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melodiouswhite · 5 years

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J&H/Tam Lin crossover or How To Steal A Fae’s Boyfriend

(A/N: Due to popular demand, I have given into the temptation of writing a crossover of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with a well-known Scottish folk tale. And it’s a modern AU, because I can. So here you go, I hope you like it! :D

tw: sexual coersion and abuse. Also, Utterson is a trans guy and I probably didn’t get that right)

Gabriel had heard the stories, of course he had.

Of course he had heard the warning, that he shouldn't go there without bringing a cloak or ring as a token, lest something entirely else would be taken from him.

But being a young man in the 21st century, he had thought it was just old folk tales.

Who the hell took a green cloak or a ring to a forest, just for the purpose of leaving it there?

And so he had thought nothing of it, when he had gone into the woods of Carterhaugh without bringing either.

It was his property, after all. His family had acquired the surrounding lands and given the woods to him.

So here he was, walking through the woods with nothing but a book, a pocketknife (you never knew) and his smartphone, when he saw something odd: a saddled white steed was grassing at a well, generally minding her own business. But where was her owner?

Hesitantly, he stepped closer to the horse.

She wasn't disturbed by his presence and stood completely still, when he gently petted her and examined the saddle and bridal. Such a magnificent creature.

But the saddle and bridal looked so elaborate and fancy, they couldn't be from anywhere nearby. Actually, he had never seen anything like it.

Strange, he thought and decided to walk further into the woods. Perhaps he could find the person the steed belonged to.

But when he looked around, it was already dusk.

Huh. Had he really been here for that long?

He changed his mind and turned to go home.

After walking for a few minutes, he stumbled over a path where wild roses grew.

That wasn't here before …

Normally Gabriel wasn't the rose type of guy.

But never before had he seen anything like this. They were so ineffably beautiful, bright and radiant, that he had to take a closer look.

One particularly caught his eye; a white double-headed rose.

This one would be beautiful in my home, he thought, pulled out his pocketknife and carefully cut it off the bush.

But before he could tug it into his jacket, someone cleared their throat behind him.

He gasped in shock and whirled around.

There stood an otherworldly handsome young man dressed in green.

He was tall, well-built, broad-shouldered, had wheat blond hair and chocolate brown eyes. His skin was paler than his own, but not too much, just that perfect, healthy and rosy complexion.

The young man was frowning.

“What are you doing here in Carterhaugh?”, he asked in the most gorgeous voice Gabriel had ever heard. “Why do you cut off the roses? Haven't you heard the stories?”

The black-haired man could only blush and stutter.

After a while, the blond seemed to grow impatient. “Can you articulate yourself, please? I would like an explanation as to why you strolled in here like you own the place.”

Now Gabriel finally pulled himself together.

“Actually, I do own the place. My parents bought the land and gave the woods to me”, he informed the other man calmly. “And therefore, I don't see why I should need your permission to be here.”

The handsome stranger shrugged indifferently. “Really now. Well, I regret to inform you, that this is my realm and the laws of this world mean little to me. Now, did you know the story or no?”

“You mean the story of Tam Lin? Yes, but I assumed that, if they were true, he would be straight. And I'm not a girl.”

The blond shook his head and laughed (the loveliest laugh Gabriel had ever heard, but that wasn't the point): “As you can see, I'm very real. And I don't care about what your sex is.”

This was just surreal.

He was talking to a folk tale character, who turned out to be – waaaaaiiiitaminute!

“Okay, hold it! Just to make this clear: I just stepped into a magical forest, you're Tam Lin and because I didn't bring a ring or a green cloak – whatever you need them for – I won't get out of here, before you get something else from me?!”

“Pretty much.”

Normally, the black-haired man would've thought this was just a sick joke.

But the person in front of him obviously wasn't of this world. The entire forest wasn't normal and the roses definitely weren't. It was so plain that even a sceptic like him had to acknowledge it. So in other words, he was trapped in some kind of magical forest with someone who wouldn't let him go, unless-

The stranger, seeming to sense his discomfort, spoke up, “Listen, Gabriel John Utterson-”

He knows my name?!

