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goggles-mcgee · 7 months

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Wish Me Away: What Goes Around Comes Around

Notes: I'm so sorry for the wait but things piled up and it overwhelmed me. My mental health declined and physical health fluctuated, lot's of personal things happened and then I just got caught up in my commissions. I try my best to multi-task but it always gets hard for me. Sometimes I'll hit a streak and then I'll hit a block.

Overall, I'm just sorry and I thank all of those who are still sticking with this story and me as an author.

Warnings for this chapter are descriptions of injuries.

Beginning Last Chapter

Summary: The Agreste's face their Karma

Chapter:

Karma was a beautiful, beautiful thing if you asked Tikki. One of the only beautiful things born from her and Plagg’s combined powers. They were young when they created it, back when they hid from all, be it humanity or the wide variety of Gods and Goddesses. Kwami weren’t known to man, and to the Gods…well, some didn’t understand them, or they saw them as competition, but there were some Gods who sought them out to talk and bounce ideas off of. It was nice and it fueled her need to create. One conversation with some lovely Hindu Gods had her mind spinning to the point she demanded Plagg help her with her idea. He was reluctant, of course he was, combining their powers had proved to be a great yet terrifying thing. One that wasn’t exactly forbidden by Them before they had actually become Them , but it wasn’t highly encouraged either.

Luck and Creation were Tikki’s domains, Bad Luck and Destruction were Plagg’s, so it was safe to assume they didn’t collaborate often. When they did though, they created such intriguing yet beautiful things that had the power to do as much good as they did harm. An example being the Lazarus Pit. It was just one pit that ended up somehow multiplying and they were spread around the globe. They were misleadingly called the Fountain of Youth, not many knew there was more than one so whichever one they discovered or heard of that was nearby or far away was deemed the fabled fountain. Human tales were such interesting things, Tikki loved hearing and reading them, even in her smaller form. They were shining examples of Creation and what could be done with the gift of Creativity. It was wonderful! Tikki loved seeing Creation in motion but it was something else to see Plagg and Destruction in work.

It was art.

Maybe it was horrible of her to say but without him there would be no her. Creation needed Destruction and vice versa. They were an endless cycle and there was something just absolutely breathtaking about that. It was no wonder that Tikki wanted to try and merge their powers and see what could be born from it. They saw what happened when they combined their Creation and Destruction powers, but Tikki had been curious about their Luck based powers and Plagg had been a lot easier to convince once she explained that. It had been laughably easy, the power glowed above them for a couple of seconds and it was beautiful, it was more so when it separated into what Tikki could only describe as magic dust and flew in every direction. The dust coated everything and then it was gone. Naked to the eye but Tikki could feel it all around.

At first, they had no idea what this new thing did but it became apparent the more they observed humanity. A human would be kind or helpful in some way and Tikki would get this feeling of tickling warmth around her, this person would get a bit of good luck, nobody else could see it but Tikki, Plagg and the other Kwami (and Tikki would wager also the Gods) would see this human surrounded by some sort of glow. It was beautiful, it never stayed one color, it fluctuated and changed but always remained this soft, gentle glow. Eventually it would fade, but Tikki noticed some humans seemed to be constantly surrounded by the glow and it wasn’t a surprise to note they were some of the kindest, most generous and passionate humans she had observed. They were wonderful and Tikki felt they deserved the boost of luck, the Kwami as a whole were in awe. Then they saw the other side of things.

Tikki knew humans weren’t perfect, that was part of their allure and all, but sometimes some of their actions truly disgusted her. They lied, which isn’t all bad, but some just lied and lied as easily as breathing and did so with no remorse even if a lie caused a problem. Sometimes they even looked proud if it caused some form of problem to happen. There were those who stole just to steal and just because they could, and there were those who killed with no guilt. Tikki and Plagg started to notice that these people started to be surrounded by a dark cloud of energy. The cloud was sometimes small, sometimes big but it always ended in some odd rain of black energy that coated the person till they resembled some sort of shadow being. How covered and how dark they became seemed to be tied to their actions and some time after that person would experience bad luck.

Sometimes it was something as simple as something breaking right as they were used, be it old or new, and sometimes…sometimes it was a broken bone, getting an illness or even death. But the deaths were never swift, never painless, they were drawn out and full of such misery it was nearly tangible. Tikki couldn’t help but feel proud of what they created, it had some…drawbacks but overall, it was a beautiful, curious thing. Plagg had been so interested in her side of things, he chose to ignore what his had done but that was okay because Tikki found it just as, if not more fascinating than the good luck boost. It was like the world itself demanded justice and it got it when no one or nothing else did. Plagg at first had loved his powers but when he saw the hurt and hate, he stopped loving it, to an extent Tikki understood but at the same time she wanted to knock him upside the head. Without him, there would be no need for her.

