Love is Timeless (Time After Time)

Second Sequence

When it's over, Gabriel kisses her first; soft, slow and thorough –lips gentle as he entices her to him, tongue caressing patiently and causing shivers up and down her spine. Emilie shuffles closer to them and she feels her breath as she nears their faces, kisses Marinette's cheek first and then Gabriel's, all while the two of them are still kissing. She couldn't help the moan, even if she wanted to, and she blindly reaches a hand out to search out Emilie, while her other hand runs up Gabriel's chest and slides to rest against the back of his neck.

In her happiness and feelings of belonging, she doesn't notice as Gabriel pulls her onto his lap, how Emilie helps her along, or how she moves to sit behind Marinette and between his legs and all pressed up against her. When she notices it in the vagueness of her mind, she finds it feels right and comfortable, and like it has been something that should've been all along.

They're tall and all graceful limbs, and she's always been petite, so she fits perfectly between them like a matching puzzle piece.

"I love you," she whispers in the dark room and they don't pause at all, as if they've known all this time.

They echo her in the way they hold on tighter to her.

~*~

The next day, she wakes up in a tangle of limbs and breathing languidly. She stays up and stays that way for long moments, before Emilie wakes and starts laying kisses on her lips, and Gabriel groans as he wakes and curls in more around her. Both of them have their limbs wrapped around her and clasped onto each other, and Marinette never had a hope entangling herself from them.

"Marinette," Gabriel murmurs sleepily. "Emilie and I have something to ask you," he says as Emilie already moves away from her and leaves the bed.

Gabriel sits up slowly, the blanket falling low on his waist, and gives her a lethargic grin. Emilie returns to their bed and crawls closer to them, laying on her front and grinning freely, holding a small, thin and round box, all dark red and lined with silk. Emilie opens it to Marinette's surprised eyes and dropped jaw, taking in the simple, delicate bracelet laying on a bed of velvet.

On a braided cord of gold, five northern stars were connected, tiny diamonds placed in the middle of them and the corded ends ending in a bolo clasp that connected both sides together.

"We figure, as much as Gabriel's parure design was meant for you and inspired by you, it wouldn't be your style and something you'd wear around all the time. Something simple and elegant like this was better," Emilie smiles brightly at her.

Gabriel takes the bracelet from the box and takes one of Marinette's wrists, sliding the bracelet on and adjusting it with the clasp to fit. She brings her wrist closer to her eyes, thinking how beautiful it is and how much she loves it.

"That's not exactly the question we wanted to ask," Gabriel continues smoothly. "We wanted to ask if you would be ours, like we would be yours...committedly."

"We are, have been together and are serious in that companionship already. However..." Emilie adds on. "Even if it won't be legal, won't you marry us?"

Marinette stills, eyes widening as she stares at her paramours –confused, taken aback, elated. She knows it wouldn't be legal since it's not possible to marry more than one person, but she wants them both and they both want her, and it's everything she's ever wanted and nothing at all she expected.

"Yes," she says breathlessly and it isn't long until one night they find themselves outside the manor, in the gazebo (larger than the one from Gabriel and Emilie's wedding) and standing close together. They say quiet vows under the cover of the night, as Gabriel slips on the engagement ring he'd had made for her (this had been planned for a long time, she realizes) and Emilie slips on the matching wedding band on after. She has nothing to give them, unplanned this all was for her, and has nothing to her name anyway.