BONUS CHAPTERS ARE NOT RANDOM CHAPTERS BEING THROWN INTO THE STORY. THEY ARE LITERALLY A CONTINUATION OF THE LAST CHAPTER.
(I.e in the last chapter Adrien refused to to get off by touching Marinette so he fixed the problem himself. In the other scene Luka and Kagami had their own moment.)
They are not some random chapters thrown into the story. They fit in with the chronological storyline. They're just extra scenes. I want to continue adding them so that Luka and Kagami have more depth to them, even chloe but if they continue to confuse people, I'm just gonna delete them and forget about the whole thing as a whole.
Perhaps I'm a bad writer? I'll admit to that, but usually explanations for Adrien's actions are explained after the cliffhanger in the next chapter as to why he won't touch Marinette, despite her obviously wanting him to.
I'll try to convey it better next time. I really want to stop putting author's notes in my story as a whole.
"You're huge!"
Alya flinched at the sound of Marinette's choice of words.
Indeed it had been a few weeks since they had last seen each other, but the last thing Alya wanted to be called was huge.
As far as she was concerned she wasn't even that big yet.
Alya tugged at her shirt, glancing back at Marinette who stumbled into her apartment. The brunette crossed her arms stubbornly, a dry smile on her lips as her friend closed the door behind her once she was inside.
"Huge?" Alya reiterated, her eyes trained on Marinette as she approached her warmly. "Are you trying to piss me off?"
Marinette wrapped her arms around Alya, squeezing her tightly as she was careful not to smush the bag of sweets she was holding for Alya.
"Oh. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't piss you off?" The young woman groaned before she pulled away to get a better look at the small baby bump that was forming beneath Alya's flowy shirt.
"Are these for me?" Alya inquired, glancing down at the paper bag that Marinette delicately held in her hand.
She was still early in her pregnancy and though it was perceptible that her morning sickness was still around, Alya had began to also notice that she was experiencing cravings.
Alya loved sweets, but on this particular occasion she was craving cake icing. Knowing how well Marinette had quite the dexterity when it came to baked goods, especially due to her upbringing, Alya couldn't have felt any luckier.
"Oh!" Marinette raised, shimmying her hips inside of her pink high-waisted shorts as she made her way to the kitchen counter. "Yes, I made you some cupcakes. I wasn't sure if you were well enough to eat some sweets." Marinette explained, placing the paper bag on to the counter.
Alya followed closely behind Marinette, not wasting any time to reach into the bag and help herself to any cupcake that sat inside.
"Why wouldn't I be well enough to have cupcakes?!" Alya exclaimed, immediately peeling the wrapper off the base of the cupcake so she could properly drag her tongue against the pink and blue icing that sat on top.
Marinette blushed deeply, reaching up to brush her fingers against the back of her neck. She was faintly aware of the straps of her black top nearly rolling off her shoulders from the sweat.
It had suddenly gotten so hot inside the room and Marinette had to take in a deep breath.
Especially when it came to what she had been planning to confess to her friend.
"I...I was trying to be considerate of your morning sickness." Marinette conceded, guilt tugging at her stomach at the thought of Alya reacting horribly upon learning that Marinette was the reason she fell pregnant. "I don't know much about being pregnant, but I'm sure there's a mix of wanting to eat and wanting to puke."
Alya shook her head, humming as she turned the cupcake around and began to lick the icing off the other side of the fluffy cupcake.
"While it's true that I do feel sick most days, but today seems more of a craving kinda day than most." She murmured, wiggling her brows.
Marinette rested her hands against the smooth marble of the kitchen counter with a small grimace. She felt her heart rapidly beat within her ribcage as she tried to convince herself to just outright say it.
"How's married life going for you?" Alya asked before she took a small bite out of the cupcake she held in her fingertips. "You and Adrien are getting along right?"
Getting along
Marinette gulped at her friend's question. She immediately tucked her hands together, wringing them nervously as she recalled what her and Adrien had been up to in the last few weeks.
