The Impossible Gift

Adrien is at a loss as to what to get Gabriel for Father's Day. So, he asks a fellow designer for ideas. Day 1 – "Father's Day" for Gabriel Appreciation Week.

As Adrien paced around in his room, mumbling to himself, Plagg alternated between watching him with a bemused expression and curling up for a catnap. After a few more rounds of this, the kwami finally had enough and swooped up to dart into Adrien's face.

"Kid, what's up with you today? I can normally take so much of the sappy love confessions, but this time I haven't once heard the name 'Ladybug' come from your mouth."

Adrien sat in his chair and pulled up a window on his computer. "It's Father's Day soon," he said.

Plagg tilted his head. "And?"

"And," Adrien continued, poking at his monitor, "I don't know what to get my father."

Plagg looked over to where Adrien was pointing. A list of different gifts, ranging from mugs, ties, electronics and tool kits greeted him. He shrugged. "How about some cheese?"

"Plagg!"

"Why do you have to get him anything? It's not like your old man even knows you're underfoot half of the time."

The boy frowned, his kwami having touched a nerve. "That's not entirely true," he protested. Plagg shrugged again and drifted back down to lay beside the keyboard. "He's just busy." Adrien returned to his list. "I know that he can buy anything he needs and he doesn't like things that don't have a purpose. That rules out paperweights, miscellaneous desk ornaments, and anything electronic."

Probably sensing that his chosen wasn't going to let this drop, Plagg hovered back up and looked at the screen with Adrien. "What about a mug?"

Adrien scoffed. "Unless it's a thermal insulated travel mug that maintains a constant temperature for several hours, he's not going to use it. And even then..." Adrien slumped down against the desk. "He already has one he uses."

The tiny sprite scrolled the mouse wheel down. "How about a tie? This site says that ties are a common Father's Day gift."

"Plagg, my father runs his own fashion empire. He's not going to wear some random tie I buy him when he has designed hundreds of his own."

"I guess that rules out gloves and scarves, too," Plagg mumbled. Reaching the end of the list, he turned around. "A lot of these gifts suggest tailoring to your father's interests. What does he like to do?"

"Do?"

"Hobbies. Your father does have hobbies, right?"

Adrien mulled on that for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure. He's always so busy with work, I've never seen him read a book or even watch a movie."

"A travesty," Plagg mumbled.

"Ugh," Adrien grumbled, pushing away from his desk. "Now we're back to square one. What can I get my father?"

"How should I know what a fashion designer wants?" Plagg replied. "Do I look like one?"

Adrien bolted upright. "Plagg, you're a genius!"

"Of course."

"That's it!"

"What's it?"

Adrien turned to his kwami with a gleeful joy sparkling in his green eyes. "I'll just have to ask a fashion designer what they would want. My father's bound to have similar interests."

"Okay, I can buy that, but where are you going to find a fashion designer?"

Adrien smirked. "Funny you should say that."

The next day, Marinette was sitting in class during a small break in lecture when Adrien abruptly turned around, startling her.

"Hey Marinette," he greeted with a disarming smile.

"H-hi Adrien," she said.

"Can I ask a favor from you?"

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

He shrugged a bit sheepishly and her insides melted. "I don't really know what to get my father for Father's Day. He can buy anything he wants and he really doesn't want for much. I don't know his interests and the only thing I do know about him is that he really does have a passion for designing. So I was thinking I could get advice from another designer."

"Another designer?"

"You."

Oh. She blushed. He was comparing her to her idol? Beside her, Alya kicked her under the desk. "I-I'm really flattered," Marinette began, "but I wouldn't know the first thi—ah!" she cut off as another sharp kick from Alya silenced her.

"What my girl is trying to say," the blogger cut in smoothly, "is that she can't think of anything worthy for your father on the spot. Maybe you two could get together after class and brainstorm some ideas?"

Adrien brightened. "That's a great idea, Alya! What do you say, Marinette?"

She nodded. "That's okay with me," she answered.

With another beaming smile, Adrien turned back around to focus on the lesson.

After school, she hurried home to straighten her room. She ripped down her posters and changed her computer wallpaper while Tikki fluttered around next to her, helping. When Adrien finally was escorted up, her room was not only spotless, but free of any embarrassing photos.

"So," she began, spinning on her desk chair as Adrien sat on her chaise, "have you thought of anything for your father?"

Adrien slumped and shook his head. "Nope. I don't really know what he likes to do in his spare time – and I'm thinking it's 'nothing' because of how busy he is."

"Does he even have spare time?" Marinette wondered.