“-how about you give me your smartphone instead? Then you come back tomorrow with a ring or cloak to get it back? I believe, that you thought it was just old tales, but this is still a faerie forest. I can't let you go without a tribute of some kind. And the phone is the second most precious thing you have, after your innocence.”

“How do you know about smartphones anyway?”

The blond shrugged. “You'd be surprised at how up to date the Fae are. Makes it easier for them to mess with humans these days.”

“Oh, okay. And I really can't get out of here without leaving anything?”

“Well, you can try, but this forest is enchanted, so you'd just keep running in circles.”

Gabriel thought for a moment.

It was nice of the ghost/elf/faerie/whatever he was to try and accommodate him.

But there was something about that guy that awakened something in him.

“You know what? Screw it. Off with your clothes, you virginity-stealing creep! Chop-chop, I don't have all night!”

“W-wait, what?!”

“You heard me!”, he snapped and began to undress. “Now hurry up. I'm a gay, frustrated 23-years-old, you're hot and I don't like the folks around here!”

“Okay, this is unexpected. No one has ever actually-”

“Well, it's about time then, isn't it?”, Gabriel snapped and threw away his shirt, “Now what part of 'I don't have all night' did you not understand? I'm a lawyer, I have to go to work early tomorrow!”

Tam Lin – or whatever that man's name was – chuckled and began to take off his own clothes.

“Why, if I didn't know better, I'd think you came here because of the legend.”

“If I had known that this forest actually was haunted by a sexy ghost, I would have!”

Tam Lin snorted: “You wouldn't be the first. But …”

Gabriel felt his cheeks heat up, when the blond's chocolate brown eyes wandered up and down his body. And he felt a little uncomfortable, when they lingered on the chest binder he was still wearing.

“You're the loveliest person I've ever met.”

“R-really? So you don't mind that I'm-?”

“Did I call you by your dead name?”, the blond replied and shook his head. “No. If you identify as a man, you're a man. Whether your biology corresponds with that or not doesn't matter.”

Gabriel felt a lump in his throat and swallowed it.

“This is fine”, he whispered hoarsely, took off the binder and lay down.

“Certainly is”, Tam Lin agreed and followed.

Gabriel shuddered, when the other let his hands wander over his tanned skin.

“You really are quite handsome”, the blond murmured.

The black-haired man smiled and dared to steal a kiss.

…

“Wow”, Gabriel breathed, when they were done and getting dressed. “This was wonderful! If that's what I get for coming here without a token, I should do it more often. Uhm …” he blushed awkwardly. “… You wouldn't mind, right?”

“I …” To his surprise Tam Lin also blushed. “I would love to see you again”, he admitted quietly and took his hand.

…

When Gabriel went home, he felt like he was walking on air.

Never in his life had he been so happy and he wondered, if this could be love.

Later, as he lay in bed and the flowers were in vases, he thought about what had happened today.

He fell asleep smiling and remembering what the elven knight had said, when they had parted.

“You're the only rose that still grows fairer after being plucked.”

How theatrical …

…

When he returned to the enchanted glen, Tam Lin was waiting for him.

After spending an hour of passion, they sat beside each other at the well and talked, while the white steed was grassing nearby.

He went home with another bouquet of flowers and feeling just as blissful as the first time.

In the following weeks, he continued to see the mysterious blond.

He found himself falling for him more and more.

But then things became problematic.

First off, Tam Lin listened with interest, when Gabriel talked about himself. But he became oddly cagey, when the black-haired man asked him to talk about himself too.

Why was the blond so secretive?

Worse, his father and grandmother had noticed that something was up and now they wouldn't leave him alone about who “the lucky guy” was. But how was he supposed to tell them that he was sleeping with a mysterious elf from a haunted forest? Not to mention, when he knew next to nothing about him?