She wasn't sure if now was the appropriate time to talk about her ever slowly growing sex life with Adrien, or if it was something she should keep to herself.
While it was true that Alya had a lot more experience than her, Marinette depended on her substantially for advice in that department, but Marinette couldn't help but feel a little bashful about talking in great detail of the intimate moments that transpired between her and her husband.
"Y-Yeah. We're getting along fine. Though I was a bit of an ass to him in the beginning of our relationship, because we were complete strangers, I'm glad I listened to you and loosened up to him." Marinette elucidated.
Her heart squeezed inside of her chest when she thought about how cruel she was to Adrien when she first met him.
She recalled that he tried to make conversation with her and she completely ignored him. There were other times where she avoided him, left him alone and despite the times he tried to give her space and allow her to move and feel comfortable at her own pace, she had somehow forced him to sleep on the floor.
Needless to say, she made a ton of poor decisions, and her attitude towards him was one decision she certainly regretted.
"Are you and Nino going through with the wedding?" Marinette asked. "How do you guys plan to do it?" Her blue eyes moved over towards Alya who reached into the brown paper bag for the second cupcake.
"Mm!" She hummed, peeling off the wrapper off the base of the cupcake before she began to drag her tongue across the icing of the cupcake. "Yes, we are. I hope to lose a bit of the excess baby weight so I can look very smooth in my wedding dress." She explained.
She turned the cupcake around in her fingertips, her eyes moving over towards the large rock on Marinette's finger.
"We haven't picked out a wedding band for my engagement ring just yet, but I made sure to beg Nino for a big white Cinderella wedding. I want a silver band to accentuate my diamond even though I'm still envious of that huge rock you have on your finger." Alya teased, chortling softly before she took another small bite of the cupcake.
Marinette widened her eyes, the blush on her cheeks darkened even more so as she quickly glanced down to look at the diamond ring that once belonged to Adrien's mother that sat perfectly on the finger of her left hand.
"Y-You don't need a ring like this!" Marinette babbled nervously, bringing her hand onto her chest so that she could layer her right hand on top of it and cover the ring.
"This ring belonged to Adrien's mother." Marinette whined, watching as Alya finished off her second cupcake and then moved to the fridge so that she could serve some juices. "I...I was honored to wear the ring. The sentimental value surpassed the money value greatly. All you need is a ring that holds that sort of value."
Alya nodded, placing the fruit punch onto the kitchen counter before she reached above her head to grab two glasses from the cabinet that was mounted in the space right in her reach.
"I suppose you're right." Alya sighed, placing the cups down and then uncapping the juice container. "I want Nino to pick something for me. Kind of like a surprise." Alya smiled warmly as she poured the fluid into the glasses.
"I...I want him to pick a band that makes him think of me. Something that he knows will carry my personality." She chuckled softly as she gently slid a glass across the counter towards Marinette.
"But you know I was joking about the big ring stuff. I think your wedding ring is beautiful regardless, and I'm glad that it holds value to both you and Adrien."
Marinette blushed deeply, pulling her hand away from her chest so that she could look at the ring on her hand properly.
Her heart fluttered within her chest as she recalled the moment he placed it on to her finger and presented it to a crowd of people.
It wasn't the ideal experience, especially because her and Adrien were so distant then, but she was happy that they had gotten so close.
Alya brought the glass of juice to her lips and carefully took a small sip to wash out the cupcake she had just eaten.
"While planning this wedding does sound like an adventure, I feel like I should make sure my priorities stay in check. Before we do anything, I have to find a bigger place, something with two bedrooms so I can set up for the baby. I need to start looking into a more stable job so that I can afford it." Alya sighed, placing the glass down onto the counter.
Marinette frowned, her heart immediately sinking into her stomach at the mention of her struggle. She couldn't help but to revert back to the mindset that she was at fault for Alya's pregnancy.
