The Arc de Triomphe. A famous Paris landmark where you can take a stroll, savour the delicacies, or model for the next summer line.
When Adrien suggested the perfect location to model in, Gabriel thought his son has finally embraced responsibility and is now taking a step forward in his career in his father's fashion empire.
He even stayed up late practicing which poses to use the next day. When he woke up in the morning, he practiced again, before and after he took a shower.
It was when he saw her did he realize why his son really wanted to come to the Arc in the first place.
Hopefully, he'll break out of his stalker phase soon before it escalates.
The young, blue-haired teenage girl sat on the steps. After taking her sketchpad and pen out, she spotted one of her friends modeling nearby. She waves at him, and he happily waves back.
His first attempt at the park didn't turn out as he had expected, on account of an Akuma Attack. But it did score him some points.
The Arc de Triomphe is one of her favourite places in Paris where she goes for inspiration. And today, he's going to be a part of it.
During his break, he'll walk up to her, and they'll talk about her favourite part of the place. He'll also show some interest on the area, saying how it gives people that sense of freedom to admire the beautiful gifts of nature... and such.
His sweet words will reach into her heart, and she'll ask him to take a stroll with her. They'll share ice cream, or one of those lollipops they sell around. Before they know it, it's already sunset. Then she'll look at him with sparkling eyes, and...
"Ah, Mademoiselle Marinette."
Whoa! Hey Gabe. You're not suppose to be in your son's fantasy bubble.
Adrien watches nervously as his dad approached his soon-to-be-girlfriend. (He wants sooner than soon.) He hopes his dad wouldn't tell her that her very presence was distracting his son's photo session and ask her to leave.
Worse... he just convinced her to watch his own son pose...!
Marinette waves at him. He waves back at her with a nervous smile. The photographer didn't seem to notice. He just keeps on taking his pictures.
He supports his son's decisions. Really. He just wants him to approach these decisions in a normal manner.
A normal, Hi-Marinette-Yay-Not-Fainting manner.
"It's nice you chose this place as your backdrop." Marinette told Gabriel, "The scenery is quite sunny and there's only a small number of people in the area."
"Yes." Gabriel replies casually, "It has quite the, lovely scenery."
Adrien knew his father just said something embarrassing to his crush. He can tell by his expression. Luckily for him, Marinette seems to be oblivious.
"Do you come here often?" Gabriel asks as Marinette flips through her sketchbook.
"I do come here for inspiration." Marinette replies as she begins to sketch.
Gabriel smiles. She sure does.
"Your daughter is quite the talented artist." Gabriel compliments upon seeing the Dupain-Cheng's bakery logo on the box of pastries he ordered an hour ago.
"No kidding." Tom beams, "She doesn't go through a day without drawing on that little book of hers."
Sabine nodded, "She actually woke up earlier today just so she could sketch at the Arc de Triomphe. Heads up Gabe. You have a tough competition in the future."
Gabriel playfully scoffs, "We'll see."
Her parents always spoke proudly of her. They always support her every decisions.
Makes him wish he was that kind of a parent to his son before he earned his Miraculous.
She's just like her parents; putting others before herself and aiding magical jewelry wielders in defeating innocent civilians corrupted by dark forces.
If they succeed in defeating the Butterflies... he'd be glad to entrust the lost Miraculous to her.
When Marinette told him she was going to the Arc de Triomphe, somehow, his keychain had the same idea, and insistence, to bring him there and scout for their next victim.
He spotted her at her usual place, talking with Gabriel.
He smiles. He wondered how long until his sister's old friend would get the chance to engage in a friendly conversation with her daughter.
His keychain glows, reminding him of his "job". He sighs in dismay before continuing his search.
There were a lot of happy people here. Couples sharing ice cream... Families bonding... Friends taking goofy pictures of each other...
Oh. There's one frustrated artist nearby.
He can sense her nervousness. It was no surprise to Gabriel. Any potential designer who shows his/her work to him becomes, (sounds inappropriate) intimidated due to his influence in the fashion industry. They were afraid that he might reject their ideas, if they have in some way insulted him, and such.
