Just a little catch up on the family trees:
The Agreste Family
Marinette and Adrien - Married at 20 years old
Had Louis and Emma at 20 (five months after their wedding)
Hugo was born 4 years later
The Couffaine Family
Luka and Kagami - had Bella at 22/23 years old
Adopted Morning when Bella was 10 years old
Morning was a baby when adopted - 3 months old.
The Lahiffe Family
Alya and Nino - had Rueben when Hugo was 4
Second baby – Alyssa was born when Rueben was 6.
•••••
Adrien stood staring at the Christmas tree, his heart breaking a little as he reminisced over the past. The children were all grown up now; there was no more leaving carrots out for the reindeers, or mince pies and milk for Father Christmas. There were no more family film nights, carol singing or game nights. There would be no more sneaking around at midnight to place the presents under the tree, with the added fear of the children finding out the truth about how they got there.
At fourteen, Emma and Louis had other plans. Louis was at a fencing friends party, and Emma was at the Couffaines with Bella and Morning, wanting to spend time with a preschooler rather than her dear old pops. Adrien was jealous of his friends, not because Emma was there but because Luka and Kagami were just hitting the prime Christmas years with the ferocious four year old, something that was a distant, yet fond, memory to him and Marinette.
Then there was Nino and Alya. Oh, man! He envied those two rotten. He could imagine them now, wrestling with their six year old and trying to get him to calm down enough to sleep. Adrien was certain there would be many wake ups for the couple between now and sunrise, Rueben desperate to venture downstairs to see if Santa had been and even if it wasn't Rueben wrecking their sleep pattern then their newborn baby girl, Alyssa, surely would be.
Rueben had been hyped! Telling everyone and anyone who would listen that Santa was bringing him a Chat Noir action figure for Christmas; what he didn't know was that his honorary uncle had signed the gift with a personalised message to the young one and the Chat Noir would be making a short stop off later Christmas Day to see the child.
To Nino and Alya's wishes, Rueben hadn't been introduced to the fact his parents and most of his 'aunties' and 'uncles' were the famous superheroes that saved Paris on multiple occasions. With no active villains around anymore, neither could see the point of putting him in that position and, to be honest, Adrien would have loved to have been able to do that with his own offspring. Unfortunately, the Agrestes were in too deep, and needed to keep one step ahead at all times.
Sighing, Adrien removed himself from glaring at the tree, resigning himself to the fact that this year would be the first Christmas he would be getting a full night's sleep — and more.
The twins had gotten past their Santa obsession about six years ago, the magic dropping for them at the tender age of eight, an age Adrien thought was far too young to stop believing. Luckily, they adored their younger brother and kept the ruse going right up to this year when Hugo declared he knew exactly where his Christmas presents came from, and it wasn't the jolly man in the red suit.
Adrien moved into the hallway and grabbed his coat and shoes, sitting on their bottom on the staircase to place the boots on and lace them up. The Agreste's were holding Christmas dinner the following day and Adrien had promised Marinette he'd go to her parents and pick up the desserts they were preparing so she could bake them in the morning ready for lunch.
She'd ordered a rather unusual selection this year, strange flavours he couldn't remember her ever having or liking in the past. Maybe she was finally making Hugo eat something more than chocolate flavoured delicacies.
"What's got you down, Kid?"
Adrien looked up and straight into the eyes of Plagg. Even at the ripe old age of 34, Plagg still referred to Adrien as his kid, and, aside from Tom and Sabine, Plagg truly was part of Adrien's family. Like a big brother, or a misleading (twice removed) Uncle.
"Just," Adrien sighed, joining his fingers together as his arms rested on his thighs and head dropped between his legs. "This year just doesn't feel like Christmas. Emma and Louis are out with their friends and Hugo's upstairs more interested in his Xbox. I just can't help but feel jealous of the guys who have young kids and the magic still surrounding Santa."
"Adrien, you've played a great Santa for 14 years, now it's a chance for you and Marinette to get the time back to yourselves. You've always made sure the Kittens have had a magical Christmas, they've always had what they wanted and most of all, they have loads of memories. I'm sure Hugo will never forget the time you climbed into the chimney upside down as Santa to surprise him, only to get stuck for 15 minutes and pass out."
