28. Children
"What do you think about children?"
The question caught Marinette unawares, sewing the beading on a dress that was to be part of the collection in the upcoming spring fashion week. She looked up from her sewing, regarding Adrien with a quizzical look where he sat on her living room couch, fiddling with a scrap of fabric he had pilfered from her workstation between his long fingers.
"Children?" she parroted, setting aside the project. She watched as he swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing, hands still worrying the scrap of linen, but his eyes never leaving hers.
"Yeah," he said, softer now, "what do you think about them?"
Drawing a deep breath, Marinette mentally prepared herself. Such a question coming from Adrien was not simple one, and she jiggled her leg as she chose her words carefully.
"They're … they're nice," she ventured, gauging his reaction. "I mean, I used to babysit Manon, so I know what little demons they can be, but …." Braving a smile, she continued, "I kind of always wanted to have my own kids."
His hands stilled, the fraying fabric still caught between his fingers. "Really?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper. Marinette rose, abandoning the workstation to join him at the coffee table.
"Yeah," she said, dropping into the seat next to him and taking his hands into both of hers. "Really."
The pent-up breath left Adrien's lungs in a whoosh, a quiet chuckle bubbling to the surface. "Me too," he confessed, turning to press their foreheads together.