"What the fuck!" Gabriel exclaimed as he no longer saw Emilie.
No matter how many times he wiped his eyes, no matter how many times he blinked, it was always Mayura who now lied there like his wife did before.
"What the hell!" He yelled on "What is that Nooroo?"

"What is what Master?" Asked the innocent creature who didn't at all know what his master was freaking out about

"I-...E-Emilie-...s-she c-changed! D-don't you see too?!??"

"No master, I don't see." Nooroo responded, calmly "I think it was all just your imagination."

"N-no...t-that c-can't b-be-" The man uttered in disbelief as he took off his glasses, and once he did so, he could finally see the woman he 'preferred' to see, but only in blurry splotches.

"Oh-" he sighed in relief "It's you again."

With that Gabriel stepped forward, and after leaning over the place that Emilie's face was at, he placed a kiss onto the glass of the coffin whilst honestly hoping that this glass barrier wouldn't be in between the two of them, and that his dear wife could kiss him back.
So that once again he could feel her soft lips touching his.
But that wasn't the case right now.
Right now, all the designer felt against his lips was the cold glass, and absolutely nothing in return.

So with a dissatisfied sigh the man turned around and made his way away from her, walked up the stairs and aimed to go into his office instead of his bedroom because he surely couldn't sleep with such a state of mind that he had right now.

However, as the grey haired man was about to press down the handle of the door, a tiny pull stopped him.

"Father?" Adrien's voice faintly whispered "Father where were you?"

"I-"

"I was scared! Nathalie had left and so did you.. .so I was all alone a-and-...y-you know mother-"

"I'm so sorry Adrien" Gabriel immediately hugged his son as he saw him tearing up, and just the slightest mention of Emilie completely crumpled both Agreste's hearts.
"I truly didn't mean to leave...b-but work-...whatever, now I'm here and I promise I won't leave again, alright?"

"Y-yes" came a very not convinced sound from the child who almost spat those word out in disgust as he knew his father was trying his best but it didn't feel like anything at all.

"Adrien look at me!" Gabriel's demanding voice brought the kid back into reality, and as he looked up, he didn't need to so much now because his father crouched down in front of him. "Adrien please look at me!" The designer asked desperately and to that his child finally gave in.

The boy focused his eyes on his father, yet instead of that usually cold glare the man was now staring back at his son with those exact teary eyes, also caused by remembering Emilie.

"Listen to me Adrien!" Said he "We'll get through this, together, alright?"

"Mhm."

"Good. Now don't worry we'll be completely fine without your mother. Trust me!"
Gabriel smiled as he expected a hug in return, except all he got was a head shake and a faint "no" sound coming from his child.

"No we won't be fine." Adrien whispered, almost barely auditable "We'll manage but we won't be fine. You and me will both be broken father because no one can replace the love and care that mother provided for the both of us.
We'll have to find a replacement, but as both of us know that she is not replaceable,
we'll suffer."

The man was left totally speechless as his son broke away from their eye contact and ran upstairs, into his own room.

Now Gabriel would've wanted to do something which could help his teenage son cope, but he himself was just as lost as this boy.
He also didn't know how they'd be fine, because like Adrien said: Emilie could not be replaced.

He honestly felt those word cut through his skin like a knife, and stab right into his heart, ruthlessly.

In the meantime, the person who was feeling the exact same way, except with love being the topic, was Mayura, or as of right now Nathalie since she had transformed back into herself.

And right this second she lied on the exact bed on which Hawk Moth had a mental breakdown.

It still smelled a bit like him, although he only sat there for a few minutes.
Nevertheless the assistant still couldn't close her eyes and go to bed, just because she kept thinking of him.

And then suddenly, her phone rang.

The dark haired woman rolled her eyes thinking it would be some stupid family member calling to 'check in' on her, however as she shuffled to her side and glanced over her nightstand, Nathalie got pleasantly surprised by seeing the name: 'Mr Agreste' on her phone.

At least it was someone whom she actually liked, not only because the woman had the biggest crush on this man since always, but also because the assistant herself loved nothing more than the comforting sound of Gabriel's monotone voice.
She was strange and had a particularly concerning taste in men, but she couldn't help it.

Therefore with a wide smile the dark haired woman reached to grab her phone and quickly press the 'accept call' button, despite it being almost midnight.

"Hello sir!" She began enthusiastically "Is there anything I can help with, or why have you called?"

"Hello Nath." The designer returned "I-...well to be honest it isn't exactly me who needs your help, but instead it's my son."

"Oh...what happened to Adrien?"

On the other side of the phone the grey haired man sighed, took a deep breath again and quietly mumbled:

"Well you see we had this little thing...once again concerning Emilie and-...I think he just misses his mother."

"I-...oh."

"A-and I myself don't have those mothery comforting skills that you do! S-so I-if you could come here I'd appreciate that, but of course I'll pay you extra for the amount of hours that you spend here." Gabriel cleared his throat, waiting for an answer which felt like an eternity, yet in reality his assistant only took a minute to think this through and agree.

"Alright sir I'm going." She replied "However you don't need to pay me-"

"I will though." He cut her off "now don't argue and just come, he needs you!"

"I'm on my way!"

...

After a little while Nathalie made it and arrived at the Agreste mansion a few minutes after midnight.
She was exhausted, and so was her boss, she could see it as she stepped into the office and found him almost asleep in her chair.

"Sir!" The assistant quietly whispered to him from a distance "Mr Agreste!!" She walked a bit closer "Gabriel!" Nathalie finally placed her hand on his shoulder and gave the man a gentle shake.
"Sir I'm here! Please wake up!!"

"I-oh-hi-Nath!" A barely understandable sentence left the designer's mouth as he opened his tired eyes and spotted his assistant's blurry figure.
"I-...I apologize for falling asleep b-but I myself haven't gotten much rest in the p-past d-days s-so-"

"Well then how about we get you some rest!" The woman smiled grabbing her boss's arm and softly encouraging him to stand, which he did seconds later.

Then once Gabriel was on his feet Nathalie began to drag him out of the office, up the stairs, and into his own bedroom.

"Here sir, your bed." She pointed out to the barely conscious designer "Lay down there for me so that you can sleep nicely, okay?"

"I-...mhm." The man said as he made his way over to the mattress, and as soon as he was close enough, he collapsed onto it.

"Mmmm comfortable." He whispered with his face facing the mattress so that he was barely able to breathe "Nathalie you should really try this!"

"I-...well sir" she blushed "I'd rather wait to get home and then fall asleep in my own bed."

"I mean...if that's what you wish!" He chuckled awkwardly "But you're always welcome here!!"

Now Nathalie had suspected that the man in front of her wasn't only tired but also drunk, and indeed she was right because whilst the woman was on her way to the Agreste mansion,
Gabriel had a couple of glasses of wine, just to 'make him sleep better'.
Yet instead of causing him to sleep the vine was causing the man to flirt with his assistant.
And neither him or her we're gonna stop his drunk self from further embarrassment.

Instead the assistant just listened to all his cringe pickup lines and stories he made up on the spot, and she couldn't lie, this made her little crush which she tried to hide become rather clearly visible.

To be continued-