If she hadn't stolen all of her contraceptives just so she could sleep with Luka.
It completely shattered her.
"A-Are you planning on leaving the bar? Rose would be incredibly devastated to see you go. You and I are her strongest workers." Marinette murmured, her timid stuttering permeating through her speech.
The last thing Marinette meant to do was cost Alya her job as well.
"I don't plan to leave the bar. I'm hoping to work something out with Rose regarding the schedule." Alya explained, attempting to shrug it off.
"I know that I can't stand on my feet all day once I grow even bigger, my feet will start to swell and I don't want to continue taking breaks throughout the night. I'm eventually not going to fit into the uniforms, and honestly they wouldn't want a pregnant woman out on the dancefloor serving drinks."
Marinette glanced down, her heart squeezing in her chest at how much harder she made Alya's life.
"S-So you're only going to do part time?" Marinette asked, slowly reaching for her own glass full of juice that sat on the counter. "I mean, I could try to get my parents to offer you a job as a server or something. You know that if you ever need anything from me and Adrien, we won't hesitate to help you. Know that you aren't alone in this."
Alya chuckled, glancing up at Marinette with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Marinette, but I'm sure Nino and I have it covered." Alya leaned onto the counter, taking a quick swig of her juice. "It's really our responsibility to make this situation work. I don't want us to owe any money. I have a catering job in the morning that I can just pick up on. I can shorten the hours at the bar that way I won't spend any time sitting when my feet hurt instead of helping out. I'm sure Rose won't mind. Plus Nino works at the club in the next time over. He gets a ton of music gigs, so I'm sure we'll get by." Alya assured softly, moving her eyes back towards Marinette. "But your support also helps immensely, and I can't stress to you enough about how much it means to us."
Marinette glanced into Alya's eyes, a small grimace tugging on her features as she wanted to relish in their tender interlude, but Marinette wasn't sure how long she could keep something like this from her.
This was all her fault. Alya had a right to know, and if anything Marinette would have taken full responsibility of this issue. She would do anything in her power to make sure that this kid was taken care of, just so that Alya and Nino's life wouldn't become complicated in any way.
Marinette glanced down into her drink, the glass she held suddenly feeling frozen within both of her palms.
"A-Alya...there's something I have to tell you..." Marinette whimpered, her lips trembling as she couldn't bring herself to look her friend in the eye.
She was afraid. She knew this secret would ruin their friendship for good.
"Hm?" Alya mused, perking a brow, keeping her gaze on Marinette curiously. "And what's that?"
Marinette exhaled, her heart hammering away inside of her chest as her knees felt weak. She bit her lip as she tried to formulate the right words.
She wasn't ready to ruin her friendship, but it seemed as though there was nothing else she could do.
"I...I got you pregnant." Marinette gulped, her eyes widening as she realised that what she said sounded completely ridiculous. "I mean, it's my fault that you're pregnant."
Alya furrowed her brow, lightly placing her glass down on the counter.
"What? What are you talking about?"
Marinette felt her knees tremble as she kept her eyes into her drink with a grimace.
"I...uhm..." her voice trailed off as she tried to go over scenarios in her head.
"Do you remember that night where you confessed to me about how much you had truly felt for Nino? I asked you about advice when it came to sex and then you went out and then I followed out..." Marinette conceded, her voice quivering as she squeezed her cup.
"I...I actually went into your purse and I took some of your pills and other things. I was going through some sort of retaliation episode and had planned to sleep with Luka but realised how bad of a decision that would be so I bailed out last minute. I never used them." Marinette continued, her voice growing lower and lower. "Because you didn't have access to your contraceptives...you ended up unexpectedly pregnant. I mean, if I hadn't taken them, I worry that things would have been different. I didn't mean to ruin your life, I didn't mean to change your future plans. I know what I did was wrong and I take full responsibility for everything."
Marinette closed her eyes, her breath quivering as the room grew silent.
