It has come to my attention that my readers may not know why Gabriel is so... fatherly (?), for the lack of a better word in the previous chapter. Here's why! ;)
this took place in between the blip of adrien witnessing the girl code and the one about kim's party.
Gabriel let a small smile grace his features as he gently shut his laptop. Gabriel had been planning this day for months, overworking himself so that he could have this night and all of the next day off, all for his son. He exited his office and made a beeline for his son's room, almost running. The door was open a crack and Gabriel could hear Adrien talking to his girlfriend, Marinette. The older man absolutely loved Marinette. I really hope those two get married. Marinette is a good match for my son.
"Yeah, Mari, I don't think that my dad even remembers what tomorrow is." Adrien said, getting a duffel. He started to stuff pajamas, underwear, and another set of clothes into it. Adrien waited a minute, hearing what Marinette was saying. He walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. He took out a box of condoms and grabbed a few and put them in a pocket in his bag. "He never does. I was actually wasn't disappointed when I confronted him about the scarf. Leave it to him to not get me a gift. And of course, Nathalie had to use yours. Thank you for that, anyway." Adrien zipped the bag shut and paused. "No, Marinette. I will always thank you. You were the only one who actually made me a gift on my birthday. It came from the very bottom of your heart and I will never stop thanking you for that." Gabriel felt a pain in his heart. He heard Adrien walk to the door and Gabriel actually ran to the front door as fast as his long legs could carry. The teenage boy walked out of his room and to the front door. "Goodbye Father, I am going to Marinette's. Nathalie knows, I'm spending the night. I'll be back sometime tomorrow." He avoided eye-contact with his father.
"Adrien, wait!" Gabriel all but cried. "I have a surprise for you!" He said and Adrien stopped in his tracks. "I didn't know that you were going to the Dupain-Cheng residence. I was able to get tomorrow off. It's your birthday and I was hoping that we could spend it together."
Adrien was taken back. "Wha- Really?" He asked after a few moments.
"Yes. And tomorrow, I will disable the notifications on my emails and texts so that I will not have to work."
"That's great, but we are going to an amusement park tomorrow. The Dupain-Chengs, Alya, and Nino. We are leaving early in the morning because the drive is a long way. I'm sorry, Father. I should have told you." Adrien said, tears welling in his eyes.
"No, Adrien. Don't be sorry. I should have at least told Marinette about my plans to see if anything will conflict with hers." Gabriel visibly deflated, slouching uncharacteristically.
Adrien pouted and then perked up again. "Come to dinner with us! And maybe, if there's space in their truck, you can come on the road trip with us!"
"Dinner?"
"Yeah! Sabine is making food! She's trying out some new stuff, Nino's helping her. They are gonna make one of Nino's family recipes for baked chicken. Lakshmi, Nino's mom, makes up her own stuff all the time and even Bianca Césaire, the head chef at the Bourgeois hotel, agrees that Lakshmi's is some of the best stuff she's ever tasted."
"I can come?" Gabriel asked, shocked. Adrien nodded, pulling out his phone.
"Yeah, lemme text Mari. Just tell her you're coming..." Almost immediately, he got a reply. If it were possible, Adrien's grin grew. "You can come! But be careful, Sabine's overprotective of her children. She might punch you."
"Why? What? Did you already propose to Marinette? I'm happy for you and I think that she is a good choice for you, but don't you think it's a bit early-" Gabriel was cut off by Adrien's laugh.
"No, Sabine and Tom just sorta adopted me, Alya, and Nino."
"Alya, Nino, and I."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Adrien waved him off but straightened up when he realized who he was talking to. "I'm sorry, Father. I might have sounded a bit rude."
"It's fine."
"Anyway, it's like I have a second mom in my life. Sabine will never replace Mother, but she has helped me so much in places where I needed a mother. She and Tom gave me the talk, you know." Adrien said, glancing at his father, who was gaping like a fish.
"I wanted to talk to you about it last year, but I didn't have the time." Gabriel sighed. "I'm sorry. I have been able to loosen my schedule so that I can go to work later and come home earlier. And I only work Monday to Friday. I'll have more time to be your actual father." Adrien smiled wide and hugged Gabriel tightly.
"Thank you for doing this father. Now you should change. Birthdays usually get messy at the bakery. That's why I don't look decent." Adrien gestured to his own outfit, a simple pair of faded jeans and a fitted black tee with converse on his feet.
