After agreeing to talk to Gabriel and ask for his help, the duo made excuses to stay in the comfort of the quiet room. Perhaps it was their nerves getting to them or the last minute decision that threw them off, but it took them too long to leave Adrien's room.

They first killed time by texting Nino and Alya to let them know where they were and that they were okay.

"We should probably let them know the situation before we forget," Marinette said. And she was right. They didn't want their friends to worry.

"We need to think about what we're gonna say first," Adrien insisted once the messages were sent. He was also right. It wouldn't bode well for them to go in unprepared, especially in the presence of Gabriel.

With the dread of what was to come resting on their shoulders, they found it easy to make find reasons to put off the inevitable. Adrien said that he was tired and wanted to lay down a while longer. Marinette complained of round ligament pain. In both their defenses, they weren't lying.

Adrien had a hefty schedule, they both knew that, and Marinette was already in her second trimester, so it wasn't a stretch. It made perfect sense to rest and wait, but they both knew they were just stalling.

It was sad, really. They had psyched each other up not even an hour before. They talked about how they would be okay no matter what and they would do what they had to, but upon the actual moment when they needed to act, they didn't. They could come up with a million reasons not to face the man with the potential answer to their problem. They could conjure up as much fear and reluctance as they wanted to, but the situation wouldn't change.

Marinette couldn't help but sigh. She was stronger than this. They both were, and they needed to be strong for Bug. She was taking her prenatal vitamins, eating a healthy diet, avoiding caffeine, following all the dos and don'ts of pregnancy. She was doing her part, but she was beginning to realize that it wasn't gonna be enough. Not when she gave birth and had a baby to take care of. Not when she had a future to build.

She was gonna have to do things she didn't want to do. She would have to be bold when all she wanted to do was cower and hide. That was something she learned through being Ladybug, and it seemed to apply to this situation, too. She could summon her inner Ladybug and be the mother Bug needed her to be. But one thing was for certain; fighting Akumas had not prepared her for motherhood. Not by a long shot.

Once they decided they had done plenty of procrastinating, they pulled themselves from the couch and made their way to Gabriel's office. They had to talk to him sooner rather than later, so they put all reservations and excuses away. It was then or it was never. It was them to bring it up or it was him. It only took one glance for them to know which option was best.

They walked slowly, whispering words of encouragement to each other. Mostly her to him. Marinette remembered telling her parents. She remembered the bricks that fell to the pit of her stomach and the panic that rattled in her ears. The tears. The anxiety. The relentless wish to be anywhere but there. And she had a good relationship with her parents. She experienced that high level of stress from just telling her parents that supported her and spent time with her regularly. She knew what Adrien was feeling, but to what intensity, she couldn't be sure.

Then they were at the door, the barrier between Adrien and his fears. He held up his hand to knock, but hesitated. Gulped. Tried again only to sigh in defeat. He turned to Marinette and made a face that asked a question. His eyes wondered if they really had to, but his hand still in a fist knew the answer.

"I'm with you," she said to him, reminding herself that she was Ladybug. Ladybug could do anything.

He nodded his head and gently knocked on the door.

"Come in," a clear voice responded. Adrien let out a shaky breath and turned the knob.

He didn't want to be there. He didn't want to open that door. He didn't want to step into that room. He didn't want to face the man he called his father. He didn't want to do it. But above all that, he didn't want to back down when he had a family to protect. He wanted to be there for Marinette and Bug. He wanted to be the father he never had. He wanted to do what he could to be a dad his child could look up to, and that started with this one step.

Before he entered his father's office, Marinette said something that struck him. She was showering him in assurances and letting him know that it would be okay, that it would be worth it in the end. She was mostly repeating herself as he agreed in turn. That's when she told him that she was proud of him for being brave, for having the courage to take care of his baby before it was even born.

Despite the slight tremor in his grip and his racing heart, he was exercising courage. He was doing what he knew he had to do as a father. He had known it before, but in that short moment of comfort, it really hit him that he had to be more than he was. Another human being was going to be depending on him. A tiny person that would look up at him and call him daddy.

Adrien only ever had a father. He never had a dad. Gabriel never deserved that title. Adrien decided he would deserve it. He would be there for his kid and do everything he could for them. He never deemed himself as strong or brave enough, but he was putting everything he had forward. He was facing his fears. He was gonna be the best daddy he could be and more.

With that in mind, he whispered a little thought to himself. A hope. A desire he would work towards. He would be the best husband to Marinette he could be when the time came. They would be a family through and through.

Finally looking up to face his father, Adrien steeled himself and greeted him. He wore confidence and it didn't go unnoticed. Marinette breathed it in and Gabriel lifted his eyebrow.

"Take a seat," is all he said.

They did. They settled themselves and prepared their words, but nothing was exchanged. Silence permeated the room as they waited. That's when Adrien realized his father was letting him speak first. His eyes stayed on his, hands clasped together and patience ever present on his face.

Adrien started, but his voice wobbled. His fears were bubbling up to the surface. He shoved them down and tried again. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, father."

"I'm listening."

"For some time now, Marinette and I have been seeing each other. It's recently come to light that. . ." He hesitated.

Noticing this, Marinette reached over and grabbed his hand. It wasn't subtle. It wasn't discreet. It was what he needed.

"Marinette is pregnant," he said in one fell swoop. "With my child. And we're keeping it."

The air stilled. Marinette gulped. Adrien held his breath. They waited for the storm. They waited for the anger and the yelling, perhaps even a demand for a DNA test, but it never came. He instead uttered a simple "I see."

He blinked. "You see?"

