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Chapter Text

Burning clumps of charcoal stung Marinette's throat as she hunched over the toilet, emptying her stomach. She heaved and tears ran down her cheeks as she clutched at the seat. The short amount of time spent between jerking out of bed and throwing up was dizzying, and it didn't make the nausea any better.

“Marinette?” Tikki cautiously floated near to her, casting a concerned expression in her direction.

“I'm okay.” Marinette's voice hitched back.

She was not okay.

“Are you sure?”

“I'm sure.”

She wasn't sure.

Tikki wasn't convinced and Marinette knew it. Her words contradicted the uncertainty and fear they dripped with. She had been feeling bad for several weeks, but that was putting it lightly. She was exhausted from little and tired after the shortest of days. Nothing could quell how relentlessly ill she was. She wasn't just feeling like roadkill constantly, it hit her in waves when she least expected it. She could be getting out of bed just fine, walk downstairs with no problem, but the moment she made it to the kitchen where her mother was preparing breakfast, she was holding back the urge to retch her stomach out of her body.

Weeks. It had been happening for weeks. Tikki was persistent in trying to suggest a certain possibility, but she wouldn't take it. Marinette wouldn't believe the words her kwami was saying. She wouldn't even let her finish, because it wasn't true. It wasn't. She simply had a stomach virus, that's what it was.

She was sick and it had nothing to do with that careless, yet lovely night.

Marinette could place exactly how it happened. She was staying up late to sew, but she knew the real reason she hadn't gone back to sleep. It didn't take a lot of time to mend torn clothing, but she felt the need to move her hands slowly. The longer she was awake, the more likely Chat Noir was to show up.

He wouldn't knock on her skylight if he knew she was sleeping, so she kept the lights on and sat right in front of the window as she willed herself to focus on the piece of cloth in her hands rather than searching the dark sky.

More than ever, she hoped he would come. Where in the beginning she groaned at his arrival, she now looked forward to it. Now he wasn't just a stray cat showing up on her balcony. He wasn't just her silly partner. He wasn't just a boy hiding behind a mask and a coy smirk. He was more.

He was the knocking that resonated against her heart, the force that whipped her head from the fabric she was sewing. He was the cause of her eager hands as she opened the skylight, the smile that sent her stomach in a fluttering frenzy when they made eye contact. He was the silky lines that she rolled her eyes to, the glint in those cat-like slits that made her question her sanity.

And as she let him in, she was certain he would be her undoing.

She knew exactly how it happened, his hesitant hands reaching for her. She remembered exactly how it felt; their bodies pressed against one another, fumbling and awkward, but beautiful all the same. He was gentle and careful, almost afraid of touching her in the way her eyes begged him to. They were both inexperienced and unsure of what to do, but she held that night very dear to her heart.

She could recall the aftermath vividly, because that shy smile and blush that embellished his whole body was burned in her memory. He was etched into her being.

“I'm just sick, Tikki!” Marinette snapped when her kwami tried to bring it up.

Tikki sighed, undeterred by her chosen's short temper, “You keep saying that, but you and I both know it isn't true.”

She bit her lip and looked away, not wanting to address what was a high possibility. She looked out into the rising sun gleaming from the window, holding back the tears threatening to spill over. Time passed by slowly, but the sun continued to rise. The day would start soon, but she wasn't ready to face it.

Turning back to look at her little companion, she murmured, “What do I do?”

Tikki took those four words as permission to get closer and nuzzle Marinette's cheek, “Talk to someone, figure this out. If this is what I think it is, you're going to need help.”

“I'm talking to you.”

“You know what I mean. As much as I want to help you, Marinette, there's only so much a kwami can do.”

“Do I have to do it now?” She just about whimpered.

Tikki pressed a kiss to Marinette's jaw, “Get some rest.”

Nodding, Marinette didn't bother brushing out the taste of vomit from her mouth. She pushed herself up and made her way to her bed. She probably wasn't going to make it to school, the only thing on her mind was the comfort of her bed.

She pulled the blanket up to cover her form and snuggled into her pillow, looking to find consolation in its warmth. The only thing she could think of though, even as she drifted off, was how in the very sheets she was laying on, she gave a part of herself to someone she loved very much.

-

The sizzling of bacon was the only sound in the room. It filled the empty spaces and covered the walls, bouncing back and crackling in Marinette's ears. Or maybe that was her nerves. Maybe it was her resolve breaking apart in the boiling tension of her pulse. They were softening and crumbling in her sweaty palms.

Sizzling. Snapping back at her when she tried to calm them. It wasn't working. She felt clammy and her heart was running a marathon, speeding up even more when she thought about what she was about to do. She was about to confess to her mother what she hadn't even admitted to herself. She wanted to go back to bed and dream everything away, but it was too late. Her mother was already switching the stove off and setting the crispy strips on a plate to cool.

Sabine smiled at her. Marinette forced a smile in return. If her mother noticed the strain, she didn't say anything. She just turned around to rinse the pan out, leaving Marinette to worry and fret and contemplate running away to avoid the situation. The water drained down the sink just like her determination was being sapped away by the passing of time.

“Something's bothering you.” Her mother said, not even turning around to confirm whether she was right. Of course she was right. It wasn't a question.

“W-what makes you say that?” Marinette looked at the wall just past her mother's face.

She stared at her daughter sympathetically, “You look like you're about to pass out.” She sighed and made her way towards Marinette, sitting down across from her, “Talk to me. That's why you're here, right?”

Marinette took a shuddering breath, “I'm here to eat breakfast.”

She was backing out. Why was she backing out?

Sabine raised an eyebrow, “Just like you've been eating breakfast for the past few weeks? Don't act like I haven't noticed. You're worrying me, Marinette.” She was holding her hands now. Her sweaty hands that crushed her resolve, “You look sick everyday and you haven't been eating. I wouldn't be so concerned if that was it, but there's clearly something you're not telling me. I won't push, but I want to help you.”

She was avoiding eye contact again, “I don't want you to be mad at me. . .” She whispered.

“I won't be mad, I promise.”

“You can't promise that,” Marinette's head was in her hands, “You can't say you won't be made. You don't know that, I- I don't even know. I could be imagining things, but I don't know what to do anymore. I'm freaking out and I'm scared.”

A kiss to her shaking knuckles, “Why are you scared?”

“I screwed up.” She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but it only grew. It was getting harder to hold everything in, to not break down and cry in her mother's arms.

Sabine waited patiently for her to get her thoughts together and rebuild her nerves. She simply nodded encouragingly and rubbed her hands, offering up as much warmth and comfort as she could.

“I- I think. . .” She gulped, “I think I'm pregnant.”

Chapter Text

There's a large difference between thinking something and then saying it. Sure, they come hand in hand, but it affects a person differently. Thinking is like implying; you can see it, it's almost there, but not quite. Saying something is like confirming the thought.

Before Marinette became Ladybug, she thought she was strong. She thought she was confident and could stand up for herself, but it was different when she actually said it. Tikki made her look in the mirror and tell herself that she was strong and amazing and she was capable of doing great things.

She felt kind of silly at first, but it worked. She didn't need anybody else's validation, because she believed in herself. She was everything she thought she was and more. The same went for her clumsiness. She thought she was clumsy all the time, and it became even more evident when she actually said it.

Thoughts were powerful, but words put that power into motion.

So when Marinette suspected that she was pregnant, it bothered her. It drove her mad and overwhelmed her with shame. That was just the thought and the pent up emotions it brought, but when she said it, to the face of her mother no less, it took all of those emotions and brought it to the surface.

She said it. She took the letters and formed them into words on her tongue, she spoke it and it became real. It was there and she couldn't push it away anymore. She couldn't ignore the truth or stop the sobs that wracked her body.

Her head was in her hands, her fingers were gripping her hair, and her mother was next to her. Tears rolled down her face and she couldn't breathe. She was trying to inhale, but hiccups interrupted and she couldn't stop breathing in. It was as if her body was trying to suck the words back up and it wasn't working, so it just kept going and going and suffocating her.

She was suffocating.

“Breathe, baby. Just breathe. In and out.”

She was trying, but in and out wasn't an option anymore. It was just in in in. Take it back, pull it back in. It wasn't true, it was a lie. Her body was playing a trick on her, take those words back. In and in, attempting to breathe out, but choking on another inhale.

Her mom's hand was rubbing her back and she was shushing her gently, trying to comfort her. Marinette wondered how she was holding up, it wasn't like she just told her that it was going to rain tomorrow. She told her something life changing. How was she not freaking out?

With her mother's coaxing, she managed to breathe out. She drew it back in and let it out in a shaky breath.

“Just like that.” Sabine said, kissing her temple.

She repeated the process several times until she was breathing normally, no longer hyperventilating. Remnants of tears stained her cheeks, but a warm hand attempted to dry them. She peeked out from the protection of her fingers and was met with a concerned expression.

She could see the fear and disbelief in her mother's eyes, but it was drowned out by concern, “Marinette, are you okay?”

“No,” She mouthed.

Sabine pulled her into her arms in a tender hug. She stroked her hair and mumbled encouragement into her ear. She was consumed in reassurances, and for a moment, Marinette was okay. Her mom was with her and she was warm. She was loved and nobody was angry at her.

'Yet' a part of her mind whispered.

Several minutes passed before the two made their way to the couch. Marinette had gotten the rest of her tears out of the way, though she still sniffled every so often. It was silent between them. She wondered if maybe her mom was trying to figure out what to say or if she was just giving her a moment to contain herself. Either way, she appreciated the little moment.

“Are you sure?” Sabine broke the silence, “That you're pregnant.”

“Y-yes?” She replied, “I don't know. It's the only thing that makes sense.”

Her mother urged her to continue.

“I'm so tired, maman. I've been exhausted and I didn't know why. I figured I was just starting my period, but. . .” She shook her head, trying to steady her breathing that was becoming shallow again, “I thought I was stressed out or something. It's not like I haven't missed a month before, but then I missed again and I started throwing up and I- I don't know, I just feel wrong.”

Sabine was silent for a moment longer. It worried Marinette. Of course the news was hard take in, but she really needed help. She wanted everything to be a mistake, she wanted to be wrong, but with how things were, it wasn't likely.

“Please help me, maman.” Marinette looked down, “I don't know what to do.”

“Have you told anyone else?”

She shook her head.

“I'm gonna schedule a doctor's appointment, okay? We have to know for sure before we do anything else. For now, just go eat something and get some rest.”

After kissing her cheek, Marinette was left on the couch and feeling more exhausted than when she woke up that morning. She did it though. As terrifying as it was, she told her mom. Her heart was still thumping shakily and fear still gripped her, but she did it. She was gonna be okay.

Right?

-

“Guys, I'm getting worried.”

Adrien looked up from his notebook to see Alya's face scrunched up in concern, staring at the empty seat beside her. He had gotten worried, too. Marinette seemed to always look pale and exhausted when she came to school, and it was only a little better when he visited her in the night as Chat Noir.

“I'm sure she's alright, Al.” Nino smiled up at her before setting his hand on top of hers, “She's been kinda sick lately, so it's good that she's finally staying home.”

“I know,” Alya sighed, “But she usually calls me.”

“She's probably still asleep. We could visit her at lunch and see how she's holding up.” Adrien found himself saying, though it was only partly for Alya. He wanted to see her, too. He couldn't hold her in his arms and kiss her nose as Adrien, but he still loved seeing her and wanted to make sure she was okay.

“Your old man will let you do that?” Nino asked.

“No, but he's out of town. What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?” Adrien could feel his lips threatening to pull into a smirk.

“Oh ho, look at you, pretty boy. Finally reaching your rebellious stage!” Alya cackled, causing the two boys to laugh as well. “So we're gonna head over to the bakery for lunch?”

“Count me in. That's three times the love, and Nette's gonna need every bit of it to get better. The girl practically runs off of love.” Nino added.

Adrien could attest to that. Well, Chat Noir could. Whenever Marinette was feeling upset or tired, she would cuddle up in his arms and just lay there, soaking it up. A kiss brought a smile to her face and simply telling her how much he loved her had her giddy and bouncing back from anything that upset her.

He couldn't do much in his civilian form, but Nino and Alya certainly could. He was just trying to support her as much as his maskless face could.

By the time lunch came around, Alya was anxious to get going. She missed her best friend, Adrien could tell. She speed walked the whole way and fussed at them whenever they walked too slow for her taste. She was determined to make sure Marinette was okay, he liked that about her. He also didn't mind hurrying. The faster they made it to the bakery, the faster they could get out of the cold.

A jingling bell announced their arrival as they stepped through the door and Adrien was caught in the smell of freshly baked breads and pastries. He tasted their food all the time, but it was usually left overs Marinette brought up in the middle of the night.

While he was caught up in staring at the array of snacks he wished so desperately to taste while it was warm, Alya was already caught up in conversation with the petite woman he recognized as Marinette's mother. The sight of the lady who shared so many features with the girl he loved brought him back to Earth.

Marinette. She was sick. That instantly sobered him up from his pastry induced daze. He snapped his head up just in time to see Mm. Cheng's face go through a multitude of expressions in a single millisecond before settling into her usual calm one. Adrien had experience with masking his emotions and catching onto small details when it mattered, so he doubted Alya or Nino caught on to the worrying sight of an uncertain mother.

“I-is she okay? We all figured she was just sick.” Alya stuttered nervously.

It seemed he underestimated Alya's journalism skills. She noticed, too.

“She's fine, don't worry.” Mm. Cheng reassured them, “It'd probably be best if she didn't have any visitors though. She needs her rest. I'll let her know you came by.”

Adrien's heart dropped. Marinette usually brushed sickness aside in order to make it to school. Her attendance wasn't the best as it was, for a reason unknown to him and everyone else, so she tried to make up for it as much as possible. Just how sick was she?

“Can you get her to call us when she's better?” Nino filled the silence.

Mm. Cheng smiled and nodded, “Would you kids like some macarons on your way back to school? They're fresh out of the oven. It's on the house.”

They all accepted and thanked her as she got them out, but the sweet smell that would usually have him drooling couldn't distract him from Marinette's well being.

Something wasn't right and only Chat Noir could figure out what it was.

Chapter Text

Marinette wasn't hungry in the slightest. She picked at her food with no desire to take a single bite. She always expected to have cravings when she was pregnant, not to completely lose her appetite. Were food aversions a pregnancy symptom? She heard so often of pregnant women craving the weirdest things, but never being repulsed by just the smell of food. Maybe she was just sick. A stomach virus sounded about right.

“Marinette, are you still feeling ill?” A deep voice startled her from her thoughts.

“Huh?”

Tom gestured to her plate of cold food, “You haven't taken a single bite, or even touched it. Are you sure you're alright?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little sick.”

“You've been 'a little sick' for a while now.” His eyebrows rose in concern, “Maybe you should see a doctor.”

“Actually,” Sabine intervened, “I scheduled an appointment earlier today. They have an opening tomorrow, but it's pretty early. Is that okay, Marinette?”

“Tomorrow?” She gulped.

Her mom nodded solemnly, trying her best to encourage her. The look on her face told her it was okay and she could do it, she was strong, “Do you think you'll be up for. . . getting up before seven?”

Marinette, catching on to her mom's meaning, nervously looked down and twiddled with her fork to distract herself, “It'll be hard, but I can do it. I can do it.” She said mostly to herself.

Tom looked between mother and daughter in confusion, “Am I missing something?”

Her mother look at him with an assuring smile and Marinette tried her best to avoid any and all eye contact. It wasn't working. She couldn't help but look up and see the silent conversation between her parents, one she would never be able to decipher.

“Just a doctor's appointment, dear.” Sabine told him.

Tom wasn't convinced, but he said nothing more about it. He easily changed the subject before sending one more look to Sabine. Marinette sighed in relief and tried to down her food. That wasn't working either.

Marinette went up to bed early after dinner. Tom put his hand on her shoulder to stop her before she went. He kissed her cheek and told her to get better soon. Marinette smiled up at him and bid him goodnight, wishing with all of her being to somehow ease his worries without telling him anything.

He knew something was up. He wasn't stupid. His daughter was sick all the time and his wife seemed to be keeping something from him, of course he was suspicious. She just couldn't stand the guilt that flooded her every time he looked at her with concern, or even just looked at her (she was hiding something. Something big and crazy, and she didn't want to hurt him).

She knew she would have to tell him eventually and she dreaded the moment.

Hopefully the doctor would tell her that it was mistake and she could go back to normal life and forget everything happened. No one would have to know.

Marinette's hand slid on top of her stomach and she wondered if there really was life in there. She gently caressed her flat abdomen as she toyed with the idea of being a mother. Stumbling around with a baby on her hip, doing her homework while she rocked it to sleep, sewing onsies and hats, cooing and cuddling and kissing her baby's cheek. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, student, designer, superhero, and mother. She almost laughed at the thought. Almost.

She looked down to where her hand was cradling her belly and made no attempt to move it, as if she wanted to hold anything that could be there. Her mother told her not to think too much about it until the appointment, but she couldn't help it. Every possibility crossed her mind and she hated herself for liking the scenario she just played out. Having a baby of her own and raising a human being she created. She hated herself even more when Chat Noir crossed into her fantasies.

She didn't want to drag him down with fatherhood. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want him to blame himself. She didn't want him to be forced into revealing his identity and dropping every dream he had in order to be involved in their child's life. She didn't want him to do anything he didn't want to.

But selfishly, she didn't want him to leave her.

Every image in her head of raising a baby, he was there. This nameless person, happy to have a family with her. It wasn't realistic, she knew, but she wished anyway. If she was pregnant and she did keep it, she wanted him by her side.

She hated herself for it. For being so selfish and letting her mind wander to places she wasn't ready to think about. It was too much. Too much.

Marinette didn't realize she was crying until tears soaked her shirt. She pulled her hand from her stomach to quickly wipe the falling drops on her cheeks. She spilled so many in the arms of her mother, but she knew why then. She was confused and suffering from the tormenting thought. She was uncertain as to why she was crying this time. Was it because of her and her selfish wishes? Chat Noir? Her. . . her possible baby?

She groaned and smothered her face in her pillow. She wasn't ready to face it. She wanted to be in denial and forget everything until her appointment, but her mind just wouldn't leave her be. It kept gnawing at her and drilling things in her head. She wanted a distraction, but nothing worked.

The universe seemed to hate her, because the moment she complained of needing a distraction, a familiar knock came from her skylight. Marinette considered not responding and letting him think she was asleep, but she dismissed it. He had some sort of sixth sense when it came to her. He knew when she was feeling bad and needed company, knew when to leave her alone, knew how to approach her, knew how to love her, how to kiss her, how to touch her, knew her. . .

He somehow knew what he was needed when she needed it, and as much as she internally begged him to leave, he just knew when to come and this time was no exception. He would do nothing to distract her, but out of everything she needed, she needed him. They didn't have to talk. He could just hold her, and she wanted that. She wanted his comfort even if the reason she needed consolation had to do with him.

She unlatched the skylight and watched him ease his way inside, shooting her a sloppy grin. His smile dropped, however, when his eyes rested on her tired, tear stained face.

“Princess?” He reached out for her and she did nothing to stop him.

He held her cheek and wiped her face dry. He didn't say a word, but she could feel his worry through his fingertips. He was aching to say something, she could see it on his face, but he didn't.

“I'm okay.” She rasped.

His eyebrows furrowed and his hands stopped, “Please, Marinette. Don't lie to me.”

She looked down and his gaze followed her. She took a deep breath and said quietly, “I'm not okay.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

She shook her head.

He didn't push. He moved his hands to stroke her hair and she leaned into it, enjoying the feeling of his claws brushing out the tangles she hadn't bothered to take care of.

“You look horrible.” He deadpanned.

She barked out a laugh and swatted his hand away, instantly regretting it as she felt its absence, “That makes me feel so much better, Chat. Thanks.”

He grinned, “You're welcome, princess. Anything to assist my damsel.”

She rolled her eyes and he laughed, “You're incorrigible.”

“And you're beautiful.”

She met his eyes, “I thought I looked horrible?”

“You're always beautiful, no matter how awful you look.”

Marinette sighed, shaking her head and biting her lip to stifle a smile, “That makes no sense, Chat.”

He scoffed, “Makes perfect sense.”

“How?”

“You have dark circles under your eyes, you've been crying, your eyes are puffy, you look pale. It's a horrible look on you, Mari. It doesn't suit you. You're vibrant and beaming, optimistic and this brilliant light. Looking so down and distressed, I don't like it. It's not the lovely Marinette I know. But no matter your physical condition, you're beautiful to me.”

Chat had that look on his face. The sincere one he wore when he spilled his heart out to her. He wasn't tearing up, but his eyes were glassy as if such honesty was relieving to his soul. It was the look that was often directed at her. He was smitten.

“Kiss me.” Marinette blurted.

Chat stared at her for a second too long before his lips curved up, “Is that command, princess?”

She chuckled and tugged at his bell, “Yes, you dork. Now kiss me.”

He complied eagerly, leaning down to her height and pressing his lips to hers. He was still smiling and she pushed further into him in order to move it out of the way. She wanted to feel his lips thoroughly and as much as she loved his smile, it was interrupting.

His smile faded and she captured his lips in hers, desperate to have a taste before it was too late. She wouldn't let him pull away, not even for air. He hardly minded. He reached his arms around her waist to pull her closer, causing her to squeak. She settled in his lap and enjoyed every second of his hands running through her hair and his little noises of approval.

He was putty in her hands.

He eventually pulled back in order to breathe, panting and trying to catch his breath. She loved reducing him to a state of breathlessness. He looked into her eyes, “I'm the one who's suppose to be making you feel better.”

“Giving a girl what she wants is a great way to go about it.”

“You're devious.”

“And you love it.”

“No,” he murmured, and she was caught in the awed way he looked her, “I love you.”

“Do you really?” She found herself asking.

His eyes widened, “Of course I do. Why would you even ask that?”

She averted her gaze.

“Marinette?”

“Would you-” She cleared her throat, “Would you love me and stay with me. . . no matter what?”

He said nothing for a moment, but then he was holding her face in his hands and he was whispering, “Absolutely.”

“Kiss me again.”

And this time, he didn't stop to say anything. He just kissed her. All night, until the sun was threatening to rise, he held her and kissed everything away.

Chapter Text

Marinette had done a lot of crying lately. She didn't know if it was the supposed pregnancy hormones or just that she, a sixteen year old girl, was very likely going to have a baby. She figured it was both, but she was surprised to find that in the moment of truth, she didn't feel like crying at all.

Maybe she couldn't. Maybe her eyes had run dry and there was nothing left to let out anymore. Every thought had run through her mind, every choice was considered, but she was still at a loss. Crying was supposed to make her feel better, so maybe her body had given up because it wasn't helping.

So when those two words left the doctor's lips, she didn't cry. There was no lump in her throat or the moist feeling in her eyes she became so familiar with. Her mother grabbed her hand and gently squeezed, letting her know that she was there and it was okay to be scared.

Was she scared? Most definitely. Even though she imagined her suspicions being confirmed a dozen times already, the real confirmation wasn't any less daunting.

She was terrified.

The doctor proceeded to talk to her mother, but Marinette wasn't listening. Though she wasn't crying, she was panicking. The two words echoed in her mind.

You're pregnant.

Some people would weep with joy over those words. Others would probably just weep. Depending on the people and situation, those words brought different reactions. Marinette couldn't pinpoint what her reaction was exactly, but she could feel her heart pick up its pace and her stomach flutter uncomfortably.

You're pregnant.

No tears, she was breathing fine, she couldn't say she was shocked either, but she could feel her hands begin to shake as her insides flipped and collapsed into itself.

I'm pregnant.

And out came all her internal panicking, onto the floor with a sickening hurl.

-

On the way home, Marinette drummed her fingers nervously against her thigh. She watched the cars pass by in front of them as they waited on the traffic light. The soft music from the radio was white noise behind the whirling of her mind.

Now that it wasn't just a possibility, the certainty of her pregnancy brought different thoughts. Like how was she going to tell people? She knew everyone she was close to wouldn't judge her, at least not harshly, but questions would be asked.

Who was the father?

When did it happen?

How did it happen?

What was she going to do?

Would she keep it? If so, how would she graduate high school?

If not, would she give it up for adoption or have an abortion?

She wouldn't be able to answer most of those questions.

She wasn't afraid of telling Alya. She was her best friend and she would support her no matter what. She was a little nervous about telling Adrien and Nino, but they were her friends, too. They had her back. Her mom was already aware, so that wasn't a problem, but then she thought of her dad. Dinner the night before was tense, and she didn't want to think about how much worse it would be when she told him.

“Do I have to tell papa?” Marinette voiced her thoughts.

Sabine chuckled humorlessly, “This isn't exactly something you can hide, Marinette. Even if you chose to terminate it.”

Marinette snapped her head over to her mother who had a soft expression on her face.

“You know I will support any decision you come to.” she took her eyes off the red light, “You're young and ambitious, I wouldn't hold it against you for not wanting to go through with the pregnancy.”

“I know.” she sighed, “Terminate just. . . sounds so harsh. Though I have thought about it.”

“Is that what you want to do?”

Marinette didn't say anything and Sabine turned her attention back to the road as the light turned green. Her fantasies of motherhood and a maskless Chat Noir came back to mind, kissing the little baby on the forehead as she rocked it to sleep and sewing tiny socks for its tiny feet. It was a dream she was beginning to desire all too soon in her life, one no one would blame her for putting off until she was older, but did she want to do that?

“I don't know.” she admitted disdainfully, “It's not the only thing I've thought about.”

She felt her mom's hand caress hers, calming the tapping of her fingers, “You have time. You don't have to know right now.”

“Why are you so accepting of this?” She blurted, “I know you love me and you'll always support me, but I'm pregnant. You're supposed to be upset at me and give me a lecture about responsibility, demand to know who I slept with! Why are you so accepting of this, maman?”

She was met with silence.

Marinette waited for an answer.

Sabine didn't look at her, she just barely whispered in a small, knowing voice, “Because someone has to be.”

The conversation ended there and neither said a word for the rest of the ride. When they arrived home, Marinette rushed upstairs to her room. The solitude wasn't doing her any favors. It only gave her more time to over think, but she needed a moment to breathe and take in the information.

She was indeed pregnant, though with two missed periods and all the symptoms she was experiencing, she didn't know why she ever doubted it. She was usually lucky, but she guessed that was what happened when she tangoed with bad luck (without protection).

Marinette looked at the clock, noting that her classmates should be out for lunch about that time. Heaving a sigh, she made up her mind and picked up her phone. A couple of taps and ringing later, relief flooded Marinette when she heard a familiar voice.

“You know if you keep missing school like this you're gonna be even further behind.”

“Alya,” Marinette breathed.

“Woah, girl. You sound rough.”

“I feel rough.” she chuckled, “How have you been?”

“How have I been? How have YOU been? We're all worried sick about you. Are you okay?”

Marinette considered telling her that she was feeling better, but she knew it would be a lie. She wasn't feeling better. She was scared out of her mind and tired. Oh, she was so tired. Tired of being scared, of feeling sick every time she smelled food, of throwing up at random times in the day. She was tired of not knowing what to do and feeling like she was walking on eggshells around her parents. And quite frankly, she was tired of being pregnant.

Marinette was ready for everything to be over and done with, but her situation wasn't a quick one. It wasn't something she could just power through and hope it goes away quickly.

Telling Alya she was okay would be a flat out lie, and she didn't feel like lying.

“No.” she answered simply, “No, I'm not.”

“What?” Alya sounded surprised, “Is something the matter? Is it more than just a cold?”

It was more than just a cold alright, Marinette thought, but didn't dare say it out loud. “I'm- Alya, I'm not okay. I want to be, but I'm scared and exhausted. I don't know what to do. I know I have time, but I feel like everything is happening so fast.”

“This. . . doesn't have anything to do with a sickness, does it?”

Marinette laughed, “No, I'm not sick.”

“Is everything okay?” Alya barked out a laugh after she said that, “Of course everything isn't okay, duh. But you know you can tell me anything, right?”

“I know.” Marinette mumbled, “I'm going to tell you, I promise. Just. . .”

“Not right now.” Alya finished understandingly.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Okay, Mari. You don't have to tell me, we can just talk.”

“That sounds wonderful. I want to feel normal for at least a little bit.”

Alya chuckled, “If normal is what you're looking for, you've come to the wrong girl.”

“Fair point.” Marinette laughed, “Give me your Alya Madness. We haven't talked in forever.”

“I have to go back to class soon, but let's see if we can make up for the past two days.”

“Doubtful.” she hummed, “Two days is a long time.”

“Tell me about it. Without you around I have to listen to Nino and Adrien, and let me tell you, girl, our boys are weird.”

Marinette snorted, “Trust me, I know. How are they?”

“Nino's fine, but Adrien's been acting a little off. Like, after we came to visit you yesterday, he just suddenly got all quiet and worried. We all were, so we didn't think anything about it, but he's been really distracted and when Nino asked him about it, he just shrugged and gave us that fake model smile.”

“I hate that smile.”

“I know! Then I asked him if he was still worried about you and he clammed up. Neither of us want to push him, but we're concerned and in need of your Adrien Magic.”

Marinette groaned, “Why are we still calling it that?”

“Because that's what it is! Ever since you got over your crush and learned to talk to him normally, you know just how to handle and take care of Adrien. It's some weird voodoo magic, girl. It's like your presence alone manages to manipulate him.”

“Come on, we're just really good friends.”

“When did that happen anyway?”

“When you and Nino started dragging us around and making us third wheels on your dates. We would much rather talk to each other than watch the two of you make out.”

“You're exaggerating, it wasn't that bad.”

“It WAS that bad. Ask Adrien.”

Alya burst out laughing, “Alright, alright. I get it, but seriously. We miss you.”

Marinette pressed her finger to her lips in thought, “We could hang out tomorrow? Us and the boys. Adrien's usually free on Saturdays, right?”

“Yeah, but are you feeling up to it?”

“I told you, Al, I'm not sick.”

“I wasn't saying that you were, but. . . I know you aren't feeling well emotionally.”

“I need you guys, and I could really use some time out.”

“I'll happily whisk you away then.”

Marinette could hear Alya's smile in her voice, and it made her feel guilty for neglecting her friend, “Anything, I just really want to see you again.”

“You talk as if we haven't seen each other in weeks,” Alya laughed, “We could always drop by after school.”

Marinette bit her lip, “There's something I need to take care of today.” She didn't want to turn her down, but she knew she had to.

“Okay, well class is about to start. I'll call you later so we can make plans for tomorrow, and you better tell me what's going on soon! You can only keep me waiting for so long.”

“I will,” she giggled, “Talk to you later, Al.”

The moment she hung up, the weight of what she had to do settled back on her shoulders. Talking to Alya, even about the most random things, made her forget every that happened in the last twenty four hours. She was no longer a pregnant girl, but a regular teenager who made plans to hang out with her friends on the weekend.

She really wished she was just a regular teenager, but that feeling wouldn't last for long.

After dinner, she told herself. She'll tell him after dinner.

Chapter Text

Adrien made his way to the dining room with a skip in his step. The house was just as empty and cold as ever, and his breakfast would be even quieter with Natalie still in Milan with Gabriel. It was everything he would normally despise, but that Saturday morning, Adrien had plans.

He skipped the melodramatics of missing his father despite how lonely his presence still made him feel, and instead of sighing over his plate of salad, he smiled. Soon he would see his friends. They would spend time together outside of school and be the group of teenagers Adrien always longed to be.

Skipping rocks and laughing over ice cream, taking walks under the cherry blossoms and making memories that would follow them into adulthood. He would feel like a normal teenager with his normal teenage friends. Then Nino and Alya would run off to do whatever the couple usually did and he would be alone with Marinette.

