One sided benefits

Can We Talk About It?

"Hey, I thought you wanted to stay at Marinette's place for the next time!", Gabriel exclaimed in shock, because the couple, who usually was rather calm and harmonic with each other, passed them by, as they were just entering the mansion, on their way from the dining room to Adrien's bedroom, arguing.

"Marinette!", Adrien called after her, "can we talk about it? There is no use in yelling at each other, so please, calm a little bit down!"

"Calm down? Calm down?", she yelled back. "Eight weeks, Adrien and you're telling me now? If you were aware of it all of the time, why didn't you say anything before? And don't tell me, you forgot!"

She noticed the two adults and Gabriel's outburst only now and blushed deeply, to then, without another word, vanish into the young man's bedroom.

"What's going on, Adrien? Did something happen?", Nathalie asked him softly, as she laid a hand on his forearm.

The teenager sighed and just mumbled:

"Believe me, you wouldn't understand. It's something, Marinette and I have to talk through on our own for now. But tell me, how was the appointment? Am I going to be the big brother to a little sis or a little bro?"

He gestured towards her belly as he spoke, almost touching the surface of Nathalie's shirt, to then quickly pull his hand back, feeling to self conscious to ask, if he could feel for his sibling's light first movements. He had heard his father speak about it, but was still to shy, to address the matter.

Nathalie though had noticed him, hesitantly reaching out, then pulling his hand back. With a loving smile, she caught his wrist and pulled him back, to place his palm on the left side.

"It's alright, Adrien, you are allowed to feel your little sister kick!", she cooed softly.

His expression immediately changed and he smiled blissfully, as he whispered:

"Sister? Really?"

Then he bent down and hummed right above his hand:

"Hello little sis. I am your big brother and I will always protect you!"

He wasn't sure, if by coincident or as a reaction to his voice, but he could feel a very faint kick through the fabric of Nathalie's shirt just a moment later.

He looked up and into the pregnant woman's face, as if he was asking, if he had really felt that, when she already nodded.

"Yes, Adrien, you just felt the baby kick! Though this was a rather week one. She can do much better by now!", she told him.

"Thank you for letting me feel her, Nath. I will go and take care of my girlfriend now. Maybe the good news will get her into a better mood too!", he blurted out and very softly pecked his stepmother's cheek.

Then he ran up the stairs, taking two steps at a time and was soon gone.

"He really seems to make progress!", Gabriel said pensively, "I haven't seen him so confident before. Like not pulling back, when someone despite Marinette or me tries to touch him. And he even kissed you, Nathalie. That was huge!"

"Uhm, actually, Gabriel, it wasn't. He always trusted me. I even felt, that he has become more distant than before, since he knows about the pregnancy. But I did a bit of research and found out, that a lot of teenagers, especially boys, fell flustered if they are looking at or even touching a baby bump. So his reaction was most likely very normal and that's really good. Though I would like to know, why they are arguing, they never do. At least not like this!"

The as well concerned man laid an arm around his wife and pulled her towards him.

"Me too, darling, me too. But for now, we should maybe give them a little more privacy and get to work. And with work I mean, we will sit down and look for paint and furniture for the nursery, now that we know, it's a little girl. I know, you don't like making everything pink and girlie, but believe an old fashion designer, when he tells you, even if you try, you won't be able to avoid the pink. Not even Audrey Bourgeois could get completely past it. She maybe would have, if I Emilie hadn't gotten her a whole line from some famous designer for baby clothing in baby pink and as the style queen, she was kinda forced, to dress Chloe in it. But that's always the issue. You can't just not dress them at least once in the clothes people will gift you for your newborn, to not offend them, so....we can as well paint her room in some stereotypical girl colour!"