He Can't Forget | ✓

5 | loud mouths

"Nino! Why didn't you tell me this was Marinette's apartment!?"

After everyone and gone to bed for the night—a makeshift bed made for Adrien on the couch because the bedroom he was offered obviously wasn't ready—Adrien had texted Nino over the phone asking him to come out to the living room. Of course, Nino wasn't exactly the stealthiest person out there, and the loud creaking of the bedroom door that he shared with Alya sounded like a wooden floorboard in an abandoned house. He honestly thought the sound would wake up the whole apartment. But thankfully, only Nino's tired figure appeared from the pitch black hallway, dressed in long pajama pants and a white tee.

"I knew you wouldn't come if I told you it was Marinette's place." Was his whispered response.

"Well yeah. And with good reason. I would've felt like I was imposing."

Nino slowly sat down on the couch as Adrien made room for him. The brunette sighed heavily as he ran a hand down his face. "You're not imposing anyone, Adrien. Marinette doesn't mind that you're here."

Adrien wanted to say that it was only because Nino had convinced her to let him stay here, but he supposed there was no point in mentioning that if Marinette had indeed changed her mind. "Maybe not." Adrien decided with instead. "But Alya sure does, and she's already made that extremely clear."

It was obvious why Alya hated him. She knew he was Chat Noir, after all. Which meant that she also knew he was Emilie's father. She was probably emotionally torn between wanting to ring his neck for even having the audacity to step foot into Marinette's home after he'd left her all those years ago, or ratting him out by telling Marinette that he was Chat Noir.

Either way, this had been a bad idea. He wasn't sure why Nino thought it was a good one.

Nino sighed heavily, "Alya needs to understand that what happened between you and Marinette is not any of her business—not unless Marinette makes it her business. And if Marinette wants you back in her life, she doesn't have the right to interfere."

Adrien ran a hand through his hair, somewhat frustrated. "Except Marinette doesn't know I'm Chat Noir. And she doesn't know that I know that I'm a father."

"So... maybe you could tell her?"

"Are you kidding? She would probably kick me out the moment she found out."

Nino frowned at his best friend. "How long are you going to keep that from her? It's been five years. Don't you think she has a right to know by now?"

Adrien turned his head to meet his friend's eyes, despite not really being able to see them that well in the dark. He didn't want to be bitter, but his response was anything but sweet. It held lots of resentment that he had no right to hold against Marinette. "Like I had the right to know that I was a father? But Marinette never told me?"

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, especially when Nino's brows furrowed deeply. "First of all, you have no right to complain when you were the one who didn't want to tell her who you were, yet wanted to reap the benefits of dating her." Nino shook his head, his frown deepening in disappointment. "That wasn't fair to Marinette, man. If you wanted to keep that important secret from her, you can't complain if she decided to return the favor."

Adrien huffed in annoyance, despite knowing that his friend was right. He was being hypocritical, no matter how much he wished Marinette would've told him about her pregnancy. If he would've known, he would've never left. He would've abandoned they very idea of his own dreams and stayed with her to help her raise their child together. They could've been a family. He'd always wanted a family of his own. He would've definitely revealed his identity to her in that scenario.