#yes marie is here twice we have some marie enjoyers in the chat

[fishsticxz-art]

wanted to doodle something so i had my friends pick fits for splatoon characters from @hometownrockstar's outfit memes! enjoy

[dragon-kazansky]

A rose in shadows - Chapter five

Chapter 5 - Wedding bells

You woke up early to get ready that morning. You had spent the whole previous evening with Mrs. Hudson. She had baked a cake for you both to enjoy and you both talked until quite late. It was enjoyable in it's own sense, even if Mrs. Hudson did point out that you could do so much better than Sherlock several times during the evening.

You stand by your mirror, putting your final touches on to your outfit. Smart, but not over the top. Mary was the bride after all. On the mantel sat your ring. You had stopped wearing it on your finger ages ago. You hadn't even told John or Mary that Sherlock had proposed to you shortly after the vents last year. You had no intention of ever mentioning it. You doubted Sherlock had either. He didn't seem to care much about it any more anyway.

You pick up your coat. Once you had pulled it on, Mrs. Hudson came in, Gladstone by her feet.

"Ready, dear?"

"Yes."

"You look lovely." She smiles at you. 

"Thank you, as do you."

You follow her out, waiting as she locks the door, and then both of you climb into the carriage prepared for you. As you pull away from Baker Street you can't help but wonder how last night went for the boys. You hoped they stayed out of trouble, but even you knew that was probably asking for too much. You sigh softly as your gaze turns to look outside.

"It's a beautiful day." Mrs. Hudson comments.

"Yes, it is. Mary must be over the moon." You offer a smile. "It's going to be a lovely service."

"Oh yes. Doctor Watson will look very smart."

"As always."

You both chuckle and watch as the buildings become less and more fields come in to view. They chose a wonderful spot for their wedding. You were almost jealous of the beauty surrounding you. The thought of leaving the city crossed your mind. You would be quite happy in the country... but Sherlock was in the city.

You shook those thoughts away and tried to focus on the day.

When you arrived, you were both helped out of the carriage and led inside. You didn't know anyone other than Mrs. Hudson. John's friends were nice enough though as you passed them. They greeted you as you and Mrs. Hudson found your seats.

Light chatter filed the room.

Though it was still early, John and Sherlock had yet to show. They weren't there to greet you at the door and were no where to be seen inside. You shifted in your seat as you wondered where they could be.

Time ticked on. Still nothing.

"We should have known." Mrs. Hudson muttered.

"This is exactly what we should expect from Sherlock." You mutter.

"Holmes yes. Doctor Watson, no." She shakes her head.

"Then last night either didn't go to plan, or did and got out of hand." You glance back to see if there was any sign of them yet. The man at the door shook his head. You sighed as you faced forward again. Some guests were still arriving, so there was still time. You had hoped they would be here by now thought.

You hear the bagpipes outside playing.

"That better be them arriving." You mutter.

Sherlock is leading John inside. You don't even turn around as you hear muttering behind you. You, however, can't resist the need to cover your nose as they come past you. You glance up as they sit in the pew in front of you. Both of their suits are torn to pieces, they are both caked in dirt and grime, and you are certain you see dried blood on them.

Sherlock, once he has John sitting, turns to you.

"Hello, dear."

"Holmes."

"Good night?"

"Yes. You?"

"Splendid." He smiles. "You look ravishing."

"Sherlock-"

"I must say though, you're missing something."

"Sherlock..."

"Your ring."

"Ring?" John looks between you and Sherlock. "Sherlock?"

"You noticed?" You ask, the least amused look on your face ever.

"I always do." He tells you.

"I find that hard to believe." You lean forward slightly. "What happened to you two?"

"I'll explain it all later." Sherlock doesn't waste the chance to kiss you on your cheek. "You really do look lovely, my dear."

You sit back and say nothing more. During the time between then and Mary's arrival, John was cleaned up to a certain point, a decent coat on him, a neck tie, flower on the lapel. Sherlock had dozed off and you hadn't bothered to wake him until Mary's arrival.

Once the music plays once more, you know it's time. Everyone stands up in sync with one another, you tapping Sherlock on the shoulder so he does wake up. He is quick to do so and stand beside John. Sherlock still looked a horrid mess.

Mary looks beautiful.

The ceremony is wonderful. Mary looks John up and down when she meets him at the alter, but Sherlock winks at her and nods. You watch with a smile as they exchange vows and rings. You applaud as they kiss. You're so focused on the happy couple, you miss the way Sherlock glances back at you.

You hook your arm with Mrs. Hudson, rather than Sherlock, as you exit the church. You stand and watch as John's military friends raise their swords for him and Mary to walk under.

Sherlock stands over by the arch near the entrance, on his own. He disappears under it as they get closer.

When that's over, you excuse yourself from Mrs. Hudson and go to find Sherlock. He was near his motor carriage speaking to a man. Upon seeing the scene, something told you not to go over just yet.

"I've been to a wedding here before. Funeral, too. The professor wants to meet." The man says to Sherlock. You can't hear them from where you are, but you can tell this discussion is serious.

"I'd expected to hear from him sooner, in light of recent events."

"He was wondering if it'd be convenient for you to come by the college this afternoon. His lecture concludes at four."

"Looking forward. Now, one side, chummily. There is someone waiting for me right now." Sherlock glances over to where you're standing. You didn't think he would notice you standing there, but he did.

The man pushes off the car and walks away slowly. You wait until he's gone before walking over. Sherlock is sitting in the driver's seat now. You sit in the one beside him.

"Who was that?" You asks, looking in the direction the man had gone in.

"A friend of our enemy."

"Moriarty?"

"The very man." Sherlock looks at you. He reaches for your hand and brings it his lips. "Have I told you how beautiful you look?"

"You may have mentioned it once or twice." You give him a small smile. "What happened last night? And what did that man want?"

"I got into a bit of fight with a Cossack while chatting to a Gypsy woman about someone she knows. It got a bit out of hand, but be glad we turned up, dear."

You chuckle.

"As for that man, the Professor wants to meet with me. This afternoon."

"Today?" You frown. "He couldn't wait one more day?"

"I'm sorry dear. Now, I know we're quite the team, but I'll be meeting with him on my own. He's dangerous, we can't forget that."

You meet Sherlock's gaze. "I don't want to meet him anyway." You sigh.

"You go enjoy the rest of the day, give Watson and his wife my best, won't you?" He gives you a charming smile. "I'll see you back at the flat."

"Alright, but you owe me, Sherlock. You have a lot of making up to do." You climb out of the motor carriage and look up at him. "Please be careful, Sherlock."

"I'll do my best, dear. For now, stay safe." He smiles at you.

You smile back and step away, watching as he drives off.

You sigh and wait until he out of sight before going back to join the others. Mrs. Hudson is waiting for you, Gladstone on a lead beside her. You smile as you approach her and walk to your carriage. All the while thinking of your detective.

You have been working with Sherlock on your findings of Professor Moriarty, Sherlock finding all the connections, allies and possible motives behind every action. This man was incredibly  dangerous. There was no doubt he knew just as much about Sherlock as the detective knew about him.

Which also put you and John at risk. Even knowing that, Sherlock let you help, but also neglected your presence when his investigation became more obsessive. Though you still offered assistance by leaving articles and theories for Sherlock to read, by taking notes that you thought might help.

Sherlock felt regret for even letting himself push you away. You had every right to be mad at him.

Yet, you didn't yell at him. You acknowledged him. You talked to him.

Sherlock would make it up to. He had to. He needed you.

Tags:

@hufflepuff-pide-honey-badger @theatricalbride @phantomofhogwarts @awyr @fandombeehive @charmed-asylum @sigynbandraoi-blog @procrastinatingmurder @madshelily @photography-to-all @sitkafay @melancholicsthings

[chocoluckchipz-bag]

Unexpected Surprise - 11

Read it on A03, WattPad, FF.net

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In all the years he remembered, Adrien had never slept better than today. The bed was soft and comfy. The air warm yet fresh, with a slight hint of Marinette’s perfume still floating around. But the best part was that sweet realization that years of misery were finally over. She loved him and wasn’t pushing him away anymore. He could stay by her side. He, not some other mystery man, could make Marinette happy. They agreed to give them a chance, and this time he would his ass off to-

Someone’s fingers brushed his hair. “Daddy?”

Adrien wrinkled his nose as something poked it.

“Daaaddddy?” the voice whispered, following a few more prods. This time to his cheek. Adrien tried to shrug the annoyance away, but in retaliation, it started to force open his eyes. Left with no more options, Adrien turned around and hid under the comforter.

“Dadddyyyy?” the voice persisted, and someone's little hands snuck under the blankets to tickle his back. Adrien groaned and turned back to face the offender.

“See, Mommy? He isn’t sleeping!” With barely opened eyes he saw grinning Emma, lying between him and Marinette. Of course, Adrien sleepily smiled. How could he forget?

“Shhhh,” Marinette murmured without opening her eyes and wrapped her arms tighter around the squirming girl. “Pillows don’t talk and don’t move, Emma.”

“I want to cuddle Daddy too.”

