So this is a two shot following my current trend of Gabriel Matchmaker fics. This might be the last of this trend you'll get for awhile since my next published fic will be... A bit different. That will not be posted until A Convoluted Matter is finished however. The rating of this fic is for language and implied situations, but nothing explicit will be described.=^-^=
Anyway, for this story we have Adrien at 24, graduated with a degree in business management and staying at home while his apartment is renovated. His father choses this time to drop a real bomb on him, and this spiral out of control from there. So fun.=^-^=
Ch. 1 - Desperate Times
"Engaged? You want me to get engaged?" Adrien sputtered after nearly choking on his dinner.
Gabriel frowned at his manners. "Yes, Adrien." He motioned for Nathalie to hand him the folder. "I've already compiled several suitable ladies for you to choose from."
"But father!"
Gabriel gave him a hard look as if daring to challenge. "But what, Adrien? You're 24 years old, and its time you invested in your future. I very well can't give my company to you if you don't plan to build on it."
"But still… I mean, I only graduated a few months ago, father, I'm still getting myself situated."
"A few months isn't long enough? Adrien, you already know you're taking over the company and, you already have the ability to do so. I'm merely initiating the natural next step. If I cannot count on you to think progressively then I'll have to reconsider who my heir will be." The blonde's jaw dropped. He'd already resigned himself to be stuck running the company, his degree was in business management, and he hadn't even bothered to make company connections since he knew he would be safely employed when he graduated. If his father dismissed him now, where was he going to find a job?! He didn't have a single clue how to start searching and since he'd cut down modeling while in school he didn't have a whole lot left to live on if he didn't have a job! "Honestly, Adrien, I didn't want to do this. I expected you to have a girlfriend by now." Adrien glared. Like hell he was going to have one with his father's picky standards and constant work load. "Certainly, if you had a girlfriend I wouldn't need to go this far, but considering you do-"
"Wait father I… I do…" Adrien suddenly blurted out hoping it didn't bite him in the butt later. "I have a girlfriend."
Gabriel raised a disbelieving brow. Certainly he would know about this girl if that were the case. "Do you now?"
"Yes, um… I've been keeping her a secret. I wasn't sure you would approve and… I really like her so…" He trailed off not knowing how much detail to put in.
Gabriel gave a strange sort of smile as he laced his fingers together. "Of course, I only want what is best for you, son, but I also trust your judgment in people. Certainly any girl you chose would be sufficient for me. She would be your future wife, not mine." He explained with his tremendous self control keeping him from calling him out on the obvious lie. "But, I must meet her."
"Uh sure, I'll see if she's free and maybe we can have diner in a few-"
"Tomorrow." Gabriel interrupted as he took a drink of his wine.
"Huh?"
"You will bring her to dinner tomorrow." He restated more clearly.
"Tomorrow? That soon? I don't know-"
"It will be tomorrow. Certainly any woman you date knows that I have standards, Adrien. If she's busy simply tell her my blessing is completely dependent on her coming to dinner tomorrow to formally meet me. Baring hospitalization I can't see a reason she couldn't."
Adrien wracked his brain for an excuse he could give, or some solution. "Well, she…. Um… I'll ask?" Gabriel raised a brow. "I mean, of course she'll come." He forced a smile and Gabriel nodded.
"Good. I look forward to meeting her." He then silently went back to eating while Adrien's appetite all but dried up.
After excusing himself, Adrien dashed up to his room to hopefully come up with who he could possibly ask to pretend to be his girlfriend. He knew his father didn't believe him, and wouldn't take no for an answer. "Maybe I could say she was hospitalized while out of the country?" On a sudden trip she didn't bother to mention to her boyfriend, yeah right. "Chloe?... No." He quickly dismissed thinking about how clingy she used to be. She was peaceable now, and he didn't want to give her the wrong idea. "Maybe Kagami? I mean we dated before, but… Hold on…" He was almost positive she'd gotten a boyfriend recently. He remembered her dropping hints last time they saw each other at an event, and hoping to keep her mother in the dark. "Shit… I don't know many girls well enough to ask them that…" He groaned thinking of half a dozen from his university classes he barely spoke to. He then picked up his phone and started going through his contacts. Alya was Nino's fiancé, Alix? Geez, he hadn't spoken to her since college. "Taken… Don't really know her… Married with kids…"
He spent a few minutes like that before hearing a knock on his door. "Adrien?"
"Yes, Nathalie."
