A/N: Hey guys! It's been a little while, hasn't it? Well, there IS a reason why this chapter took a bit of time (and why it's shorter than the other ones). That reason is because last month, I actually got accepted into an Adrienette Zine! I've been working on those fics while also trying to keep this story alive, but it is a bit draining. I also work during the week and so there are some days where I just don't feel like writing. The next update may also be slow due to that, but do not worry! I will update as soon as I can :) Anyway, enjoy!
"And here are the list of care instructions that you'll need to follow for the next few days."
Marinette took the paper from Sabrina, looking over it briefly. "Thank you so much for everything, Sabrina," she said, her eyes sparkling.
"Of course," Sabrina said. "Not only is it my job as your nurse, but I'm also doing it as a friend."
"We're very grateful," Adrien said from the other side of the room. "These last couple of days have been pretty rough."
Adrien was busy making sure all of their things were packed as they prepared to leave the hospital. Marinette still sat on her bed, relaxing her body until it was time for them to leave.
"I know and I definitely feel for both of you," Sabrina said. She flashed Marinette a sympathetic smile. "Please don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, either. Not just nurse things, but anything." She pointed her fingers at them. "I mean it."
"I'll definitely keep that in mind," Marinette said. "Especially because they have me in these diapers."
Sabrina and Adrien both laughed. "You'll be out of them before you know it," Sabrina told her. "Most people don't realize this, but a miscarriage is much like the aftermath of giving birth."
"Makes sense," Adrien said. "You still bleed a lot afterwards, right?"
Sabrina nodded. "That is correct," she said. "Your body is trying to release everything related to your pregnancy, so there'll be some bleeding for a few days."
Pregnancy
It was a word that Marinette both loved and hated. She had always thought of it as a beautiful thing, especially between two people who loved each other. There was always this vision of getting to experience this amazing happening of nature. Knowing the feeling of growing another human inside of her body and watching them grow more and more.
Then eventually getting to meet this amazing little creature that she and the love of her life had created together. Getting to experience watching them grow up would be another experience all on its own.
Recently, though, that word had began to leave a sour taste in her mouth. It made her feel bitter and anxious and angry.
All of her current feelings began to boil up inside of her, begging to be let out through her eyes.
How could something so beautiful bring her so much distress?
Her anguish must've been more noticeable than she had originally intended because she soon found her hand growing warm as Adrien wrapped their fingers together.
She looked to her left to see Adrien standing next to her, cupping her hand in-between both of his. He looked at her with that smile he knew she couldn't resist. The one where his cheeks puffed out slightly and his eyebrows moved downwards slightly, creating such a soft look that had the power to melt her instantly.
He reached out and used the back of one of his hands to gently wipe her temple. His fingers intertwined with her hair as their eyes met. "Hey, hey," he said in his softest voice. "It's okay." He noticed the shininess in her eyes and felt her sweat beneath his palm.
It was always a bit hard to feel so sad when Adrien looked at her like that, and he knew it. She put her hand on top of his, letting herself lean into his grasp. "I know, I know," she said. "It's just…still really hard to believe everything that's happened, ya know?" Her lips began to quiver, causing him to tighten his grip on her hand. "How one day I can be pregnant and the next day…"
It was becoming harder for Adrien to hold back his own feelings in that moment. "I know, it's hard for me to believe too," he said. "But perhaps it would be better for the both of us if we tried to focus on the 'now' rather than the 'then'." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. "We need to focus on you getting better, too."
Sabrina stepped forward a bit, hesitance in her words as she began to speak. "I-If I may interject," she said, looking for their permission to keep speaking. The couple looked at her and nodded. "Marinette, I think Adrien is right. It's perfectly fine and normal to be sad and want to cry a lot, especially because you've got this rush of hormones leftover from…" She looked down at her feet and gulped. "Your body is just going through a lot and so are you, so it's understandable."
Marinette wiped her eyes with her free hand. "Thank you Sabrina," she looked at Adrien once again. "And thank you for always being here for me, mon amour."
Adrien leaned in and pressed his lips to her cheek. "I made that promise to you the day I married you, remember?"
Sabrina tried to contain herself as she watched the scene unfolding before her. The edges of her lips formed a smile that stretched as far as her facial muscles would let it. She brought her hands up to her face and clasped them together, trying to resist the urge to squeal. "Gosh, you two really are adorable," she let herself say, despite the many other thought bouncing around in her mind. "Reminds me of all those years ago in collège when we used to imagine you two together." She tapped her feet in excitement. "And now here you finally are, together and cuter than ever."
Both of them were now looking at her, their faces nearly as red as her hair.