Oh, sweet Marinette. Absolutely terrifying and fierce, but so saccharine. The wind would blow in their faces and petals would get stuck in her hair. He'd step forward with a chuckle and pluck them out for her, then look down into her lovely face.

She would look up at him with that smile, the one with a laugh just on the brim of her lips, and say his name.

“Marinette,” he would say as his hands cupped her cheeks, “I need to tell you something.”

“Yes?” she would reply in that enchanting voice.

“The truth is, I'm Chat Noir.”

She would gasp before he explained why he hid his identity from her and shower her in the loving words he always wanted to say to her without the mask, and everything would fall into place in her mind and the stars. The stars he saw twinkle in her eyes every night they were together would appear in that moment and she would throw herself in his arms. She'd bring him down to her strawberry lips and kiss him, burying him under the beautiful avalanche of their love-

“You're drooling.”

Adrien jerked upright and quickly wiped his mouth, to which the pesky kwami cackled. “Shut up, Plagg.” he grumbled.

“I need cheese and your weeb fantasies are making me wait.”

“Wee- where did you even learn that word?”

Plagg rolled his eyes, “When you've been around as long as I have you learn to adapt, now where's my Camembert?”

Adrien waved him in the direction of the kitchen and went back to his daydream, doing his very best stay positive that someday it might happen.

Breakfast soon passed, much to Adrien's delight, and he was on his way to the park to meet up with the group. His father usually gave him a break on Saturday, but rarely was he allowed out of the house, so it was a nice change to be going out.

“Adrien!” Nino called out to him with a wave and Adrien rushed over to greet him.

“Hey, man! Where's Alya and Marinette?”

“Alya went over to the bakery to get her.” Nino led him over to a bench and plopped down with a sigh, “They were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago, but you know them. What's your excuse for being late?”

Adrien tried and failed to hide his blush, “Just caught up in thought. Nothing important.”

“Never mind, I feel like I have an idea of what you were doing.” Nino said with a teasing lilt.

Adrien sputtered and his face burst into flames, “Nino! That's not-”

“No, bro. I get it. You gotta do what you gotta do.”

“Why are we having this conversation?” Adrien groaned as Nino doubled over in laughter.

“You make it too easy!”

Adrien crossed his arms and attempted to will his burning blush away until the girls arrived. Despite losing his virginity, he was still as sensitive to the topic as before, just with a bit of experience (though not much). People always dubbed it as dirty, but Adrien found that when in a committed, loving relationship, nothing in that aspect was dirty. Or maybe that was just how it was with Marinette. She had that effect, somehow able to shine light on anything and make everything pure. He didn't feel the things they had done in private were something to be ashamed of.

It wasn't how the guys at school explained it. He wasn't any more of a man than he was before and he certainly wasn't all knowing and amazing for it either. So he would admit; those jokes and innuendos still made him red in the face. He wasn't a different person, just in a much deeper place in his relationship.

Adrien hated that he had to keep his relationship with Marinette a secret, but he was somewhat glad, too. He didn't want to think about all the teasing and inappropriate questions he would get at school if their relationship was out in the open. Sure, he would love to show off that they were together, but he liked to keep things quiet. He liked the two of them in their own little world without anyone butting in.

Maybe that was selfish of him.

“Sorry we're late!” Alya said unapologetically as she rushed over to them with Marinette in tow.

“It's fine. Adrien just got here.” Nino kissed his girlfriend before turning to Marinette, “Hey, Mari. Feeling better?”

Adrien's gaze snapped over to Marinette, drinking her in while also trying to hold himself back. After all, he wasn't her boyfriend right then. He couldn't do what he wanted, so he settled with being a good friend to her for the day. At least that was until he got a good look at her face.

“Much better.” she said with a smile that didn't convince Adrien for a second.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of minutes since Marinette was called to dinner, and she spent those minutes calming the nervous thumping of her heart. It only beat harder.

“Don't hold your breath. Breathe.” Tikki said, setting her nibbled on cookie aside.

“Sorry,” she exhaled, “Force of habit. I guess it's easier to just not breathe.”

Tikki giggled. It was a comforting sound. “How is that easier in the slightest?”

“It's like, holding it in. The nerves, the panic, the internal screaming. . . vomit.”

“Marinette,” her kwami sighed in endearment, “You can do this. The truth always comes out and it's best that you let it out yourself, don't you think? Besides, he's your father. He loves you and nothing will change that.”

Marinette looked down, “I've always been his little girl, you know? I don't want anything to change that. I don't want him to be disappointed in me.”

“Oh, Mari. Don't you see?” Tikki lifted Marinette's chin up, “Everything has already changed. Everything but that. You're still his daughter and he'll love you no matter what. Step up, be the woman he raised you to be. Don't let your fear stop you from talking to him. That's all this is. Talking. Father and daughter. A family. Everything may change, but that never will.”

Marinette breathed. She let it out. The nerves, the panic, the internal screaming. Thankfully not the vomit, but the night was young and if she knew one thing, morning sickness was a terribly deceiving term.

Dinner wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. After all, they were her parents. It wasn't going to be filled with awkward silences and the anticipation of what was to come. Marinette still felt all that, but mixed in with her usual family dinner. They laughed and they joked, they talked about their day and it was normal. Something was normal and Marinette loved it more than anything. She hadn't felt normal in a long time. Nine weeks to be exact.

“So,” her dad cleared his throat, “How was the appointment?” He had a gentle look, almost cautious. Sabine didn't say anything. She just looked at her and the laughter and warmth fell into her stomach. She was convinced that she was long past the point of butterflies. Marinette had maggots and they were in her belly, eating her normality up and destroying it. She was helpless to stop it, but that was to be expected.

Marinette wished Tikki was with her to give her that encouraging nudge, but she knew her kwami was giving her as much support as she could from upstairs, so she attempted to swallow her fear. “Well,” she started, “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”

Tom frowned, “Is something the matter?” He knew something was wrong, Marinette could guess that much, but he was letting her answer one question at a time.

“Papa, I'm-” her voice cracked, “I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen. I just-”

“Hey,” he got up and rounded the table to meet her, “It's okay. Just tell me what it is?”

“Promise you won't be mad?”

He chuckled, “You know I can't promise that, but I'll try. Just talk to me.”

Remembering what Tikki said, she took a deep breath. She made it this far, she wasn't going to stop. “You know how I've been feeling really sick lately and I went to the doctor to see what was wrong?”

He nodded.

“Well, it was actually to confirm. . . something. I'm not sick.” she gulped. There was no turning back. They were just talking. Father and daughter. Family. Nothing was going to change. “Papa, I'm pregnant.”

The air stilled. No one said anything and Marinette could feel the lump in her throat building. Waiting for her dad to speak, to respond, to do anything, was torture. Her mom was still silent. She hadn't said anything throughout the entire conversation, but she figured there was nothing for her to add. She already knew and now it was time for Tom to take in that information.

His face was expressionless. Blank. Nothing for her to go off of, but then he lowered his head and fell into his chair.

“That,” he said, “makes sense, actually. Of course you are. It explains everything.”

“It does?”

He looked up and ran a hand down his face, glancing at Sabine who was still quietly sitting, “Of course.”

“So you're not mad?”

He turned his attention back to her and furrowed his brows, “I'm not mad, per se. Just disappointed.”

Marinette could feel tears swimming in her eyes. She looked at her lap and hoped her bangs obscured him from seeing her cry.

“Oh, breadstick. This isn't easy for me. I'm shocked and I don't-” he sighed before walking over to her and pulling her form to his chest, “I don't know how to react. My little girl is . . . my baby's having a baby.”

She could hear his voice hitch and it did nothing to stop her tears from falling. They soaked in his shirt as he held her tight. Her dad's hugs were as warm and comforting as always, but in that moment, she wanted him to hug her forever. She was so scared that things would change between them, she was practically shaking when she told him, but they were okay. As he held her and she clutched his shirt, more tears spilled and this time, crying didn't feel so bad.

After another moment of hugging, Tom brought her over to the couch to talk and Sabine followed.

“This is all happening so quickly.” Marinette said, mostly to herself.

“It generally happens that way.” her mom said with an understanding smile.

“I'm guessing now's the time to answer your questions and explain?”

“You guess right.” she replied, “Tom, you can go first. I've had more time to let this sink in.”

“How far along are you?” he started with something easy, much to Marinette's relief.

“Nine weeks.” she said, “We didn't do a sonogram, just a test.”

She could see him doing the math in his head and knew what question was coming next. The one she dreaded the most.

“So it was October?”

“September. The 17th.” she might as well get it over with.

“Marinette, who did you sleep with?” he asked.

“Well, uh.” she averted her gaze. She didn't know what to say exactly. She couldn't tell them that it was Chat Noir. She knew that if Chat wanted to be involved, he'd have to tell her his identity, and if he did that, her parents would also know. Then that would lead to them eventually knowing that she was Ladybug and she really didn't want that.

She wondered if telling her parents she was Ladybug was better or worse than tell them she was pregnant.

“He didn't force himself on you, did he?” Marinette's thoughts were interrupted by her dad's fearful voice.

“No!” she almost yelled, “No, it was consented, I promise. It's just a little complicated.”

“Have you told him?” her mom spoke up and Marinette shook her head. “If you want, you can tell him first and make this less complicated to explain to us.” Tom looked like he wanted to protest, but one look from his wife shut him up.

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief, “I'd prefer doing that.”

“Do we at least know him?” her dad asked.

“. . . somewhat.” How was she supposed to answer that? They knew of him. Everyone knew Chat Noir. Maybe she could play it off as him being a customer if he decided to reveal his identity to her.

“I know it's still early and you only had it confirmed today, but have you thought about what you want to do?”

“Not a lot. I really want to talk to the father first. He's a good guy. He won't take it too bad. I think.”

“Yeah,” Tom grumbled, “Good enough to get a girl pregnant.”

“Papa, it was both of us.”

“I know, I know,” he sighed, “I'm sorry. This is a lot.”

Sabine placed her hand on his arm, “It's a lot for all of us, but we'll get through it. We'll get through this together.”

They continued to talk and ask questions. It mostly consisted of how she felt about it, how they were feeling, options and plans they could make, but nothing was made official. They all agreed the father should be involved and that they'd talk about it for real another day.

Her parents made it very clear that they weren't going to make her do anything she didn't want to. It was her choice and they supported her. Marinette felt much better by the end of the night and sleep came easy to her.

Now she had to tell Chat.

[C]-

The next morning wasn't too rough. She got nauseous and didn't eat a lot, but she didn't throw up. The morning sickness had been hitting her pretty hard, so it was a nice change. Hopefully it would continue like that through the rest of the day. She didn't want to vomit in front of her friends and have them send her home. She wanted to go out and do something instead of moping around at home and suffering through her dad's uncomfortable questions about Chat. That was one thing that was actually making her look forward to telling Chat. He would have to deal with them with her. After all, they were both in this.

“You're going with Alya and the boys today, right?” her mom asked as she walked in the living room.

“Yeah, I'll text you where we're going. We haven't decided on anything, we're probably just gonna walk around the park and hang out.” Marinette replied.

“Okay, be careful. I'll be downstairs helping in the bakery, so I probably won't see them, but please do.”

Sabine left and Marinette waited for Alya. The park wasn't far, but Alya insisted on meeting up with her first. She assumed it was so they could talk a bit without the boys around and ask what was going on with her. She didn't know what to tell her if she asked. She was already so sick of the word 'pregnant'. Telling her parents was exhausting enough, she didn't want to go through telling someone three days in a row.

She still had to tell Chat. He didn't visit her last night, which was more relieving than disappointing. Marinette sighed at that. She didn't want to avoid Chat. She loved him with everything she had, but things had gotten stressful and she knew he was worried.

She put a hand on her belly, “Hey, so I don't know if you can hear me yet, but I just wanted to let you know even though I'm stressed out and everything, it isn't your fault. I mean, it kinda IS your fault, but- No, no! It's not your fault, it's my fault. This whole pregnancy thing is just supposed to be done later in life, you know?” Marinette laughed at herself, “You're a fetus, of course you don't know. You can't even understand what I'm saying. . .”

“Who are you talking to?” a voice interrupted and Marinette snapped her head up to see Alya at the front door.

“Myself,” she quickly moved her hands away from her stomach, “Haha. . . you know me. I talk to myself all time.”

“That's true.” Alya shrugged, “So how are you feeling?”

“Better. I slept pretty well last night, so that helped.”

“Are you ever going to tell me what bothered you so much? I know I said I wouldn't push it, but it's killing me, girl. Did someone do something to you? Do I need to teach someone a lesson?”

“You don't need to kill anyone today, don't worry about it.” she laughed, “Let me go get my purse real quick and we can go.” Marinette stood up from the couch to go upstairs, but the moment she hefted her body up, she got light headed and the nausea came rolling back in. She cursed herself for jinxing her good luck and rushed into the bathroom before her guts came spilling out on the living room floor.

Alya held her hair out of her face as Marinette threw up and rubbed her back comfortingly. She dry heaved a couple times before she sat down on the floor, still panting, “So much for feeling better today.”

“Are you okay?” Alya asked, concern clear on her face.

“I'm fine. Just, you know.” she shrugged.

“What are you, pregnant or something?” Alya chuckled, “Come on, let me help you.”

Marinette, however, sat frozen on the floor and stared up at her best friend in horror, “What? How did you-?”

Alya frowned and sent her a questioning look before realization dawned on her, “That was a joke. Mari, I was joking. You're not pregnant. You're not- oh my gosh, are you pregnant?”

Exhausted and tired of having this conversation so many times, Marinette laid down on the floor and groaned, “I'm so sick of that word.”

Right there on the bathroom floor, Marinette told Alya. There was screaming, freaking out, a bit of crying, and questions Marinette really didn't want to answer. Ultimately, Alya promised not to say anything.

“So when were you going to tell me you had sex?” Alya asked on their way out, “Because that's a conversation I wish we could've had.”

“Hey,” Marinette stopped her, “We can still have that conversation. I was going to tell you, things just got a little. . . difficult.”

“Yeah, you're right. Gosh, I never would've guessed that your so called sickness is actually a baby. How are you even handling this?”

“To be honest? I have no idea. Lots of crying. My parents have been supportive, though I only told them recently.”

“Wait, earlier when you were talking to yourself, were you actually talking to the baby?”

Marinette smiled sheepishly, “Yeah, I was apologizing for being so stressed. I accidentally told it that it was their fault.”

Alya laughed, “That's sounds like something you'd do. How many weeks are you, anyway?”

“Nine. You were around when your mom was pregnant, when should it start hearing?”

“Mmm I think maybe 18 or 19 weeks. Somewhere around there. So don't worry, the little one didn't hear you blame it for your stress.”

Marinette unconsciously put her hand on her belly and sighed, “Good. Not that it understands, but I wouldn't want it to hear that.”

“So uh,” Alya paused, “You plan on keeping it?”

“What? I didn't say that. I'm just unsure. I told you that earlier.”

“I don't know, girl. You sound awful. . . invested. Look, it's okay to be and it's okay to not want to go through with it or be a mother, but don't feel pressured to do something you don't want. If you want to keep it, keep it. If you don't, then don't.”

Marinette huffed, “It's not that simple. There are so many things that could go wrong if I kept it. Do you know how many girls end up not even graduating high school because they got pregnant? It's a lot. I don't want my future to go down the drain, but I don't know if I want to not keep it, you know?”

“I get what you mean. We're young and we have so much more of life ahead of us, but Marinette, having a baby doesn't mean you can't have a future. Just keep that in mind, okay?”

“So you want me to keep it?”

“I didn't say that. You know I'm pro-choice. It's entirely up to you, Mari”

“I know,” she sighed, “It's so overwhelming.”

“Don't think about it then. Have fun today and relax. There's no baby talk or big decision making, just a group of friends hanging out.”

“Sounds perfect.”

As they neared the park and the boys came into view, Marinette already felt tension leaving her shoulders. The past few weeks had been misery, and the last two days were the icing on the cake. She really needed a simple, aimless day out with her best friends.

Chapter Text

It was a nice day to be out. Sure, it was freezing cold, ice covered the ground, and clouds hovered over them making everything look grey and dark, but it was still nice to be out. Even better to eat ice cream, much to Nino's annoyance.

“Who eats ice cream in November?!” he yelled through the chattering of his teeth, but it didn't stop him from taking another bite of his favorite rocky road. “What ice cream stand is even open this time of year?”

“Literally everyone eats ice cream in December. It isn't just a summer thing, babe, it's all year round.” Alya replied and licked her lips. No one knew what it was about her, but the cold never fazed her. She was like a walking heater. She and anyone close enough was never cold. Marinette always claimed it was one of the main reasons she kept her around. They were opposites in that aspect. Marinette would put layers upon layers on in fall to avoid the chilly weather while Alya relished in it. The cold was her mortal enemy, especially since becoming Ladybug, but her little bundle of joy just had to have ice cream on a lovely winter day. Luckily, she had Alya to cling to.

“I don't.” Nino grumbled.

“Uh, I hate to break it to you, but you're eating ice cream right now.” Adrien pointed to the cone halfway to his mouth.

“This doesn't count, I am being held hostage and forced to eat this chocolaty goodness. Get it right.”

Adrien snorted, “Right, sorry, man. I forgot that you ordering five scoops was completely against your will.”

“Exactly! I'm glad you understand.”

As the boys continued to banter and Adrien continued to laugh at Nino, Alya slowed and let them walk ahead. “So why did we invite them? It feels like we're third wheeling on their date.”

Marinette laughed and pushed against her, “I don't know why you're surprised, they're best friends. Disgustingly close best friends. I say we ditch them and have a date of our own.”

“I have a better idea.” Alya had that look in her eye. The one that said she was about to cause trouble and she knew it. “I steal Nino away and you get to spend the day with Adrien. You'll be shivering and cold and he'll take you into his arms. He'll hold your hands and blow on them, rubbing them against his and putting them in his pocket. Tell me you don't want that.”

“I don't want that.” she deadpanned. “I told you, Alya, I don't like him anymore.”

“And I think you still do. You've gotten more comfortable around him and that may cause you to think you're over him, but something's still there. There's this spark between you and I melt every time I see the way he looks at you.”

“And I think you're still not used to me liking him as a friend.”

Alya sighed, “You're probably right. It is weird to see you completely calm and collected around him instead of turning to goo, but I meant what I said about the way he looks at you. Sometimes during class when he thinks nobody's looking, he'll slowly turn around and just look at you with this dopey, adoring face. It's the cutest thing.”

“No way does he do that.” Marinette shook her head, “He's probably looking behind me.”

Alya burst out laughing, “At Ivan? Oh, the imagination you have. Come on, the boys are getting too far ahead of us, we should catch up if we want to put our plan into motion.”

As the pair sped up, Marinette groaned, “You are incorrigible.”

She winked, “You love me.”

-

Alya's plan, much to her protest, was set mere minutes after they caught back up. It wasn't entirely hard, either. Alya and Nino were known for their tendency to 'disappear' when they all got together and return half an hour later looking like they played a game of tag in the middle of a tornado. The messy hair, the rumpled clothing, and the big smiles that held no regret as they apologized; she and Adrien were used to it. It really didn't make much of a difference this time, but she knew Alya would come back with questions about her time with Adrien that she would, once again, respond to unceremoniously.

As much as she wished she could tell Alya all about Chat Noir, she knew she couldn't. She used to add 'yet' a the end of that thought, but with recent developments, she wasn't sure of anything anymore. 'Yet' became only a possibility rather than a certainty and that made her heart sink.

Marinette shook her head to rid herself of negative thoughts. She didn't want to dwell on them. She was going to have a good time and make fun of her best friends with Adrien, and she was going to shiver and chatter her teeth away with an ice cream cone in her hand (as she silently cursed her baby and then silently apologized to it). Either way, it was the first time in a while she was feeling okay and she wasn't going to ruin that for herself.

“Oh, Nino!” Alya exclaimed and Marinette rolled her eyes, knowing that over-enthusiastic voice. “There was this music store I saw a while ago I thought you'd like. Come check it out with me.” Nino knew the voice, too, and immediately went to follow with big grin on his face.

Not even an earshot away, Adrien laughed. “Every time.”

“I don't know why they put up the act anymore.” Marinette giggled, “Alya could straight up ask Nino to go make out with her and we wouldn't say anything.”

“That's the trill of it though! Being all secretive and running off to mess around. Sneaking and hiding to lavish each other in kisses, you know?” he sighed and looked at Marinette with something that looked like affection (that was Alya getting in her head, she thought).

She looked down at her feet and smiled because she did know. Boy, did she know what that was like. Her heart galloped in her chest every time Chat came to see her, and it only beat harder when he kissed her. There were times they were too loud, laughing or bantering or anything really, and they would wake up one of her parents. The adrenalin that rushed through her veins both terrified and excited her. The heart was a strange thing how it loved, what Adrien called, the thrill of it.

“You're a romantic.” she replied.

He cracked a vaguely familiar grin and said, “You know it.” to which she laughed and called him a dork.

She couldn't blame him though. She was a romantic, too. Looking at the world through rose colored glasses wasn't such a bad thing.

She and Adrien walked around and talked while they finished off their ice cream. He told her about everything she missed in class, both the lesson and all of Chloe's dramatic antics. He said that he missed seeing her, that school wasn't the same without watching her stand up to Chloe and unleash her righteous anger.

Marinette told him about how she was able to catch up on the anime Adrien had suggested to her. He immediately got all excited, something Marinette thought was adorable. Knowing how happy it made him, she went on a tangent about what she thought about every single episode, how every scene made her feel. He heartily agreed with everything she said, laughing and getting worked up with her.

“It's actually something a friend of mine would like.” Marinette found herself saying. That was closest she could get to talking about Chat. “He's always going on and on about all the anime he watches and how I could stand to be more of a weeb like him.”

Adrien blinked at her a couple times before clearing his throat, “This friend of yours, are you close?”

“Close? We're-” Marinette smiled to herself, “We're definitely close. He's a very important person to me.”

“He must be if he's able to make you smile like that. What's he like?” Adrien's voice had gotten low and tenderness took over his features. He had a strange look in his eyes though, something between happiness and fear.

“He's an idiot.” Marinette blurted.

Adrien choked.

“He's always coming up with these terrible jokes and laughing at them like he's hilarious. He loves teasing and poking fun at me, but I get back at him. He's so persistent and stubborn and keeps me up all night. I swear, he's taken 10 years off my life already, but. . .” Marinette paused to find the right words, and she struggled with it. What words were there to describe what she had with Chat? She had never tried to do so before, but now that she was, she found that it was a terribly hard thing to do.

“But. . .?” Adrien urged her on.

She sighed, “He's everything. I don't even know how to tell you, he's just everything to me. Everything I've ever wanted. Everything I need, his awful sense of humor and all.” She was tearing up. Her words weren't extremely poetic or eloquent, but as she described it, everything she felt for him came up to the surface in the form of tears. She was getting emotional and she knew it, but nothing held it back.

Adrien didn't say anything. He only stared at her with his mouth hung open like he never expected to hear such a confession. He probably didn't. She didn't mean to spill all of that to him, it was just hard at times to keep everything all locked up and hidden from her friends. Adrien gave her a chance to express it to someone else and she took it, something she realized was a mistake.

“You can't say a word of this to anyone, especially Alya. She'll pester me with questions that I'm not ready to answer.” but then she remembered that it didn't matter anymore. So what if Alya heard some things about her being close to a guy? She already she knew was pregnant so it wouldn't come as a shock, and Marinette knew pregnancy wasn't something she could hide. She was gonna get big and soon enough she'd have a baby in her arms. That is. . . if she decided to keep it.

“Hey,” Adrien grabbed her shoulders and turned her body to face him, “what's wrong?”

When she didn't say anything, Adrien held out his pinky to her. “Marinette, I promise I won't say a word to Alya or anyone about this mystery guy of yours, and anything else you tell me. You know you can talk to me. I care about you, Mari.”

Letting out a shuddering breath, Marinette linked her pinky with his and smiled up at him, “I know. I'm just going through something right now, something big and kinda scary.”

“Does it involve him?” Adrien gulped.

She wasn't sure about telling him. Whatever she decided to do, she knew he'd wind up knowing anyway, but coming outright and saying it made her nervous. It didn't matter how many times she said it or how many people she told, trying to open her mouth to bring it up still made her lips tremble. So instead, she just nodded.

Adrien's expression dropped and he looked worried, consumed in fear. Marinette thought that maybe he figured it out somehow, perhaps he just connected the dots. She couldn't decide if that relieved her or not. He was about to say something when his phone rang. He pulled it out and accepted the call.

“Hey, Nino. Are you and Alya done pretending to look at a music store?” Adrien's eyes widened and Marinette wished she could hear what Nino was saying. “Okay, thanks. And be careful. Try not to let Alya get herself killed.”

He hung up and sighed, “There's an akuma back at the park. I- uh, I should get home just in case. It makes my father feel better when there's an akuma out.”

Marinette stifled a groan. She didn't want to deal with an akuma, but then again, when did she ever? “Yeah, I'll see you later. Be safe, okay?”

“You too, Mari. And hey,” he reached out for her hand and gently held it, “You should tell him. I'm sure he's worried sick about you. Whatever it is, he'll understand. I promise.”

She looked down, “I hope so.”

-

Marinette had been hoping for a quick and easy fight. The occasional akuma would come up that they could defeat without even having to use their abilities. Those were the best and always left spare time for them to talk. Most took a lot out of them and she hoped that they could take care of it simply this time, too. But the thing about the easy akumas was that they never happened when she wanted them to. Akumas were bad to begin with, but it wasn't a good time.

“This doesn't look good, LB” Chat said from behind her and she could only silently agree as she stared across the mayhem that was the park. It had turned into an icy wasteland as a fire hydrant spewed and the water began to harden as soon as it hit the ground. As people ran (and slipped), they shivered and turned a sickly blue from being drenched in water in such cold weather. The streets were flooding and buildings were beaten and battered from what Marinette could only guess was a large akuma, and she had a feeling the fire hydrant wasn't the only cause for all the water.

“Seems like an aquatic akuma. Or an angry firefighter.” she noted.

“We won't know until we find it. Wanna split up?”

She hesitated, but nodded nonetheless. She didn't want to be alone, but she wasn't going to explain that to him. Not as Ladybug.

Chat sighed dramatically when he noticed her hesitation and draped an arm around her shoulder, “I know, my lady. I understand. It'll be hard to be without your dazzling presence, too.”

Marinette snorted and shoved him, “What would your girlfriend say if she heard you?”

He grinned, “She'd agree with me.”

“Whatever, lover boy.” she laughed, “We have an akuma catch.”

“If I find it first you have get me a whole box of croissants!” and he was off, bounding away with the thought of baked goods in his mind. They made little bets like that when they split up. He knew she'd get them for him anyway, but he loved his theatrics and she wouldn't take them away from him.

She knew it wasn't the best time, but she felt her heart flutter as she watched him run across the rooftops. She felt like it had been forever since she saw him. It hadn't in reality, but the past few days felt like they lasted forever.

Marinette shook her head to clear her thoughts and swung in the opposite direction of Chat. There wasn't a clear path that the water was going in as the majority of it was frozen, so she had to guess. The time spent looking for it gave her the chance to see all the damage the akuma had caused. The streets became deserted and the few people still out were lingering on the sidelines in hopes of witnessing the action. They knew the drill. Evacuate calmly and safely, but there were always the stubborn few.

Actually, when Marinette thought of it, usually all the lingering people were driven off by the akuma destroying things. This one was strangely quiet. The only sign of it was the water and the damage to the buildings and street. She didn't even know there was an akuma before Nino called Adrien. She thought of Alya and sent her a silent prayer for her safety.

She went on a little longer and still didn't find anything. She reached for her yoyo to call Chat and see how his search was going, but before she could even open it, she was slammed against the chimney. Her breath was knocked out of her body as her yoyo was thrown a good ten feet away. She coughed and struggled against the weight that pressed her further into the bricks, but her strength failed her.

She couldn't let the akuma harm her, she wouldn't be taken down by a mere surprise attack, especially when she wasn't just taking care of herself. If anything happened to her, the baby would get hurt, and if the baby got hurt. . . what would happen if it got hurt?

Marinette pushed harder against the akuma, gritting her teeth and clenching her fist against it. It slithered around her and clung to her body like it was sucking her in. She was picked up from the roof and her eyes met the sight of tentacles. Red and deadly, ready to strike.

A soft set of giggles filled her ears and they slowly grew louder and manic. Marinette followed the sound and found that in the midst of the many tentacles was a form, a girl whose laughs gave her goosebumps. It was just another akuma, another corrupt mind. This one was no different from the many others she faced, but something changed in her. Her hands shook and sweat speckled her forehead. She gulped.

The akuma only laughed more, “Are you scared, little bug? Scared I'm gonna crush you?”

Marinette didn't say anything. She pretended to listen as she tried to find some way to escape. Her yoyo was far from her reach, not that her arms were free anyway.

“Or maybe your scared of death in general.” her laughs were turning to sobs. “Don't worry, I'll kill you slowly enough, but only if you give me your miraculous.”

As the tentacle squeezed her tighter, she decided on biting it as hard as she could. The akuma didn't let her go. She trashed and yelled and Marinette was getting lightheaded, but she held her teeth in place and let them sink further into the flesh until she finally let up. When she did, she flung Marinette with enough force to paralyze her. She braced for it, but the impact never came and she stopped mid air.

“Sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?” came a voice that made her heart sing.

Marinette opened her eyes and smiled up at Chat, “Look who's late the party. No croissants for you, I guess.”

He set her down and she went to retrieve her yoyo, ignoring the ache in her abdomen.
“My apologies, my lady. You know how I am with my dramatic entrances.”

The akuma shrieked and plunged towards them, rage flaring in her eyes. She and Chat dashed away, but the many limbs put them at a disadvantage. They managed to escape the onslaught of strikes with only a couple of scrapes.

“Geez, what's octo-lady's problem?”

“I don't have a clue, but she's determined to kill us, I know that much.”

“My name is Kraken!” the akuma yelled and unleashed waves of water from her nostrils. The streets once again filled up with water and flowed like a mighty river. In her distracted state, Marinette got swept up in the spurts and plunged into the water below. It wasn't deep, but she couldn't find the ground either.

“Ladybug!” Chat yelled.

“Don't worry about me! Just focus on Kraken.”

He reluctantly nodded and went back to the fight, headfirst against Kraken. Marinette knew how to swim, but the water froze her bones and stiffened her muscles. She struggled to kick her legs and move her arms forward, but she powered on and breathed as best she could without swallowing the water. When she thought she was able to grab onto something and push away from the current, the water took a different pattern and created a whirlpool. Kraken was trying to drown her.

She tried to hold onto a tree, but her fingers slipped and her body succumbed to the pull of the current and down, down, down she went. Her body became submerged despite how urgently she tried to keep her head above water.

Catching a glimpse of the direction of the akuma, Marinette grabbed her yoyo and slung it out in hopes of latching onto something. Anything. It did and she pulled herself from the water and flew right into the middle of the fight. Her yoyo had latched onto one of the tentacles and that gave her an idea, unfortunately, it also gave the akuma leverage. With her weapon firmly wrapped around its tentacle, it used it as a puppet string and flung Marinette into a wall. She let go of her yoyo before Kraken could do anymore damage, but the impact made her unsteady on her feet and she coughed and coughed until she felt like she was spitting up blood. She wasn't. It was water she attempted to not swallow, but it still hurt.

Chat landed beside her with ragged breathing and a scrunched expression. “What's wrong with you today?”

“I-I don't-” the akuma went to strike them, but Chat grabbed her and dropped between two building, clinging to the wall so as to not fall in the water.

He grimaced and she became acutely aware of the fact that she left him to fight alone while she let herself get pulled underwater. She had been distracted and clumsy. More than usual. “This isn't like you.” he said.