The woman entered with a box and a manila folder. "Your father wanted me to bring this to you just in case your girlfriend didn't 'work out' she stated with emphasis. I also brought you some more of those passion fruit macaroons." She whispered at the end and set the box down on his desk. She gave him a knowing smile before leaving him back to his girl search.
"So your old man is trying to find you a girl huh?" Plagg chuckled. "I guess he was tired of you holding out for Ladybug."
"My father doesn't know I like Ladybug thank you." Adrien snapped back at the irritating kwami.
"Sure, but you have been holding out, and now what happens?"
"Aren't you usually on my side when it comes to my dad?"
"Yeah, but you've been torturing me for years about Ladybug." He countered with a smirk. "I'm just gonna enjoy this for a bit."
Adrien rolled his eyes and took a macaroon to ease his stress. He loved these macaroons, and Nathalie was awesome for always knowing when he needed them and helping him get them. She'd been especially good in the last few months to always keep a small supply at the ready for him. "These are just what I needed." He groaned as he enjoyed one and sat in his desk chair. "And they're fresh too." He noted after finishing his first one. That's when he noticed the bakery emblem. "Man, when was the last time I swung by the bakery?" He'd leap around the night and loiter for the smell alone at times.
"Probably around the time pigtails moved out." Plagg noted aloud as he started digging through his cheese stash nearby.
Adrien was biting into another cookie when who Plagg mentioned hit him. "Marinette! She would be perfect! She's beautiful, kind, and would definitely be able to help me out." Though it had been a long while since they'd actually socialized. She would come to things when a group met up and he would see her, but that was about it. He probably didn't spend any one on one time with her since lycee, but she still seemed like the same sweet Marinette he knew before. Marinette was always ready to help a friend in need! It sounded like such a good idea, he didn't even let the obvious issues cross his mind. "Plagg, claws out!"
Marinette's eyes were wide as she opened the door to find none other than Adrien Agreste out of breath and under dressed for the cold weather. "Marinette…. Hey… It's been awhile…. Hasn't it?" She nodded silently unable to say anything out of shock. "Okay… This is going to sound odd, but I really need a favor, and you're the first person I could think that might do it." He clasped his hands together in a begging position. "Please come to my house for dinner tomorrow and pretend to be my girlfriend of six months." Okay, maybe instead of sprinting here as Chat Noir he could have spent more time thinking on his delivery, but desperation can cloud the mind. "I know this is sudden, but I really need help here." He emphasized at her silent stare. She hadn't said anything, and he was also sure she hadn't blinked yet either. "Marinette?"
He waved a hand in her line of sight which made her jump back. "A-adrien!? I uh… I…." She placed a hand on her chest and stepped aside. "I'm sorry, come in. You don't need to stand out in the cold." The blonde furrowed his brow but walked in. Maybe she wanted to talk about it? She could have just said no, if she intended to refuse out right. She led him up to the main floor where he took a seat at the table. She had apparently just finished having dinner herself. He waited as she went over to the stove and picked up a pot. "I was just making myself some hot chocolate, would you like some?" She asked without turning around. She needed to steel her expression before she did that.
"Sure, if you already made enough." She took a few minutes and walked over with two steaming mugs. "Smells good..." He commented not knowing what else to say about it.
"Yeah…" She took a sip and flinched at the temperature. "He he… Still hot…" She blushed and set her cup down. "So… Could you…" She gestured with her hand. "Maybe run that by me again? Slowly?"
Adrien blushed and rubbed his thumb over the cup handle nervously. "I uh… Well, I need a girl to pretend to be my girlfriend and come to dinner at my house tomorrow." He explained again.
"Okay… and you said I was the first one you could think of?" She recalled with a harsh blush.
"Well… Oh crap, you're not dating anyone already are you?" Why didn't that occur to him!? Of course Marinette would already be taken! She's beautiful, and talented and-
"No, actually." She admitted with a flustered tone.
"Y-you're not… Oh… Good. I mean, for the circumstances… If you'll help me that is." He finished hoping he didn't come across as rude.
"Well, not that I'm saying no, but maybe you could explain a little more? This is kind of out of the blue, Adrien." It would also give her brain time to process that she could be Adrien's girlfriend! Sure it was pretend, but it was closer than she'd ever gotten before. She'd basically given up on him at this point, though, she hadn't come across any other guys she really liked either.
"Oh, that makes sense. Um… Well, it was kind of sudden for me too. You see, my dad decided to help me get my life in order, and that basically meant he was ordering me to get engaged. He announced it today… actually an hour ago over dinner."
