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Gabriel stood at the top of the steps leading to his front door. Adrien was beside him, clutching Gabriel’s hand and bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet.
The day of Adrien’s playdate with Marinette Dupain-Cheng had arrived. Adrien had first asked Gabriel if it could be done two weeks before, and the week after that Gabriel had met Marinette’s parents at a school conference. Tom Dupain and Sabine Dupain-Cheng were both kind, charming people. Tom was a bit intimidating at first, but barely a minute’s conversation confirmed that the man was a teddy bear at heart. Sabine had rather piercing gray eyes that made Gabriel feel like she could see right into his soul, but she smiled all through their brief conversation and readily agreed to setting up a playdate for Marinette and Adrien.
“Marinette talks about Adrien all the time,” Sabine had said. “They’ve become very close friends. He’s a fine boy. You’ve done a good job raising him, Mr. Agreste.”
Gabriel had flushed and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Thank you. I just… try to do what my late wife would have done.”
“Always a good idea,” Tom agreed in his bold and jovial manner. “And it looks like it’s working.”
Gabriel was jolted out of the memory when Adrien suddenly exclaimed in excitement. “There they are, Father, look!”
Sure enough, the Dupain-Cheng family was walking up the sidewalk and reached the gate that led to the courtyard in front of the Agreste mansion. Adrien’s bodyguard pushed the button to open the gate, and the Dupain-Chengs walked in, Marinette walking between her parents and holding their hands.
As soon as they reached the steps Marinette broke free and ran up. “Adrien!”
“Marinette!” The young boy opened his arms just in time for Marinette to fly into them and they hugged each other tightly. When he pulled away, Adrien grinned at her. “I can’t wait to show you my room! And maybe we can bake something later!” He looked up at Gabriel. “May we go inside, Father?”
Gabriel smiled fondly and ruffled his son’s hair. “Of course, Adrien. Have a good time, kids.”
Marinette smiled sweetly at Gabriel. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Agreste.”
“You as well, Miss Marinette,” Gabriel replied with a wink, making her giggle. Then she and Adrien ran inside. Gabriel turned to face Tom and Sabine. “Good afternoon,” he said.
“To you as well,” Tom said with the bright smile his daughter had inherited.
“Would you mind coming inside?” Gabriel asked. “I would like to speak with the two of you about something concerning Marinette.”
Sabine’s brow furrowed with concern. “Everything’s alright, isn’t it?”
“Oh, yes, of course,” Gabriel assured her quickly. “Simply a matter that would need the parents’ permission first. Please follow me.”
Tom and Sabine nodded and the three parents walked into the mansion. Gabriel led them into his office, where he sat behind the desk at one side of the room and Tom and Sabine sat in the two chairs facing it.
Gabriel rifled through a few papers on the desk. “As I’m sure you know, I am a fashion designer. A couple weeks ago I was working on a new line of children’s clothing. Adrien came home and he told me about Marinette and described her. I thought that perhaps she would fit the style of the current female line.” Gabriel handed Tom the drawing of the dress he had been working on that day. The baker studied the dress, then handed the paper to his wife. “Seeing Marinette today only confirmed my suspicions,” Gabriel went on, “and I was wondering how you would feel if I asked Marinette to do a little modeling for me.”
Tom blinked in surprise. “Really?”
Gabriel nodded. “Of course, I completely understand if that would make you uncomfortable, but if the two of you and Marinette would be willing, I think that Marinette’s dark hair and blue eyes would set off these clothes perfectly.”
Sabine twisted her mouth thoughtfully. “What would it involve?”
Gabriel was prepared. He slid a few more pieces of paper across the desk. “That would be the contract. Most likely, the modeling itself would take less than a day. Marinette would simply wear the clothes and we’d take pictures of her. The contract has details about how much she’d be paid for her time as well as the royalties that she’d receive once the clothes start selling.”
Tom and Sabine exchanged a look. “I’m sure she’d love to do it,” Tom said, “but Marinette is only seven. Are you sure that someone so young would be able to handle it?”
Gabriel nodded. “Adrien has modeled for me several times, and he has always enjoyed himself. I’ve already asked him to model the boy’s clothes for this line, so he and Marinette would be able to spend the day together, and I’m sure neither of them would object to that.”
