his father’s face, no doubt assessing his aura – maybe a thick bubble of what the fuck am I going to do? Then he nodded and headed down the hall, leaving them in silent anticipation.
While they waited, the twins moved a little closer together. Did they even notice they’d done it? Were they aware of the way they almost reached for each other’s hands, like when they were small?
Footsteps padded down the hallway, drawing everyone’s attention. Slowly, Gabriel emerged in the living room, flanked by Hugo, Tikki and Plagg.
Gabriel stopped maybe two paces from his audience, standing in place as if for inspection. The twins’ eyes rounded with incredulity – and why not? For years, they’d grown up hearing about the notorious terrorist Gabriel Agreste. They’d studied his evil deeds in school and even honoured two-minute silences in memory of his victims.
But here in their living room, he was nothing special to look at. He was just an old man, his hair silver and his back a little stooped. He’d changed his shirt, too, evidently helping himself to one of Hugo’s. At least it hid the hideous black mark on his chest.
Emma crossed her arms. ‘You don’t look dangerous.’ She sounded disappointed.
Gabriel’s mouth twitched at the corners, but he didn’t reply.
Marinette cleared her throat. ‘Gabriel, maybe you’d like to sit down again.’
She expected him to grumble, to insist that he wasn’t some invalid who needed looking after. Instead, his eyes flashed with gratitude, and he walked over to the sofa, wincing with obvious pain.
He sank back against the cushions, his eyes seeking the twins again. ‘So – you’re my other grandchildren.’
The twins looked at their father, as if asking permission to confirm a simple fact. He made a subtle head movement, and they tentatively introduced themselves. Plagg and Tikki settled on the arm of the sofa, keeping quiet.
Gabriel’s gaze darted between the children, assessing them. Not just the twins but Hugo, too. ‘You all look so much like your parents. It’s not just your colouring. It’s the shape of your eyes. They’re just like Emilie’s. And your chins…your cheeks…. They definitely come from your mother.’
Marinette glanced at Adrien. His expression was tight and strained. The truth was, there was a lot of Gabriel in the children, too – because there was a lot of Gabriel in Adrien. Over the years, his features had changed, making him look like his father when he was younger, before he’d completely lost his mind.
Emma sat on the sofa beside Gabriel, taking Louis with her. ‘We learned about you in school,’ she said.
Gabriel arched an eyebrow. ‘Oh?’
‘Mm-hm. In history class. They’re endlessly telling us about the old akuma alerts, and how many people had to go into therapy because they could remember dying or being turned into frogs or whatever. Actually, we had to do a project once on new ideas about the afterlife, because there are so many stories about what people saw when you basically killed them. And there’s a memorial for your victims. It’s in the park. We have to visit it every year on the anniversary of….’
She clamped her mouth shut and looked at her feet, maybe hearing the way she was babbling. Awkward silence fell over them like snow.
Gabriel had paled, and Marinette felt a glimmer of satisfaction, though it quickly faded. So what if he knew the public despised him? Even if every last person in Paris lined up and told him how he’d made them feel, it wouldn’t make the slightest difference. It wouldn’t undo the past.
‘The history books lie about you,’ Louis said.
‘In what way?’ Gabriel asked.
‘They say you died.’
‘I see.’ Gabriel looked up at Marinette. ‘Well, I wouldn’t expect your parents to tell anyone the truth about what happened. It would raise too many questions.’
‘We thought you were dead too,’ Louis said. ‘Until we were old enough to hear the truth.’
This time, Gabriel’s gaze fell on Adrien. ‘I can understand that decision, too.’
Adrien looked at the floor.
‘Did you really spend all those years in another dimension?’ asked Emma.
Gabriel smiled just a little. ‘Yes. I really did.’
‘What was it like?’
‘Not that different from this one – at least, when I left it. Of course, my fashion brand didn’t exist over there. And neither did your parents.’ He uttered this last statement in a small voice, like the absence had caused him pain.
‘So, there was no Ladybug and Cat Noir?’ Emma sounded like she couldn’t fathom such a reality.
He shook his head. ‘There was no magic in that other world. Not until the interdimensional barriers started to break.’
‘And that’s how you ended up here?’
‘No. I ended up in another world again. A world that was at peace – until it started being invaded, the way yours is now.’
‘Did they have a Ladybug and Cat Noir?’ asked Emma.
‘No. The Guardians held all the miraculous in that world.’
‘The Guardians,’ Louis echoed. ‘You mean like Su-Han and Bodhan?’
Gabriel’s lips parted in fresh surprise. ‘Yes. I did, in fact, meet their counterparts.’
Adrien snorted. ‘Just what the universe needed. Another Su-Han.’
Gabriel smirked like he understood what Adrien meant.
‘So how did you end up here?’ asked Louis. ‘Why not just stay in one of those other worlds?’
‘Because,’ Gabriel said. ‘I wanted to find your parents. And you, I suppose.’ The word came out with so much feeling that it was difficult to listen to.
‘You mean, before you die?’ Emma said.
Marinette’s jaw dropped. ‘Emma!’
Gabriel put up a hand. ‘It’s okay, Marinette.’ He turned back to Emma, offering her all the honesty he’d never given his own son. ‘Yes. I wanted to see my family before I die.’
As if on a string, Marinette’s head turned to Gabriel’s chest, seeing that ugly mesh of black in her mind. He deserved it. He did. If he were a character in a story, everyone would call it poetic justice.
So why did she feel like she was going to throw up?
‘How long do you have?’ Louis asked softly.
‘I’m not sure,’ Gabriel said. ‘I had expected to have a little longer, but tonight….’ He touched his chest. His heart.
The twins locked eyes, their expressions again identical. They’d finally met their grandfather, and he was leaving them again. This time, for good.