Marinette nearly dropped her cup at the news. "You're joking? You're an adult aren't you? He can't just order you to get married."
Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I know, but he also made it pretty clear he wouldn't give me the company if I didn't get engaged. I mean, I could get by with a little more time. I have a business degree and could find a job, but I spent all my time in university on the assumption that I would be working for my father so… yeah…"
"I imagine you just skipped over those internship opportunities and job fairs?" She finished for him. Those were what she did with most of her free time in the last few semesters.
He nodded and leaned on his arm. "Plus, I didn't do a whole lot of modeling in university so I don't have very much saved up left."
"Nino mentioned you had an expensive apartment so I imagine expenses are an issue." She reasoned.
"Like I had much choice to move out? My father wouldn't agree unless it had good security and he even hired an inspector to check it before I moved in. It's like he thinks I'm going to pick a place that's gonna collapse."
"Or he's extremely over protective and kind of a helicopter dad."
"A what?"
Marinette giggled. "A dad that hovers nearby and is worried over every little thing their kid does."
Adrien pointed with a grin. "That, my dad is that." He agreed. "Anyway, my only out in the demand was if I had a girlfriend so… I may have told him I had a secret girlfriend."
"And then he told you to bring her to dinner tomorrow night or else?" She deduced from there.
"Yup." He confirmed as he blew on his cup and finally took a sip.
"Well… I know you don't want to hear this, but I doubt a helicopter dad like him will be fooled with a secret girlfriend, Adrien."
He nodded. "I know, but he had a whole file of girls ready for me to pick from. If I don't at least try something I'll be married before Christmas!" He bemoaned with his fingers gripping at his hair.
Marinette reached over to pat his free hand. "Calm down, it's probably not as bad as all that." She then suddenly retracted her hand realizing it was a bold gesture. Adrien was more curious as to why she jerked her hand away so suddenly. It was comforting since he didn't usually have someone to be that close with. He wouldn't expect that from his guy friends, and it wasn't like he spent time with girls very often. "Maybe we could explain it together? He'd be more likely to listen if you had back up right? I could be your support." Inner Marinette was yelling at herself for not jumping at the opportunity to fake date him or otherwise.
"Well… It's not that I doubt you wouldn't be convincing, but my father is… stubborn."
The young designer giggled. "I know what you mean. My maman is pretty stubborn like that too. Right after I graduated she started asking me about any guys I was dating and how I needed to find a husband." A typical Chinese (Or any) mother really. "She hasn't really done it in the last few months, but I imagine she's biding her time and waiting to bring a friend's son home to 'meet me'." She finished with air quotes.
Adrien laughed at that seeing how similar the situation was. "Your mom is nicer about it at least. My dad lives for ultimatums." Yes Gabriel Agreste was never one to mince words. "By the way, where are your parents? The bakery is closed isn't it?" Adrien asked now that it came to mind.
"Oh, my father is at the hospital. You see he hurt his knee a few months ago, and he does physical therapy at night a few times a week."
"Is he doing okay?" He asked at the worrying news.
Marinette nodded with a smile. "Yes, he's doing fine. It was just some damage to the tendons, but nothing too serious. It's mostly my father's size that's the problem. He's not fat, but still a big guy, you know? My maman wants to make sure he's fully recovered before he does serious bakery work again or he'll only make it worse. I actually moved back here to help out after I graduated."
"Oh, well I'm glad he's doing well. Tom was always a nice guy."
"He still is." She beamed back. "Just not as young as he used to be." She took another sip of her chocolate.
"Maybe that's why my father's so insistent." Adrien mused as he too took a sip.
"It's possible. He might be, in his own way, trying to make sure you're happy before letting you go."
"His way stinks." The model decreed and let out a sigh.
Marinette gave him an understanding expression and nodded. "Alright, I'll help you out. I see there really isn't much else you can do to avoid getting engaged to a stranger, so I'll pretend to be your girlfriend for the night."
Adrien quickly snatched her hand from across the table. "You will? Thank you, Marinette! So much!" His eyes were just so happy she couldn't possibly resist them.
"It's fine. I'm sure we can work through it for one night. That will at least give you more time to work out a permanent solution."
He nodded back. "Definitely." He agreed with a chuckle. There was a silence that followed which made things a little awkward. "So… It really has been awhile, huh?" He reached.
"A bit. I think the last time I saw you was at Alya's engagement party."
