Chapter 14: For Your Love Is Changing Me
Adrien sighed for the tenth time since waking that Wednesday morning. He stared dreamily into the mirror as he brushed his teeth. He sang every love song he could think of in the shower, and he danced around his room as he got dressed. By the time he climbed into the back of his town car, Plagg was thoroughly disgusted.
"Could you stop with the impression of a dying hippo?" the cat kwami hissed from inside of Adrien's shirt pocket.
The teen dropped his head against the back of the seat. "Sorry, Plagg," he whispered. "It's just all so amazing! I mean, Marinette is the love of my life. I am just so lucky."
"Don't you dare sigh again!"
A chuckle came out of Adrien's throat and he rolled his eyes at his friend's behavior. When he lifted his head to look back out the window, his eye caught a bright red sign in a nearby store window.
"Special! Exclusive Ladybug & Chat Noir themed fabric. Only sold here."
Adrien only had to think on the words for a moment before he leaned forward. "Can you stop the car, please? I saw something in a store back there that I need to look at." The car slowed and pulled to a stop along the sidewalk. Before the Gorilla had even switched the gear into park, Adrien was climbing out the door. "You can wait here, I'll be right back!" he called over his shoulder.
He jogged down the block until he found the window of the fabric store. The bright red sign hanging in the window told him this was the right place and he entered without hesitation.
A shop attendant called out a welcome at the sound of the door chime before freezing when she looked up. Adrien gave a wave in greeting and began to peruse the shop. Further into the shop, he could hear a hushed conversation.
"You need to get out there, Mme. Ruelle."
"Célia, you better have a good reason for interrupting my work."
"Oh, trust me, I do."
Out of the corner of his eyes, Adrien could see the girl from before as well as a middle-aged woman exiting the back room and coming into the main part of the store. He looked up and flashed a model smile at them before stepping over to the display that had brought him in to begin with.
In the center of the store, there was a table with a miniature Eiffel Tower and two miniature figurines standing atop it. Ladybug and Chat Noir. Beneath the display there were several fabric bolts with designs all inspired by Paris's heroes. Classic red with black spots and one black with green paw prints. There were also some with the yo-yo design or baton, but the one that drew him in with a warm fuzzy feeling was a soft black fabric covered in little red ladybugs and green outlined black cats.
"Good morning, M. Agreste," the older woman greeted him as she stepped up to the display. "Was there anything particular you were looking for this morning?"
Adrien nodded, his green eyes twinkling. "Actually, I think I'd like to get this." He pointed to the last fabric he had seen. The one that so perfectly combined he and his lady.
She nodded and snapped her fingers for her assistant to come and take the bolt of fabric to the counter. "And how much of the fabric would you like? Three meters, or a bit more?"
Adrien stepped up to the counter as she stepped behind it. "I'd like to buy the whole bolt if that's all right." He held out a credit card he had removed from his wallet. "Also, can you giftwrap it?"
The woman stared at him for a few seconds. "Why, yes! Of course, M. Agreste. Célia, please take care of wrapping that up."
Adrien watched with a feeling of satisfaction as the woman charged his credit card.
A few minutes later, Adrien stepped out of the store with a carefully wrapped bolt of fabric in pink tissue paper with a white ribbon around it. He was sure Marinette would love it. Maybe she can use it to make something for the baby. His thoughts caused him to pause as his heart leapt in his chest. This was really happening. They were having a baby and he was going to have the family he had wished for ever since losing his mother.
As he walked back towards his car, something shiny caught his eyes in a store window. The store in question, as it turned out, was a jewelry store. He stopped and stared in at the display. On the tray in the window, lay several beautiful and expensive engagement and wedding rings. His mind drifted back to the memories of the previous night.
"So, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the sweetest girl in class," Adrien said as he ran his fingers through her hair. "Has been throwing me across Paris for the last three years."
The pair was settled in one of Marinette's balcony chairs with Marinette leaning against his chest. She laughed, glancing back at him. "Sorry about that. I would never have done that if I knew I was throwing Adrien Agreste."
He laughed too. "Then I guess I'm glad you didn't know before, now it's probably such a strong habit you couldn't stop if you tried," he teased.
Marinette rolled her eyes, "Well, for the record, I would've never guessed that The Adrien Agreste was flying all over Paris flirting and punning in a black leather cat suit."