It took him a couple decades but he got there, and their strange new power grew the more time passed. It got mixed reviews from their peers and the wide array of gods but some Hindu Gods loved it. They even helped them name it as they had a similar idea but Tikki and Plagg seemed to have brought power to it. It was a great collaboration and thus Karma was born. Tikki and Plagg found it utterly fascinating and found themselves watching the humans for long periods of time. That was until They came back in their weakened state and all the Kwami came together to try and help them, it ended up being all for naught but They were not short of their wisdom and critics even in their final days. They saw Karma and though they found it just as fascinating they also scolded Tikki and Plagg for mixing their powers together without notifying them. It was a messy argument but one that ended with Tikki and Plagg getting to let Karma keep on.

Once they were sealed in the Miraculi though, the effects of Karma weakened. It never disappeared but it did fade into a lesser version of itself. There were rare times where Tikki and Plagg were able to see Karma back in its true form and it was almost always after a Wish or after a catastrophic event in their universe. Karma followed and it healed the balance of the world. Many believed it was the Wish that did this, that took and gave in equal parts but that wasn’t true. The Wish brought about whatever change the Hopeful who had managed to obtain both the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculi together had requested, and yes They took something of equal value to the Hopeful in exchange, but it wasn’t balanced. Karma helped balance out all the negatives that came after such events, but when it was caused by a Wish it tended to be more … unpredictable. It was more powerful, more spread out, more vicious and bountiful.

It would reach everywhere a Kwami, and later, a Miraculous had touched. For those who had any saved up Good Karma, Good Fortune would follow them for a while. How long was never determined as sometimes it went on longer than expected or someone had used up all their collected Good Karma on one big thing. Again, it was unpredictable. The same was true for those who had built up Bad Karma, they could have a lot of low level Bad Fortune or even a lot of high level Bad Fortune. And like Good Fortune, someone could use up all their built up Bad Fortune on something big. When that happened, it was a terrifying sight. The punishments that Karma dictated for those with Bad Fortune could be deadly and some were. Tikki remembered them well. So she knew that no matter what, after Gabriel had made his Wish that Karma would be back in its full power and it was something that would have excited her if she had not been actively losing her latest Bug. She had been so close to losing Marinette and her heart raced whenever she thought about it at Wayne Manor. She wanted her revenge.

That’s why she had asked Them if she could enact Karma, not natural Karma, that would happen regardless. No, Tikki had asked permission for Kwami Karma, a very special type of Karma that allowed Tikki and Plagg and whichever Kwami’s felt wronged or blessed by a former Holder, some of their former power from before they were Sealed and let them bestow Gifts/Blessings. Though some of the Gifts could very well be called curses, that was part of the Kwami Karma and how a Kwami felt towards the person receiving the Karma. It had been something that Tikki and Plagg last collaborated on as a branch of Karma, many people who had worshiped them had called it Divine Honor or Divine Punishment, whichever applied. It was Hippolyta that bestowed the updated name upon them, really she had been joking, “ Ah, so it is to be a Karma of the Kwami? ” The name stuck though as it had made Tikki laugh.

Though the name brought a smile to her face once more, it wasn’t a fond smile nor one born of laughter, no this smile was one that promised vengeance. The wind rushed around her and the others as they flew across the Paris sky. Bruce hadn’t been happy about what they were going to do and yet he had still offered to take them to Paris, Tim had even thought about letting them use something called a Zeta-Tube, they were both very nice offers but this was something that had to be done only by the Kwami. Thankfully they had been given some of their former power that morning, it had been hard to hide it from the new family but Tikki thought they had managed well. Kaalki had opened a portal for them after they had all said goodbye to little Marietta, some goodbyes took longer than normal despite everyone knowing they would be home before the day was up but Tikki couldn’t be mad about it. Marietta deserved every bit of love she got.

“So, are we doing the announcement first or the Gifts first, Lovebug?” Plagg asked, his voice fluctuating between the high-pitched one Tikki had gotten used to hearing and his old one, his original voice, the one she missed more than she could say.

“The announcement will be first, but before that, we need to give out some Gifts .” Her voice fluctuated too now that they were close to accomplishing their Karma.

“Are we starting with…with them, then?” Nooroo asked, his voice soft no matter if it was fluctuating. He had yet to raise his voice above anything other than a soft tone and it hurt Tikki’s heart to see her fellow Kwami like that. It made her furious.

“Yes, Nooroo. We are starting with the worst of them. Gabriel Agreste and-” Tikki started.

“And Adrien Agreste.” Plagg finished in a hard voice. She gave a short nod as she didn’t know what to say to help Plagg. He was betrayed once more and so was one of her Bugs and it never got easier to deal with.

It wasn’t long before they got to the Agreste Mansion and Tikki felt all her anger and fury rise once more. She looked at the others, then toward Nooroo who flew to her side to join her and Plagg. The others gave them nods before they found spots to hide on the property until Tikki called them. Tikki looked at Nooroo who was staring blankly at the large window in the back of the mansion where the lair had been, he was shaking slightly. “Come. They will get what they deserve My Friend, and you will get closure.”

“I would like to come as well, if you don’t mind. I know my Holder is no more, but…” Tikki turned back to see Duusuu floating a little behind them all. Her voice was hopeful yet weak. She was still recovering from the damage that had befallen her Miraculous and now that They had fixed it, her recovery was a sure thing, but it was a slow process. Tikki hadn’t even wanted Duusuu to fly out with them all, but she was a stubborn Kwami. Tikki couldn’t deny her, her own closure in that mansion.

