This is the final chapter of this fic. I'm pretty happy I finished before season 2 comes out since I know that all of this will be completely thrown out the window. I hope you all have enjoyed the story. It has been quite helpful for my mental health to write this and it was nice to write fiction again since it's been about a decade now. See you all in season 2 :)

"So, how did you do it?" Marinette asked her mother.

"'Do what dear?" Sabine asked absentmindedly as she pulled some croissants out of the oven to cool.

"How did you convince Adrien's dad to let him have a night off and still be my boyfriend?"

Sabine smiled to herself and began removing the croissants from the pan, "You'll find the best way to convince someone to change their mind, is to make them think that they changed their own mind."

—

Adrien's first free Tuesday had finally come and he'd been agonizing over what to do. He could spend time with Marinette, or maybe have a guys night out, but neither of those options seemed quite right. He gulped audibly as he hesitated outside of his father's office door. He clenched his teeth and knocked.

"Come in." A voice called from beyond the door. Adrien opened the door and found his father sorting through fabric samples on his desk. "Yes, what is is it?" He asked without even looking up.

Adrien cleared his throat nervously. "Hi…I was wondering—well it's Tuesday."

Gabriel still didn't look up, "Yes, what about Tuesday?"

Adrien was nervous, but he'd already decided that this was the course he was going to take. He clenched his fists and blurted, "Since I have tonight free, I thought maybe you would go see a movie with me."

Gabrielle paused his work for a moment and looked up at his son surprised. He hadn't been invited to do something with his son for months. "I—" he started, unsure of how to respond. "What movie did you have in mind?"

Adrien rubbed the back of his head shyly, "There's the new James Bond flick out…I thought it might be fun…"

Gabriel was flustered, he tried his best to keep his face impassive, but inwardly he was glad. It had been so long since his son had taken an interest in spending time with him…but he still had so much work to do. "I—of course I would like to go with you." Adrien sighed audibly as if he'd been holding his breath, but Gabriel continued, "You go on ahead, I'll be with you shortly. I just have to finish a few things and I'll meet you at the theater."

Adrien reluctantly nodded, he'd heard this reason before. Still, he wanted to believe that his father really meant it. That he would show up for once. Desperate, he left the room, praying he wasn't placing his faith in another lost opportunity.

—

Adrien sat in the nearly empty theater. The Bond movie had been out for a few weeks and he'd already seen it twice. He'd hoped that he could have enjoyed it with his father, but looking around, he was as alone as usual. He wondered if he should have invited Kong inside…at least then he would have had some company. He tried not to be disappointed, it wasn't like this was the first time his father had promised to show up to something and then backed out…somehow it hurt more. Adrien had wanted to think he father had changed. He wanted to believe that his father cared about him, not just "Adrien - Gabriel Agreste's son" but "Adrien - the person". Inwardly he berated himself for being so easily deceived. In the end, I should be happy that I can still be with Marinette…he thought, but somehow that wasn't enough. The idea that his father finally saw him as a person had seeded it's way into his mind and he didn't want to let the idea go.

A rustle could be heard from the aisle and he looked up to see Marinette walking down the row. "Why're you alone?" She asked.

He'd told her his plan to ask his father to the movie; having her realize his failure only made him feel more desolate. "I was stood up."

Marinette expression softened and she patted her boyfriend on the back. "I'm sure something came up…" she said, attempting to make a bad situation better.

He looked her square in the face, "Do you really believe that?"

His expression asked for her honesty and she felt she had to respond, "…no…probably not." She replied quietly.

Adrien placed his chin in his hands, "That's what I thought. I shouldn't have expected him to change. It was unfair to assume that because he changed a few rules that suddenly he'd be the father I want him to be."

"Adrien, I know he cares about you." Marinette responded, trying to be comforting.

"I appreciated the sentiment, but he cares about the idea of me…I shouldn't expect anything else." Adrien stood up from his seat and walked past Marinette out of the row.

"Adrien?" She called as she followed after him, "where are you going?"

He turned and smiled at her, "I'm going to spend time with my family; my real family." He held his hand out to her and she took it. She followed him out of the empty theater and they walked slowly to the bakery. Outside the bakery he stopped; he knew she was curious. "Marinette, I love my father. For all his faults he's still my dad. But after spending time with you, with your family, I think I've realized that there is more to family than being blood. Family are the people that will be there for you when you need them, family wants to spend time with you and family wants to understand you for the person you are-not the person they want you to be. You, and your parents, you're my family." He squeezed her hands tightly, impressing the point on her.

"Are you saying you're leaving? Are you running away again?"

He shook his head, "No, I'm done with that. My father might not be perfect, but he is still my father. Someone has to take care of him…but in the end, I can't expect him to change into the person I want him to be. That's really no different than what he was trying to do to me. He'll always be absorbed in work and unable to take others into account, and trying to pretend that he's going change is unfair to him. On the other hand, I need people in my life that care about me as a person." He smiled at her. Brushing her lips lightly with his, "Let's go home. "

Marinette smiled sadly at him. She was happy that she could be there for him, but she was sad that things didn't turn out as he'd wished. All she could do was follow him inside and continue to support him as long as she could. From behind the counter, Sabine and Tom shouted happy greetings to the pair and the group retired to the living room. They put on an old movie and even though Adrien had seen it a dozen times already…somehow it seemed like he was seeing it for the first time.

—

Back at the Agreste house Gabriel heard the grandfather clock chime. It was 9:30. The sound jarred him out of his concentration and he silently cursed himself. The movie was over…and he was still working. Gritting his teeth against the sense of shame rising within him, he forced himself back into his work.

The End