It was his turn to blush then. "You know it's not leather."
"Really?" She challenged, sitting up to look at him. "Then what is your suit made of?"
He smirked. She had walked right into it. His mouth opened and she groaned before he even had a chance to speak, but that didn't stop him. "Husband material."
Apparently, she hadn't quite expected that as his response and he watched with enjoyment as a her face turned red. She coughed and looked away. "That was bad, even for you." She said it sternly but he could see the smile on her lips.
Lips he realized then that he wanted to kiss. Lips he hadn't kissed since that night. Before he could stop himself, he was leaning forward, a hand reaching up to touch her chin and turn her back to him. She stared up at him with wide eyes but didn't move away.
They were both leaning in, and his eyes fluttered closed right as his lips touched hers. It felt like electricity bolted through him. Marinette jerked back after only a split-second.
Adrien turned away, feeling heat rise in his ears and across the back of his neck. "Sorry. I- I didn't mean to. I mean, I shouldn't have."
"No, sorry. I just…" Marinette stood up from the chair, her arms going up to wrap around herself. "I'm just still kind of taking it all in. That we've kissed before. I had thought about it a lot, and I'm kind of sad that I didn't know it was you the first time it happened."
He stared down at his hands. "I know what you mean."
Marinette stepped close to him again, then reached out and took his hands in her own. She pulled him up to stand in front of her. "But, if you wanted to try again… first kiss of Marinette and Adrien might be nice." She looked up at him shyly and that was all the invitation he needed to lean down and press his lips to hers once more.
He stared at the different rings in the window, wondering how they would look on Marinette's hand. "I wonder if I should get her a ring," Adrien wondered aloud.
Plagg popped out from inside of Adrien's shirt. "Why don't you just focus on one thing at a time lover boy?" he teased.
Adrien glanced down at the present in his arms. "I guess you're right. Let's go." He moved toward the car again. I'll have plenty of time later to find My Lady the purrfect ring.
When Adrien arrived at school, he made sure to tell his bodyguard about the package he was leaving in the backseat. "I won't be able to give it to Marinette until after school, so if you could just bring it back at the end of the day?"
There was a grunt from the man to let him know he'd heard and Adrien exited the car. He only made it a few steps before Nino called out to him with a wave.
"Hey, Dude!" Nino greeted as they both reached the front steps. "How're you doing?"
Adrien couldn't help but smile. "Great. Excellent. Wonderful." He sighed happily.
Nino laughed, "So I take it you talked to Marinette again last night? You weren't floating when you left yesterday."
He could feel a familiar warmth spread over his neck. "I may have gone to see her last night."
"As Adrien or," Nino's voice dropped to a whisper, "as Chat Noir?" he smirked and Adrien had a feeling his best friend was just happy to be in on the secret.
They stepped into the courtyard as Adrien answered. "I may have had a little help getting up to her balcony."
The two laughed and then Adrien felt someone watching him. He turned and saw Chloe. She opened her mouth at the same time as he raised his hand to wave to her, but they both froze at the same second. They weren't friends right now. He dropped his hand and saw that she closed her mouth before whipping away from him, her ponytail swishing behind her.
Nino patted his shoulder. "She'll come around. Chloe has never been able to handle not being friends with you for long."
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Nino."
After placing their unneeded books into their lockers, the two boys made their way toward the classroom.
"Hey, Agreste!" Alya called out from behind them.
Adrien turned to see her walking up the steps to the second floor hallway. "Hey, Alya," he greeted, hoping he didn't sound nervous.
"Good morning, Alya. Nice to see you too," Nino pouted, although the effect was ruined by the smile tugging at his lips.
Alya rolled her eyes, shooting a smirk at her boyfriend. "Don't get jealous of Adrien. Mari already claimed him after all," she teased, giving him a kiss on his cheek.
She turned back to Adrien. "Can we talk for a minute? Privately."
Adrien nodded, "Yeah, sure."
The pair left Nino to head into class alone and went back down the stairs until they found a secluded alcove of the lower hall. Adrien waited for Alya to speak, unsure of how she was currently feeling about him. Had she and Marinette talked yet?
Alya looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry for everything I said yesterday. I was way out of line. I got so obsessed with this idea that Chat Noir had taken advantage of Mari and…" she sighed, looking at him for the first time since speaking, "And that's no excuse for the things I said to you. So, I'm sorry."
