A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this one took so long. Like I mentioned in the last update, I was working on some stuff for a zine and so I made it a priority to finish that first. I also just recently lost my job soooo yeah. But to me that just means now I have time to work on more stuff! This one was really fun to write too, so enjoy!


When Marinette woke up, she was back in her bed. The bright light shined through the windows as the morning sun began to rise. She looked next to her to see that Adrien's side of the bed was empty.

Her ears picked up sounds coming from just outside their door, in the living room. As she sat up and stretched, the sounds became a bit clearer.

It almost sounded like a child laughing. She figured it was probably Adrien watching some kind of cartoon on the television and so she let the sounds run past her ears. She turned to look at the table next to her bed.

Tikki and Plagg were both gone from their usual spot, which would seem unusual, but they could've went off in search of snacks.

Finally, she threw the covers off of herself and flung her feet over the side of the bed. The mirror from the vanity on the other side of the room showed her reflection.

She had bags under her eyes, which was unsurprising with how little sleep she had gotten in the last few days. She thought of how sweet it was for Adrien to let her sleep undisturbed.

As she stood up, she noticed something felt…off. There was a strange pulling at her stomach, almost as if she were…

Looking down at herself, she let out a gasp when she saw the protruding bump on her stomach. Her hands instinctively flung to it as her disbelief grew. Going to the full length mirror next to the vanity, she examined herself.

Indeed, she had a decently sized baby bump. She lifted up her gown to make sure this wasn't some awful prank that her husband had played on her. She expected to see one of those fake pregnancy bellies, but this one was completely attached to her.

"How…how could this be?", she left herself say out loud. From the door next to her, she could still hear the sounds of laughter in the next room.

She opened the door just enough for her to peek out. Part of her felt ashamed, yet confused. Had everything she had just experienced in the last few days just been some awful nightmare?

Through the small opening, she could see Adrien's head peeking up from the top of the couch. A wave of relief flowed through her as she noticed that the television was also on.

She opened the door all the way, preparing to walk up to him and hopefully get some kind of explanation as to what was going on. Her feet glided across the hardwood flooring as she made her way over to the couch.

As she stood behind the couch, she felt her eyes widen in disbelief at what she saw. Adrien was indeed watching cartoons, but he wasn't alone. Sitting next to him was a little boy, no more than maybe two or three years old.

Her confusion peaked as thoughts racked her brain. She couldn't remember agreeing to babysit for anyone. There was the possibility that Adrien took it at last minute while she was asleep, though.

Her lungs perked up as she spoke again. "Adrien," she called out to him, causing him to turn around.

"Oh hi, sweetie," he gave her a warm smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"I um," her eyes wandered over to the little boy, who was also looking at her. "Yes, yes I did."

The boy's smile widened, something about it feeling so…familiar. His hair was dark, nearly the same color as hers. His eyes were a beautiful emerald green; the kind that shined in the light.

Something clicked in her brain as her heart jumped.

"Good morning, Mama," the boy stood up on the couch, reaching his hands out to be hugged.

Everything felt as if it were spinning suddenly. Now she knew why his smile was so familiar. It was the same smile that had brightened her day for all those years.

The one that belonged to the love of her life.

"H-Hi," she spoke gently to her "son", trying to make things seem familiar. "What are you doing?"

"Papa is letting me watch cartoons today," he jumped excitedly, making Adrien grab him so that he didn't fall off.

"Hugo here has been a good boy lately," Adrien stood up, his son still in his arms. His eyes moved down towards her stomach. "How's my other baby been?"

Marinette looked down at her stomach, her breath hitching as it began to jump from the outside. "T-The baby? It's fine," she said. "Don't worry."

"That's good," he walked over to her, still holding Hugo in his arms. "I've just been a bit worried about you lately." He reached out a hand to caress her cheek.

Beads of sweat formed on her skin. "R-Really? H-How come?", she inquired.

"I just…I've had this feeling lately that something isn't right with you," he put his son down, who then went off to play somewhere. "With us. Tell me, Milady."

He stepped closer to her; their faces almost touching as he used a finger to move her chin up to face him. "Are you happy with me?"

She gulped, feeling a knot forming in her throat. "Yes, of course, I am," she grabbed his hand. "I love you, Adrien."

