A big thank you to my betas Khanofallorcs and LinhLotus on AO3. Hope everyone enjoys!
Adrien had let go of Marinette's hand for just a moment when it had happened.. They had been walking down the streets of Paris, having come from the most wonderful brunch at Marinette's parents' house, when Adrien had spotted their old friend, André the Ice Cream Man.
He had let go of Marinette's hand to say hello and maybe get a scoop of ice cream for his Lady when he heard a sickening thump. He whirled around to see Marinette sprawled across the cement.
He heard a yell, as he fell to his knees frantically trying to feel Marinette's pulse. It was strong and steady, but his wife was still unconscious. Belatedly, his throat feeling sore and scratchy, he realized he was the one who had screamed. He slowly propped her head onto his upper arm, desperately trying to remember what he was supposed to do for someone who had fainted. He was about to bark at André to dial 15 when Marinette's face scrunched up.
"Marinette!" Adrien gasped in relief. "Are you okay?"
Marinette put a hand to the bridge of her nose as she blinked rapidly to get used to the bright sunlight. "Adrien? What happened?"
"You fainted! Did something happen? Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?" Adrien demanded to know, his relief quickly turning to anger.
"Shall I call for an ambulance?" André inquired, a worried expression on his face.
Marinette slowly shook her head, "I'm okay, I think. Thank you, André." Adrien wanted to protest; going to the doctor would make him feel much better, but Marinette laid a soothing hand on his arm.
"Why don't you take me home, Kitty? Then you can watch over me as much as you like," she offered. Adrien knew that her words were just a dirty trick to avoid going to the doctor and for once, he didn't want to listen to her. They didn't know what had caused the fainting, even if she seemed perfectly fine now.
But he made the mistake of looking into her clear bluebell eyes that were looking at him so pleadingly.
"Oh, fine," he sighed in defeat. A bright, victorious smile appeared on Marinette's face. Well, he couldn't let that stand.
In one smooth motion, he scooped her up into his arms, making Marinette yelp as she looped her arms around his neck to balance herself. "Let's go home then, Princess," he winked at her. She gave him a cross look, but didn't protest, a pale pink flush covering her face.
Adrien smirked all the way home.
Adrien whistled as he cooked the eggs and set up the coffee maker. Marinette had been exhausted all week and he was still a little worried about her fainting spell from earlier, so he decided he would make use of his limited cooking skills to make her breakfast.
He looked up with a smile when he heard footsteps followed by a loud yawn.
"Good morning, Bugaboo," he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. She nuzzled against him before stiffening. Adrien pulled back immediately, a knot of anxiety forming in his stomach.
"What's that smell?" Marinette asked hesitantly. Adrien's eyes widened as he hurried back to the stove, worried the omelet had burnt. It was fine, though, albeit a little crispier than usual. He expertly folded it onto the plate and presented it to Marinette with a flourish.
She took one whiff of the omelet and was out the door. Adrien followed her immediately, only taking a moment to whip off his apron. He found her retching into the toilet and hurried forward to hold back her hair.
"Marinette, what's going on?" Adrien's voice was quivering. She, understandably, didn't answer as she coughed. His heart lurched forward as Marinette began to sway in his arms.
"Marinette!" Adrien pulled her back, as she blinked at him for a moment. Then she tried to push him away, "I'm okay now, Adrien. I must have eaten something bad, is all."
Adrien was finding it hard to breathe. "Marinette, we ate the same things, but I'm not throwing up." Marinette tried to stand up again, but Adrien stubbornly held onto her. She called his name, but he wasn't with her anymore.
He had been transported almost fifteen years into the past. He was playing with his mother in the garden, running around and laughing. One of his few happy memories of her.
She had finally caught him and was teaching him about the plants when a sudden bout of coughing had overtaken her. Adrien had run to his mother and cried loudly for his father. Emilie had tried to wipe the tears away as Gabriel approached, looking like he had run to them all the way from his office.
Adrien had gripped tightly onto her hand while Gabriel tried to support her. Instead, she had fallen down yet again, this time her coughs including drops of blood.
Adrien had been frightened, unable to move or comfort his mother. In response to his inaction, Gabriel had shoved him towards the servants and out of the way. After that, he hadn't been permitted to see his mother at all. A scant week later, she had disappeared, seemingly off of the face of the Earth.
He had never seen his mother laughing again. He closed his eyes and this time he hadn't travelled as far back in his memories.
This time, it was Nathalie who was coughing, barely able to stand on her own two feet. The strong, no-nonsense woman who had become a second mother to him had been betrayed by her own body.
When he asked his father if Nathalie was okay, all he ever said was that she was fine. Adrien had learned long ago that being fine was just a pretty lie. He knew now that it had been the effect of the broken Peacock Miraculous which had caused Nathalie's illness, but he still felt that he should have done something to help Nathalie. It could have ended up saving her life, but he had listened to his father's lies and Nathalie had paid the price.
He pulled Marinette closer towards him and buried his face into the crook of her shoulder. She fell silent, feeling the tremors running through his body. "Adrien?" She whispered softly, her breath tickling his ear.
"Marinette, I can't lose you," he cried out desperately.
Within a moment, she was squeezing him just as tightly. "Adrien, you will never lose me." Marinette promised him fiercely.
"You don't know that!" Adrien burst out, finally pulling him away from her. Swallowing past the lump that had formed in his throat, he took in a deep, shuddering breath. Gently, he took Marinette's hands in his own and made her look him in the eyes.
"I've seen this before. Everytime someone close to me gets sick, they say they're fine but they're not."
Marinette opened her mouth to interrupt, but Adrien continued talking over her. "Please, for my peace of mind, my Lady? If you're so sure this is nothing, then why not confirm it with the doctor?"