He tried not to show any interest, but he was quite curious to see more of Marinette's designs. He had already seen her bowler hat design. From what Alya told him, she did more than work with fabric using those dainty, little hands of hers.
Adrien struggles to maintain his smile. His Dad was making his future girlfriend nervous by his mere presence. If he keeps this up, Marinette will be nervous to approach her famous model classmate the next time they meet because someone's own father traumatized her.
On the bright side, the villain-of-the-day appeared-?!
To Gabriel, artists have quite unique ways to express their emotions. This particular artist was telling him that he couldn't paint a perfect dinosaur worthy of his talent, so he let his frustrations take over him and got him akumatized, resulting in him bringing his dinosaur painting to life.
The brought-to-life dinosaur wasn't really that terrifying. It was as if a child had crudely drawn a t-rex shape and colored it with crayons but did not completely cover it up and only drew lines - straight, curved, and jagged - in it.
Nevertheless, it was rampaging, scaring civilians, and destroying everything in it's path, which makes it a danger to all.
Gabriel grabs Marinette and drags her into his limo. He tells the Gorilla to drive, but Marinette asks him worryingly about his son.
At that moment, Gabriel's phone rings, "Adrien."
"Dad!" Adrien's voice echoed from the other side, "You go ahead without me! That T-Rex did a lot of damage and I wasn't the only one hurt! I'll be fine! Promise!"
Gabriel already knew that. He just needed a reason to assure Marinette his son was okay and "definitely" not heading straight into the danger for unknown reasons.
Apparently Da Vain-Ci (really?) drew and brought to life more crudely drawn dinosaurs.
Unfortunately for the passengers, a Triceratops caught up to them and bumped its head against the back of the limo. The limo spun out of control. Acting quickly, Marinette leans towards the steering wheel and releases the airbag, lessening the impact when the limo collided against a lamp post.
After regaining their senses back, the trio notices more animated dinosaur drawings coming their way. Spotting her family's bakery, Marinette quickly guided the two adults inside. Lucky for them, the dinosaurs quickly passes the building, giving them sighs of relief.
Marinette leads Gabriel and his bodyguard into the living room, where they would stay until Team Miraculous defeats the villain-of-the-day once more. The Gorilla stands guard, checking the windows now and then for the status of the Akuma Attack.
Meanwhile, Gabriel takes note of the interior design. He remembers Tom mentioning how Sabine complained about a hideous vase he bought which he thought would spruce the place a little. Sabine also bought a plant which was taking up space in the living room, making him bump against it every time, much to his annoyance.
If Gabriel remembers correctly, the two mentioned that after a week, both decorations... had "accidents".
His eyes landed on a picture frame, housing the family photo of Marinette with her parents. He picks it up, looking at the happy, loving family with nostalgia.
He remembers that one particular day, when Adrien was 7. Tom and Sabine suggested that he and Emilie should enroll Adrien in school instead of homeschooling him, reasoning that he and Marinette would make great friends.
Adrien's parents were quite... protective of their son. Too protective. Maybe.
They wanted to protect him from the magical dangers of the outside world. He was too young, too little. He didn't posses the knowledge and skills to deal with magical beings.
After his mother's disappearance, he intended to keep him at home, yet his son managed to find a way out, and into public school.
What was more surprising, was that on the same day, he became the new holder and successor of the one who took his mother in the first place.
His thoughts were interrupted by Marinette's voice. The teenage girl was on her phone, talking to her uncle. She ends the call and approaches Gabriel.
"Your uncle... Is he okay?" Gabriel asks.
"Yes." Marinette replies, "He's hiding at a nearby shop with some people. And Chat Noir is trying to get Carapace interested in dino rodeo."
Gabriel rolls his eyes. Off course. He realizes she was looking at the framed photo in his hands, "There was a tremor and it almost fell."
He placed the photo back on the shelf. He didn't want her to know that he knew her parents, for... reasons.
Yet, he could't stop himself from noting the similarities, "You... have your mother's hair. And your father's smile."