Adrien felt relief flood through him. Alya didn't hate him. He hadn't ruined everything. "Thanks, Alya. I appreciate that." He stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.
She wiped at her eyes as they pulled apart and Adrien suspected she was hiding tears. "Save the mushy stuff for your wife," she muttered.
Adrien blushed at the word wife. "So you did talk to Marinette?"
Alya nodded, "Yeah, she called me at like midnight to gush about how you came to see her."
Adrien blushed more. He was sure he was now the color of Ladybug's suit. "Well, I'm glad that everything is good with all of us now," he answered awkwardly.
"Oh, and here." He looked up to see Alya holding out a paper grocery bag. "I know you always have some with you so I figured you must like it a lot."
He accepted the bag and peered into it. Then he began to laugh. Inside the bag sat one large wheel of camembert cheese.
"What? Why are you laughing? It's apology cheese," Alya told him indignantly.
Adrien clutched at his stomach, trying not to fall over laughing at the fact that Alya had picked up on his cheese habit but not on the fact that he was Chat Noir. "Because… I don't eat… Camembert," he told her between laughs.
Alya stared at him, mouth opening in surprise and confusion. "But- but you always smell like it. There's no way you don't eat it."
"He doesn't but I do!" Plagg zipped out of Adrien's shirt and grabbed the bag from him before settling down with it on the ground. He pulled off a piece of camembert in record time and swallowed the chunk whole in front of Alya. "Thanks, Ladyblogger. Keep that up and we'll be great friends."
Alya stared with wide eyes at the kwami. "Wait. So you smell like cheese because your kwami makes you carry it around everywhere?" Alya asked, snickering as she watched Plagg dig further into the cheese.
Adrien looked up at her, his eyes watery from laughing. "I figured nobody had noticed since no one ever said anything."
She shook her head, "Oh, no. We all noticed. We're just too nice to say anything."
Adrien grinned at her, happy that they had moved past any awkwardness. "We should probably get to class." He moved back toward the stairs after ushering Plagg and the cheese inside his bag.
Bumping his shoulder as she passed him, Alya winked. "Eager to see your wife?"
Adrien followed her back to the classroom trying to ignore Plagg's laughter from inside his bag. He jostled it just before the stairs. "I hope you choke on that camembert."
When Marinette woke up Wednesday morning, she was pretty sure the day before had to have been a dream. There was no way that she had spent part of the previous night holding and kissing Adrien Agreste who was also her partner, Chat Noir. After nearly an hour of Tikki convincing her she hadn't dreamed it all, Marinette buried her face in a pillow to scream at the realization that she had agreed to marry Adrien.
By the time she made it to school, she was fairly certain she had gotten out any nervousness about seeing him. She took a deep breath before pushing the door to the classroom open. It's okay. It's not like he's been waiting to see you.
The first thing she saw when she walked through the door was a pair of bright green eyes she had loved for so long. They lit up when his eyes met hers. She squeaked as the bell went off overhead.
"Good morning, class," Mlle. Bustier greeted them from the front of the classroom.
Marinette hurried past the front bench where Adrien and Nino sat and muttered a quiet "Good morning."
She stepped up the first step safely, but in her rush her shoe caught on the second step and she stumbled. Everyone in the class gasped. She closed her eyes and braced for the impact, stretching out her arms to prevent her body from hitting the ground directly.
Instead, she hit something soft and warm.
"Are you okay, Marinette?" Adrien asked and that was when Marinette realized she had landed on her boyfriend. Well, from the way he was currently holding her, he had jumped up to catch her.
Of course, he would be fast enough. He is Chat Noir. It's second nature for him to jump in between me and danger.
She pushed herself upright, feeling her face warm. "Thanks. Yeah, I'm fine."
"Marinette, maybe it would be best if you switched seats with Nino for a while. It seems like it might be a bit… safer." Mlle. Bustier gestured to the front row seat where Nino had already began gathering his belongings.
Marinette opened her mouth to argue but Alya coughed to get her attention. "It might be best, M." The rest of the class murmured their agreements and she fought the urge to glare at them.
She nodded to her teacher and slid into the first row seat. She tried not to pout but she was really hating how everyone was babying her. It's not like I can't do anything. I made it up the stairs outside just fine. I just lost my footing.