Sabine chuckled. “True enough. Tell you what, Mr. Agreste. We’ll talk to Marinette about this later, read the contract, think it over, and get back to you. Would that be alright?”
“Perfect,” Gabriel said. He reached over the desk and shook Tom and Sabine’s hands. “And if you decide not to do it, that’s still fine. But if you want my – admittedly biased – opinion?” The couple nodded. “I think that both Marinette and Adrien would have a lot of fun. And you two are welcome to attend the photoshoot, so if there’s anything you’re uncomfortable with, you can just let me know then.”
“Very well,” Tom said, smiling. He and Sabine stood up and Gabriel followed suit, and they all walked out of the office and out the front door. Tom took his wife’s hand. “We’ll be in touch, then, and we’ll be back in a few hours to pick up Marinette.”
“See you later, Mr. Agreste,” Sabine said.
Gabriel smiled and waved as they walked away. Then, once they were out of sight, he walked back inside and made his way upstairs to Adrien’s room.
He quietly opened the door and peeked inside. Adrien was hanging like a monkey on the climbing wall on one side of his room.
“Come on, Marinette,” he was saying. “You can do it.”
Marinette bit her lip nervously. “I don’t know, Adrien. I don’t like heights much.”
Adrien nimbly climbed back down and held out his hand to her. “Will you do it if I do it with you?”
She blushed a pretty pink but nodded and took his hand. Then together they started scaling the wall, Adrien pointing out hand- and footholds that would be easy for Marinette to reach. Then, after reaching the top, he carefully coached her down.
Gabriel smiled, leaning against the doorframe. He could easily picture Emilie standing beside him. “They’re so cute,” she would say. “I bet they’re gonna get together when they get older.”
“Don’t jump the gun, dearest,” Gabriel whispered so quietly that the sound barely passed his lips. “I’ll definitely help you plan the wedding, though.”
Marinette and Adrien reached the ground and Gabriel knocked lightly on the door, then stepped in.
Adrien looked over and grinned. “Hi, Father!”
“Hello, son,” Gabriel said, smiling. “How are things going?”
“Great! Marinette climbed the wall with me.” Adrien smiled at his friend, then added proudly, “She was scared, but I helped her.”
Marinette laughed a little and shoved his shoulder. “My knight in shining armor.”
Immediately, Adrien took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “Milady.”
Marinette blushed scarlet and Gabriel barely managed to bite back his laugh. It looked like Emelie would have ample evidence for shipping the two kids.
“Adrien,” Gabriel said, “you mentioned when Marinette got here that maybe the two of you could bake something. Would you like to do that now?”
Adrien nodded. “Sure! What do you think, Marinette?”
“Can we make macarons?” Marinette suggested. “My papa has the best recipe.”
“Can we make them passionfruit?” Adrien asked hopefully.
Gabriel laughed, knowing of Adrien’s, well, passionate love for passionfruit. “Yes, and yes. Come on, let’s go down to the kitchen.”
So, an hour later, Gabriel was pulling a few trays of different colored macaron shells out of the oven. There were definitely perks to being a rich and successful fashion designer – you could hire cooks that enjoyed making elaborate and fancy meals that required having several interesting ingredients on hand. Thankfully, the Agreste kitchen had everything that Tom’s macaron recipe required.
Gabriel set the hot trays down on the stovetop, then turned to the island counter, pulling off the oven mitts. Adrien and Marinette were standing on step stools and bent over a big bowl full of passionfruit-flavored filling. Marinette was expertly stirring the mixture while Adrien kept trying to sneak tastes.
Marinette smacked his wrist gently. “Adrien, stop that!”
“Sorry,” Adrien said, grinning sheepishly.
Gabriel walked over and examined the filling. “That looks delicious, Marinette.”
“Thank you,” the little girl said, clearly pleased.
Quick as a flash, Gabriel swiped a finger along the edge of the bowl and popped it into his mouth. “Tastes delicious, too.”
Marinette’s jaw dropped and Adrien burst out laughing. Gabriel just winked and walked back to the stove and began removing the macaron shells from the trays and onto a cooling rack.