One of Marinette’s eyes popped open. She lifted her head to see his messy mop and a little bit confused expression better and smiled. “I suppose we can let him in on our sacred ceremony.”

“Sacred ceremony?” Adrien yawned and glanced at the clock. 6:15 am. Not too early for him, he supposed. Actually, he would consider it a sleep-in on regular days.

“The Dupain-Cheng cuddle ceremony,” Marinette explained. “We don't get out of this bed until 6:30, and until then we have to cuddle to prevent the evil spoiling our mood for the day.”

Adrien chuckled. An unexpected but a really sweet tradition, he had never heard of or experienced before, but nothing he wouldn’t love to partake in. Who would in their sane mind refuse fifteen or even more minutes of cuddling with his girls?

“May I?” he asked, making sure not to move until the permission was received. Once the approval was given he swiftly wrapped his arms around both girls at once and squeezed.

“Daddy!” Emma laughed. Marinette giggled and scooped a little closer, sandwiching Emma between them.

“I like this sacred ceremony of yours,” Adrien whispered and placed a soft kiss on the top of Emma’s hair. “Though, I suspect it was put in place more because someone didn’t want to get up sooner than they needed.”

“Shhhh!” Marinette glared. “No need to give away anyone’s secrets. As punishment you could be banned from the Cuddling Ceremony forever, didn’t you know?”

“Silent as a fish,” Adrien chuckled, yawning and closing his eyes. The rest of the time before the alarm clock went off, he spent enjoying the cuddles of his two ladies in silence.

Once the time to get up had arrived, Adrien had the misfortune to propose to make breakfast. That quickly got him shoved out the door and sent to the kitchen, while the ladies got ready to face the day. In about ten minutes Emma skipped down the stairs. Marinette followed another ten minutes later - just enough time for him to make a simple breakfast of sausage, scrambled eggs, and croissants.

“Smells delicious,” Marinette noted, settling behind the kitchen table where Emma was already devouring her portion. “I didn’t know you could cook. You always had chefs in the mansion, didn’t you?”

“I did here,” Adrien shrugged. “But not in New York. There I had to learn how to cook if I wanted to survive. It’s quite enjoyable actually.”

“Hmmm.” Marinette bit into her croissant. “A man that has the looks and can cook? You drive a hard bargain, Agreste. I might decide to keep you after all.”

“My Lady,” Adrien smirked. “May I add to your dilemma and prove my worth to you tonight with a dinner that’ll make you forget all the doubts you’ve ever had?”

“How can I refuse such an offer?” Marinette winked, glancing at the clock.

“In a rush?”

“Nope. I still have another fifteen minutes or so before Emma goes to her babysitter. My work starts at eight, so plenty of time to get downtown.”

“Is that how your days usually work?” Adrien settled across Marinette with his own plate. “You go to work and Emma to her babysitter every day?”

“Pretty much,” Marinette nodded. “When there is school, Mme Bella takes her there and brings her back home, but during breaks, she spends her days at her house. Emma’s quite fond of her, so that isn’t really a problem. On weekends, though, we always do something fun together, so she doesn’t feel abandoned by her mother. Sometimes my parents would take her for a day or two. Alya uses her Auntie privileges once or twice a month. I know that, maybe, this isn’t ideal-”

“I hope you aren’t serious now,” Adrien interrupted, seeing the guilt rising in Marinette’s eyes. “I’d kill to have so many people care about me when I was a kid. From what I’ve seen so far, Emma feels and is very loved. You are an incredible mother, Marinette. You support yourself and still manage to do so much for her. Amazing, really.”

“Thanks,” Marinette smiled. “I try to give her what I had myself – unconditional love and acceptance with a sprinkle of discipline because let me tell you—” she playfully pointed into Emma's direction, who by that time was already colouring something in the living room, “—that little angel over there has so much Chat Noir's mischief in her that sometimes it's hard to contain.”

“Pfft,” Adrien huffed. “It’s not like her mother was a model girl herself - sneaking out of her bedroom all the time, getting in fights with Akumas on an almost daily basis and may I notice, without her parents' consent or knowledge! I wouldn't be surprised if she even had—” he gasped, then grinned, “—a secret boyfriend and stuff not even I know.”

Marinette nervously chuckled, shifting her eyes away, remembering a few cases, involving a couple of stolen cell phones. “Let’s not deliberate.”

“Hmm.” Adrien cockled his head to the side. “Now I’m intrigued.”

“Nope. Not telling and it’s nothing important, so, let’s remember me young and innocent.”

They both laughed and continued to their meals, the rest of the conversation flowing effortlessly, memories of prior times and friends coming to mind and just as Marinette was about to stand up Adrien asked.

“Mari?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think I can look after Emma today?”

“You don’t have anything to do?”

“Not really.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I have a few calls to make regarding my move back to Paris, and I think I need to visit Father. That’s about it.”

“You going to tell him about Emma?”

“I think I should,” Adrien replied with no obvious enthusiasm. “Better I tell him myself than someone else will and if I’m staying here, believe me, he will find out.”

For a short while, Marinette watched Adrien in silence. He seemed to be so cheerful, carefree and happy just a moment ago. Not anymore. The smile was gone, shoulders hung low, and the eyes shifted to Emma as he fidgeted with his own fingers.

“If I could,” he continued quietly. “I’d keep her away from him, to be honest.”

“Why?” Marinette’s eyebrows knitted in a surprised frown. Everyone knew his father was strict, but it couldn’t be that bad. Surely, he was more loving towards his family than his employees. And even if not, his attitude had changed a lot in the last few years - Gabriel Agreste was not the same man she was hired by. These days, working for him was somewhat enjoyable.

“He—” Adrien glanced at Marinette before darting his eyes back to Emma, “—my father has a talent for making one feel self-conscious and miserable- like there has to be something wrong with you because you could never satisfy his expectations- a failure and a disappointment because you were never good enough. Sometimes I doubt he even likes me-”

Adrien stopped talking when a pair of delicate arms wrapped around him, their warmth and familiar, loved scent enveloping him in an embrace. Pulling him close, Marinette whispered, “He does love you, Adrien. I know he does. In all the time I’ve worked for him, your father had never said a bad word about you. He’s proud of what you’ve achieved; he’s just not very good at expressing his feelings.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Adrien sighed. “But I don’t want Emma to feel the same way I did growing up. I want her loved and appreciated. I want her to have a real family, not an empty shell for the good of the public image.”

“Well,” Marinette placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “You’ll be surprised, but Gabriel really likes Emma.”

“Father knows about Emma?”

“Not that she’s his granddaughter, but he does know her,” Marinette let him go and leaned against the table to explain. “They've met about two years ago, and ever since then he exhibits unusual, I’d say, amount of affection towards her. He always stops to talk when she is around, often asks me about her, and showers her with presents on every possible holiday and sometimes even random days, like ‘the start of a summer’ or ‘only ten days left till Christmas.' It's ridiculous, really. Even Alya took notice, and doesn’t let me live it down.”

“Are we talking about my father now?” Adrien’s eyes seemed to be uncommonly round. “The man who gave me the same lame pen a few years in a row for my birthday and never spent any time with me even on holidays unless he had absolutely nothing else to do? And even then, I would get no more than five minutes of his time.”

“Pretty sure,” Marinette giggled at the completely perplexed expression Adrien’s adopted. “Don’t look at me like that. I was surprised myself. He is your father. You should know what’s going on, not me because I’m absolutely clueless. Anyway, I have to run.” Marinette came closer and quickly kissed still frozen in confusion Adrien. “I’ll let Mme Bella know that Emma will be with you today. Good luck with the talk. Love you,” she whispered and went to say goodbye to Emma.

In mere minutes Marinette was out the door, but Adrien was still astonished. His father liked Emma and according to Marinette and Alya from what he could remember now, had been showering her with attention and presents. What in the world was going on? Why would he do that? Why would he show more affection towards a daughter of a random-to-him employee than his own son?

He is your father. You should know what’s going on…

Something clicked.

Adrien’s eyes widened instantly.

Of course.

His father saw Emma and more probable than not had the same reaction he did. For Adrien, Emilie Agreste was a mother. For Gabriel, she was the love of his love, the woman he was still unable to let go years after she’d left them. Of course, he would notice Emma’s remarkable resemblance to his late wife, and no doubt, he knew Marinette’s connections to his son. His father wasn't the one to left questions unanswered, and he had the resources and ways to check any suspicions he might have had.

“Of course,” Adrien murmured under his breath. Gabriel knew. How could he even think that his father wouldn’t know, having Emma and Marinette so close to him? He was a smart man - the compliment was due where it belonged. Surprisingly to Adrien, though, Gabriel seemed to like Emma instead of ignoring her existence as he did with his son. That baffled Adrien for a few moments before he dismissed the thought away. The reasons and motives didn’t matter. The main point was that Emma deserved to be treated much better than Adrien ever had been, and Gabriel Agreste seemingly was a better grandfather than he ever was a father.

The sole question remained – why didn’t he tell him?

