Gabriel Agreste had been sure he had mentally prepared himself for everything he would have to face.

When he took that miraculous from his safe and pinned it into the inside of his shirt (no one would catch him wearing such a tacky thing) he was sure he could handle the dangers that were coming his way. The little fairy spirit thing had honestly surprised him but considering these trinkets were supposedly magic it was fitting.

The kwami itself had been impressed by Gabriels nerves. Or at the very least bemused.

"You could at least flinch. Maybe twitch a little?" The creature urged.

"Quiet." Gabriel commanded. He hadn't known much about the miraculous starting out. He had only managed to decipher a few pages from the book he had uncovered before it had disappeared from his safe.

The kwami were one of the few things he had managed to vaguely learn about. They were like little gods or spirits that provided powers to whomever possessed the jewelry they were tied to. It had seemed ridiculous at first.

He had just assumed it was some strange legend that was somehow tied to his wife's disappearance. Perhaps she had been taken by criminals or perhaps she had been forced into hiding. He didn't know. And he hated that.

Never in a million years had he thought the things written in the book were true. Some old Fairy Tales and nothing more.

But then Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up.

And they weren't Fairy Tales anymore.

For a short time he had been content with letting things play themselves out. He observed and did everything he could to keep his son as far away from these things as possible. But he soon realized it was a fruitless effort.

Whoever was behind these strange attacks could clearly strike wherever and whenever they wanted. The incident with Jackady had shown that not even his own home was entirely safe. And when the book of miraculous he had kept secret for so many years had disappeared from his safe, that had been the straw that broke the camel's back.

No one invaded his home and endangered his son.

No one.

It didn't take a genius to connect the dots and realize that his wife's family heirloom and the peacock miraculous were one in the same. After activating it Gabriel learned more about the miraculous over the course of a single hour than he had over the past three years.

What Gabriel proceeded to do next would have been considered illegal and even creepy under much more normal circumstances. And never in a million years would ha have ever dreamed of doing the same in his day to day life. But desperate times called for desperate measure.

He began to follow Ladybug and Chat Noir.

They would always appear at the scene of an akuma attack, so Gabriel had ample time to study their mannerisms and abilities from afar. This went on for some weeks, and Mr. Agreste got plenty of information.

Ladybug seemed to be the one in charge. She took the lead on most maneuvers and attacks, and her abilities seemed to be key to finishing off the enemy. He had been informed by the peacock kwami that Ladybug's miraculous gifted the user with the power of creation which the girl seemed to use effectively. She had brains, there was no doubt about that. Every time using seemingly innocuous items to defeat the enemy.

Chat Noir, on the other hand, seemed to mostly handle the grunt work. He was just as quick, agile, and strong as Ladybug if not more so. And his senses seemed to be quite sharp making it easier for him to react to sudden attacks from behind. His powers of destruction allowed him to destroy anything he touched. Gabriel was left wondering what would happen if he ever used the attack on a flesh and blood being and prayed he would never have to find out.

When left on their own they did appear to have exploitable weaknesses.

Ladybug didn't have Chat Noir's destructive capabilities or his heightened senses. She wasn't incapable of taking care of things on her own and, if pushed, could certainly do the job solo. However it was obvious that such occasions took a much greater toll on her and required her to take much greater risks where even a moment of hesitation could lead to failure.

Chat Noir's faults were more glaring. He didn't have the ability to revert civilians back to normal, nor could he repair damages done by Akuma attacks. Outside of that he was also reckless and, while not stupid, didn't have Ladybug's observational skills or quick wittedness. He could certainly handle damage control and in one on one combat against an akuma he lasted much longer than Ladybug. But that meant nothing if the direct threat couldn't be handled.

But together the two were nearly impossible to handle. Most enemies seemed to fail entirely because they focused too much on one or the other instead of the two together.

Eventually things came to the point where Gabriel decided it was time to confront the two superheroes.

He had determined that the book of miraculous had to have been taken by someone who knew of their existence.

He determined that the one who had taken it had to be Hawkmoth (motivations unknown but whom the book would be a valuable source of information), Ladybug and/or Chat Noir (possibly independently but more likely working in tandem), or some unknown third power he had yet to account for.

He also determined that his wife, before her disappearance, had been in possession of the peacock miraculous. It was too much to ask that it was merely a coincidence that she had possessed a magic artifact and then mysteriously disappeared.

Taking it all into account he could only conclude that his suspicions had been confirmed.

In some way, shape, or form the miraculous were connected to the disappearance of his wife. And if he wanted to find her he was going to need to get as much information about them as possible.

He could not rely on the kwami for this.

He did not doubt the truth of what the creature had told him about the miraculous, but he hardly thought that it had told him everything. Given the nature of the miraculous and their powers it seemed to be in the kwami's best interest to keep things back for as long as possible. Whether kwami were subservient to whoever owned their miraculous or if they were free to make their own decisions he did not know.

No, he would need to find the answers he wanted on his own.

And Ladybug and Chat Noir were the only starting points he could think of.

Approaching them should be easy enough. He himself was a miraculous holder, and one they had yet to meet. He had been observing them for some time and had determined their strengths and weaknesses so if things went downhill he would have the advantage in a fight. If they proved to be too much for him, he could simply retreat, detransform, and try a new angle. Yes, getting close should be easy.

Assuming he approached them separately.

If approached together their reactions would bounce off one another. If even one of them were cautious to his presence the other were immediately pick up on it and be on their guard also. And if things got out of hand he knew that at this stage he would not be able to handle the two together.

Ladybug and Chat Noir rarely separated in the midst of an akuma attack, so if Gabriel had any hope of pulling this off he would have to act while they were patrolling. It was the only time he knew of that the two separated and were on their own.

Only one question remained.

Who would he approach? Ladybug or Chat Noir?

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EDIT: VOTING ON THIS CHAPTER IS NOW OVER

Ladybug or Chat Noir?

Message me here on or on my tumblr .com with your choice!

For some explanation, this is going to be an AU wherein Gabriel Agreste is the Peacock Miraculous user using the powers of the peacock to solve the mystery of his wife's disappearance.

At the end of every chapter readers will be given two or more choices on which direction the story will go. Votes will be sent through via my tumblr and through fanfiction reviews. This will be working on a trust system, as I am counting on readers not to vote more than once.

On a side note I have yet to determine the name of the peacock kwami, so if you have any ideas and suggestions feel free to include them in your message.

))