Adrien snorted. "I have no idea. He'll just vanish for hours on end sometimes, so I imagine he has some kind of hobby that takes up a lot of his time, but I don't know what it is. I went through list after list of possible gift suggestions, and none of them fit him. I thought maybe I could ask you for some help with ideas, since you're a designer, too."

"Hmm. I'm as stumped as you are," Marinette said. "Anything I could want as a designer, I'm sure your father can already get. Fabrics, accessories, equipment... he would have access to everything I could ever want and more."

Adrien rose and began pacing around her room. "There must be something that I could get him," he mused. His foot snagged the edge of a bag and he tripped, stumbling around before righting himself. "Whoa!"

"Are you okay?" Marinette asked, shooting to her feet and rushing over to him. "I'm so sorry, I thought that was secure under the chaise."

"I'm fine," Adrien reassured her. "But what is this?" He pulled out the messenger bag, kneeling down to examine it.

"Oh, it's kind of like my designing bag," Marinette answered, kneeling beside him. She flipped open the flap. "They don't really sell bags that are specialized for designers, so I took inspiration from a camera bag and applied it to a messenger bag." She pointed to the pockets. "Most bags have pockets that are much too big for holding supplies."

Adrien gripped her shoulders mid-way through her explanation. "Marinette, that's it!" he exclaimed.

"Uh, what's it?"

"I'll get my dad a bag like this," he said.

Marinette frowned. "You can't," she replied. "I customized it from a commercial bag. They don't sell these."

Adrien bit his lip, then shyly looked over to her. "Would you... be willing to help me make one?"

"Make...?"

"Yeah." Adrien perked up. "Listen, this bag would be perfect for my father. He's always at some event or other, and even though he has a dozen assistants, I've seen him fix problems and mistakes right when he sees them. This bag would be perfect for him," he held up the bag and fiddled with the pockets, "I mean, it doesn't look that hard to make."

She gaped at him. "Doesn't look that..." She sighed. "Oh dear. We have our work cut out for us, if you're serious."

"I'll pay you," he said. "Like a commission."

She stood, planted one fist on her hip and pointed her finger at him. "Nuh-uh," she chided. "You are going to make this bag for your father."

"I can't do that!" he gasped.

Her face was set in a stern expression. "Adrien, I'll show you how to sew and help you every step of the way, but you are going to be the one to ultimately make the bag. Your father will appreciate it more."

"Or he'll tell me I should have gotten it professionally done," Adrien mumbled.

Marinette frowned. "I didn't say to give him a sloppy piece," she said. "But you will be the one sewing and selecting designs and telling me what your father would want. This is your gift to him, not mine."

Adrien deflated under her harsh glare. "Fine," he said. "But where do we begin?"

Marinette turned and grabbed her sketchpad, opening to a fresh page. "With the design, of course." She quickly sketched out the exterior. Adrien watched over her shoulder. "Do you think your father will want straps like this?" She sketched a couple of examples. "Or this?"

"Hmm," Adrien said, pondering over her choices. He pointed to one. "This one."

She smiled. "Okay then. One decision down." They spent the rest of the afternoon working on the exterior and interior design, and when Adrien finally left for the evening, it was in much brighter spirits than when he had entered.

The next afternoon, Marinette frowned over the color choices. "I was thinking," she began, "a bag like this should be made of durable material."

"Agreed. I was thinking maybe leather or canvas?"

"Mmm, possibly," Marinette said. "But there's a cooler fabric that's been making waves in the industry for specialized designs." She pulled up an image on her tablet. "It's cut-resistant fabric. Originally used in industries like cooking for chefs to prevent knife cuts, it's been slowly moving into sports fabrics and luggage. Not only is it durable against everyday travel, but it feels like heavy canvas without the casual look."

"Perfect!"

"It's a bit expensive," Marinette began. "Do you know if you can get some?"

"I'll ask Nathalie," he said.

"Then there's the issue of color."

"Color?"

Marinette pulled up a selection of colors, all in muted dull tones of blacks, grays, and browns. He crowded close to her. "It doesn't come in a wide variety of colors, but I don't know what your father would prefer."

He thought it over. "Maybe black? It's the most professional looking."

She hummed in disapproval. "Not that you're wrong," she began, "but black has a tendency of getting too dirty. It's such a dark color that any light dirt shows up. How about one of the grays if you're worried about looking professional?"

He decided to defer to her judgment. "Okay, then how about that one?" he said, pointing to a charcoal gray.

She smiled. "Looks good. Now onto the straps."