Adrien visited his father’s office multiple times, and every single one of them wasn't exactly pleasant, to say the least. Today, however, there was a special feeling of suspense in the air when two men greeted each other with a polite, somewhat detached “Good morning.” Adrien proceeded to sit in a chair across from his father's desk and looked around, not really knowing how to start a conversation like the one he came here for.

“The New York office called me an hour ago, Adrien,” Gabriel stated with his usual air of coldness, almost glaring at the man in front of him. “Care to explain why did you suddenly decide to stay in Paris, abandoning your responsibilities? I thought you were an adult, Adrien, not a reckless teenager anymore.”

The strictness, the coldness of Gabriel’s voice was hard to miss. Not the slightest concern for or even minimal signs of affection towards his own son. Just demands, discontent and calculations.

Adrien sadly chuckled to himself. Ever since this morning, he was secretly hoping that perhaps Marinette was right and his father just hadn't been very good at expressing his love for him. Everyone said he treated Emma exceptionally well, so was it too much for Adrien to want to believe that maybe, just maybe, his father was learning and would be more welcoming and loving towards his son as well? Most likely, because looking at his father now, Adrien let that flickering of hope vanish. Gabriel Agreste seemed to be perfectly able to express his emotions. It was written on his face, evident in his stiff posture, resonated in his voice - Gabriel didn't show his love for his son because he didn't feel any. For his father, Adrien was still only a huge disappointment, and that was a treatment he was getting.

Briefly, Adrien considered leaving without saying anything, but then he recalled everything Marinette had said and his own conclusions. Most likely, Gabriel knew already. For some incomprehensible to him reasons, he seemed to care about Emma a lot, so he might as well clear this up and make it official. He would need to tell him sooner or later, so why not now? He might just be lucky enough to get the answers to his own questions. Not beating about the bush, Adrien asked.

“How long did you know, Father?”

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed as he looked back at his estranged son. “I clearly said they called me an hour-”

“How long did you know about Emma, Father?” Adrien interrupted, something he had never done before. Not with his father, at least. “And why didn’t you tell me? Was Emma not that important of a detail? Not worth discussing or even mentioning?” Adrien could feel his blood boiling with every word, just as much as he saw his father tense in front of him. He had never openly disobeyed, never spoke back to Gabriel, but now that he’d started, Adrien found it hard to stop. “Oh, wait. No!” he continued. “From what I’ve heard, you obviously took a liking to my daughter.” Adrien stood up, placing his hands on the edge of the table and leaning over. “You certainly pay more attention to her than you ever did to me so I would guess she isn’t that unimportant to you after all. Then why? Why have you never said anything? Do you hate me that much, Father? Am I such an enormous disappointment to you that you can’t even treat me as a normal human being?”

In silence, Gabriel glared back at Adrien. After finding out about Emma and making his own conclusions on the situation, he considered his son to be a spineless, irresponsible weakling who ran away from his problems and refused to answer for his actions. That outburst just now added to his already ruined opinion on his offspring, but Adrien’s shocking lack of manners was not the point right now.

Because how dare he, a pathetic excuse for a human being who left his precious, little granddaughter alone and fatherless, to demand anything from him right now? How dare he to expect even the slightest of respect from Gabriel when he had decided to abandon Emma before she was even born? He wanted to be loved? Wanted to be respected? How about loving others himself! How about taking responsibility for his actions?! How about being decent enough to let his father know about the baby he didn't care the slightest for? He, Gabriel, should be the one asking questions now, not him!

Gabriel stopped short of growling because right there and then he was beyond disgusted and ashamed of his son. Clenching his teeth together, his lips in a thin, tight line, he stood up and as silently as he could, walked to his window, as far away as he possible from the disappointment of a century. Turning his back to Adrien and, trying to control the anger that burned inside of him, Gabriel finally replied.

“I found out two years ago and don’t you dare to blame me for not saying anything to you, Adrien.” He turned back and glared at his son, “It’s not my duty anymore to remind you about taking responsibility for your actions. You are an adult, Adrien, and you had been an adult when you made her- or at least you were supposed to be one. You should’ve been the one mentioning the baby to me years ago even if you wanted nothing to do with her. You didn’t. So why would I bring it up?”

“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know, Father!” Adrien took care to say every word clearly. “I had absolutely no idea I had a child. Do you really think that I would’ve left if I knew?! Do you really think that after years of neglect you put me through I would throw away a chance at having a real family for once? Do you?! I loved Marinette, I would’ve never left if I knew!”

“Oh, please!” Gabriel turned back to the window with an annoyed look on his face. “If you are finding excuses, at least make them believable! You and Mlle Dupain-Cheng knew each other for years. You were certainly close enough to make a baby, so do not tell me you didn’t know! If, as you say, you loved her, then it's even harder for me to believe you’ve never spoken after you left. Don’t you have the same friends? Pregnancy and a child are hard to hide, Adrien, especially with shared friends. They would’ve told you even if she didn’t.”

Adrien paused, taken aback. He never really thought about that with all the craziness going around, but really, how come Nino never mentioned anything? How did it happen that they had rarely spoken of Marinette over the years, and even when they did Emma was never mentioned? The only things Nino had told him were that Marinette was fine, she was accepted into the school she wanted, she graduated, got a job, she bought a house, she was out with Alya, or Alya was at her place. Neither pregnancy nor the baby had ever made it into their conversations, and Adrien refused to believe that those were so insignificant to his best friend that he’d simply forgotten. Nino loved Marinette and Emma to pieces, and the only reason Adrien could think of for Nino to keep such secrets was that he was asked to stay quiet. But why? Were they trying to spare Marinette's feelings? Upkeep her reputation with him? That was insane.

Adrien shrugged - whatever the reasons were, he'd deal with them later. Now, no matter how angry he was, he had to face reality, and reality was saying that from his father’s point of view Adrien did get Marinette pregnant and dumped her, escaping to the USA. As unfair as it was, but Gabriel was right - with shared friends and their presumably “relationship,” there was little Marinette could do to keep her pregnancy a secret from him even if she wanted. Adrien pressed his teeth together. His father didn’t have the full story. He didn’t know that Marinette couldn’t possibly tell him about Emma because she didn't know who he was. Full disclosure for Adrien was not an option, but something had to be said - something that would explain everything in a rational, believable way. At least to Gabriel.

“We parted our ways after a huge fight before either of us knew,” Adrien said slowly, straightening up and crossing his arms over his chest.  “For reasons, I would rather keep private, we didn’t talk after that for six years. I might assume my friends hadn’t said anything to me because we were at odds with Marinette, and she might have not wanted me to know, so yes, Father, as astonishing as it might sound, I didn’t know that Marinette was pregnant, and I didn’t know Emma existed. I would’ve never abandoned them otherwise. I would’ve come back the moment I knew and took my responsibility.”

“Some friends you have there, Adrien,” Gabriel scoffed. “Really trustful and respectful, I see. But then I would lie if I’d say I’m surprised. I did tell you from the first day that that boy was a bad influence, didn’t I? Yet even with that kind of friends, it’s still hard to believe that anyone would keep a baby a secret from its father, Adrien. Especially, a rich and famous one like yourself. If not for a ring, then nice child support-”

“Marinette would never!” Adrien snapped right back. “She isn’t like that. She would never use a baby to get to me or get money. Fine,” he sighed. It looked like being vague about it hadn't worked, and a good reason was still needed. Something Gabriel could believe. Something that could explain all or at least most of the issues here. “If you must know, there might have been a misunderstanding, and I might have screwed things up, and as a result, Marinette didn’t want to contact me or have me anywhere near Emma. Happy? I’ve been a disappointment not only to you, Father, but to her as well.”

“You cheated on her?”

“No!” Adrien rushed to protest. “And before you ask anything else - this stay between Marinette and me, but I’m sure knowing that it was my fault, would help you to understand her better. No one wants a disappointment in their life. She didn’t either.”

An awkward, tense silence fell between them as both, father and son, tried to sort out their feelings. Gabriel blankly stared out the window, his lips pressed into a thin line as he started to realize that he might have rushed a little in his conclusions about the scope of Adrien’s knowledge. And while he couldn’t say he was surprised that he managed to mess up his personal life so badly, in a way, pity started to rise in his heart. He was his son after all and seeing him suffering a personal shipwreck wasn’t what he wanted for him at all.

“Father?”

Disappointment… When and why did he become that, Gabriel wondered? Was it because of his mother’s untimely departure? Was it because, drowned in his own sorrow, Gabriel had no one else to blame and couldn't help transferring some of the bitterness onto Adrien? Only because he was her son? Because her blood ran in his veins? Because his eyes were the same colour? Because she gave him his name or because he loved to laugh just as much? Because sometimes he thought she loved their little boy more than she loved Gabriel?

He didn't know the reasons anymore, but now, after a few years with Emma, Gabriel was starting to realize the wrongness of his ways. He couldn’t say what prompted that, but that girl had something in her to melt his heart and make him see the other side of the issue. Adrien was hurting just as much as him, if not more. Gabriel lost a wife. Adrien lost his mother and what did he do? What did the father of the boy do when his mother disappeared? He made him an orphan with a living parent. He made him a company asset instead of a son. He judged and sentenced Adrien the first chance he got without a shred of concrete evidence and a chance to defend himself. That might have been a tiny bit harsh.

