AN: The one where the daddies are silly.
Uh, maybe a teeny tiny bit spoiler about the Origins episodes? Just a Kwami's name, really, everything else is pretty much just a theory I incorporated here. It's your call. ;)
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Two Pink Lines
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Chapter 03 – Silly Daddies
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Marinette couldn't help it but to smile at the excited man beside her. They had just came out of the doctor's office and he was holding the sonogram photograph as if it was worth gold. He had been so full of questions to the doctor, who thankfully took his excitement with great pleasure and explained everything he was in doubt of.
The moment she suggested they stepped into the next room to do a sonogram, though, Marinette suddenly became very anxious and only Adrien's hand on hers calmed her enough to lie down and raise her shirt to start the exam. The gel was a bit cold but all of her attention was on the screen the doctor was looking at, and, of course, Adrien's hand on hers. It was all in shades of grey and honestly Marinette didn't know how the doctor could make anything out of it.
"Just as my calculations indicated, it seems you are at you 10th week, Miss Dupain-Cheng." The doctor said after looking at it for a few moments. "Everything is as it should be as far I can see. In fact, I think there's something I think you two would like to hear." And just like that, the doctor pushed a button and suddenly there was a strong beat echoing in the room and all Marinette could think it was that they were listening to their child. Adrien's hand tightened its grip on hers, but she didn't care because the doctor was pointing to the screen. "This is your baby, it's small but the head is around here," she pointed to a lighter grey area inside a black blob "and the feet are in here."
"It's-" Marinette blinked the tears away (when did she start to tear up?) "It's so fast." She managed to whisper, eyes still on the screen. "Is it supposed to be this fast?"
The doctor smiled. "The heartbeat? Absolutely. It is a bit overwhelming at first, but I can guarantee you it is absolutely normal." Marinette nodded, still a bit stunned. "I'll print one image for you and give you two a moment."
Only when the doctor left the room was when the blunette blinked and looked up to her boyfriend; Adrien still had his gaze on the screen and his hand strongly grasping Marinette's and he seemed to be in shock still and if she was not mistaken, his eyes were a bit moist.
"Adrien?" Marinette whispered and when he didn't look at her, she put her other hand over where he had hers and he finally looked at her. She had been right, his eyes were certainly wet, a bit red and he looked stunned. "Are you alright there?"
"Am I-? If I am-" He managed to stutter. "If I'm alright?" Adrien pulled up their twined hands and kissed hers, eyes watering up again. "Oh, Marinette, I am more than alright." He laughed, a tear falling from his eye. "I couldn't be more alright."
"Really?" She teared up as well, feeling very emotional.
Adrien leaned so their foreheads touched and he whispered: "I never thought I could be this alright." He kissed her lips. "That was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me."
She put a hand on his cheek and laughed, feeling too happy for words and the next thing they knew, both were laughing until the doctor arrived and they had to compose themselves again.
Half an hour later Adrien just couldn't stop to look at the printed photograph and if Marinette hadn't forbid it, she was sure he would've stopped every person on the street to show it.
"Okay, time to put the picture away, Kitty." Marinette snatched it away from her boyfriend and he whined. "Come on, Adrien, we need to go to class and if I let you have this you will stare at it the whole time."
"No I wouldn't." He replied and the blunette raised an eyebrow. "Maybe a little." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine, I would, but class is boring compared to this." He tried to get it from her hand but, with two finger, she touched his forehead and pushed him away like she had done so many times as Ladybug.
"Ah ah, Kitty." Marinette told him. "College, then work and then maybe I will let you drop by the bakery."
Adrien's shoulders clearly dropped. "This is pawful." He narrowed his eyes in her direction. "You are being mean, My Lady."
She finally put the photograph inside her purse, where Tikki immediately started to look at it and let out an excited chirp before Marinette closed it. "We have responsibilities, and right now those responsibilities are more important than stare at a sonogram all day." Marinette stepped closer to her boyfriend, putting a hand on his chest. "You'll have time for that later. Now, off you go." She tip toed and kissed his lips.