“Of course Duusedda,” It had been many many years since the Kwami as a whole have used their full names, but this was an important moment and Tikki felt like the Kwami before her deserved to hear her own name in full before they all confronted the Agrestes. The smile she got in response made her resolve all the more stronger. So the four Kwami phased into the mansion and followed the voices. Plagg took the lead on the flight as he was the more familiar with the house, Nooroo was confined to two rooms so wasn’t all that familiar with the home if you could even call it that.

Tikki could hear the voices more clearly and did not hesitate to go towards the doors and use a power boost to blow them open. She had not been expecting the sight of Emilie Agreste to strike her like it did but she did not let it hinder her mission. Though, a big part of her wished that the woman was included in her Karma. She may not have been revived with her consent but she almost took her Baby Bug from her and that was not something Tikki tolerated. For the sake of balance and for Them , she would not do anything to the woman, plus nothing Miraculous would affect the woman since she was a product of a Wish, it was something Tikki brooded about a lot before this day. She may not be able to touch the woman, but she could touch Gabriel and Adrien who were present and immediately tried to fight off whatever kept them stuck to their chairs. Tikki, Duusuu, Plagg and Nooroo all made their way to the center of the table, which was a longer flight than Tikki expected. What was the point of such a long table? No reasons seemed to be good enough reasons to Tikki and by the look on Plagg’s face, she knew she wasn’t alone in the thought.

“Hello Gabriel.” Nooroo said, his voice surprisingly and not so surprisingly was cold as steel. Gabriel looked like he was yelling silently at them all but Tikki felt no need to subject them all to his pathetic voice and demands. Unlike Nino’s family who were frozen and aware, the Agreste’s could move their upper body and somewhat legs, they were just stuck to the chairs they sat in and the chairs were firmly stuck to the floor. Tikki did steal their ability to talk or more so muted them as she did not need them to try and justify their actions, she did not want to hear their anger, hers was louder and they would be her first audience.

“Kid.” Plagg said with a smile that was all teeth. His pupils slit so thin they almost looked like they disappeared in the sea of green that was his sclera.

“Emilie, it is nice to see you awake.” Duusuu said softly, Tikki didn’t agree with her statement but well, the Peacock Kwami always was one of the nicer beings. They were nice but they did hold grudges for a long amount of time if someone wronged them. They got attached fast though, though to say that would make Tikki a hypocrite.

“I won’t drag this out. The less time I have to be in the presence of you three would be a blessing.” Tikki growled out. She swiftly looked at Nooroo and Plagg and the three of them shared a grim nod. “Gabriel Agreste, former holder of the Butterfly Miraculous, you have been deemed an enemy of the Miraculi. As such you are forbidden from wielding any Miraculous as long as you shall live.”

The shock in Gabriel’s eyes was delicious as was the panic in Adrien’s. Emilie looked horrified but not shocked and that also gave Tikki some pleasure but not as much as she thought it would. “You, Gabriel Agreste are the catalyst to this Karma, in a way, I suppose I could thank you but that would be giving you too much credit. Besides, you do not deserve my thanks or anyone else’s. You invoked my wrath. You killed my Chosen! You destroyed her! Erased her. I take great pleasure in bestowing unto you, your Karma. I, Tikki, Kwami of Creation curse you with memory.”

Gabriel, who had been doing his best to escape the chair, paused at her words. Was the man really that surprised? Did he truly not think there would be consequences to his actions? The thought made Tikki sneer.

“You will remember the prices others paid for your selfishness. You will remember Nathalie,” Emilie looked genuinely shocked at the name of her friend and equally heartbroken. “Your devoted right hand who did and would do everything for you. You will dream of the woman you erased from the world. You will see every time she sacrificed her happiness for you and your whims. You will feel the love she had for you and the pain she felt every time her love was rejected, you will feel the pain she was in once she started using the Peacock Miraculous. This pain will last for all the years Nathalie Adeline Sancoeur was alive.”

Emilie was sobbing but her tears were silent due to the magic that was placed on all three Agrestes. She was yelling, presumably at Gabriel who was not paying her any attention. His face was pale, his mouth agape. “You will also remember Marinette Meiying Dupain-Cheng, also known as Li-Mei by her family in China. You will be plagued by visions of possible futures had you not taken her from this world. You will see how Paris would have mourned her as the hero Ladybug, as the classmate many admired and also her as the kind baker’s daughter. You will never know rest. My final ‘ gift ’ upon you Gabriel Agreste, is the gift of a long, healthy life. And for my parting curse, as I am Creation and Creation is me, I curse you with the loss of skill. You will retain your creative spirit but you will never be able to bring to life one of your ideas ever again.”

Next up was Nooroo, he looked nervous but determined. “I, Nooroo, Kwami of Transmission bestow upon you the curse of never wielding my Miraculous as long as you live. You corrupted a Miraculous, you imprisoned me and you did it all with no hesitation, no remorse and I will repay that to you. With no hesitation in my heart and no remorse to be felt I bestow the marks of a traitor to me and an enemy of the Miraculi unto you Gabriel Agreste.”