"Thank you." Marinette replied, though a little surprised by the remark.
Gabriel regretted what he was going to ask next, "Where are they?"
Marinette hesitated for a bit, then replied, "The Phantom Night."
He really regrets making her remember that dreaded night, "I lost my wife on that night too."
"I'm sorry." Marinette sympathized.
The memories on that night, came back to haunt Gabriel; The fog-like wave of energy was so thick, he couldn't see anything. And yet, he could hear the people around him, speaking, some screaming, in confusion.
From the "fog", he could hear two familiar voices. Tom and Sabine's silhouettes appeared briefly beside him before they disappeared, as his two friends ran, probably after hearing a lost voice that needed their help.
When the "fog" disappeared, his friends were two of the people mentioned in the news, declared missing.
Gabriel has the urge to slap himself on the face. He was getting too emotional. Any minute more and he'll be telling Marinette that he knew her parents and failed to save them from the same lunatic who took away his wife.
Wanting to change the subject, his eyes fell on the table. On top of the table was a pair of game controllers, "You play Ultimate Mecha Strike?"
Chat Noir placed a comforting hand on Carapace's shell as his friend expelled his breakfast inside a trash can. They managed to defeat the badly drawn and colored Archaeopteryx, but they still have to defeat its creator.
He recognized his family limousine, crashed against a lamp post. His father, bodyguard and crush were nowhere to be seen. Relying on his enhanced sense of smell thanks to his Miraculous, he manages to track their scent to the bakery. He spotted the Gorilla through one of the windows and decided to check if the girl of his dreams and his father were alright.
He knocks on the window, catching the Gorilla's attention. The burly man lets him in. When he does, the cat hero immediately stops in his tracks, frozen with shock at the sight before him:
Marinette was playing Ultimate Mecha Strike. With his father!
The older Agreste was smiling devilishly while pushing the buttons on his controller. His jacket was off and was draped on the couch he was sitting on. Beside him, Marinette was pushing buttons furiously.
Chat begged his brain to find a way to stop the game. Win or lose, his father gives the worst remarks and reactions to his opponents at the end of every game. And he's battling Marinette of all people! The last thing he wants is the love of his life thinking he's related to a victory-obsessed madman!
(Don't look at him like that! He grew up playing video games with that madman! And he always have to pay for his losses with cookies.)
To his dismay, the virtual robot Marinette was controlling, fell. The games ends, declaring his father, the winner.
Chat cringed as Marinette groaned and threw her arms up in frustration. Even worse, she turned to his father and...
"I'll get you next time Old Man!"
Chat Noir gaped, wide-mouthed. His tail, standing straight.
Gabriel just remained smug, chuckled, then talked back, "Oh don't be such a prissy princess."
"She's a pretty princess, Old Man!"
Surprised, Marinette and Gabriel turned around, and found a very angry Chat Noir behind them. Gabriel realized he was going to get a long lecture from his son regarding his behaviour towards you-know-who.
Meanwhile, Marinette feels like her heart was going to explode. She just lost a game to a famous fashion icon and snapped at his face, while one of her favourite heroes watched!
She tried to act casually, "Ch-Chat Noir! Hey! How are you doing? (Almost trips but Gabriel catches her jacket and stops her.) What are you doing here?"
They're perfect for each other. Gabriel knew it was time for him to intervene, "Have you already defeated the villain?"
Before Chat could reply, a badly-colored dinosaur head smashed its way into the living room and head-butted the cat hero back outside. No.
The three civilians could hear collective chirps approaching them. They could see small dancing shadows from a corner growing longer, and closer.
Gabriel instinctively grabbed Marinette's hand and led the three to the highest point of the building. Unfortunately, that turned out to be Marinette's room.
Gabriel had personally seen what a fanatic's room looks like: Posters and pictures of their interests plastered all over their room; Along with toys and memorabilia of their interests; They even have food made in honor of their interests.
All in all he could say: Marinette may be Team Miraculous' biggest fan.