Adrien stepped back, moving his head downwards. "Then why won't you tell me the truth?", tears began forming in his eyes. "We have an incredible life together. We have our beautiful son and soon our beautiful daughter. We fight evil together and risk our lives for each other. Isn't this everything you've ever wanted, Marinette?"

She felt her heart sink in her chest. "Of course it is," she stepped forward and placed a hand on his cheek. "Adrien, listen, I love you more than anything in the world. I've never wanted anything more than to start a family with you and have our beautiful children."

He looked up at her with teary eyes. "Then please, if you truly love me like you say you do," he took her hand off of his face. "Be honest with me. I know you're afraid of hurting me, but I can take it." He stepped forward and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Because I love you, too."

Marinette felt tears forming in her own eyes as the scenery around them suddenly began to change. Their living room was exchanged for the bleak hospital walls. She found herself laying down in a bed, while Adrien was sitting next to her.

"A-Adrien, how did we get here?", she looked around the room. Looking down at herself, she noticed that her mysterious bump had now vanished.

"You don't remember?", he asked, a confused look on his face. "You lost our baby."

Ah, now that seemed more normal. "I-I had a miscarriage, yes, but-"

She was interrupted by Adrien. "Yes, and it was all your fault," he stood up, a crazy look forming on his face. "You were their mother and you were supposed to protect them. But you didn't. And now we may never get to have our chance at having a family together."

Tears began streaming down her cheeks. "Why…why would you say something like that?", her voice broke. "You're not the man I married."

"Oh, really?", he came closer to her. "Is that why you're so afraid of me? Afraid that I'll leave you? Afraid I'll blow up in your face?"

She shook her head. "N-No, not at all," she said. "B-But I know my Adrien and you're definitely not him."

"How can you be so sure?", said "Adrien". "Maybe you don't know me as much as you think you do. Is that why you're afraid of me? Why you lie to me?"

Her heart began beating faster in her chest as adrenaline pumped through her. She followed her instinct by throwing the covers off of her and immediately jumping out of the bed. Throwing open the door, she could hear him following her as she began to run.

"Tsk, tsk, always running," Adrien's voice echoed through the hallway. "I'm your husband and you're running from me. If only you'd talk to me then none of this would be happening."

Her bare-feet pounded against the concrete floor beneath her as she ran as fast as she could. The hallway was never-ending. Adrien's voice continued to echo in her ears as he called out her name.

"Marinette…Marinette…MARINETTE"


"Marinette, please wake up."

Her eyes shot open to see Alya standing above her. She immediately noticed the cold beads of sweat covering her body. Her eyes examined the room around her. The familiar scent of her house filled her nose, giving her a sense of relief within her anxiety filled brain.

"Oh my goodness, are you okay?", Alya put a hand on her shoulder, looking at her best friend with soft eyes.

That was when her brain clicked. A dream. It had all been a crazy, horrible nightmare. Tears welled up in her eyes and she was immediately wrapped in Alya's embrace.

"No, no I'm not," Marinette wrapped her own arms around her best friend. She didn't even take the time to question her presence. It didn't matter to her. "Alya, I had the worst dream ever."

"Do you want to talk about it?", Alya asked as she stroked her sweaty hair.

Marinette nodded and sat back on the couch. "It started off fine. I was…I was pregnant and Adrien and I had," her voice cracked a little. "We had a son. He was so cute." She looked at Alya with tears in her eyes. "He looked just like Adrien, but he had my hair."

All Alya could offer was a small smile. "Then what happened?"

It was hard for Marinette to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks. "Then Adrien, he…he asked me why I keep lying to him. Then we were back in the hospital and-and," she let out a sob. "He told me that it was my fault we lost the baby. That we may never have children together and it's all my fault."

"Oh, sweetheart," Alya pulled her best friend into another hug, where Marinette began sobbing into her shoulder. "I may not know much about what's going on between you two right now, but I know within my heart that Adrien would never say such cruel things."

She tightened her grip on Alya's neck. "That's the thing," she spoke between sobs. "I know Adrien would never say things like that. He's the sweetest, most caring person I know. Hell, I fell in love with him because he went out of his way to be nice to me."