With an annoyed grunt, Adrien relented. "Fine. I'll stop by the bakery later and you'll be obliged to give me belly time." He bargained and Marinette giggled – during the two days he had known about her pregnancy he had been rubbing her stomach and talking to it even though Marinette had told him the baby couldn't hear them yet. He liked to call his 'belly time'.
"Deal." She agreed. "Now I have to go. I have classes in half an hour."
The blonde man nodded. "Don't forget to eat, please." Marinette nodded, but Adrien frowned, trying to get as serious as he could. "I am serious, Marinette. Don't skip lunch when you get to your work like you always do. Think about the little kitten." He put a hand over her clothes stomach.
"It might be a little bug, you know."
"And I will be lucky with either." He chuckled. "Tikki, I know you can hear me so, could you make sure Marinette remembers to eat?"
"Don't worry, Adrien!" Came the muffled voice from the purse and only then he seemed a little more relieved.
"See you tonight." He kissed her and watched her as she left.
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A week later, when Marinette joined Adrien on his bed, he had his laptop resting on his thighs and she sighed when she saw what he was looking for: apartments.
"Adrien…" the blunette said. "We haven't spoken about that yet."
"I know." He answered, looking away from the computer and to his girlfriend. "Let's speak about it now, then." Marinette passed a hand through her hair and Adrien took it as an indication to start speaking. "In a week you are going to be three months pregnant and just yesterday you had to wear a looser shirt because you have the tiniest bump. It's going to be noticed any day now, we are going to tell people soon as well."
"I know." Marinette almost groaned, thinking about delivering the news to her parents and… oh god, Alya. Alya would give her a lecture about protection.
Adrien grabbed her hand. "I understand why we are not getting married, I do even if both of us want that; but I want to be with you every step on the way and I don't wanna miss any moment of this." He put his hand over her stomach. "I want to sleep in your arms every night, wake up with you by my side every morning, Marinette."
"When you moved out of your father's house, it was so you could be independent, Adrien." Marinette told him. "You chose this apartment to be the place you had to be free."
"That's the thing, My Lady." Adrien smiled. "Freedom is to have the power of making decisions of my own and this is my decision. I would have asked you to move in with me the first time if you hadn't been so relentless about my 'independence' from my father. And we have to be honest here, you spend three nights out of seven here and that's just because you feel you have to go back to your parents'. I bet even they think we are moving in together soon."
"I…" Marinette tried to refute what he was saying, but his argument was airtight.
"And we have to prepare for when the baby is born; prepare a bedroom with a crib, toys, suitable clothes, strollers, diapers and all that." They were looking at each other's eyes at that point. "I told you I've always wanted to have a family, please, let me have my family living with me, Mari. I'll do anything you want, just-"
"Oh, Adrien." She put her hands on his cheeks. "I would love to be with you at all times, but I don't want to make you feel as if you have to change your life-"
"But I do." The blonde said. "I want my life to change, just like I wanted my life to change when Plagg found me. I never thought that was going to happen, but it brought you to me. And now this change will bring us our little one and I'm all for it, Marinette." He slipped closer to her. "Just say 'yes', my lady, and I will find a place for us, the three of us." He stopped for a moment. "And Plagg and Tikki, of course. Can't forget them."
"Discuss things with you when you actually make sense is not fun for me, Kitty." Marinette's eyes were burning with tears – stupid hormones.
Adrien offered her his best Chat Noir grin. "I am willing to paw-lay dirty to get what I want, My Lady, which is to live with you furr-ever."
"With one condition: no puns." Marinette narrowed her eyes at him playfully and Adrien threw his head back and laughed.
"No can do, Bugaboo." Adrien kissed Marinette and soon rolled over so he was on top of her.
