"I'm going to propose."

Gabriel paused at his son's sudden admission before slowly setting down his glass of wine. His son was sitting in the chair next to his, looking somewhat anxious for a response.

"I… can't say I'm fully surprised," Gabriel finally said. "It's clear your relationship with Miss Dupain-Cheng has grown considerably stronger."

Adrien gave a half smile. "I just wanted to let you know."

"I appreciate it," Gabriel said, letting a short silence slip between them. "And, I approve."

Gabriel watched Adrien's posture relax, his shoulders easing and smile grow wider.

"Would you like me to call my jeweler?" Gabriel asked. "I may approve, but I will not have the media speculating over you walking into a jewelry shop."

"I would appreciate that, Father," he said.

"However, there is one thing I would like before you propose."

Adrien's expression grew serious. "What is it?"

"May I be allowed to meet Miss Dupain-Cheng's parents first?"

Adrien responded with a half-cringe, half-grin and a blush. "Yes, we'll set that up."

In the handful of months they had been dating, Nathalie was surprised at just how truly affectionate Gabriel could be. It wasn't large sweeping gestures, but the little things such as him sneaking up behind her, placing his hands on her hips and hovering his head over her shoulder.

She truly loved the intimacy of such simple things.

"Adrien recently informed he he's going to propose."

Nathalie smiled. "I can't say I'm surprised," she quietly replied.

"It still surprised me."

She took a partial step backwards, her back now leaning against his chest. He set his chin down on her shoulder but never moved his hands. "He's growing up," she answered.

"I know," Gabriel said. "And I have to let him."

She smirked. "Harder than you thought it would be?"

He hummed.

She reached up to put her hand on his cheek. "I'm proud of you for encouraging him."

Gabriel moved his hand from her waist to her wrist, holding her hand there so he could press a kiss to her palm. Despite the gesture being small, her heart raced. Those affectionate ways of his may be subtle, but they still did things to her. More than he may realize.

"Adrien set up a dinner so I could meet the Dupain-Chengs," Gabriel said, releasing her completely and walking back to his desk. "I hope you will join me."

Despite missing his presence, Nathalie pretended it didn't affect her. "They are aware I would be coming?"

"They said Adrien's parents could come," he said, nothing out of the ordinary besides the faintest of blushes on his cheekbones. "Therefore, since you have been like a mother figure to him, I asked if it would be all right to bring you to the dinner. I have been given confirmation that it is perfectly acceptable from all parties involved."

A soft smile graced Nathalie's face. "Then, I would be honored."

It was a surprise to no one that when Adrien proposed, Marinette said yes. Of course, the two love birds were now in the engaged-to-be-wed bliss of wedding planning and the like, so that meant they weren't fully careful about the press. Meaning Nathalie had her work cut out with answering the questions and quelling ridiculous rumors and keeping tabs on the tabloids.

She settled back in her chair, allowing her eyes to rest for a mere moment before going back to work.

Of course, it was hard to open her eyes after said 'mere moment' so she allowed herself another. Only to be surprised by hands at her shoulders.

"Sorry," Gabriel said. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, it's fine," she dismissed. "I meant to get back to this."

Gabriel hummed, not removing his hands from her shoulder and instead massaging them. "Adrien and Marinette giving you a headache?"

Nathalie sighed, resigning herself to receive a shoulder rub from Gabriel. "No, the press is."

Again, Gabriel hummed. "I never understood what the appeal of obviously fabricated rumors were."

"Are you talking about the article saying it's a shotgun wedding?"

"You do have it up in front of you."

Nathalie sighed. "I don't either. There are far more interesting things to cover than this. But for some reason, this sells."

Gabriel hummed. "Can I interest you in a lunch break?"

"I have work to do."

"Let me rephrase," Gabriel said, leaning closer so his lips were close to her ear. "Take a break and have lunch with me."

Nathalie couldn't help but smirk. "All right."

Adrien and Marinette's wedding was quickly approching. The enamored duo decided that they wanted to be married as soon as possible, and so, a three-month engagement it was. They'd done well to breeze through quite a bit, having an organized schedule that Gabriel was certain Nathalie had a hand in.

And speaking of Nathalie and marriage…

Gabriel caught Adrien right before the young man could slip out the door. "Adrien, can I have a quick word with you?"

Adrien stopped. "As long as it's short," he said. "I… actually, Marinette and I had planned to look at apartments together today."

Gabriel had to pause at that. It took a moment for him to absorb that Adrien had grown up. He was getting married and moving out. Where did the time go? What happened to the little boy that used to run around the house?

"It will be short," Gabriel assured.

With a nod, Adrien followed his father into his office.

"What about?" Adrien asked as Gabriel shut the door.

