"Just because a memory is painful to recall, doesn't mean it's not precious," he said. "It seems only fair that I share something equally precious with you, even it turns out to be painful for me."
Stepping partway between Adrien and the mirror, he pulled the cover away himself, gazing into it. A moment later the surface shimmered before resolving into the image of a much younger Gabriel, somewhat ironically, checking his reflection in a mirror...
He checked his hair from every angle he could, then reached up to adjust his shirt collar and smooth down the already pristine lapels of his jacket. He checked his watch then glanced nervously back at a curtained off area nearby. He paced back and forth across the length of the room a few times, which with his long legs, didn't take long. It wasn't a very large room, clearly part of a relatively small apartment, and much of the furniture was clearly second hand or had otherwise seen much use. Nonetheless, everything was neat and tidy, almost tooo much so, as if someone had taken great pains to disguise the fact that the room and everything in it was a tad shabby.
Young Gabriel paused in his pacing in front of the mirror that hung on the wall once again, checking his appearance as he had before until he abruptly realized what he was doing and made an irritated noise. "Get it together, Gabriel," he muttered to himself. "Stop fidgeting. She'll be here any minute, and you need to look calm. Confident." He took a deep breath, then exhaled, trying to calm himself. "Like a man who's worthy of her."
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, causing young Gabriel to startle slightly before a voice familiar to both of them spoke from the other side of the closed door. "Gabe? It's Emilie," said the voice somewhat muffled by the wooden door. Young Gabriel's shoulders slumped slightly, and he sighed, once again irritated at his own nervousness, but he quickly pulled himself together, and when he opened the door, there was a warm smile on his face.
"Emilie, come in," he said, stepping aside to allow the young blonde woman inside. Closing the door behind her, he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm glad you could come on such short notice."
"It's no trouble," she assure him, returning the kiss on his opposite cheek. "Besides I'm curious to see this mysterious project that's been keeping you up nights lately. Though I'm not sure why you were so adamant about needing my opinion on it; you've probably forgotten more about fashion than I've ever known, and that's saying something."
"Well, this is something a bit different," he said, guiding her toward the center of the room in front of the curtained off area. "Something very special. There, now stand right here."
Leaving her standing in the middle of the room, he moved to take hold of the curtain, took one last deep breath, then drew the curtain aside. On the dress form in the revealed sewing nook was what was unmistakably a wedding gown, beautifully made and exquisitely detailed. Emilie's expression registered shock. "I... made it to your exact measurements," he said, awkwardly, not quite able to look at her directly yet. "Silk; I know how much you like the feel of silk, and embroidered the bodice with your favorite flower." He turned to face her This... this is my gift to you. All the love I feel for you, I poured into this dress. Every stitch, every line, an expression of my heart and soul in hopes that it... and I, might be worthy of you." Moving to stand directly in front of Emilie, he got down on one knee, taking her hand in both of his and gazing up at her. "Emilie Graham de Vanily, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
When she didn't respond after a moment, and just continued to look stunned, his hopeful expression crumbled. "You... don't like it," he concluded, letting go of her hand and slowly getting back to his feet.
Snapping out of her stunned state, Emilie abruptly realized what had happened, but not before Gabriel had turned back to the dress. "I... this was the best way I knew, to express how I felt..."
"Gabriel, that's not...", she began, trying to reassure him, but he didn't seem to hear her.
"I've never been good with words, but I thought that this way, this way there'd be no mistake..."
"Gabriel..."
"But I was a fool to think I could make something worthy of you. That I could be someone-"
"GABE," she said, raising her voice slightly and moving to rest a hand on his arm, finally catching his attention, snaping him out of his self accusations. "Gabe, darling, stop." She gently directed him to turn to to face her, which he did, though once again he couldn't quite look her in the eye. "The dress is wonderful, more than wonderful, but you didn't have to go through all this trouble..."
