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They had only been dating for about three months when Adrien began to have the nagging fear that Marinette was dating him only because of his father.
It was an irrational fear, he knew that it was, and it was especially irrational considering how they had worked to overcome Marinette's fear that he was only dating her because she was Ladybug, and his own previous fear that she didn't care for his alter ego. They already dealt with Chloe on a regular basis, and her schemes were now more amusing than they were threatening since even the mayor couldn't find a good excuse to forcibly separate the two of them. They dealt with balancing their Miraculous dynamic with the new knowledge that they had more to lose if something happened to either of them. They dealt with Tikki and Plagg's tacit worry even as the kwami supported their relationship, a worry that Tikki absolutely refused to address even as Plagg made the odd dark comment now and then.
They had both overcome so much in such a short time, so Adrien knew without a shadow of a doubt that Marinette loved him, all of him, and that she couldn't care less about his father. But it couldn't hurt that Gabriel Agreste was a famous fashion designer, meaning that he could and probably would play a key role in fulfilling Marinette's dreams.
Still, the fear didn't rear its ugly head until he came home from fencing one day, slightly sweaty but brimming with excitement. He had promised to meet Marinette afterward, and he was in a rush to shower and change into something nicer.
“I'm back, Nathalie,” he said as he made to rush up the stairs.
Nathalie was idly scribbling something when she glanced up at Adrien. “Ah, Adrien. Your girlfriend is here.”
He stumbled. “Here?”
“Your father brought her inside. They should be waiting outside of your room.”
At least his father hadn't brought her inside of his room. He had left his monitors on, and he was fairly certain that the last website he had up was Alya's Ladybug blog, and he didn't need Marinette to tease him even more for being such a big fanboy. Still, something about Nathalie's words made Adrien give pause.
“Dad brought her inside?”
“Yes, he graciously gave her a ride from the park. He reasoned that you would stop by here first.”
Adrien bounded up the stairs towards his room without a second thought, only to see Gabriel Agreste and Marinette standing a little too closely together in the hallway. Marinette was holding her sketchpad and Gabriel was bending his head to look at it, and the two of them were talking quietly. Adrien inched forward, not wanting to disrupt them even as he eavesdropped.
“You don't think that it's too ambitious?”
“Fortune favors the bold,” Gabriel said, and he tapped his finger on one of her designs. “I have some lovely blue material that Nathalie bought for me today. I think you should use that for the sleeves here.”
“Oh no, I can't take your materials.”
“I insist. It would perfect the entire piece.”
He smiled indulgently at Marinette and she smiled back, not knowing that her boyfriend was currently cursing his father's searing blue eyes, impeccable fashion sense, and strong jawline. As she shut her sketchpad, Gabriel put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in closer to say something directly into her ear.
Adrien was not having it.
“Dad.”
Marinette jumped and Gabriel's hand slid from her shoulder. “Adrien!” she said hastily, and looked around. Seeing him standing by the stairs, eyeing the two of them warily, she smiled her biggest smile yet and immediately went to him. “Adrien,” she said again, and despite the awkwardness of his father's presence, Adrien couldn't help himself and enveloped her in a hug.
“I missed you,” he sighed.
She giggled and patted his head. “Me too.” Then: “Adrien, you're all sweaty!”
“Take care of your appearance, Adrien,” Gabriel interjected, looking severe. Then he glanced at his watch and said, “Well, I'll be taking my leave now. Marinette, Nathalie should know where the blue material is. Make sure to take some of it today.”
Marinette jumped for the second time today and blushed at the thought of Gabriel Agreste watching his son and his girlfriend embrace in front of him. “Yes, of course. Thank you very much for this.” She attempted to untangle herself from Adrien, but Adrien held onto her and refused to let go. Instead, he deliberately narrowed his eyes at his father, and Gabriel finally seemed to get the hint.
“Well, I look forward to your results, Marinette.”
One last stiff bow, and Gabriel Agreste finally left, but not before raising an eyebrow at his son.
“Now will you finally let go?” Marinette huffed, and pushed herself out of Adrien's grasp. “You're not normally so touchy in public,” she commented, although she wasn't complaining.
“But we're not in public,” he pouted, and made grabby hands for her. He was acting very much like Chat Noir today, and Marinette was not impressed.
“But we were in front of your father. Your father, Gabriel Agreste.”
“Your parents don't mind when we hug in front of them.”