"Mona Armati," his father said with a heavy breath, placing his tablet in front of them, the article on display. Adrien paled. "She's a respected journalist in her field, one I would never expect to reduce herself to such trash. I originally thought this was just paparazzi getting desperate and grasping at straws, but I wondered when I saw her name."

"So you knew?"

"I know for certain now. The real question I was an answer to," he pointed at the article, "is how much of this is real?"

"Just the pregnancy part!" Marinette blurted, accidentally raising her voice then promptly shrinking back in her seat.

Adrien cast her a sympathetic glance. They both knew the article spewed nonsense from Chloe, but nevertheless, it put Marinette in a terrible light. It made her out to manipulative and hungry for power and sex. It made it seem like she only cared about his body and reputation.

The article told everyone that she was heartless and selfish. She was considerate of solely her own wants and needs. She was nothing more than a gold digging whore, it said. It was far from the truth, but there was no way to rectify it.

Marinette was more worried about facing his father because of it than she wanted to admit. She told him she was fine, but he saw that she wasn't. For her sake, he chose not to mention it and let her put on a brave front.

Adrien squeezed her hand. "We've been in a committed relationship for over a year. There was no lying or coercing involved. We're both responsible for this."

Gabriel let out a rough sigh. He ran a hand through his hair and scratched at his scalp. It seemed part of his father's stoic facade had fallen away. "I never took my son for a fool, but I must admit I'm relieved to hear that. And I certainly didn't take Mlle. Dupain-Cheng for a manipulator from our few encounters."

It was Adrien's turn to sigh in relief. "Good. That makes this a lot easier."

"Since you've seen the article, I'm sure you know what we're going to ask," Marinette said once she gathered her bearings.

Gabriel showed the first signs of a smile since hearing the news. "Damage control."

"We were hoping you'd know what to do," Adrien added. He hated how through saying that, he was admitting he didn't know what to do. He wished he could fix things in some way, but he was only one person. And when it came to society and the media, he was only a child.

"You'd be right. I'll need to talk to Nathalie and make plans, so for now, I need you two to lay low. Don't do anything to draw attention, and if anyone asks any questions, don't answer. I don't care if they're not part of the press. Don't answer anything about this pregnancy. Is that understood?"

They nodded.

"I'll have some people keep a watch on you both, particularly you, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng."

"Keep a watch on me. . .?"

"It's just a precaution, but I need you to understand that people will not treat you kindly. Not to mention you're carrying a baby. It wouldn't do well to have something happen."

"I understand."

"Good." He nodded his head, satisfied. "Now, how far along are you? Have you had an ultrasound yet?"

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, but said nothing. The question wasn't for him. He had somehow gotten into his father's good graces (he hoped), he wasn't going to mess that up.

Marinette's tension began to subside at the mention of the baby itself. She perked up just the slightest bit at something she could answer, something that pushed away the stresses of the current situation. "14 weeks. I had the ultrasound done on my 12th week."

Gabriel seemed pleased. "At this point, your risk of miscarriage is drastically reduced. The child is healthy, I presume?"

Adrien grinned, his feelings of joy seeping through. "A little bigger than average, but everything looked good," he repeated the technicians words, remembering the feeling he had when he heard that their baby was healthy.

"Bug is as healthy as can be," Marinette smiled, placing her hand where they knew their baby was.

"Bug?" his father asked, the light atmosphere suddenly getting heavy again. Marinette didn't seem to notice as she explained, but Adrien did.

It seemed odd that his father didn't get angry. There was no lecture or even a disapproving scowl. If anything, he looked. . . happy. At least in his own way. Adrien didn't know what to do with that information, but he didn't have the time to react before his usual cold expression returned.

"Well, that's that. I'll contact you both when Nathalie and I have everything in order. I'll leave you to yourselves until then."

Adrien went to stand up, but paused. His eyes lingered on his father then dropped down to his pocket where his wallet sat. "Do you want to see it?"

"See what?"

"The baby. I have the sonogram with me."

Gabriel started to speak. A faint smile tried to spring up, but it seemed as though Gabriel was stopping himself. It was like all those times when Adrien tried to bring his mother up. His expression was open to begin with, but the pain jumped up and he forced it all down. Perhaps he was being reminded of when his wife was pregnant. Maybe becoming a grandfather without his counterpart was harder than he would've liked.

He couldn't know his father's thoughts, but for probably the first time, Adrien witnessed him avoid eye contact. He averted his gaze down to his tablet for what felt like minutes and shook his head. "Another time. I have work to do."

Another time. The two words punched him in the gut. Two words he heard far too often in every aspect of his life. It affirmed his decision to be a better father than the one he had.

He grit his teeth, nodded his head, and left with that. Adrien wasn't sure how he felt. He wasn't sure which prior moment to focus on or which interaction to think about. He didn't even want to dwell on how strange the entire thing was. He was confused, but before all else, he was celebrating his first victory as a dad.

He looked over at Marinette and smiled, one she shared.

"I'm proud of you," she told him.

"For telling my father?"

She nodded. "And for being strong. I know how much he scares you, but you stepped up anyway."

He moved closer to her, allowing his hand to find itself on her belly. He grinned down at the slight bulge. She had only started showing a little, only enough for someone to notice if they already knew she was pregnant. He looked back up at her. "I think I would've backed down before, but I've got too much to take care of now. I have a family to look out for. Even if that means relying on my father, I'll do what I have to."

"You mean that." A statement. A sentiment she understood. She didn't doubt him for a second, and that meant more to him than he knew how to describe. He was believed in. Trusted.

He meant that. With every word he uttered and action he displayed. He meant it with every ounce of his being.