What was their relationship status anyway? Were they dating? Or was he just a fling to the other man?

Damn, he didn't like how uncertain everything was!

And to add insult to injury, he hadn't thought about using contraceptive measures and guess what, he was pregnant! How could he have been so careless?! Now he was carrying a child he wasn't ready for!

He cursed his own stupidity and desperately hoped, that no one would find out.

…

Of course he wasn't that lucky.

It was Sunday, 31st October, when his father found out.

To Mr. Utterson's credit, he didn't freak out as much as Gabriel had feared. Instead he just took a deep breath and demanded to know who was responsible for this.

That made Gabriel really angry. “The only one who's responsible for this baby is me! Oh, and my boyfriend who lives in the woods.”

“What?!”

After an argument, he persuaded his father not to press charges.

(“I'm going to call a lawyer!” - “Dad, I am that lawyer!” - “Oh. Right.”)

But now he was upset and needed to be somewhere else. So he ran back to Carterhaugh and somehow ended up in the enchanted glen, as usual. There he crawled behind a rose bush and cried.

This was just too much.

He was a pregnant man, who wasn't prepared to care for a child, the entire situation was just so muddled and he didn't know what to do!

Although … there was an emergency exit, he suddenly realised.

He had been sleeping with Tam Lin for about two months, so he could be no further on than that.

It wasn't too late for a safe abortion …

“Wait, please.”

He jumped, when Tam Lin appeared before him.

“Gabriel”, the blond said gently and crouched down before him, “I know that you're desperate and overwhelmed, but please consider; it's my child just as much as it's yours.”

“You can say that so easily”, he sobbed, “You're not the one carrying the baby! You could just as well run off and pretend that you never knocked up some unfortunate human, while I'd be stuck with a child I wasn't ready for! You can go off to faerie land and do whatever elves or faeries do, but I can't work as a lawyer and take care of a baby all by myself! And what will I say, when they ask me who the father is? That it's some elf bloke from an enchanted forest, who will never be with me, because I'm just some insignificant human, who will grow old and die?!”

The blond looked beyond hurt. “Is that what you think of me?”, he asked in disbelief, “Do you really think that I would be so heartless and irresponsible?!”

“I don't know!”, Gabriel wailed. “I don't know anything about you! Not even your real name! You can't convince me that Tam Lin is actually your name! I'm pregnant and the father is a man I know nothing about, because he never bothered to tell me anything about himself!”

Tam Lin was silent for a while. But he looked so sad, that the black-haired man almost regretted snapping at him. Almost. Gabriel was in the right and they both knew it.

“You're right”, the blond finally sighed. “I should have been more open. But I chose to be a coward instead and kept my mouth shut, because I feared that you would be disgusted and want nothing more to do with me.”

Gabriel stared at him. “What gave you that idea?”

The blond sat down next to him. “You will understand, once I have told you my story.

First you need to know that I'm not actually an elf or faerie, like you thought. I'm human like you. I'm not even the first Tam Lin to haunt these woods. Although that should be clear, because the legend is older than I.

My real name is – was – Henry Jekyll. I was a medical student and my lifestyle was … well, not exactly proper. When my parents found out that I had slept with both men and women, they threw me out. I needed a while to find a steady place to live and it happened to be the farm you live on now. Then WWI happened, I was sent off to France and returned to Scotland as a shell shocked* war veteran.

One year after the war ended, I was taking a stroll through the woods and decided, that climbing that oak over there would be a good idea (don't ask). And wouldn't you know it, I fell off and right into the arms of the Queen of the Fae, who took me to the kingdom under the hill, where the Fae live. He (and yes, the Queen is a he) made me his consort and named me after the real Tam Lin, to loosen my ties to the human world. Do you see the ring on my finger? It's a magical chain. As long as I belong to him, it won't come off.