Just silent.
There was a ringing sensation within her ears as the silence nearly screamed at them.
This was it.
Marinette ruined everything.
She was ready to turn around and walk out, she couldn't blame Alya if she didn't ever want to talk to her again.
"Marinette, are you serious?" Alya asked, her voice cutting into the silence almost violently.
Marinette flinched, squeezing her eyes shut as her heart nearly sank into her stomach acid. Anxiety began to flow through her and Marinette tried to steady her breathing.
"You're not at fault that I'm pregnant. Whether you took my contraceptives or not." Alya murmured, reaching over to place her hand on Marinette's shoulder.
Marinette exhaled, her heart beating so fast her body felt cold. She glanced up at Alya with wide eyes, her lips parting with confusion.
So she wasn't mad?
"If I'm being honest." Alya continued, her voice growing soft. "I had completely forgotten those pills were in there. Nino and I didn't use protection when we did what we did. If I'm being honest, we allowed that moment to get the best of us, and it's happened many times. We never really had a plan when it came to it, and honestly if we didn't have any proper protection it would have been up to us to find some before we even continued with anything else." Alya furrowed her brow as Marinette glanced up at her with deep red cheeks.
"Girl, I can't believe you'd blame yourself for something like that. You think way too much." Alya sighed, a small frown on her face as she slowly placed her arm on to Marinette's shoulder and tugged her close.
Marinette leaned into Alya, trembling as she held onto her friend with a grimace. What mattered to her most was that she wasn't going to lose her friend. Alya meant so much to her; they've been through a lot together. Marinette wouldn't know what to do with herself if she lost Alya.
"So...you're not mad at me?" Marinette asked timidly, her voice quivering as she glanced up at Alya with a grimace.
"I'm not thrilled that you were rummaging through my bag, but no I'm not angry with you. My pregnancy has nothing to with you and it's not your fault, Marinette." Alya whispered leaning onto her friend with a grimace.
Marinette closed her eyes, wrapping her arms completely around her friend with a frown.
"Alya, I promise I won't ever go rummaging around in your bag ever again. I'm not sure what I was thinking." Marinette whimpered. "I just don't ever want to lose you."
Alya shook her head, reciprocating the gesture warmly. She rested her chin onto the top of Marinette's head and she gently ran her hand up and down her back in an attempt to soothe her.
"I promise, we won't lose each other." Alya reassured, closing her eyes. "I promise."
Alya squeezed her softly, her lips pressing together as she worried that Marinette was holding out on her.
Perhaps there was something about her that she purposely kept hidden...
"I should probably get back together with my ex..."
Adrien's voice was impassive, but he had never experienced so much hatred for a habit in his entire life.
"I think we deserve each other..."
His green eyes glanced down into the display glass beneath him. He had truly been honoured that Nino had asked him to look at wedding bands so that he could properly give to Alya on their wedding day, but the blonde couldn't help but feel like Nino had become his shrink over the last few months.
Adrien had no voice of reason, and he never did since his mother disappeared. Nathalie was strict as all hell, and his father was incredibly elusive.
He craved a sense of guidance. The only shred of guidance he ever knew was Kagami, and that thought made Adrien massively angry.
"Are you smoking something?" Nino asked, glancing back at Adrien from the other side of the display glass. "Did you get a bad baggie of crack? Because that literally sounds like you've threatened suicide."
Adrien rolled his eyes at his friend's callous remark. He sighed, his fingertips anxiously tapping on the glass as he was ready to cast himself into eternal damnation by agreeing to give his ex-girlfriend a second chance.
He'd force Marinette out of his life for her own good, and Adrien would be left alone to wallow in his self-pity and deprecation all the while Kagami would have her way.
Adrien knew he couldn't trust her, any sort of relationship with Kagami would be incredibly hard to repair, but Adrien couldn't help but to feel like he deserved that.
Marinette didn't deserve someone as lowly as he is.
