Someone Like You (Cat Noir)

Chapter 74 Nobody Said It Was Easy

Possible song theme: The Scientist by Coldplay

Once upon a time, a husband lost his wife...A husband who missed his wife so much that it made him tremble inside. The dead never age, and the same holds true for the people who are left behind. Physically, the world keeps turning. But your inner world—the realm you carry within, your internal life— tends to stop at the moment you lose someone you love.

Gabriel Agreste clenches his fists in frustration as he leans against the cryogenic pod his wife laid inside. Another day, another defeat. It seemed like he was in a never-ending cycle of hope and failure. Ladybug and her team had once again defeated the Akuma he had sent out. And once again, his wife was kept in her preserved state. "I have failed again, Emelie. We should have been reunited long ago. I tried everything to get my hands on the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir. I should have already combined their powers that would have granted me the wish to bring you back!" He cries. "I am not... worthy... of our love!"

There was a time when Gabriel had blamed Emelie. Most people might think it would be impossible to be angry with someone who had died. But Gabriel had discovered that it is entirely possible to be angry with someone who has died. And eventually you begin to hate yourself for being angry with someone who has died.

It is possible to believe that you will die from grief, that somehow your breathing will catch itself up and simply stop. It is possible to believe that you could have stopped the terrible thing that happened at any time, if only you had known.

Slamming his first on the glass, a crack emerges. Gabriel quickly removed himself from the glass and secured the pod and ran to the elevator. He had let his emotions get the better of him, and once again his wife almost suffered the consequences.

Once upstairs he rushed to Nathalie's room. Gabriel slammed his first down on a near by desk, much like he had to the pod down below.

"Ladybug never makes a mistake!" He growled

Nathalie looked at him calmly from her bed. "Neither do you." She explained. That was the harsh reality of life. In some cases, you can do everything right, and still get the short end of the stick. "Ladybug hasn't discovered who you are, she hasn't seized your Miraculous and—" A fit of coughs erupt in her chest, stopping her from finishing her sentence.

"Nathalie!" Gabriel rushes to her side. "You see, I've made at least one mistake."

"It wasn't a mistake." She assured him. "I was the one who decided to use the Peacock Miraculous despite it being damaged. I was fully aware of the risk that I was taking."

And just like that something clicked inside Gabriel's mind.

"A risk... of course! She never makes mistakes, because she never takes any risks!" He shoots up from the bed and rushes out the door, not bothering to explain his plan to Nathalie who can't help but watch him leave with a slight look of concern over her features.

She could see a change in him recently. His constant failure to bring in Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous seemed to be getting to him more and more these days. Nathalie couldn't help but worry just how far he would take things if he had to wait any longer.

In his lair, ShadowMoth called forth his Akuma and listened carefully to the negative emotions that echoed around him. He needed someone who could get Ladybug and Chat Noir to take risks without them realizing it. It was then they were bound to slip up. The sound of a child desiring to prove he didn't need to wear safety gear to ride his bike made for perfect prey. His anger was mild, but still enough for ShadowMoth to manipulate. His Akuma flutters into the stuffed toy frog sitting behind the child on the bike.