The Gabriel Agreste case was highly publicised, and such a big job it was taking several days. For the past few weeks there'd been many many people in and out of the witness stand, lawyers arguing back and forth, the judge interjecting where it was needed.
Gabriel looked like a wreck. And no doubt he'd only get worse, he'd completely lost himself. If he ended up in a prison that didn't put him in solitary, everyone knew he'd probably end up getting beaten up by the other inmates too. That was the thing about prison, even the murders and kidnappers draw the line when it comes to hurting kids. Child abusers always get jumped in prison, and what had Gabriel done other than be Hawkmoth? Abused his child.
Several of the heroes had been in the stand in the past few days to testify the hawkmoth related stuff, and Adrien just so happened to be 'not feeling well' the day cat noir had to testify. Somehow no one managed to put two and two together, people were just really blind sometimes.
But finally after many days and many of his friends and family testifying, it was Adriens turn. He was prepared to do and say anything to get his sick excuse of a father behind bars, he knew that it was inevitable since he was literal hawkmoth anyway. But he wanted to ensure the most harsh sentence possible, Adrien was going to spill EVERYTHING. He'd mentally prepared all week, making sure he wouldn't break down and cry mid-testimony.
He stood before the jury, his father, lawyers and the witnesses. As well as the whole of Paris who'd undoubtedly be watching the recordings of the trail too. His mother sat in the crowd with Nathalie, up in the front row. They both looked worried for him, holding hands tightly together. Luka was next to him and clearly anxious, he wouldn't stop bouncing his leg and fiddling with his hoodie drawstrings. His sister was in the row behind him with their parents, she put a hand on his shoulder to assure him it'd be ok. Immediately he called a little, the twin bond being like a magic anxiety antidote.
Adrien was a bit anxious himself, but he was prepared. In the divorce, his mother had his last name changed to hers, ridding them of the Agreste name for good. This was the first time he'd heard himself be referred to with that name.
"Adrien Ghram De Vanilly, do you swear under oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?" The lawyer began.
"I do" he replied.
"So I'll begin from the start. On the 8th of July you were struck by Gabriel Agreste, is this correct?" She asked.
"Correct" Adrien nodded.
He knew that recalling that day, he'd have to lie a little to cover up the fact Emilie had been dead. Even though it was wrong to lie under oath, he couldn't not. Emilie was legally alive during that time thanks to the wish, so he'd have no choice but to act like she was.
"What caused the argument?" She asked.
"He believed my friends were a bad influence, I got offended and tried to explain they're not" Adrien replied.
"What did he mean by 'bad influence?"
"He is of the opinion that those with edgier styles, alternative interests and life styles are bad news. He believes they lead immoral lives"
Adrien glared at his father in anger, still offended that he'd insinuate something like that about Luka and his family. Gabriel just glared back with a tired yet angry look.
"The friends in question, who are they?" The lawyer asked.
"The couffaine family as well as my classmates" Adrien replied.
"How often were you hanging out with them?"
"Every chance I got, which under his strict rules wasn't much. Mainly at school or band practice after school"
Luka locked eyes with him, giving Adrien a nod and smile to assure him he was doing well. Adrien smiled back, silently telling him thank you.
"What escalated the fight to the point of violence?" The lawyer asked.
Adrien was silent a moment, he knew what he had to do. He was ready for it, but it was still nerve racking. He wanted to dig another nail on his dads coffin as well as get the big secret he'd been keeping from the world (aside from being cat noir) off his chest. The room was full of anticipation.
"He found out I'm romantically involved with a boy. According to him, that's unacceptable" Adrien announced.
Immediately there was soft chatter amongst the courtroom, none of them expecting the teen idol to come out mid-trail. Luka seemed surprised but proud of his boyfriend for managing to get it off his chest. Nathalie and Emilie just gripped each other hands tighter in anxiousness hoping that wasn't too hard for him to do. The judge shushed the courtroom, and the questions continued.
"May I ask who the boy is?" The lawyer asked.
He looked over at Luka for confirmation, not wanting to accidentally out him. Luka nodded, not minding since most people already knew he liked boys. Plus, if it helped the case he was willing.
"Luka Couffaine" Adrien confirmed.
A lot of the courtroom turned to look at the boy who'd already done his testimony that day, and Luka just sat there with a smug grin knowing that he was lucky enough to bag one of the prettiest boys in Paris.
"How long had the relationship been going on before Gabriel found out?"
"Umm... roughly 4-5 months" Adrien replied.
Gabriels eyes almost popped out of his head hearing that, he'd had no idea how long his son was involved with Luka before now. He was furious that Adrien had managed to sneak around without him knowing that long. But being in court, he couldn't say anything.
"Do you feel your father was being homophobic toward you in that moment?" The lawyer asked.
"Yes, he was" Adrien replied, without skipping a beat.
He was smug saying that, knowing that it would make his fathers reputation plummet even further. Adrien wanted nothing more than to watch that mother fucker burn.
"It was after that he struck you? Where exactly and what injuries did you sustain?"
"He struck me on the cheek, first the left and later the right. I was bruised for days and had a bloodied nose" Adrien explained.
"Did you try and defend yourself?" She asked.
"Yes but he's taller and stronger than me, so he was able to hold me away so I couldn't land any hits"
"Aside from physically reacting, did you verbally react?"
"I did"
"What did you say?"
This was the part he'd have to embellish a little, to hide the fact his mother had actually died.
"I screamed at him to hit me again. To go ahead and murder me like he murdered my mother. I was so angry and upset I thought in the moment that at least if he killed me he'd be sent to prison for something, and that no one else would get hurt" Adrien explained.
Again there was chatter, the phrase making everyone a bit confused. Murder? What did he mean by that? Emilie was alive and sitting right there.
Emilie, upon hearing the exact words that Adrien had said in that fight, felt her heart break. She struggled to hold her tears back, Nathalie pulling her into her chest to comfort her.
"What do you mean by murder?" The lawyer asked.
Now Adrien has to spin a little tale to explain the murder part without revealing Emilie had died. That would cause so much more drama and trauma he didn't need.
"Before my mother recovered, she was so sick I was sure she'd die. And because my father was the one who let her get so sick by making her work and allowing her out and about while she was deteriorating, I was and still am of the mindset she could have died because of his negligence. I was convinced that she wouldn't make it, and it would be Gabriel's fault. So I told him to murder me like he murdered her in a fit of rage" Adrien explained.
"I see, and the fight ended after that because Nathalie broke it up?" The lawyer asked.
"Correct" Adrien replied.
Now the full story of the fight was out, as well as his acts as hawkmoth, the fact he allowed his ex wife and assistant to get so sick and was probably a bit homophobic, there was absolutely no coming back for Gabriel.
Adrien stared daggers into his father, who while angry was powerless and just slumped back in his chair. He knew it was all over, he knew he lost. And he hated it, he hated feeling the sheer weight of his life crumbling on him. But Adrien just smiled, a smug, joyous grin.
One that said 'goodbye father, I won't miss you after all you've done to me'.