"Oh god, you are going to be the king of dad jokes, won't you?" She gave a fake groan of annoyance but smiled when she heard him laugh again.
"I will take that task at heart! My whole life has been purr-paring me for this!"
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Adrien walked into his father's office with absolutely no clue about what he wanted. Usually the contracts for photoshoots came through Nathalie but that message was more vague and just asked for Adrien to be at the fashion designer's office at one p.m.
The moment he walked out of the elevator, Nathalie was rushing him inside the office and closing the door behind him.
Gabriel stood next to his desk, arms behind his back and looking as cold as ever, but Adrien learned how to deal with it years ago – it was his mechanism to cope with the world. Ever since he stopped being Hawk Moth, Gabriel and Adrien tried to talk more, as hard as it was for them to properly communicate.
"Father." Adrien said as a form of greeting.
"Adrien." Gabriel offered his son a small nod and pointed to a chair in front of his desk. "Please take a seat." With a moment's hesitance, the younger man did as told and sat down, watching his father do the same across the desk.
After a few seconds of silence, a little purple kwami appeared from behind Gabriel, it was roughly the same size as Plagg, put it had small wings and a mark of a whirlpool on its forehead. "Hi, Adrien!"
"Hello, Nooroo." Adrien said, pleasantly – he did like the kwami ever since he had met him. "How have you been?"
"Very well, thank you." Nooroo replied, as polite as ever. "Can I talk to Plagg while you speak to your father?"
Adrien nodded and pushed his jacket open enough so Plagg could come out; when the black cat was out, the kwamis greeted each other and Nooroo led them away to one of the couches in the office, giving Adrien and Gabriel privacy.
"How…" Gabriel cleared his throat. "How have you been?"
Thrown back by the question, Adrien answered slowly: "Fine, thank you."
"How about college?"
"I'm finishing in four months, my grades are good."
"I still don't understand why you chose History." Gabriel had a small frown on his face and Adrien chuckled.
"Me neither, but it is fun to know what made our society what it is today. Plus, Tikki's stories about the times she saw were so amazing I had to go for it and look for more miraculous' holders throughout the centuries." Adrien shrugged. "I might be a model, but I am also a nerd."
It could've been a slight up of one side of his father's lips, but Adrien was never certain when it came to him. "I see. I… I am glad you were able to balance everything. It's not an easy task."
"Thanks, father." Adrien nodded, feeling a bit like the lonely thirteen-old-boy receiving a praise and he suddenly felt happiness flood his chest.
"But that's not why I asked you here." Gabriel cleared his throat and Adrien sat straighter on the chair – he knew his summon was not to exchange pleasantries. "I was informed you requested a large amount of money to the bank. An unusual amount, especially for you."
It took Adrien a moment to say something. "What?"
"You are not a big spender, Adrien, never has been. But when you call your accountant to tell him you will need that amount in the next few weeks, it is worrisome."
"Did he call you?" Adrien was exasperated.
"Of course, he was worried." Gabriel answered calmly. "And so am I. Why would you need that much money?"
If he were true to himself, Adrien was feeling a little violated by the question – he would have a very serious talk with his accountant the next time he saw him – but it was indeed unusual for him to spend so much. "I need the money because I am looking to buy an apartment."
That clearly caught Gabriel's attention. "Buy an apartment?" He asked, confused. "I thought you were happy in that… little… thing you rented." It was obvious Gabriel didn't like his son living in an unsophisticated kitchenette in the heart of Paris.
"I do." Adrien agreed. "But…" He cleared his throat. "I need more space now." He tried to be vague, but he knew his father would pick on and he was right.
"More space?" Gabriel's expression became one of understanding. "Oh. Is Marinette joining you in this new apartment?"
"As a matter of a fact, she will." No reason to hide that.
"And was she the one who asked for more space?"
Noticing a bit of wariness in Gabriel's voice, Adrien raised up his defenses. "No, I was the one who suggested it."