Marinette scowled at the glass of pretzel sticks on her table, "I told Uncle I wanted turtle Shell-ter macaroons."
The small dinosaurs banged on her trapdoor, demanding to be let in.
"I hope you have a wooden replica of Chat Noir's staff." Gabriel said to Marinette.
She does. Only it was made of metal. Heavy metal. Gabriel looks at her in surprise.
"I know people." She casually explained.
The small dinosaurs managed to smash open the trapdoor. They charged in on the civilians, but Gabriel manages to fend them off using the replica staff and a few defensive moves he has learned from his master and teammates.
"Whoa." Marinette was impressed, "Was that Kung Fu?"
"Mixed defense." Gabriel quickly replied while still fending off the small dinosaurs. He couldn't tell her that it was an ancient form of self-defense passed down from generations of Miraculous Guardians.
The Gorilla helped by punching any dinosaur coming close to them. It also happens that Marinette was in the process of making a heavy metal replica of Rena Rouge's flute. She skillfully whacked away the dinosaurs with calculating swiftness and strength Gabriel never knew she had.
And she didn't even need a Miraculous.
She didn't want the pretzel sticks, so Gabriel threw them at the small dinosaurs, distracting them long enough to move to higher ground.
The scenery from the roof was no better. To be honest; if the badly-drawn dinosaurs weren't demolishing buildings, chasing innocent civilians into getting injured, and/or trying to eat each other... the whole situation would have been quite comedic.
"I hope Team Miraculous fix this soon." Marinette prayed.
Gabriel wishes too. He also remembers that he "doesn't" know Team Miraculous enough to assure Marinette that they will stop the villains sooner than expected.
The small dinosaurs broke into the rooftop. Gabriel and the Gorilla got in front of Marinette, ready to protect her from the attacking dinos.
They didn't have to protect her long, as a swarm of ladybugs surrounded the small dinos, making them disappear and repairing the damages they have caused. Relieved and happy, Marinette tackle-hugged Gabriel. The adult didn't mind. He was just glad his friends' daughter was safe.
The day was saved yet again. Which means Chat Noir can check up on Marinette.
And his father and bodyguard.
Just as he was about to open the window to enter the house, he stops, noticing his dad talking with Marinette. Seconds later, her uncle appeared and embraces his niece in relief.
Gabriel was telling Marinette something. (Hopefully not the time when Adrien was four and a he was freaked out by a guy in a purple dinosaur costume.) Thanks to his cat-enhanced hearing, he could hear what his father was saying.
"I should be thanking you Mademoiselle Marinette." Gabriel spoke, "You were really brave. Your parents would have been so proud."
Chat Noir smiled. Sounds like his father and his bodyguards were not the ones who did all the protecting.
"You should join us on our next shoot."
Chat's eyes widened in horror. NonononoNO! The last thing he wants (among other things) is his father inviting his crush to his photo shoots.
Unfortunately for him, Marinette accepted.
On the way home, Gabriel smirked at his son's horrified expression, "You're welcome."
Well he did want her to see him model. Didn't he? Besides... it's not like she's going to see him always.
He had to admit; it was fun talking and playing video games with Marinette. (Especially winning against her.) It felt like... another one of his old wounds from the past has closed up, giving him a sense of peace.
Their short time together, made him feel that Tom and Sabine never left.
He will find a way to bring them back. And when he does, he'll be glad to tell them that Marinette didn't need him to protect her; She has the heart of a hero all along.
Just like her parents.
Gabe playing video games... and made his dear, sweet niece lose... It brought back so many wonderful memories.
He was thankful his friend protected his niece, though a little surprised when his niece told him her friend's father wielded a metal replica of Chat Noir's staff to fight against the small badly-colored dinosaurs.
To think a normal civilian like him possesses such skill other than designing clothes...
He must have paid for a lot of self-defense classes.
Emilie would be relieved if he found out that her husband can defend himself. She, along with his sister, and brother-in-law, would have been proud with how he protected Marinette from harm.
...
Well that's one person he can worry less about. Now if he can stop worrying about everyone in the whole wide world...