“Why did she finally decide to tell you?” Gabriel managed to ask.

“She didn’t,” Adrien sighed. “I found out on my own.”

Gabriel looked back at Adrien, his eyebrow quirked up. “Is that so? And how?”

“Do I really need to explain, Father?” Adrien huffed. “You’ve seen Emma for yourself. You should know.”

Gabriel silently walked back to his desk and pulled out the red folder that changed his life two years ago. On the first page was Emma’s and his wife’s toddler pictures, followed by a DNA test results and Marinette’s profile. Adrien flipped through the pages and smirked ironically to himself as he took out his own copy of his mother picture, almost identical to the one his father had.

“The DNA test was a little bit extra in my opinion.”

“Maybe for you, it would've been, but not for me. How would I know who you’ve slept with and who you haven’t?”

“I wasn’t sleeping around,” Adrien seethed through his teeth. “Marinette was the only woman I’ve ever been with.”

“Well I couldn’t possibly know that, now could I? But if I was going to disinherit my own son—” Gabriel looked at him strictly but already in a slightly different way. Something had changed in his sight. Something new was present there that Adrien didn’t see before. Was it a hint of understanding? Maybe even a little bit of affection? It was too early to tell, but something had definitely shifted, “—I needed to make sure she was my granddaughter for certain.”

“You were going to do what?”

An older man returned to his position near the window, looking away in the distance. “I assumed,” he stated. “That you bailed on them and didn't want to take your responsibility, so I decided to take it for you. Mlle Dupain-Cheng was promoted to a well-paid position, and Emma's name was written into my will. She will officially inherit half of my estate. The other half is still yours.”

Adrien looked in bewilderment at the man standing a couple of meters away. “You promoted Marinette only because of Emma?”

“Yes and no.” Gabriel shrugged his shoulders, his back is still to Adrien, eyes focused on something beyond that window. The reasons he was still avoiding eye contact was vague even to him. He couldn't say he felt disgusted at that moment anymore, but embarrassment and uncertainty of how to proceed were there for sure. How do you even start to repair a relationship stained by false, unjust accusations and broken for years? He didn't know yet. That thought, however, would undoubtedly need some careful consideration in the near future.

“Even before this whole ordeal happened, I was considering Mlle Dupain-Cheng for a promotion,” Gabriel continued. “She is talented, hardworking and has proven herself to be a highly qualified professional on multiple occasions. The girl definitely deserved that promotion. However, I would lie if I would say that my newfound knowledge about Emma didn’t speed things up, and didn’t give her a better deal salary-wise.”

“Father-” Adrien’s voice grew closer, but Gabriel ignored that.

“Someone had to take care of them, Adrien, and since I thought you-”

His speech had seized abruptly, so shocked the man was to suddenly feel his son’s arms around him. Neither of them remembered the last time they touched each other, moreover, the last time they hugged. Completely knocked off his feet, startled and confused, Gabriel froze in place, lost in what to do or even how to feel about this.

Their contact lasted only a split moment before Adrien pulled back, a bit embarrassed himself. He didn't plan on hugging the man he was arguing with just a moment ago. It just happened. Gabriel wasn't the best father in the world - far from it – but he stepped up and took care of what really mattered to Adrien when he couldn’t. That alone deserved at least some gratitude and respect.

“Thank you, Father,” Adrien said. “Thank you for taking care of them when I couldn’t.”

The words echoed through the room for what seemed like an eternity as they stood and watched each other, not a single muscle on either of their faces moving. Finally, Gabriel closed his eyes and exhaled slowly as a hint of a smile tugged at Adrien's lips. Something had been broken between them at last.

“You really didn’t know?”

“You raised me, Father,” Adrien replied, placing his hand on Gabriel's shoulder. “You of all people would know that I would've never left if I knew. Even if I didn't want to be with Marinette, I would've stayed for Emma.”

“Then,” Gabriel cleared his throat. “I believe I owe you an apology.”

“Thank you,” Adrien smiled in reply and beckoned them to get back to the table.

“What are you planning to do next?” Gabriel asked as soon as they settled in. “I hope you realize that simply dropping everything in NYC will be quite unprofessional and will bring a blow to the company’s reputation.”

“Don’t worry,” Adrien answered. “I’ve spoken with Claude already. He's working on reordering my commitments as we speak, so I can fulfill them all as soon as possible and hopefully be back here in a few weeks to stay.”

“And your office duties?”

“That’s even easier since I was only starting to get involved. They already have a replacement in mind, and all I have to do is to brief that person in, which shouldn't take more than a few days.”

“Alright,” Gabriel faintly smiled. “I see you aren’t as irresponsible as I thought you were.”

“I’m twenty-six, Father,” Adrien chuckled. “The days where I could ditch Gorilla and sneak away whenever I wanted to see a movie are pretty much gone. Unfortunately,” he sighed dramatically. “I have to adult these days.”

“Right,” Gabriel chuckled much to Adrien's amazement. He hadn’t seen one of those in a long time. “I assume you would work here after relocating?”

“If you want me, but just so you know – I’ve been cutting back on my modelling over the years, so I'll appreciate if you could place me by my specialization. I didn't earn a Masters in Business Management for good looks. People actually say I'm quite good at it.”

“So I’ve heard,” Gabriel remarked. “Alright. What about Emma?”

“I think the first thing to be dealt with should be getting my parenthood legally recognized. I’ll be discussing details with Marinette, but I don’t think she’ll object to putting my name on the birth certificate and adding Emma to my will.”

“What about Emma’s last name?” Gabriel raised his eyebrow. “Technically she is an Agreste.”

“I’ll leave this up to Marinette,” Adrien replied. “I did nothing so far in bringing Emma up, so it should be her decision, won’t you agree?”

“Alright, and Mlle Dupain-Cheng herself?” Gabriel leaned back in his chair, but the stiffness of his posture was hard to miss. “Have you resolved the misunderstanding? Will you co-parent? Getting back together?”

“We made up,” Adrien couldn’t hold a smile back. “And we might be getting back together as long as we can work everything out.”

Gabriel picked up a pen and started to fidget with it. “Do you actually want to be in a relationship with her, or is it just because you have a child together?”

“Father,” Adrien grinned. “I wanted to marry Marinette six years ago. In fact, the night we had that argument, I was planning on proposing. I haven't changed my mind. I still love her, and I know she still loves me. Emma’s just a lovely addition, not the reason.”

“Alright,” Gabriel let go of his withheld breath. “But let me give you a little bit of an advice Adrien.” He paused for a moment before locking his eyes with the young man in front of him. “Do everything possible not to mess this up this time. She is a nice, talented and decent girl. Look around - you can hardly find girls like her anymore, so you screw this one again, and you may never find another one like that. Understood?”

“Yup,” Adrien chuckled with amazement.

“Just a little warning, but if you do screw this one up, you’ll find yourself with a new sister.”

Adrien blinked. “You’re kidding me, right?”

“Of course not. The brand must stay in the family,” Gabriel proclaimed with a straight face. “On a more serious note, though, I think you should know that I’ve been considering training her as my successor. Mlle Dupain-Cheng seems to really get what this brand is all about, and that’s hard to come by these days.”

“You’ve been her idol ever since she was thirteen, Father,” Adrien laughed. “Marinette had your designs plastered all over her wall. Of course, she’ll know what your brand is all about.”

“My designs modelled by you?” This time Gabriel definitely smirked. “The boy she had a crush on?”

“They are still your designs and she loved them no matter who modelled them.” Adrien found an escape. “Marinette loves your work. She'll do you justice.”

“I hope so too.” Gabriel cleared his throat. “As for Emma- don’t think that being a father is an easy business,” he continued, his voice cracking at his next words. “I failed at it miserably, as you know, but you have the potential to be better, Adrien. Your mother was amazing with kids, and you have a lot of her in you-you should be fine as long as you take it seriously. Just remember that it’s a life-long commitment and you have to work to succeed.”

“Of course,” Adrien barely spoke. Was he speaking to his Father? Where did the cold, indifferent man go, and who was this, dared he to say, caring grandfather? “I didn't realize you liked her so much.”

“Emma?” Gabriel looked to the side. “Let's just say that I haven't realized just how lonely my house would get once you left. I suspect that this, along with my age, might have made me a little more sentimental than necessary, and Emma- She looks so much like your mother- Not just looks, she has her flare, her vigour, her love of life and enthusiasm.” A faint smile graced Gabriel's lips. “She's like a second breath, a second chance in life-”

“Do you want to tell her that?” Adrien stood up from his chair.

“Tell whom what?” Gabriel frowned.

“Tell Emma that you are her grandfather.”

For the first time in his life, Adrien saw his father look somewhat nervous, as he pressed back into his seat and looked away, his fingers searching for a place to hide. “I don’t think now is a good time.”

“Well, I think now is a perfect time,” Adrien protested. “Unless you can name me any legitimate excuses why it wouldn’t be?”

Gabriel blinked once. Twice. Three times. “Well-”

“She is just outside the door with Nathalie.” Adrien chuckled. “Let me go get her.”

