Hello, lovely readers! Here is Part 10 of our Adrienette fluff-saga. Enjoy!

Anyway, I am still beyond grateful for all of the comments and kudos. You all are AMAZING! Thank you for continuing to fuel my need to write.
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I'm still cross-posting this on AO3 and on Tumblr.

Tumblr: gryffindorcls (I will be posting my fics to the "Princess In Training" blog)

AO3: clslovegood47
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I own nothing but the plot.

Gabriel Agreste does not consider himself a total monster. Does he terrorize Paris on a near daily basis to steal jewelry from a couple of teenagers? Technically, yes. Does he feel that his actions are wrong? No, definitely not. To him, he is simply a man who would do anything to make his family complete again.

He recognizes that he is not the most affectionate father he could be, but he still loves his son. Gabriel simply likes the feeling of being in control. That's why he started his own company. That's why he raised Adrien the way he did. That's why he's completely okay with akumatizing unsuspecting victims for his own personal gain.

Emilie's illness thrust his life into chaos. He made a promise to bring her back, and becoming Hawkmoth had been his only way to take control of the situation.

When he was notified of the existence of a picture with Adrien and the Dupain-Cheng girl together, he felt some of his control slip away. His son was an emotional boy whose feelings ran deep. He knew first hand how quickly his son formed attachments and how unpredictable he became when those attachments were threatened.

While his son was typically obedient, polite, and refined, Adrien had recently developed a penchant for rebelling against orders. A girl would make this a thousand times worse. Gabriel knew that he had to find a way to regain control of this situation.

Gabriel looked at the Instagram photo a second time. The girl looked familiar. He then remembered that this was the girl who won a hat contest at some point. Apparently, she wanted to be a designer. Adrien could have done worse.

He sighed and massaged his temples with the tips of his fingers. He needed a plan.

"If only there was a way to make this benefit our family professionally," Gabriel noted mentally.

There was a knock at his office door.

"Yes," he called across the room.

Nathalie came in and stood at attention in the entranceway.

"Sir," she began, "the photographer from today's photo shoot is here."

"Good. Thank you, Nathalie. Please send him in."

She didn't turn to leave.

"Is there something else?" Gabriel asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, sir," she said with the faintest hint of hesitation, "Mademoiselle Noelle Dusseau is also here. She would like to speak to you, as well."

"Fine. Send them both in."

Gabriel watched the door as his employees walked into the room.

"Monsieur Agreste," Noelle exclaimed loudly, sauntering up to the edge of his desk, "we need to have a conversation about Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

When the car pulled through the gates of the Agreste Mansion, Adrien's heart quickened. He thanked his driver and walked towards Nathalie who was standing on the steps awaiting his arrival. His mouth went dry.

"Good evening, Adrien," she greeted him cooly, "Instead of meeting in his office, your father will be joining you for dinner. He's waiting for you in the dining hall."

"Thank you, Nathalie," he responded without meeting her eyes.

As Adrien walked up the stairs, Nathalie reached out, touched his shoulder, and gave him a faint, yet comforting smile.

"Maybe everything is okay, after all!" Adrien thought to himself.

He continued through the foyer and into the dining hall. Gabriel sat silently at the other end of the table. He was looking at the contents of a manila envelope, and his eyes did not move to look up as his son entered the room.

"Hello, father," Adrien said politely.

"Please take a seat, son," Gabriel greeted without emotion.

Adrien took his seat at the opposite end of the table and moved his napkin to his lap.

The two sat in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes before Gabriel spoke. "Today, I not only had Mademoiselle Dusseau in my office but the photographer from the shoot, as well. They both came in to talk to me about a certain Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng who made quite an impression."

"I'm sorry, father. It's my fault. I was distracted during the photo shoot, and Noelle was there... and I…" Adrien's father held up a hand, cutting him off.

Gabriel held up a stack of photographs. "Adrien, I received the proofs from today's shoot, and it is the best work I've seen from you in over a year."

"Oh?" Adrien cast his father a worried look.

"You look youthful, poised, and…" Gabriel uncharacteristically sighed, "you look happy, son."

Adrien's brain felt a rush of emotions before settling on confusion. "I…uhm...thank…you?"

Gabriel slipped the pictures back into the envelope before continuing, "I apologize if I ever made it seem like I didn't care about your happiness. Everything I have done is for you...for us."