"I only have been in your current apartment once, but it seemed good enough for two people, especially since neither of you spend much time in there anyway." The older man pointed out.
His father was too smart for his own good and would not let the subject go, he knew. "Father, could you let this one go for a while? I promise you there's a reason why I need this new apartment."
"I am trying to look out for you, Adrien. I always did." Gabriel pointed out. "And this is too sudden, you just moved out and now you want to buy an apartment with your girlfriend when you promised me that you would finish college first."
"I am finishing in four months, why does it matter?" Adrien was getting frustrated.
"Because we had a deal: you move out and finish college and I stop, and I quote you here, 'spying' on your life."
"I guess neither of us kept their end of the bargain, since you had the information about the withdraw of money before I even did it!" Adrien hissed to his father.
"Adrien…" Gabriel tried to, but it was as if he were sixteen again, fighting his fight for his freedom to have a teenager life.
"Do you want to know why I need a bigger apartment? Because Marinette is pregnant." The moment he said the words, he knew he shouldn't have, he had promised her he'd wait.
For once Adrien saw his father look surprised. "What?"
"We found out a couple of weeks ago and I am starting to make arrangements so when the baby is born we have a good place to live."
"I-" Gabriel was in loss of words. "I don't know what to say." He admitted.
"'Congratulations' would be nice." Adrien mumbled, looking away from his father.
After a few moments of silence, the older man cleared his throat. "I guess that's why we haven't seen Ladybug around." Gabriel looked at his son. "Well, I thought you had more responsibility than that, Adrien. Marinette as well. You are too young, just finishing college and you are not even married."
Even after all those years, of all the things he accomplished both as Adrien and as Chat Noir, his father could still make him angry with just a few words. Deep down Adrien knew Gabriel was just expressing his opinion and he wasn't even being nasty about it, he was just stating facts yet something in him just called for a fight.
"We have known each other for more than ten years, father, and we've been together for seven of those years. She was my first… hell, my first everything, she's the most important person in my life. We have a bond just as deep as any married couple, if not deeper, and our child is already loved and we can't wait to have it with us. You are welcome to share this view or to get lost from our lives." Adrien didn't wait for Gabriel to answer: he got up from the chair and started to walk in the direction of the heavy wooden door. "Plagg, come on, we are going." Adrien waited just long enough so the black cat could get under his coat before he left.
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Marinette was drawing a dress she had thought about earlier that day when she felt a hand on her shoulder and was surprised to turn around and see Adrien standing in her cubicle. He was clearly shaken up about something and she immediately got up, worried.
"Adrien?" She managed to say before he grabbed her hand and pulled her away from her cubicle and into one of the bathrooms. He let go of her hand – as she called his name in confusion once again – just to check if the stalls were empty and once he saw they were, he returned to her, wrapping his arms around her, hiding his face on the crook of her neck.
Marinette didn't know exactly what to do in her shock, so she just put her arms around him and petted his hair for as long as he held her. A few minutes later, he seemed to be less shaky and she finally asked in a whisper: "What is wrong, Kitty?"
With a deep sigh, Adrien stopped hiding his face but didn't let go of her. "I… I fought with my father." He cringed. "I mean, I think the fight was from my side, he was just surprised."
"What happened, Adrien?" Marinette put a hand on his cheek and he leaned towards it, like a cat needing to be pet.
So, he told her about everything: about his father receiving a call from his accountant, about Adrien spilling the news about their child and Gabriel's reaction, and he told her about yelling at him and storming off the office while Marinette patiently listened.
"Oh, Adrien." Marinette sighed, pulling him back to a hug and caressing the back of his head. "You two are trying to settle into your new relationship. You have a lot of hard feelings towards him, he doesn't know how to connect with you… It's going to take some time for you to adjust."
"How long can it take for us to be in good terms?"