Quickly, before his Father could protest, Adrien walked out of the office and found Emma sitting behind the desk, too immersed in her colouring to notice his arrival. To her justification, he did walk in rather quietly. So quietly, in fact, that even Nathalie didn’t stop helping Emma with her project.

“Thank you for looking after her, Nathalie,” Adrien let himself be discovered.

“Um, not a problem,” the woman replied, quickly hiding away the piece of paper she’d been doodling on under the other sheets and stashing the blue crayon in the box.

“Daddy!” Emma took her picture and proudly showed it to him. “Look that’s me and you and Mommy, and Mme Nathalie drew you and Mommy when you were kids like me. She said she knew you when you were little, so I asked her to draw you for me- And you look so pretty- Show him, Mme Nathalie.”

“That would be a bad idea,” the woman stated, quickly turning her attention back to her computer.

“I’m sure it looks amazing,” Adrien grinned, coming closer. “Can I see?”

“I don’t-”

“Oh, please, Mme Nathalie!” Emma begged. “Please, please, please! It looks really nice.”

With hopeful eyes, the woman looked at Adrien, but not finding compassion in his face pulled out her drawing and pushed it towards the man. On it a smiling Marinette – he figured by the pigtails – was giving Adrien – who else could’ve had a blond mop and green eyes – the blue scarf his father once gifted him. The drawing was nice, the skills, though, a little better than his daughter's.

“That's a really nice picture,” Adrien smiled at Natalie. “A few of my favourite memories in one. Looks amazing. Now—” he turned to his daughter, “—we need to go, Emma. I have someone very important for you to meet.”

“Oooooh! Who is it, Daddy?”

“You’ll see,” he smiled and took her by the hand, not forgetting to take both hers and Nathalie’s art along. “Say thank you and goodbye to Mme Nathalie for playing with you.”

“Thank you, Mme Nathalie,” Emma parroted. “I really liked to colour with you. Have a nice day.”

“Have a nice day, Emma,” Nathalie replied with a smile of her own. “Good day, Adrien.”

“Good afternoon, M Agreste,” Emma greeted politely as soon as they entered.

“Good afternoon, Emma,” his father replied, and Adrien had to take a double look because never in his life had he seen his father looking more pleased or proud. “How are you doing today?”

“I’m good. Thank you.” Emma said, standing almost like a soldier, and Adrien wondered how much time did Marinette spend training their little girl to be so polite and composed? But then again it wasn’t hard to be scared into politeness in front of a man like Gabriel Agreste despite the smile that was lurking on his lips. “How do you do, M Agreste?”

“I’m good as well. Thank you for asking, Emma,” Gabriel played along. “How is your collection doing? Any new additions?”

And that was the moment everything shook and fell down as Emma grinned and exploded with chatter about all of her thirty-something black cats, paying particular attention to the one Daddy had bought her yesterday at the Disneyland. Adrien looked at Gabriel and held his breath in awe – not only his estranged father was openly smiling at Emma, but he also attentively listened to every detail of the little girl’s babbling. Five minutes later, neither of the duo seemed to pay him any attention or talk about the main issue at hand, as Gabriel kept asking unrelated questions and Emma replying with tiniest details. Adrien shook his head and smiling, crouched down beside his daughter.

“Emma, I wanted to tell you something.”

Gabriel nervously sighed in the background.

“Yes, Daddy?”

“You know like Mommy has her own Daddy and he is your grandfather?”

Emma blinked with a frown. “Grandpapi Tom?”

“Yes, Grandpapi Tom.” Adrien nodded and glanced over to his father. “So, you see, I have a father too, and he is your grandfather as well, just like Grandpapi Tom and—” he pointed to Gabriel, “—here he is.”

Emma looked at the man in front of her for a few moments before knitting her eyebrows together into a frown. “No, Daddy,” she protested. “I already have a Grandpapi. This is M Agreste, Mommy’s boss.”

“Emma,” Adrien tried to explain again. “You have one grandfather from Mommy, Grandpapi Tom, and one from me,” he paused for a moment glancing over at his father, “Grandpapi Gabriel. You have two grandfathers. Everyone does.”

“I have two Grandpapis!?” Emma echoed as her eyes grew big. “Do I get two Grandmamas?”

“Um- “

“Yes, you do, Emma,” Gabriel interceded when Adrien delayed answering. “Do you want to see a picture?”

“Yes!” The girl ran up to the table where Gabriel was already taking out a photo album from one of his shelves. He sat the little girl in a chair and opened the book.

“Look here, this is your Grandmother Emilie. Unfortunately, she can’t come here anymore, but I have lots of pictures and videos if you’d like to see them. She even starred in a movie once.”

“She is so pretty,” with her eyes wide, Emma whispered in amazement, turning pages filled with the youthful pictures of Adrien’s mother.

“She was,” Gabriel echoed. “Just like you, Emma.”

Silently, Adrien observed his Father showing Emma the pictures and telling her stories of his mother for the next ten minutes. He couldn’t help but smile. Just this morning he was still estranged from this man. A few hours prior he had more questions than he wanted. Even just half an hour ago when they fought, Adrien could’ve never imagined to see what he was observing right now or to hope that his own relationship with his father could ever be repaired. But now it all seemed possible – in the future and one step at a time but still possible – and it looked like he had his daughter to thank for it.

When all the stories were told, all the arrangements were agreed upon, and even a family dinner at the first possible opportunity was promised, Adrien and Emma walked out of Gabriel's office hand in hand.

“Want to go visit Mommy before we go home, Emma?”

“Yes!” the girl grinned as she skipped through the halls, still holding Adrien’s hand. “I want to tell her I have two Grandpapis now!”

Adrien chuckled and headed to Marinette’s office. He had his own news to tell, though, his might have to wait until they were somewhere more private with no chances of little girls or random colleagues interrupting.

“What do you mean he knew already?”

“For at least two years,” Adrien pointed out, settling on the couch. “Gabriel Agreste didn’t build his empire on his designs alone, Mari, so we shouldn’t really be surprised. He’s a smart man.”

Adrien petted the place beside himself for Marinette to sit down, but she continued to gawk at him in amazement. The news that his father was perfectly aware of Emma’s relation to him for the most part of their acquaintance was certainly not what Marinette had expected to hear. When she asked him about it at the office, Adrien said that everything went well, and he’d tell her the details at home. Once there, he first let them enjoy a delicious dinner, which he insisted Emma prepared all by herself - he was just a helper. Next, Adrien took part in the bedtime routine for the first time, reading Emma her favourite book, and only after the house was clean and quiet, he let the bomb drop.

“But how? How could he know if neither of us did?” Marinette mumbled under her breath. “Does he also know about our Chat Noir and Ladybug identities?”

“If he knew, I’m pretty sure he would’ve mentioned something,” Adrien shrugged. “Instead he was dead sure that his idiotic weakling of a son dumped his pregnant girlfriend and ran away to hide in the States instead of taking responsibility.”

“Ouch.”

Adrien chuckled. “Even I didn’t expect that.”

“I’m sorry,” Marinette sadly smiled and sat down at last. “I never meant to ruin your father’s opinion of you.”

“It isn’t your fault,” Adrien protested. “Father’s opinion of me wasn’t stellar in the first place for a long time already. If not that, he’d found something else to dislike me for. But—” Adrien smiled reassuringly, more to himself than Marinette, “—we agreed to work on that, so hopefully, it’ll get better.”

“If I can help somehow, please, let me know, okay?”

“Will do.” This time his smile was only for her. “Thanks.”

“So,” Marinette continued. “How did he find out?”

“Simple,” Adrien chuckled. “He saw Emma. I don’t know if I’ve told you already, but she resembles my mother rather incredibly. The first time Isaw her, I seriously thought my mind was playing tricks on me. At least until Nino was kind enough to reveal my Lady’s identity.”

“You can’t be serious.” Marinette’s eyebrows knitted into a frown. “There are, probably, tons of little blonde, green-eyed girls who look similar to your mother, Adrien. A slight resemblance couldn’t possibly be a reason to conclude a relation.”

“Maybe so, but,” Adrien emphasized. “Not a lot of little blonde, green-eyed girls who incredibly resemble my mother are born to my friends and former classmates. He saw Emma, remembered who you are, had an idea and might have decided to check it with a DNA testing.”

“Excuse me? When and how?”

“A man like him has his ways, Mari.”

“I highly doubt that’s legal to do without the person’s consent.”

“Not in the slightest,” Adrien sighed, his lips sadly twitching. “He probably just wanted to check it discreetly in case his suspicions would’ve proven to be false.”

“Still,” Marinette huffed. “That’s not an excuse. And here I thought him asking me the name of Emma’s father was invasive-”

Adrien sat up straight instantly. “He asked you that?”

“He did.” Marinette nodded. “A few years back when he was considering me for a promotion.” She paused for a moment, rebuilding the chain of events in her mind. “That was after he'd met Emma, though. Quite sometime after,” she added. “If by that time he knew her father’s name already why did he bother asking me?”

“What did you tell him?” Adrien completely ignored the question, his curiosity taking the best of him.

