It feels like a lifetime ago when I started this fic. I had no idea it would go on for this long or have so much engagement! From the bottom of my heart I thank you all for the follows, faves and reviews =^.^= you guys are the ones who have kept me going in order to complete it and I sincerely am grateful!
I hope you enjoy how the story ends, and I look forward to reading your thoughts now it has been completed! I'm currently working on all my other WIPs and I would love for you to check them out if you haven't already.
Get ready for fluff!
No one ever knew where Lila and her mother had disappeared too. The two women would never speak about it, nor would either of them tell another lie again. As officers would eventually enquire about their whereabouts, the two Italians would simply clam up, refusing to speak of anything that happened while they were unaccounted for.
The whole police department had panicked after losing two people in their custody, especially since they had become two names on the tongues of the whole of Paris.
Roger Raincomprix started to sweat.
It was only when the two women stumbled in through the doors looking pale as snow, but otherwise unharmed with a note, that he was truly able to relax a little.
There was no defiance from them either.
The two women just stood there on the verge of tears, clinging onto each other for dear life it seemed, waiting to accept their punishment. Upon having the note desperately thrusted into his hands, once the shock of their appearance had finally sunk in, the red haired balding man had an inclination as to what had happened.
They will both be fully compliant.
Looking at the mother daughter duo with caution, the lieutenant gestured for officers to approach and begin the processing procedure for them both. With a quiet whisper he asked them where they had been and, although it did not seem possible, Lila paled even more.
Her olive eyes portrayed nothing but sheer terror when her widened orbs stared at him; her silence was confirmation enough.
"Jus-just," her mother began to stutter out, a slither of her previous obnoxious self, "just l-lock us up, an-an' throw away the k-key."
The man's eyebrows furrowed with confusion and his eyes narrowed with suspicion as he silently watched them both fully cooperate without so much as a grumble. Whoever had struck the fear of God into them had seriously pulled a number on them mentally, and the respected man of the law was wondering what would happen if the news of their momentary misplacement became known to the city's media outlets.
That would be something to concern himself with at a different time however, and he picked up his hat and made his way through the precinct's doors to have a meeting with the Mayor of Paris.
Three weeks had gone by for Marinette and Adrien with little to complain about. The relationships that had been tarnished by Lila's deviant influence had started to mend to a degree, but Marinette and Adrien were still wary of who could be trusted. They knew some would never be trusted completely, but there was no need to be unnecessarily hard on people who had been naïvely duped into believing the Italian's tall tales: it was not worth the energy.
The people who had stood by them through thick and thin would always be dear to them, as they had all become so accustomed to each other's presence and would regularly all end up at one house indulging in video games, food and an awful lot of laughter. Kagami and Luka joined them on occasion, but the musician's schedule was suddenly filling up thick and fast since Lila had come clean about her lies, and the young couple found it difficult to keep up with how in demand he was for his musical talents.
Since Lila had not argued any of the charges brought against her, they were confident that they would not be hearing from her or her mother again. The restraining order against them both upon their release (many years in the future) would guarantee it. Both Kagami and Luka always seemed to go quiet whenever the liar and her mother were mentioned, and the knowing and satisfied look they shared while they were being discussed did not go unnoticed. No one ever asked what that was about though, they all had an idea of what the Tsurugi women could be capable of.
The heroes were still none the wiser about any of their classmates knowing their identities, although they had their suspicions about Miss Bustier being privy to their secrets. There was no concern however at that point in time, as the threat of Hawkmoth had disappeared completely, and all the Miraculous in Marinette and Adrien's care were safe and accounted for. The only time the heroes would make a public appearance now was to enable the city's desire to thank them and honour them all; although getting out once in a while to stretch their legs would still be on the cards.
The photo shoot that Gabriel was planning to announce Adrien and Marinette's relationship had gone ahead with Juleka and Rose also being included. The cute teens had sported Gabriel originals and some of Marinette's own designs too, and the fashion mogul had asked their other friends to join in with a spread in the coming months: One Size Does Not Fit All: Embrace Yourself This Fall. The board of directors had loved the idea of an inclusive line of the brand, and Gabriel had brought in Mylène and Ivan to take front and centre modelling roles for the launch of the new line.