"I-I meant that in the best way possible, of course," Sabrina said, waving her hands in front of her. "I do think you guys are really cute together."
Marinette fanned her face with both hands. "Um okay, thank you, Sabrina," she said. She watched Adrien our of the corner of her eye as he went back to fixing up their bags. "Now, when did you say I'm getting released?"
Sabrina stood up straight, regaining her composure. "Yes, right," she went and grabbed a clipboard that was hanging on the wall, reading over it carefully. "It says here that you'll be released in about an hour." She flashed Marinette a smile, watching as the latter's face lit up as well. "Let me just go get those papers and you guys will be good to go."
She headed out of the room, her footsteps echoing down the hall after she closed the door behind her.
Sounds of shuffling could be heard next to Marinette, as Adrien finished putting away everything they needed. Taking one last look around the room, she felt relief flush over her as she remembered she would finally get to go home today. The feeling of her soft, cold sheets already calling her name.
"Feeling any better?", Adrien called to her.
"You want the honest answer or the 'right now' answer?", she asked.
"Right now would be fine," he said.
"Okay, then I'm fine for right now," Marinette answered back. "I just really can't wait to go home."
Adrien flopped onto the futon, his limbs laying limp over the sides. "Tell me about it," he said, the slightest hint of whininess in his voice. "I hate hospitals."
"So do I," said Plagg's muffled voice from inside one of their bags.
"You hate everything that isn't cheese, Plagg," Tikki resounded.
"Not true," he said. "I mean, I like you and Adrien and Marinette don't I?"
The aforementioned ones giggled, resulting in the kwamis flying out into the open.
"Aw, you love us," Adrien teased.
"Of course I do," Plagg said, crossing his arms. "Don't wear it out."
"I think what he's trying to say, though," Tikki began. "Is that we're all really ready to go back home." She gave Marinette a small smile. "Especially because well…"
"What is it?", Marinette asked.
"Well, it's just…", the kwami began, looking down at her feet. "Hawk Moth hasn't caused any trouble in awhile and I've begun to worry."
Marinette looked at Adrien, who shared the same expression; eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed slightly.
"We'll deal with when and if the time comes," he said promptly. "If anything, I can always go out on my own as Mister Bug and call Carapace for help."
"Adrien, I don't think that'll be necessary," Marinette said, sitting up straight. "I can still fight."
"I know you can, you're my strong lady," he said, winking at her. "But your body needs a bit of time to heal and I don't know if we should be taking risks like that."
"He has a point, Marinette," Tikki said. "Although the miraculous do make you stronger and resilient, it's important not to put too much strain on your body."
"We'll worry about it if and when the time comes," Marinette said. "Ladybug won't be taken down that easily."
Adrien walked over to her and kissed her hair. "You know, it's so hard for me to resist you when you get like this," he said, smirking in a way that could give away his identity as Chat Noir.
"Calm down you frisky kitty," she said, laughing as she pushed his face away. "Let me heal first and then we'll talk."
He kissed her hand. "I'll wait for you, my lady."
"Yuck, I need cheese," Plagg said as he flew back into the bag.
Ignoring Plagg's complaints, Marinette spoke again. "Can you help me stand please?", she asked Adrien. "I just wanna make sure I don't fall down this time."
"Of course," he said, going to her side of the bed. He held out his hands to her as she turned and threw legs off the side of the bed. She grabbed his hands, holding on tight as she slipped off and landed on her feet. "Ready?"
"When you are," she said. She let go of his grip, leaning forward a bit. It was easy for her to catch her balance with Adrien standing in front of her. "Heh, look at me." She put her hands on her hips.
"See? You're still my strong Ladybug," he said, patting her on the shoulder. "Now, for the most important part."
"Picking out our 'going home' outfits?"
Before she could turn around, Adrien was already back on the other side of the room, rummaging through one of their bags. "You know it," he said. He then pulled out a familiar red and black shirt, along with a black and green one. He held them up, a cheeky smile on his face.
"Oh mon dieu, really?", Marinette said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Out of all the clothes to bring, you brought our matching Ladybug and Chat Noir pajamas?!"
He nodded. "Purretty please, Milady?"
She couldn't help but laugh. "Fine, you win this one, Kitty," she said. "But just wait until the next time you need me to pick out your outfit."
"I can't wait."
Adrien fumbled around in his pockets as he searched for the keys to their house. His fingers twitched and he bit his bottom lip, causing his wife to laugh a little.
"Sweetie, do you need my help?", she asked, standing behind him.
He looked over his shoulder. "No, I think I'm good," he said. "I could've sworn I put the keys in my pocket."
