Does he remember?

Chapter Fifteen

"Hi, Adrien", Marinette broke the silence, stepping forward to greet him. 

"uh...hey, Marinette", Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to greet her. He was used to either hugging her kissing her before. 

"Well, Adrien, why don't you let Nino show you where you're staying?" Alya clapped her hands together, livening up the awkward tension in the room.

"Oh, sure that'd be-", Adrien began.

"Mommy!" Emma came running down the hallway, grabbing onto Marinette's legs. "There's a spider in my room."

"Emma", Marinette said quietly. "It's not going to hurt you, okay? I'll go take care of it in a minute."

Adrien's whole body froze. Marinette? A mother? How did this happen? His body boiled with anger. Who had she been with since their breakup? And where was this guy now?

Emma glanced over to Adrien, realizing what was going on. "Oh, hi there."

"H-hi", Adrien stuttered, his eyes fixating on hers. Emma's eyes were green, just like his. "I'm Adrien."

"I know", Emma smiled. "My mommy has a lot of pictures of you."

"Emma", Marinette used a firm tone. "Let's go back in your room and take care of that spider, okay?"

Adrien watched as Marinette and Emma went down the hallway and disappeared into a room. He must've been staring for a while because Nino waved a hand in front of his face. "Dude, can you even hear me right now?"

"Oh, sorry, Nino", Adrien snapped back to reality, his eyes now on Nino's. "Show me my room?" Once they were downstairs, Adrien couldn't help but bring up his burning questions that couldn't seem to stop rattling in his brain. "Wow, this is pretty awesome, dude."

"Yep, this is your place for a little", Nino placed his hands on his hips. "Hope you like it. We did this for you."

"Thanks, bud. I really appreciate everything", Adrien placed a hand on Nino's shoulder. "So, Marinette has a daughter?"

"Oh, yeah", Nino's eyes darted everywhere around the room, not knowing how he can avoid this conversation without revealing too much.

"Did the guy...did he", Adrien racked his brain on how to word things. "Did he leave them? Did he leave Marinette?"

Nino nodded. "Yeah, he did. But I don't think he knew she was pregnant. I mean, she didn't even find out until weeks later."

Adrien took a deep breath, trying to process the whole situation. "Well, I'm really glad you two were here for her."

"Us and her daughter", Nino smiled. "Emma is her whole world."

Adrien smiled. He felt somewhat at ease that Marinette was okay and had people here to take care of her. "So...do you know who this guy is?"

Nino blew out a breath, trying to hide the fact that he was lying about not knowing who the father is. "Man, I'm not sure. I'm not really in the loop when it comes to Marinette's love life. I mean, except when she was in love with you but that's besides the point", Nino let out a small laugh. "I'm sure Alya knows, though."

Adrien nodded. "Yeah, I don't wanna ask, though. I don't want to intrude on anyone's personal life. I'm just curious as to how anyone could possibly leave Marinette for no reason."

Nino crossed his arms. "It seems like a common thing with her."

"What do you mean?" Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, growing angered that Marinette must've been with other guys.

"Shit", Nino murmured to himself. "Forget that I said that. Forget this conversation, okay?"

"I can't", Adrien shrugged. "I can't forget this conversation knowing that Marinette's been being left by multiple guys." Adrien knew full well that he had also left Marinette. But with Nino's wording, it sounded like a lot more than just one.

Nino sighed in defeat. "Well, listen, I don't know if you knew this but she dated Chat Noir for like 3 years, okay? Just don't tell anyone or I swear I'm going to have to be mad at you."

Adrien cleared his throat. "Uh, wow. I-I had no idea."

Nino nodded. "Yep. Anyways, he left her and she was a mess. Who knows how many guys she went through to try and get over him", Nino rubbed his temples. "She had dated a few guys but when they found out she was a mother, they all freaked out and ran away. But between you and me, I don't think she was dating those guys because she liked them. I think she was dating them so she could find someone who was able to support both her and her daughter. All she wants is a family at this point, and I think the absence of a father for a child is frustrating for her sometimes. I think that Marinette feels like a burden living in this house with Alya and I, almost like she's intruding us. I hate that she feels that way, Alya and I love having her here. But it almost seems like Marinette feels out of place sometimes and just wants to make her own life, but she can't when she's living with her friends. And that's why she was dating those guys so she could move out of this house and in with them so she felt like she wasn't using us. It's so upsetting, though. We love having Marinette here, and I wish she just knew that already."

Adrien's heart felt heavier than ever, and a lump in his throat had begun to form. The guilt and shame he felt in that moment had never been so strong before. She felt lost because of him, and he couldn't do a single thing about it. Marinette had suffered for so long, trying to provide for her daughter while also feeling like a burden to her friends and feeling the need to move out of their hair. 

An idea popped into Adrien's head. "I can help her."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on", Adrien began. "I have all the money in the world that I'm never going to use. Why don't I just get her a place for her and her daughter? That way, she won't feel like a burden anymore. And, she'll stop dating trashy guys."

Nino thought about it for a moment. "I mean, it's a pretty good idea. I'm not sure how Marinette will react to it, though. She might think of it as charity."

"Yeah, you're right. But, really, it's not a big deal. I just want to help her out", Adrien shrugged.

"Adrien", Nino jammed his hands into his pockets, walking slowly towards Adrien. "Would it be possible if, perhaps, you took Marinette out on a date?"