The spent several minutes designing the straps and handles and Adrien pointed to the front of the design. "We have a leather stamper at the office," he said. "I could see if I could get Nathalie to stamp some leather with his initials on it and we could put it here."

"That would look very nice, Adrien."

The smile he beamed at her warmed her to her core.

"Nathalie, can I ask you a favor?" Adrien asked, sticking his head into the atelier where she worked.

His father's assistant stopped her typing and looked up at him. "What is it, Adrien?"

He stepped inside. "I'm making a present for Father's Day," he began, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck and missing Nathalie's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, "and I need some fabric."

"Making?"

"Marinette's helping me make a bag for him to hold his fashion supplies," Adrien explained. "We decided on some cut-resistant fabric, but I don't know where to get it." He showed her on his phone.

She noted the name and color of the fabric on her own tablet. "That sounds like a very nice idea, Adrien," she said. "I'll see what I can do. How much would you need?"

"Just a bolt should be okay," Adrien said. "Marinette said that should be enough to cover any mistakes I might make."

Nathalie hid a smile. "I see. Was there anything else?"

"Yes, actually, just one more thing," Adrien said. "We have the leather for the straps and the edging, but could you get this piece stamped with Father's initials?" He held out a tiny piece of leather about the size of a matchbook. "I want to put it on the front of the bag."

Nathalie took the leather. "I'll get it done tomorrow. And your fabric, too."

"Thanks, Nathalie! Oh, can you keep this a secret from Father?"

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Isn't that the point of a present?"

He chuckled. "Right, of course! Thanks again, Nathalie."

He darted away, leaving her staring at the scrap of leather in her hands with a small smile of approval.

"Okay, when you press down on the pedal, the needle moves. You can press gently and it won't move too fast." Marinette demonstrated on a section of cloth and a neat line of stitches zipped across the fabric.

"Wow," Adrien breathed.

They had finally gathered all of the relevant supplies and now convened in Marinette's room, where the younger designer was showing Adrien how to use the sewing machine.

"You try it now," she said. They swapped places. Adrien placed his hands on either side of the fabric and pushed it up slowly. A thin line of stitches appeared, albeit slower than Marinette's. "Good! Those look perfect, Adrien!" He grinned, feeling a swell of pride at her words.

The rest of the week was spent sewing and stitching. Adrien learned how to sew zippers, buttons, and straps together under Marinette's careful and expert guidance. He glued the stamped monogrammed leather square to the front of the pouch and hand-stitched around the edge with a thick needle and wax-coated thread.

Concerned with time, Marinette stitched the ends of the straps together and made the leather handles and the pad for the shoulder strap while he painstakingly pieced together the interior pockets and sewed it to the inside of the bag.

At last, they finished that Friday. Adrien held it up proudly, admiring their handiwork. "It looks amazing, Marinette," he breathed, his fingers brushing over the leather stamp and the leather handles, fiddling with the thick zipper and pulling apart Velcroed pockets to test if they were secure.

Marinette giggled. "You did a lot of the work. Your father's going to love it," she said.

"Thank you!" he cried, setting the bag down and scooping her up into a hug. She squeaked and blushed. "Thank you thank you thank you," he continued, twirling her around.

She laughed. "You're welcome. I got lots of practice working with thick fabric and leather. It's not something I get to work with a lot, so I was thankful for the experience."

Leave it to Marinette to spin something good out of doing him a favor. "Let me make it up to you. Dinner?"

She flushed. "I-I... what?"

He smiled. "We'll work on that later. I have to get home. I'll talk to you on Monday. Thank you again, Marinette."

He left, feeling lighter than he had in a long time. He couldn't wait to see his father's face when he opened his present.

"Happy Father's Day!" Adrien crowed, and Gabriel turned in surprise to see his son handing him a bulky package wrapped up in paper.

"What's this?" he said.

"Your present," Adrien said, bouncing up and down on his feet in excitement. Gabriel glanced over to his assistant and caught a faint smile upon her lips. "Go on, open it."

Gabriel hurried to comply, mostly because he was afraid Adrien would explode from anticipation if he didn't do it soon. The boy was more excited about the gift than he was. Gabriel couldn't help the smile that appeared. If Adrien was this eager, then it must be something great.

He ripped off the paper and opened the box, pulling out a dark gray bag. His brow furrowed in confusion. He rubbed his hand over the fabric, his confusion deepening when he couldn't immediately identify the type. Not canvas... not leather... and not artificial leather... He looked up at Adrien.

"It's a bag for your designing supplies," the boy burst out, bounding over to him. "I was really stumped as to what to get you," he admitted as Gabriel lifted the flap after fingering the monogrammed initials on the front. "I figured I would ask for help from another designer, so I went to Marinette to see what she might suggest."