As soon as the last word fell from Nooroo’s lips, Gabriel spasmed and clutched at his chest and back. His silent screams meant nothing to the Kwami but it seemed like they affected both Emilie and Adrien who tried to reach out to Gabriel. Their mouths were asking questions no one could or would answer. Nooroo felt no relief or vindication at what he had done and would do but he also felt no guilt. “I also give you the…’gift’ of memory and pain. You will remember each ‘akuma’ you created and all the pain they caused to the people of Paris. You will feel each death as if it were your own, you will feel the break of each bone and you will feel the sting of each scratch. That is my parting gift to you, I have nothing else to say.”

Plagg put a hand on Nooroo’s shoulder and gave him a rueful grin before he took his place in front of Gabriel. “I, Plagg, Kwami of Destruction curse you Gabriel Agreste, with a curse of destruction. As I am Destruction and Destruction is me, I bestow upon you this curse of destruction, you will destroy every relationship you have, had and are going to have. No one will ever trust you, no one will ever like you and no one will ever love you again. You tore relationships and strained them during your tantrum as Hawkmoth, you will experience that first hand now.”

With Plagg’s final words Tikki knew their curses and gifts were placed and finalized. She watched impassively as Gabriel tore his shirt off and finally saw what his marks were. Emilie had a hand over her mouth as she stared in horror at the red, irritated and raised skin on his chest that took the shape of the Butterfly Brooch, he would carry the reminder of his failures by the burn on his chest. It would never fade, it could never be removed or covered by tattoos. It was his brand as an enemy, it would be the first of many marks given today but his and Adrien’s would be the only ones whose marks caused them pain. Everyone else would possibly feel a slightly uncomfortable itch at first or nothing when given their marks. But these two? These two deserved the pain Tikki felt, they had caused her and many others pain by almost taking away her Baby Bug, so they would feel pain in return. Let the world know that they, the Kwami, were not as benevolent as rumored or to be believed, they were higher beings of morally gray standings and it was time they showed it.

Gabriel turned around to show Nooroo’s parting mark, the mark that he betrayed the Kwami. Two large yet not so deep gashes ran across his back, deep enough to scar, which was Nooroo’s goal. The gashes were parallel and symmetrical, if Gabriel had had wings, Tikki was sure that’s where they would have been placed on his back. Gabriel had lost his wings and now it was time to show the whole of Paris that. “We have punished you, Gabriel Agreste, as we see fit, but the people of Paris haven’t punished you yet. So, as a peace offering you will be locked in one of their jails, La Santé. Should anyone…desire to help you, they will be sorely disappointed to find you can never leave. I am not cruel, you will be provided meals even if those at the prison decide not to give you some. You will be provided a TV so you can watch everything happen around you. So mote it be.”

Just like that, Gabriel was gone from his seat, Emilie was crying while Adrien also looked close to tears but was yelling at them. His hair was a mess, his face red and spittle flying from his mouth. He looked as unhinged as Tikki imagined, she knew the boy was hiding a darker side like all did, she just never thought it reached this far. All Black Cat’s had darker sides but they all knew how to control it or embrace it, Adrien was not one of those that could do so. It was a mark, one of many of a False Cat. Thankfully, they would leave this place soon. “Adrien Agreste, former holder of the Cat Miraculous, you have been deemed an enemy of the Miraculi. As such you are forbidden from wielding any Miraculous as long as you shall live.”

Adrien stopped his silent screaming and looked at her like she had grown another head, honestly, she wasn’t even one of the Kwami that did possess two heads in the original form, so she felt like it was rude. “You can glare at me all you want, little boy, but it will do nothing to help you. You are the one who betrayed the Miraculi, not the other way around. As such, I, Tikki, Kwami of Creation bestow upon you the curse of memory. You will remember Marinette, you will remember every instance she put her happiness aside for your own. You will see all the times your ‘flirting’ made her uncomfortable as Ladybug and Marinette. You will see every time you let her down. You will remember Nathalie and every time she made excuses for you and all the times she got in trouble because of you. They also give you a curse, you can never tell anyone about the Miraculi, about us Kwami, but if asked you will only admit to being the traitor Chat Noir. Finally, I bestow upon you a gift. You never wanted Marinette so I shall make everything she ever gave you, turn to ash. It’s only fair after all. My gift will make it so you won’t be so cruelly reminded of Marinette, well, visually at least.”

After saying her peace, Tikki flew to the flowers in the middle of the table and sat upon a leaf, though she would hear everything, she wanted to give Plagg his space to say his own peace. She knew it was going to be hard on him but he always did prefer to show his emotions in private so he wouldn’t break in front of his peers. He rarely let Tikki in so she felt bad that they were present for this moment, but it was needed. She watched as Plagg flew towards Adrien and landed in front of the boy far enough to not be grabbed. His antennae were flat against his head and back, it hurt Tikki’s heart to see. “Kid… Adrien, I’ve thought long and hard about this. You may not have been my True Chosen, but you had potential and I…I cared for you, I thought you would have grown into a great Cat. You had spirit, but somewhere along the way you lost sight of what was important. My Cats tend to be on the reckless side but they have heart and are more than willing to lend a paw when they are needed. You are not Cat of mine.”