"Yeah… Oh, you were wearing a red dress that night weren't you?" He asked suddenly recalling it. She nodded with a blush. "You should wear it tomorrow. I'm sure it'll be more convincing if you dress to impress." And that dress would certainly do it. He only regretted not being able to see more of it since he had to leave the party early.
"So, you think it looked good?" She asked with a fluster in her tone.
"Definitely. I give it a 10." He praised imagining it on her now. "Hey, that would be a great cover. We could say we reconnected at that party. It was a few months ago right?"
She nodded. "Right after graduation. Actually, that was the reason I moved back home at first. Alya and Nino found an apartment together. I just decided to stay here to help when my dad got hurt."
"Right, you were sharing a place." Adrien recalled. "But wait… You went to school for design right? Didn't you get any job offers?"
She nodded. "A few, but like I said, I was helping my mom. A few of the companies were pretty interested in my portfolio so I plan to reach back out to them soon since my dad is doing well, and my mom already brought in a few new people." A ping brought Marinette's attention to her phone. "Oh, they're on their way back home now."
"Oh, then I should probably go." Adrien decided as he stood up.
"You don't have too." She insisted but he shook his head and finished off his drink.
"Yeah, but I kind of snuck out so I don't want anyone else to know I was here tonight." He checked his own phone. "So… How about I text you tomorrow with the details?"
She nodded. "Sure, I'll keep my phone handy." She held up her phone to show him and smiled.
"Cool… Um, good night." He said with a wave as he headed for the door.
"Good night, and don't get caught sneaking back." She teased.
Arien rolled his eyes. "Purr-lease. I'm a master at sneaking." He countered and started down the steps.
Marinette stood frozen in the doorway. "Was that a… Cat pun?" It had her silly, and she will admit very attractive, partner flashing in her mind. "No, that's crazy." She dismissed before closing the door and going back for another cup of hot chocolate.
"What did you say her name was again, Adrien?" Gabriel asked as his son straightened his bow tie. He was happy his son was actually going the extra mile for formal wear, though he still didn't seem to notice the mismatched bow with his suit. It was taking all he had not to correct him.
"Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng."
"Oh, I think that name sounds familiar."
"She went to school with me through College and Lycee, father." Adrien informed with a strained smile. He knew his father was on to him.
"Ah, yes. Her."
"Adrien, your girlfriend has arrived." Nathalie informed to the two men waiting in the dining room.
"Oh then I'll-"
Gabriel held up a hand. "Please show her in, Nathalie. Take your seat, Adrien." He instructed calmly but without room to question. Gabriel waited patiently while Adrien began to sweat bullets. He was starting to feel like this was going to end badly. His father might take drastic measures if he can prove he was being lied to. Crap… What would he do then? "Ah, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, or can I call you Marinette? I appreciate you coming to dinner with us so short notice." Gabriel greeted in his finest gentlemanly tone. It was very rare for him to use it, and it was very… foreign to anyone who knew Gabriel well.
Adrien looked over to see her and swore his heart stopped. She looked even more beautiful in that red dress then he remembered. And she had her hair down! When did it get so long? "Come now, Adrien, you could at least compliment her dress. Don't just stand there gawking." Gabriel scolded at his son's poor manners.
"Oh uh… It's just…" He chuckled sheepishly and felt his face flush. "You look so amazing in that dress and I… I just couldn't find the words at first." He saw her face flush and noted it went down her neck. It was kind of cute.
"Th-thank you… You look good too." She placed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Adrien stood to pull out her seat and she sat down.
"Good, now do you prefer red or white wine?" The father asked ready to order that exact kind.
"Oh… Red if it's not too much trouble."
"Not at all." He snapped his fingers and one of his kitchen staff appeared with a bottle and three glasses.
"The first course shall be served shortly, sir." He stated before filling each of their glasses before them and heading back to the kitchen.
"Now then, since Adrien has been keeping you such a secret, I know very little about you. I think you were an aspiring designer in college, correct?" Gabriel asked to start things off.
"Oh yes, I actually finished my design degree a few months ago."
"Did you now? And what fashion house do you work for now?"
Marinette blushed and felt a bit small as she admitted she wasn't. "I uh… I'm not working at any of them right now, actually."
That had Gabriel looking surprised so Adrien swooped in. "Her father hurt his knee and she had to help out at home. It wasn't like she didn't get any offers." He explained.
"Right, I was actually planning to reach back out to a few of them since my father is doing better."
