The rain pounded loudly against the wall-length windows of the Agreste Mansion, the only sound breaking an otherwise heavy silence in Gabriel's atelier. The sky outside was covered in dark clouds, casting a dull gray into the room.

Standing on the podium he used to work, Gabriel stared down at his angered son on the opposite side of the room, noting his snarling lip and clenched fists. Gabriel's expression was, as usually ever, lifeless and uncaring, a judgemental and self-righteous tint to his gaze.

"How could you ask me to do this?" Adrien growled. "I love Marinette!"

Gabriel turned to his tablet, flicking through the pages with disinterest.

"She's damaging to the brand; She's not an appropriate suitor for someone of your caliber." he dismissed.

"Marinette's the best thing that's ever happened to me!" Adrien yelled, "She makes me so happy, happier than I've been in a long time, does that mean nothing to you?"

Gabriel raised an eyebrow in Adrien's direction.

"It's an immature infatuation, Adrien, you'll get over it." he said, "Mrs. Tsurugi and I have reached a pleasing agreement for you and Kagami, you're fond of her, are you not?"

Adrien's jaw dropped in disgust, making a mental note to warn Kagami about this.

"So, you and Kagami's mother have treated us like a business deal?" he accused, "You can't force us to be together, Father, and you can't force me to break up with Marinette!"

"You're my son," Gabriel said, his voice raised, "Therefore, it is within my right to make decisions that I see as best for you."

Adrien took a deep breath, contemplating his next words. Finally, he spoke with words he never thought he'd ever say:

"If you can't accept my love for Marinette, then I can't accept you as my father."

For a moment, Adrien thought he saw a flicker of emotion on his father's face. A suffocating pause followed and Adrien felt like his heart was pounding so hard against his chest his ribs might snap.

Plagg gave him a reassuring pat from inside his pocket, proud of his Chosen for finally sticking up for himself on a big time, and for Marinette. Emilie Agreste's portrait watched on from behind Gabriel, her kind gaze bringing a brief wave of calm over Adrien. Gabriel stared at his son; His face unreadable.

After what felt like hours, Gabriel finally spoke, his tone even.

"Very well then, get out of my house." he said unregrettably.

Adrien swore he felt his heart snap apart, devastated that his father truly cared more for the business than his own son's happiness. Even Nathalie, who'd been watching from the doorway, who was usually and always emotionless and calm, looked shocked.

Taking a shuddering breath, and casting one last look at his mother, Adrien fled the room, Plagg whispering reassuring words to him as he ran.

...

So much for "my place" next time. Adrien mumbled mentally.

And that was the story of just how he'd ended up standing in the front doorway of the Dupain-Cheng's apartment, his hair dripping with water from his walk over, a drenched gym bag with some of his belongings on his shoulder.

The family had just finished dinner when they'd heard a knock at the door, and after Marinette had wrapped her arms round him tightly, the damp and his tears soaking her clothes, Sabine and Tom fussed over him, sending him for a warm bath whilst they made him some dinner.

Sitting with a towel around his shoulders, his freshly washed hair looking more like his alter ego's, Marinette held his hand tightly as he recounted what happened with his father. Sabine looked ready to commit murder, whilst Tom looked at the blonde worriedly.

"Adrien...are you sure about this?" Marinette said, softly, "Am I worth losing your father?"

Adrien grabbed both of her hands tightly in his, looking her directly in the eyes.

"Anything is worth not losing you." he reassured her, "I love you, Marinette."

"I love you too, Adrien," Marinette said with a sob.

The pair hugged each other tightly, like they were scared the world would rip them apart. Tom and Sabine smiled softly, sharing a quick, concerned glance before leaving the pair alone.

...

Later that night, Adrien was snuggled up in Marinette's bed, his arms wrapped around his girlfriend.

Under normal circumstances, Tom and Sabine would have been more concerned about their daughter sharing a bed with her boyfriend, but Tom pointed out Adrien needed the comfort right now.

Marinette promised to stay awake until Adrien went to sleep, but she'd nodded off from exhaustion about an hour ago, her gentle breathing tickling his chin as her head rested on his chest. Tikki and Plagg were sleeping on Marinette's shelf just above their heads.

Adrien, meanwhile, couldn't sleep, his mind whirling with thoughts about the previous day. He stared up at the night sky peering back down at him through the skylight, the rain had ended and the clouds had faded, leaving a beautiful starry sky in its wake, the moonlight and streetlights casting a gentle glow into the room.

Deciding he needed some space, he carefully extracted himself from Marinette's grasp and crawled to the ladder leading down to her room. He reached the first step when a little voice broke through the quiet.

"Where are you going?" Plagg asked, one luminous green eye open and watching his Chosen.

"Just getting a drink, I'm okay." Adrien whispered.