You know, Gabriel, most people have a completely wrong image of faeries. They're not like those cute tiny pixies from children's books. Even the more benevolent Fae are dangerous and the ones I live with aren't benevolent. They are Unseelies**, mischievous at best and outright evil at worst. They assault humans and make them suffer for their entertainment. And if they like one, they steal them away and keep them as slaves for all eternity. Mostly children, because they're purer and easier to lure.”

“But the Queen of the Fae is one of the nicer ones, right?”, Gabriel asked hopefully.

Tam Lin – no, Henry Jekyll – stared at him.

Then he broke into a horrible cackle: “One of the nicer ones?! Him! I've been there for a century and I never met a faerie worse than him! He has hundreds of child slaves and abuses them to his heart's content – that is, if he had a heart! One day we went on a walk and there was a big puddle. Of course he didn't want to get his robes dirty. And do you know what he did?! He ordered a 9-year-old boy to lay down and make a bridge, and then he just walked over him! And he was going to do it again, when we went back on the same path. But I lay down and had him walk over me instead. Then I called him out and he would have struck me, if the Queen Dowager hadn't stepped in. She's one of the less malevolent Unseelies and the only one he respects.”

Gabriel gasped in horror. “That's awful”, he whispered. “Oh my god!”

Henry sighed and continued: “Yeah. Well, I guess he was somewhat impressed, because he stopped with the child trampling altogether. The upside is that I can use my privileges to try to be a good influence on him. I try my best to be kind to him, because … well, there must be a reason why he is like that. But he never lets me forget that I'm just a toy to him. And do you know what the sickest part of this is? I like it. The way he smirks at me, talks to me, touches me, makes me melt like butter. When I share his bed, he bites me, scratches me, bruises me and whispers hurtful things into my ear and I can't get enough of it.

At first I thought that he had bewitched me. But when I confronted him, he laughed and said that it wasn't necessary, I'm just that corrupted. I didn't want to believe it, but the Fae don't lie, not even the evil ones. That's their one redeeming quality.”

Gabriel felt his heart ache and touched the other's cheek. “I'm sure, it's not true”, he tried to comfort him, “He just said that to hurt you. I've seen that kind of people, they know how to take away people's sense of self-worth.”

Henry just lowered his head. “It doesn't matter. After being there for a hundred years, I'm starting to forget who I was. The Queen Dowager told me that I can be saved, as long as I preserve my humanity by remembering who I am. But there are so many things I want to forget and the more faerie-like I become, the more power the Queen holds over me.

Anyway, I had come to terms with spending eternity as his slave. But then I found out, that the Fae have some sort of obligation. Every seven years on Halloween, they pay a tithe to hell. Of course they won't sacrifice one of their own, if they have humans to use instead. This year I'll be the sacrifice. When I found out, I didn't even care, because hell can't be much worse than my life so far. But then … then I met you.”

The blond smiled at him so tenderly, that he felt his heart flutter and his stomach went fuzzy (and not from nausea).

“I've never met someone like you before. You walked into my life and it was as if the sun was rising for me. Suddenly I had someone waiting for me here and something to look forward to. You made me feel warm, at peace and most of all … you made me feel loved.”

His smile faded. “That's why I was afraid of telling you the truth. That the man you have slept with – the father of your child – is the whore of a psychopathic Fae Queen and will be sacrificed to hell tonight. Can you still look me in the eyes and say that you're not disgusted?”

Gabriel cupped his face and looked him dead in the eyes.

“I'm not disgusted. Why would I be? No one deserves this kind of life. And how could I not want to have anything to do with you? I never knew that I needed someone else in my life, until I met you. You make me happier than I've ever been. What you just told me changes nothing about this. Actually, it just makes me want you more. I will keep our child, but only if I can have you too. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, make you feel happy, safe and loved. I love you, Henry Jekyll.”

He was surprised at how easily those words came out of his mouth.

But it was the honest truth.

Henry stared at him. Then he burst into tears and hugged him tightly.

…

“We have to figure something out quickly”, Gabriel spoke up, when they both had calmed down enough. “You will not be sacrificed to hell tonight! There must be a way to prevent this!”