"What should I wear?"
"Same as me, I guess. Jeans and a tee."
"I am a designer! I will not wear something that simple."
"I'm sorry Father, but Nino and Tom get messy. There's bound to be a food fight. And, not to mention, there's a tradition in that house, any person who's celebrating a birthday gets a face full of cake."
"...Jeans and t-shirt it is." Gabriel went in and changed and came back out, only to see Adrien walking away from him. "Where are you going? Your bodyguard will take us."
"Nah, it's fine. They live right around the corner. More driving will contribute to air pollution."
"But-"
"Nope. It's a nice day, Father. Enjoy it."
"Fine..."
The pair walked on and just as they were passing the park, a group called out to them. "Happy Birthday, Adri-Honey!" A masculine voice called. Adrien looked in the direction of the voice to see a smiling Kim.
"Kimmy-Kins!" Adrien cried, dropping his duffel and running over to the boy. He jumped and Kim caught him bridal style. Adrien plopped a wet kiss on his cheek, causing Kim to drop him.
"Nope. I ain't having none of that. None." The Vietnamese boy said, shaking his head.
"D'aww. I was hoping that I could snap that. My Snapchat is my only privacy."
"No it's not. Alya's been selling your name to people all over the world. How do you think she was able to afford the new Ladyblog update."
"I gave her a shit-ton of money..." Adrien mumbled. "Anyway, I was going to the bakery. Birthday dinner and all..." Adrien perked up and squealed. "My father is coming!" He cried, slapping Kim's arm.
"That's nice, kid. I was just going to pick up an order at the bakery!" Kim said. "I'll come with." The athlete faced Gabriel and waved. "Hello, sir!" He cried and Gabriel awkwardly waved back. He turned back to Adrien. "Cupcake texted me, she said to come through the back. She also wanted me to wait for you there, I dunno why."
"M'kay. Let's go! I am hunger." Adrien said with a grin and Kim looked at him with a glare.
"No. Don't dare go tumblr on me or I will beat you up. And you know that is not a loose threat. Remember who was the first person to threaten you when you and Cupcake started dating."
"Yeah, yeah. What's the date, again?" Adrien dismissed the glaring boy with the wave of a hand.
"It's September 8th," Kim answered and Adrien smiled. He waved his hands in a way that should have been impossible and went into a squatting postition.
"It's almost October! Time to get spoopy!" The model waved his fingers and the larger one huffed. In Adrien's squat, he was a bit unbalanced and with a kick from Kim, he fell over. Kim pressed a foot against his chest.
"As a jock, it is my duty to bully the nerds. Here I stand, doing my job. I hold no regrets." Adrien's body shook and Gabriel rushed over to comfort his son and stop the bully.
"Adrien! Are you ok-" He was cut off by Adrien's loud snort.
"Hahahahahahaha! You are hilarious, Kim. You are the nerd. And we all know that I can bench press you, I am the jockier jock. Even if I am somewhat scrawny."
"Anyway, I have food waiting for me at the bakery. Lettuce leaf." Kim said, beginning to walk. Gabriel let out a barely audible snort, but his son who has superpowers heard.
"Did you laugh at a pun, Father?" Adrien asked, a smirk on his face.
"Of course. Puns are a gift to society. The word play is absolute magic, only the wizards and witches can master it," Gabriel let a smirk of his own don his features. "One can call punning wit craft."
Adrien's jaw dropped and he grinned, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, "Father, that was beautiful."
Gabriel bowed. "I try. That Chat Noir fellow has some pawmazing puns, don't you think?" Kim groaned.
"Oh my god, now there's three of you?" The short trek to the bakery had begun again.
"What?"
"You, Adrien, and Tom. Those two tell so many puns and it gets so annoying and now there's one more? It's even worse because you're supposed to be serious."
"What gave you that impression?" Gabriel asked.
"Everything." Adrien gasped and slapped Kim's stomach with the back of his hand.
"Omg, you don't just tell people that everything about him is serious. That's like saying that everything about me is hot." Adrien backtracked. "Every physical aspect about me is hot, I didn't think that through. It's like blatantly pointing out that someone is a bad person."
"Well, it's true..." Kim mumbled.
"When I was your age, I was quite the rebel. I had multiple piercings and tattoos." Adrien gaped at his father. "Why do you think I only wear long sleeves? Anyway, I did do some drugs when I went to school in New York."
