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It was the happiest day in Marinette's life.
"Are you ready, Mari?" her bestfriend asked once again.
Kagami had been a firm rock for Marinette to rely on during the years following her rehab from the Hawkmoth period.
They stuck together through thick and thin while getting their lives together, and even after, while moving away from Paris and all the painful memories.
"Yes! I didn't think the dress would still fit, but I feel good enough to not cry before walking down the aisle," the young parisian joked, looking at herself in the full-body mirror.
Her stunning white dress had detailing in silver and gold, and handsewn small bugs and cat paws following the hem. She also made sure to include little birds on the hems of her veil, just to mess a little with her step-children.
The Manor had been beautifully decorated according to Chloé's instructions, which meant the event was in good hands.
Not only Chloé was the best planner in the country, but also one of Mari's closest friends, so she refused to allow the women to hire someone else to get the event together. It had to be her.
Other than that, Dick and Tim had input their thoughts on the decor and planning, more because of the security and less because of their sense of aesthetics.
"I really hope none of my children made a scene before I get there. I love them, but I cannot handle another round of press conference only to make it clear that I am independent of her father.
Oh, right.
The man she was marrying, Bruce Wayne.
Her long-time friend and penpal.
The one person who helped her get through all the pain and hurt the Hawkmoth reign caused her.
The man she loved the most dearly.
At first, it was just for fun.
They met when his father brought him to Paris at the age of ten, and they (literally) bumped into each other during and event Marinette was helping to serve.
From then on, they kept contact, despite Bruce's efforts to disappear from her memory.
Sometimes he would take a few days to answer her letters, sometimes it took weeks or months. There was this one time it took him two years to finally get back to her, when they had just turned eighteen and Marinette found herself free from the Ladybug miraculous.
Bruce was the sole reason Marinette started learning English, and same went for Bruce and his French classes.
At some point, they lost contact again and went a few long years without talking.
Can you imagine Marinette's surprise when she learned that Bruce had three sons full of anger and was dating dead gorgeous Selina Kyle?
The funny thing was that Bruce and Selina's relationship didn't last much after Marinette came back into his life.
She was a constant he couldn't get out of his head.
She won a place in his children's heart, first by being an amazing person, and later on for being retired-hero Ladybug, guardian of Paris.
They had met with the mask so many times, but never got to find out each other's identities. It was just sheer bad-luck and a long day of working with magical artifacts.
And now here were they, ready to tie the knot and finally get their happily ever after.
Once and for all.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the most beautiful woman Clark had ever had the pleasure to cross paths with.
She was beautiful inside out, with the strength of a fighter and the wits of an strategist.
She was quick on her feet and taking her with her guard down was an impossible task.
Marinette was everything Clark ever wished to be and the woman he wanted to be with.
And now, watching her walk down the aisle in a wonderful white dress she had sewn herself, holding a bouquet of lilies and smiling brighter than the sun, he knew he was so fucking gone, and there was nothing he could do.
They met during one of his work-trips to London as Clark Kent.
He was just shy out of university and wanted to kill two birds with one stones as he visited an old friend from college and got the chance to interview co-CEO of Starlight Fashion, Felix Graham de Vanilly.
Clark literally bumped against the woman, holding her wrist before she could fall on her back.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" he apologized quickly, worried about having hurt her. Marinette just laughed, waving him off.
"It's okay, don't worry," her accent was thick and she had small freckles crossing the bridge of her nose, which wrinkled a little as she smiled at him. And walked away.
They met again on the café at the end of the street, and Clark was unwilling to move on from the day's event without paying her a coffee.
Needless to say he got her number and the promise of a new friend.
They met again when she made a trip to New York to met a friend of hers, and then during a Gala in Los Angeles to celebrate Kagami Tsurugi's wedding with her girlfriend Chloé Burgeois.
Talking with Marinette always made Clark's heart lighter, as if she alone could get rid of all the bad things in the world.
And then he found out that she was a hero.
Ladybug, at that.
One of the most powerful magic users in the earth.
And Bruce's first love.
As much as it pained Clark to admit, his heart was hers already.
He wanted the laughs, the cries, the pain, and the joy.
He wanted her to rely and lean on him, to allow him to protect and care for her, even for the smallest things.
And that was why he had not the heart to stop her.
Because as much as he loved her, and wanted to have her for himself, she was not his to love.
"I, Marinette, take you, to be my husband. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life."
And being in love meant letting the person you love be happy, even if it is with someone else.
"I, Bruce Wayne, take you, Marinette, to be my wife. I promise to be faithful to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love you and to honor you all the days of my life."
"I declared you husband and wife. You can, now, kiss the bride."
Clark didn't hear the loud cheering, the clapping, and the whistles.
All he heard was the sound of his heart breaking into a million pieces.