“With all that said, I, Plagg, Kwami of Destruction bestow upon you the curse of Bad Luck. You will forever be plagued with bad luck, some days can be better than others but that will all depend on you. If you genuinely do something to help someone or comfort someone with no ill intent or selfish gain, your bad luck will be minimal. Do something out of selfishness or deceitfulness and your bad luck will become worse. I will also give you a gift, you care so much about what others think of you I give you the gift of Thoughts. You will hear every single negative thought anyone has had about you. You as Adrien and you as Chat Noir. You, like your father, will bear the marks of enemy and traitor.” Plagg said in a monotone voice. At the end of his speech Adrien spasmed much like Gabriel had but this time he clutched at his right hand before his head was forcefully turned to the side by an invisible force.

Emilie tried to go to her baby boy and Tikki, feeling merciful, allowed it. Emilie shot out of her chair and to Adrien at incredible speed she cradled him to her as best she could while she sobbed. She ran a hand through his hair and pressed a hand to the supposed scratch marks on Adrien’s face and even though he couldn’t hear her, she was trying to calm him as best she could. Her words may not have been heard but her actions were. Well, to Tikki at least. As much as she despised the woman in front of her, she knew it truly wasn’t her fault and let herself feel bad for her. She awoke to pain and even if Tikki believed she had a part in Marinette being erased she also acknowledged it was Gabriel who started everything in a way. Tikki sighed before looking at Duusuu. “Duusuu.”

The Peacock Kwami looked at her and with just a look they knew what she was going to say, so the Kwami gave her a soft smile. “Emilie, I know you never wanted this. But you did ignore my warnings so long ago and though I can’t give a gift of any great weight and can still give you a small one. So I, Duusuu, Kwami of Emotion, bestow the gift of Innocence. No matter what comes to light you will never hold any blame or suspicion. Given what has happened and what will happen, you need not be punished more than you already have.”

“I will not fight Duusuu’s decision.” Tikki said after a while of silence. “We leave you here as I have a broadcast to make but one final word, Adrien, there is… hope for you. You can be rid of your curses if you realize and admit your guilt in all that has happened. That and accept it wholeheartedly, only then will you be free, but you will never rid yourself of your marks. This will be the last time you see us in person.”

No other words were said before the four Kwami left the house. There was no time for delays, Tikki and the others had Karma to deliver and there would be plenty to go around.

Next Chapter

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goggles-mcgee · 1 year

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Replaced: She’s Over You

Newest chapter in the story for @miner249er

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Summary: Gabriel was eager to open the internship with his company, he looked forward to all the new talent and he especially was looking forward to Miss Dupain-Cheng's application. Except her application never came.

Gabriel Agreste was a man of many talents but like any man he could admit he had his faults. He was a gifted fashion designer but he secretly did not handle criticism well which in his industry, criticism was handed out just as if not more freely as compliments. Which is where his skill of masking his emotions came in so handy, and yet it worked too well as he often had trouble expressing himself if it wasn’t in a design or poetry that he had in a locked journal hidden away in a secured safe in his closet. Gabriel of course took pride in his designs, they were what made him successful, but Gabriel also had the unfathomable talent to sniff out the potential in others. It was how he got such a competent and efficient assistant like Nathalie, a tough and loyal bodyguard and chauffeur like Gerald, dedicated and determined employees and it’s how he had gotten a kind and beautiful wife like Emilie. He had seen her passion for acting, her raw talent in the art and her effortless beauty that would make any model jealous and he had fallen hard. It may seem old school to kids, the thought, but he knew at that moment he had to have her. She was everything he ever wanted.

And Gabriel Agreste always got what he wanted.

He wasn’t some spoiled child that demanded things, no, he worked hard for his success, his happiness. His parents, Michael and Claire, such ordinary names for ordinary people that expected their son to be exceptional. Who expected their exceptional son to take care of them even after they had denied him so much, after they pushed him so hard. Needless to say there was no love lost between them once he was old enough to move out on his own, he had saved up as much money as he could from his odd jobs and his grandparents had helped however they could, even letting him rent out their attic at a very discounted price. Truthfully they hadn’t even wanted to make him pay but he refused to be charity, he refused pity so he paid. Many thought Gabriel was handed things but no, sometimes he wished that were true but then he wouldn’t be the man he was today if that was so. That was why he made sure Adrien worked hard. He didn’t want his son to turn out to be the person his parents wanted, or the person people had thought him to be. It’s why he made his son a model, besides his son’s obvious natural talent that he got from his mother. He wanted Adrien to learn about hard work.