Adrien's hand brushed hers, jolting her out of her thoughts. She glanced at him and he shot her a flirty smile. Then again, maybe sitting here isn't so bad.
When lunch arrived, Marinette went to meet Adrien out front of the school. Alya walked with her to where Nino and Adrien stood talking. "Should we all eat together? We could eat at the bakery or get some fast food?"
"Um, actually," Marinette glanced at Adrien. "We have go take care of something during lunch today. Maybe tomorrow?"
Alya eyed them suspiciously. "What? You guys have to go make out somewhere?"
She laughed when Marinette and Adrien both turned bright red. "Just kidding. C'mon, Nino. You can eat at my place."
Nino waved to the other two. "See you guys after lunch." He shot them a wink, "Have fun!"
Marinette covered her face with a hand. "Everybody is always going to think we go make out every time we're together, aren't they?" She asked, her voice muffled by her hand.
"Well," Adrien began.
Marinette covered his mouth with her hand. "Don't you dare suggest that we could. Let's just go." She turned and started off down the sidewalk. If he had actually suggested we make out during lunch I might've screamed, she thought, fighting back a smile.
"Where are we going?" Plagg asked, floating out of Adrien's shirt.
Tikki poked her head out of Marinette's purse. "We're going to see Master Fu. Weren't you listening last night?"
"Nah, it was too much kissing and love talk." The cat kwami shrugged.
Tikki sighed, "I meant after the kissing. When they were talking to us."
Marinette blushed. "You guys could hear us last night?" she asked.
"Every word."
"Plagg!" Adrien cried, he wrapped his hands around his kwami before shoving him unceremoniously into his bag. "Just stay in there a while. Sorry about that."
Marinette shook her head, "No, it's fine." She frowned. "I'm just nervous. What if the master is angry that I let Alya use the miraculous?"
Tikki patted Marinette's hand. "He won't be angry, Marinette."
Adrien nodded, "Yeah, he'll probably think it was very responsible of you not to go out and fight."
Her hand twisted the strap of her purse anxiously but she nodded her agreement. "Yeah, you guys are probably right.
After the fifteen minute walk to Master Fu's place, Marinette led Adrien inside of the shop.
"This doesn't exactly look like what I had expected from the guardian of the miraculous," Adrien muttered, looking around.
Marinette glanced at him, "What were you expecting?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. Something more… miraculous?"
She rolled her eyes and knocked on the door.
"Come in, Ladybug. You as well, Chat Noir," a calming voice called from behind the door.
Marinette pushed open the door and stepped into the room. "Hi, Master."
Master Fu sat on his mat, a table set up in the middle of it with tea already prepared and three cups. "I had a feeling you would be stopping by, especially after our new Ladybug appeared."
"Woah, is he psychic?" Adrien whispered as they sat down at the table.
"Not psychic, per se," Master Fu answered. He poured them each a cup of tea. "Just observant. Also I have had many years dealing with miraculous holders." He set the tea pot down and turned to Marinette. "Now, I believe the first order of business should be regarding your identities. I see that you are here together, do you feel that this revelation will help you both to strengthen your teamwork?"
Marinette glanced at Adrien once before nodding. "Yes, Master. I trust Adrien with my life, whether he is in costume or not."
"And you, Adrien?"
Adrien looked down at his cup. "I said that I would always trust my lady. No matter who was under the mask, and that hasn't changed." He looked up and saw Marinette watching him, her mouth open in surprise. Master Fu smiled at them both.
"Very well then. This is a marvelous development. Now, the next order of business would be this new Ladybug. What happened?" Master Fu took a drink of his tea as he watched the teens over the top of his cup.
Marinette touched an earring. "I- I had to ask Rena Rouge to be Ladybug. I'm not able to be a hero any more."
Tikki zoomed out of Marinette's bag. "Master, please try and be understanding."
Master Fu held up a hand, "Tikki, I will hear Marinette's explanation."
The spotted kwami bowed her head and sunk onto the table next to her chosen.
"Master," Marinette met his eyes, preparing for the lecture she would inevitably get. She had been irresponsible. She had given her miraculous to someone else. She had revealed her identity. "I'm pregnant. Yesterday was the first akuma since I found out."
"Ah, I understand. Well, I believe that was a wise decision then, and you said you allowed Rena Rouge to be Ladybug in order to defeat the akuma?"