The blond thought for a moment. “Hmm … now that I think about it, there is a way for you to win me.”

Gabriel's sky blue eyes filled with determination. “Tell me.”

“Alright”, Henry said seriously, “Listen closely …”

…

After a short trip home, he had come back to wait for the faerie procession.

Now he was hidden between the bushes, wearing a green coat he had borrowed from his father.

He was incredibly tense.

When was it finally midnight?

Couldn't the procession show up already?

Well, at least it wasn't raining.

At last green lights appeared at the end of the path and grew bigger.

The procession had arrived.

Finally!

He crept behind a bush and got into position.

Figures came into view.

In the front a small, dark-haired faerie with a crown, riding a black horse.

The next was a yellow-haired faerie on a brown horse.

But he ignored them and concentrated on the man riding the white steed.

Without a moment's hesitation, he grabbed him by the arm and yanked him out of the saddle.

The two riders before him whirled around, when Henry yelped in shock.

When the dark-haired faerie saw, that Gabriel was holding the blond in his arms, he screeched in outrage: “HOW DARE YOU TAKE WHAT'S MINE!!!”

And promptly transformed the man in Gabriel's arms into a lizard.

Then a snake.

Then a bear.

Then a lion.

But all the while Gabriel remembered what Henry had told him:

“As I'm the father of your child, there will be no way for me to harm you. So whatever they turn me into, don't let go. You have nothing to fear.”

So he didn't let go, not even when the Queen of the Fae turned his lover into a chunk of red-hot iron. It was only when the Queen turned him into a blazing flame, that he promptly dumped him into a conveniently located well nearby.

Now Henry emerged from the water as himself, but naked and now obviously a normal human. Gabriel quickly bundled him up in his coat and hugged him protectively. The blond stuck out his hands and tested, if he could take the ring off. It slipped from his finger effortlessly.

The Queen, seeing that he held no more power over him, shrieked in fury and … wait, was that anguish?

But then the yellow-haired faerie with the ice-blue eyes – probably the Queen Dowager – put a hand on his shoulder from behind and said something in a language Gabriel didn't understand.

The dark-haired faerie took a deep breath and composed himself. Then he smiled grotesquely.

“Congratulations!”, he purred sardonically and his glowing acid green eyes were full of hatred. “You caught yourself one stately groom! Curse you, Gabriel John Utterson! May you suffer a horrible death! My fairest companion, taken away by a mere mortal man in a girl's body! And you!”, he turned to Henry, “If I had seen this night coming, I would have turned your eyeballs into wood!”

Henry glared at him and responded by throwing the ring at him.

The Queen of the Fae caught it and stared at the blond. For a second, his hateful, angry grimace slipped and Gabriel caught sight of something that looked suspiciously like grief.

The dark-haired faerie gave off one last terrible shriek and glared at the black-haired man.

“This is your fault! But do enjoy dealing with his issues and the bastard he put in you and think of me, when you gaze into his lovely brown eyes!”

Gabriel tightened his protective hug and snarled: “With all due respect, your Majesty, you're an arsehole and you brought this upon yourself! You abducted Henry and coerced him into becoming your sex slave, he owes you nothing!!!”

The Queen responded with a “Tsk!”, then turned his back on them and returned to continue the procession.

It was only after the figures were out of sight, that the two men relaxed.

Henry took the other's hand and kissed each finger. “My hero. My saviour. I am yours.”

Gabriel grinned. “Let's go home, you damsel in distress. It's cold and you're still wet and half naked. The next months will be busy. We're going to be parents and you'll need legal papers.”

“I know – wait, did you just call me a damsel in distress?!”

