Gabriel Agreste makes sure to keep up-to-date on all media regarding the Heroes of Paris. Know your enemies, after all. But one coffee-deprived morning, he forgets to shut off his computer. His son Adrien finds it and realizes his father's secret- He's... a fanboy!
Now forced to go with the misunderstanding and pretend to be a Ladybug fan lest he be exposed to awkward questions, Gabriel is dragged into the scene of Miraculous conventions. He can deal with supervillainy and working in the fashion industry, but conventions with sorely misinformed "experts", shoddy cosplay, people making fun of his alter ego, Adrien's crush on his arch-nemesis, and actual family bonding with his son? Different story altogether. Good luck, fanboy...
It can be found on Archive of Our Own here
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Unconventional Tropes
- The Atoner: Gabriel, as of the last few stories.
- Bait-and-Switch: Gabriel tries to Akumatize Marinette when she is upset that the clothing booth she was running with him was closed unfairly, but she calms herself down by thinking of Adrien and the Akuma goes to a convention-goer also upset about the booth closing.
- Didn't Think This Through: Aldéric Bouchard makes a false accusation of selling counterfeit merchandise to get Marinette's booth shut down. Short-term consequences aside, he's making these baseless accusations against Gabriel Agreste, a big name in the fashion industry. If his claims were proven wrong, Gabriel could totally destroy his career.
- Dramatic Irony: The bread and butter of the series' humor. Everyone thinks Gabriel is the world's biggest Ladybug fan because of how much he knows about her and Chat Noir, when it's actually because he's Hawk Moth. And Gabriel takes on Marinette as a protege and ships her with Adrien without knowing that she's Ladybug.
- For the Cosplay Contest, I am Going as Myself: Gabriel cosplays as Hawk Moth for a contest. It doesn't quite end well, as Ladybug recognizes him as the real deal (though he's able to get away in time).
- Freudian Slip: Gabriel's first autograph for Ladybug is just 'give me your miraculous'. He's fortunately able to hide it in time and come up with something subtler.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Gabriel tries doing a dramatic cane-twirl while hiding under a stage, and ends up whacking himself in the head.
- Internal Reveal: Gabriel realizes that Marinette is Ladybug when he sees she has the autograph he gave to the heroine, and later on, he reveals himself as Hawk Moth to her and Chat Noir.
- Mugging the Monster: Aldéric Bouchard attempts to close the merchandise booth that's been outselling him by falsely accusing them of counterfeiting, not realizing he's accusing Gabriel Agreste. He's lucky to only get blacklisted from the convention scene and targeted by an akuma.
- Not Me This Time: Hawk Moth must do some public work at a convention after revealing himself to the heroes and trying to repent. Suddenly, the building starts collapsing, and he is forced to akumatize a bystander to help evacuate. Once everyone comes out, the Mayor naturally start blaming Hawk Moth for the incident... until the akumatized guy detransforms and starts ripping him a new one for ignoring his advice about safety regulations.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Ladybug gives one to Hawk Moth unknowingly during their autograph session (she thinks Gabriel is just playing Devil's Advocate), deconstructing his possible motives for acquiring the Miraculous.
- Shipper on Deck: Gabriel ships Adrien/Marinette because Adrien has a crush on Ladybug, and Marinette is nice, responsible, and most of all, not Ladybug (...he thinks).
- Sure, Let's Go with That: Gabriel would rather Adrien think he's a fanboy than a supervillain, even if it means having to pretend to admire Ladybug and Chat Noir.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Nooroo's is popcorn. Gabriel even has a popcorn maker installed in his lair.
- Villains Out Shopping: Gabriel has spent a lot of time transformed just being a fashion geek over his costume.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Gabriel genuinely wants to be a good father to Adrien, but he thinks that he can make up for lost time after he's wished his wife back.