Marinette nodded, "I hope that was okay."
"She did an excellent job as Ladybug. Can I assume it will be some time before you can resume your duties?" the guardian asked.
Marinette's eyes widened. "You'll allow me to be Ladybug again?"
"Of course I will, Marinette. You are one of the best Ladybug's to ever hold the miraculous." Master Fu turned his attention to Tikki. "Do you think Rena Rouge is a good choice as a temporary Ladybug?"
Tikki beamed, "Absolutely, Master. She is brave and selfless."
The Master nodded. He looked at Adrien. "Do you believe that you can work well with her?"
"Yes. She proved right away that I could trust her to have my back."
"And, Marinette, do you trust her to be Ladybug in your stead?"
Marinette's mind flashed back, not to the day before, but to the first day after she had received her miraculous. To the day she had first tried to give Alya the Ladybug miraculous. I thought she would be perfect then, and I know that I can trust her now.
She nodded to Master Fu. "Yes, Master."
As they made their way back to school, Marinette continued to glance at her bag. She was nervous because not only was she going to be handing her miraculous, along with Tikki, over to someone else; but Master Fu had entrusted them with another job.
"Marinette," Master Fu said as she followed Adrien outside.
"Yes, Master?"
"Since you will be unable to fight, we will not have the help of Rena Rouge should you need assistance. For the time being, I ask that you take with you the turtle miraculous." Master Fu held out a small wooden box, and Marinette realized he was no longer wearing his miraculous.
"But-" He held up a hand, silencing her.
"The turtle is the miraculous of protection. During what may be a dangerous time, please give it to someone you can trust."
"You okay?" Adrien asked, startling her.
"What? Yeah! I'm fine. I mean, it's just…" she paused, then placed a hand on his wrist to stop him from walking. "Adrien, Master Fu gave me something before we left." She pulled out the box.
"Another miraculous? But why?" he asked.
Marinette shrugged, "He said this could be a dangerous time since there will be a new Ladybug. This is the miraculous of protection: the turtle. He wanted me to give it to someone I trust since we won't have Rena. I can only think of one person who deserves this."
Adrien grinned, "Considering he jumped in front of you to protect you from that akuma, I'd have to agree."
Marinette pushed the box into Adrien's hands. "Would you give it to him?"
He stared down at the box in his hands. "Isn't that your job? I don't know if the guardian wants me to. I might mess things up."
She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I trust you, kitty. And so does the master. Just give it to Nino and show him the ropes later, okay?"
Adrien nodded, "Okay!"
Marinette and Adrien split up when they got back to school. There was still about ten minutes left to lunch after they had stopped for sandwiches and they decided to use that time Marinette to talk to Alya.
"Alya, I need to talk to you?" Marinette had said, pulling her friend away from a group of their friends talking about the prior day's akuma.
"What's up, girl?" Alya asked once they were alone. "Finished making out with Adrien?"
Marinette rolled her eyes. "As if you didn't just spend lunch doing that with Nino."
Alya blushed. "Not the point. But, what's up?"
Marinette rubbed her arm nervously. "Adrien and I went and saw the guardian. He's the one who gave us our miraculous. I told him about everything that's going on," she paused taking a deep breath, "And he said it would be fine for you to be Ladybug until I can do it again."
Alya squealed before slapping a hand to her mouth. "Really?" she asked, "I'm going to be Ladybug?"
Marinette nodded, "For at least the next nine months or so. Maybe a little longer." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "If you're really good, maybe you could just stay as Ladybug."
Alya's excitement faded back to attitude. "Oh no, girl. This is temporary. You are the best Ladybug Paris could possibly have," her voice warmed again, "But I will do my best to make you proud in the mean time."
Marinette felt tears in her eyes and squeezed her best friend in a hug. "I'll give you the earrings and Tikki after school then."
Alya nodded, "Sounds good, and Marinette, I promise I'll take care of Tikki."
"I know you will."
By the time school was over and Marinette had parted with Tikki, Marinette was exhausted. She was grateful that Alya had suggested they have a sleepover the following night but now all she wanted to do was go home and sleep. At least, until she ran into Adrien outside.
"You ready to go talk to your parents?" he asked.
Marinette was confused for a moment before she remembered. Right. We need to tell them our decision about the marriage thing. "I forgot."