Adrien gasped this time. "Father! Why? Those are bad for your health."
"I stopped when I came back to Paris. Don't fret, Adrien." Gabriel tried to tug open the door to the bakery but failed. Kim chuckled.
"Cupcake wants us entering through the back." Kim said, walking to the back of the bakery.
"Cupcake?"
"Yep! That's what Kim calls Mari." Adrien said, rocking back and forth on his feet.
"Isn't it rude for a boy to have a nickname for another boy's girlfriend?" Gabriel asked, an eyebrow quirked. Maybe Marinette isn't the girl who my son was going to marry, after all.
"Not when it's used by the rest of the class. But only Kim and Nino say it all the time. They are practically her older brothers. When I started dating Mari, they threatened me. It was scary." Adrien banged his fist on the metal door. "Mariiiiiiiii! We're homeeeee!" He shouted, earning a loud squeak from the other side.
"Coming!" She called and the door was thrown open to reveal a frantic Marinette. She had flour all over her apron and a smear of bright green icing on her cheek. "Hi, Kimmy!" The athlete was the nearest, so she greeted him first. The small girl pulled him down and planted a kiss on his cheek, leaving a bright pink lipstick stain. "Hello, Monsieur Agreste!" Marinette gave him a quick hug, leaving the man stunned for a moment. She finally got to her boyfriend. Marinette pressed her lips to his and slid her arms around his neck and Adrien's hands gripped at her waist. The kiss became somewhat heated and after a few moments, he pulled away, resting his forehead on hers.
"Hey," Adrien said.
"Hi," Marinette replied, rubbing her nose with his.
"Oh, come on, stop being lovey-dovey and get your behinds in the damn bakery. I want my food, for god's sake." Kim complained, stomping his foot.
"Fine..." Marinette said and made a move to go back into the bakery, but a tanned hand on her wrist pulled her back.
"Wait, Mari!" Adrien said. He cupped her cheeks and pressed a small kiss to her nose. His head leaned down a bit more and swiped the icing off her cheek with his tongue. Marinette felt his hot breath on her ear. "I can't wait to eat the sweetest thing your parent's ever made. And don't forget their buns. Those are delicious." Adrien whispered, causing Marinette to go red. "And the filling that just runs from the tarts when you bite into the core is just amazing." Adrien looked to his father with a broad smile. "I know you frown upon such things, but you really need to taste their tarts! Oh my lord, they are delicious!" The four walked into the bakery, which was a pitch black.
"C'mon, Gabe. I'll get you a pastry. It's on the house."
"Oh, no thank you, Marinette." Gabriel smiled.
"Oh shush, you haven't lived live if you haven't eaten one of our pastries." Marinette smiled broader, reaching to turn on the light. When she did, however, Gabriel and Adrien did not expect what they were greeted with.
"Surprise!" A large group shouted. It was everyone from Mme. Bustier's class, including the teacher herself. There was also Sabine, Tom, Alya's mother, and Nino's parents and younger siblings. Even Nathalie was there. Nino and Alya were holding a banner that said, "Happy Birthday, Adrien!" on it.
Adrien let out a loud hiss and backed up, his hair barely spiking up in the back and his yes narrowed. He blushed, realizing what he had done. "Oh, dear me. I am sorry. That was weird." He shoved Marinette lightly. "What did I say about surprises?"
"Sorry, not sorry."
"Anyway, this was really sweet of you guys. I don't deserve this." Adrien babbled, before Lila interrupted him.
"Don't give me that crap. Even after I threatened your life-"
"When was this?" Gabriel asked, outraged.
Marinette turned to him. "A few years ago. She was akumatized and a new kid."
"You (and Marinette) made it a point to be friends with me, make me feel included. You guys went out of your way to make me feel at home. If you don't deserve anything, I am not totally gay for all the girls our age in this room."
"She has a point, Adrien," Max said, stepping forward. "We plan on having you be named the Sunshine Boy in the yearbook superlatives because you are that great."
The class hummed in agreement. "I get he can make plants grow if he tried hard enough." Alix stated. Kim rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, we know. You've tried."
"Hey. That was one time. I know never to eat Alya's special brownies ever again."
"I don't even eat the, why do you?" Alya said, throwing the pink haired girl a questioning look.