"Well, you were having a better relationship for the past couple of years." Marinette told him. "You two even had scheduled lunches and as far as you told me, were courteous with one another. Even when you were with me he seemed to be a bit nicer." At work, they rarely saw each other; she was just an intern after all and Gabriel Agreste gave no one special treatment.
"He was. He is." Adrien agreed. "He is trying, but I… I don't know, maybe I became too defensive? He was implying we should not do this right now." The blonde man looked down at his girlfriend. "I know this won't be all flowers, Marinette. I know that raising a kid is hard especially in the world we live in, especially with who we are and what we do, but the moment we stop to try to enjoy every bit of happiness we can get is when we know we are defeated."
"Yes." Marinette nodded. "But we also need to make sure this baby comes to a family and that means your father too. Maybe you overreacted a bit but it's nothing that cannot be fixed and as soon as you cool your head. We are going to find a way for you and your father to talk about your problems without screaming at each other."
"I'm not holding my breath for that one." Adrien snorted.
"Hey, I'm Ladybug and I create things. If you two can't restore your previous bond, I'll make sure you have a new one." She had her 'I have a plan' face and Adrien could just picture the red mask with the polka dots on her face; she was in Ladybug mode.
"What are you going to do, My Lady? Lucky Charm me?"
"If I must." Miranette chuckled. "Maybe it will be a stick and I'll have to beat the two of you until you see reason."
The tension that was in Adrien's body left as he laughed aloud. "Oh, you know what I feel about spanking, My Lady." He feigned a disgusted face. "But with my father… that would be gross."
"Argh, stop it, silly cat." Marinette slapped his shoulder, her cheeks getting warmer with his implications. "I didn't mean like that."
"Pawsitive, My Lady?" Adrien pulled her closer. "I've been a pawful cat." He purred in her ear and she chuckled.
"Stop, I need to go back to work." She groaned and kissed his lips. "See you later?"
"Of course." Adrien smiled. "And I get to have some belly time, right?"
"I'll have to think about that." Marinette pretended to think and put a hand over her stomach, looking down to it. "What do you think, kitten? Does your silly daddy gets any belly time tonight?" She looked up, sighing in fake pity. "It says 'no' because you fought with your silly daddy."
"Hey, you can't make the baby take your side." Adrien pouted.
"I can too: I house the baby so I speak for the baby." Marinette said, proud of her logic.
"This is unfair." He said as she turned to leave the bathroom.
"Life is not fair, Kitty!" Marinette said, giggling before she left.
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AN: Oh god, I hope this is not a downer. Soooooo… I made Gabriel know about Adrien and Marinette being Ladybug and Chat Noir because if he is really Hawkmoth, they will know who they are soon enough. Anyways, I know Adrien's outburst was a bit out of nowhere but as Marinette said, he has some anger saved up inside him and she plans on fixing it.
Next chapter, The Dupain-Chengs, Alya and Nino!
Thanks to: herryblossoms redwillow, Gabrielle Talia, Miraculous Fanatic, TidePoolAngel, saberstorm, TomBoyBookGirl, Steamvalm, RPGNerd(Don't worry, I plan on make things as real as I can HAHA), MissKonoha, Hispanicin, Guest, Creepy-Pasta, shadowswithouthope, DJMirnum, TheProdigy'sWife14, Cabbit and the Weasel, Jocie413, lunar and solar girl, Darkkiss15, InnocentSerenade, King Sorrow, pokeperson01, yurithefurry, sailor winx, Guest, IzzyQuagmire0907, niles-c.c, TheFairiesHeart, A.E, anonymims, Potato-Senpai, Guest, lutavero, WeepingDoll, verstehendrachen, Sara lovelymusic, creatorX33, , Jacque Smith, cybercorpsesnake, AdamthePyromancer, Flik98, Hopelessly Unromantic, Guest, OhMyGodCookies, queenmyani101, Sharkarella, MehKittyandXanoka for the reviews! You guys rock my world!
03/18/2016 ~ BonneyQ