From inside his bag, Plagg heard a familiar jingle. Exchanging a glance with Tikki, he slid the ring over his head and stuck it out of the small opening. "Looking for these?", he said.
Adrien turned to him, his mouth agape as he internally smacked himself. "Ugh, yes," he said, grabbing the keys from the kwami. "Thank you, Plagg."
"I guess it's a good thing I was in here, huh?", he said, a sly grin on his face.
"Yeah, I guess so," his owner said as he stuck the keys in the door. Adrien finally opened the door, stepping aside to let Marinette walk past him. "After you, my lady."
"Thank you, Chaton," she said. As she entered their home for the first time in a few days, she felt an instant wave of comfort flow through her. The familiar scents of the wood paneling filled her nose with content. "It feels so good to be back."
Adrien moved past her, carrying their bags on his shoulder. "Hell yeah it does," he said. "Let me just take our things back to our room." He turned to his left and began walking towards their bedroom.
The door had been left open from when he had been there the day before. He dropped the bags onto the bed, letting out a sigh of relief as the weight was lifted from his shoulders. As he began to sort through his things, though, a familiar spot caught his eye. "Oh…", he said quietly, his voice escaping unintentionally.
Plagg heard his whisper and flew over next to him. "What's up?", he asked, a bit confused. He watched as Adrien pointed to something next to him, to which the kwami's head followed. "Oh, is that…?"
Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I was so tired yesterday that I completely forgot to strip the bed," he said. The red blood stain on their sheets from a couple days prior still remained. The sight of it made many recent memories flow through his head.
Tikki waking him up, hearing Marinette call out his name as she knelt on the floor, rushing her to the hospital, finding out that…
He shook his head, not giving his mind any chance to make him emotional at the moment. "I can't let Marinette see that," he said. "She's already hurting enough as it is."
Without hesitation, he sat their stuff down in the floor and threw their pillows on top of it. He took the blanket off and then stripped the sheet away from the mattress. He sighed a bit when he saw that the blood had bled through to the mattress underneath. "Well, that's just great," he said.
"Maybe once you put another sheet on top of it, no one will even notice," Plagg said, observing.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Adrien said as he threw the sheet into their hamper. "Maybe I'll go with a different color, too."
He went over to their closet and pulled out a silky maroon sheet. Making beds was something he learned to do a bit later in life and he absolutely loved it. He threw the sheet across the mattress, making sure to tuck it in on all corners. Once he straightened up the comforter and placed the pillows back in their respective spots, he stood back to admire his work. "I did a pretty good job, didn't I?", he asked, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Yeah you did, kid," Plagg said. He stuck his head out of the door, moving his ears around. "Hey, those two have been pretty quiet, haven't they?"
Adrien turned his head towards the door, listening intently. "Yeah, I suppose they have," he said. He let his feet glide across the carpet as he walked towards the door. The only sounds that could be heard from the living room were from a cartoon playing on the television.
He made his way out into the living room; his socks sliding across the wooden floor. "Marinette?", he said in a low voice. When there was no answer, he walked slowly until he was against the back of the couch. He craned his neck over the back and his lips curled into a little smile at the sight before him.
There was Marinette, whose eyes were closed as she laid on the couch. She laid on her side with her legs curled up as she used one of the pillows underneath her head. Up next to her head laid Tikki, who was also curled into a little ball.
Adrien couldn't help but let out an audible, "aww." Plagg came over and sat down on the back of the couch, looking down. "Well, I guess that's kind of cute," he said.
Without saying anything else, Adrien grabbed a throw blanket from the table and went around to the other side of the couch. He stretched it out before placing gently across Marinette, watching as she smiled a little in her sleep.
He knelt down and gently patted the blanket down, tucking her in and making sure she was nice and toasty. She responded to his touch by sinking into the blanket more and pulling it over her shoulder.
Adrien admired her face. She always had such softness in her features, mostly her skin. The way it glistened in the light that peeped through the windows made her glow. He loved the way her hair fell in her face, even now that she had it pulled back into a messy bun.
He reached out and brushed the loose hairs out of her face, caressing her cheek as his cold skin met the warmth of hers. Marinette unconsciously leaned into his touch, filling his body with a tingly sensation.
Leaning forward, he gently pressed his lips to her forehead. "I love you, my sweet Marinette," he whispered. He stood up, his eyes still gazing upon her sleeping form.
The happiness he felt in that moment gave him temporary relief. The two of them had been through so much in the last couple of days, so he could stay calm knowing she was finally getting the rest she needed.
The urge to yawn came over him. He stretched his arms over his head and rubbed his eyes beneath his glasses. "Aww, someone else is sleepy," Plagg said.