“I know, I'm having trouble focusing and-”

“Well, you need to focus. This isn't an easy akuma, it isn't even a bad one. It's worse and we're both going to die out there if we're apart.”

Marinette exhaled and attempted to push her fears aside. She didn't even know why she was so afraid. She could handle it. She knew she could. “You're right, you're right.” she said, “I'm good now.”

“Now, I think I know where the akumatized item is.” he said, “She has a bracelet on her right wrist with an octopus charm on it. It's small, but I think we can get it.”

Marinette decided that was a good time to call on lucky charm. The akuma was too big to try and get it without assistance. A rock landed in her palm and the wheels began to turn. “Hey, Chat.” she said, “Have you heard of that bible story? The one with the giant.”

“David and Goliath?”

“Yeah, that's the one.” her lips curved into a smile, “I'm gonna need your belt.” He hadn't realized what she was planning yet, but gave it to her nonetheless. She wrapped the belt around her waist and tucked the rock inside. “When I call your name, I'm gonna need you to use cataclysm and catch the bracelet. Can you do that?”

“You can count on me, Bugaboo.”

And with only a slight nagging of fear, they jumped back into sight and ran straight towards Kraken. When the akuma saw them, she immediately went back to darting her tentacles at them. Marinette grabbed her yoyo and threw it around as many tentacles as she could. Chat caught on to what she was doing and distracted it, keeping the akuma from doing anything about it. Kraken screamed in raged, but couldn't move her limbs. That's when Marinette grabbed the belt. She folded it and placed the rock inside, swinging it around and around and releasing just when Kraken was about to spew more water at them. The rock hit her squarely in the forehead and with her tentacles tied up, she lost balance.

As Kraken fell, Marinette dashed towards her to yank the bracelet from her wrist, but it seemed she still wasn't completely focused as she had forgot one detail. She still had arms and with being akumatized, she had become larger as a whole. Marinette yanked the bracelet from her wrist and threw it to Chat, yelling his name. At that point, however, Kraken was coming to her senses and instinctively punched her in the stomach.

Though her suit was strong, it wasn't invincible. Marinette coughed, and this time, there was blood. Her breath became shallow and she clutched her belly, fear once again rippling through her body, her veins, her heart. She was getting dizzy again.

“Ladybug, the akuma is getting away!”

It was flying away. She had to get it, she had to go, but her ears were ringing and blood was steadily dripping from her chin. The akuma was still getting away.

Chat tugged at her, “Ladybug! You have to cleanse it!” He sounded desperate as he pushed her yoyo into her hands. Marinette stood up and her pain intensified. She swallowed the cry that threatened to tear from her throat. The akuma was getting away and if she didn't cleanse it, it would be a million times worse. Her pain would be a million times worse and her fear would soar far, far above numbers. Her fear was already soaring with the pain in her abdomen. Tears filled her eyes and distorted the shape of the purple butterfly, but it was muscle memory by then and before she knew it, purple had turned white.

Her pain flared and she grit her teeth. It would be okay, she told herself. Everything was going to be okay because she would restore everything, and the searing pain would vanish. When she yelled out those magic words, the pain did vanish and everything was okay, but when the adrenalin left her body and she wasn't in a fearful daze, she realized just what had happened, just what her carelessness had nearly done to her baby.

Her baby.

And the cry she was holding back finally escaped.

Chapter Text

The battle ended. Kraken turned into a scared young girl and the street drained of the frigid water. Everything was normal again and civilians were going back outside. Ladybug and Chat Noir saved the day and restored everything to its natural state, but even though Ladybug's pain was gone, she still had the memory of it. She could still see the blood she coughed up and feel the lethal punch from Kraken. It was only a memory, but one she would never forget.

Even though their miraculouses were beeping and they should have long left the premises, they sat in place as Ladybug cried and Chat held her. He didn't know why she was crying and clutching her belly like her intestines were falling out, but that was the thing about him, he didn't have to. So long as she sat there crying, he would be by her side comforting her.

She didn't know how long they were up there exactly, but they were both detransformed by the time she composed herself. Now they held each other to prevent revealing their identities. Chat still rubbed her back though and she still buried her face in his shoulder. It wasn't the first time they had been in that position, but he didn't know that.

“Plagg,” Chat finally said, “do you have enough energy to transform?”

“Just enough to get you back home.” he replied.

“Can you get home by yourself, Ladybug?” Chat tightened his arms around her and she knew he was worried.

“Yeah,” she rasped, “I'll be okay.”

“Call me if you need me.” he said. “I'll be there as soon I can.”

She nodded her head and he gave her one last squeeze before transforming. He stood up with his eyes closed and ran off without looking back.

“Tikki?”

“I'm here.” she replied and came into view.

“Does the healing magic fix everything?”

Tikki nuzzled her neck, “It does.”

She exhaled, “That's good.”

She gave one look at Tikki and decided against transforming. That fight took so much out of her and it was mostly Marinette's fault. She let her emotions lead her, she let her fear control her, and it resulted in a beating that still made her shiver. She could only imagine how much that drained the poor kwami.

She wasn't quite used to it, but she climbed down the building using the stairs. She was just glad that she didn't have to go inside to exit. Tikki seemed grateful.

Marinette got home in record time. She was worn out, but eager to wrap herself in her blankets and take a nap. She felt like that was all she wanted to do lately. She wasted no time in racing up the stairs and plopping down on her bed. She released a sigh of relief and happily snuggled in the warmth.

“Marinette.” Tikki spoke into the space between them after a moment.

“Yeah?”

“I don't think you should fight anymore.”

Marinette sprang up from bed and stared wide eyed at Tikki. “What? A-are you telling me to give up being Lad-”

“No!” she rushed out, “No, I would never ask that of you. I'm saying I think you should stop fighting until after you have the baby. It's not safe for either of you. You were distracted and let yourself get hurt.”

Marinette coughed and laughed nervously, “Who says I'm even keeping it? I haven't decided yet.”

“We may not be able to communicate, but I saw you out there. I saw how hard it was for you. I saw how you reacted to every hit and I could feel how scared you were, the way you cried and clung to Chat. And. . .” Tikki looked at her with this soft expression she couldn't understand, “And I see the way you rub your belly everyday, Mari. I hear you speak to it. I'm not deaf to how you say goodnight to it before you go to bed and the way you say good morning in that loving voice as you're getting up. You love this baby too much to get rid of it.”

There was a pregnant pause between them before Marinette dragged her hands through her tousled hair. She squeezed her eyes shut and laid back down. “I do.” she said. “I do love my baby. So much. And I'm scared of it. Sometimes I'll think about it and I get this wonderful, overwhelming feeling, and it terrifies me, Tikki. This changes so much.”

“Of course it does, but how is that a bad thing?”

“W-wouldn't it better if I got an abortion? Wouldn't everyone be happier that way? School and being a superhero would be easier, maman and papa wouldn't have to worry so much and take care of a baby while I'm away during the day. Chat wouldn't have to take the burden of being a father at such a young age. He'd face the same trials. He'd have trouble in school and fighting, he'd have to sacrifice everything, too.”

“Marinette, I need you to listen to me.”

“I'm listening.” she said in a small voice.

“Yes. It would be easier on your parents. It would be easier for your education and being Ladybug. It'd be easier for Chat, too. Life would be much simpler without a baby in the mix, but it would also be so much harder in a different way. You already love it. You cried and cried when you thought you lost it today. You could hardly stand or say a single word. It would be the same way, except you'd blame yourself. You'd go on in life with a much heavier burden than motherhood.”

“But people do this all the time and they're fine.”

“Some women can have an abortion and walk away without any regrets or guilt. I don't think you're one of those people. Maybe if the circumstances were different. Maybe if this wasn't a baby from someone you love or if you didn't want children to begin with, but the truth of the matter is that this is and you do. It's okay to be scared, but don't force yourself to do something you'll regret in the end. And I can guarantee no one will blame you for choosing to have it.”

Marinette, without saying a word, leaned down and kissed Tikki's forehead. A tear dripped down her cheek and she whispered, “So it's okay to love it? To want it?”

Tikki wiped her tear away, “Absolutely.”

-

Marinette waited a while to mention anything about her decision to her parents. She didn't want to overwhelm them when it had been so soon since the doctor confirmed her pregnancy. In a way she also used that time to really think if she wanted to be a mother. Adoption was also an option. And if she wanted to do that, would it be open or closed? Did she want to interfere with her baby's life with their adoptive parents or leave them to their own lives? There was a constant back and forth with each one. If she chose closed, she could walk away knowing she gave her child to good people and that a couple would get a family. On other hand, if it was open she could still be involved and watch her baby grow, but there would be a lot of confusion as he or she grew older and the couple would have this teenager constantly wanting to butt in. There was always something holding her back, and with that thought, she knew she wouldn't be able to do it. She wasn't that selfless.

Besides, she knew her baby would still have a good life with her and her family. And hopefully Chat. When she did tell her parents, she wasn't expecting the reaction she got.

“P-papa? Are you alright?” she asked as her dad covered his face with his hands and his shoulders shook. He sprung up from his seat on the couch and pulled her into a hug.

“More than alright,” he said. “I'm fantastic, I- I'm gonna be a grandpére.”

Marinette pulled back from the hug. “What? You never told me you wanted me to keep it?”

He smiled down at her, stroking her cheek, “I didn't want to pressure you, Mari. I would never be disappointed in you no matter what decision you made and I didn't want you to think otherwise if I told you.”

“But I WANT to know what you think. Papa, you don't have to hold back. I know you love me. I could never forget that.”

“That was my fault.” Sabine sighed, “I was the one keeping us both quiet.”

Marinette frowned, “What do you mean?”

“I was so worried you'd feel like we were forcing you to do something you didn't want if we voiced our thoughts. I shouldn't have let you deal with this on your own, I'm sorry.”

Hurrying towards her mom, Marinette took her hands in her own. “Maman, you didn't leave me alone. You were supportive and amazing through all of this.”

Her dad sighed, “You're too hard on yourself. You know this is in no way your fault.”

She ringed her hands and didn't say anything. Marinette didn't recognize her mother in that moment. She looked nervous and scared, something she never knew her to be. “I know.” she said. “I know that, I do, I just can't help but feel like I did something to-”

“Sabine, honey.” Tom interrupted, “You are not your mother.”

Marinette looked between them, confused. “What's going on?” she asked.

Tom nodded at his wife and turned to Marinette. He kissed her forehead and rubbed her belly affectionately. “I'll leave you two to talk.”

He left the room and still no one said anything. Marinette was waiting for her mom to talk and she seemed to be trying to figure out how to start. She knew that feeling, so she waiting. She sat back down on the couch and let her mom get through her thoughts.

Sabine sat next to her a couple moments later and jumped straight into it. “I got pregnant right out of high school. At the time I was preparing to go to college and start my career, but everything got put on hold the moment I found out.”

Marinette gaped, but let her continue.

“When I told my family, well, it wasn't pretty. My mother nearly threw me out, told me I disgraced her and that I dishonored the family. Wang and my father were the only reason she didn't, but even then they refused to talk to me, to even acknowledge me. I knew I made a mistake, but I guess I hoped they would understand and be there for me. . . They weren't. Not in the slightest. My parents were very traditional, after all.”

“What about the father?” Marinette asked.

“He denied it. He said he wasn't the father, that I was confused. He ignored me and then he spread it like a wildfire. I lived in a small town so everyone knew and I couldn't escape it. It was by that time that I decided I couldn't take it anymore. The silence in my own home was a lot to take, but the looks I got when I so much as went to the store was too much. I lost long time friends, people avoided me like it was contagious. You would think people would be more open minded in 1993, but they proved me wrong. I was young, single, unemployed, and pregnant. Nobody wanted anything to do with that.”

Marinette scooted closer to her and laid her head on her shoulder in her way of consolation. It had been a long time since then, but it sounded like it still hurt to talk about. Sabine placed her hand on her leg and kissed her head.

“So I got an abortion. I thought that would make things better, but it didn't. It made things worse. Instead of being known as the pregnant whore, I was the slut that took the easy way out. Then my mother really threw me out and my father didn't do anything to stop her.”

Marinette felt tears sting her eyes at the thought of all of that happening to her mother. Her sweet, nurturing mother with a heart of gold. So warm and supportive, being treated in such a way. Marinette wished she could find every person who hurt her and strangle them, but instead she just listened as her heart broke for the wonderful woman beside her.

“Wang was the only one who helped me. He knew I had nothing left in that town so he gave me the money to go anywhere I wanted to start fresh, to begin new again where no one knew me. So of course I took it, I was tired and hurt, and I would've done anything to just get away. I wanted a different culture, so I came to Paris and tried to rebuild myself.”

“And that's when you met papa?”

“Yeah. He offered me a job as his apprentice and slowly, I healed.”

“That's why you reacted the way you did. You didn't want me to go through the same thing.”

She nodded. “Admittedly, I guessed you were pregnant a couple weeks before you told me. I was waiting for you to tell me on your own terms.”

Do-” she twiddled her thumbs, “Do you ever regret it?”

“I used to. I came to Paris to forget about my mistakes and what I had done and move forward, but I was fooling myself. I moved to a different continent with my problems in tow. I always wondered what life would've been like if I kept it. Was it a boy or a girl? What would I have named it? Would I be a good mom? Would my family have accepted the baby? I asked myself questions like that all the time and constantly beat myself up for it. I wondered how things would have been if the circumstances were different. Would I have made the same decision?”

Marinette was reminded of what Tikki told her. Would she have made the same decision if the circumstances were different?

Sabine chuckled to herself. She was getting lost in her thoughts. “Sometimes I'd play out a scenario where I did keep the baby, I always imagined it was a boy. I would be a single parent struggling a bit with money, but I poured everything into my son's life and he was happy. I imagined us watching old movies together and playing games, being a small, perfect family. The times I thought about that was the worst, because I was reminded that I gave it all up because I let other people get to me. But,” she looked at Marinette with smiling eyes, adoration filling every nook and cranny of her face, “If I had kept the baby and I did have that life, I wouldn't have moved to Paris and met Tom. I wouldn't have had you, and to me that is a much worse outcome.”

Overcome with emotion and a newfound respect for her mother, Marinette buried herself into her chest and hugged her. “I love you, maman.”

She laughed and stroked her hair, “I love you, too. Marinette. So, so much.”

Chapter Text

The plan was to tell Chat as soon as he visited her again. She hadn't seen him in a while, at least not as Marinette, and she figured it was because he was giving her space. He had a tendency to do that whenever he knew something was bothering her. It happened before. She was feeling down and he didn't know exactly what was wrong, so he somehow deducted that he was what was wrong. They talked about it many times in the past and though she was sure he knew she would tell him if he was the problem, he still distanced himself at times. Marinette wished she could do something, but she had no other way to contact him aside from calling as Ladybug. How was she supposed to explain that to him?

It had been a week and she still hadn't seen Chat. She was beginning to wonder if maybe he figured it out and was avoiding her. That thought made her sigh.

“Something wrong?” Alya asked, quirking her eyebrow in Marinette's direction.

“Oh, uh, just some issues with. . . clothes.” she stammered. She still hadn't told Alya about Chat and she wanted to keep it that way until she told him everything. She was hoping she'd get to introduce them. “They're a little tight.”

“Are you showing already?” Alya's eyes brightened. “Let me see!”

Marinette laughed, swatting her hand away from her belly. “Not much. It's not quite maternity clothes level, but enough that I have a hard time buttoning my jeans.”

“Aww, little baby is growing!”

“And mommy is suffering.” she felt her smile grow and butterflies flutter when she said that. Mommy. “Though I'd prefer if you didn't broadcast it in the middle of the street.” she grumbled. Alya only chuckled.

“No one's listening,” she said, “but I'll be quiet when we get to school.”

The rest of the walk was with only a couple comments here and there. Marinette wasn't nervous at all to tell Alya she was keeping the baby, she was actually excited and Alya shared that excitement. She kept squealing that she was gonna be an aunt. It kept her from asking any questions about Chat for the time being. It was only a matter of time until the excitement settled and she'd get curious again.

Alya was currently doing all the research she could on pregnancy to support her as much as possible. Marinette was beyond grateful. She couldn't have asked for a better friend.

Nino and Adrien were waiting for them on the steps when they arrived. That was a little habit they had since last semester. After Adrien and Marinette got closer, it tied the group together and made them practically inseparable. They would've liked to walk to school together, but it wasn't an option with Gabriel's preferred transportation for Adrien and the fact that Alya and Nino lived nowhere near each other to walk. It was too out of the way, so they settled for meeting outside the building and walking inside together.

Upon their arrival, Adrien raced down the stairs and greeted them. Or rather, he greeted Marinette. “Good morning, Mari.” he chirped. “How are you feeling?”

She shrugged, “It's morning and I'm awake.”

He cracked a smile, “Fair enough.”

Marinette went to walk up the stairs, but Adrien stopped her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Here, let me.”

“Am I crippled or something?” She had noticed him acting strange around her since that day in the park. It was random things like giving her his extra water bottle or jumping out of his seat when she complained about being tired. Alya was convinced that it was Adrien's way of expressing his feelings for her. Marinette was convinced he was just an overbearing gentleman.

“No, you can just be a little clumsy at times. Y-you know?”

She shook her head in mild exasperation, “I can walk up a couple of stairs without busting my head open. I'm fine.” but right as she said that, her foot caught the next step and she went pummeling down. Fortunately, Adrien caught her before she hit the ground and sent her a smug expression.

“You were saying?”

She rolled her eyes as a small laugh escaped her lips, “Lead the way, prince charming.”

She looked back to see Alya still a good ways behind, winking and giving her a thumbs up. Marinette frowned, gesturing to herself and mouthing the word “baby”. Still, Alya wouldn't be swayed. She was shipping Adrinette, as she called it, more than ever. A baby wasn't going to get in the way of that, apparently.

Adrien still held her waist as they lingered and slowly made their way to the class as if that was the most natural thing to do. Marinette felt guilty at how pleasant the feeling of Adrien's hands around her waist felt. The only person she had ever let touch her so intimately was Chat, and though she planned to keep it that way, it took her a second too long to clear her throat and inch her body away. Adrien snapped his hand away and turned pink.

“Ah, sorry.” he said sheepishly.

Feeling a little bad, she smiled up at him, “Thanks for watching out for me.”

His embarrassment melted and he returned the smile tenfold, “Anytime.”

-

Almost immediately after school, Alya dragged her away declaring that they were going shopping. Maternity clothes shopping, to be exact. Marinette insisted that she was fine and she didn't need anything just yet, but Alya was persistent and her eagerness was far too infectious to say no.

They got into the store and both of them went a bit wild. Marinette could feel her heart melt at the sight of the little onsies and hats, the tiny boots and bibs. Really, it was too much to handle, especially with her hormones bouncing all over the place. The two made it through that section without putting too many items in the cart and they reached the clothes for the mother herself.

Marinette gulped, “Don't you think these are a little large, Al?”

The girl in question blinked, “Um, don't you think you're gonna get a little large?”

She shifted her weight, “I mean, yeah, but not quite yet. I'm still in the first trimester.”

“Barely.” Alya responded, “You're getting up into the second, and you're gonna get big fast once you start growing for real.”

She looked across the pants and shirts and bras she knew she'd need eventually, but just couldn't imagine herself wearing them. She was becoming more aware of how much her body was going to change. Her belly was going to expand, she'd likely get tons of stretchmarks, her arms and thighs would plump up. Her feet were already swollen, and with the struggle of pulling her pants up that morning, she was getting nervous.

Alya must have noticed her hesitation because she abruptly decided to skip the bigger things and go for what she needed then rather than later. Marinette appreciated it. She was keeping the baby, therefore she had to go through the whole nine months of the pregnancy and all it came with, but her decision didn't make it any less daunting. If anything, it made it worse.

Certainty had a way of being terrifying.

Marinette chose the floppy, stretchy clothes that didn't scream pregnancy. The ones that could just as easily be a fashion choice instead of a need, and she could make them work. She preferred form fitting clothes that accentuated her figure (something she presumed came from running around in skintight spandex), but she found something unique in every style and would never do herself the disservice of only sticking to one.

They threw a couple pairs in and were content with their choices. It was at that point Marinette and Alya found themselves browsing the baby clothes again. With all the excitement and anticipation, how could they resist?

“Ooh, look at these, Mari!”

Marinette turned her head and saw Alya holding up two onsies. One red with spots and the other black with a little bell at the collar. Ladybug and Chat Noir. She went to look at them closer and chuckled to herself. There was so little detail on Chat's. Marinette could picture the intricate lines and details in his suit, the pockets and the belt, every stitch. The piece in front of her, as cute as it was, didn't do Chat justice and it certainly wouldn't do for his baby either. “I could do better.” she said with confidence.

Alya rolled her eyes, “Of course you could. I can imagine you picking apart everything in this store and completely redesigning them.”

Marinette laughed, “I'll probably end up making most of my baby's clothes.”

“I have no doubt in my mind you will, but are you sure you'll have the time for that?”

“I'll have some time, I'm sure.” she responded, tilting her head in thought, “I'm not alone, so it won't be too difficult to eventually sit down and make something. Maman and papa said they could help watch the baby after it's born.”

Alya looked into her eyes meaningfully, taking a short moment before saying anything. Marinette noticed she did that whenever she was about to say something that might be out of line or bother someone else. She unconsciously braced herself. “And what about the father of the baby?” she asked softly, “Will he help?”

“He uh. . .” Marinette wished she could say yes for sure, “Well, I don't know. I haven't talked to him yet.”

“Still? Mari, it's been weeks since you found out. Shouldn't he be one of the first to know?”

Marinette sighed despondently, “He should, I know that. I just don't know how to tell him.”

“Are you scared he's gonna run off or something?”

“Maybe? He's not that kind of person, but it's possible. He doesn't exactly have the best family and having a child of his own might scare him.”

“Well, of course it's gonna scare him.” Alya deadpanned, “He has no clue right now and when you tell him it'll probably hit him pretty hard. He's a normal kid one day and then a father the next. He's gonna be terrified.”

“Way to make this easier on me, Al.”

“I just mean there's no getting around that part. You were scared. Heck, you're still scared, but you aren't running away. What makes you think he will?”

“You sure have a lot of faith in a guy you don't even know.”

“I don't have to know him to know you wouldn't care so much about someone that awful. You're generally a good judge of character and I have faith in that. I think you should, too. And if he does up and leave you, I'll make him pay for it. Nobody knocks up my girl without taking responsibility.”

She groaned, “Do you have to use that phrase?”

“Excuse me,” a new voice chimed in from behind them and both girls spun around to see an older woman eyeing them curiously, “I couldn't help but overhear your conversation from the other aisle. You're having trouble telling the father you're pregnant?”

“Oh uh, yeah.” Marinette responded, “I'm a bit nervous.”

The woman smiled, empathy oozing from her hazel eyes. “I understand, dear, it's scary, but everything will be fine once you get it over with. I have a bit of a habit of building things up in my head and making them out to be worse than they actually are, so I get it. Say, how old are you?”

With cheeks burning in shame and fingers tangling themselves together, Marinette answered, “Sixteen-years-old, Madame.”

“Oh,” her eyes widened a bit, “that's quite a young age to have a baby. You're keeping it?”

“That's the plan.” Marinette wished the woman would leave. It was only a few questions, she had answered more from her parents, but those were her parents. They had a right to know. This was a complete stranger and she couldn't help but feel like she was scrutinizing her.

“So young and brave.” her lips turned to a tight smile that held less warmth, “How far along are you?”

“Eleven weeks.”

The edge of her lips flickered up and then down again, as if she wasn't sure if she wanted to frown or smile. It was a weird mix between the two and she didn't know what to think of it.

Alya intervened, “Well, it was nice talking to you, but we should get going.”

The woman grabbed Marinette's shoulder, “Don't take this the wrong way, but are you sure you can handle this?”

Marinette gaped, not saying a single word, though her tongue begged to fight back.

“A child is a lot of work. You need the time and the money to do it, and that's not even the hardest part. You have to have resolve, know who you are and have your values straight, or you're just gonna confuse the poor kid when they're older. You have to be a good example and spend time with them. How are you gonna do that if you're too busy with school and homework and maybe even college if you neglect them enough? Leave them with Maman and Papa to pursue your dreams?”

“Shut it, lady.” Alya glared, “You don't know what you're talking about or who you're talking to. What gives you the right to judge someone else's choices, someone you know nothing about? This is none of your business and this isn't your baby, so butt out and boss your own kids around.”

The woman's lips finally decided which direction they wanted to go in, and the decision wasn't pleasant. They sank into a deep, deep frown. “You're right.” she conceded, “It's not my baby. Not my baby at all.”

Glaring one last time, she pulled Marinette away. They exited the store and was on their way to what Marinette assumed was the park.

“Don't listen to what that nosy prick said.” Alya snarled, “She had no idea what she was talking about. You're going to be a wonderful mother, Mari.”

Marinette placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled, “I know. What she said didn't bother me.”

“You sure? You tend to get pretty worked up when someone talks bad about you.”

“I'm sure, I just. . . I feel sorry for her. Of course raising a child isn't easy, but she made it sound like you can't have a life outside of your baby, and that's such a saddening mindset. No wonder she was like that.”

“I feel sorry for her kids more than anything.” Alya mumbled as they made their way to the bakery.

-

When Marinette got home, she eagerly showed her parents what she and Alya bought and told them all about it, leaving out the strange encounter. Her mom was pretty upset she didn't get to take her shopping, but Marinette reminded her that there would be many shopping trips to come and she could take her to as many as she wanted.

Tom said Sabine could take care of that, he was more interested in getting things for the actual baby. Marinette had a feeling he was going to go overboard. He was already a doting parent, she couldn't imagine him as grandparent.

Her baby was already spoiled.

They ate dinner and they chatted, and Marinette told them about her plans to make a Ladybug and Chat Noir onsies. Her parents loved it. They started pitching in ideas of how to go about it and talking about how cute it would be.

Her parents ended up making a bet on the gender. Sabine was convinced it was a boy, Tom said it was definitely going to be a girl, and Marinette just watched them, smiling, thinking about how silly she was when she was scared of telling her parents those weeks ago. Everything changed, just like Tikki said. It was different and it would never go back, but she was fine with that, because they were still happy. Still a family with an addition on the way.

Marinette went up to her room after helping her mom with the dishes. She had homework she was planning to finish up, but more than that, she was excited to start sketching her designs for the onsies. She opened her trap door and looked up to see someone she hadn't laid eyes on in what felt like forever.

Chat.

Chapter Text

“Chat.” Marinette said, mostly to herself. She looked at him to make sure he was real, to make sure he was there and he wasn't leaving. She hadn't seen him in so long, and the moment in which he was finally in front of her, she couldn't tear her gaze away.

“Princess.” he responded with that teasing lilt, like he could read her mind. Or perhaps he was just following her eyes. He could probably see how she was looking at him, see her eyes wandering across his body. Exploring the sight that had escaped her for the past few weeks.

She would admit it. She was ogling him.

She stepped forward and ignored the ache that enveloped her. “I haven't seen you in forever. Where have you been?”

He grimaced and tried to hide it. It didn't work. “Away. Thinking. But I'm back and I really need to talk to you.”

“I've missed you.” she said and his expression softened.

He got up from her chaise and approached her. He cupped her cheek and pecked her nose. “I missed you, too, ma cheri.”

She exhaled and leaned her head into his touch. She really had missed him, and now that she had him, she didn't want to let him go.

“Please don't leave me like that again.” she was getting scared, she knew that. Her defenses were taking over and she was trying to keep him from getting freaked out. She had to tell him that night or she would chicken out, but he was there and he was touching her. He hadn't touched her in so long. She wanted more.

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been gone so long, but right now I-”

She cut him off with her lips. Not hearing half of what he was saying, she pressed her mouth to his and let her body take over. He held her closer and gave her control, and she took it. She made them tumble to the ground as she ravished his lips. She didn't care if her parents heard the thump, she only cared about the then and the there and the boy beneath her.

She knew just what to do to make him putty in her hands. Just where to touch him and just how to kiss him, and he enjoyed every second of it. She could tell.

For the first time in a while, she was hungry. She didn't feel like she was going to throw up or pass out from nausea. She was hungry for him, so she ate all that he would feed her.

She pressed and asked for more, he held her back. She led her lips elsewhere, he kept her in place. She thought he was playing one of his games with her before he broke away, gasping for air so he could speak.

“Please, Mari. It's important.”

“No,” she whined, “kiss me more. It's been too long.”

He chuckled, “You know I love this. I do.” he kissed her neck as if to prove it to her, “But we need to talk.”

She rested her head on his shoulder and only then did she realized she was practically sitting on his lap. Not that either of them cared. “Chat, I need to tell you something, too. . .”

She was trembling. Why was she trembling? Why couldn't she say a single word? Why were her hands taking all of her strength to grip his shoulders? Why was she dragging it out?

“I don't know how t-to tell you this, but- I-”

“Marinette.” Chat pulled her from her hidden position and made her look in his eyes. “I know.”

“What?” her voice shook.

“I know. You don't have to say anything.”

Tears swam in her eyes and she tried to hold them back. “Know what exactly?”

His gaze traveling down her form and he gulped. He wasn't responding.

“Say it.” she urged.

He sighed long and hard, and he pulled her into a hug, tight and safe from her fears. “I know you're pregnant.”

The tears finally dropped and she whispered, “How?”

He hesitated for moment. “Well, let's just say I see you more often than I let on.”

She released herself from his grip and scrunched her eyebrows. “Outside your transformation?”

He nodded, “You haven't told a lot of people, but between being so close to you as Chat and seeing you so often behind the mask, I noticed some things.”

Marinette stood up, turning away from him to calm the pounding in her chest. So he knew. Maybe not the entire time, but for a good while he had been figuring it out. She chose to ignore the fact that he saw her often when he wasn't Chat, because her pregnancy wasn't the only thing she had to tell him. She had to tell him absolutely everything.

She took a deep breath, preparing herself for however he might react. “I'm keeping the baby, Chat.”

He said nothing. She couldn't see or hear him. She had imagined how he would react so many times and could never pinpoint it exactly to his character. He was noble and kind, respectful of her emotions and her body, but they were both still kids with so much more ahead of them. He was ambitious and adventurous, would he let her and their child tie him down when he wanted so much to fly instead? Though she was glad she couldn't witness it, she needed to know what he thought.

“It doesn't matter if you want to stay with me or not, I'm having the baby. And- and it's fine if you don't want to be involved, I wouldn't force you to do something you don't want to.”

He still hadn't said a word, so she continued.

“Nobody has to know you're the father, so you don't have to worry about that.” Marinette turned around to face him, hoping he was still listening or even still there, but all of her thought out words vanished to nothing when she saw the look on his face.

His eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth turned down in distaste. He was frowning with anger and disappointment mingling in his eyes. And he finally spoke, “Do you really think so low of me? Did you seriously think I'd run away and leave you alone to take care of our baby?”

“I didn't mean it like that.”

“Then what did you mean?”

She couldn't answer.

“I can't believe you doubted me.”

Marinette sighed and sank back down to the floor where he was still sitting. “You're right.” she said, “I did doubt you.”

He reached out and twirled his claw around a loose tendril of her hair. Their eyes met and all the anger in his vanished, leaving only hurt. “Why?” he whispered and she could hear the rasp in his voice, the lump in his throat.

Her brain fought with her tongue to say the right words. “I. . . guess I was scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Of everything. Of how you would react, the months ahead, of doing this and being a mom. I'm even scared of getting a baby bump. Everything is changing, Chat, and I don't know what to think anymore. I'm terrified.”

