The windows glowed faintly from the city lights outside, casting long, fractured shadows across the Agreste study's marble floors. The scent of burning firewood lingered — cozy, deceptive.
Adrien stood near the fireplace, arms tight across his chest, every inch of him braced for the emotional cold war that was his life.
Gabriel stood with military stillness near the tall bookshelves, his tablet glowing dimly in his hand.
"I've seen the way you look at him," Gabriel said without preamble.
Adrien's breath hitched. "Who?"
"You know who," Gabriel replied. "Luka Couffaine."
Silence.
Adrien didn't deny it.
Gabriel's fingers tightened around the edge of the tablet. "Is it a phase?" he asked quietly. "A distraction? Or is it something… deeper?"
Adrien stared at the floor. "I don't know."
Another silence.
Longer this time.
Then Gabriel exhaled slowly, pacing toward the large glass window overlooking Paris. He didn't turn to face Adrien.
"You are… your mother's son," he said at last. "Sensitive. Kind. Foolishly vulnerable."
Adrien's head snapped up. "Is that supposed to be an insult?"
"No," Gabriel said. "It's a liability."
Adrien's fists clenched. "Luka makes me feel like I can breathe. He doesn't expect me to be perfect. He doesn't care that I'm Adrien Agreste."
Finally—finally—Gabriel turned.
"You realize what this could cost you?" he asked, tone sharp. "Your career. Your name. Your… safety."
Adrien blinked. "Are you threatening me?"
"No," Gabriel said.
And then—
"I'm protecting you."
Adrien's voice rose, heat finally cracking the surface. "From what? From being honest? From feeling something real for once in my life?"
Gabriel's jaw tensed. "From being destroyed by it."
They stared at each other across the room—years of repression, silence, and pressure heavy between them like glass waiting to shatter.
And then—
CRASH.
A window exploded inward, glass scattering like diamond shrapnel across the tile. A gust of icy wind slammed through the room.
Akuma.
The signature purplish-black flare of corrupted energy pulsed into the room, blinding and loud.
Adrien stumbled back instinctively.
Gabriel did not move.
He didn't even blink.
But the akuma energy was HERE.
And Gabriel Agreste was still standing RIGHT THERE.
Adrien's mind raced—who the hell—
A cold, mechanical laugh echoed through the air, and then—
A voice. Digitized. Glitchy. Familiar. Terrifying.
"You tried to hide behind your mask, Monsieur Agreste. But now?Let's see what happens when it cracks."
A figure hovered at the broken window. Caped. Masked. Armored in dual-tone purple and chrome.Not Hawkmoth.Not Mayura.Not Monarch.
Something new.
Something evolved.
And Gabriel's face?He looked... surprised.
Which meant—
He didn't send this one.
Adrien's heart dropped into his stomach.
Gabriel was silent.
Because if it wasn't him...
Then who the hell was behind the mask?