Beside Marinette, Adrien was shaking. ‘You shouldn’t have leapt in front of me.’ The words came out hard and strained.
The twins gaped at him in question.
Gabriel let out a world-weary sigh. ‘Adrien, what was I meant to do? Leave you to take that hit?’ He shook his head like the idea was madness. ‘Anyway, I was already dying. What does it matter if I sped up the process a little?’ His casual tone was at complete odds with what he was saying.
‘Maman,’ said Emma. ‘Maman, what’s he talking about?’
Before Marinette could respond, Hugo said, ‘So this wasn’t what you expected? This isn’t how you thought you’d die?’
Gabriel gave him a tired look. ‘No. All this has done is usher in fate faster.’
‘Maman?’ Emma said again.
Marinette rubbed her temple. Her head was killing her. ‘Your grandfather,’ she said carefully. ‘He got – he was cataclysmed.’
Louis and Emma’s mouths fell open.
‘And before you ask,’ Marinette said, ‘no, this wasn’t your father’s doing.’ She shot Adrien a firm look. This was something he needed to understand, too.
Beside her, he was almost vibrating with emotion, his hand clenching hers tight. The anger and frustration burning in his eyes was like a time machine, a window to when they were teenagers – or maybe to another version of himself.
One they’d allowed to go free and wander around Paris tonight.
‘Why did you do it?’ Adrien asked, his hot glare on his father.
Gabriel blinked at him. ‘I’m sorry?’
Adrien huffed out a laugh. ‘Oh, you’re sorry, are you?’
The air in the room seemed to drop about twenty degrees.
He shook his head in disbelief, his chest heaving with unpent emotion. ‘This isn’t the same world you left – okay? You don’t run the show anymore. You can’t just leap in front of me and take the hit and think that fixes everything you did to us!’
The kids flinched. Marinette did, too, pressing Adrien’s hand to remind him where they were. But he was too far gone for that, his breath coming out ragged and heavy.
On the sofa, Gabriel was unnervingly cool. ‘Believe it or not, I’m aware of that, Adrien. But that’s not why I jumped in front of you today. I did it because I wanted to – because you’re my son. Whether you forgive me is irrelevant. I couldn’t just let you die.’
He delivered this with the same patronising calm he’d employed when they were kids, usually to justify something terrible. But this time, Marinette understood. If it had been one of the children in danger tonight…if she’d had the chance to save them….
And it was Adrien. If Gabriel hadn’t done what he’d done….
Her eyes stung with tears of relief, quickly chased by guilt. Because thank God it was Gabriel who’d taken that hit, and not Adrien. Thank God.
Adrien yanked his hand free of Marinette’s grasp, like he’d somehow heard her awful thoughts.
‘I can’t do this,’ he said. ‘I can’t stand here and –’
He seemed unable to finish his sentence, too. Throwing her a look of apology, he stormed out of the living room and down the hall.
The sound of their bedroom door slamming made everyone jump.
Then Plagg was up in the air, flying after his holder. Marinette took a step, ready to go after him too. But one of them needed to stay here with the children….
And their guest.
Gabriel rubbed his forehead. ‘I should go.’
‘You can’t.’ The words were out of Marinette’s mouth before she could stop them.
His brow lifted in surprise. But she couldn’t let him leave. Not on such ugly terms. And not when his chest was….
‘It’s not safe out there,’ she said. ‘Our visitors are still running around somewhere.’
The kids’ eyes rounded.
‘What are you suggesting?’ Gabriel asked.
Marinette drew in a breath, hardly able to believe what she was saying. ‘I’m suggesting that you stay with us. Overnight.’
He stared at her, perhaps trying to work out if this was a joke.
‘You can take my room,’ Hugo said. ‘I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa.’
Gabriel shook his head. ‘I wouldn’t want to put you out.’
‘You wouldn’t be, I promise.’
Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, studying him again. Maybe wondering how his legacy had managed to produce such an excellent young man. ‘Alright. In that case, would you mind helping me back to your room? I’d like to lie down.’
‘Of course.’ Hugo got up, helping him to his feet.
The twins seemed to shrink back, making space for Hugo to escort their grandfather out of the room. Gabriel’s every step was shaky and slow. Once, Marinette might have revelled in seeing the man reduced to such weakness. Now, her heart panged with unwanted pity.
Alone with the twins and Tikki, Marinette’s responsibilities seemed to loom larger than ever. Even setting aside Gabriel’s injury, what were they going to do about Shadybug and Claw Noir? And how were they going to fix the cracks between the dimensions?
When the hell did they get a break?
She dragged a hand down her face. These were all questions for tomorrow. Right now, she needed to deal with the twins. They were staring at her, and she could see it in their faces – they were finally seeing their parents as individuals, with their own pasts, their own heartaches. People just trying to hold it together while the world fell apart. Possibly literally.
‘Maman?’ said Louis. ‘What happened tonight?’
‘Yeah, like, really?’ said Emma.
Marinette stared back at them, remembering when they were little. When they were two little bundles of joy, innocent of the world’s horrors and the ugliness in their own family.
At some point, the innocence had vanished, replaced with a keen understanding that the world was an insane place, filled with more mysteries and wonders than even the most imaginative writer could dream up.
As much as she wished she could turn back the clock and restore that naivety – as much as she longed for some lucky charm she could throw and undo all the scars life had carved onto her children’s hearts – it was impossible.
No, it was wrong. The twins were nearly adults, now, and she wouldn’t coddle them the way Adrien’s parents once had. Not at this age.
She looked at Tikki, drinking in the encouragement in her kwami’s large eyes. Then she sat on the sofa, facing the twins. ‘Okay,’ she said. ‘I’m not really sure where to start, but…this is what happened….’