Alya leaned back so that she and Marinette were facing each other. "Well, if your dream is anything to go by," she wiped a tear from her best friend's cheek. "I'm guessing there's some kind of issue you're having with him?"

Marinette sniffled. "Y-Yeah, you could say that," she sat up straight. "Ever since we…" she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Since we lost the baby, he's been so supportive of me. My mom told me that he refused to leave my side when I passed out. He was so worried about me, Alya."

Alya felt fluttering kicks from her stomach. "That sounds just like Adrien," she smiled as she placed a hand on her belly. She noticed her best friend's gaze as she spoke. "But, that's just the problem, isn't it?"

"Well…it's not exactly a problem," Marinette wiped her eyes. "He's been such an amazing support for me these last few days. I think the issue, though, is that, well…" Taking a deep breath, she spoke once again. "On the night I had the miscarriage, I kind of, sort of heard Adrien say something that made me upset."

Alya felt a lump form in her throat. "Oh no, was it something terrible?"

Marinette shook her head. "Not exactly. It was actually something I should've expected from someone like Adrien," she felt a frown form on her lips. "He thought I was asleep and well, he said that he wants to be strong for me. I know he's hurting too, but, I dunno…" she grabbed a piece of her hair and began tugging at it. "It kind of makes me feel like he doesn't care, ya know?

Alya's heart ached for her best friend. She was one of the first people to find out that Marinette had a crush on Adrien, way back when they were in collège. She had always hoped one day they'd end up together. Seeing this rift form in their relationship really was like a kick to the gut. "If this is the same Adrien we've known for years, then I can guarantee you that he loves that baby just as much as you did, er, do," she said. "You guys have known each other for years; I know he'll understand if you just talk to him."

"I know, you're right. I guess I've just been feeling so stressed lately. My body still feels exhausted, I'm wearing a freaking diaper," she let herself laugh a little. "Everything just feels so messed up right now, Alya."

"Things will take time to get better. You should just rest and spend time with Adrien," Alya said. "Who knows? Maybe he'll have a change of heart and open up to you on his own."

"I hope you're right," Marinette said. "Thank you so much for being my best friend."

Alya pulled her into another hug, even if her large bump refused to let her fully lean in. "It's no problem at all, girl," she said. "I'm just happy to see you awake."

"Speaking of Adrien," Marinette pulled back from the hug. "Where is he?"

"Oh, well, Nino and I came over to check on you two since we heard about what happened," Alya began to explain. "And he and Nino took off somewhere. Didn't say where they were going, but I'm guessing they really wanted to let you sleep."

Marinette laid back down on her pillow. "They're too sweet," she smiled to herself. "How did we get blessed with such sweet husbands?"

"Beats me, but I'm glad for it, too," Alya returner her smile. "Now, they left me in charge of you, so anything you need is my command."

"Duly noted."


"Okay, seriously, where are you taking me?"

Adrien tightened the seatbelt around his shoulder as he watched Nino continue to drive around every corner of Paris, just as he had been doing for the last half hour.

"You'll see, my dude," he looked away for one second before turning his eyes back to the road in front of him. "It's gotta be around here somewhere."

Adrien kept his eyes on the window next to him, watching the buildings go by. At first he had thought they were going to the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie, but that was quickly passed not long ago.

The hum of the air conditioning blowing in his face, along with Nino's continuous driving, was enough to make his eyes feel like tugging closed.

With a yawn, he laid his head against the window.

Nino looked over to see his best friend trying to nap, to which he snickered. "Aw come on, don't sleep yet," he chuckled. "We're almost there."

Despite Nino's words going straight through Adrien's ears, he could only hear the familiar melody playing just outside the car. Lifting his head up, he looked out the window to see none other than André, who was busy setting up his famous ice cream stand.

"That explains all the driving," Adrien sat up and rubbed his eyes. He tried to remember the last time he had had André's famous ice cream. It was something he and Marinette always tried to do if he happened to be around while they were in the city.

"Yep, this guy is so hard to find sometimes," Nino said as he parked the car. "I figured you could use a little something, especially with it being so damn hot outside."

Adrien gave his best friend a smile. "Yeah, it's been a little while since I last had any, too," he unbuckled his seatbelt and opened his door.