"It's what I deserve." Adrien deadpanned. "I've been noticing a series of patterns when it comes to my alone time with Marinette. I genuinely feel like I'm some sort of sex addict or something. Granted, Marinette and I haven't got to that extent, but I find myself growing more and more annoyed with myself when I come onto her." The male conceded, keeping his voice low as he scanned the display for a band that fit Nino's budget and caught his attention.
"You hate yourself for wanting to make love to your wife?" Nino mused, his featuring reprimanding the notion almost instantly. "I swore we had a conversation like this before. I'm suspecting that you're just gonna stop yourself from being happy."
Adrien shrugged, pressing his lips together as he leaned onto the glass, ignoring the people who walked by him and Nino quietly.
"I just feel like I'm already in unbreakable habits. I'm formed to what Kagami taught me, and I don't want to push that onto Marinette. I've never had this issue when Kagami and I dated, but with Marinette it almost feels like I'm a completely different person." Adrien explained, slowly raising his eyes to his comrade who bent over the glass to glance into the display.
"Has it ever occurred to you that you weren't actually attracted to your ex?" Nino pitched, raising a brow briefly.
"I mean, no offense to you but you've literally lived in a shell your whole life. Perhaps you thought you were in love because someone gave you the attention you always wanted. It's a shame that you had to be taught by Kagami the things you know now, but that's just the problem. She is all you know, she taught you how to feel guilty for the way that you feel..."
Adrien pressed his tongue to the inside of his upper lip, and he narrowed his eyes, recalling back to how attached he had felt to Kagami because she had wavered the obstacles of the world with him.
He knew that Kagami was the first person to give him attention, but he was sure he was attracted to her in some sort of way...right?
"Y-Yeah, but I feel so guilty when I come onto her. Like...it almost feels like I shouldn't. I feel like I'm doing something wrong or that I wouldn't be respecting her or loving her the way that I should." Adrien confessed, his cheeks growing red as he was beginning to find the sex advice conversations in public to be a little risky.
"But why?" Nino questioned, moving around the glass so that he could get closer to Adrien in an attempt to somehow make their conversation seem a bit more private. "Does she ask you to stop? Does she tell you no?"
Adrien blushed deeply, his heart immediately beginning to palpate within his ribcage. He snaked his tongue back into his mouth and he lightly bit on to it.
"Uhm. Not exactly. I want to say quite the opposite." Adrien sighed, reaching up to nervously run his hand across the back of his neck. "S-She's asked me to keep going, quite a few times. But then I start thinking about Kagami and how I'm acting just like she is and then I get self conscious and pull away."
Nino shook his head, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"You definitely should not be thinking about your ex in the middle of intimacy with your wife. That's a huge NO."
Nino's eyes moved towards a new display and he casually changed his trajectory while Adrien naturally followed him.
"You're right...Kagami has taught you how to think like her, but not when it comes to sex. She's got you fixated that you could only love her, and that she's the only one worthy of you. That simply isn't the case." Nino paused as his brown eyes landed on a silver band that sat perfectly in a velvet holder within the corner of the display glass.
"You're okay to explore your sexuality. As far as I'm concerned, Marinette does too. She likes you, I know she does and it's very obvious you like her too. Don't feel ashamed for finally being attracted to someone who doesn't keep you taut to a pole. She lets you be yourself and she doesn't make you feel bad whenever you want to do your own thing. I understand finally entering a non-abusive relationship is a huge change of pace, but you can't let that get in the way of your happiness. You and Marinette need each other..."
Adrien sighed, allowing Nino's words to swim into his brain. He followed behind Nino, his green eyes landing on that same silver band that sat on the edge of the display.
If he was right before, Marinette was his fresh start. He didn't want to mess anything up, but he realised that the more he pulled away, the more he was messing up.
Adrien sighed, his lips pressing tautly together in consideration. He could only hope that Nino was right.