Adrien chuckled, "That's okay. You must be pretty tired." He brushed a hand over her cheek. "Well, I have a surprise for you in the car."
She perked up at that. "A surprise? Why?"
"Because," he paused, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "I saw something on the way to school that made me think of you." He took hold of her hand. "Come on."
They made it into the car and began the short drive before Adrien pulled out the wrapped present from under the seat. He held it out to her. "Open it."
Marinette tried to will her heart to stop hammering against her chest. Adrien had bought her a present for absolutely no reason other than that it made him think of her. She untied the ribbon carefully and pulled away the wrapping paper. Beneath the paper was a soft fabric covered in little red ladybugs and green outlined black cats.
Tears pricked at her eyes, now she understood why it had made him think of her. She hiccupped and a half-sob half-laugh came out.
Adrien's face fell, "You don't like it?" he asked quietly.
Marinette's eyes shot up, wide with confusion. "What? No! Of course I love it! It's just so…" she glanced at the fabric and then back at him shyly, "Us."
Adrien blushed. "I'm glad you like it. And yeah, I thought that too."
Marinette leaned across the seat and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Adrien. I'm looking forward to using it."
The car pulled to a stop in front of the Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie and Adrien climbed out of the car before helping Marinette out after him. He took the bolt of fabric from her and told the gorilla that he'd call him when he was ready to be picked up before opening the door to the bakery so they could go inside.
"Welcome home, Sweetheart," Sabine greeted her daughter, "Good afternoon, Adrien."
"Good afternoon, Mme. Cheng," Adrien replied with a wave.
"Adrien is staying for dinner, but we wanted to talk to you and Papa when you have time," Marinette explained.
Sabine nodded, "Of course, dear. I'll let your father know and we will be up soon." She held out a croissant to each of them and they accepted it before heading upstairs to the apartment.
"Are you nervous?" Adrien asked after setting the bolt of fabric against the couch.
Marinette poured them each a cup of juice. "A little. But my parents told me that this was my decision so, I don't think it should be too bad."
Just as the teens sat down, the apartment door opened and Marinette's parents stepped inside, Tom still covered in flour from baking downstairs.
"I closed up the bakery downstairs for a while so we can talk," he explained. He accepted a towel from his wife and wiped off his hands and face, then set this towel and his apron on a chair near the kitchen. Tom and Sabine settled into the couch opposite the teens.
"Now, what did you two want to talk about?" Sabine asked.
Marinette swallowed hard, wishing she had hung onto her miraculous long enough to have Tikki with her for this. "I've decided that I want to marry Adrien."
Marinette's parents looked at each other, having a silent conversation. "Then, we would like to talk to you both about this decision," Sabine told them. Both teens nodded, then paused as Sabine continued. "Separately."
When Marinette settled onto her computer chair, she could feel her heart racing. She watched as her mother took her place on the chaise.
"Marinette, your father and I told you before that we will accept any decision you make with this. However, we want to make sure you understand what this means."
She nodded, "Okay, Maman. I'm ready."
"I know that you have had feelings for Adrien for a long time," Sabine said, gesturing toward the various photos around her daughter's bedroom.
"Yes, Maman."
"I know that time can allow for some dreams of what life could be like in the future." Sabine took hold of Marinette's hand.
"Yes and Adrien has been everything I could ever dream of. He's wonderful and caring and so sweet," Marinette sighed.
Her mother nodded, "But you have to realize that your life together, may not always feel that way. Time goes on, life gets busy, and sometimes things are difficult. You two will get along most of the time. I can see that from just your personalities, but you will have disagreements and you will no doubt hurt each other's feelings. But if you really love him, and he loves you, I know you can make things work."
Marinette squeezed her mom's hand. "Do you think I'm making a mistake?"
"My dear, you have a good head on your shoulders. Your father and I trust you to make your own wise decisions. Soon enough, you'll have a lot more decisions to make." Sabine placed a hand against her daughter's stomach. "You are going to make a beautiful mother."
Downstairs, Adrien squirmed on the couch under Tom's watchful eye. "So, Adrien," he began.
The teen jumped, "Yes, sir!" he answered too loudly.
Tom laughed, and Adrien could feel the tension melting off of him. He didn't need to be scared of Marinette's dad. Tom had never given reason for Adrien to be afraid of him, he had always been kind.
