AN: Chapter prompt: Heartbreak.

Chapter Eight: Revelation

"N-Nathalie?" Gabriel stammered, sounding aghast, as well as very confused.

She hated herself for breaking down, but couldn't help it. For most of the dinner she'd been able to stop thinking about what had brought them here and just enjoyed spending some time with her best friend in a purely social situation. But the moment she'd seen the ice cream, the realisation of why it was there had hit her hard, and brought with it the full weight of her emotions regarding Adrien's matchmaking attempt.

Nathalie grabbed her napkin and tried desperately to hide her tears behind it, but it was too late to hide from Gabriel.

"What's wrong?" he asked, reaching a hand out to her. "Nathalie?"

"I'm s-sorry … I d-didn't mean to …" She couldn't figure out how to finish her sentence.

He took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her cheeks as she struggled to get her tears under control. "What is it? Please, talk to me."

What on earth could she say now? No plausible lie over what had upset her came to mind. And even if it had, Gabriel knew her well enough to be able to see through whatever excuse she made.

She didn't have a choice but to tell the truth … at least part of it, and hope he didn't read too much into her reaction.

"It's just … all of this … it's t-too much," she said, stumbling over her words as she tried to get them right in her head.

"I don't understand …"

Nathalie took a deep breath. "This was all Adrien's doing."

"I'm sorry?"

"The love letter, the flowers, the sweets, and now this—all of it—my 'secret admirer'; it's all him."

Gabriel's eyes widened. "Er … Nathalie, I really don't think that's correct. Adrien certainly does not think of you in that way."

She couldn't help but laugh slightly. "That's not what I meant! He wanted me to think it was all from you."

"Oh. Oh."

"I should have stopped him right at the beginning; I just had no idea he was going to go this far and—and I didn't want to make a scene—"

"You're saying Adrien's trying to …" Gabriel hesitated to finish his sentence.

"Set us up together. Yes," she whispered. "This is my fault; I should have spoken to him before …"

"Er …" Gabriel shifted awkwardly in his seat. "I think this is actually my fault."

"What?"

"I should have told him the truth that day."

It took Nathalie a moment to realise what he meant. "Why didn't you?"

"When I told him I had something to tell him, he, er … greatly misunderstood what I meant." Gabriel cleared his throat. "He thought I was about to tell him that—er, that you and I were …"

Nathalie's eyes widened. "Oh."

For a long moment they both sat there in very awkward silence. She had no idea what to say now. They both knew that Adrien's plan was impossible, and now it was out in the open between them … well, the easy atmosphere between them from before the delivery of the ice cream had evaporated.

Gabriel's eyes moved to the dessert bowl, and he frowned. "I don't understand … why …? It looked like the ice cream was what actually triggered …"

Nathalie swallowed. "Because if I know the way Adrien thinks, then I know whose ice cream it is."

"Isn't it supposed to be ours?"

"I mean who made it."

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"You haven't heard the legends about André Glacier's matchmaking ice cream, then."

Gabriel stared at her for a moment. "M-matchmaking?"

Nathalie nodded. "The stories say that … th-that any couple who shares it … will stay in l-love forever."

Gabriel looked back down at the ice cream bowl. "Oh," he said quietly.

She couldn't bring herself to look back at the ice cream, and instead stared down at her empty table setting. The tears were threatening again, and she blinked furiously, determined not to lose control again. But it was made much harder when she could feel his eyes on her again.

Please stop looking at me, she silently begged.

She needed to get out of here. Before he saw too deeply behind her walls and realised the full truth. Nathalie no longer caused about causing a scene; she just wanted to get away from Gabriel as fast as possible, to escape until she could recompose herself.

Before she could stand up, however, Gabriel spoke again, and his words shattered her.

"Nathalie … d-do you have feelings for me?"

Oh, no. No, no, no, no!

It was a moment before she realised she had spoken aloud.

"Y-you … don't?"

Nathalie cursed the power of wishful thinking; he actually sounded disappointed.

"I … n-no, not like that!" she denied. "I-I mean—y-you're my boss, and my friend—not in that order—and you know that I …" I'd die for your happiness, she thought, but managed to stop herself from blurting out. Because although he was already aware of that fact, actually voicing it right now would certainly sound like a complete contradiction to her denial. She couldn't find another way to finish her statement, and her voice trailed off.

She jumped slightly as Gabriel's finger found her chin, gently lifting it. Nathalie didn't want to meet his eyes right now, but she couldn't help it. The expression in his own was … strange; she couldn't read it.

"Are you sure?" he asked, very quietly.

A traitorous tear slipped from her eye and ran down her cheek.

"P-please," Nathalie whispered, "stop." Stop asking me. Please.

He held her gaze for a moment, then let go, and she let her head drop again. Her eyes fell on the ice cream.

"I can't eat that with you," she said quietly. "If Adrien sees us …" She was sure he must be here somewhere, watching them. "… well, it would be very disillusioning for him."

Gabriel was silent for a very long moment. Nathalie was trying to psyche herself up to standing up again and walking out, but her legs seemed to be frozen.

Finally he picked up one of the spoons, loaded it with the white chocolate, and held it out to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Whether the stories are true or not," he said quietly, "I don't believe Adrien will be disillusioned."

"I—what? What do you mean?"

"Because …" He hesitated, apparently unable to find the words, and just looked at her. Nathalie held his gaze willingly this time, and, very slowly, realised what emotion was filling them.

There was no need for words. Her heart began hammering and she felt her cheeks flush … but no longer from embarrassment.