The emphasis on his last statement made Adrien feel as if there was a greater meaning to his father's words. Gabriel was always secretive, so he pushed the thought from his mind. He needed to focus on convincing his father to approve of his relationship with Marinette.

Gabriel spoke again. "You have so much of your mother in you that sometimes I forget about the traits that you inherited from me."

"What do you mean, father?" Adrien asked hesitantly.

"The Agreste men seem to be cut from the same cloth when it comes to protecting the ones we love."

"We are?"

"It appears that you care for Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng quite a bit. She also managed to impress both today's photographer and Noelle in the short time she was with you on set. First, Noelle informed me that she was a talented young designer. Then, the photographer begged me to invite her to another shoot."

"Wow...really?"

"As you know tomorrow you are required to attend the Investor's Gala for the Gabriel brand. In the morning, you will bring Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng here to pick out a formal dress from my summer collection. She will then accompany you to the event."

Adrien was floored. "Thank you, father! I will let her know."

Gabriel peered at his son over the top of his glasses. "However, understand this...the only reason she has been given this opportunity is because of Noelle's recommendation. I agreed with her assessment of your girlfriend's skills. Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng is young, but she has potential. She must continue to uphold herself with decorum if you wish for this relationship between the two of you to continue."

"Yes, father."

"I expect you to make smart choices, as well. This is not to get in the way of any of your obligations or scheduled activities. You are to maintain a positive public persona, and there can be no scandals. Do I make myself clear?"

Adrien looked down at his dinner plate. "Yes, father. I understand."

"Good." Gabriel nodded his head and began to eat his dinner.

"Father?" Adrien asked tentatively.

Gabriel looked up from his food, put down his fork, and motioned for him to continue.

Adrien gulped. "I know you usually don't approve of me having friends over, but do you think it would be okay if Marinette came over more than just tomorrow morning?"

His father pursed his lips and waited a moment before responding. "Before I can answer that, I would like the opportunity to speak to her first. Invite her over for brunch tomorrow, as well. We can eat together before she looks at dresses."

Adrien couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he only had one question on his mind. "What is happening right now?"

Chat Noir used his baton to jump across Paris at top speed. He was eager to reach his destination. His Princess was waiting for him.

He gently touched down on the familiar balcony and was greeted by an outpouring of golden light shining through the windowed hatch. It was an inviting beacon that provided a warm contrast against the chill of the dark Parisian night.

Chat eagerly tapped against the glass. Shortly after, a hand pressed against the pane and pushed up the hatch. Marinette's head popped up through the opening.

"Oh, look," Marinette commented sarcastically, "it's a cat. Hmmm...should I let him come inside?"

"Well," Chat said, leaning in towards Marinette's face, "a certain blond model relayed a message to this cat earlier today. Apparently, it was from a beautiful princess who lived here. I'm here with my response."

Marinette broke out in a fit of hysterical laughter.

He looked confused. "What?"

She wiped away a stray tear that had fallen. "My mental image of Adrien relaying my message to Chat Noir is of you kissing yourself in the mirror. Knowing you and your ridiculousness, I wouldn't put it past you."

"And by ridiculousness you mean paw-someness, right?"

Marinette lovingly touched his cheek. "My sweet, amazing dork. Get your cute butt in here."

"Oh, so you think my butt is cu…" Chat was cut off by Marinette grabbing him and yanking him through the hatch. He plopped onto her bed with a soft thud.

"Come here, Chaton." She grabbed his bell and tugged him closer. He shot her a lovesick grin, and Mariette pressed her lips on his. His claws carefully raked through her hair as they deepened the kiss. Her arms eventually wrapped around his torso.

"You know," he said breathlessly as he pulled away from her face, "I'm dating Ladybug now. I don't know if she would appreciate me making out with a beautiful princess...even if that princess is you."

Marinette pressed her lips together and hummed. "That's okay. Something tells me she won't mind. Besides, I'm dating Adrien Agreste. Actually, I was expecting him tonight. Have you seen him anywhere?"

Chat detransformed, letting the electric green light envelop his body until a smiling Adrien was left in his stead. Plagg quickly zipped away to go be with Tikki.

"There he is," Marinette mused.

Adrien leaned in further. "Here I am."

Their lips locked for a second time. They kissed until their need for air overpowered their desire for closeness. The pair continued holding each other while Adrien proceeded to pepper his girlfriend's face with a dozen tiny pecks, rendering her into a fit of giggles.

