Merry Christmas (I Hate You?) || Miraculous AU

Questions, Uncertainty, and Worry

Gabriel Agreste stared at the screen before him. It was yet another report about him traveling to London and leaving the company to Adrien to marry another woman. What fodder and lies! He quickly shut off the television and slammed the remote on his coffee table before resting his head in his hands.

The sound of heels against the marble floors alerted him of Nathalie's presence before he saw her. Gabriel watched as her hand sat a mug full of tea on the table in front of him, but didn't move to drink it.

"You shouldn't be watching those," she said, eyeing him up and down and taking in his disheveled appearance. Gabriel raised his head from his hands to look at her, his blue-gray eyes piercing. He didn't say anything. Instead, he grabbed the warm mug and gingerly took a sip of the tea, as if he had just noticed it was there.

"Thank you, Nathalie. For everything." Gabriel stared into the deep liquid thoughtfully. "Without you, I don't know where I'd be right now."

Nathalie moved to sit on the arm of his chair. "Why are you going to London?" Gabriel forced himself to look up at her and make direct eye contact.

"I can't say," he sighed. "It's about time that Adrien takes on the company, and he needs a wife. Marinette is perfect for him, a very talented designer. If only they weren't so set on hating each other," he grumbled.

"Has it occurred to you that this may not be what Adrien wants?" Nathalie held back a frown and gently rested her hand on his shoulder. Gabriel didn't shrug her away.

"Oh, but it is. You and I both see the way he looks at Marinette when he's not trying to pretend he despises her. The boy is smitten," Gabriel said matter-of-factly. He almost wanted to smile at the stupidity of all of it. His son was in love, and tried to tolerate Mlle. Dupain-Cheng yet she was so focused on hating him. They'd break eventually and realize what fools they are, but in the meantime, a little shove in the right direction, per se, wouldn't hurt.

Knowing that arguing is pointless, Nathalie remained silent for a moment. "Yes, that may be true, but I don't think pushing those two together will end well." Then something dawned on her. "Louis. He isn't actually sick, is he?"

Gabriel took another sip of the tea. "Let's just say he's on a much deserved vacation."

Nathalie sighed and stood up. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about London?" she asked. More like demanded. Gabriel shook his head slightly. "If you ever want to tell me why you are leaving, I'll be here."

Gabriel watched as she left the room and finished his tea before it could get cold. He was determined to get Adrien and Marinette together, no matter what it takes, because if he doesn't...

Then the whole company is at stake.

Marinette huffed as she plopped on her bed, still in her nice clothes. Her headache was now dull, but she was certain it'd be worse in the morning. Marinette already regretted drinking so much wine so she forced herself to go downstairs to the kitchen and drink three glasses of water to clear her head.

The water helped her systems function a bit better and then it dawned on her what had happened little over an hour ago.

Luka.

He had proposed and when she didn't answer right away, they went for a walk outside as she tried to explain to him that it wasn't so simple to say yes. It was fine dating Luka, and she enjoyed his company. He was the best boyfriend she could ever ask for but...to marry him?

Marriage meant forever, until death do they part. And Marinette, being herself, wasn't sure she was ready for such dedication quite yet. She told him to give her time to think about it. It wasn't exactly a 'no' but he had canceled his tour for her and she felt horrible for being so indecisive.