He liked to believe that Adrien understood all that. The one lesson his son never seemed to catch on to was how to spot potential in others and surround yourself with those people. Gabriel saw this first hand when he met his son’s “best friend” Nino Lahiffe, self-proclaimed DJ who only had “gigs” because his friends hired him. The boy had no potential, even if he did it was such a small amount that it was practically nothing and therefore not of importance. So Gabriel saw no point in being polite to the boy, he was a subpar director from what he had seen when his acquaintance André Bourgeois had come over and showed him the videos from that year's Young Amatuer Director’s Competition. That girl, Alya Césaire, had some potential but she wasted it on the awful Ladyblog. She had a way with words and reporting the facts but Gabriel had akumatized her, had felt her emotions, heard her thoughts, and someone who just jumps into things without fact checking when wanting to be a reporter will not go far. For crying out loud she hasn’t even caught on to Miss Rossi’s lies yet!

Ah, and speaking of Lila Rossi. Gabriel saw great potential in her, potential and mayhem. It was a gamble to work with her both in and out of the mask but it was one he ultimately deemed necessary. Lila was a liar. That was a simple fact, but she was a believable liar. The way she lied about things, it made weak-minded people want to believe her, so they did. Gabriel was not above admitting that it was entertaining to watch her lies at work. They provided entertainment and more akumas than he could count. Though, there was always a flaw in something that promised perfection much like Miss Rossi herself. She had potential, but she wasted it on petty grudges, gaining popularity and overall inflating her ego. It was that ego he had to keep an eye on, she already used her lies to trespass into his home, it was only a matter of time she tried to get away with bigger crimes as Lila thought she was untouchable. The young girl believed she could lie herself out of any situation and that was a liability that Gabriel could not afford.

She was useful though so he kept her on, she was more useful than Chloé. Chloé Bourgeois, he had had such high hopes for the girl. She came from a good background, her parents were influential, she was the exact kind of friend he expected Adrien to make. Though that was all she had, when she was younger she had had a small talent and eye for fashion, but then she grew into someone who would steal another designer’s work and claim credit. Gabriel had dealt with his fair share of those sorts of people, he fully thought Adrien would try and break off his friendship with the spoiled girl more than the one time he did try, if you could even call that an attempt. Agrestes had to know when to cut their losses, though Adrien didn’t seem to understand that just yet. Gabriel would only let the boy be sentimental for so long. Chloé may have been good at making akumas but none of them were particularly strong. So like most of Adrien’s friends, she was a disappointment.

He didn’t know enough about that Couffaine girl but he did know she was in that odd little band that Adrien had wanted to join. The music was dreadful but he did appreciate the creative costume designs and he was in no way surprised when he learned that it was Miss Dupain-Cheng who had been the designer. That Lavillant girl also fell into the same space as the Couffaine girl, Gabriel didn’t really see any potential from them and yet they were making a name for themselves. It was an odd thing, he didn’t understand why people liked their music, but not everyone could have his expectations and taste. Like M Kubdel, he was a respected man in his profession and yet he let his children be utterly unexceptional, his daughter believed she had a talent in skating and his son, Gabriel couldn’t recall his name, at least had passion on his side. A little too much though, it was an ugly and pitiful sight. Having passion was well and good but it didn’t need to be on full display, he was glad he taught Adrien not to show too much emotion.

There were other classmates and friends Adrien had but they hardly deserved to be remembered by Gabriel, though Max Kante and Nathaniel Kurtzburg had great potential, both were held back by emotion and those they called friends. If they didn’t cut their losses they wouldn’t amount to anything Gabriel was sure. Besides, the Kurtzburg boy would fall and fail fast if he continued to just write comics about that blasted Ladybug. At least Max Kante made an AI capable of emotion! But the boy wasted it on “friendship.” It was so utterly disappointing, they were all so disappointing. Except, there was one diamond in the rough. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She had the passion, the drive, the determination, and above all, she had the potential. She was wasted on those she and Adrien called classmates, and though Gabriel did loathe her overly optimistic personality, he knew that it would be dampened by real work experience.

Talent nurtured talent as they say, and Gabriel was prepared to do that. Marinette was talented and young and Gabriel knew if he didn’t get her working for his company as soon as he could, his competitors would snatch her away. Or worse, she would eventually turn into another competitor. Gabriel was confident in his designs but even he knew she would be tough to go against. That’s why he decided they were never going to compete, he would get her working in his company and there she would stay happily. He was sure if he offered her a couple raises and some mild promotions that she would be happy to stay whenever she thought she was ready to leave. It sounded backhanded and frankly in bad taste but that was simply business. Besides a high stake and high anxiety environment like a fashion company would be a beautiful place for an akuma to be birthed and besides her potential to be great in fashion, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had the great potential to be a truly spectacular akuma.

When he had tried to akumatize her before, he had felt her anger, her sadness, her pain. All of it was so raw, so powerful, it had him staggering every time he felt it, he needed that power to win, he knew it. Though aside from her potential of being his most powerful akuma ever, Miss Dupain-Cheng had tremendous ideas when it came to fashion and overall just creative projects. She designed for Clara Nightingale and Jagged Stone for crying out loud and she was still in collège! Gabriel himself won some small amateur design competitions when he was that young but he had never gotten commissioned by celebrities. He wasn’t jealous, he was impressed. She was already building a client list with very important, influential people. She impressed Audrey Bourgeois, the most difficult person to get a compliment from, and Gabriel would know. Despite them being “friends,” Audrey held nothing back when his designs displeased her and that had been often lately.