"Your father told us that this decision was solely left up to Marinette. He said that he had already decided for you. Is that right?" Tom asked.
Adrien nodded, twisting his ring on his finger. "He says it's what's best for my image and for the company."
Tom looked thoughtful. "Well, Sabine and I are not satisfied with that. Marriage is a very sacred thing in our eyes and we don't believe that two people, especially when they are as young as you, should enter into it half-heartedly. Because of that, we want to know what you want."
Adrien felt his heart drop into his stomach. Marinette's parents wanted to know what he wanted? They didn't just accept what his dad had said? When was the last time someone – especially an adult – asked what I wanted?
He felt confused. "But why?"
Tom watched him with caring eyes. "Adrien, from what I gather, your opinions aren't considered very often."
Adrien nodded.
"It shouldn't be that way," Tom continued. "Your opinions, wants, and needs matter to us. We want you to be happy just as much as we want Marinette to be. So, what do you want to do?"
"I- I want to marry Marinette. I love her more than anything and," he paused, hoping he didn't sound to emotional. "I'm looking forward to sharing a life with her."
Tom beamed at him and then the next moment, pulled Adrien into a tight hug. "Then all I have to say is, welcome to the family, son."
After their talks with Marinette's parents, Adrien enjoyed some time playing video games with Tom while Marinette helped her mother with dinner. Once the meal was in the oven, she made her way to the couch and proceeded to beat both her father and Adrien at UMS. They finished just in time to eat all together. Adrien was pretty sure he had never enjoyed a dinner so much.
With dinner finished and Marinette's parents taking care of the dishes, Adrien and Marinette headed up to her room with cookies and hot chocolate.
"I can grab a blanket if you want to eat our dessert on the balcony," Marinette offered.
"That sounds perfect." He took up the plate of cookies and then returned for both mugs of hot chocolate. Marinette returned with a blanket, and they settled on the balcony.
Adrien sipped his drink and watched Marinette out of the corner of his eyes. She was breathtaking. Sitting there in the starlight, a breeze ruffling her bangs as she nibbled on a chocolate chip cookie. She turned and he felt like he was drowning in the blue of her eyes. How long had he loved this girl?
"What?" Marinette asked, a blush dusting her cheeks. "What's wrong?"
He shook his head, "Nothing. Everything's great." He picked up a cookie and pushed the whole thing in to his mouth.
She snorted beside him. "You're a dork."
He swallowed before laughing. "But I'm your dork." He leaned in for a kiss and she responded with the same.
Their lips were gentle, moving against the other in slow movements. Adrien could feel his heart rate increase as Marinette leaned into him. Her hand moved up and into his hair. He could feel a low rumbling in his chest that transformed into a purr. Marinette smiled against his lips and he felt the urge to kiss her more fiercely.
He pushed her back, a hand cradling her head as he lowered her onto the blanket. He hovered over her as they kissed, careful not to put his weight against her. This kiss was so different from their first all those weeks ago. Where that one had been born out of a desperation to feel loved, this one was full of a desire to show love. He wanted to show Marinette everything he felt for her.
His lips moved from hers and across her face, making her giggle. He pulled away and stared down at her. Her hair was falling out of its pigtails and looked almost ethereal under her.
"Adrien?" Her voice broke through the silence.
He felt his heart overflowing with love and affection. "I love you, Marinette. And I can't wait to start our life together."
She beamed. "Me either. I love you too."
After several more kisses were exchanged, Adrien laid down beside her.
"I can't believe we're really having a baby," he murmured into the night sky.
Marinette turned to look at him. "I can't believe we're getting married."
He reached out and caressed her cheek. "I promise, I'll do everything I can to keep you and our baby safe and happy."
She leaned into his touch. "I know you will. We always did make the best team."
A/N: Wow! I am sorry for the long wait. I was dealing with a lot this week and didn't get much writing in. And then when I did, j realized just how long this chapter was getting. Over 6k words! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This is the last chapter of the first part of this story. This section was inspired by the song May I by Trading Yesterday.
I will be writing more. The next chapter will be posted Oct 13th. Feel free to let me know any suggestions or ideas you gave as well as your thoughts on the story do far. Also, if interested you can follow me on Tumblr (blogname: OtakuPrincess15) and see any updates about my fanfic writing or send me questions.
Thanks again! See you all Soon!
~marauderluverz