Nowadays, Marinette work from the Agreste Mansion.

From the backyard of it, to be specific.

Actually, what happened was that when Gabriel was informed of her expectancy, he had wanted her to take few months off, until the babies were born.

But Marinette was adamant. She had demanded that she should work and that she wouldn't slow down the production process. So, Gabriel, under the secret insistence of Adrien, told her that she would work from the mansion, then. 

However, she couldn't sketch from the office. It was too… you
know… emotionless. Therefore, Gabriel allowed her to go to the backyard for inspiration.

She quite liked the place. There were countless flowers planted there - orchids, narcissuses, peonies, lilies. There was a statue of Emilie Agreste in the garden, along with swarms of beautiful butterflies keeping her company.

When Adrien walked into the yard, he saw Marinette in a baby blue dress with a collar. Her hair was tied up in a intricate bun and she was quietly sketching something in her notebook. A few strands of hair left loose misbehaved in the light breeze. She tucked them behind her ear absentmindedly.

Her profile was so pretty, especially under the light of the sun.

Adrien quietly watched her from the door, as if time had stopped. In the end, it was Marinette who accidentally looked up to see him staring at her.

"When did you get here? Why didn't you say something? " She smiled.

" I've been here for a few minutes. You looked really focused, so I didn't say anything. "

"Come sit." She patted the space beside her.

He walked over to her with a smile on his face and sat next to her.

"You look pretty. " He complimented her sincerely.

"Thanks. So do you." She giggled.

Adrien flexed his muscles, "I always look purrfect."

She laughed.

"Hey, these designs are really good." He gestured at the clothes she was sketching right then.

It was a couple's outfit. A turquoise blue casual shirt with swirls of deep blue and white on it on it paired with a coffee colored ripped jeans, for the man. The woman wore a red and black loose short dress, paired with high black boots. Both of the outfits had a small butterfly symbol at the upper-left corner, symbolizing the 'Gabriel' brand.

Marinette blushed a little, "It was inspired from the Viperion and Ladybug costumes. "

Can you hurt so much that you feel numb?

Apparently, he can, Adrien discovered.

Trying not to break down in front of her, he excused himself, saying that he would bring her some fruits.

Amidst her protests that she was working, Adrien forced a smile and jogged into the building, leaving her alone in her thoughts.

Feeling emotional, she kept a hand on her bump that was becoming rather visible and softly whispered, "Honey, it's been six months and five days I got pregnant. The twins have been moving a lot more." she smiled, "They'd be very outgoing, I can tell. Luka, if you were home, you would tell me to be patient, and that in a few months, I could drop these two… I've also been doing prenatal teaching on them too... Yesterday, I was listening to songs on radio when it suddenly changed to the song 'Je t'aime, bébé'. Remember that... you used to sing it to me every night…"

Her open sketchbook was blotted with tears by now...

She hiccuped, "Honey, I miss you very much. "
---------------------------------
Adrien was standing behind her silently, holding a plate of fruit which he had personally prepared for her. He didn't want her to catch a cold, so he had steeped the fruits in warm water before bringing them to her.

When he arrived near the yard, however, he heard Marinette telling Luka how much she missed him.

Adrien felt like that someone had pricked his heart with a needle; he thought he had given up, he really did.

By, upon hearing her like that, he felt a wrenching pain within him. Truth be told, sometimes, he selfishly wished that Marinette would lose her memories. That way, he can start over with her again…

When Gabriel was passing by, he saw his son standing dumbly at the entrance of the garden. He was holding a plate of fruits in his hands, but he didn't go to the backyard for some reason.

Gabriel immediately had some idea of what happened.

He silently waved at Adrien and gestured to follow him.

Then, he led his son into the study on the second floor.

"Father, what's going on? "

"You didn't bring the fruits to her because you heard her say something, didn't you?" Gabriel guessed.

Upon hearing this, Adrien looked down but didn't reply...

"Adro…." he softly murmured.

Adrien's head snapped up in surprise. It had been ages since he heard that name last. It was his mom who called him that when he was a child. After she left, no one had ever said it again...

"As much as it's hard for you to accept, but Marinette loved him very much. It is normal for her to miss him. She's not a fickle person. If she was someone who agreed to be with you right after her husband died, you wouldn't be in love with her, would you? You love her character, right? You like how much she values relationships...”

"Father, I understand all of that, and I'm not mad because of what she said. I just suddenly felt... "

"You felt uncomfortable? You felt wronged? You felt like no matter how much you did for her, you're never going to have her? " Gabriel finished his incomplete sentences.

After a long time, Adrien replied, "I'm not complaining, and I've never regretted what I've done for her. It's okay if she doesn't end up with me... It's just that all this time, I've stood by her for so long, and soon it'll never be more than just a memory for her. "

"You shouldn't be sad. You should have expected this. The fact that she misses her husband means that she's not capricious. And... about the future, who knows what might happen. "

"You're right. I'm being too sentimental." Adrien bit down on his lip, feeling a bit blue.