"That's taking quite the risk, don't you think? Most of the best fashion houses don't like to be kept waiting." The designer informed with a calculating tone. "But that confidence must come from somewhere. When you're ready, bring your portfolio to me. I'll look it over personally, Marinette. I just happen to have a junior design position available."
Marinette, who was unfortunately taking a drink, nearly choked at the opportunity. "W-what?!"
"Father?" Adrien asked looking equally surprised.
"Well, now Adrien, why so surprised? She's your girlfriend after all, and I'm always looking for talent." He explained as if it were natural. Before any more could be said the first course was brought out for dinner to begin.
"Adrien… Your father just offered me what's basically been my dream job since college." Marinette whispered to Adrien with disbelieve still in her tone.
"Well… He takes his company seriously, so he must be serious about it. Take it as a consolation for going along with this." He whispered back.
"But… If we suddenly stop dating will he fire me?" She looked worried as she asked.
"… I doubt it?" He questioned back. He wasn't very sure either when it came to his father. He very well could fire her if he found out she helped lie to him.
"Adrien, I shouldn't have to remind you it's rude to whisper at the table." Gabriel scolded as he started on his soup.
"Oh, apologies, father. Marinette was just… really surprised by your offer."
The man chuckled. "Just think of it as a perk for dating my son, Marinette. After all, if you only wanted his fame, you would not have kept your relationship such a secret." He reasoned and both Adrien and Marinette chuckled tensely. "Adrien mentioned in passing how you two started dating after a party?" Gabriel began again to pry more information.
"Right, Alya and Nino's engagement party. Funny enough, I'm going to be the maid of honor for their wedding and Adrien's the best man." Marinette explained and then took a bite of her soup.
"Quite the coincidence there." The man mused.
"Oh, Marinette, did you see that post Nino made earlier today? Alya picked a venue."
"I know, and she's been driving me crazy about it. You know she used to walk right into my room at god knows what time in the morning with sudden random thoughts for her wedding? This was before he even proposed." Marinette mused though it was tiresome too. "Now she's probably torturing Nino the same way."
"I can picture that." Adrien laughed. "I guess if there's any advantage to living at home it's that."
"So you're living back with your parents, Marinette?" Gabriel inquired in slight curiosity.
"Yes, Alya and I used to share an apartment before they got engaged. I was only going to live at home until I found another place, but I ended up staying longer to help out in the bakery."
"So am I to understand you'll now be looking for a new apartment?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I've already started looking around. The market's been getting a little pricy recently so-"
"Did you hear that, Adrien? Now would be the perfect time for you to ask her to move in with you."
Adrien dropped his spoon and immediately began coughing on the soup he'd inhaled in shock. "Fa-ather!"
"Calm your breathing, Adrien." Marinette instructed as she stood to pat his back.
"I'm… fine… Marinette." He cleared his throat and she sat back down. "And, father, that is… That's a pretty big step don't you think? I mean we've only been dating a few months."
Gabriel waved it off. "Plenty long enough by today's standards, Adrien."
"Well, Mr. Agreste, while that offer would be great, I also think my parents would be worried by how sudden it was."
"Not a problem, Marinette. I'll have Nathalie send a copy of the floor plan and address. Once they see the security and amenities, I'm sure they'll give their blessings."
Marinette shot Adrien a worried look. "My mom will be pushing me out the door…" She whispered as discreetly as she could.
The rest of dinner went about the same with Gabriel bringing up topics and then strong arming one aspect of their relationship further. Marinette was now expected to accompany Adrien to a party next week for Dior, Adrien was expected to bring her with him on his business trip next month which had allocated down time, and the icing on the cake? The storm that started during dinner was bad enough that Mr. Agreste justified having Marinette stay the night instead of going out in it. "I can't in good conscious let you leave in that mess. Please stay the night." He insisted as she looked out at the thick rain with rumbles of thunder echoing through.
"I suppose that should be fine." She agreed with an uneasy tone. With all that she'd been hit with so far, she was obviously worried.
"Completely. Adrien?" He called turning to his son who was finishing his glass of wine.
God he needed a drink. "Yes, father?"
"Show Marinette up to your room."
Adrien knocked his empty glass over in a rush and turned on his heel in shock. "Father, maybe Marinette would be better in a guest room? It is rather sudden don't you think?"