The spread featuring Adrien and his sweetheart was going to feature in the next issue to hit the stands at the end of week, but Gabriel wanted to speak to Marinette before he signed off of the interview. The couple would be meeting with the fashion mogul shortly after having an uneventful day at school, and they were glad that the only distraction during class would be the competitiveness of Kim and Alix: they had become much more amicable about their antics since the divide had been overcome.
As they said goodbye to Chloé and Kim, after dropping them at the latter's house, Marinette and Adrien continued on in the chauffeur driven car to the mansion. When the vehicle took a detour however, the canoodling couple only noticed when they came to an abrupt stop outside of Marinette's parents' bakery. The young woman's brow furrowed while Adrien leaned forward to check if this was the correct destination.
Leaning back with a beaming smile on his face, Adrien placed his hand on Marinette's shoulder and bit his lip to hold off from blurting out the news Gorilla had just relayed to him. "We'll be meeting my father in a little while, don't worry," he reassured her as she looked skeptically between him and the back of Gorilla's head. "But your parents want to speak to you first."
In a moment of wonder at what they could possibly want to speak to her about, Marinette sat stationary while Adrien clambered out of his side and ran around to open the door for her. In a gentlemanly fashion, the blonde held out a hand to her with a slight bow which prompted Marinette to get out and lace their fingers together.
"What don't I know?" She asked suspiciously with a small smile playing on her lips. Adrien simply kissed her slightly furrowed brow and hooked his arm around her shoulders with their hands still interlocked and smiled mischievously.
"Just wait until we get inside M'Lady, and you'll soon find out."
Marinette pursed her lips in a playful pout. "Fine, but you know how I feel about surprises."
"You'll definitely love this one!" He winked and steered her in through the shop entrance while Gorilla pulled away to collect Gabriel and Nathalie.
"You want to what?!"
Marinette found herself gaping at the pages which had been mocked up and shown to her. Adrien grinned and gave her a side hug while also admiring the mock-ups, feeling every bit of the proud boyfriend that he was. Gabriel and Nathalie simply smiled with accomplishment at having been able to keep this surprise from her while also having secret talks with her parents about the proposal while Tom practically bounced on the spot waiting for Marinette to accept.
Sabine smiled warmly at her daughter's stunned silence. The petite woman was more than happy for the opportunity that Gabriel was giving her, but she wanted Marinette to make the decision herself. "It's completely your choice sweetie, you can always say no. Gabriel has assured us that if you are not ready for this that there is always next year or even the year after…"
"What Sabine is saying is that I have expressed that the offer will always be on the table for you to take when you're ready my dear." Gabriel offered with a reassuring smile, "you have done so much for us as a family Marinette, that offering you a position at the company is not enough, I want to help you build your own brand, and be recognised for the talent you have."
Marinette swallowed down the tears of happiness and appreciation while re-reading the title and blurb on the page that solely featured herself in her own black dress. The laughter they caught on camera had been caused by Adrien and Kim messing about in between takes, and it had been such a natural photo that it captured exactly how she wanted to be seen: herself.
Introducing Marinette Dupain-Cheng:
Up and coming teenage fashion designer about to launch her own label MDC. Here we can see exactly why she has been recognised as the next big name to take the fashion world by storm.
"I-I really don't know what to say," the dark haired teenager traced over the print which gushed about her accomplishments; included tales from her parents and friends; went into detail as to why Gabriel thinks she is going to become a well known contender amongst the big fashion houses; and just how much Adrien loves her and admired her determination.
Her blonde boyfriend gently turned her to face him and placed his hands on her biceps while rubbing up and down in a comforting fashion. "Do you want to do this? There's no harm in waiting."
"I just," Marinette turned to face Gabriel and leaned into Adrien's strong chest, "I don't think I deserve this."
All eyes were on the seasoned designer as he smiled understandingly at the teenager who saved him from a life of pain. "You do Marinette, when I was discovered by Audrey Bourgeois all those years ago, I had not even accomplished or refined my skills to the standard that you have. She took a chance on me, and I know that I am not taking a chance on you: because you, my dear, are a dead cert, and you deserve to have this in your own right.