That, and many other things, was the reason why Gabriel was even opening up an internship with his brand. They got tons of applications, Nathalie kept him updated from what she saw in the records, and yet Miss Dupain-Cheng had not applied. It baffled him. By all accounts she should have been one of the first to hand in her application, he knew first hand that she was a fan of his and he knew she was smart. She would know this would be a big opportunity for her and her future career. So really it made no sense for her application to be missing when they were so close to the application deadline. It got to him. It had him pacing his office more often than he would like to admit, he felt like some online shopper that made their purchase and eagerly awaited the delivery truck, checking for the package every hour despite knowing the thing they are waiting for hasn’t even shipped yet.

He wasn’t eager, no, Gabriel was frustrated. So frustrated in fact that he had called Adrien into his office and told him to ask Miss Dupain-Cheng to their house as Gabriel wanted to discuss business with her. He did not fail to notice the hope and eagerness that lit his son’s eyes, nor the hesitation that crashed into the boy. But Gabriel had no time for whatever teenage drama Adrien was dealing with and he made it known that Adrien was to do said task as soon as possible. Thankfully whatever Adrien had said to the girl worked and she had set up an appointment with Nathalie for the next day. Gabriel had his office cleaned, artfully placed some designs he himself was working on and those he had to approve from his team. The final thing he did was have Nathalie print out the applications and made sure to place them on his desk where Miss Dupain-Cheng would no doubt notice them while they spoke.

So here Gabriel was awaiting the teen as he sat at his desk and did his best to look busy and uninterested. He was very good at looking uninterested, though that was more because he was never really interested in anything much since Emilie’s “disappearance”. She had brought this spark to his life like nothing else had and then the Peacock Miraculous happened and Gabriel regretted nothing more than giving that damned brooch to her. At the time he had thought it to be the perfect gift, Emilie had always had some weird fascination with the creatures and had many clothing pieces that had some kind of peacock motif on them. Gabriel shook his head to clear his thoughts, now was not the time to think of his wife, that would get him nowhere in this interview.

A knock on his door helped fully pull him from his thoughts, “Gabriel, Miss Dupain-Cheng is here to see you.”

“Thank you Nathalie.” Gabriel said as his way of giving permission to enter his office. He watched as Miss Dupain-Cheng walked in, immediately he assessed the outfit she arrived in, what you wore was always important when meeting those you wished to impress or work with/for.

The outfit wasn’t what he expected but it was certainly well made, though it wasn’t something he would have expected of the young girl. She wore high-waisted bell bottoms, the flares at the bottom looked to have slight slashes in them but when she took a step he could see pale pink plaid stitched into the sides of the pants. A fold in the side of the pants hid the design until she walked, it grabbed your attention, it was brilliant. She wore a loose satin button up that was tucked into the bell bottoms, it was white with the flowers she always seemed to have in her designs embroidered on the right breast pocket. The buttons of the button-up were undone so he could see a black top underneath that had lace trim at the top edges, it seemed to be a tank top. Her black earrings tied the look together, as did the simple black music note choker necklace she wore. Her hair was done half-up, half-down with the up part fashioned into some kind of braid that he could see peeking from the top of her head. The biggest surprise was seeing the underside of her hair dyed pink, but it complimented her in a way he couldn’t hate on.

“Monsieur Agreste, it is nice to see you.” The young girl said with a small smile as she walked to his desk and held a hand out for a handshake.

Gabriel abhorred physical touch so he merely nodded, he may want her to work for him but there was no need to inflate her ego. Though Miss Dupain-Cheng hadn’t even seemed hurt by the rejected handshake and that won her more of his approval. “Agreed Miss Dupain-Cheng. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me.”

Once they both took their seats, Miss Dupain-Cheng gave him another smile, though this one was more tight than the one before. “I will admit Monsieur Agreste, I was more than a little confused when Adrien told me you wanted to speak with me.”

“I will get straight to the point Miss Dupain-Cheng, I was surprised when I did not see your name among the applicants for the internship with Gabriel. Forgive me if this is overstepping but, this seemed like something you would be interested in and I have to admit I did expect to see your name among the others. Adrien told me you were a fan.” Maybe he laid the charm on a bit thick but he was curious and he had the opportunity to get answers.

“Oh he did?” Miss Dupain-Cheng said, yes it was phrased as a question but Gabriel had a feeling it really wasn’t one. “Well since you were so honest with me, I will be honest with you Monsieur Agreste.”

“I did see you had opened your business up for an internship, and maybe once upon a time I would have been interested. Over the moon in fact, but to be frank I had no interest, have no interest and that’s why I never applied.” She stated like she hadn’t just thrown Gabriel for a damn loop and all with a sweet smile on her face.

“I’m…I’m sorry?”

“I mean no offense Sir,” that felt like a damn lie, “I had considered a career in fashion, working in a brand I mean, maybe even starting one myself but I moved on from that.”

Gabriel had to physically stop his jaw from dropping, all he could do was utter out, once again, “I’m sorry?”