“What could I tell him, Adrien?” Marinette shrugged. “M Agreste, I would have you know that my daughter’s father is none other than vanished a few years back Chat Noir,” she mocked. “That would’ve been fun.”

“That would’ve certainly been very interesting,” Adrien laughed. “Okay, then there are, probably, two possibilities. He might not have known at that time yet and decided to ask you straightforward, hoping to scare you into an honest answer, or he already knew and was testing you.”

“For gold-digger tendencies?”

“What else?” he chuckled. “And since you were promoted, I suppose you passed with flying colours.”

“Geez,” Marinette rolled her eyes. “What did I get myself into with your family?”

“Well, I guess we are-” Adrien paused, thought for a moment and added, “Let’s say a little bit dramatic and just a tiny bit extra sometimes, but—” he leaned towards Marinette, his eyes locking with hers “—we love wholeheartedly and will move mountains to make our better halves the happiest people on Earth.”

“Dork,” Marinette poked his nose, pushing his face away.

“My Lady,” Adrien leaned right back, the look of a kicked kitten in full swing on his face. “Don’t shove away your humble knight so cruelly. I’ve been waiting for you for so long-”

“And I’m sure you can wait for a few more minutes,” Marinette scooped back with a chuckle. “We need to talk serious matters before you can unleash your charms.”

“About?” Adrien pouted but still followed Marinette, stopping only when their faces almost touched.

“About how this is going to work.”

Marinette felt silent as Adrien’s pout disappeared, replaced by mischief in his eyes. A moment later he leaned down and meeting no resistance from her, nuzzled her neck. The only sound that escaped her lips when his pressed against her collarbone area was that of longing and desire.

“Adrien, please, behave.” Reluctantly, Marinette shoved him away again. “Business first, everything else later.”

“Alright, alright,” Adrien pulled back and sulked. “You win, but looks like working with my father has influenced you already. Work first- Silent.” Adrien imitated zipped lips under Marinette’s glare. “Listening and obeying, my Lady.”

“Good,” Marinette laughed and ruffling his hair, leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Sorry but this really needs to be done first.”

“Fine.” The pout could still be heard in his voice. “So what’s first?”

“I don't even know,” Marinette groaned. “There is so much to discuss. I have no idea where to start.”

“How about we start with the easiest then? Legal stuff?”

“Sure. Alright. What do we have there?”

“Well,” Adrien cleared his throat. “I believe, my name in Emma’s birth certificate would be justified?”

“I suppose so.” Marinette nodded.

“I also will be adding her name to my will and just so you know she’s been in my father’s for years. She’s getting half of his estate.”

Even before Adrien finished his sentence, Marinette closed her eyes, pressing her lips into a thin line right after an exasperated sigh escaped. Adrien chuckled.

“Don’t laugh,” she scolded. “I’m trying to not be surprised.” In a few moments and after a few deep breaths in, Marinette opened her eyes only to glare at the blond. “Why would he do that?”

“That’s actually very sweet of him,” Adrien smiled. “I was pleasantly surprised Father went so far and took care of you two.”

“But Adrien-”

“Listen,” Adrien scooted closer again. “I must agree here with him. We don’t know what’ll happen in the future. Neither of us has any idea if we’d be together or not, if we’d live for years or die tomorrow but in any case, both he and I want Emma to be provided for. She is my daughter and his grandchild, Marinette. That’s the least we can do for her.”

“Please, don’t tell me he promoted me only because of Emma?”

“No,” Adrien shook his head with the most soothing smile ever on his lips. “I asked him the same question, but he denied it. Father really respects and appreciates you and said you were in a line for a promotion long before he knew about Emma.”

“Still-”

“Hey.” Adrien straightened up and took one of Marinette's hand in his. “My father is a lot of things, but he would never put his company's reputation and the quality of his product at risk for anyone, even for his family. If you are where you are today, Marinette, that's only because you earned it. Trust me on this.”

He smiled, lightly squeezing her hands for reassuring.

“Okay,” Marinette sighed reluctantly. “But only because I know how hard I worked my butt off for this job. I deserved it.”

“You certainly did,” Adrien brought her hand up and gently kissed her knuckles.

“What’s next?” Marinette asked to hide her blush.

“Father mentioned her last name.”

“Emma’s last name?”

“Yeah,” Adrien sighed. “He wants her to be Agreste, but at the end, we agreed that the choice should be yours. You’ve been raising her alone until now, so I don't feel like it's any of our places to decide on that.”

“It hadn’t really occurred to me yet,” Marinette confessed. “Emma Agreste…”

“No pressure, Marinette. Really.” Adrien looked her straight into the eyes, his voice obtaining the most serious tone yet. “If you want to keep Dupain-Cheng, I’ll be completely fine with that, and so will my father. Because while Agreste name may seem to come with a few impressive perks, in reality, it also has a few rather annoying flaws, and Father knows it. So, if you decide to keep Dupain-Cheng, he might rumble, but he’ll accept it. In fact, I think that Dupain-Cheng might be a better choice for a normal childhood. So just think about what you want for Emma, and we'll go from there, okay?”

“Okay.” Marinette smiled and squeezed Adrien’s hands back. “Thanks.”

“Also,” Adrien shifted in his seat, suddenly losing all of his smugness and seriousness, donned just a second ago. “Umm- Well, since I was away for so long- and missed- missed a lot of Emma’s life- so- I’d like to spend as much time with her as I can now. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine,” Marinette smiled. “As long as it doesn’t disturb her schedule.”

“Right, yes- so,” he continued. “I also would like to see more of you. Will that be okay?”

Marinette giggled. Adrien was cute, but he rarely was so adorable as he was now. “I think I can squeeze you in my schedule as well.”

“Good,” he grinned anxiously. “So, since I have permission to spend all of my free time with both of you- well- Do you think maybe I can move in? I can stay in the guest room if you want,” he rushed to add. “And I’ll pay you rent. And cook and clean and do whatever you want me to do.”

Marinette laughed. “I see you really want to move in.”

“A little obvious?”

“Just a tiny bit,” she chuckled. “Alright, let's see. Half of the dinners are on you, and you help us keep the house clean.”

“Deal,” Adrien grinned. “Want to split utility bills as well?”

“Why not?” Marinette winked “Since if I remember correctly, someone harbours an extensive love for showering.”

“I didn’t shower!” Adrien groaned. “I’ve suffered through this injustice long enough from Nino already. It was just a cover-up to protect my secret identity!”

“Of course, it was.”

“Mari, honestly!” Adrien pleaded. “I’m a normally showering person! No extensive love of any kind secretly harboured.”

“Of course,” Marinette chuckled. “I believe you.”

“You don’t,” he moped.

“I do, Adrien. Really. And even if you did love to shower a little bit too much—” this was Marinette’s time to lean over and tease, “—who said I won’t appreciate the freshness?”

“In that case,” Adrien grinned. “Maybe I even have a shot at not living in the guest room?”

“I don’t think Emma’s bed will be big enough for you,” Marinette retorted. “And this couch isn’t as comfortable as it may seem. You’ll feel your back in a few hours.”

“But,” Adrien winked. “There is one more bed in this house, my Lady. I tried it. It’s really comfy and I fit in perfectly.”

“Don’t push your luck, Kitty.”

“I was also told I’m a good cuddler. Warm and snuggly. You’ll love me, Princess.”

“We’ll see about that once I’ll get back from Milan. Oh, by the way—” Marinette suddenly jolted up, “—I need to return you something while I remember. Wait here.”

Without any further explanation, Marinette quickly ran upstairs and came back a few minutes later with a small black box Adrien knew way too well not to recognize immediately. He instantly stood up to see it better.

“I found it after you left and kept it safe in case you'll ever come back.” She carefully lay the box on Adrien's hand. He opened it slowly and stared in disbelief at the item he thought was lost forever - a gorgeous white gold ring with an array of small pink stones surrounding the central radiant-cut diamond, the one he was going to propose to Ladybug with.

“That’s my mother’s engagement ring,” Adrien’s quiet voice echoed through the room. “I thought I’d never see it again.” For a few more silent moments he looked at the stone before lifting his eyes to Marinette. “Thank you.”

“No need for that,” Marinette smiled and quickly changed the topic. The ring question was too delicate to discuss now. “Any other Emma-related aspects we need to discuss?”

“Not that I can remember now.” Adrien closed the lid and slipped the box into his pocket. “I’ll call my lawyers tomorrow to start on the legal side. Though, I suspect they’ll need your signature, so I’ll ask them to reach you through Nathalie since she’ll be with you in Milan. Hopefully, this will be all dealt with before I come back.”

Marinette frowned. “Come back from where? I thought you wanted to go with us?”

Adrien’s hand jolted back behind his neck as he said almost guiltily. “I might be going back to the States instead.”

No amount of acting training could've hidden the surprise and sadness on Marinette's face. Her figure tensed as she stared back at him with slightly open lips. A short while later Marinette let go of the breath she was holding and looked down. “I see.”

“Marinette,” Adrien stepped closer, taking her hand in his. “I need to go. I swear, I don’t want to, but I can���t just abandon my responsibilities as well. I did, however—” he gently squeezed her hands, searching to catch her sight, “—Marinette, I did arrange all of my commitments in a way that I can fulfill them one after another, and be back here for good as soon as possible.”

