Thanks for reading this far. That really means a lot to me. ❤❤
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"You love Marinette, don't you? "

Adrien was surprised at the sudden out of the blue question. Suppressing the shock, he leaned back against the plush chair.

Gabriel had never bothered asking him any questions about his personal life. Or meddling with it, except that one time with Kagami...

"Yes, sir. I love her more than anything."

Gabriel looked at the young man in front of him.

He couldn't see a shadow of himself on his son.

Adrien was like her.

The blond hair and the green eyes, the warm smile and the intelligence, and not to mention, the talents. She was a piano player, fluent in Chinese and excelling in fencing. That was the real reason why he wanted Adrien to pick up these hobbies.

Adrien squirmed under his father's deep scrutiny.

Gabriel said in a soft voice, a hint of apology in his tone, "I'm sorry, Adrien. For everything. The news of her marriage must be hard for you. And I wasn't a good father... I wasn't there for you. Can you please forgive me?"

If one would carefully, they could hear his voice wavering a little.

Adrien smiled at his apology and nodded, tears brimming in his eyes.

He quickly blinked them away.

His father kept quiet for a while before breaking the silence, "So, I wanted to ask you something. I knew for a fact that she was in love with you in high school. I saw the look on her face when you congratulated her on winning the derby hat competition. What went wrong? "

Everything.

Adrien smiled sadly, "I didn't realize that I loved her. And when I finally did... It was too late... She found him.."

Gabriel asked him curiously, "Why didn't you confess? Maybe she still liked you? "

The younger Agreste suppressed a sigh, "I wanted her to be happy. If I confessed, it would have messed her life up and make her question everything. I- I don't want that for her. She deserves only the best, even if it costs my happiness."

Gabriel was shocked to the bones. He never knew when that little bundle wrapped in a towel, in his arms became this mature and selfless young man sitting across him.

He asked with a bit of heartbreak in his tone, "Are... are you willing to live your life like this? Watching her live her life happily? Quietly suffering alone? "

Adrien looked at his father with fire in his eyes," I will. I can never love another girl like I loved her. I don't mind being alone for the rest of my life. Marinette - she is not mine. But I've promised her everything. I'm a man of my words, Father. I'll make her happy, if not as lovers, then as friends. "

Gabriel stared at him with shock as he stood up, murmuring a quiet 'good night' before leaving the office.

-----------------------

Adrien drove away from the Agreste mansion.

His black Maybach sped through the lonely and dark streets of Paris. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel as his head flooded with thoughts of her.

Marinette,

Ladybug,

Her bluebell eyes,

The midnight dark hair,

Her stuttering,

Her clumsiness in high school,

Her confidence,

Her beautiful laugh,

Her compassion,

Her kindness,

Her stubbornness,

Her forgetfulness,

Her tardiness...

A smile made its way to his lips. She was perfect.

He wasn't angry with Luka for making her his. He hated himself, his cowardice, his blindness, his everything, except his love for her.

His love for her was the best part of him.

The car rolled into a driveway.
His house.

Adrien had always felt that the mansion was cold and loveless. He had bought this house as soon as he got his job, applying for a loan from the bank.

He got out of the car and walked down the cobblestone path. He fumbled with the keys for a while before he managed to unlock the door. His hands felt around the wall before finding the switchboard and switching the lights on. The warm light flooded a comfortable looking room. Walking to the fridge, he took out a few bottles of beer. It has been a long day.

-----------------------------
The next few days went past like a hurricane. Adrien did everything - the arrangements for the wedding, inviting the guests, deciding the menu of the reception (with the couple's suggestions), arranging for the Bourgeois Hotel, keeping track of the costs, planning the decorations of the church, flying to Rome to ask Jagged Stone to perform at the wedding, tagging along with Tom, Sabine, Alya and the couple to buys the dresses and suits, ordering bouquets of flowers, throwing Marinette a surprise bridal shower, taking her to his father's for the measurements, decorating the bakery and 'Liberty' all by himself, buying the couple their rings, much to Marinette's annoyance and Luka's constant convincing him to take them back. Adrien hadn't returned them, instead joking that it was his wedding gift and they shouldn't expect anything from him on that day.

The three of them knew that they should.

Marinette was worried about Adrien.

He had done basically everything, overworking himself and half- starving. She sat with him as Adrien was calling the caterers for the change of a dish.

He hung up the phone and looked at her, grinning from ear to ear,"It's done. I even got your favorite dessert."

She looked at him and asked him to sit down next to her. Adrien frowned, concerned about her, "What happened, Pr- Mari? "

Marinette slowly said, "I'm worried about you. You are doing basically everything, neglecting yourself in the process. Wait, let me finish- ,"she hurriedly cut him off as he opened her mouth to say something," We can handle this Adrien. You don't need to worry about every single little thing. Really. "

Adrien smiled at her, "I don't want you to get exhausted. I know that you guys can handle this. But it is a very big deal for you and him. I just want everything to go well. You deserve the best, princess."

Just as he finished his sentence, he realized that he had messed up big time. Marinette's eyes were wide in shock. She stuttered, "Ch- chat? "

Adrien scratched the back of his neck awkwardly," Hi, I guess? "

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Am I dreaming? Please tell me it's a dream. It has to be a dream," she pinched herself in hopes of waking up from this dream but hissed as it hurt.

Adrien sat there like a statue, not knowing what to do at all. Plagg flew out of his shirt, "Hi Ladybug. The name's Plagg. I'm feeling very hungry. Do you have any cheese by any chance, maybe some Camembert? Oh, can you eat this?"

Without waiting for her reply which was a gasp, he flew around the room, looking for cheese.

"You know I'm Ladybug?!!," Marinette screeched and started hyperventilating.

Adrien shamefully smiled," It was an accident, M'lady."

Horrified, Marinette looks up at him, "This means, we have to give up our miraculous, right?"

Before she could launch into another rambling session, Tikki wriggled out of Plagg's embrace and stopped her, "Relax, Marinette. Master Fu said that you could reveal your identities to each other since you two have the most dynamic bond in history. Also, you won't have to give up the miraculous until you defeated Hawkmoth."

Adrien released a relieved sigh.

Suddenly, Marinette hugged him and buried her face in his chest, "I'm glad it was you."

Adrien was surprised at the sudden embrace but smiled and hugged her back, "Me too, princess. Me too. "