Merry Christmas!

Lucky you, my guests for Christmas Eve FINALLY left (and my whole house is a mess) so I'm posting this earlier than expected!

Also, I'm totally listening to the Christmas special episode as I'm editing this, even if I've already watched it countless times. Judge me. :P

The week flew by, and soon enough, Marinette found herself sitting in her old childhood bedroom, musing over her reflexion in the mirror as her mother was carefully curling her black strands. She had picked out an intricate lace fabric to sew her dress, a sparkling white satin lining fiercely protecting her dignity. The dress had a deep plunging back, and the floor-length skirt began as a mermaid skirt down until mid-thighs, where it flared into a cascade of lace ruffles and beaded edges. It was the design she had been perfecting for years by now, the design she had submitted to Agreste designs in her portfolio, the design that had prompted Adrien to choose her application out of hundreds of them.

And now, against all odds, she was going to wear her masterpiece at her very own wedding with him.

As she watched her mother work lovingly in her hair, Marinette found herself thinking about how well the wedding planning had turned out to go despite Adrien's insane deadline. Herself, the bride, was up to par with centuries-old traditions. Something old? Adrien would be slipping (again) his mother's ring on her finger in a few moments. Something new? Well, her dress was definitely something new, having worked on it for the better part of the past week, a brief but welcomed pause taken to manage the fashion show a few days prior. Something borrowed? Her own mother's necklace was resting lazily between her breasts, a single but dazzling diamond hanging low on a white gold chain. A lucky charm of some sort, seeing as Sabine Cheng had been wearing the same jewel on her own wedding day twenty-something years ago. Something blue? Let's just say her lacy baby blue underwear had been bought with Alya the day before with that very purpose in mind, and she was very impatient to see her husband tear them away from her later that day.

After a while, Sabine finished curling the soft locks and tying them into a rather elaborate bun. Placing a kiss on her daughter's cheek, the older woman smiled fondly:
"We should go, honey. Your groom is expecting you soon."
Marinette couldn't help the blush spreading on her cheeks:
"Do you think he's going to like the dress?"
Her mother smiled softly:
"He'd be either crazy or blind not to. You're truly stunning, dear. You're lucky you haven't started showing yet, though, you made this quite form fitting."
Chuckling, Marinette beamed at her mother:
"I figured my body wouldn't change that much, given the awfully short delay."
Sabine hummed in agreement before placing a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead.
"Let's go honey. Wouldn't want to be late on your big day, now would we?"

Marinette cast a last glance at herself into the mirror, assessing her appearance. Her lithe body was expertly wrapped in the gorgeous dress she was quite proud of. Her curled dark hair was tied at the back of her hair into a rather cute bun, and she had enhanced her already long eyelashes with a single coat of mascara. Sliding her feet into her silver high heels sandals (she had fiercely refused to compromise on her weddingshoes, to Adrien utter dismay), Marinette put her good pair of diamond earrings on before turning to her mother with a shy smile.
"I'm as ready as could ever be, well I think."
"You're gorgeous, Marinette. He's going to fall in love with you all over again."
Right on cue, the trapdoor to Marinette's old bedroom swung open, revealing Alya clad in her maid of honor very pink chiffon dress, jumping into the room like she had done countless times before during their teenage years:
"Oh my god Marinette, you're just perfect. Adrien won't even know what hit him, girl!"
A faint blush spread on the blackette's cheek as she quietly mumbled in answer:
"Thanks, Alya."
Beaming, her brunette friend beckoned both Asian women toward her:
"The car is waiting, and according to Nino, Adrien is about to jump out of his skin, so we better get going."