"Your laugh is like a symphony," he whispered into her ear.

"You, Adrien Agreste, are a flirt," she said while lightly pushing on the top of his nose, "I thought Chat Noir was bad, but you have exceeded my expectations."

"You love it."

"I love you. All of you...cheesy jokes and all."

He rested his forehead on hers. "God, I love you so much."

Marinette closed her eyes and sighed happily.

"Also," Adrien wiggled his eyebrows, "it's good to know you like my 'cute butt'."

She moved away and smacked his arm in feigned annoyance.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, raising his hands in surrender, "Your words, not mine!"

Marinette gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Hush now."

"Your wish is my command, my lady."

"Now, how did the conversation with your dad go?"

Adrien perked up and took her hands in his. "Oh, yeah! Uhm...it was...interesting."

"Okay," Marinette met his eyes, "what does that mean?"

"Well, it seems that you really made an impression on Noelle today."

"Oh, no…"

"No, no, no! It's not a bad thing. It's actually...surprisingly...a really, really good thing. Turns out that my father respects Noelle's professional opinion, and she wants to work with you."

"She does? But the Gabriel internship program is only open to university students."

"Yes, but apparently you have inspired Noelle to reach out to younger students who are interested in design. I have no idea what it would entail, but she likes you."

"Wow."

"Look, as much of a butt-nugget my father tends to be sometimes, he takes great pride in his professional persona. So, if he can find something that makes him look good as a designer, then he's usually on board with it. He respects talent and demands the best. He's a nightmare, but he knows how to boost people's careers when he feels they deserve it. However, it's strange. I haven't seen him like this since my mom...well...you know. He typically holes himself up in his office and shuts out the world. It's honestly refreshing to see him take an interest in something new."

"That's incredible, Adrien, but...did you just call Gabriel Agreste a butt-nugget?"

Plagg flew over from across the room and hovered next to his chosen. "Trust me, bug. He's being kind with that designation. You should hear what we call him at home. My personal favorite one is…"

Adrien cut him off. "AND that's enough of that. Thank you, Plagg."

"If you give me the cheese in your pocket, I'll go away."

"Ugh...fine."

Adrien tossed the camembert to his Kwami who happily snatched it out of the air and unceremoniously shoved the entire piece into his mouth. Plagg then cackled and flew back to his hiding place.

"Anyway," Adrien continued, "you know that stuffy dinner thing I have to go to tomorrow? Well, you've been invited to be my date for it. Only if you agree, of course! No pressure if you don't want to, but the offer is there."

Her breath hitched, and she stared blankly at her boyfriend.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked worriedly.

"Oh. My. God. I've been invited to the Gabriel Summer Investor's Gala! Are you kidding me?!" she exclaimed while running her fingers frantically through her hair.

"It's okay if you don't want to go."

"Don't want to go? You're joking, right? Do you know what kind of opportunity this is? It's a dream come true! Ohmygod! What am I going to wear? I have nothing appropriate for something like that!"

"If you decide to come, my father will be taking care of that."

"What do you mean?"

"As a model for the company, I will be expected to wear a piece from this summer's formal collection. If you accompany me, he would like us to be a matching pair. He wants you to come over and pick something out tomorrow morning."

"I get to wear a Gabriel original?"

Adrien scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah."

Marinette launched into a hug. "Oh my God! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Plagg chimed in from an undisclosed location in the room. "But wait there's more!"

Adrien growled. "Plagg!"

Marinette moved her hands back to hair. "There's more?"

"Yeah," Adrien cleared his throat, "uhm...my dad wants to get to know you better, so he has requested that the three of us eat brunch together before you look at dresses."

"What is happening right now?" she whispered.

Adrien laughed. "That's exactly what I thought when he told me!"

Marinette grabbed his shoulders. "This is incredible. I think I'm going to pass out, no...that's too dramatic. I'll be fine. No, I won't. I have so many feelings right now! Gabriel Agreste may not be a great father, but I still look up to him as a designer. What if I mess up? What if I trip and ruin something? Then he'll hate me."

He took her hands and soothingly stroked her knuckles with his thumbs. "It's okay, Marinette. I'll be with you the whole time. Also, you're Ladybug. You are one of the strongest, most confident people I know. You're amazing."

Marinette smiled momentarily before a look of sheer panic overtook her features.

She scrambled off her bed, down the ladder, and over to her closet. "What am I going to wear to brunch?!"