"Why do people have to keep dying?!" Adrien shouts at the sky.
"Adrien," His father coaxes from the ground, "Don't draw attention to yourself." Ever the man of priorities.
"I don't care! Getting attention is apparently what I do!" He pulls his hand down his face in an attempt to reorganize his thoughts, "How long do you have?"
Gabriel groans as he adjusts himself, unsure of which part of his body to hold since it all hurts, "I'm already in the process of dying... minutes, maybe?"
Marinette, who'd been partially hiding behind Adrien, finally steps forward, squatting down and offering her hand to Gabriel, "Are you scared?" She tries not to flinch as he takes it, since she's always expecting him to do the worst. He seems grateful for something to ground him.
"Very."
"I know how you feel." Seeing the man who she'd been terrified of since she became Ladybug, unmasked and weak, reminds her that he's human and doesn't deserve to die alone, even if that's the fate he'd originally chosen for her.
Adrien tries to process his emotions, but can only sift out anger. Anger at the world, anger at himself and at his father, even though his father's the one dying. His father's dying...
The emotions hit him suddenly as he remembers everything from before his mother disappeared. Gabriel actually acted like a dad before that. Adrien had almost forgotten.
There was no way he'd ever be able to forgive him, but he still loves him, as crazy as that sounds.
Adrien joins Marinette on the ground next to his father and takes his other free hand, "I know you're scared for once in your life, but you're not by yourself."
Gabriel sets his head down on the ground and looks up at the sky, "You think I've never been scared?" He cracks a little smile, "You must not remember being a kid very well, then."
Adrien looks at him, waiting for him to continue, and he does, "Do you know how many times you got into to my sewing kits and tried to eat my pins? That's true fear right there."
Marinette giggles a little bit, glancing at Adrien as if she's asking him to confirm the story.
"I don't remember that," The boy gives a little smile, "But I do remember climbing onto a runway while a show was going on when I was five."
Gabriel lets out an unexpectedly hearty laugh, "You told me you wanted to model after that. Of course, I hated the idea at the time, but here we are now."
They sit in silence for a moment, Marinette trying to ignore his familiar grip, and Adrien trying to think of anything else that needs to be said before the inevitable.
He's about to open his mouth to speak when his father beats him to it, "You two have grown into such heroes. I admire that, in a way. I never would've been able to do what you have."
"What do you mean?" The two say simultaneously.
"Well, myself knowing who you are and vice versa changed everything, yet you still offer your hands to me while I'm dying. I almost feel confident in the world I'll be leaving behind; I might not have done much good for this city, but I created an environment that allowed you two to protect it. That was never my intention, but I hope that's what I'm remembered for..." He convulses momentarily in pain, forcing them to let go of his hands.
"Father?" Adrien asks.
Gabriel takes a deep breath, "You won't have to put up with me for too much longer."
His son gives him a sad smile before working up the courage to say, "Before you go, then, I want you to freely give us back what's ours." He doesn't need to specify, as Gabriel subtly nods and removes the jewelry from his ears and finger. He hands them to their respective owners, and Marinette makes the quiet decision to disinfect hers. (Can a Miraculous even cause an infection? She doesn't want to find out.)
Mr. Agreste turns to her and solemnly asks, "Can I have my last few moments alone with my son?" In a way, she feels unusually offended but is also relieved to be able to get away from him for a bit. She nods and stands up, putting her hand on Adrien's shoulder to reassure him that she'll stay close. He pats it in return before she makes her way to sit on a stone bench underneath a tree. She remains within sight but out of earshot and quietly watches as Adrien tearfully talks to his father for the last time. Marinette finds herself tearing up too, and she can't seem to understand why. She longs to go back home to tell her parents how much she loves them, but she guesses with that will come lots of explaining, most of which she doesn't even have words to do so.
After everything that's happened in the last week, this ending feels strangely quiet in comparison. She lays down on the bench, quickly realizing how tired she is, and falls asleep to the sound of frogs and crickets.
~ ~ ~
Author's Note:
Hi, I suck at writing dialogue! 😂
Here's that chapter I promised you. I had to break through a bunch of writer's block to get this down on paper, but it's finally here!
Let me know your thoughts in the comments. 😘