Gabenath/Adrienette AU

Part 9

"I am very sure you looked gorgeous. Just as you always did and always will to me!" Adrien replied and pecked her lips before he scooted to the hem of the mattress and hurried to the door she had pointed at. Returning with three identical, pink photo albums, he quickly slipped under the duvet again, both leaning with their back against the headboard, Marinette snuggling against his chest, while the young man curiously opened the first one with the title: 'Emma, birth and first year!'

The first page showed several ultrasound pictures from each examination over the whole pregnancy. Staring at the one with the oldest date, he pointed at it and asked.

"Is this the one you wanted to show me?"

Marinette didn't have to look at him to know that he was about to cry and gently cupped his face, making him look at her.

"Don't do that, Adrien. We can't change the past. So please stop feeling guilty and just enjoy the pictures of your baby girl!" She ordered and kissed him softly.

"Okay!" He agreed hoarsely and flicked to the next page. It was a double page showing Marinette in a series of pictures, one for each month of her pregnancy. At the bottom there were a couple of the young, very pregnant woman at the hospital and in the delivery room, apparently just before Emma was born, as she looked exhausted and in pain on at least two of them.

Grunting Marinette pointed at those.

"Alya!" Was all she said.

He only laughed quietly through his nose. Then he gently stroked the pictures, swallowing heavily as he did.

About to turn to the next page, he heard her say nervously.

"I still haven't decided how to kill Alya for the first picture of me holding Emma!"

"So Alya was with you? I am really sorry, I wasn't. Marinette."

"Alya was simply annoying with her camera. My mum and..." She paused and averted her eyes, "...Luka were there with me."

"That's good. Luka was always reliable and kind. It's good that you had at least him at your side!"

Marinette stared at him open mouthed.

"What?" He asked. "I know that Lila accused you of having an affair with him, but I told you already, I never believed a word she said. It was what I heard you say on the phone that made me believe the rumours about you cheating. You said you were about to meet someone special for the first time. You had already met Luka several times, right? And I also knew, Luka never would agree to an affair with you, knowing we would all three be hurt by that."

The young female gulped before croaking.

"You should know that he and I tried to date for a few weeks. It still didn't work out and we decided that being friends was a lot better for both of us. And now just go on. I want to get past those early pictures. Emma looked adorable as she still does. But despite me telling Alya to only take photos of her, she had to include my face and my boobs at least four times."

"Oh, so I'm going to see them in full growth?" He joked with wiggling eyebrows.

Marinette slapped his chest.

"You're not funny. And they weren't fully grown when Emma was born. They got a lot bigger when the real milk was being produced. But there are even some images of that!"

While continuing to look through the albums page by page, he could see how very much he had missed but nonetheless seeing all of Marinette's and Emma's memories made him feel a little better.

"I feel bad for not being there. But I would love to be with the next. And maybe they will inherit more of both our mum's features and won't make you struggle with carrying them around!" He hummed into the woman's ear.