"Since you have to leave, I cannot beat around the bush," Gabriel began as he took a seat in his office chair. "If I were to remarry, how would you feel about that?"

Adrien's eyes widened. "Are you thinking of marrying Nathalie?"

Gabriel gave a single nod.

"That's great!" Adrien said, smile splitting his face. "Why did you think you needed to ask me? Wouldn't that make you happy?"

"I've done a lot of things in this world to make me happy, but that doesn't necessarily mean others approve of those choices."

"Yeah, so what?" Adrien asked.

Gabriel paused at Adrien's quick dismissal. "I simply didn't want to ruin our relationship again by doing something you wouldn't approve of," Gabriel said. "You are my son. I have put you last far too much in my life already."

It was clear his words surprised Adrien, but Adrien eventually gave him a smile, one that almost hurt because of how much it reminded him of Emilie. "I really appreciate it, father," Adrien said, approaching the desk and sitting in the chair across from him. "Like, thank you. I… I really like being able to have you back in my life. After mom died… things were rough, but now you've changed and I grew up and we're able to be a family again. I really like it. But, then again, I'm grown up. I'm going to be married soon enough. You don't have to live your life around me anymore."

"I know," Gabriel said. "But I wanted to know your thoughts on the matter. Particularly since we both miss your mother."

Adrien sighed. "I think that if it were anyone other than Nathalie, I might be forcing myself to be more enthusiastic than I actually felt."

Gabriel quirked a brow.

"It's Nathalie," Adrien said as though that was an explanation. "Nathalie who has basically been here forever. Who put up with you and me and is still here. I know she cares about both of us, and I care a lot about her, and you… I mean, you two have been dating. Obviously, you love her. And so, I'm actually really happy that you… you're thinking of being happy again, so… yeah. I'm happy for you. If it were anyone else, it would depend, but Nathalie…" Adrien shook his head. "Nathalie is amazing. You don't have to ask about her."

Gabriel smiled. An honest-to-goodness smile. "Thank you for that, Adrien. I won't hold you up any longer. Tell Marinette Nathalie and I said hello, and I wish you two the best of luck on your search."

"Thank you, father," Adrien said, standing. "Will do, and I really appreciate it."

Gabriel was plotting something. She knew it. He'd grown secretive and quiet. Most people probably wouldn't pick it up, but Nathalie did. She didn't exactly want to bother Adrien at the moment since he was moving out and into his and Marinette's new apartment. It was just days until their wedding and everything was running smoothly for them.

But she'd corner Adrien at some point and demand just what was going on with his father. Someone had to know what was going on with Gabriel, and that either meant her or Adrien. And since it wasn't her, Adrien had to know.

"Nathalie is getting suspicious," Adrien told his dad over the phone.

"Trust me, I know."

"Will you just do it already?"

"Not until after your wedding."

Adrien rolled his eyes. "Okay. But do it soon. She cornered me today, and I don't know if she bought my lie."

Gabriel groaned. "Thank you, Adrien. I'll keep that in mind."

The wedding was over, and Gabriel was seeing Nathalie home.

"You look tired," he commented.

"I wasn't even the bride, yet it was such a long day," Nathalie responded. "Making sure everything was in place and went off without a hitch. Adrien and Marinette were clearly happy, which was all I hoped for for them, but the wedding… it was quite a hassle for something that should be so simple. Particularly when the press almost crashed the event."

Gabriel hummed. "A truly unfortunate event."

"At least Adrien and Marinette were oblivious to it."

"Yes. Thankfully."

A silence slipped between them.

"I'm happy for them, though," Nathalie said. "Even though the day was stressful."

"As much as it pains me to admit it, I'm still rattled."

Nathalie smirked. "That Adrien is old enough to get married?"

Gabriel gave a single nod. "Incredible, the time I missed with my son by playing the villain."

Nathalie reached over. "You gave that up, though," she reminded. "You could have ruined any relationship with your son, and instead, you have one with him. Furthermore, he's proud of you as a father."

"Shocking," Gabriel said. "Considering my failures."

Nathalie patted his knee. "You redeemed yourself, and I know you will continue doing so."

Gabriel placed a hand over hers. "Thank you, Nathalie. For everything. I certainly don't deserve it."

With a smile, she flipped her hand over so she could hold his. "You're very welcome."

Gabriel shouldn't be nervous. He ran a fashion empire. He had a grown son who just got married. He had already proposed to a woman before, for heaven's sake.

And yet, as Gabriel stood staring at a very simple engagement ring, his hands were sweaty and his heart was racing with nerves. It was pathetic.

Even more so when his son called in the middle of his honeymoon just to yell at Gabriel to propose already.

Therefore, so as not to embarrass himself or admit to his son that he had cold feet, Gabriel proposed after dinner.