André had set up his stand just underneath the Eiffel Tower. The line was a bit long as usual, but it was always worth the wait.

Nino parked his car on the street just nearby, so they had to walk a little ways to get up there. "Know what kinda ice cream you're gonna get this time?", he asked Adrien as they walked.

"Just whatever André decides to give me," he said. "I usually get strawberry, blackberry, and blueberry."

"My favorite is chocolate and cherry, but I'm cool with anything," Nino stopped walking as he noticed they were at the end of the line. "Look, now we're actually here."

Adrien stood next to him. It was very rare to see him without even the smallest smile on his face, so it was no surprise to him that the boy was indeed smiling. Nino knew his best friend well enough, though, that he could always manage to tell when he was faking it.

The curls of his lips seemed more forced, rather than natural. The way he fiddled around in his pockets was also a clear indicator to him that something wasn't right.

"Hey, Adrien," he spoke to him in a soft voice. "Are you okay?"

His best friend looked up at him with the same smile. "Yes, I'm okay," he said. "I just want some ice cream."

Even though he could hear the faintest sound of dishonesty in his voice, he decided to trust Adrien. "Well, we don't have to wait much longer," he pointed to the stand, showing him that they were next in line.

André's face lit up when he saw the two young men before him. "Ahh, bonjour Monsieur Nino, Adrien," he spoke to them in a singsong voice. "It is so good to see you both again."

Adrien's face changed, this time with a smile that seemed more genuine. "It's great to see you, too, André."

"Who wants to go first?", his eyes moved back and forth between them. "Perhaps our father-to-be over here, hmm?"

His eyes pointed at Nino, though Adrien felt himself try to step up. He watched as his best friend stepped in front of him, but not without giving him a worried side glance.

Nino tried his hardest not to frown, even though he could feel the hurt radiating from Adrien next to him.

Adrien tried his best to hold himself together, even with the feeling of tears ready to poke at his eyes at any given moment. Taking a few deep breaths, he kept his eyes facing forward and waited patiently for his own turn.

"How is Madame Alya doing, hmm? I bet she's at home resting," André asked Nino as he scooped up his ice cream. "I bet you're both ready for those babies."

Nino smiled at the man, though he found himself still glancing back at Adrien. "Yes, sir," he said proudly. "We've only got a few weeks left."

André laughed. "Well, when they're old enough, be sure to bring them by for their very first scoop of ice cream," he grabbed his scoop and filled the cone with three scoops. "Here, I gave you an extra one today. Chocolate and strawberry to remind you of your dear Alya, and a scoop of cotton candy for your twins."

Nino grabbed the ice cream from him. "Merci, André," he said. "I'll be sure to do that once they're old enough." He stepped back so that he was standing next to Adrien. Looking at him, he noticed that he was staring down at his feet with his hands still in his pockets.

Without saying anything, he placed his free hand on his shoulder, causing Adrien to look at him. Nino offered him a small smile before nudging him to move up.

"Come on, don't be shy Monsieur Adrien," André gestured at him with his scoop. Adrien stepped up to the cart, mustering up a smile for the man. "It's good to see you again, it's been so long."

"Yeah, um, I only really come to the city for work and you're usually not here by the time I get done," Adrien told him. "I've missed your ice cream, though."

"And I have missed you too, dear Adrien," he said. "Tell me, how is Madame Marinette?"

Adrien shifted on his feet. "She, um, she's been kind of sick," he felt his throat becoming dry. "That's why she's not here with us."

"Aww, well, give her my well wishes for me, okay?", André gave him a smile as he grabbed a cone and his scoop. "Now what would you like today? Your usual?"

Adrien nodded. "Yes, sir," he said. "That'll be perfect."

The man scooped up three scoops of ice cream and placed them in the cone. "Blackberry for her hair, blueberry for her eyes, and strawberry for those lovely lips that you love to kiss," he winked as he handed the ice cream to Adrien, who let out a little giggle. "I hope your dear Marinette gets to feeling better soon. Maybe the two of you could make a trip out here to get some ice cream."

"That sounds like a great idea," Adrien said. "Merci, André."

"You're very welcome," he said. "Now tell me, are you and dear Marinette thinking about having a child of your own, too? Like your best friend over here."