"I know...", he said. "I should never have presumed... despite my hard work, I still don't really have anything to offer you. You're my princess... you deserve a prince, not someone who can barely afford a decent apartment." Abruptly he looked her in the eye again, taking her hands in his. "But that will change, you'll see! I just need time and I can become someone worthy of your love! I've had some interest in my new designs, and this time for sure-"
"Gabe," she interrupted him, causing him to abruptly fall silent. "That's not what I meant." She slipped one hand free and reached up to caress his cheek. "You don't need to earn my love, or do anything to become worthy of it. Because you already have it, and you already are."
Now it was young Gabriel's turn to stare at her with a stunned expression, to which she smiled. "You know, for someone as smart as I know you are, you can be incredibly dense sometimes, Gabe. I don't want some fairy tale prince; believe me, I had plenty of them looking to court me back home, each of them more insufferable than the last. I want you. Brilliant, creative, and passionate, willing to give up everything you knew, your chance at a safe, secure, but boring life to chase your dreams. Just like me."
Young Gabriel blinked, a hopeful smile starting to come back to his features. "Does... that mean...?"
She looked up at him smiling brilliantly, her eyes sparkling. "It means the answer is yes, you big, awkward, adorable dunce. But for heaven's sake, you need to learn to calm down. I love your passion, but if you don't learn to relax a little, you're going to go prematurely gray." She ran her fingers through his hair, teasing.
Though hers soon took on a hint of mischief. "So... are you going to kiss me or not?", she said. "After all, we have a wedding to plan." That finally seemed to snap young Gabe out of his stunned stupor, an he laughed, picking her up and spinning her around before pulling her in for a passionate kiss as the images began to fade out...
In the present Gabriel had been watching the scene play out with a smile that was equal parts fond and pained. He lifted his glasses for a moment to wipe away the tears that had gathered in his eyes. "Well..." he said after a moment, his voice sounding unusually thick. "...She was right. About me going gray." He chuckled, but had to draw a sharp breath to keep it from becoming a sob as he hastily re-covered the mirror.
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Stepping partway between Adrien and the mirror, he pulled the cover away himself, gazing into it. A moment later the surface shimmered before resolving into the image of a much younger Gabriel, somewhat ironically, checking his reflection in a mirror...
He checked his hair from every angle he could, then reached up to adjust his shirt collar and smooth down the already pristine lapels of his jacket. He checked his watch then glanced nervously back at a curtained off area nearby. He paced back and forth across the length of the room a few times, which with his long legs, didn't take long. It wasn't a very large room, clearly part of a relatively small apartment, and much of the furniture was clearly second hand or had otherwise seen much use. Nonetheless, everything was neat and tidy, almost tooo much so, as if someone had taken great pains to disguise the fact that the room and everything in it was a tad shabby.
Young Gabriel paused in his pacing in front of the mirror that hung on the wall once again, checking his appearance as he had before until he abruptly realized what he was doing and made an irritated noise. "Get it together, Gabriel," he muttered to himself. "Stop fidgeting. She'll be here any minute, and you need to look calm. Confident." He took a deep breath, then exhaled, trying to calm himself. "Like a man who's worthy of her."
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, causing young Gabriel to startle slightly before a voice familiar to both of them spoke from the other side of the closed door. "Gabe? It's Emilie," said the voice somewhat muffled by the wooden door. Young Gabriel's shoulders slumped slightly, and he sighed, once again irritated at his own nervousness, but he quickly pulled himself together, and when he opened the door, there was a warm smile on his face.
"Emilie, come in," he said, stepping aside to allow the young blonde woman inside. Closing the door behind her, he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. "I'm glad you could come on such short notice."
"It's no trouble," she assure him, returning the kiss on his opposite cheek. "Besides I'm curious to see this mysterious project that's been keeping you up nights lately. Though I'm not sure why you were so adamant about needing my opinion on it; you've probably forgotten more about fashion than I've ever known, and that's saying something."