Adrien let out a chuckle as he remembered how annoyed Marinette was, not just for the mess he'd made on the floor, but also the fact she had to transform just to get him out. Poor Hugo was mortified that they'd killed Santa in their chimney.
"Then remember the year Emma wanted that kitchen play set and you spent six hours on Christmas Eve putting it together. They woke you up an hour after you managed to get to bed." Plagg continued, Adrien's frown slowly turning into a smile as he remembered his daughter's face when she dragged them down the following morning. The excitement radiated off her as she proudly announced that she must have been a really good girl because the kitchen was better than the one she'd asked for.
"Then there was the year Louis found that limited edition Spider-Man toy that he wanted on YouTube and you flew all the way to America to that toy museum to try and buy it for him."
"I couldn't have him thinking that Santa didn't have him on the nice list. He'd done amazing at school that year, we were all really proud of him. He still has the toy on his shelf, and apparently it's the only thing he's taking from the house when he moves out," Adrien chuckled and grabbed Plagg from the air to press him against his cheek. "Thank you, Plagg, you always know how to cheer me up."
"Anytime kid, now let's head over to the bakery, Pigtails dad said he was making me something special." Plagg clapped his little paws together and gave them a rub.
Bounding up the stairs, Adrien headed to the bedroom where Marinette was busy putting clothes away and checking everything was just so ready for in the morning, and even though the kids weren't believers anymore, there was no way the presents were going under the tree before Christmas morning.
Walking over to his wife, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind causing the raven haired beauty to jump at the sudden touch and her head slam into his chin.
Stepping back, Adrien cupped his mouth checking for blood; pressing his fingers against his lip before pulling them away and examining them. He licked his lip and waited for a taste of iron to assault his senses.
"Oh my goodness, Adrien, I'm so sorry. I was in a world of my own."
Tapping his mouth once more and finding a lack of blood, he attempted a swollen smile at Marinette. Their family photograph tomorrow was certain to include Adrien Agreste with a bruised, fat lip.
"It's okay, I'm used to it. I just wanted to let you know I'm off your parents. Is there anything else you need whilst I'm out?"
Marinette turned around to look at him, walking over and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Could you ask my maman if she has any type of medicine for acid reflux please?"
"Still having issues?" Adrien asked, running his hands up and down her back, stopping to hold onto her hips. She'd been complaining for a month, suffering with most food and drink she was consuming.
"Just when I'm lying down at night." She stretched onto her toes to press her lips against his in a soft, gentle kiss. "I'll be okay though." Her smile blinded him and he couldn't hold himself back. Moving his hands lower, he pulled her in closer, bending down and kissing her like he meant it.
"Ewwww..." the sound of Hugo's soon to hit puberty voice, alerted their attention to the doorway.
Marinette laughed before moving away from her husband and back to the job at hand, Adrien pouting at the sudden loss of his wife.
"Oh, come on Hugo, it's just what you want to do when you're in love."
"Ewwww..." Hugo announced again, walking past his father and to his mother. "Maman, have you washed my red Star Wars Christmas jumper? I wanted to wear it tomorrow."
Marinette searched through the pile of clothing on the bed, throwing the jumper to Hugo in practised precision.
"Thanks Maman, you're the best." He began to move away as Adrien reached out to place one hand on his son's shoulder.
"Listen, Hu, I'm off to the boulangerie if you want to come."
Hugo didn't even stop to look at his father instead continuing to walk out of the room. "Naa it's okay, I'll be seeing grandmere and grandpere tomorrow."
Adrien heard Hugo's bedroom door click before turning back to face Marinette; his eyes full on longing for his little sidekick.
"It'll be okay. He's just hitting his tweens. Remember how Louis was? He was unbearable until he was 13."
"He's still unbearable now," Adrien claimed as a pair of rather saucy red knickers hit him in the face. Picking them up from the floor, he looked them over before wiggling his eyebrows at Marinette. "New undies?" he questioned, Marinette responding with a wink.
Adrien headed to the door a slight chuckle leaving his lips as Plagg flew into his coat pocket and Adrien made his way down the stairs and towards the front door.