Gabriel quirked his eyebrows slightly. Nathalie smiled, leaned forwards and accepted the spoonful of ice cream.

Marinette squeaked and clutched Adrien's hand. He couldn't tear his eyes away for several moments, now thrilled, as Nathalie fed Gabriel a mouthful of the blackcurrant flavour.

"We did it!" Marinette whispered.

Adrien exhaled sharply in relief and sank down onto the floor. "Th-thank goodness."

"Told you," André said quietly, now smiling.

"I really didn't expect it to go like that. How did you know it would be okay?"

"Because I know people, Adrien. Your father, emotionally repressed though he may be, could not possibly watch the woman he loves crying and not realise how much she means to him."

"So … you're saying all it took was for her to cry in front of him," Adrien said.

"Pity you didn't know that before," Marlene said lightly. "Could have saved you a lot of trouble."

Adrien shook his head. "You don't know Nathalie. She does not cry easily. If that had been my tactic—and it would have been a pretty cruel one—I probably would have spent months trying to figure out how to do it." He leaned back against the wall with another relieved sigh. "Anyway, this was fun. I have zero regrets."

"They're kissing," Jean-Simon announced.

Adrien leaped to his feet and peered out of the kitchen door again. "Yes!"

The next morning, Nathalie was sure it had all been a dream.

It had to be, she thought to herself. Gabriel can't possibly be in love with me …

But it had felt so real. She refused to open her eyes, wanting desperately to sink back into that state of bliss.

Her alarm going off put pay to that idea. Nathalie glared into her pillow, reached out a hand and silenced it, then opened her eyes and sat up.

"Adrien!" she said with an exasperated sigh at the sight of rose petals sprinkled liberally all over her bedcovers.

"It wasn't him this time."

She looked up to see Gabriel smiling at her from the doorway, and immediately panicked, wondering if she had talked at all in her sleep.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he continued, coming in and sitting down on the side of her bed. Her heart leapt as he leaned in and kissed her on her cheek.

"Um …" Her brain seemed to have jammed. Wait, was it a dream?

"I'm afraid this was all I could manage on … well, short notice," he said a little sheepishly, gesturing at the rose petals and then passing her a cup of coffee. "I've been up all night working on Jagged Stone's own Valentine's gift."

After a moment of her just staring at him, his smile faded. "Was coming in here … inappropriate? I'm a bit rusty at this."

"A-a bit rusty at … wh-what?"

"Um … dating."

Relief flooded through her at the realisation it hadn't been a dream, and she grabbed him by his collar and kissed him.

"I'll take that as a no," Gabriel said afterwards, sounding pleased.

"I thought I'd dreamed it," Nathalie said.

"You definitely didn't." He kissed her, slower and more tenderly than the kiss a moment ago, and she relished every millisecond. "And I told a slight lie just now. I also have this for you." He took a red envelope out from behind his back.

Nathalie opened it, and found a handmade card inside. He'd drawn her favourite coffee mug, with a heart-shaped stain underneath it. Below that was written Words cannot espresso how much you mean to me.

She laughed, and then again when she read the inscription inside. You are wonderful, Nathalie, and I am so lucky to have you. I love you very much.

"What?"

"Nothing." Adrien knew his style too well. "It's perfect."

"Good," he said, sounding relieved. "When you're making a card at the end of a sleepless night …"

"I have something for you as well," Nathalie said as she remembered.

She opened her bedside drawer, and took out the object she'd made the evening before, after they had got home and Gabriel had gone back into his atelier to work.

He received the intricate origami heart as if it were a priceless work of art. "It's beautiful, Nathalie."

"It opens up here," she showed him, and he unfolded the top carefully.

Inside it said simply Gabriel, I love you. Happy Valentine's Day.

"I love you too," he said, and kissed her again.

Despite a night of zero sleep, Gabriel felt energised and as light as a feather. He hadn't been this happy in … he couldn't even remember when he'd last felt like this.

After Nathalie had thrown him out of her room (figuratively) so she could get dressed, he made his way downstairs to find his son already at the breakfast table.

"Morning, Father," Adrien said casually.

"Morning, Adrien," Gabriel said slowly.

Nathalie had filled him in on the details of his son and his friend's antics on their way home last night, and he had to admit he was surprised to find Adrien acting as if it were just any other day and nothing at all momentous had happened yesterday.

Considering the lengths he had gone to, and the fact that Gabriel knew for a fact that Adrien had wanted him and Nathalie together for quite a while, he must be finding feigning obliviousness quite a challenge.

Well, two can play at that game, Gabriel thought, hiding a smirk, and sat down. "Would you please pass the newspaper?"

"Of course, Father," Adrien said, and did so.

"Thank you." Gabriel opened it and hid his face behind it, wondering how long his son would be able to bear the pretence.

Adrien lasted longer than he had expected; they were still sitting in silence when Nathalie entered the breakfast room.

"Morning, Nathalie," Adrien said innocently.

"Adrien's playing dumb," Gabriel informed her, folding up the newspaper.

"Oh, really?"

"Yes."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adrien said, his eyes on his breakfast plate.

"Alright, son. We know what you've been up to; and we know that you know we know."

Adrien finally looked up at them, now grinning. "And?"

"And …" The couple glanced at each other. "… thank you," Nathalie finished.

The doorbell rang.

"That will be Mr Stone," Gabriel said, hurriedly getting to his feet. "He said he'd be by quite early."

He glanced back as he left to room, to see Adrien and Nathalie hugging each other tightly, and it warmed his heart.

TBC …