---

*shell shock - an old word for PTSD, used esp. for the war traumata of WWI soldiers

**Unseelie - “Unhallowed/Unholy”, a Northern/Middle English word for dark, malevolent faeries

#The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde #tam lin #fairy tales #Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde #Dr. Jekyll #henry jekyll #Mr. Hyde #edward hyde #utterson #Mr Utterson #Gabriel John Utterson #jekyllxutterson #oc

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thenovelartist · 6 years

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The Love of a Cat, Chapter 33

Despite there being only seven people at the table, dinner consisted of enough food to serve twenty and still have food left over. Marinette watched Alix throughout dinner to ensure her manners were up to par. As far as she could tell, Marinette managed to succeed in her task. At the very least, King Agreste never gave her a disapproving look, but considering he didn’t look her way at all, Marinette believed he already disapproved of her in general.

Adrien sat at her left side, his hand grabbing hers under the table mid-way through dinner and squeezing it in reassurance. It gave Marinette the strength to make in through the rest of dinner with a bit of confidence.

Once the last course was cleared away, King Gabriel addressed the table. “Adrien, I would like to see you in my office.”

“Father,” he spoke up. “If this is about the contents of the letter, then I believe there is not one person at this table that should sit this conversation out.”

Gabriel’s gaze narrowed, and even though it wasn’t aimed at Marinette, she was intimidated. “I believe there are two people at this table who should.”

Adrien shot a glare of his own at his father. “Seeing as Alix is the Princess of France and has her own story to tell, I see no problem with her sitting at this table. And seeing as Marinette is my wife and deeply involved in this as well, I see no problem with her staying, either.”

“The topic I wish to discuss is not appropriate for female ears.”

“Sire,” Plagg spoke up from behind King Agreste. Marinette watched at the king’s features contorted into irritation, and she quickly grew worried for the outspoken butler. “These two females, as you so derogatorily refer to them, have seen and experienced more unsavoriness in the past few months than you have in the past two years. I’m certain that you will find them more than capable of handling any topic you have to converse about.”

Marinette gave the butler a fleeting, approving look before turning her attention back to the very displeased king.

“Adrien,” Gabriel said, his voice laced with warning. “Please inform your butler that he is out of line.”

“Seeing as my butler was once a knight in your service that you respected highly, I say he did not step as far out of line as you believe,” Adrien countered. “If that is all, then I believe the conversation should begin with Theo Barbot.”

The king seemed to grow angrier. “There are servants in the room, still, Adrien.”

But Adrien leveled his father a glare of his own. “Did I not just state that Plagg was a former knight? I see no others, and Plagg is certain to prove useful by preventing any servants from entering, yes? So, the topic of Theo Barbot.”

Marinette simply sat quietly as Adrien explained the entire story to his father. Everything was covered, from Theo’s first, horrible attack on Adrien to the regrettably unforgettable day Marinette had entered Adrien’s life to Theo assisting the escape of a criminal. Gabriel sat in his chair and listened to every word. His expression remained stoic, but Marinette swore she could feel the anger radiating from him.

“As for what to do with him,” Adrien finished, “I say that we have enough evidence to pin him as a traitor to the crown and try him for treason. Furthermore, I say all his assets are stripped from his family line. No one with any ties to Theo will take over his earldom."

To this, King Agreste easily agreed. "Done. I will not have the decree announced until Theo Barbot is captured, but consider his assets under crown rule until a new earl can be appointed. I will send guards to his house to capture him should he make a reappearance there, but until then, I will send word out to all guards to be on the lookout for him. Hopefully, he won't be missing for long."

For the first time, Adrien seemed to be at ease with his father, and his father at ease with him. But it was only the calm before the storm because Adrien then allowed Alix the floor in order to explain her story.

Marinette never noticed just how expressive of a story-teller Alix was. She chalked it up to Alix being so gravely ill the first time she told her story that she didn’t have the energy to use her hands for large gestures or make an effort into her facial expressions. If her story weren’t so terrifying or dramatic, then Marinette would have thought it comical how the most expressive person in the room was facing off the most stoic.

“And so I say we have no choice but to assassinate the man!” She slammed her fist on the table, somehow eliciting a shocked response from the king.