Adrien froze in his place. Any happy feelings he had before that moment completely vanished. He could feel Nino placing a comforting hand on his shoulder as he tried to push back the tears poking at his eyes. Clearing his throat, he said, "Um, uh, yeah, we've talked about it." He stuck his free hand in his pocket and looked down at his shoes. "M-Maybe one day."

André smiled at him. "Well, I wish you both the best of luck."

Nino squeezed his shoulder and he turned around. As they began to walk away, he felt his best friend wrap an arm around his shoulders. "It's okay," he patted his back gently. "Let's just go find somewhere to sit."

Adrien obliged and followed his friend over to a nearby bench. He reluctantly sat down and took a nibble of his ice cream, but even that wasn't enough to cure the sinking feeling in his stomach. He reached under his glasses and wiped his eyes.

Nino also began eating his ice cream, but he never took his eyes off of Adrien. One thing he had learned about him over the years is that he's not much of a talker when he's sad. That meant he had to do the talking. "Hey, buddy, I'm gonna be honest with you," he placed a hand on his knee and pulled at his jeans. "I didn't really bring you here for the ice cream. Well, I mean, I did but, I also just wanted a place where we could talk." Adrien finally looked at him. "Look, I know how you are when it comes to your feelings and so, I want you to know that you don't have to hide anything from me, okay?"

Adrien nodded before sticking another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

"What you and Marinette just went through…man, I can't even imagine how painful it must be," Nino continued, though trying to be conscious of his words. "I can see right now that you're trying to hide your tears. It's okay to cry, Adrien."

Adrien slumped in his seat, taking in every word his best friend had just said. "You're right, Nino. It is okay to cry," he could feel the corners of his eyes begun to itch. "But the thing is that, I don't know, I just…"

"Let me guess, it's Marinette, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Y-Yeah," his lips began to quiver as he thought back to his wife. "I-I've been so scared these last few days, Nino." He finally let a few tears drip down his cheeks. "Seeing her in that hospital bed, so weak and nearly lifeless. Hearing her screams on the night that…" He gulped and sat his ice cream down next to him. "On the night that we lost our baby."

Nino put his own ice cream down next to him before extending his arms and pulling his best friend into a hug. "I am so, so sorry," he squeezed his arms around Adrien. "Just let it all out."

Adrien laid his head on Nino's shoulder as he let out a few small sobs. "I-I can't tell Marinette," he said, his voice breaking. "She's been through so much and the last thing I want is for her to stress out even more."

Nino contemplated on what to say to him. Adrien and Marinette had always had such an amazing relationship. He knew deep in his heart that Marinette wouldn't be upset with anything Adrien had to tell her because she cared about his feelings, too. "I know it's hard because you love her and you want to make sure she's taken care of," he told him. "I have a wife too and I feel the same exact way about Alya. If anything happened to her or to the babies, well, I don't know what I'd do with myself."

He sat up and brought Adrien along with him. "If there's one thing I do know, though, it's that Marinette loves you as much as you love her," he gave his best friend a soft smile. "I'm sure she would sit and listen to anything you have to say. You guys are married now, you need to talk about things."

Adrien used a napkin to wipe his eyes from behind his glasses. "Yeah, y-you're right," he said. "I'll talk to her, but not right now." He sniffled and picked up his ice cream again. "Thank you, Nino."

Nino picked up his own ice cream and put a spoonful in his mouth. "Anything for my best buddy," he nudged Adrien with his arm. "Now come on, eat up before that stuff melts. It's like liquid gold around here."


Marinette sat at the coffee table as she flipped through her sketchbook. Behind her, Alya laid on the couch with her feet propped up.

"Ooh, whatcha got there?", she crooned her neck to try and catch a glimpse.

"It's nothing, really," Marinette said. "Back a few weeks ago, not long after…ya know, I was working on some stuff for Adrien." She stood and sat back on the couch. "I dunno, maybe I should go back to them."

"It could be a really good way to take your mind off of things, girl," Alya said. "Besides, I know Adrien will love whatever you come up with, too."

Marinette looked back at the pages in front of her. Although Adrien's current caterer was teaching, he still loved to model for her website every now and then. "My shop has been a bit slow lately, so maybe I'll whip up some of these for prototypes," she flipped to the next page and admired the drawing on the page. It was of a dress shirt and pants set, inspired by her husband of course. "Adrien also loves any chance to whip out the camera."

