I'm always here for you

Epilogue

•••3 years later•••

——— Marinette's POV———

I wake up to the sound of knocking on the trap door on my ceiling. I check the clock beside me; it reads 1 am.

I roll out of bed and rub my eyes. I yawn as I make my way to the stepladder, then I climb up and push the trapdoor open. 

"What are you doing here, Kitty?" I ask sleepily.

"I have a surprise for you," he states as he detransforms. He asks me to sit down with him, then from behind him he pulls out a package.

"What's this?" I wonder. My birthday wasn't for another few months.

"Happy anniversary!"

I burry my head in my hands. "I totally forgot about that!"

"Don't worry, bugaboo. Your love is the best present I could ever ask for," he says, kissing me on the cheek. "I've been wanting to give you this for some time, but I've been waiting for the right moment."

I nervously open the package, and pull apart the tissue paper. I finally find something within the wrappings: a framed picture of a beautiful house.

I giggle. "Why do we always give each other photos as gifts?"

"The picture isn't the gift; the house is."

I stare at him, not being able to process the words. "What?"

Adrien gets down on one knee in front of me, holding out a ring. "I love you so much, Princess. I want to spend the rest of my life with you; I want to help you achieve your dreams, raise a family, and grow old with you. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, will you marry me?"

We're both crying at this point. I wipe my runny nose with the back of my hand and fall into Adrien's arms. "Of course I will, you silly cat!"

He helps me put on the ring, and then hugs me closer. We continue to hold onto each other for what feels like forever, staring at the stars.

•••

"Relax, Marinette. You'll be fine," Alya assures me. "It's just a short walk down the aisle. You're not going to trip!"

"But what if I do?" I ask nervously, playing with the edges of my dress. "You know how clumsy I am."

"Stop stressing!" My dad says. "I'll be right beside you. Now, can I tell Roe to start the music?"

I take a deep breath. "Okay, I'm ready."

Roe begins playing a wedding melody on the piano. She hits quite a few wrong notes, but somehow, the mistakes make this moment feel more special. More... real. 

 Once Alya and Nino walk out as best man and maid of honour, it's my turn.

—————Adrien's POV—————

I try to hold myself together as Mari walks down the aisle. I hadn't seen her dress until now, but the sight of her now was worth the wait.

Mari's dad is giving her away, and it looks like he's holding back tears, too. Once they finally make it up to the front, I take Mari's hands.

"Dear thee beloved..."

I'm too excited to pay attention to what the officiant is saying. All I can focus on is Mari's bluebell eyes, and how I can't wait to spend my life with her.

"Do you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, take this man as your husband?"

"I do!"

"And do you, Adrien Agreste, take this woman as your wife?"

"Hell yeah!"

Mari laughs, and so does the crowd.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife!"

"Finally!" Alya yells, throwing her arms up into the air. "Now kiss each other, God dammit!"

••• 3 years later •••
———Adrien's POV———

"Hey, Honey?" Mari calls. "Dinner's ready!"

"Shhh! You'll wake Emma!" I whisper-shout over the railing, my 1-year-old daughter in my arms.

"What?" she calls back, louder than the first time.

"I said, you'll wa—" I'm interrupted by Emma sneezing. She doesn't cry, she just looks up at me with those gorgeous bright blue eyes, and laughs.

"Dadda," she mumbles.

I gasp. Her first word! I chuckle softly and carefully make my way downstairs. I place Emma in her high chair and put on her bib while Mari sets the table.

"Emma said Dadda!" I say.

Mari's jaw drops. "Really?!"

"Muma," Emma says.

"Oh my goodness!" Mari squeals. "She's talking!"

"That's two words in an hour!" I say, giving Emma her sippy cup. "Today is an amazing day."

"Well... it's about to get even better!" Mari mutters.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you'll see."

I give her a weird look, but she just smirks at me. I sit down across from her and dig in to the delicious dinner she made. We talk about how our days went as we eat, and I occasionally have to go pick up Emma's sippy cup that she keeps throwing. When we're finally done, Mari goes to the kitchen, and comes back with a couple cookies for each of us.

"Ooh, you baked today?" I ask. It's a bit of a rarity now, ever since Mari became lead fashion designer at my father's company. Well, it's technically my company now, since he passed away in a car accident last year.

"It's a special occasion," she replies, popping a piece of hers into her mouth.

"Why's that?"

"Just eat the cookie, Adrien!"

I laugh and take a bite. I chew for a few seconds, then I suddenly taste paper. Confused, I inspect the cookie, and notice there's a roll of paper stacked between two layers of dough.

I break the cookie in half to remove the note. I unroll it, and stare at the hand-drawn picture of me holding Emma, and Mari standing next to a crib with another baby in it.

I immediately start to cry. "You're pregnant again?"

Mari rushes over to give me a hug. "I found out a couple days ago, but I went to the doctor just to be sure."

"I love you so much!" I say through tears, then I give her a kiss. "I'm the luckiest man alive."

•••
The End
(for real this time)
•••