"Nathalie, will you marry me?"

No fuss; no pomp and circumstance. A simple question that followed up a conversation after dinner had been finished.

Nathalie looked at the simple ring, then at Gabriel, clearly surprised.

Gabriel simply waited for an answer.

"Yes."

"No wedding," Gabriel clarified for the second time.

Nathalie nodded. "I never particularly cared for them. I've been the bridesmaid in a few of them, and that's enough for me. Furthermore, the press is bound to discover it and then we have another debacle on our hands."

"True," Gabriel said. "I have no issue with you not wanting a wedding. I am simply ensuring that it is what you want."

"I would honestly rather elope," she assured. "And then we can invite Adrien and Marinette over for dinner and celebrate with them."

And that was exactly what they did. As Nathalie expected, it was easier than planning a wedding, and the press never caught wind of it. What Nathalie did not expect was just how nervous she would be. She was good at schooling her features, but inside, she felt like she could combust. Her heart was racing; she was sure her cheeks were pink. Her hands were shaky, and her knees were threatening to give out at any moment.

And then when the officiant gave the decree of "you may now kiss the bride," Nathalie felt like she could pass out. She was married.

Married.

Was this what being in love was like? Was this what every bride felt on her wedding day? It was completely irrational.

Yet, here she was, hardly confident as Gabriel kissed her.

She inwardly chastised herself for being so pathetic. She was not the kind of weak woman who fell into her husband's arms so easily. But today, she felt like she could.

That night, they did celebrate with a dinner that included Adrien, Marinette, and Marinette's parents. They were a truly kind couple who Nathalie enjoyed being around, and they were kind enough to prepare a feast for the newlyweds.

And when that was all over, there was one more thing that Nathalie fretted over.

The wedding night.

"Are you all right, my dear?" Gabriel asked, his hands resting on her arms as he pulled her close.

"I'm being irrational," she dismissed. "That's all."

"What about?"

"It's nothing."

"Considering you admitted your irrationality, I'm guessing it's not."

He had her there. "The wedding night," she quietly admitted. "Had you told me before that I'd be nervous about it, I would have scoffed. Surely if a woman is to be married, she accepts that she's ready to lay with her husband."

Gabriel chuckled. "Nathalie, that is common. If you think I was an exception in my first marriage, you are wrong."

She sighed. "Still… I'm sorry; I'm being completely irrational."

Gabriel leaned over to kiss her cheek. "There's no shame in it, Nathalie. It's not irrational."

"If I wasn't being irrational, I would have let you take my dress off by now," she muttered.

"The night is young, Nathalie," Gabriel whispered, his fingers reaching for the zipper on her dress. The way his fingers brushed her spine in the process only caused her to shiver. "Whatever pace we need to take the night at, I will let you set."

Her smile was genuine, even though she still felt nervous. "I know. I trust you, Gabriel. Which is one of the reasons why my being irrational is so frustrating."

Gabriel slid his hand into hers. "Nathalie," he said, "Do you trust me to follow my lead?"

Her heart was positively pounding out of her chest. As nervous as she was, there really was only one way to answer him. "Yes."

How the guardian of the miraculous found him, Gabriel wasn't sure. Nor was he sure how said man got into the event he was at. It was an exclusive event for the fashion designers who participated in a national fashion show. Needless to say, spying the short, Asian man in the corner of the ballroom was not something Gabriel expected to see at said event.

Gabriel excused himself from Nathalie's side to approach the man.

"Gabriel," the guardian greeted with a smile. "I hear that you've gotten married recently."

"I did," Gabriel curtly replied.

"And," the short, Asian man continued. "That your relationship with your son has improved drastically, as well."

Gabriel simply quirked a brow. "How did you get into this event?"

"I have my ways," the man said with a wink. "But I simply couldn't help but want to check up on the man formerly known as 'Hawkmoth.' He seems to be living life once again."

"What do you mean?" Gabriel challenged.

The man quirked a knowing brow. "It's quite a change, don't you think? From walking down the path to destruction to living redeemed only once you surrendered your greatest vice?"

Gabriel's eyes widened slightly at it being put so bluntly.

"Do you think?" the man continued. "That you would have a relationship with your son had you continued holding onto the moth miraculous? Or been close enough to him that you would know his wife so well? Or her parents? And what about the former peacock miraculous holder? Would you have been able to marry her had both of you kept clinging to such dangerous vices?"

Gabriel knew the answer to all of that. But admitting it freely was another thing.

However, the man seemed to realize Gabriel's answer even though he was silent. "Are you proud of your choices, Mr. Agreste? Do you regret surrendering?"

While silent for a moment, Gabriel knew he couldn't deny the answer. "No," he admitted. "Not in the slightest."