"Santa said you've been a very good boy this year," Marinette called after him, causing Adrien to snort and Hugo to make himself known once more through his bedroom door.
"Maman, that's gross!"
Laughing, Marinette headed back to their bedroom, and Adrien out the door; Hugo praying that Santa was going to bring him some new noise cancelling headphones this year. There were only so many of his parents' lovey-dovey displays he could take.
───※ ·❆· ※───
Adrien made it to the boulangerie just before closing, entering through the main doors as Tom and Sabine served up the last couple of customers. The whole place was decked out in beautiful red and gold decorations, a nod towards Sabine's heritage and a wonderful announcement of the festive holiday to come.
Dropping them a quick wave, Adrien hung back, looking at the different arrays of treats left over from their Christmas Eve rush. Memories of Christmas past played through Adrien's head as he remembered how Hugo would come with him on Christmas Eve just to see his grandparents and wish them a Merry Christmas.
The young boy would get under everyone's feet as Tom sneakily slipped him sweet treat after sweet treat, giving the small child a crazy sugar rush — one that died quickly the moment he was put to bed. Adrien couldn't help but wonder if it was some sort of crazy magic Tom and Sabine had worked out over the years with Marinette and then the twins; feeding them up so they come back down to Earth with a bang.
"Adrien, everything's upstairs in the kitchen. Do you want me to come up with you to grab it?" Tom asked, wiping his hands on a towel and heading to the back of the shop.
"Sure," Adrien replied, dropping a kiss to Sabine's cheeks as he moved past to follow Tom up the staircase.
Climbing up the flights, they made it to the main floor and Tom let Adrien in. Not too much had changed in the Dupain-Cheng residence over the years. Of course, when the kids were younger the place was filled with toys, bottles and diapers; but now everything was firmly put back into place.
Adrien looked at the many photos of the children as he walked back into the kitchen. Tom and Sabine had given his children the love they never would have gotten from his own father, and even with the lack of any true Aunts and only one questionable uncle, the children were constantly surrounded by love. He could never have wished for anything more.
Walking to the fridge, he opened the door and looked inside. About a dozen pre prepared delicacies sat in containers just waiting for Marinette's magical touch the following morning.
"Don't forget the proving drawer too," Tom announced, Adrien closing the fridge door and moving to the speciality drawer. "Tell Marinette it should be ready to be baked tonight, but obviously I trust her judgement if she thinks it's no good."
"Sure." Adrien moved to a cabinet and grabbed a couple of bags continuing to load the different containers between the two.
"Did you want to take the kids' presents too?" Tom asked, moving over to give Adrien a hand with the loading.
"No, don't worry about that. They can just have them tomorrow when you come over."
Adrien could feel Tom studying him. The gaze burning rings into his head as he was sure he was being judged.
"Okay, who are you? What have you done with my son in law? It's Christmas Eve, this is very mellow for you."
Adrien sighed, he should have known Tom would pick up on something. Tom was very perceptive on a good day, but any day that involved his clan he was like a hawk.
"It's nothing really. I've just realised something today, that's all." Adrien shrugged his shoulders. There wasn't a lot that could be done. It's not like he could permanently go back in time just to live Christmas with his babies all over again.
"Come on, Son. Speak to me." Tom sat on a kitchen stool, nodding to the one in front of him in indication for Adrien to come and join.
Adrien finished up the bags and headed in Tom's direction; he needed to get this off his chest before it ate away at him and he spoiled Christmas Day for the whole family. He trusted Tom and he knew the big guy would be on his side and, hopefully, offer some good advice.
Adrien climbed up onto the chair and settled down in front of his father in law. This table held so many memories: his first 'date' with Marinette — as Chat Noir — where he managed to get Tom akumatised (they can laugh about it now); the day he was introduced properly as Marinette's boyfriend and they showered him with heavenly baked goods and love; the day Marinette broke down beside him and they finally told her parents who they really were; the day Adrien asked Tom's permission to marry Marinette only to be followed a couple of months later by the reveal of their first pregnancy.
This one area of this one small apartment held so many memories and life changing moments and now here he was sounding like an ungrateful, selfish man.