Nodding, Marinette handed her purse to Alya for safe keeping until the reception, and as they headed down to the street, she double checked again with the most significant women in her life:
"Who's going to take care of Tikki and Plagg while we're away?"
The maid of honor smiled slyly:
"We went over that already, Mari. Either Nino or I will swing by Adrien's apartment daily to spend a little time with them and feed them. We are perfectly aware that Plagg is to be left alone while Tikki needs her share of cuddles and petting. Nino has the rings safely tucked in his pants pocket, I just checked with him. Don't worry about your groom getting cold feet, actually, he can't wait for the "I do's" to be long behind you and take you on your well-deserved honeymoon. The venue is really splendid, your guests all RSVP'd on time, your dress is truly stunning, and before you ask about it, yes, your dad had plenty of time to deliver the cake, which is gorgeous, I have pictures to prove it, and change into his tuxedo to escort you down the aisle. He's waiting for you to make your grand entrance as we speak. Also, your plane tickets are safely stored away in your hand luggage, and both of your suitcases are already waiting in Adrien's car trunk. Did I forget something?"
"Alya, you're rambling."
"Maybe so, but did it ease your mind?"
Fidgeting with her fingers, Marinette found something to ask just for the sake of her sanity:
"Is Gabriel there yet?"
Alya quickly typed something on her phone, that almost instantly chimed back.
"Yes, he's with Adrien right now. Nino says he's giving him some sort of pep talk and counseling, actually acting like a real dad for once. Something else?"
"I don't think so. Thank you Alya, you're the best."
As the three of them took place in the silver car, nodding a silent salutation to Adrien's old bodyguard, Marinette rested her forehead on the car window, closing her eyes.

In less than an hour, Adrien and she would be husband and wife.

In less than twenty-four hours, they would be landing into the Fiji Islands, spending three weeks of bliss all on their own, three weeks of true alone time, a perfect honeymoon carefully planned by her very eager husband-to-be. She couldn't wait to be truly his, but in the meantime, she had to keep her stupid worries in check. Would he like the dress she had picked out for traveling? Would he approve of the rather racy red bikini she had bought a few days prior for his eyes only? Considering she was already pregnant with his child, was it wrong of her to be really anxious to jump his bones as soon as they ended up alone?

Her risky train of thoughts was interrupted by the Gorilla grumpily announcing they had reached their destination. Following her mother and her best friend out of the car, Marinette's eyes instantly locked with her father's proud gaze.
"Are you ready, my little cupcake?"
Smiling at the man she loved the most apart from her fiancé, she locked her arm on his, and grinned back at her dad:
"Ready to give up your daughter, Papa?"
The burly man smiled back, squeezing his daughter's arm slightly:
"If I'm giving you up to Adrien, yes, I'm ready to surrender my baby girl. That man loves you beyond reason. Besides, I think the poor boy might explode if I don't."

Right on cue, the first notes of the wedding march resonated inside the church, prompting the odd looking pair to look at each other out of anticipation. Taking the arm her father offered her, Marinette took a second to brace herself as the doors opened wide. It only took her a few steps inside the room for her whole world to come to a stop. Only a few steps for her eyes to lock with a familiar pair of emerald gems near the altar and find herself unable to look anywhere else. She faintly registered the crowd's soft gasps as she made her entrance, was vaguely aware of Tom's steady presence by her side, but she couldn't for the life of her avert her eyes from the handsome young man waiting for her at the altar. His custom fitted tuxedo was perfectly classic down to every seam, and while he did look a little pale to her, the blinding smile he flashed her as soon as he laid eyes on her obliterated everything else. She could tell Adrien was vibrating with impatience and was fighting with himself to stay where he was standing instead of crossing the last few steps that still kept them apart. As soon as she was within his reach, though, the blond eagerly grabbed both of her hands into his, still staring at her adoringly and prompting their audience to burst into various degrees of giggles and awe. Tom cleared his throat, snapping their attention back to him as they both flushed slightly pink. The burly man embraced Adrien briefly, patting him lightly on the back, before retreating beside Nino with a broad smile.