He settled himself quickly, though. “Princess Alix, please retake your seat.”

She did as asked, slowly sinking back into the chair. “My point still stands. There is no good way to capture Hawkmoth, and he’s too dangerous to leave alive.”

“And just how, do you propose, we accomplish such a task,” Gabriel challenged. From the look on his face, he was very much expecting for Alix to be unable to concoct a plan.

And while she didn’t, her response was strong. “I don’t know. There are many ways to go about it, and it’s not my call to make.”

“I say we send a small squadron of spies to the kingdom to complete this task," Adrien volunteered.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed. "I wish it were that simple, but that is out of the question. They have no knowledge of the land nor of this Hawkmoth. They would be going in blind, and I am not in favor of such a possibility."

"Then send Kim. He knows the land and knows Hawkmoth. Have him head the squadron."

"I'll readily accept that mission," Kim spoke up, determination blazing in his eyes.

An uncomfortable rock settled in Marinette’s gut. What Kim was agreeing to…it sounded like he was agreeing to walk into his grave. From the way Alix was pointedly trying not to look at Kim, she must know it, too. She, however, seemed to accept that tragic fact more readily than Marinette. "Alix," she spoke up, a plan forming in her mind. "You know Hawkmoth the best. Do you think he would be reasonable if Adrien and I approached him under the guise to negotiate surrender?"

Alix’s brow furrowed in thought, but another voice objected before she could answer. "You are not going to France, and that's final."

Marinette turned to Adrien, only to be met with a firm gaze. She had to steel herself against it. "Why not?" she challenged.

"You are not going into a war zone."

"If I have to, I will."

"I forbid it."

“If it means providing a significant distraction for Hawkmoth so Kim and his squadron can complete their mission, then I will go and there is nothing you can do to stop me.”

Marinette wasn't sure who was more shocked at her words: her or Adrien. Still, the more she mulled it over, the more she realized she meant those words.

“It could work,” Alix interrupted. "Hawkmoth is brutal but crafty. If you were to approach the castle with surrender flags, he might meet you in peace. It would be easier for him in the long run to negotiate a surrender than continue fighting.”

“So if we meet him with the gems—”

“You are not going,” Adrien repeated.

“That is to be debated,” Marinette countered, “but as of now, we are talking hypothetical situations. Specifically revolving around these gems he seems to want.” She turned back to Alix. “So if we do come to him with terms of surrender, do you think he will make himself vulnerable enough for Kim and his squadron to complete their task?”

Alix’s mouth drew into a thin line. “It would ensure you meet in either one of two rooms, which would provide clearer opportunities for Kim and his squadron. Furthermore, if my brother is still there, alive and well…” Alix coughed to cover her cracking voice, “then he’ll be able to provide assistance to them as well. However, the only risk we run with distracting Hawkmoth in this way is he will likely have his guards on high alert. He will be fully aware of his vulnerability and do his best to compensate for it.”

Marinette frowned. “What if…what if we get him to come here?”

Everyone raised a brow at that. “Pardon.”

Marinette looked to Adrien. “I relent. I won’t go into the battlefield. We’ll bring him to us. Someone will still need to approach Hawkmoth in France, but what if we told him about the gems he so desires. We can use them to lure him here.”

For the first time during dinner, Gabriel looked at her with the utmost disdain. “Any king worth his salt will not do what he can send his men to accomplish.”

“Then when his men come,” Adrien spoke, his voice frim to counter his father, “we capture them and replace them with our own undercover men. When the men go back, they can complete the task of executing Hawkmoth.”

“So you agree to this idea?” Gabriel challenged. “You would put your life on this plan?”

“I would.”

Strong silence hung in the room. It took a moment for the king to break it. “You would willingly go back into this war again?”

“I am the Prince of Paris. It is my duty. You raised me that way.”