“And how long is that?”

“Four weeks?” Adrien sighed and frowned at his own words. “And one fashion show in the early December. That couldn't be moved, unfortunately.”

He could practically see the disappointment reflect on her face. “I’m sorry, Marinette. Please don't be mad at me-”

“No, don’t worry,” Marinette interrupted. “I’m not mad at you, not at all.”

“You look like you are about to cry, Mari. I’ve let you down again.”

“No.” Marinette persisted. “You didn’t. You are right. You can’t just dump everything and go away. I completely understand that. I just…” her voice trembled before she could continue, her sight falling back to the ground. Without any words, Adrien gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

“I forgot to consider it,” Marinette whispered into his chest. “You did nothing wrong. I just should’ve not forgotten- should’ve not assumed- I’ll be alright, don’t worry. We’ll wait for you.”

“I’m so sorry,” Adrien held her tighter. Marinette’s arms weaved themselves around his torso as she pressed closer. “I’ll call you every day,” he promised. “Every free moment I’ll have, I’ll be searching you out. I’ll get Emma her own personal device so she can video call me anytime she wants. I don’t want her to think I’ve abandoned her.”

“That’s a good idea,” Marinette murmured. “But really, don’t worry about us, Adrien. We’ll be fine.” Her voice cracked. “We’ve been alone before. We can wait a few more weeks. Really. No big deal.”

“I love you,” Adrien whispered into her hair, tightening his grip as soon as he felt his shirt getting wet. “I may be going away, but my heart stays with you and Emma.”

“I love you too.” He barely heard the weak, trembling voice of a woman in his arms, the woman he loved too much for his own sake. Knowing Marinette, Adrien knew she understood. He knew she didn’t blame him. Instead, she was, most likely, blaming herself for getting lost in her sudden happiness so much, she forgot to consider that life was still going on and that responsibilities were something they now had to oblige. They both understood. They did. She was just heartbroken to be torn apart again after only a few blissful days together. It killed him too, devastated, especially because it was he who was going away again. Him who was leaving her behind for the second time.

Adrien closed his eyes and thought. There had to be something he could do to make Marinette feel better, to stop this from feeling like a repeat of history. Something that would tell her how much he dreaded going away, how much he wanted to stay and be by her side every day. Something to show Marinette just how much she meant to him, how committed he was. Something to assure her he’d come back as soon as he could…

Adrien carefully pulled away just enough to bring the little black box out of his pocket. “Marinette,” he whispered. “I want you to keep this, and I want you to remember every time you look at this ring that I love you, and I miss you, and I wish to come back and be with you as soon as possible.”

“Adrien, no. I don’t need-”

“No, Mari, listen.” He carefully wiped away her lingering tears. “I need you to know how much you mean to me. I don’t want you to have the slightest doubt. I don’t want you to wake up tomorrow and wonder if those few days we’ve spent together were just a dream, so, please, take this ring as a reminder.”

“It’s your family’s heirloom, Adrien. I couldn’t possibly take it away from you again.”

The corners of his lips twitched into a gentle smile. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll be yours soon enough if you’d have me.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle as Marinette’s startled eyes locked on him.

“I haven’t changed my mind about proposing to you,” he added, leaning forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. “I love you, Marinette. Always had and always will. I want to wake up every morning to your sacred cuddling ceremony. I want to cook you the most delicious food I can. I want to protect you and to be by your side when you sweep the fashion world by storm. I want to walk Emma to school. I want to scare away her boyfriends and walk her down the aisle one day. I want to spend my life with you. I want to have a family with you. I want to make you happy and be happy with you. I wanted that six years ago, and I hadn't changed my mind about any of that. But I also want you to be absolutely sure about me, and taking into consideration everything that happened and how much time we spent apart, I think I shouldn't rush with a proposal.”

“That’s—” Adrien closed his eyes, leaning forward to let their forehead touch, “—that is the only reason I’m not down on my knee right now.”

“I don’t deserve you,” Marinette barely breathed. “Sometimes I think you must be fictional because no one can be this perfect.”

“I’m not perfect,” Adrien chuckled. “I have a scar behind my ear and a severe case of obliviousness. Who knows what else.” He paused for a moment, his eyes lingering on the beautiful face he loved. “You deserve much more than what I’m offering you now, Marinette. So, please, take this ring as a symbol of my love and devotion, and remember that I’m serious about you and about us. In fact,” he wiggled his eyebrows, “—I think it would be fair to warn you that I will propose soon, and I will keep proposing until you will be able to answer me positively without a doubt in your mind.”

“What if it would take years?” Marinette giggled.

“Even if it'd take you a lifetime.” Adrien leaned again to nuzzle her nose. “I’m willing to wait however long it takes, but you’ve been warned, Princess.” Marinette chuckled as Adrien repeated his assault, this time placing a soft kiss on her lips. “Am I forgiven for going away?”

“You’d better call us often.” She buried herself in his chest. “I’ll miss you terribly.”

“I’m missing you already.” Adrien pressed her closer. “Very much.”

Next >

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I’ll Sing a Song Beside You- 8

Read on Ao3!

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A/N: Idk how I got so far behind on here but I did so expect more updates this week until I catch up to where I am on Ao3. Anyway, sorry for the long wait and enjoy!

Chapter 8

“Can you please just put me out of my misery and ask her out already,” Plagg whines. Adrien takes a second out of his brooding to glare at the kwami.

“I can’t just ask her out. She’s being weird.” With Adrien and Chat Noir, Marinette hasn’t been acting like herself. He knows she was upset the other week after the Quaker but he didn’t realize that it would affect their relationship. She gets mad at him all the time for being reckless; he didn’t think this one instance was any different. He’s still visiting her on a regular basis but their dynamic is off and Adrien is at a loss on how to fix it. The one time he tried bringing it up, Marinette turned red and stuttered about monkeys for five minutes.

“She’s always been weird.”

“She’s being different, then.”

“Just give her some cheese, that’ll fix anything. Now, are we going or are you gonna let me sleep for once?”

“You sleep plenty. Plagg, claws out!”

Within minutes Chat lands on Mari’s balcony and he’s immediately put at ease. The promise of seeing his Lady is enough to quell any doubts. If she didn’t like him anymore, she wouldn’t keep letting him visit. Sure enough, the trapdoor is unlocked so he drops in without second thought.

This, he realizes far too late, is a mistake. Standing in the middle of her room, talking excitedly on the phone, is Marinette. Wearing nothing but lacy red panties and a bright pink bra.

“I’m sorry!” he shouts, clamping his eyes shut. He is never going to get that image out of his head. It has been permanently etched into his retinas.

“Eek,” Marinette squeals, tripping over a shoe on the ground and flinging her phone.

“I—I can leave.”

“N-no, it’s okay. Just, let me find my phone…”

Chat waits, fidgeting in place, while he hears Marinette scurrying around the room.

“Sorry, Alya. I tripped and dropped my phone… no I’m okay… I should probably go anyway. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

There’s some more shuffling and creaking before Chat feels a dip in the bed and he assumes it’s safe to open his eyes.

“Such a gentleman,” Marinette teases. She’s flushed from her roots all the way down to her chest. He brings his eyes back up to her face, unwilling to let himself linger too long on her chest area. There is a very high chance he will not survive this night.

He clears his throat once. Twice. Swallows and clears his throat once more. “Sorry.”

“I—I need to get better at locking the sunroof when you shouldn’t come in.”

“I certainly wasn’t expecting that…”

“I’m sorry,” she moans, hiding her face in her hands. “I was showing Alya my bra because I made it myself and I wanted to—”

“Wait. You made it?”

“Yeah,” she says, peeking her head out from her hands.

“Marinette, that’s amazing! Can I see it?”

There’s a beat of silence. “Um…”

“I didn’t mean it like that!” Chat exclaims. Any blood that might have left his face comes rushing back at his implication. “I just… I meant, like, when it’s not on you.”

“You want me to take off my bra?”

“Yeah. Wait, no! I… You… I meant, like, when you’re not wearing it anymore. Like, at some point, when you are fully clothed and wearing a different bra?” He hangs his head in shame.

“Oh, Kitty. I’m just teasing you. Stop before you dig yourself into a hole you can’t climb out of.”

“I think I’m already there.”

Marinette giggles. Even through his mortification, he can appreciate what a pretty sound her laugh is. She seems to be carrying herself better than him but she must be embarrassed, too. That thought grounds him and gives him strength.

“UMS III,” he asks, hoping to get the night back on track.

“Bring it on, Chaton,” she says, flicking his bell. She clambers off the bed and toward the computer. He gives himself a second before following her down.

“I’ll have you know I’ve been practicing. I’m totally going to cream you,” he says and is proud that it comes out like his usual voice.

“Oh yeah? Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?”

“You want to make a bet on UMS III? That’s not fair, you’re gonna win.”

“I thought you were gonna cream me?”