"I didn't know!"
"Whatever." The black girl turned back to her friend. "So, Adrien. Ready to party? There's gonna be an after party at Chloe's place and then she arranged for us to all have rooms in the hotel."
"Sounds great!" Adrien beamed. Before anyone could say anything else, however, Tom and Sabine, who had her hands behind her back, walked over.
"Son," Tom said, leaning down and putting his hands on Adrien's shoulder. "Tomorrow, the weather is going to be a bit bad so we won't be able to go to the park tomorrow."
Even though it seemed impossible, Adrien's smile became wider. "That's great!" He turned to his father. "We can spend the day together after all! But not the morning. We are probably gonna have breakfast as a class tomorrow morning."
"Anyway, let the party commence!" Sabine announced bringing her hands to the front. In them was a simple cake. It wasn't elegant or decorated beautifully, but only a little black cat out lined in green. It had green eyes and a little pink nose. Six silvery-white whiskers sprouted from the nose, three on each side.
"OH SHI-" Adrien cried, panicking. Before he could get away, however, Tom encased the boy and Sabine slammed the cake into his face. The cake fell from his face and right back into Sabine's hands. His blush was bright through the icing and cake. "Excuse my language. But anyway, gosh darnit. I was hoping to avoid it for a bit."
Nathalie, who was delightfully conversing with Rose and Juleka, finally noticed Gabriel. She sputtered and excused herself, making her way towards him. "Monsieur Agreste, I- ah, didn't know you were coming!" She said, panicking slightly.
"I didn't know that you were aware of this party. How long did you know?" Gabriel asked, stern.
"Only up to yesterday morning, sir." She blushed, but calmed down some.
"And why didn't you inform me."
"I thought that you would be to busy, sir."
"Regardless, you should have told me."
"...Yes, sir."
A brown hand came to rest on Gabriel's shoulder. He turned to look at Nino Lahiffe, the boy who turned into the Bubbler a few years ago because Gabriel wouldn't let his son throw a party. "Don't be so harsh on her, du- sir." With a sharp glare from the designer, Nino pulled his hand back. "I mean, can you blame her? Only recently, Adrien has been let off the leash a bit. If there was any chance of you ruining this for him, she wouldn't have wanted to take it. Plus, you've been absent in Adrien's life for a long while and Nathalie was his only sort of parental figure until Adrien met Tom and Sabine. If you would have been charged for child neglect and emotional abuse, Tom and Sabine would have already had the adoption papers out and ready to be sent to the government. The love him like a son. You've been far too absent in Adrien's life and he has a low self esteem because of it. Only recently, Adrien has been smiling 24/7 and that is because I've heard that you have been spending more time with him. It's about time it happened. Do you realize how many mental breakdowns I've shared with him because he cam home with an eighty on a test? He said that you thought that you were gonna pull him out of school. I had to beg my teacher to give us an extra credit assignment so he wouldn't have to beat himself up over the grade. He wants to be everything you want him to be and more and he's trying his best, but he always feels that his best just isn't good enough because he's always scared about what you are going to say. Adrien is like a brother to me and I hope these words hit you in the heart because you need to know that Adrien wants you in his life and that will make him happy. When my brother, or the Sunshine Boy as the class calls him, is happy, everyone is happy. Literally everyone." Nino said, serious. "I know I was a bit all over the place in my soliloquy, but you need to understand my points. Do you?"
Gabriel felt a pang in his chest. "I-Is this true?" Nino nodded, his eves still solemn. "I understand, well and clear. I also understand that you are a good friend for my son. I was wrong to forbid him from being friends with you."
Nino's face was graced with a lopsided smile and shimmering eyes. It seemed a lot more fitting. "That's good because I always go to your house anyway. I don't listen to the rules. I'm what the kids call," he whipped of his glasses and pointed finger-guns at Gabriel, walking backwards, "awesome."
Alya snorted. "Stop trying to act cool and get your black ass over here." Nino groaned and turned in her direction.
"Yes, babe," he said and trudged over to her.
From that point to his death, Gabriel was much more evident in Adrien's life
so adrien's fear of disappointing his father is something that we share so... heh. nino's soliloquy is totally based off of my experiences.
i'm so proud of nino's soliloquy like you guys don't even understand.
so that's that.
ok and also.
i don't intend on continuing after this so yeah
see you on the flip side.