"The kids are growing up and I —" Adrien stalled, unable to finish his sentence.
The silence didn't last too long though as Plagg flew from his hiding place and settled between them.
"He thinks the magic of Christmas has gone now that the kids are all spotty, moody and don't wash anymore."
"Plagg!" Adrien tried to grab the kwami before he could say anything else. Plagg and Tom were known to have rather interesting conversations and a lot of the time no one else — Tikki included — would step foot near it.
Tom bellowed out a laugh, Adrien worrying the big guy was about to fall off the stool. Was it really that funny?
"You know," Tom began, "we were lucky with Marinette, she's always been excited for Christmas, she never seemed to grow out of it. Also, after she met you she was determined to make it special for you so it prolonged the magic for us all."
Adrien couldn't help the pride swelling in his chest. Marinette had gone out of her way from that first Christmas they'd met and only upped the ante every year since. She truly was the most wonderful woman he'd ever met.
"I just feel as though I should have done more. That we're past the point of them believing and I didn't do enough." He let out a deep sigh. "I just always thought I had more time."
Tom stood from his seat, walking around to Adrien and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You're comparing yourself to him again! Adrien, you are the most caring and attentive father. One who decided that the Barbie dream house wasn't made good enough for his little girl so commissioned Mattel to make one to Emma's exact specification."
Adrien smiled to himself, Emma couldn't hold back the excitement that Santa had personally looked in her sketchbook to create her dream 'dream house'. It was one of the only times Adrien had ever flexed his name. That and Louis' Spider-Man.
"I didn't want her to think that Santa didn't care." Adrien said without an ounce of praise for himself.
"And what about the year Hugo was sick and was worried that because he kept waking up, Santa wouldn't come?" Tom continued.
Adrien stretched a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing against his skin as he remembered that night. Hugo had caught Scarlet Fever and was struggling to sleep due to the pain in his throat and an uncontrollable fever. He'd been so worried Santa wouldn't come because he wasn't sleeping, Emma and Louis not doing anything to help with their younger brothers worry. So, Adrien had decided to dress up as Santa and make a quick stop in Hugo's room to see the young boy and wish him well.
"I didn't want him to feel guilty about anything, it was really making him anxious," Adrien explained.
"And then Louis, awww, sweet Louis. We were all shocked when his Christmas wish was to see Gabriel, but even though you had your own issues with your father you allowed that to happen. It may not have been the warmest of afternoons but you didn't deny him the chance to meet his other Grandparent."
Adrien couldn't help but smile, maybe he had tried hard to give them all what they wanted and to make their Christmas' special, but still he missed the buzz in the house and the excitement of buying the children random toys which they adored. Now it was all electronics and technology. It's not like they could all play with Louis' new iPhone.
Tom remained standing beside Adrien, one arm leaning on the table as he spoke.
"I understand how you feel, it's scary when they grow up and lose their innocence, but change doesn't have to be a bad thing. Remember, yourself and Marinette are still young, take the time to enjoy each other again. The kids are getting older and new exciting things will come. The first time they have a boyfriend or girlfriend to bring home and especially when they get married and have families of their own. Believe me when I say spoiling your grandkids is a lot more fun than spoiling your own kids; especially when you can buy them really noisy toys." Tom howled out a laugh, smacking Adrien on the shoulder once more.
"Marinette still hasn't forgiven you for the drums."
Tom laughed again, Adrien smiling along with the big guy and standing to take him into a hug.
"Thanks, Papa."
"Anytime. You're one of us, Adrien. You have been since that first day you walked through the door to play video games with Marinette."
Adrien grabbed hold of him again, Plagg flying over — cheese hanging from his mouth — to join in with the group hug. Obviously the kwami had found his special treats.
"Am I interrupting something?" Sabine appeared in the kitchen, her arms folded and an amused smile on her face.
"Just having some father and son time," Tom replied, releasing Adrien and handing him the filled bags.
Sabine walked over and took Adrien into a hug too. "I hope Tom's not stealing all the hugs from my favourite son in law."
"Don't you mean only son in law," Adrien corrected, pulling his bag filled hands back from around his mother in law's waist.