“So am I. The day the thought crossed my mind that you might be pregnant, I was read to jump out of my window. Not because I don't want to do this with you, but because this is terrifying. I could be an awful father, I could fail this precious baby the same way my father failed me. Yeah, the thought makes me want to run, but I'm not. I'm not leaving the two of you no matter what. Do you hear me, Marinette?” he grabbed her cheeks and made her look at him, and he stared deeply into her eyes, begging her to understand, “I am never leaving you. I decided that long before you got pregnant.”

He saw her tears before she felt them, and he rushed to brush them away. “I'm sorry.” she choked out, “I'm sorry I doubted you.”

He kissed her tear stained cheeks. One by one and then traveling to her nose and then her lips, kissing her regret away. “I love you.” then he pulled her back and leaned down to kiss her belly, “And I love you, too.”

Marinette smiled down at him. Of course he was supporting her. That was the reason she could never quite get his reaction right in her mind. She was expecting the worst when Chat had always given her the absolute best.

“So can I tell you what I needed to talk to you about?”

Marinette blinked, “You mean that wasn't it?”

“It was, but not the whole thing.” he stood up and held his hand out for her to take. Once they were off the floor, he led them to the chaise and sat them down. He was looking at her excitedly, like he was about to do something he had been waiting to do forever. And as it turned out, he was. “I want to reveal my identity to you.”

“You do?”

“Of course I do! How am I supposed to be there for you and the baby if I'm only around in cat ears and a mask? And besides, I hate having to wait until nighttime to spend time with you. I want to take you on real dates and spoil you with fancy dinners, or even just hold your hand in broad daylight for everyone to see.”

Marinette understood. Many times she had thought about being able to go out with him without anyone batting an eye, just a normal couple on the street. And then there were those times she wished she could tell Chat she was Ladybug. Dancing around rooftops and stealing kisses between patrol routes. So many times she dreamed of that. The baby was giving them their chance. She knew that just as Chat had to reveal his identity for it to work, she had to reveal hers.

It wasn't like it was when they first got their miraculouses. She was little thirteen year old afraid of breaking the rules, of getting close to the person she should've been closest with. Now she could picture it and see the benefits, and not just for the baby.

“Should I close my eyes for dramatic effect?” she joked.

“No,” he said seriously, “I need you to watch me the entire time. Look at me without blinking and uh, try not to be mad?”

“What?”

“Plagg, detransform me.”

Immediately, a bright flash of green wrapped itself around the room. It started at his feet, making its way up and revealing a normal pair of shoes and jeans and a familiar black shirt until it reach his face. Just like he asked, she didn't blink. She didn't move her gaze away from him as the leather that covered him disappeared. Her eyes never strayed from his, and though they stayed the same shade of green, the face that he revealed to her left her speechless.

“M-Marinette?” Adrien said her name in the same voice as Chat, with the same lips she had kissed raw not ten minutes before.

“Adrien.” she said, and the revelation struck her harder than ever. Chat was Adrien. It made sense, and yet it didn't. He was someone she spent so much time with in and out of the mask. The person she dreamed of simply being able to walk in the park together ended up being someone she had walked in the park with. They did go on friend dates and he did spoil her. And then it clicked, why he had been acting so strange around her, treating her like she was fragile.

“You knew.” she said, “That I was pregnant.”

“Didn't we already establish that?”

“And this whole time you were being supportive and watching out for us before I even knew anything.” she gasped, “I said all that stuff about you that day in the park.”

Adrien was smiling, big and happy and beyond mischievous. “About me being your everything? Yeah, I remember that.”

Marinette groaned, “I bet you do. You're terrible, you know that?”

He broke out laughing, “So I've been told. So you're not mad?”

She smiled to ease his worried expression. Scooting closer to him, Marinette gently pressed her lips to his and lingered to prove her point. “Only if you're not mad at me.”

“About what?”

“Tikki, transform me.”

-

In a cozy home with a lit fireplace as the only source of light, hazel eyes appeared darker. The fire, flickering and twirling in its domain, danced in her eyes and ignited a flame that had been long extinguished.

Mona clutched the silver pin on her chest and gazed into the fire, a smile twitching into place. No more whining. No more wallowing in self-pity and window shopping in stores that only brought her pain. That was the end of it, the end of her suffering.

“It's not my baby.” she said, “Not my baby at all. Not yet.”

She got up, slid the old sonogram pictures back into their place. Back into hiding where she would never cry over them again, because she was done with her woeful life. She was done being childless.

Chapter Text

Marinette was all smiles. She threw up first thing in the morning, nearly tripped over own feet as she made her way down to breakfast, couldn't take a single bite of her food, and Alya texted her saying she wouldn't be able to walk with her to school, but nothing could wipe the grin off her face. Her parents didn't say anything about it, they just smiled back and kissed her cheeks as usual, wishing her a good day. She and Tikki only shared a happy, knowing look. It had started out rough, but things were looking up.

She had a bounce in her step the whole way to school and gave her friends a chipper greeting when they came into sight. An enthusiastic smile to Alya and Nino and a meaningful look towards Adrien. When she set her gaze on him, it was like looking into a mirror. He shared the very same expression, the giant grin and the carefree eyes. Though it seemed strange that two teenagers would be overjoyed to have a child together when they were still practically children themselves, but it wasn't that the situation was an extremely happy one. The smile wasn't just the glee and the freedom of their relationship. It was relief.

He knew. He knew she was pregnant and he knew she was keeping it, and he was with her every step of the way. He didn't groan or lament, rant his regrets of ever taking her to bed. He accepted it as it was and didn't back away. He was taking her hand and responsibility without complaint. He also knew she was Ladybug, and if the way he stepped forward and greeted her said anything, if the softening of his expression as he said the ordinary words told her anything at all, he wasn't disappointed.

Her heart fluttered and his cheeks darkened. She felt ridiculous, like when she first looked at Adrien with that rainy backdrop and the first time she kissed him on her balcony. She felt crazy. Wild and energetic, like she could run a marathon, but she wanted to use all of that energy to continue being with him.

So they looked at each other. They didn't kiss, didn't graze each others fingers, didn't touch. Just looked, because they couldn't get enough of it. Of each other. He was Adrien. She was Marinette. Ladybug and Chat Noir. Partners, best friends, lovers, and they were finally seeing clearly. Or perhaps her sight was clouded with adoration, but she was fine with that.

Nino cleared his throat, “You guys doing okay over there?”

“Just fine.” Adrien replied, “Perfectly fine.” Turning away from her as Nino and Alya exchanged confused glances, Adrien walked slow towards the building, inviting Marinette to walk beside him. She quickly took her place next to him and she let him put his arm around her as they made their way up the steps. She didn't think it was necessary, but she let him do his thing and protect their little one however he felt he needed to. It warmed her heart.

They got to the classroom and went gingerly to their seats, reluctant to let go. She realized they were being silly and over the top. They had been together for over a year and they were acting like they had just started dating, but in a way, she guessed they had. They were with the same person they had been with for a long time, but everything was new and exciting. It was a another step in their relationship. They had new things to experience together now that they knew their identities and a future together they were determined to make a reality.

Just as they were about to take their respective seats and Marinette prepared for the questions Alya would likely ask, a distinctive voice turned their heads.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Chloe didn't shriek, didn't yell, didn't throw another one of her tantrums. She only stared at the two as shock decorated her face. “Really, Adrien? Her?”

The thing about Chloe was that even though she was disliked and known for making a scene, once she was involved with something, everyone was looking. Everyone paid attention. Maybe it was to see what poor soul invoked her rage or get their show of the day, but she had a way of drawing people in and creating an audience.

Their relationship was no longer a secret, but they hadn't made the time to make up a story of how they got together or even pretend to slowly grow closer over time, and though they loved being out in the open, they still wanted some privacy. They at least wanted to give some sort of explanation to their friends before everything blew up. Chloe barging in and throwing their plans out the window was not what they wanted.

Marinette heard Adrien gulp. “What do you mean, Chlo?” he asked.

“I mean this!” she gestured to their close proximity, his arm around her waist. They pulled apart and shifted their weight, and Marinette hated it. They weren't doing anything wrong and yet Chloe always managed to make her feel like she was. She made her feel guilty even though there was nothing to feel guilty about.

“What do you want, Chloe?” Marinette grumbled.

“I want to know how you manipulated him!” she raised her voice, “How you managed to get him to ruin his life.”

Adrien frowned and instead of distancing himself more, he pulled her back and wrapped a protective around her. “Look,” he growled, “I know you can get jealous, but-”

Chloe barked out a laugh, “Jealous? Of her?” she looked her up and down and shook her head in disbelief, “I am not jealous of her in the slightest. I pity her. I pity what you two have gotten yourselves into.”

That caused Adrien to falter.

“What?” Marinette barely choked out, and she could suddenly feel eyes on her. They were looking, wondering what Chloe knew that they didn't. What Chloe knew. . . did Chloe know? And if she did, what was she going to do?

“You're not as great at keeping a secret as you think you are, Dupain-Cheng. And I'll be honest and say I expected a lot more out of you, but you just couldn't hold yourself back from that blonde piece of meat, could you? You got yourself in this mess and you're dragging Adrien down with you.”

The audience, both the ones looking for a show and the ones who happened to witness it, were filled with questions. Curious looks she wanted nothing more than to evade, but it was either that, Adrien's nervous fidgeting, Alya's wide eyes, or Chloe's disgust to face. She chose the floor.

Nothing more was said and a moment later, heels clicked away and she huffed, plopping down into her seat. The teacher came in not long after and they were forced to take their seats, too, dread dropping into the pits of their stomach.

It was bound to happen, she told herself. It wasn't something she could hide forever anyway. She would get bigger. Her pregnancy would become obvious. A baby wasn't exactly discreet, after all. It was all bound to happen anyway, but not like this. Not thrown in her face, not made out to be an ugly thing. On her own terms with her own rules. With happy months and anticipation, but what did she expect? She wasn't an adult, she wasn't married, she didn't have a stable income to support the baby. She was a kid with a plan she could only hope would work out, a pipe dream. That's what it was. A fantasy. An unreachable wish, because it wasn't going to be that easy.

Her classmates didn't even know anything for sure and she was already embarrassed. Ashamed. The woman from the store popped into her head again.

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

She wasn't sure. She couldn't even handle ridicule from Chloe, how on earth could she handle parenthood at such a young age? She chastised herself for getting so happy and excited when it was only the beginning. Only a few people knew, she wasn't even showing yet, she hadn't had a single doctor's appointment aside from getting tested. She was getting far too ahead of herself. It made sense though. A couple hopeful words from her friends and family was all it took to make her so full of joy, so of course a few discouraging words was all it took to tear it down.

-

“So that's her.” Hawkmoth mused.

Grinning, biting her lip at what was to come as she looked into the window that showed a distressed girl, Mona nodded, “That's her. And it's happening. Everything is falling into place.”

He scoffed, “I would certainly hope so. If you're as skilled in your abilities as you keep telling me, it should definitely be working. Or I'm not helping you.”

She giggled, a sweet sound, and twirled around to face him, “Oh, hawky, of course I am! Are you getting nervous? Cause I understand, this is big stuff. And this isn't just you helping me. Did you forget our deal?”

“Don't be ridiculous, woman. I know what I agreed to, I'm just making sure you do.”

She sighed with a smile still adorning her face. She pranced up next to him and smooth out the wrinkles between his eyebrows, “As much as I love the whole angry, 'I have a tragic past' thing you have going on, you're gonna get frown lines if you keep on. You don't want to blemish your handsome face.”

“Don't patronize me.”

“Don't be such a stick in the mud.” she rolled her eyes, “If we're going to work together, we need to not constantly be on each other's case. We're both after the same thing, aren't we? We can get along just for a little while.”

He looked back up at the sight of a classroom and sighed, “I suppose you're right. Arguing will do us no good. We both have similar goals regarding the same person.”

“And I did reveal the identity of your enemy, didn't I? You owe me something.”

“Half of something.” he glared, “That's only one identity out of two. How did you figure that out to begin with?”

She smiled, tapping the butterfly pin on her chest, “I told you. I see everything that is to come. It's not exactly a vision, but the knowledge of what will happen and who it will happen to. Just one little thing colliding with multitudes of other little things, and it all comes crashing down.”

“So where are we now in this plan of yours?”

“The most critical part.” she replied, “Extracting hope.”

Hawkmoth chuckled, the first positive response she had gotten out of him. Since she first approached him and proposed they team up, he had only given her suspicion and skepticism. He doubted her, which she knew he would do, but she also knew he'd agree and they'd slowly warm up to each other. It was the same with everything she did; she just had to do and say the right things. Though she would only know what her actions would cause after she made them, she was a master at it at that point. She wouldn't fail, not with so much on the line.

Chapter Text

After the bell rang, signifying the end of the school day, Marinette knew she couldn't avoid it any longer. It was easy to run from Alya while school was still in session and she had other classes to get to. It was simple to wave her off and say she would tell her later, but later had come and she didn't have a clue what to say. Though the answer was obvious; she had to tell her truth, but how much of it?

She looked up to see Alya already in front of her. “You ready to go?” she asked.

Nodding, Marinette stood to her feet and led the way. Alya liked walking her home, especially since discovering she was pregnant. It had more to do with spending that extra time together before homework swept them away, though Alya always said it was for safety. They both enjoyed the short walk together, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to be nearly as pleasant as before.

She sent Adrien an apologetic look and he shook his head, silently telling her not to worry about it. They were going to meet up at patrol anyway.

They exited the building and went on their way at a slow pace, and neither said anything. Marinette gave Alya the lead in the conversation cause she didn't know how to start it nor did she really want to, but when Alya gave no signs of speaking, she felt she had to say something.

“You're not gonna ask?” Marinette's voice cut through the silence.

“No.” she replied.

“W-why not?”

“There's no reason to. You won't tell me.”

Marinette stopped in place. “What do you mean I won't tell you?”

Alya sighed. “One minute you're saying you don't like Adrien anymore and you can't possibly consider being with him because you're pregnant, but the next thing I know you two are all lovey-dovey and you don't even deny it when Chloe says he's the father. None of this adds up and I have so many questions, but I'm not gonna ask because you didn't tell me before and I don't expect you to tell me now.”

“I-”

“Don't lie to me. You have secrets, Marinette. I've known this for a long time.”

“I just. . . can't tell you right now.”

“Then when?”

“I don't know, Alya. I'm sorry.”

“I know you are, Mari.” she looked at her meaningfully, trying to be understanding despite how conflicted she was feeling. Marinette could see it in her expression; the confusion and desire to know battling with her patience and respect for her best friend's privacy.

It tore Marinette up that she couldn't say anything, but how could she possibly explain it? How could she tell her without jeopardizing her safety? She couldn't, and that was the truth of the matter. She knew she couldn't, so she figured it would be best to not say anything at all.

“Let me ask you one question though.” Alya said, “Is Adrien actually the father?”

It was one question she could answer, so she had to give it to Alya. The girl loved digging deep and getting information, so she knew it must have taken a lot to put that aside and respect her decision to keep quiet. Marinette swallowed, meeting her eyes and conveying as much honesty as possible. “Yes.”

Alya smiled, stepping forward and placing a hand on her cheek. “That's all I need to know.”

“Are you sure?”

“For now. Now, let's get you home, then after that I have someone I need to talk to.” Her solemn look disappeared, leaving behind determination in the form of eyes sparkling in mischief.

Marinette groaned. “Go easy on him.”

“No can do. I love him to death, but that's all the more reason to be rough on him. You know, tough love.”

“I have a feeling tough love isn't the right word.”

“Don't you worry your little head over it” she tapped her nose, feigning innocence. “It's not good for the baby.”

An arm draped around Alya, and Marinette looked up to see Nino shaking his head. “You can't go beating up my best friend, Alya. He's too much of a gentleman to fight back, but he is stronger.”

“He may have more muscles than I do, but no one can defy me. Him being a gentleman will have nothing to do with it. You should know this.” Alya responded.

“That I do, but I hope you won't wrestle with him the same way.” he smiled down at her with a teasing lilt in his voice, eliciting a laugh from Alya.

“Wouldn't dream of it, lover boy.”

Rolling her eyes, Marinette wished very much in that moment to either leave or have Adrien with her so they would suffer together. “Good grief, what does a girl have to do to be with her friends and not hear this kind of stuff all the time?”

“You need better friends.” Nino commented, to which Alya snorted and heartily agreed.

“You really do. We're terrible, especially when we're together.”

“I can't say I disagree, but only you two would stick by my side no matter what. . .”

A pause, a soft moment of hesitation as her two friends glanced at each other. The silence was interrupted by Nino.

“So Adrien's dad is gonna be busy the next couple of days and isn't home at the moment, so if you want to go and beat him up, now's your chance, Alya.”

“I'll do that. Hey,” Alya turned to Marinette and lifted her chin, setting her head higher, “I'll call you later, Mari.”

Marinette found it in her to smile, and it helped push all the negative emotions away. Alya went to walk away, but her boyfriend pulled her back a moment longer.

“See you, babe.” Nino leaned over and kissed her. “Don't be too hard on him.”

She smiled. “I make no promises.”

Alya ran off in the opposite direction and Nino wrapped his arm around Marinette's shoulder, urging them to walk forward. “You fine with me walking you home instead?”

Marinette chuckled. “I don't know why you guys insist on taking me home, it's not even a five minute walk from the school.”

“A lot could happen in a short walk. We gotta look out for our little Mama here.”

She winced. “Alya told you?”

“Adrien did. Why were you avoiding her anyway? I know she's a little pushy, but she's your best friend.”

“I was nervous? She knew I was pregnant, but not that the father is Adrien. Things got really twisted and I thought she was going to ask questions I wasn't prepared to answer.”

“What is it with you and Adrien? Everything is so complicated with you two. I mean, I get it. Things get that way, but have more faith in us. We may make you suffer, but we're here for you dudes. If you ever need a babysitter after the baby is born, just call me and I'll be there. I can run to the store and get you diapers or snacks. I'll keep you company while Alya wards off any judgment. Anything you need.”

Marinette leaned her head on his shoulder, conveying her appreciation in the only way she could think of. “I don't deserve you.” she murmured.

His eyes softened and he pressed his cheek against her head in turn. “And here I thought it was the other way around.”

Marinette invited Nino inside when they came to the front. He happily walked inside, saying he couldn't resist the free croissant her parents always offered. It had been too long since Nino came over and it felt good to spend some time with him alone for once.

She usually spent time with him when they were all together as a group. Rarely did they get together without anyone else. It wasn't that she didn't want to. On the contrary, Marinette began to miss the times she'd hang out with him in the beginning of middle school before she met Adrien and Alya. They never did anything exciting. They simply sat side by side as Marinette scribbled in her sketchbook and Nino laid back, listening to his music as they made a couple comments here and there. She couldn't remember when they stopped talking. It was a strange talent of his. When he wanted to fit into place, he could naturally slide into any scene he wanted. And in the same way, he could easily slip out without trouble. It was a strange mix of blending in and standing out.

He was mellow. No one minded him and he didn't mind anyone else. That was something she liked very much about him, but at the same time, it seemed sad. Up until he met Adrien, he was never seen with exclusively one person. One close friend.

They entered through the door to the house and went up to her room with some hot chocolate in tow. He claimed that was the other reason he wanted to come over. The free snacks were always great. Marinette smacked him on the arm for that and he laughed, saying she wasn't too bad either.

After getting comfortable and idly chatting, Nino went quiet. He held his cup and stared into the contents absently.

“Is something wrong?” Marinette asked when she noticed his silence.

He faced her. “I know you don't want to answer any questions right now, but I gotta ask. You've always insisted Adrien was just a friend. . . What changed?”

Twiddling her thumbs, Marinette struggled to answer. She didn't want to keep anything from her friends. They were always so amazing to her and they deserved the truth at the very least. Like what Nino said to her before; he would be there whenever she needed him. They all would.

She searched for words that were true, but still protected their identities. Ultimately, she decided to speak from the heart like she did with Adrien in park.

“Well, I got over my obsessive crush on Adrien when I realized how human he is.” she started, “I stopped with all my attempts at speaking and I listened, which made me realize how wrong it was to idolize him the way I did. After I put all of that aside, I learned who he is. He's the dorkiest person I know, loves puns way too much, and is quite frankly the worst person to watch Disney movies with. That boy can sing every song and quote every word. It's more creepy than endearing, but. . . he's also too sweet for his own good. He sacrifices his happiness for others and puts everything on the line for the people he cares about, and my feelings came back in a completely different way. Instead of focusing everything on how I felt, I focused on how he felt. I wanted to make him happy and make him feel loved. I wanted to give him everything he gave me. Not out of obligation, but. . . because I love him.”

Nino didn't say a word. He just stared at her with a blank expression, leaving her to realize she went on a rant. She blushed at her own words. This was not something they ever did in the past. It was usually quiet, a steady rhythm of relaxing and simply being together. No matter how true they were, she had never actually voiced them to anyone other than Tikki, but talking to him was new. New, but nice.

“S-so yeah, I stopped putting him on a pedestal and uh, realized he's more than what's on the surface.”

“Good.” Nino picked up his mug and took a sip, approval lacing itself into his expression. “That's good, Mari. I thought you'd never notice.”

“What do you mean?”

Nino scratched the back of his neck and their roles switched. He became the one struggling to explain. “It kinda hurt to see you treat Adrien the way you did a year ago. I always thought that you two would make a great couple if you would just treat him differently, but once you did, you only wanted to be friends with him. That isn't a bad thing, but it was sad watching when we had been waiting for you guys to get together for so long.”

“Yeah.” Marinette looked down, “It hurts me a bit thinking back on it.”

“Everything's good now, Nette.” he ruffled her hair as she swatted him away, grinning as she did so. “No need to feel bad.”

“I wouldn't say good. Getting pregnant at sixteen isn't really the greatest thing.”

“I wasn't even talking about that, but now that we're on the subject. Dude, what the crap?”

Marinette coughed on her hot chocolate and cringed. The question of the day. Not even a question, but an expression of emotion. It made her uncomfortable, but she understood. She asked herself the same thing the moment the test results came back.

“No offense, Nettie, but you are the unluckiest person I know. You have sex once and then boom! A baby.”

“It happens all the time! How was I supposed to know I was ovulating?”

“Again, unluckiest person I know.”

“How do you know it's not Adrien?”

“It's probably both of you. You two are perfect for each other, in your luck and fertility.”

“I thought you were here to make me feel better.” Marinette grumbled, to which Nino laughed.

“I clearly stated I came here for the croissant and hot chocolate. You're just an added bonus.”

“I hate you so much.”

“You know, Alya says that all the time and it's not any more convincing when you say it than when she does.”

“You were right earlier.” Marinette said decidedly, “I really need better friends.”

Nino certainly helped calm her. Her conversation with Alya wasn't as bad as she had expected, but all the loose ends and things she had to hold back left her feeling guilty, but Nino wiped all of that and reminded her that they would never blame her.

They were there for her. No matter what.

He left right before dinner. Her parents insisted on him staying, but he said his mom would kill him if he missed another family dinner. But before he went on his way, he pulled Marinette aside and wrapped her up in a hug. He whispered in her ear, giving her small words of encouragement and support, things she needed very much to hear. Then he was gone and Marinette was sitting down at the table, piling her plate high since she wasn't feeling sick.

“Someone has an appetite.” Sabine commented.

She nodded. “For once. Hopefully it won't backfire on me.”

“The morning sickness should be getting better at this point, but eat as much as you can while you're feeling okay. You both need it.”

“You have an appointment soon, don't you?” Tom asked and they both nodded.

“In two days,” Marinette said before taking a moment to breathe and forcing out the next part, “and uh, the father's coming.”

Her parents paused, eyes widening as they both placed their fork down. It was a subject they had been avoiding, all for different reasons. She supp osed not talking about the father of her baby made the topic a bit more tense than it needed to be. She was going to talk to Adrien more about it on patrol, but they mostly had it figured out.

“You told him?” Sabine blinked.

“Yesterday.”

Tom straightened his spine, facing his daughter and preparing for how she might answer his question. “How did he respond?”

“He got upset with me.”

Her dad scowled, his face turning angry. “He got upset with you? As if he isn't the one at fault? That boy should be ashamed of himself. You didn't make this happen to make things hard for him. This is actually harder on you. You're the one carrying the baby and-”

“Papa.” Marinette smiled at him, shaking her head, “Not like that. He got upset that I doubted him.”

“Why?” Sabine asked, pulling her chair closer to her. “It's natural to doubt and worry at a time like this.”

“I started going on that I wouldn't force him to stay and I wouldn't tell anyone to save his reputation, that I understood. Then he got mad that I thought he wouldn't be with me every step of the way.” Marinette laughed to herself, “I don't know why I doubted him to begin with. It would be too unlike him to walk out on us.”

“You love him.” Tom said, surprising her.

She gulped and looked up at her dad, slowly nodding her head and blushing all the while. “I really do. And I know he loves me.”

Sabine stroked Marinette's hair, but she was looking at Tom with a nostalgic expression. “When you know, you know. There's no denying it.”

“And loyalty is a clear sign it's mutual.” he agreed, smiling back at her. Marinette felt like she was intruding on something, like she was seeing something in their eyes that belonged to them alone. She looked down at her plate, taking another bite, though the moment soon passed. Her dad sucked in a breath, looking back to Marinette. “So when will we meet him?”

“You've actually already met him, but he's gonna meet us here before the appointment.”

“It's- it's not Nino, is it?” Tom gulped.

“No!” Marinette almost yelled, “He's dating Alya.”

“Just making sure. You seemed awful close today.”

“That's cause they're friends, Tom.” Sabine rolled her eyes, trying to stifle her laugh and ungracefully failing. “I could've told you that.”

“I'm looking out for my daughter. Is that such a bad thing?”

“What if the father was Nino? What would you do?” she countered, and Tom puffed his chest.

“I'd beat the living daylights out of him for two timing with my little girl.”

Marinette sighed, thinking it was a good thing Nino left when he did. She could only hope they would have a good reaction to Adrien being the father of her baby, but she thought everything would be okay. They knew where he stood and that he was supporting her. That they loved each other and he wasn't walking away. That alone had to say something to them.

Chapter Text

Looking up at the soft colors sinking in the sky, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. Choosing to keep the baby brought a new set of challenges and trials she'd face, and though she knew this and she was willing to go through whatever life threw at her, nothing could prepare her for the amount of worrying and fear she would experience. Alya, her parents, and Tikki said that it was all up to her. She could go at her own pace and tell people when she felt ready. She was most certainly not ready for Chloe to make an educated guess for once and go blurting everything out.

She was sure her classmates hadn't put the pieces together yet, but it was only a matter of time and she didn't know how she would handle it. She was not ashamed of her baby. Her poor decisions, sure, but never her baby. Still, it wouldn't be easy. She knew she had hard times ahead of her, but with the vast array of colors before her and the mellow feeling the setting sun put in her chest, the worries drifted away. She closed her eyes and let the last strands of sunlight warm her face and lift the stress from her shoulders. High up on the Notre Dame, basking in the sun, and gazing out at her beautiful city; nothing was like it.

“Enjoying your evening, my lady?”

Marinette opened her eyes and quickly changed her mind. The view was beautiful, but nothing could compare the new sight blocking the city. Before her stood a tower gleaming down at her. Her eyes traveled up the black leather and met a shining, green pair. She tilted her head to the side and smiled, eyes glittering and heart skipping. “I am now.” she said.

Chat laughed and sat down beside her. He didn't say a word, he just looked at her like a child looked at their mother picking them up from daycare after a long day. Or, a more accurate metaphor, a father looking at the mother of his baby.

Every time she thought about the future, she would stress herself out. She didn't know how to be a mom. She wasn't sure what actions to take or how to handle everything, and the baby wasn't even born yet. School would likely be a disaster (it was already a disaster with her poor attendance) and who knew what kind of sacrifices she'd have to make.

She sacrificed time and energy for being Ladybug, but that was about where it ended. She was an only child. She didn't grow up having to share or compromise, she didn't have to make a lot of sacrifices for other people. Sometimes she helped out in the bakery when she would've preferred to hang out with Alya, but did that count? And even if it did, how would it compare to raising a child? To not just making time, but setting aside her own desires and putting another human being before all else? All the little sacrifices she made for her friends and family, how would it compare to motherhood?

Those were thoughts that often plagued Marinette's mind. She didn't think of parenthood as a burden, but she knew it was going to be much harder than defeating an akuma. Even when she was fighting Kraken, it wasn't the akuma itself that threw her off. It wasn't the fear of its power that was stronger than all the ones before it, it was how worried she was about the baby. She hesitated and fought gingerly because she didn't want something to happen to the little human inside of her. The small being that relied solely on her. That was before she decided to keep it. Before she consciously made the decision.

To be a mother, she would have to prioritize with the baby at the top of the list. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it was scary. It was scary and everything was so uncertain, but amidst the uncertainty and the unclear future, one thing was sure. One thing shined like a bright light through the fog, and that was that Chat would be with her. She wasn't alone.

So as Chat stared at her like she was his entire world, she stared back and let herself melt in the support and reassurance of his gaze. Marinette sighed contentedly and slowly scooted closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder and breathing him in.

Chat didn't move her from his shoulder or make her actions seem unwelcome, but he looked away and began fiddling with his fingers. “This is kind of strange,” he said after a moment of hesitation.

Marinette jerked her head up from his shoulder and quickly apologized, and in the back of her mind, she wondered why there was any reason to apologize. They had done much more than that, but nonetheless, she rushed to distance herself.

“No, I didn't mean for you to stop!” he blurted out, and his expression turned nervous and unsure. He scratched the back of his neck as he tittered. “I just mean that it's strange for us to be together. . . like this.”

“Like this?”

“As Ladybug and Chat Noir. Before it was just Chat and Marinette. And like earlier today, too. We were Adrien and Marinette. Soon enough things are gonna completely switch and we'll be Ladybug and Adrien. What's that even gonna be like?”

Perhaps it was insensitive of her, but Marinette laughed in response. She had thought the same thing when they met up in the morning, but she pushed it out of her mind as much as she could. Admittedly, it was relieving that she wasn't the only one struggling to get used to it. Still, she found it funny. “It's not gonna be any different than this, you dork. Just because we look different doesn't mean we are different. We're still the same people.”

“I know that, but it's an adjustment. For so long Ladybug and Marinette were two separate people. One person I fought alongside with and the other I fell in love with, and now they're the same person. I guess I don't how to react to that.”

“I can't say I'm not feeling the same thing. My two nerds have turned into one giant nerd, and I'm having a little trouble deciding whether I'm supposed to high five you or kiss you.”

Flashing his Cheshire grin, Chat leaned in closer to her. It was like all the apprehension had vanished in the blink of an eye and her flirty alley cat was back. “I would prefer the latter.” It was nice to see him back in action, and it helped to imagine he wasn't wearing the mask. It helped to think of Adrien's face with Chat's words in order to shape them into one.

With their noses brushing and their breaths mingling, Marinette smirked. “Oh, I'm sure you would, but this poor princess is still so conflicted.”

“Surely her knight can help with that.”

Giggling, she pushed him away by the nose. “Weren't you just talking about how weird this is?”

“You being Ladybug doesn't make me any less attracted to you. I want to kiss you more than ever.” He was twirling a tendril of her hair with his claw, looking on lovingly before his expression turned insecure. “Does. . . does me being Adrien make you love me less?”

The words that came out of his mouth, they felt like an arrow striking through her chest and plunging into her heart. She couldn't ever love him less. Discovering he was Adrien was certainly a shock and she was still having trouble adjusting, but his place in her heart was permanent. In a world of difficult decisions, in circumstances that made her want to run and hide, she would always choose him.