Suddenly, this was no longer about the war outside the kingdom borders but the one between son and father. Marinette wanted to stop it before it could continue anymore because she knew barbs would fly and she would have to play nurse for the inevitable loser of this war. While she was more than willing to do it, she didn’t want Adrien to get hurt in the first place.

“I raised you to be smarter than charging headlong into a war when your people need you here. You won’t be able to rule efficiently if you become a wreck in the process. A task that you seem hell-bent on completing.”

As stealthily as she could, Marinette moved her hand onto Adrien’s knee. The movement was hidden under the table, but the strengthening affect it had on Adrien was evident. “You raised me one way, but I watched you rule differently. You took action when needed. You were a symbol to the kingdom. I am only slightly beneath you, meaning I hold similar power. Have you noticed that since the Prince of Paris went to war, the kingdom has rallied together and pushed the war line back towards France? But when it comes to this plan, this was exactly how you raised me: negotiations and diplomacy. The one chance I get to be the son you wanted me to become, and you disagree because you don’t like it. Father, I am your adult son, prince of this kingdom, and there is only so much control you have over me before I overrule your power and act for the good of the kingdom on my own. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” With the air of authority akin to a king, Adrien pushed back from the table and stood from his seat. “Kim, Nino, Plagg, I want a word with you in the library.”

His friends stood from their places and followed him as Adrien stormed from the dining hall.

Alix excused herself from the table with all the grace she could muster after such a show before following the men out the door. The door closed, leaving Marinette alone with Gabriel. She glanced over at him, noticing the hints of distress in the wrinkles of his brow and exhaustion in his eyes.

“Sire,” Marinette spoke, calling his attention. “Your son is far more capable than you give him credit for.”

Anger quickly overtook his expression. “I might question your assessment.”

She felt the barb, but instead of cowering, she raised her chin with confidence. “Sire, I was not born royal, into this world of facades and false promises. I was born as a commoner and taught that your words and actions are everything. Adrien runs on his word; if he says he will, then he will. When he took vows to me, he did not release them even though I once demanded him to. I watched him hide under the mask, adopting a condemning title of Chat Noir, all because he knew you expected that of him.”

“Yet,” he interrupted, “he does not hide now. He is in full view of the world, something I suspect I have you to thank for.”

“Adrien doesn’t just run on his word,” Marinette easily countered. “He runs on honor. That honor drove him to go to war in the first place. That honor drove him to protect me when I could have easily ended up a mistress to Lord Barbot.”

“Make no mistake,” Gabriel growled. “You are still a mistress. Except my so-called ‘honorable’ son has taken you instead of a mere earl.”

She steeled herself against his words, doing all she could to convince herself they were lies. “I am the legal wife of Lord Noir, who happens to be the Prince of Paris. Your son has taken but one woman unlike Lord Barbot who is known to have another mistress entirely as well as visibly pursue Lady Bourgeois. Your son is honorable. Don’t let your anger over his choice of wife cloud the truth.”

The king was silent for a moment, scrutinizing Marinette intently. “Why do you even care?”

That was the most shocking of all his comments. “Because I love him,” she answered. “Because I am his wife and he deserves for me to be the best woman I can be. Because I’ve watched him fight for me, for his friends, for the safety of this kingdom, and he deserves me to fight for him, even against his own father. Your son is the most incredible man I’ve met. He strives to be the best man he can be, knowing one day he is destined to be a king. He is the kind of man who will do what he believes to be best for everyone and will bear the consequences of whatever he had to do to make things right. He’s turned into a man you should be proud of, and it shocks me that you aren’t. If you didn’t raise your son this way, then you failed to raise him well. But if you did, don’t condone him for being exactly what you shaped him to be.” With that, Marinette stood from her chair and marched out the door.

#the love of a cat #miraculous ladybug #ML #MLB #Fanfiction #Adrien Agreste #Marinette Dupain Cheng #sticks it to Adrien's dad #I'm so proud of her #Gabriel Agreste #Is his usual nasty self #Alix Kubdel #Kim Le Chien #Nino Lahiffe #Plagg

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