Plagg didn't look convinced, but snuggled back with Tikki, his large ears alert to Adrien's actions.

Climbing down the stairs to the lounge, Adrien grabbed a glass from the cupboard, shutting the door and turning on the tap as quietly as he could and filled it with water.

Even cloaked in darkness, the Dupain-Cheng's home was more warming and welcoming than his house had ever been since his mother's disappearance. He took a large gulp of water as he made his way to the dining table, then slumped at the table, mentally and physically exhausted. His eyes closed as he rested his head in his hands, sighing heavily.

"You okay, son?" came a low, concerned voice.

Adrien jumped, his eyes shooting open to see Tom creeping out of his room, looking at him worriedly.

"Yeah, sorry, I just wanted a drink...I'm sorry if I woke you." Adrien whispered back, cringing.

Tom shook his head as he gently shut the bedroom door behind him.

"You didn't, I need to get the bakery ready for opening." he explained, "Have you gotten any sleep?"

"No," Adrien sighed, "just got too much on my mind."

Tom nodded, carefully pulling up a chair opposite the Model, or Ex-Model, he supposed now.

"I can understand that," Tom said, "It's never easy when disagreements happen in a family, but I'm proud of you for sticking by what you want. Marinette adores you."

Adrien looked up at Tom with a determined glance.

"And I adore Marinette, Sir." he replied, "Your daughter means everything to me."

"How many times have I told you to call me 'Tom'?" the man said with a slight chuckle, "But I appreciate you saying that, even if I already knew."

Adrien smiled gently.

"Thank you for taking me in at short notice by the way, I'm sorry for the trouble." he apologized.

Tom scoffed.

"You're no trouble at all; You're family, son." he said.

Adrien's heart warmed, feeling himself getting choked up.

"Thank you, Tom." he sputtered out, taking a sip of water to hide his emotion.

Tom smiled, then sighed softly, watching the boy for a moment before he spoke.

"Has Marinette ever told you about her grandfather?" he asked.

"Not much," Adrien admitted, "Just that she only met him last year and he's a baker like you."

Tom nodded.

"There's a reason she hadn't met him before then." he explained, "I haven't told her the true story, though I'm sure she'll work it out at some point. I told her we had a disagreement about baking, but it was a lot deeper than that."

Adrien leaned forward with interest as Tom continued.

"When I first introduced Sabine to my father as my fiancée, he was livid." he started, "He's a very 'traditional' man shall we say, and he wasn't happy about me marrying into a Chinese family."

"That's awful." Adrien said softly. "So, what happened?"

"He told me to end it with Sabine, and if I didn't, he'd never speak to me again. Of course, I chose Sabine; She was my everything, the love of my life. My father kept his word. My mother was furious with him, and it was the final nail in the coffin of their marriage. They'd always been chalk and cheese, but she couldn't forgive him for disowning me."

"That's awful. How did you get back in touch?"

"I tried a few times over the years, I sent letters telling him about our bakery and our life. The last letter I wrote to him was to tell him Marinette had been born, he never wrote back. Thankfully I've got a very stubborn daughter who sought him out and dragged him to my fortieth birthday."

Adrien smiled fondly.

"She is amazing like that." he said, "Are you and your dad okay now?"

"Honestly?" Tom sighed, "I'll never fully forgive him, but we can move on and begin to rebuild our relationship. He gets on well with Marinette, and has apologized to Sabine and I."

Adrien nodded in response.

"You're a great man, Tom." he complimented.

Tom placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder.

"As are you, son." he complimented back, "I'm sure your father will come around eventually, but if he doesn't, you'll always have us. I was older than you when I went through this and it wasn't easy. You're a strong person, Adrien, I'm so proud of you."

Tears filled Adrien's eyes, which he quickly wiped away with his arm.

"Thanks, Tom." he replied.

Tom wrapped the boy in a hug, which surprised Adrien initially, but he quickly hugged him back, his arms barely reaching around the older man's wide frame. Tom held him for a few moments before pulling away, gently patting him on the back as he did.

"Now, kiddo, go get some sleep." he advised, "If you get a better night's rest, I can show you some baking."

Adrien's eyes sparkled.

"I'd love that." he said excitedly.

Tom smiled and patted the boy on the back once more as they stood. Tom paused as he reached the front door, watching the blonde reach the top of the stairs to Marinette's room.

"Hey, Adrien," Tom said gently, so as not to wake his sleeping girls.

The Ex-Model then turned back to look at him, a questioning look on his exhausted features.

"You're going to be okay." Tom reassured him.

Adrien smiled gently, thinking of his sleeping girlfriend and Kwami upstairs, his friends at school, and the two wonderful parents who had taken him in.

"I know." he replied with hope in his voice.

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