"I can't get married today, Natalie!" 

"Adrien," Natalie sighed in exasperation, "This is just a dress rehearsal, you aren't even getting married yet. All you have to do is go through the ceremony." 

"I can't do it, Natalie, I can't marry Marinette, we barely know each other!" Adrien exclaimed, panicked.

"Adrien!" Natalie said sharply. "Deal with your internal struggles later, please! We have a tight schedule to keep and Marinette is skipping her lunch break for this rehearsal! Now please pull yourself together!" 

Ah, yes schedules.  Adrien thought bitterly. Conflicting schedules was the reason that he had not seen Marinette since that one coffee date. Conflicting schedules was the reason that he was none closer to knowing who he was marrying. Conflicting schedules was the reason that he was so nervous about practicing the marriage ceremony. The fact that the wedding was in two weeks, had absolutely nothing to do with his panicking, it was all the conflicting schedules.

...

"...I ask you to join hands. I'd like you to think of the hands that you are holding. These are the hands of your best friend, promising to love you. These are hands that will give you strength and tenderness. These are the hands that will give you love and wipe away your tears of sorrow. These are the hands that guide you on your journey.  These hands that are joined..."

As the priest performed the ceremony of the hands, Adrien blushed at the fact that his hands trembled as he gathered Marinette's hands in his. He breathed in and out, trying not to think about the words as he held her hands, every vow untrue. These hands weren't those of his best friend, they weren't the hands of his love. He didn't know every single line on Marinette's hand, he has never traced them for hours upon hours, after each tracing falling more and more in love with every single detail about her. He didn't know how her fingers fit into his, if they were awkward and clumsy or if they were strong and sure. He didn't know these hands, so how can these be the hands that are joined together today? With his head filled with heartbreaking thoughts, he almost missed Marinette squeezing his hand. Adrien's eyes widened as he realized her hands were shaking too. The priest continued talking about hands and bonds, but Adrien just pushed everything out of his mind and focused the the warmth radiating from Marinette's hands. 

"May I have the rings?"The priest asked and upon receiving them, he continued on. "Adrien, as you place the ring on Marinette's finger, please repeat after me; I give you this ring to wear. "

"I give you this ring to wear. " Adrien repeated, panic starting to set in.

"As a symbol of my abiding love, "

"As a symbol of my abiding love," Oh, no. What if I drop the ring?

"My eternal faith, and my undying devotion."

"My eternal faith, and my undying devotion."  Adrien hoped that no one could hear the shake of his voice or the lie of his words.

"It is an outward reminder of our inner unity."

It is an outward reminder of our inner unity." He finished in a hurry, quickly sliding the ring on Marinette's finger. He took a deep breath and nearly sagged in place as Marinette copied the same procedure.

...

"By the power vested in me..." Yeah, yeah. Adrien thought. Yada yada yada. How long can a ceremony be? "You are now..." This is taking so long. "...man and wife." Finally. 

"You may kiss the bride." 

Shit. shit. I can't believe I forgot ab....

Adrien heard the priest say the words. And he saw the small smile Marinette gave him right before she let her eyes slid from his. He knew everyone was waiting for him to move, to do something, to kiss her.  But looking at her, he could see her sad smile. He could see that she knew exactly what this marriage was. He could see that she knew that everything he just vowed was a lie. He could see that she knew that he didn't love her. He could see it all, and he could do nothing about it.  It was unfair, that this girl had to marry someone who didn't love her. Because this girl deserved so much more. This was a fact Adrien knew. He knew that he didn't even know Marinette anymore, he didn't know what kind of person she was now, her interests and dislikes, her hands; he knew that that he didn't know her at all but what little he did know, is that she didn't deserve this. He knew that she deserved the world, yet she was settling for him and his father and the company she never wanted. She was compromising her happiness, no,her entire life, to entertain his father's wishes. She was giving up everything. 

"I won't do it." 

"Adrien?" Marinette looked up questioningly. Her eyebrows drawing together a bit, and her nose scrunching. Adrien, had to admit, it would be endearing it it weren't for the situation.

"I won't let you do this, Marinette, and the only way to do that is for me to refuse. I'm sorry, but I can't." He said quietly, squeezing her hands before letting them go. 

"Adrien! We don't have time for this! Kiss her, and then we're done! I'll even make sure to schedule the rest of the day to deal with whatever you need to deal with. We just need to finish this ceremony. Please, Adrien." Natalie's shrill voice left off in a beg.

Adrien opened his mouth, ready to spew out whatever argument it took to stop this wedding, when he felt small hands pushing on his chest. 

"Natalie, could you give us a minute?" Marinette said. 

Natalie threw her hands up. "Sure! Because we have all the time in the world!" 

Marinette looked back, her blue eyes begging. 

"Please, Natalie?" 

Natalie sighed. 

"Fine, three minutes." 

"Thanks, Natalie!" Marinette beamed at her. "Now, you ,come here." She continued to push Adrien over to the corner of the chancel, almost reaching the edge before stopping. Letting one hand drop, she let the other travel up until it rested on his shoulder. 

"Adrien..." 

" Marinette, I can't let you do this. You're giving up who knows how much of your life for my father's happiness. It's not fair to you, you deserve so much more." Adrien finished, his eyes downcast. He refused to let this happen. He let his green eyes meet her blue when he felt pressure on his shoulder. 

"Adrien," Marinette started determinedly. "I already told you, I am not marrying you because of your father or his plans. I am marrying you to protect people I care about, including you. Now we are going back up to stand at the alter and you are going to kiss me and stop giving Natalie an ulcer." 

"But--" 

"No, buts. I am a big girl and I make my own decisions. That means you do not get to decide what you let me do. I know exactly what I'm doing, I know exactly what I'm giving up." She said harshly before sighing. She continued in a softer voice. "But I know it's worth it, you're worth it." 

"Okay, I get that but I still can't marry you knowing that you won't be happy. I can't marry you knowing that everything I vow to you is a lie. I can't kiss you knowing that I don't love you and you don't love me, Marinette." His eyes dropped down to her black pumps, red painted toes peeping out of the small hole at the toe. He glanced at his right shoulder, feeling the slight pressure as her other hand came to rest opposite of her right. He looked back at her face. And suddenly, he couldn't look away. 

Her eyes were blazing, conflicted emotions blurred with honesty. Infusing with blues of light and dark shades, twirling with hopes and fears; dreams and nightmares; love and hate. Adrien had seen fires before; white, orange, yellow, but he never knew that a blue that rivaled the ocean and the raindrops and the ice, could ever burn so fiercely or so brightly as the blue that was her eyes. 

He couldn't tear his gaze away, and he didn't want to. 

"Then kiss me like you want me to be happy. Kiss me like everything you vow is true. Kiss me, like you want to love me." 

Adrien could hear the intensity in her voice and he could hear the sincerity of her words. His heart constricted as she leaned closer, her voice getting impossibly quieter as she said;

"And I shall do the same." 

And as suddenly as it began, it was over. Marinette was back to a reasonable distance, her eyes restful and tranquil. The air no longer charged. Contrasting to the fire threatening to consume him a moment ago, now there was only the comfortable icy cold that jerked Adrien back to reality.

"Deal, Adrien?" Marinette said with a sweet, innocent smile. 

Adrien felt a smile start to form on his face. Honestly, this girl. It seems over the years, her effect on him hadn't changed, but only increased. 

"Deal."

Author's Note: Shorter chapter but I hope its still okay!