The remaining the ceremony was a blur. Marinette couldn't focus on the priest words, way too enthralled into the eyes of the man she loved, and she could see he was having troubles too. Thankfully, her brain finally saw fit to take back in her surroundings right as the celebrant cleared his throat and said a little bit louder:
"Do you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish 'til death do you apart?"
A wide smile spread her lips as she felt Adrien's fingers tense around hers. Somewhere along the priest's speech he had taken her hands into his again, and apparently had no intention of ever letting them go. She had feared a little that misplaced anxiety would've ruined their day, but all she felt was certainty and an odd sense of safety as she quietly answered:
"I do."
The green orbs lit so brightly hearing those two little words Marinette felt her heart clench in her chest.
"And you, Adrien Agreste, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and protect 'til death do you apart?"
"I do."
The young woman smiled at him with as much love as she could pour in it. True, Adrien was more than apt at grandiloquent love declarations when they were alone, but three single letters managed to convey even more of his feelings for her than every promise they ever made to each other.
"You may kiss the bride."

A gentle tug on her hand pulled her closer to him and slender fingers tilted her chin up. He reached down, and their lips met for a short and tender but life changing kiss.

As soon as they pulled apart, grinning at each other, the crowd erupted in applauses and loud cheers. The priest spoke again, gesturing to the newlyweds:
"Please welcome the new Mr. and Mrs. Adrien and Marinette Agreste!"

Still smiling broadly, the young couple went back down the aisle hand in hand waving at their guests and hopped into the waiting car to head to the reception venue. Once they were finally alone, concealed from prying eyes, Adrien pulled her close to him and kissed her again, this time a deep and passionate kiss that they only broke to breathe. Resting their forehead against each other, they both broke into a goofy smirk, giggling to themselves.
"Hey, nice to meet you Mrs. Agreste." he purred, his hands gently cupping the small of her back.
"Hands off handsome, I'm a married woman now."
"What a lucky man."
Cocking her head to the side, Marinette flashed him a sly glance.
"He might get even luckier tonight, you know, wedding night and all that."
"Is that so?"

Their playful nonsense was interrupted by their arrival at the reception. They both were almost jerked out of the car by their overeager guests and were promptly buried under an avalanche of greetings, hugs, and cheers of all sorts. The amount of love poured onto the newlyweds was overwhelming, and Marinette quickly found herself tearing up. A quick glance to her groom confirmed that he wasn't faring much better than her.

In between two heartfelt congratulations, the blackette's eyes widened as none other than Chloe Bourgeois leaned toward her after having planted a quick kiss on her new husband's cheek. The mayor's daughter lowered her voice, looking uneasy all of a sudden:
"Marinette, can I talk to you in private?"
The odd demand took the bride by surprise, but she obliged nonetheless, stepping away from Adrien. As soon as they were out of earshot, she braced herself for the upcoming confrontation:
"Is this the part where you warn me that if I hurt him you're going to hunt me down?"
The blonde shook her head, a strange smile playing on her lips.
"No. This is the part where I thank you for giving him back his life."
Startled, Marinette looked back at her old nemesis, dumbfounded:
"I'm sorry, what?"
Chloe finally looked at her, her expression earnest and genuine:
"The day I dropped by your office was the first day ever since we were thirteen that I saw Adrien being excited and genuinely interested in anything related to his work. It was also the first day I saw him without the everlasting lingering sadness in his eyes. True, we aren't that close anymore, mostly because my husband can't stand him and Adrien disagrees with a lot of things I did when we were younger. But I still care about him deeply. He's my oldest friend, and I really want him to be happy."