"You're still my favourite," she chuckled. "Did Tom ask you about the children's presents?"
"Yeah, just bring them with you tomorrow. Is eleven still okay for you both? Hopefully the kids will be awake by then."
They all began to say their goodbyes, Sabine sorting out the washing up as Tom walked with Adrien to the door. The young man stopped abruptly before turning back to Sabine.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Maman, do you have any antacids at all? Marinette's suffering from acid reflux at night."
A crash of glass was heard in the kitchen as Sabine dropped the glass she was washing on the floor. "H-h-how long has she had it?"
Adrien frowned, watching Sabine's strange reaction to such a normal request. It was Christmas time; everyone was known for bad eating and over indulging.
"A couple of weeks, I think."
"I think I have something in the bedroom. Tom? Can you clean the floor for me please? I had a bit of a mishap."
Tom moved to the kitchen as Sabine went in search of the medicine. She arrived back mere seconds later handing Adrien a bottle and some tablets.
"Make sure you tell her to read the labels and check she's okay to have them."
Adrien nodded before leaving the apartment, bags and medicine in hand, none the wiser to Sabine's worry.
───※ ·❆· ※───
Adrien returned home all set to spend a nice evening with his wife and watch 'The Muppets Christmas Carol', a tradition started from their first year dating. What he didn't expect was for Louis to be walking out the kitchen into the lounge with a large bowl of popcorn in hand.
"Don't you dare eat that all!" Emma chased after her brother, her own empty bowl in her hands.
"Just have some of mine, I've got loads." Hugo followed next with his own bowl overflowing, chasing after Emma into the lounge too. Squabbling started in the one room as he walked into the kitchen to find his wife making hot chocolate — complete with cream and marshmallows. Five 'Superhero' mugs sitting on the kitchen counter.
"W-w-what's happening?" He placed the bags on the closest worktop and started to unload out the containers, placing them on the work surface beside him.
"Maman, tell Louis to share!" Emma's voice came screeching from the lounge.
"Share with your sister, Lou." Marinette called back before setting her eyes on her husband.
Adrien looked at his wife, the smile on her face so warm and loving he could have melted on the spot.
"Has your Maman called you?" Adrien asked, moving the containers to the fridge, before taking the ones from the proving drawer to Marinette.
"Nope, not my Maman," Marinette replied, popping the lid from the container and examining the dough. She turned the oven on before moving to grab a bread baking tin from the cupboard.
"Your papa then?"
She turned and dropped him a wink, Adrien groaning in response. "You called the kids back, didn't you?"
"Surprisingly, no. Emma and Louis appeared about ten minutes after you left, Hu let them in. Apparently, it was all his doing."
Adrien smiled, he knew his baby still had a little of the magic left in him. He walked towards Marinette, pulling her away from the baking tin so he could wrap his arms around her and kiss her on the forehead.
"I love you so much, M'Lady. Thank you."
Marinette giggled, pushing onto her toes to kiss him on the nose. "I told you, it wasn't me. You need to thank Hugo."
"But without you, there would be no Hugo."
He leaned down to her height and pressed his lips softly against hers, feeling the warmth and wetness transfer to his own. God, he loved this woman.
"Ewwww... not again! Can you two give us a break please?" Hugo made his way to the fridge, opening the door and taking a bottle of water.
"Never!" Marinette replied, turning away from Adrien and back to the job at hand — getting the bun cooking in the oven.
Adrien surged forwards and took his youngest in his arms, pulling him tight and lifting him off the ground. Hugo was still only half the height of Adrien much to the young boy's dismay. His height didn't quite match up to his brother or father making him worry a little he would be taking after Marinette.
"I love you, Hugo. I don't get a chance to say it as much anymore but please know, you and your brother and sister mean the world to me."
"We love you too, Papa." Hugo wrapped his arms around his father, holding tightly and burying his head into Adrien's neck. "I'm sorry we're all turning into annoying teenagers — Louis more than me — but we all agreed, Christmas Eve is only Christmas Eve if we all watch The Muppets Christmas Carol — together. Merry Christmas Papa."
Adrien felt his eyes well with tears. This really was the best Christmas gift ever, his family all together, singing songs they'd been practising for years and enjoying Michael Cane being taken on an adventure.