"I could go for a nap," Adrien said. Before he could make his way back to his bedroom, though, his ears picked up a knock at the door. He and Plagg exchanged glances. "Who could that be?"
As he walked over to the door, Plagg went to lay beside Tikki. He tried his best to look like a stuffed doll.
Adrien opened the door and was immediately brought into a hug. There was little air left in his lungs from how hard he was being squeezed. "Nino? Is that you?", he asked, his voice hoarse.
Nino pulled back to look at his best friend. "Of course it's me, my dude!", he said, stepping aside to reveal Alya behind him.
"And Alya!", Adrien said before quickly looking behind him. "Oh, sorry, we kind of have to be quiet because Marinette is sleeping."
Alya and Nino looked into the house, noticing her sleeping form on the couch. "Aww, poor girl is probably exhausted," Alya said. "Also, can I please use your bathroom real quick?"
Adrien nodded. "Yes, of course," he said, stepping aside to let her walk past him. "So, how's everything been with the whole…you know."
Nino raised a brow. "The what?", he asked, confused. Then it dawned on him and his eyes widened. "Oh, you mean her pregnancy."
"Yeah, sorry I just," Adrien said, his voice trailing off a bit. "It's a bit hard to say that word right now."
His best friend bowed his head. "After what you guys have been through, totally understandable," he said. "As for Alya though, she's been doing pretty well. The doctor told us it's pretty rare to carry twins to full term, but she's managed to do it like a pure badass."
Adrien laughed a little at that. "Knowing her, that doesn't surprise me one bit," he said. He gestured for him to come inside. "Come on, it's too hot out there."
Nino obliged and stepped inside so that Adrien could close the door behind him. "You guys have it nice and chilly in here," he said. "Feels nice."
"Yeah, we like it that way," Adrien said. "Gives Marinette a reason to wear her fuzzy socks too." He pointed to the sleeping figure on the couch.
"Aw," Nino sighed, looking at her. "She's been through the ringer." Even while asleep, she still had very visible bags under her eyes. He then turned back to Adrien. "Which reminds me, how are you doing, bro?"
Adrien felt him place a hand on his shoulder, Nino's eyes turning soft behind his glasses. "I-I'm fine," he said. "Don't worry about me."
Nino pulled back a bit. "You hesitated there, but I won't push," he said. "Just know that if you need to talk about anything, I'm here."
Adrien reached out and patted him on the back. "Thank you, Nino," he said. "Honestly, right now I just really need to take my mind off things."
His best friend nodded. "I hear that," he said. He moved his head upward in thought. "Say, how long's it been since we had a day all to ourselves?"
Adrien tapped his chin. "Can't remember," he said. "It's always the four of us hanging out."
"Exactly," Nino said, moving to stand beside him. "So what do ya say we go out into the city for a bit, eh? You and Marinette hardly ever come back to Paris anymore."
"We do sometimes, like when we visit her parents," Adrien corrected him. "But I suppose it could be fun to venture back out for a little while."
Nino threw an arm around his neck, pulling him into a bit of a headlock. "That's my bro," he said. "And it works because we can leave the girls here for a little while. Alya can watch Marinette and I'm sure those two have a lot to talk about."
Adrien glanced at his sleeping wife once again. "Yeah, you're probably right," he said. "Just go let Alya know that we're leaving."
"Will do," Nino said, patting him on the back before going down the hall to the bathroom.
Adrien walked over to the couch and crouched down in front of Marinette. "I know you can't hear me right now, but I love you and I'll be back soon," he whispered while gently rubbing his fingers over her hair. "Have a good time with Alya. You two probably have a lot to catch up on." He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before standing up.
Nino came back into the living room, followed by a waddling Alya. "Alright, let's go," he said, gesturing to the door. "Today is for the bros."
"Have fun, you two," Alya said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Don't cause too much trouble." She laughed before looking at Adrien. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her."
"I know you will," Adrien said, flashing her a smile. "Come on, I'm ready."
Alya watched as the two men headed out the front door. Thoughts of her two best friends ran through her head. She knew that Adrien was one to keep his feelings to himself, so she suspected this was Nino's way of trying to coax him. She also knew she could be completely wrong and that he just wanted to help cheer him up a bit.
As she looked over at her sleeping best friend, though, she felt a deep hurting in her heart. Once Marinette woke up, Alya would be entering a cove of emotions. She knew how emotional she could get and considering the circumstances, this would be a wave unlike any other they have faced together.
Alya would be there for her best friend no matter what.
A/N: Told ya this one was a bit short. I'll admit that there was a bit more I wanted to do here, but I felt that it would also be nice to just have a cute, relaxing chapter. I hope y'all enjoyed it anyway. Until next time!