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Alya sat up and looked at the book with her. "It'd be something fun the two of you could do together, too."

Click!

The young women looked up to see their husbands coming through the door. "Hello, ladies!", Nino announced as Adrien walked in behind him. "Did you two have fun?"

"If by 'fun' you mean resting my feet because these little munchkins have got me swollen everywhere," Alya lifted up her feet. "Then yes, we did."

"That's great," Adrien said. His gaze shifted over to Marinette, who gave him a small smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did," she said. "I feel a lot better."

He walked over and stood behind the couch, where he leaned down and wrapped his arms around her neck. "That's all I wanted to hear," he laid his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. "I missed you so much."

She sat down her sketchbook and placed a hand on top of one of his. "Aw, I missed you too, mon cher."

Nino walked over to Alya and gave her a kiss on her hair. "I know what you're gonna ask," he said. "Yes, I missed you, too."

She shook her head before grabbing his hand. "I wasn't going to say that," she gave him a half-smile. "But I'm glad you did because I missed you, too."

He looked over at Marinette and Adrien, who still seemed to be entranced by each other. "Sorry to cut in, but I think it's time for us to go now," Nino told them as he helped Alya stand up. "It was really nice hanging out with you today, dude."

"I had a great time, too," Adrien said, arms still wrapped around Marinette. "It was nice."

"We have a doctor's appointment in the morning," Alya rubbed her belly. "Want us to let y'all in one the deets?"

Marinette nodded. "Oh! Yes! Of course!", she said. Despite everything that had happened to her recently, she still found it in herself to be excited for her best friends. "Have a safe drive back home."

As their best friends waved and went out the door, Adrien stood up straight and stretched his arms. "I feel like changing into my comfy clothes now," he said before turning around. "I'll be back."

She picked up her sketchbook once again. "Alright, I'll see you when you get back."

As Adrien's footsteps echoed throughout the room, she began looking through her sketches once again. The shirt and pants she had designed for Adrien also came with a matching dress. She smiled to herself as she looked at the detail she gave even her roughest sketches.

All the ruffles had already been placed on it, along with the polka dotted pattern. She always loved putting in a hint of her alter ego into her designs, while still keeping herself concealed. Her eyes moved to the arm of the couch to see that the kwamis were still fast asleep.

As she flipped the page, though, she felt a sinking in her heart. On the page were more concepts she had sketched down. She always tried to at least draw out roughs of her ideas so that she wouldn't forget, but this was one she wished she had.

On the page were concepts for clothing befit for a baby. Not just any baby though. It would have been for her child. There were sketches of little hats that could be embroidered with their name and booties to match. She had written in her notes that she'd thought of other things like blankets and onesies too.

Her eyes began to water, which made her close the book as to not get any of the pages wet. Designing clothing was something she had loved since she was a child and it was always something that seemed to calm her down, even when she was at her worst.

This time; however, it left nothing but a feeling of coldness and anguish within her. She brought her knees up to her chest and curled up into a little ball right there on the couch.

It was then that the footsteps returned and she opened her eyes just long enough to see Adrien standing before her.

"Marinette? Sweetheart? What's wrong?"

She lifted her head up to see him kneeling down in front of her. "A-Adrien, I…I don't know," she said, her voice breaking.

He reached out a comforting hand and rubbed her hair. "It's okay," he said, soothingly. "We can figure it out together."

Wiping her eyes, she finally sat up. As she looked him up and down, she felt herself chuckle a little. "Sweetie, why are you in a towel?"

He returned her laugh. "That's why I came back in here," he stood up and reached out a hand to her. "Come on."

Grabbing his hand, she let him lead her into their bedroom. The lights were dimmed and the room smelled faintly of cinnamon. "Adrien…what are you doing?"

"You'll see," he stepped closer to her and whispered. "Close your eyes."

She obliged as she felt him urging her to keep walking forward. The texture beneath her feet changed from carpet to tile and she knew they were in their bathroom.