"I'm not saying that you're sentimental. I'm just saying that you should be grateful that you can see her everyday. Not everything goes your way, you know? "

Adrien nodded," I get it. Umm.. I have work tomorrow. I'll be going then."

Gabriel smiled.

As he left, Adrien bumped into Nathalie, "I'm heading home now. Goodnight. "

She replied curtly, "Mhm. "

When she walked into the study, Nathalie found Gabriel, sitting on a chair, his eyes closed and deep lines on his forehead . She softly asked, "What's wrong, Sir? "

"I feel bad for Adrien... I've never seen him this battered before... "

"Marinette? "

"Yes. " Both of them became engrossed in their own thoughts.

After a while, Nathalie spoke up, "Sir, I think that she is in love with him, only she doesn't know it yet or just doesn't want to admit it to herself."

Gabriel nodded in consent. He thinks so too.
He said, "It's better if we leave them to be... maybe one day, she will be shaken by how much he loves her and maybe then she will give him a chance. "

"Sir, we also can't ignore the possibility that maybe Adrien will fall in love with someone else."

Gabriel laughed, his voice filled with concern, " I know my stubborn son better than anyone. It's easier to kill them than make him give up on someone he loves... Making him fall for another woman's going to be next to be impossible..."

Nathalie couldn't but agree.

She had experienced Adrien's stubbornness first hand since he was a child. He had insisted on going to school and he did it. He wanted to see his mother's movie and he did. Adrien wanted to go to the ice rink. He did. This boy was too stubborn, she thought to herself.
---------------------------------

Marinette turned restlessly on the bed. The moonlight lavishly caressed her figure through the window. Sleep was eluding her, like a mirage to a thirsty traveller in an endless desert. Tikki was fast asleep beside her, curled up in a small ball.

Marinette felt like crying all of a sudden, the silent night only providing a better canvas for her doing so.

After she got pregnant, she wasn't as strong as before; she became more sentimental and would burst into tears for no reason.
She became more sensitive, perhaps because she was fragile or maybe just because she would soon become a mother.
After weeping silently for a while, she felt quite relieved.

Suddenly, her phone rang. She picked it up, feeling quite surprised as who would call her this late. She saw the Caller ID. Adrien.
"Hey. What are you doing up now? " She asked curiously.

His laughter was heard from the other side, "I could ask the same, m'lady."

She relaxed, falling on the bed with a soft thump, her phone pressed against her ear, "I couldn't fall asleep. "

"Me, neither. Plagg was out for something and he saw you, awake. So, he informed me. "

"Oh. "

A few moments of silence.

"Are you okay? "

Her heart warmed on hearing his concerned voice. "Mhm."

"Were the cute little dumplings moving today?"

"Yeah. The left one, especially." She replied.

"I- I personally think that one will be a hard core extrovert. However, that's good for me, because then I can then take him or her to all Agreste foundation parties and banquets and stuff. Plus, I won't be feeling lonely anymore."

She laughed.

After talking for a while, which actually turned out to be for three hours, Marinette hung up the call.

A familiar sweet emotion spread in her being. She liked the warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart, although, she didn't want to interpret it even a bit. She was scared. . .

She wasn't supposed to feel this, right?
----------------------
Time flew by.

Two months passed and Marinette was eight months pregnant.

It was already summer, and our four favourite people had decided to meet up at Adrien's house today.

Adrien was casually chatting with Alya and Nino when Marinette descended from the stairs.

Adrien had brought her here straight from the mansion and therefore, she had went to the washroom to freshen up.

The bluenette, eight months into her pregnancy, walked slowly and carefully. Adrien watched as he fought the urge to rush up and help her. The only reason for his inaction being Marinette's instruction to let her do things by herself and not treat her like a child. The couple could say how nervous he was about Marinette.

She sat down, on a couch, next to Alya as she was immediately engaged in a fervent conversation. The two men talked about the upcoming elections and whether Rupor St. Westcliff had a chance in it.

Alya peeled a tangerine and handed it to Marinette.
"Thanks girl. " Marinette took it and smiled.
When she was about to eat it, her face changed...

Her hand paused.

"What's wrong Mari? " Adrien could tell that she was feeling extremely uncomfortable and immediately asked her.

Marinette's face was filled with panic, "I think. . . I think. . . my water broke. . ."
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A/N- This chapter is probably going to be the last in these two weeks.
Before you guys kill me, 😂 I want to defend myself. It's because I have tests. And practically I have studied NOTHING. (hehe, I'm not a good student, you know...😁)
But, don't worry if you guys wait for this duration, I promise super fast updates!!! 😅
Stay pawsome!! 🐾