“Adrien,” she said, pouring as much tenderness into her words as possible. His name -his real name- caught his attention, and she could see how much it had been weighing on him. Not just from the moment he revealed himself to her, but ever since he started visiting her on her balcony over a year ago. The burden of secrets and the fear of being looked at differently by the person he loved. It was all laid out in front of her for her to do as she pleased. She supposed the thought of him finding out she was Ladybug never bothered her all that much because she once had his affection as Ladybug, too. She sighed, moving herself closer to him, “I love you. Nothing will change that. The name you go by and the clothing you wear doesn't change a thing. You hear me, Adrien?”

He smiled and leaned in, pressing his forehead against hers. “Yeah, I hear you. And I love you, too, my Lady. No matter what.”

“Even with a baby on the way?”

He huffed out a laugh. “Especially with a baby on the way.” He lowered his eyes down to her belly and let a smitten grin spread across his face. “We're doing the whole family thing a little early, but it's nothing I wasn't already thinking about. I knew that if you would have me, we'd be doing this eventually.”

“You did?”

“Of course,” he said. “You didn't?”

“It's not that I didn't. I just over think a lot, but when I'm with you, my thoughts calm down and I'm able to spend time enjoying the present instead of thinking of everything that could possibly change in the future. I knew I wanted to be with you for as long as possible, but thinking of the future made me panic a little.”

“Hey,” he said to her, just under his breath. “Our future is bright.”

“How can you know that for sure?”

“Because I have someone to fight for. A family to fight for. I won't let anything get in the way of these moments between us. So long as I have hope and determination, we'll thrive.”

“So basically, you'll protect us?”

“Always.”

“That's a big promise.”

“I know. Do you doubt me?”

“No,” she shook her head, once again feeling guilty from the first time she doubted him and the other many promises he made in the past about always staying by her side. “I don't doubt you, Chat.”

“Good,” he smiled. “Because I'm gonna need you to rely on me. You have a terrible habit of trying to do things all by yourself and not saying a thing when you need help. Tell me when something is bothering you, okay?”

“Even when it's silly?”

“Even when it seems silly.”

“In that case, I need you to help me with something right now,” Marinette said, feeling her face heating up and her heart quickening its pace.

“What is it?”

“I really want to kiss you.”

Chat blinked once before chuckling, pulling her face closer to his. “Say no more.”

They had kissed many times. Sometimes it was slow, sometimes it was frantic. There were also times he'd tease her, just barely brushing their lips and going so slow she'd have to grab his face and practically smash their lips together, and they usually both fell into a fit of laugher. And in those many kisses, he placed his hands somewhere different. Her hair. Her hips. Her waist. Her cheeks. Her neck. But in that moment as Chat pecked along her cheek and left her skin tingling with warmth, as his lips hovered over hers and the sound of his breath revealed his smile, he placed his hands on her belly before he kissed her lips.

It was a sweet kiss. Slow and mindful, unhurried like the gentle stroking of his thumb against her barely showing bump. The amount love he was able to convey in one simple kiss made her never want to let him go. She felt like her heart was going to burst.

She held onto time and begged it to freeze, and it slowed down at her wish. Their kiss was patient and steady, and for as long as their lungs would allow, they stayed in place and lavished each other in everything they had to offer. Which wasn't much, but it was enough.

When they broke away, they didn't say a word for a couple of minutes, but Marinette couldn't help but laugh when their hearts settled down. “You're right,” she said, trying her best to stifle the laugh. “This is kind of strange. I just kissed Adrien.”

“If you think kissing Adrien is strange, boy do I have news for you.”

Marinette laughed once more, but once the implications of his words registered, she flushed down to her neck. “I didn't think of that. I- I slept with Adrien.”

Chat stared, dumbfounded. “How are you just now realizing this?”

“I guess I hadn't really thought about it. No wonder you were being so weird about this. You slept with Ladybug!”

“Again, you're just now realizing this?”

Rolling her eyes, Marinette shushed him. “You know I'm a little slow.”

“LB, I have bigger news for you. You're having a baby with Adrien.”

Marinette groaned. “Well, you're having a baby with Ladybug!”

Chat burst out laughing. “You're saying that as if I should be devastated! I'm ecstatic. I'm having a baby with Ladybug.”

“Can you let me process all this information without laughing at me?”

“I can't make that promise, Bugaboo.” he said, pursing his lips in a failed attempt at holding back his laughter. “Oh man, I'm gonna miss this.”

“Miss what?”

“Hanging out on top of buildings and watching the sky change as we mess around. The making out part is new, but I'll still miss doing that up here.”

“What are you talking about?” Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, looking at him curiously. “We can still do that.”

He looked at her, an incredulous look on his face. “Mari, you're pregnant.”

“So?”

“So?” Chat scoffed. “It's dangerous. What if you slip?”

“I won't. I haven't slipped in years, and even if I do, I can catch myself with my yoyo.”

“And what if an akuma attacks while we're out? Are you gonna fight it?”

“I figured I'd just stay on the sidelines and wait until I can purify the akuma.”

“You could get hurt and the baby could get hurt. I don't think it's a good idea.”

“So you want me stay cooped up inside my entire pregnancy and not do a thing as Ladybug?” Marinette scowled, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Yes,” he said, becoming more and more frustrated. “People could see you with a big bump or something could easily happen to compromise your safety. Are you serious about this?”

It wasn't that she didn't understand, but being Ladybug had become such a big part of her life. Putting everything on hold for six months would be too long. Marinette took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She wasn't trying to get so upset about it. She knew he was right, but she hated admitting it. She hated the idea of suddenly not being Ladybug for a certain amount of time. “You're telling me that while you get to roam around as you please and jump from roof to roof as much as you want, I can't do anything? I can just be a good little stay at home mom, is that right?” She was being stubborn. She knew it, too, but she didn't stop herself from arguing with him.

“That's not what I'm saying-”

“That's what it sounds like.”

“I don't know why you're being like this! We both know that the baby is our top priority.”

“It is, but. . .”

“But what, Marinette? This shouldn't be that big of a deal. I'd choose our baby's safety over being Chat any day.”

“You don't have to though,” she spat, trying desperately to quell the angry tears welling in her eyes. “You don't need to choose because you're not carrying the baby. I am. I'm the one having to make all these big changes while you get to do whatever you want.”

Chat paused, and the irritation in his face smoothed over into a look of realization. Sympathy. Something in that angered her more, but she didn't want to fight. She didn't want to argue over something so stupid, especially when she knew he was right. So she put her pride aside and she pushed the anger back. He was about to say something, but Marinette spoke before he could.

“Don't pity me,” she said, still struggling to get the indignation out of her voice. “Yeah, I'm pregnant. I have a person inside of me, but I'm not trying to use that for pity. I'm just. . . I'm frustrated. I love and I want this baby, but I don't know how to be upset about the sacrifices I have to make without feeling like I'm blaming it.”

Chat's shift became evident. His exasperation had faded and it was clear he didn't have it in him to argue any further. He turned soft. He took her hands in his, urging her to look him in the eyes. “I'll tell you what. While you're pregnant, the only time I'll transform will be when I have to. I won't go on any nightly runs or kill time on rooftops. I'll only transform when an akuma attacks or if you need me at any time and I can't get to you as Adrien. How does that sound?”

Marinette huffed. “It sounds terrible. I know how much you love being Chat, I can't do that to you.”

“And I know how much you love being Ladybug. We'll deal with it together. It's just a couple more months.”

“And then the baby will be here and our hands will be full.”

He smiled at her, nodding his head as his eyes gleamed excitedly. “Yeah, and it'll be the most hectic, fantastic thing ever. Better than racing around the city in leather.”

Pulling her knees up to her chest, Marinette laid her head down and sighed into legs. “You're taking this so much better than I am.”

He shrugged. “I'm just the dad watching on as you actually go through the pregnancy and body changes. I'd be freaking out if I were in your shoes. Nobody's gonna look at me and think, 'Oh, that's a teenage parent right there.' I'm not gonna walk down the street and be judged by everyone I pass by. Between the two of us, I get it pretty easy. Just like you said.”

“Way to make me feel better.”

“My point is, it's okay to freak out a little bit. You have every reason to. But I'm right here any time you need to vent about old ladies giving you the stink eye or you need help calming down. I could even wear a shirt that says 'Proud Teen Dad'.”

“Please don't do that.” she said, giggling at the thought of it.

“Too late. I'm already thinking about it where to order it from. Or you could make it!”

“Absolutely not.”

“What about 'Baby Daddy' then?”

“That's even worse!”

“Wha- how? You could have one that says 'Baby Mama'. We can match.”

She rolled her eyes. “Because you're not my baby daddy, you're my boyfriend.”

“So we're going for 'Proud Teen Dad'?”

“Oh my gosh,” Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose. “Would it make you that happy?”

He nodded eagerly, and the rest of her anger dissipated. One minute he was a smooth alley cat with all the right words and the next he was an adorable kitten, and looking back at how he acted, it was slowly making more sense that he and Adrien were one in the same.

“I don't understand, but I won't question it.” she said, letting out a loud sigh and giggling soon after. “You are so weird.”

“And you love me.” he purred, closing the distance between them and pecking her nose.

She laughed. “That I do, Chaton. That I do.”

Chapter Text

Marinette had gone to sleep only mere hours before she she was awoken. It was late, the moon had long risen, and the stars had claimed their spot in the sky. She and Adrien had spent more time than they intended talking, but she wanted to make it last since they decided it was her last time out as Ladybug until the baby was born. They soaked up the time they had watching the sun set and the moon place its gentle light over them. They continued to talk, mostly about what they were excited and nervous about for the ultrasound.

She told him she was nervous about the baby's health and was hoping everything would be okay, and though Adrien agreed, he said he was mostly worried about not getting killed by her dad. That made her laugh. Her dad was big guy, but he wouldn't dare hurt him. He was very fond of Adrien. She told him that, but it did little to quell his worries.

Adrien started off talking about what he was most excited about by telling her sometimes when they were in bed together and she was asleep, he'd place his ear on her chest and listen to her heartbeat. It was a calming sound to him, he told her, and he looked forward to hearing the little heartbeat of their baby. Marinette said she just needed more confirmation. Yes, she was pregnant. She knew that, but in a way it hadn't really hit her yet. The reality that she was a mom and that she she had a a tiny human inside her hadn't sunk in yet, and she knew that when it did, her world would change. Her mother told her that it was the scariest, most amazing feeling ever.

That's what she was excited for.

By the time she got home, it was later than she wanted to admit and she didn't realize how tired she was until her head hit her pillow. She was out like a light. Slumber took hold of her quickly, but consciousness did the same not long after. She should have stayed in the comfort of sleep, but her eyelids begged to differ when she heard a creak from above.

She forced her eyes to open and squinted into the darkness. She couldn't see a thing, but she knew she heard something. It almost sounded like her skylight had been jostled and the worn hinges squeaked against each other. She knew something more than the wind had made that noise, but as she stared hard and long, nothing happened and she brushed it off. She was too sleepy to care.

Closing her eyes once more, Marinette shifted onto her side and let out a tired sigh. She wanted to go back to sleep and rest for the day she had ahead of her. It was certainly going to take a lot out of her with her parents eventual knowledge that Adrien was the father of their grand baby. She wasn't sure how they were going to react, but she didn't want to think about it too hard. She wanted to sleep.

Right as she was about to drift off, she felt something on her bed. Pressure. Almost like a weight was placed on the mattress beside her, and it took her a second too long to realize it was a person. An arm wrapped around and she yelped, jerking away from the person, effectively fully waking herself up. Before she only squinted at nothing in annoyance, but now she was alert. She was ready to face any kind of danger that had found her home.

“Marinette, it's me!” Adrien whispered-yelled, steadying her form with his leather clad hands and bringing her back down to a less hostile position.

“What were you thinking sneaking up on me like that!” she hissed, trying to calm her thrumming heart.

“I'm sorry, I- I didn't want to wake you up,” he mumbled, and though she couldn't see him, she could imagine him scratching the back of his neck and looking away, but the sheepish image failed to match his unsettlingly low voice.

Marinette sighed. “No, it's fine. I should've known it was you. It's not the first time you've come in the middle of the night.”

Adrien didn't say anything. He just snuggled beside her and laid a hand on her belly. He was oddly quiet. Normally he'd make some kind of pun and laugh to lighten the mood, that or he'd flirt and embellish her with all sorts of praise. He didn't make a sound though, he just laid beside her and soaked up her warmth.

Her eyes were adjusting to the dark, and as they did, she noticed the unreadable look on his face. “Something on your mind?” she asked as she brought her hand up to stroke his cheek.

He breathed slowly. “I changed my mind,” he said, leaning his head into her hand. “You're dad isn't what I'm nervous about anymore.”

She waited for him to continue.

Seeming to recognize that, Adrien forced out his next words. “Do you remember Kraken?”

Her mind clogged itself with the image of tentacles and she attempted to barricade it by closing her eyes. It didn't work. She remembered the sound of water rushing into her ears and the feeling of the freezing liquid forcing its way into her lungs. She thought of every sensation, every blow, every paralyzing fear that consumed her. The blood pushing its way out of her throat.

She remembered Kraken. She remembered Kraken more than she would have liked.

She responded with a simple “yes.”

“I was thinking earlier-”

“Uh oh, that's never good,” she teased, trying to make up for the dark place that her mind wandered into at the mention of Kraken, but seeing the way his eyebrows furrowed and how his jaw clenched, Marinette closed her mouth. It wasn't the time to joke.

He didn't say anything about it. He just continued. “I was thinking about it earlier and I just now figured out why you were so out of it. Why you were so distracted and dazed. And then I realized why you were crying.”

Marinette's mouth went dry.

“You clung to me and you cried, and I remember thinking that I had never seen you cry like that. I've seen you shed a couple tears here and there, but never like that. I wondered just what happened to make you sob like someone you loved died right in front of you. Like you lost something and you would never be able to get it back. I- I didn't realize how accurate those metaphors were at the time. I didn't know I had just lost-” he choked up, “lost my own child.”

“Adrien.” She didn't know what to say, but she muttered his name and became more aware of the hand slowly stroking her belly.

“I didn't know, Mari. I didn't know that I also lost someone, and I could have stopped it. I could have taken the hit and broken a rib or vomited my guts out, anything but our baby.”

“The baby is okay,” she said, trying her best to ease his worries and erase the pain in his voice. “The healing magic fixed everything.”

He looked up at her and gulped, waiting to hear her confirmation and hang onto it like a lifeline. “Are you sure?”

She hesitated before saying yes, but winced when it sounded more like a question. Like she too was uncertain, and she knew that didn't help Adrien. It probably only made it worse.

After that fight, Marinette was terrified for the baby's health. That was when she knew she couldn't bear aborting it. It was what helped make her decision, but she still wished it had never happened. She wished she could have protected her baby better than she did. She felt like a failure of a mother, so she understood how Adrien was feeling. She understood the turmoil that came with his revelation.

“It's not your fault,” she told him, turning her body to face him. “I should have told you sooner.”

“But I still should have protected you.”

“You did protect me. You always have, and I'm okay. We're okay. After all this is done with, we're gonna be a little family of three and everything is going to turn out okay. No one can take that away from us, no akuma or even Hawkmoth himself.”

Adrien buried his face in her shoulder, breathing her in and exhaling his fear. It didn't seem to help, but she knew that he needed to feel close to her. He needed to feel support and assured that he hadn't lost the two people who mattered most to him.

Marinette really did wish she had told him sooner. She was using his lack of visiting her as an excuse to not tell him, as a way of procrastinating. She could have easily searched him out or gotten in contact with him, but she didn't. She let her fear get the best of her when simply coming right out and saying it would have relieved her of so much stress and sleepless nights. She should have known that already from when she told her parents.

“Marinette,” Adrien mumbled, almost as if he was nervous to speak.

She hummed in response as her eyelids grew heavy, but she tried to keep them open as best she could. She had fallen asleep while he was still talking before, and though he laughed and told her it was fine in the morning, she always felt guilty. She loved listening to him speak, even if his words weren't beautiful or praising.

“Have you felt the baby move yet?”

She shook her head. “I don't think I will for another month or so.”

“Oh,” he said, dejected, and Marinette couldn't help but smile.

“Getting impatient?” she asked, giggling at his pout.

He chuckled with her. “Just a little. When I'm worried about you, I can just hold you and remind myself that you're here and I have you, but the only way I can be assured that the baby is okay is by trusting the miraculous.”

“Just a couple more hours and we'll get to see it,” she said, feeling butterflies in her belly at the thought. Just a couple more hours and she'd see her baby. Albeit, through a screen, but she was happy with that.

Adrien cringed. “Do we have to call the baby 'it'?”

“What else should we call it? 'Them' seems a little weird to me and constantly saying 'baby' is a bit excessive, don't you think?”

“Then why don't we start thinking about names?” Adrien suggested, eyes twinkling with excitement.

“Slow down,” Marinette said, laughing. “We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet, but. . . we could come up with a nickname?”

“A nickname?”

“Things like peanut, beanie, tadpole. I've even heard lego man once.”

“I like that idea. What about. . . “ he tapped his chin in thought, pondering over the little pet names parents named their baby in the womb. “How about Bug?”

“Bug?” Marinette asked. “Isn't that a little obvious?”

“Not if we don't variate between Bug and Kitten.” He shrugged.

“But what if it is a kitten?”

Adrien laughed. “I'm pretty sure the baby is human, princess. I don't think it matters that much.”

“So why Bug?” she asked, fiddling with his bell.

He smiled, something Marinette was happy to see as he had been caught between fear and guilt only minutes prior. She loved seeing him smile for any reason, even if it was because he was teasing her. “Because you're my Ladybug and the baby's my Little Bug,” he said, giggling all the while.

“Normally I would groan at that, but that's actually pretty cute,” Marinette admitted as she blushed at the his words. His Ladybug and his Little Bug. It was fitting and far too adorable to resist.

They didn't say much more after that, just a couple mentions of the nickname and Adrien talking to the baby despite how many times she told him Bug couldn't hear yet, but they mostly sat together and relished in the warmth of each others arms. Marinette loved nights like that, where they didn't worry about talking or even kissing, where they simply sat in comfortable silence.

Eventually, when their eyes were begging to close and their yawns were relentless, Adrien broke the silence.

“Can I stay here tonight?” he whispered, kissing her jaw and giving her his best kitten eyes. “I don't want to leave you.”

“Of course you can stay,” Marinette said, trying and failing to hold back a yawn. “You don't even have to ask.”

Adrien grinned ear to ear and released his transformation. The green light illuminated the room, spreading a soft glow on the walls for only a second before the darkness settled back around them. It still made her head spin and her heart soar. To think that the two boys she spent so much time fawning over were the same person. It made her dizzy to think about in the beginning, but she was getting used to it. More than that, she loved him even more now that she knew.

Marinette pulled them both further under the covers and settled herself against his chest, listening to his gentle heartbeat. She loved how she could calm him down. Perhaps it was her Adrien Magic, as Alya had said, or maybe it was the magic that seemed to permeate love. In the beginning their hearts felt like they would burst when they were that close, but time turned such proximity into comfort. Being so close to his heart, Marinette understood why he liked doing the same to her.

Marinette actually remembered the first time they cuddled. It was a similar night. Marinette had been sleeping when Chat dropped down onto her bed, startling her awake. He apologized profusely, and she giggled at remembering how awkward they both were.

It was evident he had been crying, that he didn't want to be alone and needed someone with him. Marinette was all too willing to be that person for him, and he didn't reject her comfort. It started off at a hand rubbing his back and turned into friendly hug, but as his breathing evened out and his dry sobs settled, the hug formed into an intimate embrace.

When they realized how close they were, how close they felt, they immediately grew flustered. Marinette had tried to pull back, but Chat continued to hold her close, stuttering her name and asking her if it was okay to hold her like that. His words from all that time ago was still fresh in her mind.

She still liked Adrien at that time and felt guilty liking one boy and being so close to another, but she couldn't deny how he made her feel and how much she wanted to continue being with Chat like that, so she held him tighter and before they both knew it, they were laying down, tangled in each others arms with their hearts beating so fast they could hardly breathe.

The drastic contrast from then and now made her laugh to herself. In the present, she felt like she could breathe better when she had Chat's body enveloping her. It was strange how time worked.

“Goodnight, Chaton,” Marinette murmured and pressed a light kiss to his lips.

“Goodnight, Princess,” he said in turn, smiling against her mouth. “And goodnight, Little Bug. I'll see you in the morning.”

And they both drifted to sleep with that thought in their mind. They'd see their Bug in the morning.

-

Marinette was up bright and early, just as her parents told her she'd be. And though she smiled and told them she was excited, her eyes burned, her head was in a fog, and she wished desperately to go back to sleep.

She had only managed to get two hours of sleep, but she couldn't find it in herself to regret staying up and talking to Adrien. Although the morning had been fairly hectic when she woke up. Her mom had been knocking on her door when she woke up, and Adrien was still in bed with her. That was not how she wanted her parents to find out Adrien was the father. Marinette covered Adrien with her blanket and every pillow she had when her mom opened the door, telling her she needed to get ready.

Sabine looked at her strangely, watching as Marinette was sitting upright and breathing heavily, sitting in front of a giant lump on her bed.

“Everything okay, sweetheart?”

“Yep,” she said unconvincingly and she knew it. “Perfect.”

She eyed the lump, glancing back at her daughter and quirking her eyebrow up. Marinette could feel the sweat accumulating on her palms. “Well, hurry up and get dressed. Breakfast is waiting for you downstairs.”

They both breathed a sigh of relief the moment her trap door shut. They glanced at each other, nervous and relieved laughter slipping from their lips. They immediately silenced themselved in fear that her mom would hear, and the two started planning out when Adrien needed to leave and show up at the front door. Luckily, he had clean clothes to change into from the last time he stayed the night. When he had freshened up, he kissed her forehead and climbed out of her room, leaving her to get ready herself and meet her parents downstairs.

The morning sickness had started subsiding at that point, so there weren't any setbacks or rushes to the bathroom. She was only slightly nauseous, and compared to how bad it used to be, she was okay with that. The nervousness of when Adrien would arrive didn't help though. She was impatiently waiting for the time they decided he would come, but somehow dreading it at the same time.

Her parents, noticing her nervousness, went over to her and each placed a hand on her shoulders.

“Are you nervous about the ultrasound?” her mother asked, showing her an understanding expression. “I know the first one can be a little scary, but it's exciting, too. You're gonna love getting to see and hear the baby for the first time.”

Marinette smiled. “I know I will, that's not what I'm nervous about though. I mean, it is, but not what I'm really worried about.”

“Ahh,” her dad chuckled. “You're thinking about how we're gonna react to your boyfriend.”

Bullseye. Marinette grimaced and her dad laughed in response.

“Don't worry,” her mom soothed. “I know anyone you love isn't a terrible person. I'm sure we'll both love him.”

“To an extent,” Tom added, to which Sabine sighed.

Marinette rolled her eyes in exasperation. The many reminders of her dad's displeasure with the situation wasn't making things any easier for her. She knew he wasn't trying to bother her. He was just expressing himself and she would never ask him to hold things in, but she wished he didn't feel that way. She wished he would be just a little more open minded and trusting. “You don't have to be so overprotective, Papa. He's a great person, I can promise you that.”

“I'm your dad,” he said, stroking her cheek as a tender smile formed on his lips. “I'm gonna worry and want to protect you. You'll understand as soon.”

“I know, but please don't say anything. . . insulting when he gets here. He's really nervous about coming today. Excited about the ultrasound, but nervous about,” she gestured to nothing in particular, “this.”

He sighed. “I understand. I'll be civil with him.”

“And you'll give him a chance?” Sabine asked, and Marinette was grateful that her mother was taking her side.

“He's the father of my grandchild and the boy who has my little girl's heart. I'll give him a chance.”

“Thank you,” Marinette breathed, wrapping her arms around her dad's large figure. He hugged her back, kissing her forehead as they broke apart.

A couple minutes later, the door bell rang and Marinette's heart stopped. She didn't know why she was so anxious, but she guessed that it was the moment Adrien would become part of the family. It was the moment when their family dinners would involve him and he'd become a natural part of every Holiday, when the five of them together would be a given.

She was excited for that, but she had never been good with change.

It was Sabine who went to open to the door, and both Tom and Marinette followed close behind. The door opened and Marinette saw Adrien's face. The tension in his expression was very slight, but she could see it. She could see through the overly polite smile he wore and the tapping of his fingers against his thighs. He was trying his best and Marinette's heart went out to him.

“Hello, Mrs. Cheng. Mr. Dupain,” he said, swallowing hard.

“Adrien!” her mom said in pleasant surprise, “what brings you here so early?”

His face froze and Marinette struggled to hold back a laugh. Apparently the idea that Adrien was the father was so insane that it hadn't even crossed her parents' minds.

“We would invite you in for breakfast, but we actually have plans this morning,” Tom said apologetically. “We have some left over croissants from yesterday if you'd like one though.”

Adrien seemed to momentarily forget the reason he was there when he heard the word 'croissant'. That made Marinette giggle. He was a sucker for baked goods and her parents loved him for it. It was safe to say they wouldn't struggle with adoring him even after they knew. “That would be great! Are you sure you're alright with that?”

“Of course!” Sabine answered. “Let me go grab it for you.”

Before she left, Marinette cleared her throat. All three looked at her, and Adrien snapped out of his excitement and braced himself for her next words. “Maman, Papa. Adrien is here for the ultrasound.”

“He is?” Tom questioned. “But I thought we were waiting for-” and then it dawned on him. It dawned on both of them, and they turned to see a bright faced Adrien giving them a strained smile and an awkward wave.

Marinette was surprised at how slow they were to realize it, but she also understood. She spent several months trying to convince them that she and Adrien were never happening, that she didn't like him anymore. Every time it was brought up, she'd immediately remind them of her feelings, or lack thereof.

That was gonna be a tough one to explain, and she knew she was gonna lose some trust over the explanation she wouldn't be able to give.

“You're the father? Marinette's boyfriend?” Tom asked as he blinked, trying to decide on how to react. He looked over at his daughter with an expression that said he believed her, but he didn't understand. She looked away. It was the same look Alya had given her.

“Yes, sir,” Adrien nodded, stepping inside as Sabine moved away from the door for him to enter.

Tom didn't say much, he just welcomed him inside as they made their way to the living room.

Marinette and Adrien agreed that he should come thirty minutes earlier than they needed to leave to give some time for them all to talk, but after they were all seated and Sabine was running out of small talk, Marinette didn't know how to dive into the real conversation. Adrien, however, seemed to have already thought about it.

“So as Mari told you earlier,” he started, “I'm Bug's father.” It wasn't much, but it pushed the conversation forward.

“Bug?” Sabine furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

Both Adrien and Marinette blushed. “It's a nickname we came up with,” Marinette said, chuckling slightly. “Adrien didn't like calling the baby 'it', so we decided to call give Bug a nickname until we know the gender.”

Sabine turned to her husband, grinning and taking his hand in hers. “Tom did the same thing. He called you Breadstick.” He hummed, a smile appearing on his face at the memory. With a bit more of a reaction from him, Marinette decided to involve him in the conversation.

“Papa?” she looked at him. “You've been awful quiet.” She wasn't sure if it was because of the shock or that he was holding back from saying anything negative. She hoped it was the former.

“I'm sorry,” he sighed. “I'm just a little conflicted. I really didn't expect it to be Adrien.”

“Are you upset that it's me?” Adrien asked, worry taking hold of his heart.

“The opposite actually,” he responded. “I'd rather it be you than anyone else. Marinette being so secretive about you had me worried. I was thinking that you were gonna be some kind of gang member or an older man from a foreign country going around taking advantage of young girls.”

Marinette choked. “Did you really think I'd trust someone like that?”

“I didn't know what to think! But now that I know it's Adrien. . .” he started laughing, turning to the boy and placing his hands on his shoulders. “You didn't have to get her pregnant, son. You're already part of the family.”

“Or you could have waited a couple years and proposed instead,” Sabine added. “I think that would be a little easier to take for us.”

Adrien laughed. “I'm planning on it, Mrs. Cheng, but I guess we kind of messed up the order of things.” His nervousness seemed to dissipate as they continued their friendly chattering and joking, but Marinette was stuck blushing at his words. He was planning on it. It wasn't something she was unaware of, but she didn't expect him to tell her parents that. Though she supposed that was just how Adrien was. He was honest, especially when it mattered.

Marinette liked watching the three of them together. The way her parents accepted him and the way he fit right in, it made her happy. Happy that despite the bad timing and everything that was to come, they were having a baby together.

Chapter Text

Mona had put on a pair of high heels that morning. Her favorite shoes with the lucky laces tied into a bow at her ankles. The ones she wore when she was in the mood for strutting across town and looking like the stylish queen she felt like. She liked the sound of her shamrock green heels clicking against the sidewalk and the new perspective the added inches gave her. But even more than that, she loved how they made her feel.

Powerful. Confident. Like she could do anything she wanted to and have the world groveling beneath her. Perhaps that was a bit exaggerated, especially for a pair of shoes, but she felt like a woman ready to take what belonged to her. And Mona embraced it. She put that feeling in her hands and spread it across her body like lotion, and she felt like she was glowing. She walked with her head held high and the corner of her lip quirked up, making her look impregnable.

She was no longer a weak, broken mother of a dead baby. There were no more tears over a past she couldn't change and no more wishing for the child she lost. Noemi would always be dear to her. The months she spent nurturing the little one she carried in her womb would be remembered fondly, albeit bittersweet. The small baby she only got to hold once would always be in the most tender part of her heart, but she was moving on. Maybe not in the most conventional or legal way, but she was okay with that. When she could literally bend destiny to her will, the law wasn't her top priority.

After so long of wallowing and drowning in her self-hatred, of fantasizing of the days she wished she could have had and the life she lost, she didn't care what she had to do to simply live again. She didn't care so long as she could have the life she dreamed of. She didn't want anything fancy, just companionship and someone to spend the rest of her time with. She wasn't a particularly old woman, but she wasn't young anymore either. She knew how quickly time slipped by and how soon it would be before she was an old woman. She wanted to be able bodied and well for the day she would have a child to raise, she wanted to run around in the park with them and be able to cheer them on to the best of her ability. She wanted to be the best mother she could be, so she needed to seize the opportunity before it was too late.

That dream had escaped her far too many times, but she was finally getting it. The chance had come her way and she would die before she let it pass. She had hope and felt like her life wasn't completely lost. She hadn't felt that way in a long, long time.

Stopping in front of the towering building before her, Mona adjusted her blouse and took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do. It was second nature to her at that point. She didn't know exactly what would happen in the future until after she made her move, but after so many years of fiddling and playing with her little pendant, she knew she could trust her intuition. When something so important to her was on the line though, she couldn't help but get a little nervous. She had to do it right or she would suffer for it. She would never hear the end of it from Hawkmoth otherwise.

Shaking her head, she quickly squashed the doubt that crept up on her. Everything had practically been laid out for her on a silver platter. Fate must have been on her side and aided her in her endeavors, so she wouldn't let it down. She'd play with time and circumstances in just the right way and get what she so desperately needed.

Mona swallowed, setting her chin high and walking into the extravagant building. With everything so flashy with reds and golds and everything so polished to perfection, she wasn't sure where to look. She grumbled at herself for looking around as if she had never been in a fancy setting before. In hopes of looking like the professional she was, she snapped her eyes forward again, and made eye contact with the man at the front desk before walking towards him. She walked with purpose and with a presence that demanded attention, because she was on a mission.

“Hello, Monsieur.” She cast a warm smile at him. “I have an appointment with Mademoiselle Bourgeois at this time.”

“Ah, Madame Armati,” he said in recognition, not even bothering to check the files for confirmation. He knew who she was just by looking at her. She tried not to show how much that stroked her ego. “Mlle. Bourgeois is expecting you. Right this way, Madame.”