"Many might say that it is because of your connections, I myself had similar comments because of who my wife knew and the money her father had. But I proved them wrong just as you will, I have every confidence in you. If my father-in-law had not invested in my dreams and helped me break away from Audrey, then I would not be where I am today. I am simply doing for you what he did for me, and will guide you through until you are ready to fully take the reins." He smirked at Adrien before turning his attention back to an astonished Marinette, "I'll even let you borrow Adrien for some of your campaigns."
Marinette snorted, and then wiped her cheeks dry of the happy tears which had trickled free of her eyes and smiled up at Adrien. The blonde beside her gave her an encouraging squeeze as Nathalie took a discreet picture on her trusted tablet of the two teens: it would look lovely framed in Marinette's own office one day. Tom patted Gabriel's shoulder, the two men gazing at the teens with pride, and Sabine finally broke the silence.
"So what do you say sweetie?"
A whole two years had gone by as Marinette Dupain-Cheng sat in her office at her growing company's modest office building. She gazed out of the window watching as the rain trickled down the pane and found herself inspired. Grabbing her sketchbook, the young lady began to draw out print designs that she wanted to include in her family line until a knock at the door caused her to look up and see Chloé standing in the doorway.
"What do you think?"
The blonde gave a twirl to show off her fuschia a-line dress with puff sleeves that had a thick black band pulling the fabric in under her bust. The satin of the dress had a soft sheen as the skirt moved with the momentum of her spin and her black satin clutch with matching stilettos finished off the look. Her blonde tresses were pinned up in a loose bun highlighting her slender neck and her natural make-up gave her a sophisticated edge.
Marinette smiled brightly, "I think Kim's gonna need resuscitating, I told you pink was your colour but you wouldn't listen," she finished with a teasing lilt.
Chloé blushed and hid behind her purse before erupting into an excited squeal and bouncing to wrap her arms around her best friend. "Thank you for the dress! It's perfect!"
"It looks beautiful on you," Marinette pulled Chloé to sit on her knee sideways and placed her sketchbook down. "Do you think tonight will be the night?"
"I bloody hope so!" The heiress pouted playfully, "he asked my daddy last month and we chose the ring just after! He knows how I don't like to wait!" She dramatically threw her arm over her eyes to emphasise how exasperated she was with the matter, Marinette chuckled at her friend's antics.
"Be patient Chlo, you told him it had to be perfect, it takes time to get it just right."
Chloé huffed and crossed her arms and muttered, "I thought he knew that it would be perfect as long as it was him asking the question."
"Aww," Marinette cooed and wrapped Chloé in a hug, "it really is true love!"
"Well duh!"
"You could always ask him y'know," the designer teased and Chloé glared at her through the corner of her eye.
"As, if! It would be utterly ridiculous-"
"But such a you thing to do!"
The two ladies glanced to the doorway to see a smartly dressed Adrien leaning against the frame. Chloé immediately got up and strode over to him to poke her finger in his sternum. "When are you going to make an honest woman out of my Nette then? I thought you would be straight on it with you guys practically acting married already!"
Adrien reached for his nape sheepishly and side stepped around his childhood friend to where Marinette was now packing up her bag. The heiress' phone chimed and she stared at the screen with wide blue eyes.
"He's here!"
"Best not keep him waiting!" Adrien winked.
Marinette called after her quickly disappearing form, "call me to tell me how it goes."
"Will do! Love you!"
They both chuckled at their friend while Adrien wrapped Marinette in a hug from behind and placed his chin on her shoulder as his partner plucked out a ring from her bag's inner pocket. They both admired the large emerald that was sandwiched between two emerald cut one carat diamonds as Marinette placed it on a particular finger. The blonde sighed happily and kissed her shoulder tenderly.
"When are we going to tell them you've already said yes?"
Marinette smiled and turned in his arms to place a lingering kiss on his awaiting lips. With a happy hum she smiled and gazed up at him lovingly as she clasped her hands at the small of his back. "Let them have their moment, and then we can let everyone know. We've waited two months already, we can wait a little longer Kitty. Besides, I quite like sharing another secret with just you. It's not like my papa will be surprised as he gave you permission a long time ago." She laughed softly and Adrien nuzzled his nose against hers.
Placing his forehead against Marinette's, Adrien gazed adoringly into her eyes before kissing her lightly on the nose, "as you wish my love, you and me against the world right?"
"Always."
Thank you for reading!
Take it easy =^.^=
Lady Rhi X