Something in Chloe's confession prompted Marinette to be blatantly honest:
"Don't worry, I fully intend on spending every remaining day of my life with him."
The blonde fashionista smiled gratefully.
"Thanks, it means a lot to me. Also… Sabrina asked me to pass along her sincere congratulations. She would've liked to come, but she's still coming to terms with the Nathanael's issue. It… it hasn't been easy, to be honest. But the detention center offers counseling, and they're working on it."
Once again taken aback by Chloe's kindness and openness toward her, Marinette only managed to answer weakly:
"I'm.. glad that it work out for them."
"She wanted you to know that neither of them blames you, whatever happens in the future. Nate had to face the consequences of his mistakes sooner or later. I… I'll take my leave now, your husband's looking for you, and as I said, mine doesn't like me being around Adrien that much. I think he fears my old crush on him will creep back."
Marinette snapped out of her astonishment just in time to hold Chloe back:
"Chloe wait. If… if you want to stop by sometimes, either at home or at the office, I don't mind. Just tell your husband you're coming to see me if it eases his mind."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because we have something in common, you and me. We both want Adrien's happiness."

On that statement, Marinette turned back only to find herself facing a curious Adrien.
"Hey, where had you disappeared to? I was left on my own to deal with all the hugs and the kisses."
"Poor baby. I just had an interesting conversation with Chloe. How did you manage to escape?"
Chuckling lightly, the young man held out his hand for her to take:
"Probably the less manly thing that ever happened to me. And I'm a model, that says a lot. Your dad rescued me from Kim's grip, and my father's glare discouraged further invaders."
Marinette didn't think it was possible to laugh that hard before that precise second.

As they settle in their designated seats, the young bride glazed over the room, looking at all their guests with a definite fondness in her bluebell eyes. Max was helping Nino setting up his material, joking and chatting loudly. Alya and Alix were currently busy cooing and fussing over Mylene and Ivan's newborn that looked utterly minuscule into the huge hands of his daddy. The new mom, on her part, was watching warily as her two oldest kids were makings silly bets with Kim. Chloe and her husband were already seated, and the man looked like he was bored out of his skin while the fashionista looked around in search of an escape. Rose was deep in conversation with Sabine, gesturing wildly, and Tom, Natalie, and Gabriel were speaking quietly among themselves, probably about baby stuff given…

Oh.

She turned around in her seat, her right hand cradling her nonexistent belly in a fashion that made it possible only for Adrien to notice. Getting her cue, he nodded before placing a little kiss on her temple.

The meal was served, people were seated. Nino made his mandatory best man speech, talking about how his eternally single best friend had managed to go from nothing to being madly in love while himself was on his honeymoon. Alya rose, telling the story of an SMS sent to the wrong recipient months before a date marathon occurred. Against all odds, Gabriel gave a small speech also, pressing how much he was proud of his son and was happy to welcome his new daughter-in-law in the family.

And then, Adrien stood up. Marinette could swear she had spotted him wipe a stray tear before doing so.
"I'd like to thank each of you for coming here today and sharing this important day with us. It really does mean a lot to both of us."
He cast a glance to his wife, and Marinette nodded with a shy smile.
"However, we have an announcement to make."
Startled whispers welcomed his statement. The bride stood up in turn, placing her small hand into his and leaning into him for support. Adrien continued, grinning.
"Yesterday evening, my lovely wife and I purchased a cute little house, not too far from the Dupain-Cheng bakery. We are going to move into it as soon as we get back from our honeymoon. We are very impatient to because, given my lack of experience in that field, I'll likely need a lot of time to set up the nursery."

The stunned silence that followed was broken by Nino's exclamation:
"Wait, what?"
Grinning from ear to ear, Marinette placed a hand on her stomach in an unmistakably motherly fashion, before confirming the not-so-subtle doubts her husband had instigated:
"We are expecting our first child. In roughly six months."
The claps and the cheers that ensued were music in her ears. Only three persons in the room didn't look in the least surprised by the news, and they all happened to be blood-related to the newlyweds. Marinette smiled to herself. It surely was a parent's thing.

As the reception went on without a hitch, the young woman reveled in the pleasant feeling of happiness that filled her heart to the brim. For the first time in almost five years, as she lovingly watched her new husband laughing heartily with their family and friends, often catching him looking back at her with adoring green eyes, Marinette couldn't help but smile to herself.

She finally felt at peace.

So, this is the end. See you later this week for the epilogue!