“That's because they're romantics. Come on, let's go to the park. We haven't got all day to see each other, you know.” She took his hand and began to lead him back down the stairs, and Adrien was so charmed by her initiative that he completely forgot about showering and about his father, at least for the rest of that day.
But the fear began tugging at his thoughts again when he had to meet Marinette for their night patrol. He arrived early at their usual meeting place near the Eiffel Tower and watched the tourists mill around. His entire vision was green, and he chuckled at the irony as Marinette landed smoothly next to him, clad in her Ladybug getup.
“What's so funny, Chat Noir?” she asked curiously.
He briefly considered withholding this information from her. Adrien Agreste had an image to maintain and avoided saying or doing anything that would make him look silly. But his Lady knew him both as Adrien and Chat Noir, and he understood as well that there was no point in having secrets between the two of them. The unconditional trust they had developed originally as Ladybug and Chat Noir also existed now between Marinette and Adrien.
But first.
“I'll tell you after our patrol.”
She blinked, puzzled by his serious tone. “Is it that important?”
“I think so.”
It was a relatively quiet night. They confronted a few burglars and a nasty group of men ready to assault a particularly spindly-looking boy (who had nearly wept from excitement when Ladybug asked him if he was all right), but there were no akuma occurrences or city-threatening escapades. Quiet nights were hard to come by, and Adrien was grateful to have even a moment of peace with his Lady. But he could tell that her curiosity hadn't gone away, and she kept looking back at him during lulls in the night.
It was very late when they decided to call it a night, and Marinette stood by his shoulder with a very expectant look on her face. “Well?”
He took a deep breath. “What do you think of my dad?”
Marinette was taken aback. Clearly she had not been expecting this topic at all. “Gabriel Agreste?”
“Yes, I wanted to know what you thought of him. As, as the father of your boyfriend. And a world-famous fashion designer. A really good-looking fashion designer, but naturally my looks had to come from somewhere, although—”
“You're rambling, kitty.”
“S-sorry.” He took another deep breath. Being in Chat Noir's costume made Adrien mouthier and more nervous than usual.
“Don't apologize, but...” she peered at him thoughtfully. “I have to ask, where is this coming from?”
“You want to be a famous fashion designer, right?”
“Well, yes.”
“And my dad is a famous fashion designer.”
“Well, yes.”
“And you're dating me.”
“Well, yes—wait, is that what this is about?”
“Huh?”
She poked his forehead and then pulled him down to sit with her. “You're too easy to read sometimes. Why do you think I started dating you in the first place?”
Almost reflexively, he grinned and began flexing his arms. “Because of these?”
Pursing her lips, Marinette pushed his arms down. “No.”
“I'm rich?”
“No.”
“My dashingly good looks?”
“Well, maybe that's part of it—”
“Hey!”
“Don't suggest that if you're going to be offended.” She waited for a moment, and when she didn't hear any more quips, she scooted closer and laid her head on his shoulder. “You really don't know?”
He fidgeted with the claws on his hands. “Because you love me?”
“And why do you think I love you?”
“My good l—”
“Adrien!” she snapped. “It's because you're a good person. It's because we're compatible. It's because we work better together than on our own. It's because you're someone who tries to talk to my mom in Chinese even though I know you're secretly embarrassed by your accent. It's because you try and try to improve your relationship with your dad even though I know how discouraged you get. It's because I know that no matter what happens to us or our relationship right now, I'll always have you as my partner. As Chat Noir and as Adrien Agreste.”
He hesitated. “You'll always have Chat Noir, my Lady.”
“I'm dating Chat Noir and Adrien. I'm not dating you because of your father. I'll become a fashion designer with or without his help, and if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't accept any of his favors.”
Adrien knew that his fear had been irrational, but it was only after the words came from Marinette's mouth that he was truly able to relax. “No, I don't want you to do that. I want you to succeed. I know how hard the fashion industry can be, and I know that you can do it. And I don't mind if being with me gives you that advantage.”
Marinette began to stroke his hair. “All right then. But you understand now that I'm not with you just to get an advantage, right?”
“I know. I knew before, but it was just something that came up from earlier today. I wish I could stop having irrational fears.”
“I don't think there's anything wrong with that, so long as you know you're being irrational. But I'm willing to reassure you whenever you want.”
He laughed. “That might be more often than you think.”
“Silly kitty,” she said affectionately. “That's what being in a relationship is all about.”
…
…
…
“Of course,” she continued slyly, “it certainly doesn't hurt that your father is Gabriel Agreste.”
He groaned. “My Lady! You just ruined the mood.”