"Well, this is something a bit different," he said, guiding her toward the center of the room in front of the curtained off area. "Something very special. There, now stand right here."
Leaving her standing in the middle of the room, he moved to take hold of the curtain, took one last deep breath, then drew the curtain aside. On the dress form in the revealed sewing nook was what was unmistakably a wedding gown, beautifully made and exquisitely detailed. Emilie's expression registered shock. "I... made it to your exact measurements," he said, awkwardly, not quite able to look at her directly yet. "Silk; I know how much you like the feel of silk, and embroidered the bodice with your favorite flower." He turned to face her This... this is my gift to you. All the love I feel for you, I poured into this dress. Every stitch, every line, an expression of my heart and soul in hopes that it... and I, might be worthy of you." Moving to stand directly in front of Emilie, he got down on one knee, taking her hand in both of his and gazing up at her. "Emilie Graham de Vanily, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
When she didn't respond after a moment, and just continued to look stunned, his hopeful expression crumbled. "You... don't like it," he concluded, letting go of her hand and slowly getting back to his feet.
Snapping out of her stunned state, Emilie abruptly realized what had happened, but not before Gabriel had turned back to the dress. "I... this was the best way I knew, to express how I felt..."
"Gabriel, that's not...", she began, trying to reassure him, but he didn't seem to hear her.
"I've never been good with words, but I thought that this way, this way there'd be no mistake..."
"Gabriel..."
"But I was a fool to think I could make something worthy of you. That I could be someone-"
"GABE," she said, raising her voice slightly and moving to rest a hand on his arm, finally catching his attention, snaping him out of his self accusations. "Gabe, darling, stop." She gently directed him to turn to to face her, which he did, though once again he couldn't quite look her in the eye. "The dress is wonderful, more than wonderful, but you didn't have to go through all this trouble..."
"I know...", he said. "I should never have presumed... despite my hard work, I still don't really have anything to offer you. You're my princess... you deserve a prince, not someone who can barely afford a decent apartment." Abruptly he looked her in the eye again, taking her hands in his. "But that will change, you'll see! I just need time and I can become someone worthy of your love! I've had some interest in my new designs, and this time for sure-"
"Gabe," she interrupted him, causing him to abruptly fall silent. "That's not what I meant." She slipped one hand free and reached up to caress his cheek. "You don't need to earn my love, or do anything to become worthy of it. Because you already have it, and you already are."
Now it was young Gabriel's turn to stare at her with a stunned expression, to which she smiled. "You know, for someone as smart as I know you are, you can be incredibly dense sometimes, Gabe. I don't want some fairy tale prince; believe me, I had plenty of them looking to court me back home, each of them more insufferable than the last. I want you. Brilliant, creative, and passionate, willing to give up everything you knew, your chance at a safe, secure, but boring life to chase your dreams. Just like me."
Young Gabriel blinked, a hopeful smile starting to come back to his features. "Does... that mean...?"
She looked up at him smiling brilliantly, her eyes sparkling. "It means the answer is yes, you big, awkward, adorable dunce. But for heaven's sake, you need to learn to calm down. I love your passion, but if you don't learn to relax a little, you're going to go prematurely gray." She ran her fingers through his hair, teasing.
"I... right, I'll try and remember that," young Gabriel said, a bright grin spreading across his face, one mirrored on the face of his new fiancé.
Though hers soon took on a hint of mischief. "So... are you going to kiss me or not?", she said. "After all, we have a wedding to plan." That finally seemed to snap young Gabe out of his stunned stupor, an he laughed, picking her up and spinning her around before pulling her in for a passionate kiss as the images began to fade out...
In the present Gabriel had been watching the scene play out with a smile that was equal parts fond and pained. He lifted his glasses for a moment to wipe away the tears that had gathered in his eyes. "Well..." he said after a moment, his voice sounding unusually thick. "...She was right. About me going gray." He chuckled, but had to draw a sharp breath to keep it from becoming a sob as he hastily re-covered the mirror.