“I thought I would be able to handle that kind of environment, and maybe in the future I’ll get back into it like I once was but yeah…I have to admit, fashion is no longer my number one passion. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it, still do it, but I don’t think it’s my future anymore.” Miss Dupain-Cheng admitted like she hadn't destroyed every single one of Gabriel’s plans for when she joined the company. Like she hadn’t just broken all his expectations in the worst way.

“I…I have to say Miss Dupain-Cheng you have surprised me. This was not what I had expected.”

“I’m sorry.” The worst part is he believed her.

“Can I ask why? Why you are no longer interested.” Gabriel clarified after he asked. He wanted answers. Why didn’t Adrien warn him?

At first Gabriel was afraid she wouldn’t answer, she just sat there with her lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed but finally she took a deep breath in and looked Gabriel straight in the eyes. “You’ve been nothing but polite Monsieur Agreste, and you checked in with me and I feel like I at least owe you this. To put it simply, I wanted to be happy. And if I stayed the way I was that would never have been possible. Fashion is an incredible thing, but it is also a highly competitive field that is as stressful as it is rewarding if you find the right place. I thought about it, more than anybody will ever know, but I thought and it’s not the right place for me. Not anymore. I had drive. I had passion. But the thing is, people see that and cling to it, and sooner rather than later you get burnt out.”

“I burnt out and it was the worst feeling in the world. It nearly akumatized me. There were people in my life, people who used me, maybe they did view me as a friend once but it stopped feeling like that when they asked me to make them things last minute, or say they were going to pay me but it wouldn’t be till later but they promised, or just downright expected to get things from me. The messed up part is I did it all. I wanted their friendship, I wanted their praise, I tricked myself into thinking they were giving me inspiration every time they asked for things, I thought their compliments were genuine with no double meaning and I let that drive me.” Gabriel could do nothing but listen in horror, what had happened to her? He had wanted her to become akumatized yes, but not at the cost of her potential.

“It became stressful, so stressful and the more it continued, the more I realized that that’s how the fashion industry is. No one is satisfied with one thing from you. They demand more things, better things. And I used to be able to rise to that challenge but I can’t anymore Monsieur Agreste. And it’s not just the demands and the stress and the challenges, I like being challenges, it’s the people. I thought I could handle the people.” Miss Dupain-Cheng chuckled roughly and shook her head.

“And as much as I want to sit here and say the only reason I passed up on the internship was because I don’t think I’m up to putting myself in the environment, I owe it to myself to be honest and I owe it to you since you were once my mentor whether you knew it or not. I used to buy your catalogs and whatever magazines you were featured in with whatever money I could save up. I passed not only because of the environment but because of your employees.”

There was no shame in her words, he could feel no anger despite them either. There was no heart-clenching sadness either, not like he expected, there was sadness but it was dim, like the leftover taste of a too-small piece of bittersweet chocolate. “My employees?”

“Yes. Lila Rossi and your son. I don’t know if you are aware or not Monsieur, but Lila is a liar. You may not believe me and frankly I don’t care if you do or not, but it’s the truth. She lies to be the center of attention and she lies to make others look bad and I am not so disillusioned that I will sit here and believe she is the only model capable of that level of self-centeredness. I would rather pull my hair out strand by strand than subject myself to that all for the sake of fashion. And your son used to be a friend. A good one. But he knows she is a liar and did nothing and I deserve better than that and I got better. A healthy workplace environment does not mean letting someone walk all over your employees and it also means your workers feel safe enough to bring their worries of such things forward which is something I don’t believe happens at Gabriel considering who you have representing your brand.” It was as though she was trying to offend him, Gabriel felt like he should be fuming and distantly he knew he would be later but all he could feel was a pit in his stomach growing bigger and bigger with every word.

“So thank you for thinking of me, but I will not be handing in an application now or for the foreseeable future. I have a new mentor, and I’m really happy where I am now but I thank you for the opportunity.” With that Miss Dupain-Cheng stood and gave Gabriel a wave before leaving him to sit there like a fool.

It would be an hour before everything hit him and he stood up in a rage, practically throwing his chair in the process. He vaguely recalled yelling at Nathalie to tell Adrien to come to his office. He was pacing when his son finally arrived and Gabriel had to take deep breaths to calm himself. “I don’t know what you and that class of fools did but you will fix this. I don’t care how but you will make Marinette Dupain-Cheng change her mind.”

“What? She…She didn’t apply?” Adrien gaped unattractively.

Gabriel sneered. “Of course she didn’t, would we be having this conversation if she did? Miss Dupain-Cheng has great potential in this field and I will not have her waste it because of silly teenage drama. So again, I don’t care how you do it, but you will convince her to take the internship.”

“Yes Father.”

“Good. Now leave me.” Gabriel felt like he had more pacing to do.

Next Chapter

#ml salt fic #adrien agreste salt #lila rossi salt #gabriel agreste salt #marinette deserves better #marinette gets better #marinette makes new friends #gabriel agreste #marinette dupain-cheng #replaced commission #goggles commission #goggles writes #miraculous ladybug #nathalie sancoeur

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