“Can I do that?” Adrien asked, reaching for the bowl again.
“No.” Marinette slid the bowl out of his reach.
“But Father did it,” Adrien protested.
“But I didn’t let him do it,” Marinette pointed out.
Gabriel bit his lip, trying to keep his laughter from escaping. “Just a few minutes until the shells cool, kids, then we can put the filling in.” He grinned at his son. “And then we can eat them.”
Adrien mock-pouted, and Marinette laughed and hugged him. The boy blushed and hugged her back.
“How do you think we should design the wedding cake?” Gabriel imagined Emilie asking him. Her green eyes would be twinkling mischievously.
“I don’t know, my love,” Gabriel would reply. “But considering her parents are bakers, I’m sure that we could easily arrange for the best wedding cake ever made.”
“True,” his wife would say. “And in the meantime, why don’t you get started on Marinette’s wedding dress. Make sure to ask for her input. I bet she has a good eye for fashion.”
About five minutes later, the three of them had started putting the cookies together, mixing up the colors. Adrien made sure to spread the filling extra thick.
Then, when they were all done, the kids helped clean up before running outside to play a game of Princess and Knight, a game that they had apparently just made up right then.
Gabriel went back to his office and started adding the finishing touches to the line of children’s clothes he hoped that Marinette could model with Adrien.
“You seem happy, Gabriel,” Nooroo said, peeking out of the fabric cupboard.
“I am, my little friend,” Gabriel said, making a few strokes with his pencil. “This Marinette Dupain-Cheng is very good for the soul – and for Adrien. A match made in heaven, if you ask me.”
The kwami laughed. “Emilie would be planning the wedding at this point, wouldn’t she?”
“Indeed,” Gabriel said with a sad smile. “And if she were here, then she and Marinette’s mother would definitely hit it off immediately. They would make quite the formidable wedding planning duo should they join forces.”
Nooroo flew over and sat down on Gabriel’s desk. “Does it help to imagine that Emilie is still with you?”
Gabriel shrugged and avoided Nooroo’s lavender gaze. “I suppose. It eases the pain, I guess.”
“And do you talk about her to Adrien?”
“Sometimes. Sometimes I think that he needs to hear it. Other times, I think it just makes him sad because he feels responsible.” Gabriel sighed. “I feel much more responsible. I was there. I could have done something. Adrien was only six years old. He’s not to blame.”
“Maybe you need to tell him that.”
“I have, but he has his mother’s sensitive soul, and thinks he’s to blame for everything.” Gabriel glanced out the window and saw Adrien standing in front of Marinette, his arms spread out in a protective posture against some imaginary foe. The corners of Gabriel’s mouth turned up. “But, again, Marinette is very good for him. He needed that sweetness in his life – both figuratively and literally.” Nooroo laughed. “I have a feeling I’m going to need to watch my diet with the Dupain-Chengs in my life,” Gabriel said with a grin.
About half an hour later, Tom and Sabine arrived to pick up their daughter. Marinette and Adrien bid each other a sad farewell, but they both brightened considerably when their very amused parents reminded them that they would see each other the next day at school.
Before the Dupain-Chengs left, Marinette threw her arms around Gabriel’s legs and gave him a hug. “Thanks for letting me come over, Mr. Agreste,” she said happily. “I hope you like the macarons.”
“I’m sure I will, Marinette. Thank you for coming.” Gabriel hugged her back. “You are welcome here any time, and I’m sure we’ll plan a time for you to come back soon. Or maybe next time Adrien can go to your house.”
Marinette squealed in excitement. “Yes, yes, yes!” Gabriel exchanged an amused look with Tom and Sabine.
Then Adrien waved furiously as Tom and Sabine took Marinette home. Once the Dupain-Chengs were out of sight, Adrien turned and hugged Gabriel tightly. “Thanks for letting Marinette come over, Father. I know you don’t always like it when people are here.”
Gabriel blinked, surprised at this observation. “That’s true, Adrien, but I really enjoyed having Marinette with us. I think we needed her sugary sweetness today.”
Adrien smiled widely. “Can we go eat some macarons now?”
Gabriel laughed. “Of course, son. Of course.”