It didn't take long to reach the lounge where the infamous 'spoiled princess' was. She was sitting cross-legged on the glaringly red couch as she tapped away at her phone with a scowl on her face. Mona knew her type. She expected the world to fall before her and hand her everything she would ever need, and because she had a doting father with the money, she got it. She put little to no effort into anything and still got everything. God help her if they ever lost that money.

Mona knew her type, and luckily for her, she knew all the right cards to play.

“Mademoiselle,” she said, catching the young teen's attention. Once her head was up and their eyes met, she smiled down at her and took a seat beside her. The girl's scowled deepened. “I'm Mona Armati, the journalist here to interview you for an article about the most fashionable and stylish teenagers in Paris.”

She was legitimately surprised she didn't cringe when she said that. Gossip articles really weren't the kind of thing she enjoyed writing (or reading, for that matter), but nothing else would get her in close contact with the little diva. The girl's face immediately lit up, and it was obvious to see how pleased she was at the title and the fact she was included in that.

“Chloe Bourgeois,” she introduced. “I'm not surprised you came to me for your story. I think I'll be able to add quite a lot to it.”

Did she mention that she also hated her type? “Oh, I know you will.” Mona laughed and humored her. “I knew you were the perfect person to go to the moment I thought this article up. So first things first, I have to know about your style. You are by far the most well dressed teenager I've met. Tell me about your day to day wear.”

Without missing a beat, the girl went excitedly into her daily routine and all her favorite places to shop. She didn't just describe every outfit in her wardrobe and every possible combination, but she bashed on every style she didn't like. She even made a point of speaking off the record to comment on how green just. . . wasn't her color and the journalists should consider wearing red instead. Mona didn't appreciate that, but she pretended to take her advice seriously only to make her more willing to talk and answer all of her questions.

They went through a series of routine questions and some asked specifically for boosting her self-esteem. She charmed the girl, telling her all the right things and letting her talk about herself for as long as she wanted to, so when the time came that she eased into the purpose of it all, Mlle. Bourgeois would give her what she was searching for. She could feel it.

“So as a person of high status and moral, can I ask you some questions about your peers? Surely you must know some very interesting people.”

Chloe frowned, just a little. “They're not nearly as interesting as I am, but I suppose.”

“You go to Lycee Francoi Dupont, correct? Tell me about your classmates.”

The girl rolled her eyes, but Mona could see the exaggerated answer about to roll off her tongue in a barrage of self-praise. They were getting closer. “I hate to disappoint, but they really aren't anything special. I do my best to see the good in everyone, I really do, but sometimes I question how daddy could send me to school where everything is so. . . bland, you know?”

“Bland?” Mona feigned surprise. “I cannot imagine you anywhere less than perfect.”

“I know!” Chloe said, her voice laden in exasperation. “I deserve so much more than what that silly school has to offer, but I try to make the place more glamorous. Things are definitely more lively with me around.”

“So things are typically very mundane without you? Nothing ever interesting happens with them?”

“Rarely. And it's no surprise, everything pales in comparison to life I live. On the occasion that something does happen, it's not good.”

“Tell me about those occasions.”

“There have been many times when needless drama was brought into the classroom. There was this one time when someone stole my custom made bracelet daddy bought for me. They were so desperate for something real and not cheap that they resorted to thievery. I couldn't tell whether I was angry or sorry for them.”

“Oh my! That must have been devastating. What about their life choices? It's obvious you have everything put together and a bright path set for you, but what about them? Do you think they'll lead a successful life?”

“I think they'll mostly have painfully ordinary lives. As for others,” she paused, and Mona could see the thought in her head, the pregnant girl in her class that came to mind. Mona encouraged her to continue. “As for others, I think their lives will only go downhill from here. They've made some terrible decisions and I feel as though it'll haunt them for as long as they live.”

Ahh, some lovely words. Terrible, haunting, downhill. Words sure to sting, but not enough. Not nearly enough. She needed more, so she took a risk and pressed on the subject. Cocking her head to side and sliding a coy smile on her face, Mona added a heavy layer of charm and curiosity into her voice. “It sounds to me like you're talking about a specific person.” She spoke in a whisper, giving the illusion that it was just between them and her secrets were safe.

Chloe laughed. “And if I am?”

“Then let me in on it. You can't tell me you don't love a little bit of gossip, and it'll really spice up your article, and imagine if that classmate read it? You could change their life for the better.”

The shift in wording seemed to do the trick. It was all about give and take. The girl was surprisingly hesitant about sharing the personal life of a girl she supposedly hated, but it didn't take much time for her to dive into it. She gave her all the juicy details, all the signs and assumptions she believed to be facts. Mona had a guess at how accurate it actually was, but with everything she knew was coming at the publishing of the story, she didn't dare correct or sugarcoat anything.

To Hawkmoth it was just a silly gossip article to cause teenage drama, but she knew how delicate the heart of a teenager was. She also knew how tender the emotions of a pregnant woman was, so adding the two together would make such beautiful shards of a broken heart. She could already see it. She could see it and it excited her. The pain and heartache, the feeling of inadequacy and helplessness. It was all better than she could have hoped for.

As the girl rattled on with her story about her pregnant classmate, Mona tapped her green heel against the marble floor. The sound resonated against the walls, a happy little click from a satisfied mother to be.

Chapter Text

Upon arriving to the clinic, Marinette realized how high-strung she had been feeling up to that point. Her parents accepted her pregnancy well, but she hadn't been sure how they would accept the father of their grand baby and apparently future son-in-law, according to all three of them (not that she was complaining), but everything went better than she expected. She could tell Adrien was calmer and her parents were more at ease with the situation.

They left for the appointment in high spirits, but the care ride was quiet, as was the rest of the wait. They had taken their seats once they got there and waited for her name to be called, and they did so with only a handful of words between them. She wasn't sure if it was the calm before the storm or just an awkward silence. Either way, she didn't like it. She wasn't terribly nervous about the ultrasound the night before, not even hours prior, but now that she was at the clinic and just minutes away from seeing Bug, her nerves were going haywire.

The nice moment when Adrien was revealed to be the father of her baby only lasted so long. Her parents were accepting of him, welcoming him to the family with open arms, but the tense atmosphere returned when they ran out of things to say. Her mother asked how school was and if he had a good week, but it fell flat. None of them were all that great at small talk. Adrien was a bit better, but his nervousness didn't do him any favors. If the stiff nodding and smiling to every question didn't give him away, his ever present fidgeting did.

They didn't ask too many questions, but she knew they were holding back. It wasn't the time nor the place. When they had the chance, they would ask every burning question they could think of. She was hoping to work their story out with Adrien before that happened.

Marinette glanced around the room that was far too white for her taste. She looked at the other pregnant women waiting and couldn't help but compare the different sized bumps. It made her anxious to see how large they were and to know she would eventually get that big. It also served as a reminder that she had a human growing inside of her, and to support and help that human, her body would change in many ways.

Her boobs would sag and her abdomen would be covered in stretch marks. She knew she would have extra fat that refused to leave after the baby was born, and if she decided to breast feed, she would have to keep herself fat to keep the baby happy. She didn't even want to know what would happen down south. She had heard horror stories in the past about ripping and bleeding, but she didn't dare do any research on that.

She once asked her mom about it and the older woman only smiled and told her it would heal.

Marinette never really had body issues. She got a bit self-conscious during puberty as her body changed and her hormones shifted, but she was never one to put herself down or think poorly of herself. She considered herself to be fairly optimistic, and she clung to that optimism whenever she would begin to worry. She wondered what she would feel like once she wouldn't be able to hide her weight gain.

She looked down at her belly. There didn't appear to be any signs of growth aside from the slight restriction in her jeans. She tried to imagine herself all big and pregnant, wearing maternity clothes and doing the waddle so many women did, but she couldn't.

Her face must have revealed her thoughts, because a moment later, Adrien leaned over and spoke in a low voice for her ears alone. “Have I ever told you about my fantasy?”

She raised an eyebrow, holding back a snort. “Are you sure this conversation is appropriate right now?”

“You sound just like Plagg.” He rolled his eyes.

Giggling, Marinette motioned for him to continue.

“Ever since I started thinking about someday getting married, I've had this little fantasy of me and my pregnant wife living together. I wake up in the morning and roll over to see her still asleep. I stare at her for a minute, just admiring her. I reach over and rub her belly, whisper a quiet good morning to the baby. My wife then wakes up and just looks at me sleepily, smiling and placing her hand over mine. With the light coming in from the windows and the baby starting to kick, she's the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Marinette looked into his face as he spoke. She could see his features soften as he visualized it, and she was almost tempted to close her eyes and picture it, too. When he finished, a faint blush tinted his cheeks.

“It's stupid, I know.”

“No.” She shook her head. “It's sweet. I guess my fantasies never dwelled on the pregnant part too long. I'd always think of after the baby came and just spending everyday taking care of this small person who relies on me. Singing the baby to sleep and stroking their head, caving and bringing him or her into the bed with me to calm the crying. I could imagine myself playing with the tiny toes and trying to bring a smile to the baby's face. I always liked thinking of that.”

“Well, there's an idea I'll obsess over until Bug's here.”

She chuckled. “I had no idea you would be so passionate about being a dad.”

“You didn't?”

“We never talked about it.”

“Oh, I guess we didn't.”

She shrugged. “It makes sense. We were focusing more on getting to know each other. The future seemed so far off and uncertain, so we only talked about the present.”

“Do you. . . regret it?”

“Regret sleeping with you? Conceiving?”

“Everything. Getting involved with me to begin with. I know this isn't easy and I wouldn't blame you for wishing it never happened. Having a baby in high school isn't exactly the dream.”

“I wish I could tell you I never wavered and that I took on the role of an expectant mother with my head held high. I want to tell you that I had no regrets, but I did. A little.”

He didn't say anything. He didn't look mad or hurt, like he was expecting her to prove him wrong and say something different. He was just silent. He was listening.

“I was a mess. I didn't know what was going on with me and every time Tikki tried to tell me I might be pregnant, I shut her out. I told her I wasn't, but somewhere in my mind, I knew I was. And I hated it. I hated just the thought that something like that could have happened, and I wished I could take back everything that led up to it.”

“What about now?”

“I don't know. I'm scared, but I'm excited, too.”

“Me too,” he said, taking her hand in his. “I can't say we're ready, but I think we'll get there.”

Marinette gripped his hand, smiling back and agreeing wholeheartedly. They were kids, but if all the teen pregnancy stories she read online were anything to go by, they would quickly grow up. It was a sad thought if she was being honest, but she didn't mind it too much.

“Dupain-Cheng.” Their tender moment was interrupted by a nurse. She waited by the door expectantly, smiling and ushering them in.

All four of them stood up and walked that way, prepared and excited to see the new addition for the first time.

-

The ultrasound technician, M. Roussel, was an older man. He greeted them amiably and made friendly small talk as he prepared the equipment. “So I take it you're the mother to be?” he asked, turning to Marinette.

She merely nodded.

“Alright, lucky for you I'm a nice guy, so I warmed up the gel beforehand. Believe me, it's not pleasant when it's cold.” He laughed. “Could you lay down for me?”

Marinette was thankful to have someone so nice for her first ultrasound. He could probably tell she was nervous, and she appreciated him trying to get her to smile.

She was embarrassed to unbutton her jeans and pull them down a little once she was laying down. She tucked in the sheet and tried not to show too much skin. The plan wasn't going very well considering it was an ultrasound, but she tried not to mind it. No one in the room noticed or cared, certainly not the technician, but she couldn't help feeling exposed. That thought left her mind when the feeling of warmth covered her stomach.

The probe pressed down on her skin with more force than she would have liked, but like everyone else in the room, she focused on the screen where she would soon see her baby. The thought made her jittery. Since the moment she heard those two words at her last appointment, she knew she was pregnant. She knew she was gonna be a mom and that she was creating a baby, but like the body changes and the certain future, it was hard to imagine. It was about to become real though, and she wasn't sure if she wanted it to.

“There we are.” He smiled, outlining something on the screen. It all looked black and white and blurry to her. “You see this right here? That's the baby's head.”

She could hear Adrien breathe in deeply beside her. “I think I see it,” he said.

“And there you can see the body and legs.” He moved the probe around to make the parts more visible, and as he did so, Marinette was sure she saw toes. Tiny and precious, and she didn't know what to do with the feeling she got in her chest. Her heart began to pound and tears sprung into her eyes. She swallowed hard.

The baby didn't move much. It shifted here and there, but it was overall very still. It allowed her to see the details like the fingers and toes, and even the little nose. That was inside her. That was her baby.

“What's the moving right there?” Adrien asked, pointing to a spot around the middle.

“That's the heartbeat,” M. Roussel replied. “Do you want to hear it?”

They both nodded eagerly. Adrien grabbed her hand and she looked over at him. His eyes were glued to the screen as he pursed his lips. She noticed he didn't say a lot since they had gotten into the room. She expected him to joke and make countless comments, but he was quiet. The baby had his undivided attention.

She smiled, lifting his hand placing a kiss on it. He glanced at her briefly and gave her a warm look. After a few seconds, a strange sound filled the room. It didn't sound anything like what she expected, but it was undoubtedly the heartbeat. It was fast and galloping, like the baby was just as amazed as she was.

Adrien squeezed her hand.

“Marinette?” her mom said, catching her attention.

“Yeah?” she choked out.

“You're crying.”

She touched her cheek and felt wetness. She hadn't even felt the tears fall. “I guess I am,” she said, laughing and beginning to cry more. “It's just- it's a baby.”

Tom laughed. “What did you think it was?”

“I mean, I knew what it was, but. . .”

“But it's just now sinking in,” her mom finished for her.

“There's a baby in there,” she whispered, wiping her tears. “My baby.” For the first time since she became pregnant, she felt something that didn't accompany fear. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was she felt. It was a mix of many things. Pride. Excitement. Joy. The desire to listen to the sound of her child's heartbeat forever. It was a whirlwind of everything making her cry.

She turned over to Adrien and saw tears in his eyes, too. He was still quiet, like he was taking everything in and didn't know how to respond.

“The heart rate is 130 bpm, which is normal,” the technician said. “The fetus is three inches long. That's a little bigger than average, but everything looks good. You've got a healthy baby.”

Adrien breathed a small sigh of relief.

M. Roussel opened his mouth to say something, but he paused. He had their attention though, so he spoke. “Can I give you your first piece of unsolicited advice?”

She and Adrien laughed and nodded their heads.

“I'm 39 years old, I have a steady career, a paycheck I can't complain about, a nice home, everything I could possibly need for my toddler and baby on the way, and people still talk. They say I started too late and I'm gonna be 60 by the time my kids move out. They're gonna talk, but just give it your all and you can't go wrong.”

After he finished talking, he cleaned off the gel and handed her an envelope of the sonograms he printed out.

“Have a good day, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, Monsieur Agreste.”

Marinette walked out of the room feeling more than a little encouraged. She went in expecting to see her baby and be done. She got so much more. She got the realization that she was gonna be a mom and a small piece of advice telling her she could do it.

Her mom kissed her cheek on their way out and her dad wrapped his arms around both her and Adrien, telling them they were going to be great parents. She knew they meant it, and as she continued to stare at the pictures of her beloved baby, the tears only continued to flow.

She was gonna be a mom.

-

They were back at the Dupain-Cheng's house. Mm. Cheng was gushing about the baby with Marinette as they prepared lunch and Adrien and M. Dupain were in the living room, sitting in silence as the older man looked at the sonograms with a proud expression on his face.

He imagined how his father would react to seeing the pictures, and he knew it would be nothing good. He could already see his father's frown deepening and hear his words seeping with disappointment. He dreaded telling him. What he really wanted was to stay there, stay with Marinette and her family and take care of their baby there.

He loved their family, and he was so glad to be a part of it.

“You've been awful quiet,” Marinette's dad spoke, startling him out of his thoughts.

“Have I?”

He nodded. “Since the ultrasound. Something on your mind, son?”

“Just. . . a little overwhelmed.”

Tom laughed. “I remember when I first saw Marinette on that screen. My heart stopped in my chest and she became my whole world.”

“Were you scared to be a dad?”

He thought about it. “I think every parent is a little scared. You're terrified, aren't you?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“You were trembling back there. Talk to me.”

“It's really no big deal.” Adrien tried to brush it off. “It'd be weird if I wasn't, right?”

“Just because fear is normal doesn't mean you have to keep it to yourself. I'm here for you, and not just because you're the father of my grandchild. Sabine and I have always cared for you as our own.”

Adrien hesitated. Ever since he found out Marinette was pregnant, he was scared. It wasn't because he didn't want to be a father or because he felt like it would get in the way of his future, but because he wasn't sure he was cut out for fatherhood. How could he explain that though? How could he explain it without delving too deep into his personal life?

He then remembered something Plagg once told him: it wasn't normal for family to be formal and distant from one another. The way he lived with his father wasn't normal nor was it healthy. Having to make appointments and professional proposals to just to ask his father if he could hang out with his friends on a Saturday afternoon wasn't okay.

Plagg was snarky and sarcastic. He claimed he only cared about cheese and nothing else, but Adrien knew better. The kwami had a big heart and he knew a thing or two. He hated admitting it, but he was right. He wanted okay though. He wanted a close family and healthy relationships.

Marinette probably had the best relationship with her family he had ever seen, and if he was part of that family, he could be honest. He could go into things that wouldn't normally come up in casual conversations. They were his family, too, so he took a deep breath and prepared for what would probably be the most awkward heartfelt conversation.

“Getting to see Bug was the highlight of my life so far, and when I heard the heartbeat I felt like my heart was gonna explode. That's my kid. My precious, innocent kid. I've never felt this way about anyone in my entire life. It's not even born yet and I want to give it the world. I want to be the father I never had, but I'm afraid I can't do that. I don't know what it means to be a good dad. I've never had one. All I know from watching my father is how to plan a schedule and keep my child busy. What if I'm a terrible dad? What if I mess up and ruin their life forever?”

M. Dupain didn't say anything. He simply looked at Adrien with an expression he couldn't read.

“I don't know if I could live with myself if that happened. I already love my baby so much. I don't want to end up like my father.”

“You won't,” Tom said.

“How do you know that?”

“Because you are one of the most passionate boys I've ever met. You love until it hurts, and then you love even harder. When I look at you, I don't see a neglected rich kid complaining about his life. I see someone who makes my daughter very happy and someone who will be the second best father in the world. Me being the first, of course.”

Adrien laughed. “You think so?”

“I do. And if there's one thing I've learned about being a parent it's that you're gonna make mistakes. You're gonna mess up, but it's how you make up for those mistakes that matter. There is no such thing as a perfect parent, but there are better ones and I believe you will be one of them. I'm proud of you for stepping up and being here. You're a good kid, Adrien.”

“So,” Adrien gulped, “you're not mad at me?”

“For getting my daughter pregnant?” He nodded and Tom bellowed out a laugh. “I'm not happy with it, but I'm not mad either. I'm pretty sure neither of you intended for this to happen. I do have a question I want to ask though.”

The blond froze. He and Marinette hadn't gotten the chance to work out the details they would tell everyone, but he tried not to look like he was panicking. He'd just have to make sure to tell Marinette whatever answer he came up with.

“Does your father know?”

“Oh. No, he doesn't.”

“Make sure you tell him soon, okay? It'll only get harder the longer you put it off.”

Adrien nodded his head solemnly, to which Tom ruffled his hair and hugged him.

As they moved to the kitchen table to eat lunch together and likely spend the entire meal talking about the baby, the dread Adrien felt about telling his father only grew. It grew to the point where Adrien wasn't sure if he would be able to do it. He could only take so much.

Marinette caught his gaze. She scrunched her eyebrows up in concern as a way of asking what was wrong. He only shook his head and forced a smile. She could probably see through it, but she didn't push. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, not even caring that her parents were watching with knowing faces as he blushed. As embarrassing as it was, it reminded him that no matter how disappointed his father was, he had other people who cared about him and would help him through it, not to mention he was gonna be a father himself.

He looked down at the sonograms and traced over the features with his eyes. The baby was so tiny. So small and wonderful. He knew that no matter what happened and no matter what his child did, he would never be disappointed.

He loved his Little Bug.

Chapter Text

Gabriel let out a long sigh. He breathed in deeply and pressed his lips into a thin line as he looked down at the trash people considered writing. As he read each sentence, the words and letters became more jumbled and confusing. It wasn't the writing itself, but what it meant for him. The many meanings and revelations that was giving him a headache.

As the truth was revealed, or at least a semblance of it, all his plans went down the drain. He felt like he was no longer in control. Everything he worked for, everything he strived to attain, it was all for nothing. He thought he was doing what he needed to despite the guilt that plagued him, he now knew he made a big mistake. A mistake he didn't know how to fix.

He grit his teeth.

He knew Mona was an excellent writer. She was amazing at what she did, but unfortunately, she was even better at manipulating the present and making any possible outcome a reality. She could foresee the future and twist it however she desired. It was a terrifying skill that he initially thought would benefit him.

Oh, how wrong he was.

When she first came into contact with him, he was wary. She spoke with steady, calculated words and moved in a way that, admittedly, intimidated him. Her presence oozed confidence, and that wasn't a pleasant thing to see in someone confronting you about your identity as the infamous Hawmoth. She knew things and he didn't like that.

Once she had his undivided attention, she brought her proposal to him. She wanted a family and he wanted the return of his. It made sense for them to team up, but what really got him to agree to her deal was the identity of Ladybug.

How she knew, he couldn't quite fathom, but it served to remind him of how much she knew, and he wanted that. He wanted her knowledge, but looking down at the story printed on the glossy pages, he wondered at what cost?

He suppressed a groan. He wanted to slam his fists and dent the desk if only to satisfy his anger. He wanted to rip the wretched article to shreds and demand it be taken back, but the words were there and the story was out for the all of Paris to read.

He wanted to do something to remedy the situation, but for the time being, he needed to talk to Adrien. He put all his wants and urges aside and prioritized only what was necesarry.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. When would he talk to him though? How would he even bring it up without causing the boy to run for the hills? If he had been in that situation in his youth, he knew he would have run from confrontation for as long as he could.

Actually, he could hardly imagine it. Parenthood was hard enough as an adult, he didn't even want to think about raising a child as a teenager.

Did- did Adrien even know? He desperately hoped the girl had told him before the publication of the article, or else they were in for a reveal that was anything but ideal.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

He cleared his throat. “Come in.”

Adrien pushed the door open just enough. “I'm headed to school. I'll see you soon, father.” He was about to turn away, but Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, catching his attention. He stood and waited.

Gabriel shook his head. “Have a good day, son. I'll be here when you get back.”

His face lit up and he nodded, wishing him a good day as well and bounding off.

Adrien was a good kid, but so innocent and so unprepared.

He sighed again.

-

Adrien had been in a blissful daze for the entire week after the ultrasound. He opened his wallet to see the sonogram for the umpteenth time. At first glance, it didn't look like much, but after spending hours just looking at it and smiling like a fool, he could pinpoint and recognize every feature the picture would allow him to see.

Normally Marinette would get a bit irritated when he wouldn't stop talking about one thing, but she shared his joy. They would lay in bed together and stare at the picture. Sometimes they did so in silence as they admired it, other times they'd talk about the future and how they imagined life would be after Bug was born. They had been doing that nearly everyday since the ultrasound, a routine he couldn't complain about.

She talked about how much of a struggle it would be to get a proper amount of sleep, which they both laughed at. Neither of them got a healthy amount to begin with. Fighting Hawkmoth, getting an education, and taking care of a baby? He cringed at the thought.

Marinette said she pictured life as a teen mom to be hard. That was a given, of course, but as she went into detail, he couldn't help but feel even more strongly that he had to be there for her. He had to support her in every way he could.

Adrien said he that he looked forward to it despite how hard it was gonna be, but he dreaded being away from the baby. Bug would be with Marinette all the time, and since they didn't live together, he was the one who would have to go home and only look forward to seeing them the next day. He wanted to be with them all the time and he wanted to share the struggle of taking care of their baby. The sleep deprivation, the spit-up, the smelly diapers, that quiet hour of just staring into their child's face as they finally fell asleep. He wanted it all.

Stroking his cheek, Marinette smiled at him and told him he could. He would have to go home occasionally, but she doubted even his father would keep him away from his own child, and she knew her parents didn't mind him staying over when the time came. They would probably appreciate it. They were a family, after all.

That was something they were trying to do more often; talk about the future. They realized it was never something they did before. They talked about the near future, like plans for the weekend and what they were gonna do for the summer, but nothing much more than that.

They both agreed they would need to do a lot more planning and get comfortable talking about the future if they wanted anything to work out. Her parents encouraged that.

Though they talked about everything they could think of, they didn't mention anything about being Ladybug and Chat Noir. Having Bug was worth anything they had to sacrifice, but some things were a little more difficult to talk about.

Their kwamis had long assured that they wouldn't have to give the miraculouses up if they didn't feel the need to, but they would have to transform as little as they could, at least until the baby was no longer a newborn and they were sure they had someone to babysit.

Marinette jokingly suggested having Alya or Nino babysit for their occasional “date night”.

Coming out of his thoughts, Adrien smiled once more. He traced the outlines of his baby before putting the picture back in his wallet. He was a dad, but no one knew that, and it was best to keep it that way for as long as possible.

He didn't want his father or the company to suffer because of his own actions, and he certainly didn't want to put Marinette under more stress than what she was already going through.

As Adrien neared the school, he saw Marinette, Alya, and Nino out front. He was surprised to see Marinette at school on time considering the two of them were up so late, but he figured that was Alya's doing.

“Good morning!” he chirped, greeting his friends as he kissed Marinette's cheek and fist bumped Nino.

“Morning, sleeping beauty,” Alya teased. “You're usually the first one here.”

He shrugged. “I slept in.”

“Well, that's a first,” Nino said as they walked into the building and towards the class room.

Marinette laughed, turning to her friends. “We were up late talking last night. The only reason I'm not in bed right now is because someone decided it was a good idea to bother the pregnant girl.”

“Just taking care of you.” Alya winked.

She groaned, grabbing Adrien's arm and wrapping it around her. She leaned on his shoulder. “I'm gonna sleep right here during class then.”

He grinned. “I'm perfectly alright with that.”

Alya rolled her eyes and whispered to Nino in a voice loud enough for them all to hear. “She has the poor boy wrapped around her finger.”

The DJ nodded solemnly. “I guess that's what happens when you get your girlfriend pregnant.”

Marinette and Adrien pretended not to hear them. They loved messing with them about the little accident, but they didn't care too much. They knew their friends were just playing around, because the truth was, they were excited, too. More excited than either expectant parent anticipated.

Adrien remembered when they first saw the sonograms. Alya burst into excitement and talked about being an aunt. Nino teared up and asked to be the god father.

He couldn't have been more thankful for having such amazing friends.

As they walked into the classroom, all the chatter came to a halt. Everybody stopped and they stared at Marinette and Adrien. They watched them move into their seats without a word. The atmosphere was tense.

Nino was the first to speak up. “What's up, guys?”

Rose responded when no one else did in a quiet, hesitant voice. “You haven't seen it yet?”

Marinette frowned, lifting her head from Adrien's shoulder. “Seen what?”

When nobody moved or even attempted to explain, Alix cast them sympathetic looks. She got up with a magazine in hand and dropped it on their desk.

The four of them peered at the page it was open at and as they read each word, Adrien's heart sunk.

So much for keeping it a secret.

Chapter Text

Marinette, along with her friends, peered down and read the article in the popular gossip magazine in front of her. As she read the headline, she felt all her breath leave her lungs and deflate her body. She gulped, willing herself to read on and ignore the unease present in the air.

"Adrien Agreste's Illegitimate Child."

Marinette felt tears in her eyes. She wasn't sure if they were induced by anger, humiliation, or pregnancy hormones, but as she scanned each sentence, she clenched her fists.

“Used and manipulated him to satisfy her own needs.”

She tried to even out her breathing.

“The son of the fashion king treated like a piece of meat.”

She dug her nails into her palms.

“The unfortunate result.”

She couldn't hold it back.

“A mistake between teenagers.”

The entire thing was almost true, but the details were distorted and twisted to present a much darker version of the story.

She felt bile rise up from her stomach. She placed a hand on her belly and gripped it as if to protect her baby. Bug was in no immediate danger and the action brought no consolation, so the only thing it served to do was bring attention to the truth. It drew in the eyes of her classmates.

It was making her sick, both literally and figuratively. She felt as if her nerves were quivering and shaking inside her body, so she did the only sensible thing her body knew to do and vomited. Right in the middle in classroom. Stomach acid burned her throat and the scent nearly made her throw up again. The sight of it on the floor didn't do her any favors either.

The morning sickness had mostly subsided since entering into her 14th week, but she still had bouts of nausea and felt the urge to puke every so often. It was the first time she gave into that urge.

“Ugh, gross.”

Marinette snapped her head to the voice and tried to burn holes into the blonde with her glare. Chloe rolled her eyes and turned her body away from her. Marinette could tell she was trying to avoid confrontation. It was what any person would do, but she wasn't having it. She knew it was her. It had Chloe written all over it. She was the only one in the classroom who avidly read the magazine, and just a few weeks prior, she had been bragging about being featured in it. Marinette knew who was to blame.

She could almost hear Tikki in her head telling her to be the bigger person and resolve things calmly, but this wasn't another petty prank or harsh words at the end of a long day. It didn't just affect her either. This was Adrien's reputation, Gabriel's career, her family's business. The environment her child would be born into. It was gonna get ugly, so before any cameras were shoved in her face and before invasive questions tormented her everyday life, she might as well get the anger out.

“You think this is gross?” she said in a low voice.

Chloe didn't say anything.

“Compared to your stench, you think a little bit of vomit is gross?”

The girl scoffed. “You're so petty.”

“Maybe I am, Chloe, but at least I'm not petty enough to write some pathetic article about someone's personal life.”

“I didn't write it.” She looked visibly uncomfortable. If Marinette looked close enough, she could see a small amount of guilt lingering in her eyes. It only spurred her anger on. “I don't feel like talking about this, Dupain-Cheng.”

“You were all too eager to talk to a reporter, why can't you talk now?”

Chloe turned her body in her direction, fully facing her with an expression that said she was anything but pleased. Chloe normally loved a good fight. She loved drama and making things hard for people, but it was clear she was entering into the argument with not nearly as much enthusiasm as she normally would. Marinette, on the other hand, was livid. “Your secret is out. Big deal. It was gonna happen eventually.”

“Not like this!”

“I'm sure you didn't imagine ruining your life like this either, but here we are.”

“Say that again,” Marinette snarled.

Alya came up to her side, placing a hand on her arm. “Come on, Marinette. This isn't worth it. The damage is already done.”

She turned to her best friend, betrayal and frustration mingling in her eyes. “I'm tired of her letting do whatever she wants. Our lives aren't toys she can play games with, and she needs to know that.”

“Arguing isn't going to fix anything. We need to-”

“I want to hear it,” Chloe said, her voice rising an octave as her discomfort seemed to subside. “Tell me how awful of a person I am and how I've messed up your already careless life. Or maybe you want to talk about how I'm so inconsiderate instead of thinking about how uncomfortable you're making everyone right now, especially with your puke still on the floor. You should clean that up, by the way.”

“You never quit, do you?” Marinette took a step forward. Alya's hand fell from her shoulder, though she could feel the reluctance as her best friend slipped off. “You made this situation a whole lot harder for everyone involved and you don't even care.”

“Why should I? It's not like you care about what you did.”

“And what did I do that you had to go and cause this much damage?”

She broke eye contact, pausing for just a moment to glance at something across the room. Or rather, someone.

Marinette turned her head, following her eyes and finding Adrien. He was sitting down in his seat, thoroughly reading the article with a pained expression on his face. She felt his pain. She felt his humiliation and frustration, the absolute hopelessness that clouded his eyes. She felt it all, and then she felt realization dawning on her as she looked back at Chloe.