The scent of apples and cinnamon filled her nostrils. "Okay, open your eyes," she did as she was told and opened her eyes to one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

Adrien had made a bubble bath that smelled heavenly. The room was illuminated by the candles that sat around the edges of the tub. He completed it with red rose petals scattered around the floor.

"Chaton…why did you do all of this?"

"Well, I figured maybe the both of us could use a little relaxation," he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "It seems like all the alone time we've had lately was spent worrying about things." He gave her a few kisses on her neck. "So I thought it'd be nice to let all those worries wash away with a nice, hot bath."

"I don't deserve you," Marinette leaned her head back into his chest, taking his soft touch.

"I could say the same thing about you, Milady," he let her go and stepped back. He let his towel fall down to the floor and kicked it away with his feet.

Adrien walked over to the bath and stuck one of his feet in the water. He reeled back a bit as the hot water stung his skin, but he gently put his other foot in. He found a spot in the corner of the tub and propped himself up on the small seat. "Come on in, the water is great," he splashed a little bit of water with his hand as he gestured for her to join him.

She lifted her shirt over her head and gently threw it down to the floor. She unclipped her bra and slid it off of her arms before letting it join her shirt down in the floor. Next, she unbuttoned her pants before kicking them off next to her other clothes. Finally, off came her panties before she walked over to the tub.

Marinette copied him by sticking in one foot to test the water. Her skin jolted from the heat, but she quickly stuck her other foot into the water. She looked down to see Adrien holding out his arms, so she grabbed his hands.

He pulled her down and put her directly on his lap. Her first instinct was to lean into his chest, letting their bodies be caressed by the steam as he rubbed bubbles all over her breasts. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her in as she laid on his chest.

"See? Isn't this nice?", his voice was soft and it gave her tingles in her spine.

"Oh yes," she let her lips flutter little kisses onto his pecs. "I could stay here with you all night."

He tightened his grip on her and put his face in her hair. "I'd love that."

For the next few minutes, they sat there and let themselves take in all the smells and warmth of their current environment. It wasn't often that they let themselves be somewhat intimate with each other, as they usually saved that for special moments.

Marinette loved it, though. She loved the way Adrien always made her feel so safe, especially when she was being caressed in his arms.

He ran his wet fingers through her hair and gave her kisses on her cheeks. "Feeling any better?"

"Oh, yes," she said. Her mind went back to the conversation she and Alya had earlier that day. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Anything"

"Do…do you think that it's my fault?", she asked with hesitance in her voice. "Do you think that maybe if I had done something different, that I'd still be pregnant right now?"

Adrien squeezed her tighter. "No, it wasn't your fault. I don't think there's anything either of us could've done," he said. "Believe me, I…I know how you feel." He laid his head on top of hers. "When my mom died, I blamed myself for such a long time. I thought that maybe I should've helped her more when she was sick. Or maybe I didn't love her enough."

"But you loved her so much, right?"

He nodded. "Yes, and I still do," he let a small smile grace his lips. "I think it's the same with our baby. Of course you'll think to blame yourself because of how much you loved them." He kissed her cheek. "But ultimately, we don't know what happened and sadly, we probably never will."

Marinette took a deep breath. "When did you get so philosophical?", she looked up at him.

"I'm a teacher! I studied philosophy in université for a bit," he said. "My point still stands, though." He grabbed her face in his hands and turned her towards him. "We miss our baby and we will always miss them. But we can't blame ourselves."

She leaned in and they shared a kiss. Marinette pulled back and said, "You're right, thank you, Adrien," she caressed his cheek with her hand. "That honestly makes me feel a lot better."

"Of course, anything for you, my lady," he said. "I know that things are really awful for the both of us right now, but we can get through it as long as we're together."

"We wouldn't have been chosen as superheroes if we couldn't," she said with a chuckle.

"Exactly."

As they continued to relax in their bath, Marinette felt a warmth in her heart. Although she knew that those negative feelings still lived within her mind, she couldn't find it in herself to dwell on them for very long. She had all the confidence in the world that Adrien would be more than understanding.

She just had to find it in herself to gather up the strength.


A/N: This one was a bit crazy, right? Also, I'm kind of tempted to make an alternate ending to this chapter, one that is a bit...lewd xD Please let me know if that is something y'all would be interested in and I might just do it. Anyway, thanks for reading and being so patient with me! Until next time!