"Marinette?" He didn't recognize the name as one of his employees.

"She sits behind me in class," Adrien explained. "But she's really good and wants to be a designer when she gets older."

Ah, that explains why he didn't recognize the name. He unzipped the pouch. Inside were several tiny pockets and elastic straps.

"I found a messenger bag in her room when I went over after school. She had converted it into her own portable supplies carrier," Adrien continued, "and I knew that that would be the perfect gift for you. She sketched out several designs and I picked the features I thought you would like the best."

Adrien leaned over and peered into the bag. "Marinette said that most of the commercial bags had pockets that were too big. Even specialized bags like camera bags were too stiff and unwieldy because they have to protect the camera." He pointed to a few pockets. "These here can hold buttons, that one for measuring tape, and those for zippers and Velcro strips." He pointed to a few straps of elastic sewn into loops. "Marinette said that you can put scissors in here, or spools of your most common threads. That mesh bag over here is for more delicate things like lace ribbons."

Gabriel gulped. They had put a lot of thought into this bag.

"And over here," Adrien said as he continued giving the elder designer the tour of the bag, his excitement palpable as he motioned to larger pockets, "you can put scraps of spare fabric for if you need to repair something right away. And here you can put your tablet or sketchbook. Marinette said she still likes to use her sketchpad and pencil, but I wasn't sure if you still used it. We included two slots for both options."

"What's this?" Gabriel said, interrupting Adrien. He pointed to a black square puffy piece of fabric. Adrien grinned and reached in, pulling it off of the Velcro hold. A smaller elastic band dangled out from below.

"That's a pincushion," Adrien said. "Marinette stuffed it and designed it into the shape of your logo." Indeed, Gabriel noticed the embroidered G in the middle of the cushion. "We chose to make the backing out of the same material as the bag. It's cut-resistant." Gabriel's eyebrows rose in surprise as he flipped the bag over and inspected the material closer.

"Wow, what an ingenious idea," he muttered.

"It was Marinette's suggestion," Adrien said. "She said it would hold up better under wear and tear and it's apparently what a lot of luggage is being made out of now. It's a new trend or something. I picked out the color."

"Where did you find a bag like this?" Gabriel asked, his face still close to the material as he gave it a critical examination.

Adrien placed a hand on the back of his neck, a bit of his excitement fading.

"We uh, we didn't," he said. "We made it ourselves."

"The whole thing?" The surprise in his voice was evident. Gabriel had assumed perhaps they swapped out the interior only.

Adrien nodded. "Yeah. Marinette showed me how to use the sewing machine. I got Nathalie to stamp your initials on the leather piece on the front using the machine at your office. That alone took me an entire afternoon to sew on. Leather is hard to work with," he grumbled.

Immediately, Gabriel's hands flipped the bag around and he studied the stamped leather. He admired the professional job. "This is amazing," he breathed out, suitably impressed with the amount of work his son put into this gift.

Adrien perked up. "The bag took me a long time to sew, because my lines weren't too straight all of the time. But Marinette made sure to double check my work so it was okay. She made the handles and straps because I was running out of time, but I sewed them on myself. I sewed all the interior pockets and the lining, but Marinette tested them to see if they would hold up under working conditions."

Gabriel ran a finger over the seams, feeling overwhelmed that his son had pieced this together himself. The stitching was straight, though upon more critical examination he did spot some uneven spaces between the threads. Not that he would tell his son that. "It's perfect, Adrien."

Adrien beamed at him. "Really?"

"Really. It's amazing. You did a wonderful job. I'll definitely be using this bag. It's the best I could have asked for." Gabriel met his son's eyes with a smile. "Thank you, Adrien."

Adrien leaned forward and wrapped him in a hug. "You're welcome. Happy Father's Day."

And Gabriel couldn't stop the emotion that rose up in his chest as he returned his son's hug.

Author's Note: Day 3 - "Fashion Week" will be connected to this story, but will be posted as its own separate one-shot.

Special thanks to PerditaAlottachocolate who brainstormed ideas for this week for the entire month of January, offered invaluable advice, and beta'ed my stories. Thanks to her, I am able to make a contribution to each day devoted to my favorite character of the series! Those of you who know me by now know that Gabriel will always be portrayed as a decent person. He'll be a villain, he'll be a hero, but he'll never be a jerk. Please check out Perdita's works for this week as well. She shares my love for a decent Gabriel for those that enjoy reading him in a different light.

Please stay put for a fun week! Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, but I had a good time all the way.