"Apologies, Adrien, but none of the guest rooms are prepared and honestly, I'm not some prude. I have no problems with you sharing your bed with your girlfriend. It's plenty big enough." He assured with a near smile. "Now run along. I'll have some pajamas brought up for Ms. Marinette soon."
With tired sighs the couple entered the enormous room together and shut the door behind. Adrien collapsed face first on his bed while Marinette sat on the couch to be rid of her heels. "Adrien, has anyone ever told you your father's a force of nature?" He gave a muffled groan in response. "My maman is like a tree root slowly splitting concrete and your father is like a hurricane. I think they'd get along pretty well." Though her dry laugh had no true amusement.
"I think I'd rather deal with a tree root." He responded with his head to the side.
"You need to meet the tree root first, Adrien. You might change your mind then." It was the very fact her mother was so soft and nice about things that made it hard to deny her. "Anyway… I think we are sufficiently trapped now."
"Yup." Adrien agreed. "I'm sorry, Marinette."
"No… I didn't exactly help things. It was like he planned for every response I made." She mused with a laugh.
"My father is good at getting what he wants, Marinette."
"Yes he is. Case point, us." She let out with a sigh. "Though I suppose it's not a terrible situation if I'm being honest."
"You think so?" Adrien asked while sitting up in more interest.
"Yeah, I mean he can give me a job, and since I know my maman's going to basically force me to move in with you I won't have to fret too much over rent, and those were basically my biggest worries at the moment."
"Oh…" He couldn't help feeling just a little disappointed for some reason.
"Besides, I get to reconnect with an old friend. I bet we could really get to planning the bachelor and bachelorette parties together."
Adrien chuckled with a minor blush. "Yeah, Kim's been bugging me about that too." Marinette was trying to think of it like when she was living with Alya. Meanwhile Adrien had never lived with anyone but his family. He was honestly wondering what it will be like. "So uh… I guess we'll be doing the dating act for a little while, huh?"
She shrugged back but he saw a blush. "I… guess? Unless you don't want to?"
"N-no, it's totally fine with me." Adrien immediately confirmed. "I have no problems with it." Especially since Ladybug was still not willing to take his advances what with Hawk Moth still out there.
"Adrien?" They both heard with a knock.
"Yes, Nathalie?" He got up and answered the door.
"Here are the clothes for Marinette as well as… Extra coverage for you." She handed him the clothes with a box on top.
"Thanks… Nathalie." He finished sounding utterly defeated and shut the door. "Seriously? That's where he's decided to draw a line?"
"What's wrong, Adrien?" The worry came from his face but also in that Gabriel could've made some new suggestion/ demand.
"Um…" He hesitated with a crimson blush. "Aww, hell, my father sent us a gift with your pajamas for the night." He brought it over and set them in her lap.
She lifted the box and nearly jumped when she realized it was a box of condoms. "Eep!... Um Adrien… You father…. He gave us a box of condoms…"
"Yeah… I think he has expectations." The model proposed with a blush of his own.
"Wait, do you expect us to…" She trailed off looking at the bed and Adrien followed her gaze.
"What? No! No, I'm not saying we need to. I was just saying my father probably expects it. Force of nature, remember? I'm fine with the couch and you can take the bed."
Marinette raised a brow and looked over the couch she sat on. "Adrien, this couch is too small for me to sleep on comfortably." She pointed out.
"I'll make it work." He looked slightly confident but more uneasy.
Marinette stood up with a sigh. "Look, Adrien, your father was right about one thing. Your bed is plenty big enough. Let's just sleep on either side and we should be fine."
The blonde scratched his head and thought it over. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Plus if Nathalie came in early without warning she'd probably find me sleeping on the couch suspicious." He gave her a smile and she returned it.
"See, nothing to this force of nature… Well, in this case there's a loop hole." She added with a giggle.
"Yup, and I don't know about you, but I'm not tired yet. You still like to play games?"
She gave him a competitive grin. "I still like to win games."
"Oh, well then. Let's see what your game looks like these days." He countered and began pulling out his console.
I was up until 3 writing this instead of doing homework... My priorities stink huh? At least Gabriel's priorities are in the right place here! Ideas tend to smack me over the head at odd times, and then I have to put them to paper. In this case I was able to keep it from growing into a 20 chapter fic. (I don't know if I can keep up with another one of those right now) It's cute and will contain my staples for any good Gabriel Matchmaker fic. Also, an added twist next chapter. (May post that in a few days pending editing)=^-^=
As always, I'm happy you took the time to read and please comment with your thoughts, feelings or predictions!=^-^=