Bitterness contorted her face as he fiddled with her fingers. In that moment, she was easy to read and far more pathetic than Marinette ever thought her to be.

“You're not serious.” She blinked at her. “You did all this. . . because you were jealous?”

“Please, I'm not that absurd.”

“Then what? To. . . get back at me for being in a relationship with him? For carrying his baby?”

“It's none of your business.”

Marinette slammed her hand down on the desk Chloe was seated at, glowering down at her. “My pregnancy was none of your business, but you still stuck your nose in it.”

Not a single word left her lips. She gave no explanation nor even an excuse. She tightened her jaw and looked down, a sight unbecoming for the usually animated girl.

“Forget it. I don't know how to explain this to you. You just. . . you can't be changed.”

Turning away from her, Marinette dared to face her classmates. None of them uttered a sound. They only stared. Some wore pitying expressions. Some were shocked. Some wouldn't even look at her. It was expected, it was the obvious response, it wasn't far from how she imagined it.

It hurt.

She wanted to get away; shove every pitiful look and inquiring gaze out from her mind and run to a deserted island where she and Adrien could peacefully raise their child. That was outside the realm of possibility, however, and running home was only a temporary fix. She was clueless as to how to make it better. Could- could it get better?

“What's all this?” Mm. Mendeliev questioned upon entering the room.

Without missing a beat, Adrien responded. “Marinette's not feeling very well. I was just about to take her to the nurse.” His voice sounded flat and dull, like he didn't have the will to fight back.

Mm. Mendeliev sighed. “Hurry it up then. And get somebody to clean this up on your way there.”

He slowly closed the magazine and approached Marinette, looking away from her face. Her heart seized in her chest.

He placed his hand on her back and led her out the door, pulling her away from the curious looks of their classmates. It didn't keep her from feeling their eyes stinging her skin or seeping into her already muddy thoughts.

Not surprising to her, they left the building. Adrien never once let her go, instead he wrapped his hand around hers and stood as close to her as he could, but as they walked passed the park and passed the bakery, he remained silent. It didn't help her heart that was continually dropping from her chest. It didn't ease her sinking hopes or her draining resolve. His hand was warm though, and through the course of their walk he would squeeze her hand ever so slightly as they avoided crowded areas.

They eventually wound up in front of the Agreste manor. Marinette hadn't even been paying attention to their route. All she knew was that she wanted to leave and that Adrien was taking her away. She gave him a questioning look as they entered through the back gate.

“My father should be in his office right now. If we're quiet, he won't know we're here.”

She shook her head, not understanding. “Why?”

He finally made eye contact with her, and his eyes mellowed out her spirit, relieving a fraction of her fears. “I want to show you something.”

The green around his pupils held unease and tension, but intertwined between the vines of his eyes was sanguinity. He knew better than anyone else how messy things were going to get and how much they would face in the hands of the media, but despite that, he appeared to be confident and ready.

Marinette didn't know how he did it. She was normally the optimistic one, but on occasions when even her own bright outlook failed her, Adrien came through to show her every reason to hold onto hope. She moved herself closer to him, pressing their sides together to feel his warmth and assurance. He responded in kind, cozying close to her as they walked towards his room.

She nodded her head, choosing to cast her fears aside and trust that, at least for the time being, they'd be okay. The effort felt in vain, but she put on a confident face nonetheless.

Nothing appeared out of the ordinary when they made it to his room, but as Adrien pulled her further into the room, he turned to a little nook covered by a curtain. Marinette looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

He grinned for what felt like the first time in the last hour. “Open it.”

She did, and what was behind the curtain made her heart melt. It made her insides feel both warm and tingly, while simultaneously making her fears jump up her throat. She scowled at Adrien. “A crib?”

His hopeful expression dropped. “You don't like it? I decorated it and everything.” He started gesturing to the little things and talking about how great it would be. The little cat stuffed animal Plagg had insisted on, the green accents on the crib and blanket he purchased. The place above the crib where they would spell out Bug's name. He seemed excited about it, but his excitement dwindled at the contorted face of his girlfriend.

“How did you even manage to buy all this without anyone noticing?”

“Well. . .”

“Oh my gosh, someone saw you.”

“Marinette-”

“It's your father, isn't it? He knows. Wait, everyone knows now. What does it even matter? But now it's confirmed. How are we going to fix this? Maybe the island isn't impossible? We could go there and try to-”

Adrien took her failing hands, squeezing them tight and trying to catch her eye. “Marinette, calm down. No one saw me. I just got a little help from Gorilla, that's all.”

She stared. “What?”

“So you really don't like it.” He sighed.

“No, I'm just. . .” She struggled to get her words out, gesturing to nothing in particular and effectively increasing her bothered nerves. When nothing came out, she groaned. “I just don't feel good about this. Everybody knows and I haven't even had the time to really get used to this myself and figure everything out. And they know in the worst way possible.”

“I know, but I kind of expected this.”

“You did?”

He nodded his head. “It's the price of fame, as much as I hate it.”

Looking at his downcast expression, Marinette realized how selfish she was being. Of course she had reason for being upset and worried, but in the midst of her emotions and worries, she kept forgetting that Adrien was right alongside her. He was experiencing everything she was. She had no reason to be getting upset at him.

He was doing his best just like she was.

Turning back to the little set up Adrien had, she decided to momentarily forget about everything bothering her. She fiddled with the cat plush, ran her hand along the crib, inspecting the little details she suddenly became aware of. It was so completely Adrien, and she loved it. She loved how he was handling everything.

Adrien was looking at her as she did so. He didn't say anything though, he just watched and waited for her response.

Looking up to the area he had designated to Bug's name, as he had told her moments ago, she looked over at him. “Do you have any names in mind?”

“We don't even know if we're having a boy or girl.”

She shrugged. “We can still brainstorm.”

His face lit up, and before she knew it, he was pulling her towards the couch and eagerly going through a little notebook he grabbed on the way.

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” Adrien grinned.

Marinette covered her face, falling into a fit of giggles. “How do you have the time for this stuff?”

“I don't, but let's not worry about that. Here,” he said, handing her the notebook open on a page full of names.

Scanning the page, Marinette read each name. Milo, Jean, Felix, Lucien, and so on. He had picked out several names he liked. Though she also liked them, there wasn't one that really stood out to her. At least not until she read one of the last ones. “Adrien,” she said, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply. “We are not naming our child Tamaki.”

“What's wrong with it?”

“That's an anime character!”

“An iconic one.”

“Why would you put this on the list?”

“Just consider it.”

“No,” she deadpanned.

“Natsu?”

“That's even worse.”

Adrien shook his head, clicking his tongue. “Wow, and to think you claim to love me.”

Marinette laughed. “I do, but I love Bug too much to name them after an anime character.”

He sighed. “I suppose you can veto that one. You know, if you insist on crushing my dreams.”

Ignoring his laments, she looked over the page again, scanning the names and furrowing her brows. “These are all boy names. You don't have any girl ones you like?”

“It's not that. It's more like I only have one that I like.”

“And what's that?”

Adrien hesitated, and she gave him a moment to gather his thoughts. “Emilie,” he finally said, “my mother's name. If we have a girl, I'd like to name her after her. Or maybe something similar to Emilie.”

“What about. . . Emma?”

“Emma,” he repeated, and smiled a second later. “I like that.”

“So if Bug is a girl, we name her Emma. If they're a boy. . .” she glanced down to the list, biting her lip as she considered each one.

“You don't have to pick from the list if you don't like any of them. We can come up with one together, or do you have any you've thought about?”

“Just two. Hugo and Louis. I've always really like those names.”

Adrien chuckled, shaking his head as he took the notebook of baby names from her hands. “If I had known you already had some picked out, I wouldn't have worried about making a list.”

Marinette quirked her eyebrow. “Does that mean you like them?”

Only sparing her a glance, Adrien reached out and briefly rubbed her cheek with his thumb before pulling her in for a kiss. Though surprised at first, she wasted no time in reciprocating and closing the distance between them.

With the events of the day and everything that happened, she felt as though it had been forever since they last kissed, though that wasn't true at all. That blissful feeling of the two of them gushing over the sonogram the night before and showering each other in affection felt like it had happened long ago, and that just showed her how much she really needed Adrien with her in that moment.

She was stressed and utterly tired, and the symptoms of pregnancy certainly didn't help (stress was bad for the baby and made pregnancy rougher, and a rougher pregnancy resulted in more stress. It was an endless cycle). Adrien calmed her down, he made her feel like she could handle everything the world was throwing at her. He made her stronger, and as they shared a soft kiss, she knew he felt the same. She sometimes wondered if it had anything to do with being Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Pulling away, Adrien looked down at her with a twinkle in his eye. “I love them,” he said. “If it's a boy, then we'll have our little Hugo or Louis. Which one should we choose?”

“We don't have to choose right now. We have time.”

“Yeah. . .” Adrien paused to let out a sigh. “We have time for that at least.”

Marinette furrowed her brows, her eyes traveling to his downcast pair. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing, I just- I got to thinking about that article again. It's eating at me.”

“It's eating at me, too.” Leaning her head on his shoulder, Marinette placed her hand on his and gave it a tight squeeze. “What are we gonna do? Is there anything we can do?”

“Well, I have thought of one thing. It's the only thing, really. You're not gonna like it though.”

“What is it?”

Adrien hesitated. He looked out the window as he contemplated his words and made a face that said he disliked it just as much as she was going to. Pursed lips. Hardened eyes. Clenched jaw.

From his expression, Marinette thought that he was probably right. She wasn't going to like it, but if it was a solution, it couldn't be helped.

“We need to talk to my father,” he finally said, spitting out the words like they were acid. “If anyone will know how to handle this and take damage control, it'll be him.”

Marinette grimaced. “He's not going to kill me is he?”

“For being pregnant? If anything, he'll kill me. I've kind of been avoiding telling him. Is that bad?”

She shook her head. “It's understandable. He isn't exactly the most approachable person. You're right though, he'll fix this situation better than we can even attempt to. And he's going to find out anyway, it's better coming from us, right?”

“Yeah, it is. . .”

“Hey,” Marinette took his hand, placing a soft peck on his knuckles and smiling up at him. “We got this, minou.”

Though the smile he returned was strained and worry was still evident in the creases of his eyes, he nodded his head and kissed her nose.

“We always do.” She said that, but she was beginning to wonder if this would be the one time they didn't. She wondered how much she actually believed her own words.

Chapter Text

With all of Chat Noir's many enhanced senses that came with his Miraculous, Marinette was amazed by him. There were nights when they snuggled up together on her bed in the dark, just talking and enjoying each others company. She would forget that he could see in the dark while he was still transformed, so whenever she made a face, he knew. He'd comment on it, asking her if she was okay if it was a grimace or a pout, and sometimes he'd tease her and say he could see the way she was looking at him (whether she was or wasn't, she'd never admit).

It was a blessing and a curse. He always knew when something was wrong, and that often led to her being able to open up and tell him her worries. He always supported and reassured her, making her feel a little less tense and a little less ridiculous for being so bothered.

That was the blessing part. The curse was when she would be looking at him a certain way or she'd roll her eyes at him and make a face at one of his statements. He always caught it. That either led to a load of teasing or an argument that spoiled the snuggling.

She didn't even want to think about the many things he had heard her say under her breath. She was not interested in opening that can of worms.

There was one sense he somehow developed over time. One she doubted the miraculous had anything to do with (and if did, Tikki just didn't tell her). She called it his Marinette Senses. If something was wrong, if she was lonely, if she needed a good hug, or even just a midnight snack, Chat came barreling through her skylight exclaiming, “My Marinette Senses are tingling!”

It was an ongoing joke between them, but truthfully, it baffled her. Whenever she needed him, he was always there. Not that she was complaining. She got her hug and it was never without a box of her favorite calissons.

“Somebody in need of some company?” were the string of words she heard once again, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She grinned as she heard that familiar, silky voice. She resisted the urge to laugh, because of course he came. She was lonely and, by some strange force of nature that connected them, he could feel it. He always could. She swiveled around in her chair, puffing a loose strand of hair out of her face and offering him a gentle gaze. “Chaton,” she said simply.

“Princess,” he responded, jumping down from her ladder in a swift motion. He leaned down and pecked her lips, a piece of affection she welcomed. “I come bearing gifts.”

That time she did laugh. “You always do. If you keep spoiling me like this, I'll start expecting it.”

“As you ought to. You know I love spoiling you.”

Marinette stood up from her chair and wasted no time in grabbing his face. She pulled him closer to her and he didn't resist, knowing exactly what she was doing and adoring every second of it.

He loved to give her gifts and she returned the sentiment through a multitude of kisses. Though it was no surprise to her at that point, it did take her a while to get used to the many presents when he first started expressing his feelings that way. Her family wasn't struggling financially by any means, but they didn't have the luxury to indulge themselves as often as they might have wanted to. Chat did seem to have that luxury, and she found it sweet that he always put it towards other people.

He was a giver, if nothing else.

“I actually have something special for you tonight,” he said after their lips parted. “I think you're really gonna like it.”

“Oh?”

He nodded his head, and from the bouncing of his heels and the growing grin on his face, she could tell he was eager to show her.

He turned back towards her bed, grabbing the items from where he set them and sparing not a single second to practically shove a DVD case in her face.

Marinette tilted her head. “Anime?”

“Not just any anime! This is Ouran Highschool Host Club, one of the best ones out there.”

“Is that so?” Marinette chortled. She had watch a handful of anime in her lifetime. She enjoyed them, she did, but she found that she preferred to spend her free time either sketching, playing video games, baking with her parents, or spending time with her friends. Watching anime was more of an activity to kill time for her, but it didn't take long to learn her partner was far more invested in the hobby.

“Yes, and tonight, you will have the pleasure of experiencing the joy of music room 3.”

“I don't understand the reference.”

“Oh, you will. And I've already done the math. We should be able to finish the first disk around 3:00 AM, and if you're up for more, I've already got the second one here. Are you ready for the most amazing night of your life?”

Marinette couldn't help the laugh from bubbling up her chest and out her throat. “You got the snacks?”

“Are rose biscuits, truffles, and calissons to my princess' taste?”

“You know me so well.”

“Of course.” Chat rolled his eyes. “What kind of knight would I be otherwise?”

“Not mine, that's for sure.”

“Well, it's a good thing I do know you then.”

He winked at her, making it her turn to roll her eyes. “You dork. Sometimes I wonder where you learned to flirt.”

Chat decided not to say anything to that, but the snort he let out as a response made her wonder even more (to which she later found the answer after watching 20 episodes of a flamboyant blond that quickly became her favorite character).

If this had been Marinette six months ago, a time before dramatic entrances, Marinette Senses, and an endless amount of affection, she would have shook her head and told him no. She'd groan and tell him another time, only to repeat herself when that other time came. If this had been Marinette before Chat Noir squeezed his way into that soft part of her heart, she wouldn't have smiled and thanked him with yet another kiss.

She wouldn't have pulled herself close to his chest —warm and cozy with their legs tangled underneath the blanket— and spent the next seven hours of her night watching an anime she never would've chosen herself.

That was thing about thing about her newfound feelings for Chat. They could do anything together and she'd be happy so long as he kept that smile on his face. It didn't matter if it was something she'd never do by herself. She'd watch every anime out there and fill herself full of junk food if she could stay wrapped in his arms. She had no doubt about it.

That was the thing about falling in love with her partner. He was everything to her, so his interests were her interests, and his joy hers as well.

Chapter Text

After agreeing to talk to Gabriel and ask for his help, the duo made excuses to stay in the comfort of the quiet room. Perhaps it was their nerves getting to them or the last minute decision that threw them off, but it took them too long to leave Adrien's room.

They first killed time by texting Nino and Alya to let them know where they were and that they were okay.

“We should probably let them know the situation before we forget,” Marinette said. And she was right. They didn't want their friends to worry.

“We need to think about what we're gonna say first,” Adrien insisted once the messages were sent. He was also right. It wouldn't bode well for them to go in unprepared, especially in the presence of Gabriel.

With the dread of what was to come resting on their shoulders, they found it easy to make find reasons to put off the inevitable. Adrien said that he was tired and wanted to lay down a while longer. Marinette complained of round ligament pain. In both their defenses, they weren't lying.

Adrien had a hefty schedule, they both knew that, and Marinette was already in her second trimester, so it wasn't a stretch. It made perfect sense to rest and wait, but they both knew they were just stalling.

It was sad, really. They had psyched each other up not even an hour before. They talked about how they would be okay no matter what and they would do what they had to, but upon the actual moment when they needed to act, they didn't. They could come up with a million reasons not to face the man with the potential answer to their problem. They could conjure up as much fear and reluctance as they wanted to, but the situation wouldn't change.

Marinette couldn't help but sigh. She was stronger than this. They both were, and they needed to be strong for Bug. She was taking her prenatal vitamins, eating a healthy diet, avoiding caffeine, following all the dos and don'ts of pregnancy. She was doing her part, but she was beginning to realize that it wasn't gonna be enough. Not when she gave birth and had a baby to take care of. Not when she had a future to build.

She was gonna have to do things she didn't want to do. She would have to be bold when all she wanted to do was cower and hide. That was something she learned through being Ladybug, and it seemed to apply to this situation, too. She could summon her inner Ladybug and be the mother Bug needed her to be. But one thing was for certain; fighting Akumas had not prepared her for motherhood. Not by a long shot.

Once they decided they had done plenty of procrastinating, they pulled themselves from the couch and made their way to Gabriel's office. They had to talk to him sooner rather than later, so they put all reservations and excuses away. It was then or it was never. It was them to bring it up or it was him. It only took one glance for them to know which option was best.

They walked slowly, whispering words of encouragement to each other. Mostly her to him. Marinette remembered telling her parents. She remembered the bricks that fell to the pit of her stomach and the panic that rattled in her ears. The tears. The anxiety. The relentless wish to be anywhere but there. And she had a good relationship with her parents. She experienced that high level of stress from just telling her parents that supported her and spent time with her regularly. She knew what Adrien was feeling, but to what intensity, she couldn't be sure.

Then they were at the door, the barrier between Adrien and his fears. He held up his hand to knock, but hesitated. Gulped. Tried again only to sigh in defeat. He turned to Marinette and made a face that asked a question. His eyes wondered if they really had to, but his hand still in a fist knew the answer.

“I'm with you,” she said to him, reminding herself that she was Ladybug. Ladybug could do anything.

He nodded his head and gently knocked on the door.

“Come in,” a clear voice responded. Adrien let out a shaky breath and turned the knob.

-

He didn't want to be there. He didn't want to open that door. He didn't want to step into that room. He didn't want to face the man he called his father. He didn't want to do it. But above all that, he didn't want to back down when he had a family to protect. He wanted to be there for Marinette and Bug. He wanted to be the father he never had. He wanted to do what he could to be a dad his child could look up to, and that started with this one step.

Before he entered his father's office, Marinette said something that struck him. She was showering him in assurances and letting him know that it would be okay, that it would be worth it in the end. She was mostly repeating herself as he agreed in turn. That's when she told him that she was proud of him for being brave, for having the courage to take care of his baby before it was even born.

Despite the slight tremor in his grip and his racing heart, he was exercising courage. He was doing what he knew he had to do as a father. He had known it before, but in that short moment of comfort, it really hit him that he had to be more than he was. Another human being was going to be depending on him. A tiny person that would look up at him and call him daddy.

Adrien only ever had a father. He never had a dad. Gabriel never deserved that title. Adrien decided he would deserve it. He would be there for his kid and do everything he could for them. He never deemed himself as strong or brave enough, but he was putting everything he had forward. He was facing his fears. He was gonna be the best daddy he could be and more.

With that in mind, he whispered a little thought to himself. A hope. A desire he would work towards. He would be the best husband to Marinette he could be when the time came. They would be a family through and through.

Finally looking up to face his father, Adrien steeled himself and greeted him. He wore confidence and it didn't go unnoticed. Marinette breathed it in and Gabriel lifted his eyebrow.

“Take a seat,” is all he said.

They did. They settled themselves and prepared their words, but nothing was exchanged. Silence permeated the room as they waited. That's when Adrien realized his father was letting him speak first. His eyes stayed on his, hands clasped together and patience ever present on his face.

Adrien started, but his voice wobbled. His fears were bubbling up to the surface. He shoved them down and tried again. “There's something I've been meaning to tell you, father.”

“I'm listening.”

“For some time now, Marinette and I have been seeing each other. It's recently come to light that. . .” He hesitated.

Noticing this, Marinette reached over and grabbed his hand. It wasn't subtle. It wasn't discreet. It was what he needed.

“Marinette is pregnant,” he said in one fell swoop. “With my child. And we're keeping it.”

The air stilled. Marinette gulped. Adrien held his breath. They waited for the storm. They waited for the anger and the yelling, perhaps even a demand for a DNA test, but it never came. He instead uttered a simple “I see.”

He blinked. “You see?”

“Mona Armati,” his father said with a heavy breath, placing his tablet in front of them, the article on display. Adrien paled. “She's a respected journalist in her field, one I would never expect to reduce herself to such trash. I originally thought this was just paparazzi getting desperate and grasping at straws, but I wondered when I saw her name.”

“So you knew?”

“I know for certain now. The real question I was an answer to,” he pointed at the article, “is how much of this is real?”

“Just the pregnancy part!” Marinette blurted, accidentally raising her voice then promptly shrinking back in her seat.

Adrien cast her a sympathetic glance. They both knew the article spewed nonsense from Chloe, but nevertheless, it put Marinette in a terrible light. It made her out to manipulative and hungry for power and sex. It made it seem like she only cared about his body and reputation.

The article told everyone that she was heartless and selfish. She was considerate of solely her own wants and needs. She was nothing more than a gold digging whore, it said. It was far from the truth, but there was no way to rectify it.

Marinette was more worried about facing his father because of it than she wanted to admit. She told him she was fine, but he saw that she wasn't. For her sake, he chose not to mention it and let her put on a brave front.

Adrien squeezed her hand. “We've been in a committed relationship for over a year. There was no lying or coercing involved. We're both responsible for this.”

Gabriel let out a rough sigh. He ran a hand through his hair and scratched at his scalp. It seemed part of his father's stoic facade had fallen away. “I never took my son for a fool, but I must admit I'm relieved to hear that. And I certainly didn't take Mlle. Dupain-Cheng for a manipulator from our few encounters.”

It was Adrien's turn to sigh in relief. “Good. That makes this a lot easier.”

“Since you've seen the article, I'm sure you know what we're going to ask,” Marinette said once she gathered her bearings.

Gabriel showed the first signs of a smile since hearing the news. “Damage control.”

“We were hoping you'd know what to do,” Adrien added. He hated how through saying that, he was admitting he didn't know what to do. He wished he could fix things in some way, but he was only one person. And when it came to society and the media, he was only a child.

“You'd be right. I'll need to talk to Nathalie and make plans, so for now, I need you two to lay low. Don't do anything to draw attention, and if anyone asks any questions, don't answer. I don't care if they're not part of the press. Don't answer anything about this pregnancy. Is that understood?”

They nodded.

“I'll have some people keep a watch on you both, particularly you, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.”

“Keep a watch on me. . .?”

“It's just a precaution, but I need you to understand that people will not treat you kindly. Not to mention you're carrying a baby. It wouldn't do well to have something happen.”

“I understand.”

“Good.” He nodded his head, satisfied. “Now, how far along are you? Have you had an ultrasound yet?”

Adrien furrowed his eyebrows, but said nothing. The question wasn't for him. He had somehow gotten into his father's good graces (he hoped), he wasn't going to mess that up.

Marinette's tension began to subside at the mention of the baby itself. She perked up just the slightest bit at something she could answer, something that pushed away the stresses of the current situation. “14 weeks. I had the ultrasound done on my 12th week.”

Gabriel seemed pleased. “At this point, your risk of miscarriage is drastically reduced. The child is healthy, I presume?”

Adrien grinned, his feelings of joy seeping through. “A little bigger than average, but everything looked good,” he repeated the technicians words, remembering the feeling he had when he heard that their baby was healthy.

“Bug is as healthy as can be,” Marinette smiled, placing her hand where they knew their baby was.

“Bug?” his father asked, the light atmosphere suddenly getting heavy again. Marinette didn't seem to notice as she explained, but Adrien did.

It seemed odd that his father didn't get angry. There was no lecture or even a disapproving scowl. If anything, he looked. . . happy. At least in his own way. Adrien didn't know what to do with that information, but he didn't have the time to react before his usual cold expression returned.

“Well, that's that. I'll contact you both when Nathalie and I have everything in order. I'll leave you to yourselves until then.”

Adrien went to stand up, but paused. His eyes lingered on his father then dropped down to his pocket where his wallet sat. “Do you want to see it?”

“See what?”

“The baby. I have the sonogram with me.”

Gabriel started to speak. A faint smile tried to spring up, but it seemed as though Gabriel was stopping himself. It was like all those times when Adrien tried to bring his mother up. His expression was open to begin with, but the pain jumped up and he forced it all down. Perhaps he was being reminded of when his wife was pregnant. Maybe becoming a grandfather without his counterpart was harder than he would've liked.

He couldn't know his father's thoughts, but for probably the first time, Adrien witnessed him avoid eye contact. He averted his gaze down to his tablet for what felt like minutes and shook his head. “Another time. I have work to do.”

Another time. The two words punched him in the gut. Two words he heard far too often in every aspect of his life. It affirmed his decision to be a better father than the one he had.

He grit his teeth, nodded his head, and left with that. Adrien wasn't sure how he felt. He wasn't sure which prior moment to focus on or which interaction to think about. He didn't even want to dwell on how strange the entire thing was. He was confused, but before all else, he was celebrating his first victory as a dad.

He looked over at Marinette and smiled, one she shared.

“I'm proud of you,” she told him.

“For telling my father?”

She nodded. “And for being strong. I know how much he scares you, but you stepped up anyway.”

He moved closer to her, allowing his hand to find itself on her belly. He grinned down at the slight bulge. She had only started showing a little, only enough for someone to notice if they already knew she was pregnant. He looked back up at her. “I think I would've backed down before, but I've got too much to take care of now. I have a family to look out for. Even if that means relying on my father, I'll do what I have to.”

“You mean that.” A statement. A sentiment she understood. She didn't doubt him for a second, and that meant more to him than he knew how to describe. He was believed in. Trusted.

He meant that. With every word he uttered and action he displayed. He meant it with every ounce of his being.

Chapter Text

Damage control. It's what they came to him for, and Gabriel knew that before they even approached him. The moment the article came to his knowledge, he knew he had his work cut out for him. The press had tried to get him involved in scandals before, but he remained with his reputation intact. He knew how to handle them and it was time to teach his son how, too.

That was it though. Damage control. What did he expect? Did he think Adrien would waltz in and exude joy? Declare that he was gonna be a grandpa and ask for his support? No, that wouldn't be right. Not with the nature of their relationship.

He'd have to be ignorant to believe that his relationship with his son was good. He wasn't a fool. He knew the resentment Adrien held for him, and though it killed him sometimes, though he wished he could learn how to communicate with him, fixing broken relationships was never his strong suit.

It was better that way. Before Gabriel could involve himself in any part of his grandchild's life or even attempt to mend his relationship with Adrien, he had a sociopath to deal with. Mona wouldn't be happy with him backing out of their deal, and she would know if he made the wrong move. He had to play his cards right.

“Nathalie,” he said. “She knows who I am. I've got my hands tied.” The two of them sat on the floor, their backs pressed against the couches they had long abandoned. A multitude of magazines and binders sat in front of them, papers covered in references and celebrities' past mistakes spread out haphazardly around them.

Nathalie sighed and looked up at him. With her hair falling out of her bun and her stress lines more prominent, her eyebrow quirked up challengingly.

Gabriel grimaced. “Don't say it-”

“I told you so.”

He groaned. “I told you not to say it.”

“And I told you not to team up with that woman. What were you thinking?”

“The same thing I've always been thinking of.” He glared at her. “My family, and that's what I'm doing now.”

“Even so, kidnapping a child is too far. You know that.”

He didn't respond. Of course he knew that. She was right. He hated how blinded he had become, how his desperation had driven him to make a deal with the devil. That woman was no good, and that was saying a lot considering he was no good the majority of the time.

Nathalie, understanding his silence, went on. “So it doesn't matter if your hands are tied. We'll find a way to untie them.”

“We? You're planning on helping me?”

“I've been helping you thus far, haven't I?”

Gabriel breathed in and then slowly let it out. “You don't have to.” He picked up an article and scanned over it, at least that's what he was trying to do. Really, he was avoiding eye contact. He was never good with being vulnerable. During the day when Nathalie was his assistant, he would never imagine reducing himself to such submissive behavior, but Nathalie wasn't his assistant right then. She was his friend. He needed a friend.

“No. I don't,” she said. “But I have a feeling someone would feel lonely without me around.”

He scoffed. “I don't get lonely.” A lie, but one he tried desperately to believe himself.

Nathalie rolled her eyes, a teasing smile tugging at her lips. “I wasn't talking about you, dimwit. I meant Adrien.”

His expression fell flat. “Sure you did.”

“Oh, you thought I was talking about you? Well, that's awkward. You're my boss.”

“Doesn't seem to stop you from calling me a dimwit.”

She chuckled. “You want me to lie?”

“Oh, shut up.” Gabriel balled up a sheet of paper and threw it at her, eliciting another laugh from his target.

“You'd like that, wouldn't you?” She didn't bother suppressing her smile as she unrolled the paper and smoothed it out. Upon seeing the contents, however, her smile dropped and her eyes widened.

“What?” Gabriel asked. “What is it?”

She slid the paper over to him, and a little smirk lit up her face. “I think we found the perfect tactic for Adrien and Marinette.”

He peered over at it and scanned its contents. He took his time reading it and looked at the picture of the happy couple. He read it again and again, letting the gears turn in his head. “It’s risky,” he said.

“But it’s perfect for them. They tell whatever sappy love story they have, admit their faults, and then turn it into a happy ending for the media to enjoy. Dupain-Cheng is a little stiff, but I’ve seen her charisma. They can make it work.”

Gabriel considered it. Of course they would play it up, but being upfront with the press was a hit or miss. They could either tear them to pieces or sing their praises. They had to do this right it everything would go downhill.

“Think about it,” Nathalie added. “We’ll be taking the control out of Mona’s hands.”

“What if she’s anticipating this?”

“We could run around in circles all day long with that question, but if we don’t act soon, we’ve already lost.”

Gabriel put his attention back down to the article. He remembered when that particular famous couple brought to light that they were expecting. Their circumstances were anything but idea, but they exaggerated the details and made it seem like it was them against the world. They were making the righteous decision and fighting against all odds. They won the public’s favor and the child wound up becoming a celebrity at birth. That kid would forever be in the limelight.

If this plan did work, would Adrien be prepared to put his own child through that?

-

As per Gabriel's request, Adrien and Marinette agreed to no longer walk to and from school, or anywhere else for that matter. Gorilla would take them where they needed to be. They stepped out of the car upon their arrival and they were thankful they didn't have to walk the whole way.

How the paparazzi had found her home, Marinette didn't want to know, but they were there and swarming the car. She sometimes forgot how famous her boyfriend was. There were cameras and questions bouncing back and forth, and just as Gabriel instructed, she didn't acknowledge any of it. At least she tried not to.

They rushed inside as fast as they could, and just past the door was her parents to greet her. The expression on their faces said that there was no need for an explanation. They knew. Sabine pulled them both up and hugged them. Tom joined a second later.

“Oh, honey. Are you okay?”

She shrugged. “I don't feel like talking about it right now. I'm drained.”

“That's okay,” Tom said. “Just sit down and warm yourselves up.”