Chat glares at her. He’s glad, at least, that things seem to be going back to normal. He’s Chat Noir, he shouldn’t get so flustered over anything. Even if that anything is the love of his life wearing nothing but underwear… no. He’s not thinking about that right now.

“Well, I am feline pretty confident,” Chat says, rubbing his chest proudly.

“Tell you what. I win, you have to do my physics homework for the next two weeks. You win, and I’ll give you a kiss—anywhere you want.”

His eyes widen. What is up with her lately? She has a teasing gleam in her eyes, though, so he pushes back his flustered state and presses into her personal space.

“Anywhere,” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Anywhere,” she confirms.

“You’re on.”

He loses, as they both knew he would. His final score is much closer to hers than usual, though, and—he casts a sidelong glance as Marinette does her typical victory dance—he can’t help but think she went easier on him this time. Like she actually wanted to give him a chance at winning.

Nah. He’s just getting better.

--

Adrien tries not to get his hopes up when it comes to anything. His life has just been one disappointment after another. His birthday is no exception to that. He could count the number of birthday parties he’s had on one hand and none of them were all too enjoyable. His first birthday party only even happened because his best friend was akumatized.

Which is why he’s trying really hard not to get too excited about his plans this weekend. His friends planned a fun trip to the street fair in honor of Adrien’s upcoming birthday. The fact that Marinette was the one who came up with the idea in the first place is enough to convince him that something absolutely horrible is going to happen. He’s not that lucky.

Nino, Alya, and Marinette are already there by the time he meets them.

“Happy birthday, dude,” Nino says, pulling Adrien into a crushing hug.

“Not my birthday yet,” Adrien says, hugging him back, “but thanks.”

“We’re celebrating your birthday today,” Alya says as she pulls Nino off to give Adrien a hug of her own. “It totally counts.”

“Thanks, Alya.”

He turns to Marinette expectantly and remembers, all at once, Marinette in her bra and panties and his face heats up. He can’t even look her in the eyes as she stammers out ‘H-happy birthday, A-Adrien.’

She doesn’t offer him a hug.

“Thanks, Marinette.”

“Who invited her,” Alya asks with distaste.

Adrien winces, knowing who Alya’s talking about without needing to turn around.

“Adrikins invited me,” Chloé says, proud. She rests her elbow on his shoulder and pulls Sabrina forward. “He loves me.”

Alya glares at him. “Why would you invite them?”

“You said it was for my birthday. I wanted all my closest friends here.”

“Chloé and Sabrina are more than welcome to hang out with us today,” Marinette says. “We’re all here for Adrien, I’m sure we can call a truce for a few hours.”

“Whatever,” Chloé says. “Adrien, do you like my new shoes? Daddykins bought them for me yesterday for your birthday.”

“Your dad bought you shoes… for my birthday?”

“Yep. Isn’t he the best?”

“Sure.”

The six of them spend the next hour walking around the different shops. They’re able to avoid tense situations for the most part. Adrien can tell Chloé is trying to respect Adrien’s feelings by not taking every opportunity to torment Marinette, of which he is extremely grateful. In fact, it seems like Chloé wants Adrien and Marinette to get together, if the way she keeps pushing the two of them together is any indication. But Chloé can only handle hanging out with Adrien’s friends for too long and eventually she and Sabrina break off, promising to join them later on.

“Good riddance,” Alya says as they retreat to another booth.

“Thanks again for coming out to support me last night,” Nino says, cutting off Alya before she can start ranting. “How’d you convince your old man to let you go?”

“I didn’t. I snuck out.”

“Oh shit,” Nino exclaims. “You snuck out just for me? Thanks, man!”

“Adrien Agreste snuck out of his house?” Alya gasps. “Next thing you know, we’ll hear about Adrien knocking someone up, doing drugs in backway alleys, dropping out of school.”

“I’ve snuck out before,” Adrien protests. He sneaks out all the time, actually, but he figures it's better not to mention that.

“Oh please. I doubt you’ve ever broken a rule in your life.”

“I break rules all the time,” he says, indignant.

“Okay, sweetie.”

Adrien pouts. It’s not that he wants his friends to think he’s a delinquent but some acknowledgement that he isn’t actually the poster child his dad wants him to be would be nice. He glances at Marinette but she doesn’t appear to paying him any mind.

“You know I break the rules sometimes, right Marinette,” he asks.

She startles and looks up at him, her blue eyes wide. “I-um. You isn’t—aren’t—no, I mean. That is to say…”

“Hey,” Alya interjects. “I have to go to the bathroom. Come with me, M?”

“Yes, please.”

Adrien sighs as he watches the two girls walk away.

“What’s up with you two, anyway,” Nino asks.

“Me and who,” Adrien asks.

“Dude.”

“Nothing is going on. You saw how she is, she won’t even talk to me.”

“Dude…”

“What?”

Nino sighs and takes his hat off his head. “How serious are you about her?”

Adrien feels his face flame up. He’s had many conversations with various people about his feelings for Marinette but they’ve always talked around it. He never actually admitted to anyone he likes her; everyone just assumes (correctly) that he does.

“I’m, uh, pretty serious,” he mumbles.

“Like, I need specifics if I’m gonna keep up this conversation,” Nino says, peering at him over his glasses.

“I would marry her tomorrow if she’d have me,” Adrien says.

Nino’s eyes bulge before he bursts out laughing. ”You two are so ridiculous. Just ask her out, I guarantee she will say yes.”

“I can’t just ask her out! She likes someone else, she told me!”

Nino shakes his head. “She likes you. Trust me.”

Adrien’s heart flips in his chest. “How do you know?”

“Everyone knows. She’s had the hugest crush on you since day two.”

“What?”

Nino sighs and pulls Adrien over to an empty table near the food trucks. “I don’t know what she told you but I’m positive she’ll say yes if you ask her out.”

Adrien stares at the booth set up in front of them. It’s a bunch of teenagers selling handmade bracelets to raise money for their debate team. He watches as one of the girls pulls out some string and starts making a new one right there, rhythmically weaving the strands through each other.

“You’re sure,” he finally asks.

“As sure as my name is Nino.”

--

Somehow, he gets stuck sitting at the table with Marinette next to him as his only company. Adrien is, like, 90% sure it’s not a coincidence. While he appreciates his friends’ encouragement, this is not a comfortable situation. Marinette is sitting quietly, drumming her fingers against the table and all he can think about is her in her underwear. Which is just… it’s inappropriate. He shouldn’t be thinking about that and even if Nino is right and she likes him he doubts she wants him thinking about her that way.

But he can’t get it out of his mind.

“So… are you having fun,” Marinette asks after a solid ten minutes of silence between the two of them.

“Yeah! Today has been fun. Thanks so much for planning this.”

“Of course,” she says, smiling shyly at him. “You deserve a nice birthday.”

“This is definitely one of the best ones I’ve ever had, thanks to you.”

She blushes and averts her eyes. “Not just me. We all helped plan it, it was just my idea but it was a team effort, really,” she babbles.

Could all her awkward, nervous habits around him really be because she has a crush on him? It would explain why he can’t find anyone else at school she might like. And he noticed a while ago that she only acts that way around him—so it’s not a far stretch. It’s not a far stretch at all.

Adrien reaches over to hold her fidgeting hands. “I appreciate it all the same.”

She glances at their hands and then up at his face, a beautiful blush spreading across her freckled cheeks.

“N-no problem.”

He feels like he should say something but he doesn’t know where to go from here. If he were Chat Noir right now, he’d kiss her hands or throw out a pick-up line or make a pun. But he’s Adrien Agreste and he’s holding Marinette’s hand—Marinette who might actually reciprocate his feelings, Marinette who he saw nearly naked two nights ago—and he is at a loss for words.

Luckily, his phone buzzes and provides a welcome distraction from his thoughts. He withdraws his hands from hers and tries not to notice the way she curls her hands into fists the moment he lets go.

“It’s Alya,” he says, as though Marinette would care who’s texting him.

“What’d she say,” Marinette asks.

When Adrien opens the text, he immediately regrets letting Marinette know who texted him. His head whips up and he looks around, trying to spot Alya but he doesn’t see her anywhere.

“Nothing important,” he says, tilting the phone away from Marinette lest she see.

Alya sent him a picture of the two of them sitting at the table and captioned it #soulmates . She follows up with a second text saying ‘ask her out!!!!!’ Nino—the traitor—must have told her about their conversation from earlier.

It’s probably stupid but Adrien taps on the picture to make it bigger and his eyes are automatically drawn to Marinette’s face. Alya must have just taken it because Marinette is blushing and they’re holding hands. It’s when he focuses on his own face, though, that he get floored.

Adrien has posed for a lot of pictures. He’s seen himself in countless magazines, billboards, posters, et cetera, et cetera. But he’s never seen himself smiling like that before. Eyes twinkling with admiration, smile easy and sure.

His heart lodges in his throat.

“They’ve been gone for a while,” Marinette says, oblivious. “Did she say when they’ll be back? I’m not surprised Chloé ditched us but I can’t believe Nino would leave for so long during your birthday party.”

“Uh. She didn’t say. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.” He closes out of the picture and sees the text again. Ask her out. He can’t, not right now. But soon.

Definitely soon.