Marinette moved forward and wrapped an arm around his waist, resting her head against his side and smiling to where Hugo was walking back into the lounge. He stopped and turned back to face his parents, a smile plastered over his face.
"You've done a great job with them, Kitty. I'm really proud of you."
Before Adrien could respond, Hugo's voice sounded from the lounge.
"Come on papa," Hugo announced, "we can't start without you."
Adrien smiled down at Marinette before heading out and into the room where his children looked at him with such love and affection he couldn't help but feel like maybe growing up didn't mean he lost his kids.
───※ ·❆· ※───
"Goodnight Papa."
"Love you pops!"
"See you in the morning."
Hugs and kisses were passed between parents and children as the younger Agrestes headed up to their rooms.
"Don't stay up too late," Marinette shouted after them as she snuggled into Adrien's chest, laying back on the sofa in between his legs.
The multiple sounds of voices promising they won't followed the heavy footfall up the stairs only to be punctuated by the slamming of three doors at three different times.
"One day they'll learn to close them gently. It's a good job we don't have neighbours" Adrien laughed out loud, burying his face into Marinette's hair and taking a good inhale of her floral fragrance.
The evening had been everything he wanted — and more, and now there was a little time left with his Lady before they could manoeuvre themselves to the bedroom and straight to bed. It had been quite the mentally exhausting day.
"Merry Christmas, Kitty." Turning her head, Marinette kissed Adrien under his jaw before standing up and walking towards the tree.
There was only one gift there; perfectly wrapped; the golden bow made to compliment the red and black wrapping paper. Marinette picked it up before making her way back to the sofa and holding it out for her husband.
"What's this?" Adrien laughed, taking the box from her outstretched hands and placing it on his lap. She sat beside him, tucking her legs up and smiling at him. "It's one of your presents, silly, and I would like you to open it now — even though it's not quite Christmas day yet."
Adrien checked the clock before looking back at the present, the fidget of Marinette beside him doing nothing to calm his nerves.
"But the kids aren't with us?" he said, looking at her and frowning in confusion. This wasn't how they usually did presents.
"Exactly why I'm giving it to you now." She pressed a kiss to his cheek, then slowly moved to place one on his nose. His Lady was being playful this evening.
He looked back at the gift, slowly undoing the bow before opening the sides delicately and finally removing the present box from the confines of the gift wrap.
The white box only added to the curiosity and to Marinette's anxious knee bounce, if he wasn't fast she was most likely going to steal it from his hands and open it herself.
Lifting the lid cautiously, he looked down into a mountain of tissue paper. There, hidden in the pile was a toy. A small black kitten. He took the cat from the nest it was sitting in and looked at it. It was beautiful.
"I –" he coughed, "It's really cute but quite a strange gift, Marinette."
"Keep looking," she said and he noticed a glistening sheen had taken over her eyes. The lights from the tree began to dance against the ocean blue, adding sparkle to her unshed tears.
Adrien turned from Marinette back to the box, emptying it out and not finding anything else.
Then he saw it.
Grabbing hold of the kitten, he noticed a bell around its neck, one very similar to what he had when transformed as Chat Noir. He glanced at Marinette, the nod being all the clarification he needed to take the bell and crush it; a small scroll of paper left within the pieces of bell laying on his open palm.
Suddenly, his hand began to shake. Whatever this was would be important; his bell being the holding place for many pieces of small but life changing information.
Brushing his thumb against it, he unrolled the scroll and looked down at the words
'Our deepest desire is now complete.'
The kitten.
The scroll.
The quote.
Their deepest desire. One they shared together.
Kitten number four.
He raised his hand to his mouth and rubbed over the stubble already making its mark from an almost day-old shave. The tears danced in his eyes before continuing the dance down his face and onto his lap, a Conga line of joy and disbelief.
Marinette hugged him tightly, her lips kissing his ear before she spoke. "It was our greatest desire, remember, Kitty?"
He pulled back, a glistening in her eyes and a wide grin on her face showing the extent of her happiness. She'd never looked more beautiful.
"How could I ever forget?" He smiled with enough force to short circuit the National Grid.