Marinette was quiet for a moment before she pulled her hands out of Adrien's. For one horrible moment, Adrien felt like his heart would stop beating as he stared at her in terror, completely certain she would deny him this. Tell him he was out of his mind and that she didn't want to be anywhere near him anymore.
Then she lightly placed her hands on his cheeks. "Adrien, you're crying," she said, her voice breaking. He blinked in realization, he hadn't even noticed, though it explained why his vision had suddenly gone blurry.
Marinette wiped the tears away with the tips of her fingertips before enveloping him in another hug. "My Prince, of course I'll do it. I'll go first thing tomorrow, alright?"
Her words had a calming effect on him, giving him the strength to pull them out of the bathroom. "Tomorrow?" He confirmed with her again, anxious tension creeping into his shoulders.
She gave him a look filled with love. "I'd do anything for you, Adrien. Going to the doctor tomorrow doesn't even scratch the surface." She looked down at herself. "Let me change first and let's see if there's something I can stomach right now."
"Sounds perfect," he nodded, but not before he gave her another hug, if only to confirm to himself that she was really still here.
Adrien had been standing outside of his front door for what felt like hours. He'd wanted to skip work so that he could accompany Marinette to the doctor's, but she wouldn't listen to a word he had to say on the matter.
Only now did he understand why she had forced him to leave. He was terrified of the answer. He closed his eyes, trying to gather the courage to step through the door. In the end, it was the thought of leaving his Lady to deal with her pain and suffering on her own which had him barreling through the door.
At once, he was assaulted by the sheer darkness in the room. "Marinette?" He called out, just a hint of fear in his voice. He blinked furiously, trying to have his eyes quickly adjust to the darkness. That was when he heard soft sobs penetrate the silence in the room.
She was sitting on the couch, clutching some papers. Adrien felt like all of his worst fears had come true all at once. Swallowing past his discomfort, he forced himself to remain calm so he could offer Marinette the support she so sorely needed.
Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, Adrien reached Marinette's side, flicking on a lamp to alert her to his presence. Marinette lifted her head in surprise, her cries becoming louder as she caught sight of him.
She immediately jumped into his arms and Adrien tried to indicate all of his love and support for Marinette in a simple squeeze.
"Adrien," Marinette said breathlessly, but Adrien shook his head, trying to spare her the pain of speaking the words out loud.
"It's okay, Marinette. I already know." That he had to be strong for her was the only thought running through his head. One which he was chanting like a mantra.
She pulled back, her confusion showing all over her face. "Y-you know? Is this why you pushed me to go check with the doctor?"
Adrien nodded, trying to prevent the tears he felt pricking the corners of his eyes from falling. "H-how long?" He stammered out.
Marinette looked a little hesitant, but she wiped her tears away and took in a deep breath. "Six weeks."
Adrien felt his blood run cold. "Six weeks? No! T-this can't be happening!" He shook his head frantically making Marinette jump back in surprise.
"A-aren't you happy?" Marinette asked him, her eyes filling with tears.
Adrien felt his jaw drop. "How can you say that to me? Why would I ever be happy about this?" He demanded to know.
Marinette was looking at him as if he had somehow betrayed her. "I-I thought–," but Adrien didn't let her finish.
"There has to be some mistake!" He insisted, reaching towards the doctor's report to check for himself. Marinette snatched it away, his fingertips only managing to brush against the cool cover of the report.
"What sort of mistake are you hoping to find?"
"Anything!" Adrien finally snapped. "Damn it, Marinette. You told me I wouldn't lose you, and then you tell me you only have six weeks left to live." He ignored Marinette's squeak of surprise, rubbing his arm across his face to keep himself from bursting into tears. "How could you ever think I'd be happy about that?"
Quick as could be, Marinette pulled him into a fierce hug. "Adrien, that's not it."
Her touch had broken the dam and in moments he was sobbing, clutching at her shirt for support. "What are you talking about?"
"Adrien, Kitty, I'm not in any danger," Marinette promised him, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead.
Adrien simply blinked at her, unable to comprehend what she was saying. She looked away from him and mumbled something incomprehensible.
"What?" He croaked out, needing to know exactly what was going on. He felt Marinette take in a deep breath.
"I-I'm pregnant."
Adrien felt his eyes widen before they filled with tears yet again. "Six weeks?" He checked, her previous words now making sense. Marinette nodded shyly at him, making his heart swell.
"You're pregnant," he laughed breathlessly.
Marinette nodded, throwing her arms around his neck. "We're pregnant, Kitty. We're having a baby!"
Adrien was so relieved and happy, he scooped Marinette up and spun her around. Their combined weight had them falling onto the couch where they burst into a fit of giggles.
"I'm sorry for worrying you," Marinette murmured, pulling his face closer to hers.
"M'lady, you've made me the happiest man alive. It's my own fault for not letting you speak," Adrien whispered back before he closed the gap between them. The kiss they shared was both loving and joyous, full of their relief and future hopes.
He slowly pulled away, only to rest his forehead on hers.
"I guess now we know what we're going to do with the empty room," Adrien grinned. "Pretty fur-tunate we don't have to move, huh?"
Marinette pulled away to laugh. "We'll have a little bug of our own," her eyes were glowing.
"The purr-tiest Bug of them all," Adrien agreed. "Well, after you, of course, Bugaboo."
Marinette looked at him hesitantly. "You really think we can do this?"
"Hey, it's you and me against the world, remember? Together we can do anything."
At his words, Marinette's smile grew wider. "You're right," she said before leaning in to kiss him again. As they sat together, Adrien felt his heart fill once again with gratitude that Marinette had fallen in love with him.
With their kitten on the way, he couldn't wait to begin the rest of his life with her.