Placing his lips against hers, he marvelled how one woman could be made so perfectly for him. He adored his wife, his kids and he couldn't wait for the next one to join the clan. This really was the best Christmas ever.
Then it hit him. Was he prematurely celebrating this? Marinette underwent a lot of complications with Hugo's birth to the point she was told she'd never be able to naturally conceive again, and although they wanted a big litter, they were more than happy to leave it at three. The smile dropped from his face, and his hands couldn't help the nervous shake. Would they get through this unscathed?
"I'm — I'm just — how? I thought they said after Hugo's birth it was very unlikely we'd be able to conceive again?" His voice had come out high pitched and squeaky, laced with disbelief.
Marinette shrugged, obviously his shocked response wasn't one she had considered. "I understand this is a shock, but I'm really happy about this and I hope you are too. I know this isn't planned, but I want it so much."
Adrien watched as she placed her hands over her stomach, the tears gliding down her face. She'd misunderstood him completely, he wasn't sad... he was most certainly happy. Actually, happiness wasn't a big enough emotion to convey this — he was ecstatic. But that didn't stop the nagging feeling of worry.
"No, no, no! You've got me all wrong Marinette. You know full well I've always wanted a big family, and I'm so grateful we have this little miracle on the way." Sliding onto his knees in front of Marinette he took her hands from her stomach and pressed them to his lips, kissing both before placing a kiss to her stomach. "I'm so, so grateful. You're amazing!"
Marinette brushed her fingers through his hair and looked down at him.
"So, you're okay with this? With going back to dirty diapers and sleepless nights?" she asked, tears still rolling down her face.
"Of course, oh goodness, of course I am! This is just the greatest news ever! God, I love you so much." He lifted up on his knees wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head into her chest. "I never thought we'd get the fourth. I thought that the issues when you went into labour with Hugo would stop this from happening. Did Tikki have anything to do with it? I just... I can't believe it. It's a miracle."
Marinette giggled, looping her arms around Adrien's shoulders and kissing his neck, cheek, ear... anything she could touch.
"You know I had my check up earlier this week? Well, when they attempted my internal exam, they noticed my body had changed. They discussed the possibility with me and called for a midwife to come and do an ultrasound scan. I told them that I didn't want to see anything because you weren't with me, only to let me know if there was a baby or not. We have an appointment in three days for my four month check."
Four months! Woah!
Adrien sat back up on the sofa and took her into his arms once more. "Are you okay though? Your body's going to be fine coping with it all? As much as I want and love this baby, I can't lose you."
"I'm absolutely fine, Kitty, I promise. They want to keep a close check on me because of my age and what happened with Hugo, but all my vitals are perfect."
Adrien's grin impossibly turned wider and he didn't think he'd ever be able to frown again. "We're having a baby."
"We're having a baby," she echoed.
She threaded her fingers through his hair, his head moving willingly in her direction and kissed her with as much vigour as when they found out she was pregnant with Louis and Emma. Pulling away, a laugh left his lips as he brushed his thumbs over her tear streaked cheeks, removing the moisture with soft caresses and kisses.
"Does anyone else know?" Adrien asked, his hands coming to grab Marinette's once more.
"I'm guessing my Maman has a clue after your request earlier. She can quiz me at lunch tomorrow though, I wanted you to be the first to know. The kids are going to be mad," Marinette chuckled, standing from the sofa and offering a hand out to Adrien.
"Let them be! It'll be even worse when we tell them they're old enough now to help out. Stinky diapers, baby spit up, and getting woken up early. Poor them." Adrien took Marinette's hand and pushed up onto his feet, moving to turn the lights out before exiting towards the bedroom.
"I may have slipped some clues into their gifts."
Adrien chuckled. "You're a genius, M'Lady."
After making it to the top of the stairs, they stood side by side on the landing looking at their kids' bedrooms, before looking to the one to the left — empty and waiting. Adrien could just picture it now, Louis stumbling out of his room telling them to quieten the baby down, Emma being the mother hen she was and supporting Marinette through everything, then Hugo trying to get them to play Roblox at an unsuitable age. Oh yes, the Agrestes were back in business.
"I can't wait for them to find out."