Tom and Sabine went back down to the bakery and they did exactly that. They bundled up on the couch and took a moment to breathe. They hadn't talked in the car. Despite how short their conversation with Gabriel was, it had left them both exhausted. Luckily, he took care of calling the school and got them permission to leave school early. Granted, they had already left, but it counted for something. It was one less thing to worry about.

Her parents came into the room after a while and set some warm chocolate croissants in front of them. “I know you said you don't want to talk about it,” Sabine started, “but I think we have to.”

Marinette sighed and nodded her head. “I know.”

Adrien reached forward and took a croissant for himself. “We talked to my father,” he said. “He's coming up with a plan to fix the situation.”

Sabine breathed a sigh of relief. “That's good. How did he take the news?”

“It was. . .” Adrien paused to think, wondering how exactly to describe it. He wasn't happy, but he wasn't mad. He wasn't necessarily detached either. “It was strange,” he responded with the only adjective that came to mind.

“He didn't say much,” Marinette added. “He asked a few questions and then went on with telling us how to handle the press.”

“Is that out of character for him?” Tom asked Adrien.

He nodded. “I was expecting him to yell and lecture me. I'm not sure if this is better, to be honest.”

“Well, I'm glad you're both safe. Tell me everything M. Agreste told you, we all need to be on the same page.”

They talked for a long time about plans and precautions, and her parents even added some of their own ideas. Sabine said it would be best for her to not work in the bakery for a while. They could hire another employee. Apparently the bakery had been flooded with people since the publication of the article. It wasn't terrible for business, but they didn't want to take advantage of that at the expense of their daughter. Marinette was both relieved and worried. The bakery was busiest during Christmas time and she knew how hectic it got without the assistance.

Tom addressed the article itself. He talked about how he knew some people in the industry that could pull some strings and keep the flame from spreading any further. Adrien mentioned the people his father could also persuade and the two started making a list of people to get in contact with.

Ultimately, they all decided to wait until they could talk to Gabriel when he had a specific plan in mind. Despite not wanting to talk about it initially, Marinette felt better after getting her parents involved. It made her feel even more at ease seeing Adrien fitting right in. Seeing the way he could converse with them casually made her feel like they were really becoming a family.

Before they knew it, the conversation went from the article to a more comfortable topic. Bug. Sure, it was still held a connection with the tabloids, but it was safe and warm to talk about. Baby clothes and furniture. How they would rearrange Marinette's bedroom to make room for the baby. Nice things like that.

Marinette looked over at Adrien as he grinned and laughed with her parents about all the things they'd need for the baby. Sabine explained that all the “newborn must haves” weren't actually necessary and what he'd actually need. He listened so intently that it made her giggle.

“You know, Adrien's already got a couple things in his room.”

Tom lifted his eyebrows. “Getting a head start?”

Adrien shrugged. “You can never start too early.”

He snorted. “Son, that's how you got in this situation in the first place.”

Sabine choked on her tea and Marinette sputtered. “Papa!”

“It’s true though,” her dad stated. “I know you kids are always in a hurry to grow up. I just never thought you would take it this far.”

Adrien shook his head. “That makes two of us, M. Dupain.” Marinette took it upon herself to punch his shoulder before the conversation could go any further. That made them all laugh. It was lighthearted fun and they enjoyed it while the evening was still young.

Before long, the sun had fallen low in the sky and the stars were beginning to make themselves known. It wasn't terribly late seeing as it was winter, but Adrien decided to call his father and let him know he would be staying over. He got reluctant compliance, but no backlash much to their relief.

Tom and Sabine went down to close up the bakery after the other workers had gone, and so Adrien and Marinette sat in comfortable silence together. Normally they would turn on the TV or play video games, but they weren't feeling up to it.

They were feeling better compared to that morning, but despite their small victories and everything they had talked about, their spirits were still low.

“Do you think it's gonna get any easier after this?” Adrien asked, taking her hand in his. He was in one of those moods. His hope was running dry. She gripped his hand.

“I don't know,” she answered him truthfully. “I hope so.”

“I don't think they're ever gonna keep their eyes off us now.”

“The paparazzi?”

“Everyone.”

Marinette grabbed a blanket and pulled it over them, snuggling close to him. “I don't think us being a trending topic on the internet changed that. We're sixteen and having a baby. I'm pretty sure they're gonna look anyway.”

Adrien chuckled. “That's true. We got ourselves into quite the situation, didn't we?”

“Yeah. . . I'm not too upset though.”

“Even with everything going on right now?”

Marinette shrugged. “I mean, it isn't ideal. None of this is. I was kinda hoping to do more things in life before becoming a mother, but I don't hate that we're having a baby together.”

Adrien didn't say anything. He turned his face away and stared into the blank TV screen. His breathing was calm and steady, his heartbeat level. “We've always had eyes on us,” he said. “I'm used to it being a famous model and everything, but also because I'm Chat Noir and you're Ladybug.”

Marinette hummed. “We are. What are you getting at?”

He pulled his eyes away from the TV and peered down at her. “Your mom said something that got me thinking. You won't be able to work in the bakery for a while, so they're gonna hire extra help. I think that's what we need to do.”

Marinette sat up. “With our miraculouses?”

He nodded. “I have no plans on giving Plagg and the ring up, and neither do you, but there are others out there. While we're out of commission, we can get someone to take our place.”

Realization dawned on her, and she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. “Master Fu.”

Adrien smiled a downcast smile. “Looks like our alter egos are gonna need a plan, too.”

Chapter Text

Adrien woke up that morning to sunlight rippling through the window and the girl dearest to him tucked underneath his arm. For a few moments, he pretended things were different. He pretended this was his life, that it was what he woke up to everyday. He reached over and rubbed her belly. Still no bump, but he knew there was life there. He pretended that they were going to get up and start their day together like nothing was wrong with the world. Like no cameras were waiting for them outside these walls and no one cared about what they did.

Adrien liked to pretend. He liked his fantasy world. Outside of his fantasy world, he had much waiting for him. Outside of the reporters and Hawkmoth and his father who was disappointed in him, he had another problem.

He didn't tell Marinette about it, but before they had gone to bed last night, Chloe texted him. The night had ended so well that he didn't want to deal with any of her manipulation, but he opened her message anyway and he responded. He hoped by doing so he could get one problem out of the way.

She said she wanted to talk to him, to apologize and make up for it. He wanted to give her a chance, he really did, but after so many years and so many chances, did she really mean it? He doubted it. She told him she was gonna come over and talk though, and against his better judgment, he said okay. He knew he wasn't in the right head space to talk her, but it was too late by the time he thought of that. He would handle each challenge as they came. For now, he wanted to enjoy the feeling of being part of a family.

Marinette turned over on her side and snuggled into him. He wanted more than anything to stay in that moment and fall back asleep with her, but the day called and they had things to do.

He moved her hair out from her face and tucked the stray strands behind her ear. He leaned down and whispered. “Good morning, Princess.”

Her eyebrows furrowed, but she didn't open her eyes. She was awake. He was gonna have to put more effort than that.

He planted a kiss on her forehead, then her nose, each cheek, her chin, each corner of her mouth, and every inch of her face until his lips met hers. She returned the kiss and he knew he had her.

“I hate you,” she grumbled.

“But isn't that such a nice way to wake up?”

“There is no nice way to wake up.”

“Aren't you glad to be awake now though? Starting your day with the coolest cat you know.”

“I'm never glad to be awake.” With that, she turned over on her other side and pulled all the blankets to cocoon herself.

Adrien laughed. “Come on, we've got things to do!”

She flipped back over and let out the deepest, most dramatic sigh. “Can't we do them later?”

“Orrr we could do them now.”

“Orrr we could stay in bed for a few more hours,” she countered. “What's so important anyway?”

Just like that, his fantasy was gone. He was thrust back into reality and forced to remind her of it, too. “We have to go see Master Fu,” he said. “But let's get some breakfast first. Think you can stomach it?”

She nodded her head. “Eating has been getting easier. Plagg taught me a couple tricks on how to make sure smells don't bother me.”

“Since when have you been spending time with Plagg?”

“Since none of your business,” Plagg cut in. “My relationship with your girlfriend is private.”

“Wha-” Adrien blinked. “That's a sentence I never thought I'd hear from you.”

Marinette laughed. “That's our little secret. Come on, Minou. Let's go eat. I'm sure Maman has breakfast ready.”

“This will be the first time I've stayed the night without having to sneak out before sunrise.”

She smiled. It was warm and happy, and for a second Adrien felt like he could pretend again. “The first of many.”

The morning started out great. Sure enough, his first breakfast with the Dupain-Chengs was amazing, and not just because of the food. The casual conversation itself was something that still impressed Adrien.

He was worried that it would be tense and awkward, primarily because he had stayed the night and slept in Marinette's bed. It's not like she could get pregnant twice over, but still. Tom and Sabine had no problem with it, so he indulged himself in the accepting nature of this family. Dare he even call them his family?

He wanted to. He really did.

-

The trip to Master Fu's was uneventful, and that was purely because they decided to transform and run across rooftops instead of walking across sidewalks. When they first hopped out of the skylight and made sure the coast was clear, they could still see lingering paparazzi and reporters hoping for a glimpse of two reckless teenagers.

It made Adrien tense. In all his years of dealing them and their sad attempts at creating drama, it had never bothered him, but it was different seeing them go after Marinette. When they practically attacked them on their way to bakery yesterday, all their focus was on her. She had been made into the villain of the story. She was the pregnant teenager. She was their prey.

Just thinking about it made him angry. Seeing them loiter around made him want to tear them apart. He wasn't a violent person. He knew when it came right down to it, he wouldn't hurt a soul. He wasn't a fighter, rather a protector, and he wanted nothing more than protect Marinette.

“Master Fu,” Marinette said as they stepped through the door.

“Ahh, Ladybug,” he said. “I've been expecting you.”

“You've seen the news then?”

“Yes, but I knew before then,” he said. “I've been waiting for your arrival.”

“How did you know?” Adrien asked.

Tikki perched herself on Marinette's shoulder. “I told him a while ago,” she said. “Before you two knew each others identities.”

“What?” Marinette turned to her kwami, surprised. “Why didn't you tell me, Tikki?”

“I'm sorry, Marinette. I didn't know what to do, so I came to Master Fu. I know I acted like I did, but I was scared for you and what it would mean for Ladybug.”

“Oh, Tikki. You don't have to apologize. You're a part of this, too.”

Tikki nuzzled herself against Marinette's cheek.

“And I'm glad you came to me,” Master Fu said. “I've been doing a lot of thinking about what we should do and I've come to a decision.”

He and Tikki shared a look. She looked uncertain and he looked reluctant. Tikki nodded her head and held herself closer to Marinette.

Master Fu held out his hand. “I need your Miraculous, Ladybug.”

Both Marinette and Adrien blinked.

“Huh?” she said. She put her hand up to her earrings protectively.

“We decided that for the time being, I will hold onto your miraculous. It's not safe. If Hawkmoth catches wind of your pregnancy, not only will he connect the dots, but he'll use it to his advantage. We can't risk it being out there, not even on you.”

“You're taking my miraculous?” Marinette shrunk. Her voice was small and afraid. It punched Adrien in the gut.

“Only until you're ready to fight again!” Tikki exclaimed. “And I'll still be here. You're still Ladybug, but the miraculous is vulnerable right now. We need to keep them safe here where Hawkmoth won't find them.”

“I had already decided to stop transforming, but I. . . I understand.” She took out her earrings, but hesitated to put them in his waiting hand. She held them close to her.

Adrien saw red. Red hot anger that made his hands sweat and his throat constrict. He understood why, too. It stung, but it made sense. Somehow, that made it worse. “If Marinette has to stop being Ladybug, I have no stop being Chat Noir.”

“Adrien,” Marinette whispered. She looked pained. “We knew this would happen. It's not permanent.”

“But it's not fair.”

“None of this is, but it's okay. It'll be worth it. I'll be back.”

“I can't fight alone.”

Master Fu placed his hand on his shoulder. “And you won't,” the old man said. His expression said that he understood, but Adrien's anger still lingered. “You'll have a new partner.”

A new partner. It made his blood boil because Marinette was his partner. It was Ladybug and Chat Noir, not Chat Noir and God knows who. He didn't want a new partner. There was nothing wrong with the one he had, she was just a little. . . pregnant. Marinette placed her hand on his.

She understood his anger, and yet he was the only one throwing a fit about it. She was the one losing time as Ladybug and having to be forced to take her earrings off. It wasn't fair to her, but she was remaining calm. He wasn't sure she even wanted him to be angry for her.

Adrien sighed. “Who?”

“Normally I would let one of you choose, but I think it's best that you focus on yourselves right now. I haven't made a decision, but you'll know when I do.”

“When?”

“Soon. Before Hawkmoth has the chance to strike again.”

Mater Fu was being vague. He was a naturally elusive man, but with the decisions that had just been made, Adrien didn't want elusive. He and Marinette had come for additional help, not a replacement, and now the man wouldn't even tell them anything.

He knew they could both feel him getting riled up, so they kept the rest short. Marinette returned her miraculous, Master Fu promised it would be returned in time, and they were out the door. Neither said a word on the way home. Adrien walked her to her door, kissed her cheek, and they went their separate ways.

It was only later when he heard a singular knock on his door that he remembered he had a guest.

Just great.

-

For the first time in her life, Chloe would admit to feeling desperate. That was the first time, and by God she hoped it would be the last time. Guilt wasn't an emotion made for her. She wasn't designed for conviction. She was Chloe Bourgeois for crying out loud, so she got what she wanted when she wanted it no matter the cost. Why should she feel guilty for outing that whore?

She could question it all day, but it wouldn't change the fact that she did something wrong. Marinette said something that clicked, which she also hated admitting. By being pregnant and choosing to remain pregnant, she was opening herself up to the criticism and judgment of the world, so it didn't matter how long she hid her little secret. It would get out and it would get ugly, but maybe it should have been done her terms. Maybe Chloe should have thought that it mattered how the truth came out.

Chloe was no stranger to public ridicule. She was raised in the limelight. She loved being the center attention, but she knew all too well how nasty and unpleasant it could get. Over time she opted to ignoring it and even becoming indifferent to what those wannabes thought about her, but she would never wish that life upon anyone who wasn't prepared for it.

If Marinette didn't have thick skin, she was going to be torn apart, and not even Adrien could save her from that. So maybe when Mona Armati shared the secret with her, she should have kept it quiet. She should have held back her jealousy and let that annoying Dupain-Cheng figure out what to do on her own. It was becoming clear that whenever Chloe intervened, nothing good came from it.

So there she was, standing in front of the Agreste manor. Heart in her hands and intentions pure. . . for the most part. She was let in almost immediately. The staff knew who she was, and at this point they didn't even bother with asking anyone other than Nathalie. She always got her way regardless, but this time she did let Adrien know she'd be there.

He told her not to come at first, that he didn't want to see her, but she played the part of the apologetic friend and said all the right words. Were they true? Mostly, and that was more than she could say for every other time she played at his compassion.

With no escort guiding her and only her footsteps bouncing on the walls, she made her way to Adrien's room. She knocked once and walked right in. She didn't wait for him to answer. He wasn't going to and she knew it. He was still angry.

Sure enough, there he sat on that white couch of his. Twiddling his thumbs on his game controller and staring mindlessly into the screen. She took her place next to him without a word and spent the next few minutes just watching him play.

He didn't even glance at her when he finally spoke. “Hey,” he said, and that was enough for her to start.

“I know you're mad at me,” she said. “I don't blame you. What I did was awful.”

“You think?”

She swallowed hard. “I'm sorry.”

He didn't respond.

“Adrien, talk to me.”

His eyes stayed glued to the screen, and if she wasn't there to beg for his forgiveness, she would've taken the controller and smashed it into his dumb TV. She didn't though. Instead she took a deep breath and tried again.

“Adrien?”

Still nothing.

“For God's sake, at least look at me!”

He slammed the controller down and finally made eye contact. For a moment he just stared and Chloe didn't know what to say, but she didn't have to. As silent as Adrien had been, he had plenty to say swirling around in that head of his. “I'm looking. I see you. Is that all you wanted?”

“Adrichou, please just-”

“Just what? Let you get away with whatever you want? Let you make a couple empty apologies so you can get on with your day without any repercussions. I'm tired of this, Chloe.”

“What can I do to make up for it?”

Adrien sighed. It was deep and exhausted. He was tired, and not just of her. He was plain tired and it was as clear as day. She had a feeling she had caused that. He took his eyes off her and continued with his game.

“Can't you see that I'm trying?”

“Not hard enough,” he spat, and it stung. It stung worse than the day she realized he didn't care about her anymore, because now he was confirming it. She was nothing to him.

“How much harder do you need me to try?”

“When you reach the point where you've tried so hard to understand what it's like to be a good person that you've experienced the pain and humiliation you put people through, then you can say you've tried hard enough. Then maybe you can try thinking about others before you act.”

“That's not fair. You can't say that to me.”

“But you can say whatever you want?”

She was getting frustrated. Adrien wasn't going to listen to her. It was rare that he lost his patience with people. She had always known him to be long suffering and forgiving, but maybe his reaction was a testament of how much she had screwed up this time. Maybe he was right to turn her away.

“I want to make this right,” she said through gritted teeth.

“You can't.”

“Why not?”

“Because you've gone too far this time.”

“I know that!” she yelled, tears pricking her eyes. “You think I don't know that? You think I don't feel guilty? Why do you think I'm even here?”

“I don't know!” he yelled back, and she flinched. “I don't know why you're here apologizing to me instead of Marinette! Tell me why you felt it necessary to beg for my forgiveness when the person you hurt the most is still hiding at home from the hounds you sent after her?”

“I didn't mean-”

“You don't care, Chloe. You're just trying to clear your conscience. Guilt is not the same as remorse. You're not sorry, you just feel bad and you're trying to get rid of that feeling. It's not gonna work this time.”

She hated crying. She hated feeling vulnerable and helpless, especially in front of people, but she couldn't stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. If this had been before Marinette stole Adrien away from her, he would've wiped those tears as soon as they fell. He would've shushed her and pulled her into a hug, willing the pain away.

Those were the old days though, and they were long gone.

“I don't know what to do,” she admitted.

He only spared her one more glance. One more pitying look. “Figure it out,” he said, and that was that.

She wiped her own tears, and with her head held high and shoulders quivering from the sob threatening to tear through her throat, she left without her coveted forgiveness. Each step away from Adrien was a knife shoved further and further into her heart, and when she was out of that house and away from curious eyes, she let it bleed.

The tears fell and her chest heaved, and that was the most embarrassed she had felt since the entire fiasco, and when she thought about it, maybe Adrien was right. Maybe everything she did and everything she said was just to make herself feel better.

It was evident that this wasn't something she could come back from, and when that thought crossed her mind, she cried harder. She tried to wipe them, but they came too fast. It was too much.

She tried to breathe between the hiccups and tears, and though the breaths were heavy laden and reluctant, she needed her lungs on her side. She needed to calm down because no one was going to do it for her. She was on her own.

“Chloe Bourgeois,” said a voice from behind her.

Chloe jumped, turning around to see a short man smiling at her. She quickly wiped her face dry and stood up from her crouched position. As creepy as it was, she let out a breath of relief. “That's me,” she said, cocking her hip to one side and pretending she hadn't just been sobbing like a child. “Can I help you?”

“No,” he said, “but I think I can help you.”

Chloe knew better than to listen to whatever this wack job had to say. The last time she was offered “help”, she made a giant mess of things. If she hadn't lost Adrien before, she definitely did now, not to mention it was a near guarantee that everyone in her class hated her. She knew she was never the most liked person, but she refused to believe she was hated up until recently. She had crossed the line and she knew it.

“Sorry, I don't think you can.”

She started to walk away, but the little man cleared his throat and tried to grab her attention. “I think this is something you'll want to hear. After all, you do have some redeeming to do.”

“Redeem- Do you have any idea who you're talking to? Clearly not, or else you wouldn't be making such accusations!”

The man chuckled, and though she wanted to be angry, she was more embarrassed than anything. Humiliated that even a stranger could see the guilt inside her. “Do you always get so defensive when someone is right about you?”

She scoffed. “You're gonna regret saying that, you old-”

“Follow me,” he interrupted. “We have much to discuss.”

That was one of the prime rules of being a woman. You never follow a man you've just met. If you can, engage in as little conversation as possible. Even if he's a small old man with a cane and kind eyes, assume he's dangerous. It was common knowledge for any girl who's been around long enough to feel their stares, but something about him tugged at her. Something told her that she would be okay, that whatever it was he wanted from her, it was something she had to do.

Despite every safety precaution, she followed the little old man and considered the possibility that maybe, just maybe, he had the answer she needed; the opportunity to atone for her misdeeds.

Chapter Text

Marinette prided herself on her honesty. Even when she struggled with opening up about her pregnancy and danced around the truth, she never defied it. In all her truthful and righteous ways, Marinette knew she had integrity even in the face of adversity. So, surely, when M. Agreste brought forth his great plan of complete and utter transparency, she would be nodding her head and jumping to the challenge, right?

"It's rather simple," he said, "We just have to make sure we gain the public's favor. We need charisma and a love story. I know you both have that, so this shouldn't be difficult."

Marinette struggled to get her words out. Gabriel's eyes stared back at her challengingly, daring her to object. His icy gaze begged her to crumble and wave her white flag. She wanted to. She wanted to pack her bags and move away from the situation the older Agreste was presenting her with. She and Adrien could run off to a quiet island and raise their baby without judgment. Running away sounded nice at that moment.

The idea of welcoming the press and letting them in on intimate details of her life terrified her. She thought back to those nights when it was just Marinette and Chat Noir: a simple girl and a mysterious superhero. She wanted to go back to those days when the most complicated thing in her life was making sure Chat didn't guess that his princess and his lady were the same person. She wanted to go back to when she would stay up well past midnight waiting for her silly partner to show up on her balcony and greet her with a bad pun. Blind kisses between thrown pillows and sneaking quick glances between Ultimate Mecha Strike battles. She missed their sweet secret.

His eyes turned soft. It was a rare and somewhat awkward sight to see on the man who usually wore a frown. "I know this is scary, but my team will walk you through every step. We aren't throwing you into the public eye unprepared."

"I know," Marinette finally said, taking a deep breath. "I know, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to face . . . well- you know."

He nodded. "If I have to guess, I'd say you haven't been ready for any of this."

Adrien scowled. "Father, that's-"

"Am I wrong?" Gabriel interrupted, effectively shutting Adrien up. "I don't say that to criticize either of you. It's simply the truth. Neither of you are ready for parenthood, let alone parenthood in the spotlight. That's why I'm here. If you could handle it, I would leave you be, but you can't. Would you rather do this by yourselves?"

"No, you're right." Marinette sighed. "We need help. What do we need to do first?"

Gabriel smiled and clasped his hands together. "I have a banquet coming up. It was originally to celebrate the success of my last clothing line, but I'll use it instead to announce my new baby apparel line and your pregnancy. I'll play the part of the happy grandfather-to-be and be as supportive as possible. All you two need to do is stand beside me and look happy after I call you up."

"That's it?" Adrien asked, his face colored in doubt.

"For now, yes. Do not mention or respond to anything about your age, tabloids, or what people already think. All the press needs to believe right now is that you're in love and happily expecting. We can deal with the rest later."

Marinette looked at Adrien as Gabriel went into more detail. With each word, Adrien looked more and more upset. She couldn't blame him. The plan wasn't a bad one, and while she had faith in M. Agreste's ability to pull it off, she didn't like the way he worded it. It was all about keeping up appearances. He acted as though they weren't in love or happily expecting. He was merely "playing the part" of a supportive father. He was cold and detached. The pain was clear on Adrien's face, but he hid it well. She wondered if M. Agreste even knew his son well enough to notice. It seemed that even with everything around them shifting, some things stayed the same.

"Since when have you been working on a baby line?” Adrien changed the subject.

"Since I learned that there's going to be a baby around here with my last name soon enough. An Agreste wears Agreste clothing, you know this." Gabriel crossed his arms and shook his head as though Adrien had asked the most absurd question.

The duo choked down a laugh. "Right," Adrien said, "of course, that was a dumb question."

Gabriel nodded. "And it plays into the story well. I also thought it would be beneficial for Mlle. Dupain-Cheng and I to collaborate on the line."

Marinette's eyes widened. She was momentarily dumbfounded as she realized that her little bug was giving her connections into the fashion industry and helping her fulfill her dream of being a designer. She had heard repeatedly that having a child young would thwart and possibly even kill her dreams, but never had she heard of new opportunities opening up. She gulped down her disbelief and nodded, a smile blooming across her face. "I would be honored, Monsieur," she said.

For the first time during the conversation, Gabriel looked pleased. "Good. I figured as a designer yourself, you'd want to have a part in making your own child's clothing, but that's neither here nor there. Now that we have the plan, we just wait to take action. I'll have Nathalie send you both the details. For now, don't answer any questions and avoid crowded places. Are we clear?"

They nodded their heads, and as they left the room, Marinette could feel the fear creeping up inside her again. She reminded herself that honesty was her strong suit, and it would be good to deal with the press with as much honesty as they could afford. She gripped Adrien's hand in an attempt to hold onto any courage she had left inside her. After all, if facing the scrutiny of Chloe was difficult, there was no telling how harsh the rest of the world was going to be.

-
Chloe loved jewelry, especially when the cost wasn't coming out of her pocket. As someone who loved jewelry, she knew quality when she saw it. After all, she did have the most expensive and exclusive pieces in the country. It was easy to obtain when she had a knack for sweet-talking and doting father who wanted nothing but the best for his little girl. She had grown to have an eye for those sorts of things, so when the little old man opened a box full of twinkling jewelry like she had never seen, she almost drooled. Again, she knew quality, and this surpassed anything she had in her jewelry box at home.

"M. Fo," she said, looking back up at the man whom she stupidly followed.

"Master Fu," he corrected.

"Uh-huh, right. Look, old man, I'm not really in the market for a sugar daddy, so you can flash these jewels all you want, but I'm not-"

He lifted a hand and shook his head. "You misunderstand, Mlle. Bourgeois. While I would be lying if I said there wasn't a catch, I'm not asking anything like that of you. Allow me to better explain."

"Okay," she huffed and crossed her arms. "Go on."

"I'm aware that you made a mistake recently, and I want to give you a chance to make up for it." Chloe went to interrupt, but he paid her no mind. "If you want to redeem yourself, you need to not just make it up to those you hurt but show all of Paris that you are a good person. Can you do that?"

Chloe knew at that moment that no matter what little redemption arc he was offering her, she wouldn't be able to follow through. "Old man-"

"-Master Fu," he corrected once again.

"Whatever," she waved her hands. "You're right. I made a mistake, and you caught me at a bad moment, but I'm gonna be honest with you. I'm not a good person. I mean, I'm not the worst person ever, but I know I don't exactly meet the criteria of good. You can ask anyone."

"I'm not asking anyone. I'm asking you."

"And I told you, I'm not a good person. Whatever it is you want me to do, I can't do it. I don't want to do it. So just let me go back home and be the inconsiderate, uncaring person everyone clearly thinks I am."

The old man shook his head as a faint smile painted itself across his face. He reached over into the box and let his finger trace each piece. "Did you know that bees are incredibly diligent creatures?"

Chloe stared blankly at him.

"They do everything in their power to nurture their hive and protect their queen, but they are often seen as hostile even when that is far from the truth. That's because they are incredibly loyal and will do anything to keep their hive safe." The old man picked up a hair comb resembling that of a bee. He reached over and gently placed it into her hands.

"I told you-"

"When a hive loses its queen, the behaviors of these loyal creatures change. They become aggressive, stressed, and vulnerable. They must find a new queen to survive. Chloe Bourgeois, it's time to find your new queen. You're latching onto temporary people and unreliable figures. They will not sustain you."

"What does that even mean?"

The old man, as vague and elusive as she had discovered him to be, only chuckled to himself. "You are not a bad person, Mlle. Bourgeois. You're merely lost, but you can find yourself with that comb. You'll know what to do."

Chloe doubted every word that came out of the old man's mouth. He sounded deranged and like he was the lost one, but she had no energy to argue. Unlike her usual Chloe fashion, she had no fight left in her for the day. Between her newfound self-loathing, the annoyance of self-revelation, and her crying fit, she was exhausted. So, she bid the crazy old man adieu and went home. She threw the comb onto her nightstand and fell into bed, forgetting the events of the day as she drifted to sleep. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she hoped she didn't wake up.

Chapter Text

Marinette had two dresses to decide on for the banquet as she stood in the large bathroom in Adrien’s room. One was a simple red off-the-shoulder dress that fell just past her knees. The fabric was a soft velvet with sleeves that wrapped around her like a gentle hug. The other was champagne silk with puffed sleeves. It was classy and flattering. She remembered seeing them in the very line that M. Agreste had initially planned the banquet to celebrate. She supposed it was fitting that the mother of his grandchild would don his work. It was a sign of his support, whether she truly had it or not. Two beautiful options for an occasion that would determine their next move.

Between avoiding cameras and confrontation, Marinette had spent the past few weeks anxious. Everything was making her nervous, and it certainly didn’t help that her second trimester had proven to be a challenging experience. She was 17 weeks along, and she honestly couldn’t believe she had already been pregnant for four months. Bug was the size of a potato and showing themself a little more every week. Her bump was beginning to show and she knew from then on it was going to get harder to hide.

She had always heard that the second trimester was easier than the first, but she wasn’t so sure. She could finally eat, and the nausea had slowed down significantly, but no one told her about the leg cramps and belly pains. No one cared to mention that she would get nosebleeds, of all things. She expected the headaches and some heartburn here and there, but nosebleeds?

Marinette sighed as she remembered ruining a new outfit she had just finished making. White fabric and weeks of hard work down the drain from the untimely nosebleed. “Maybe I should go with the red dress just in case.”

A pair of wraps slithered around her waist and pulled her in. She recognized the scent of sage immediately and melted into his touch. “I agree,” Adrien said. “Red is definitely your color. Reminds me of a certain lady we know.”

Marinette laughed. “I was thinking more as a nosebleed precaution, but I think you’re right. Being Ladybug gives me courage, so if this is as close as I can get right now, I’ll take it.”

Although she couldn’t see his face, she had a good idea of what it looked like. Adrien expressed nothing but guilt and remorse about her giving up her miraculous. Even if it was temporary. She frequently reminded him that it wasn’t a bad thing, it was to protect her miraculous while she focused on protecting Bug. She knew that if it was the other way around, though, she’d have the same feelings.

She twirled around and stared up into those pained green eyes. She smiled in an attempt to ease his thoughts and show him that it was okay. And it was. Marinette had been living in a state of fear since Mona Armati decided to make an enemy of the Agrestes, but after spending so much time worrying, she felt stronger than before. Three weeks of locking herself away from any curious gaze had a way of making her ready to get back out there and turn the attention she was receiving into a positive force.

“How do you feel?” Adrien asked, anxiety dancing across his features.

“Better than you, I can tell you that much,” she said with a snort.

“Is it that obvious?”

“To me,” she said with a shrug. “Your father always makes you nervous, but don’t forget that he’s on your side this time. Even if he’s only supporting you to keep his name clean, it’s still something.”

“I really don’t know what kind of support he’s offering. Sometimes it seems like he’s just helping to salvage his reputation, and sometimes he sounds genuinely interested. He shuts down before I can get anything nice out of him, though.”

“Maybe he’s just as scared as we are.”

“Maybe. I wish I knew what was going on in his head.”

“You know what I think?” Plagg said, zipping into the bathroom with Tikki and a waft of camembert in tow. “I think dear ole’ dad is scared you’re gonna be a better parent than him. Not that that’s hard to do if we’re being honest.”

“Aww Plagg,” Adrien grinned. “Are you saying you think I’m gonna be a good dad?”

The kwami clicked his tongue. “You won’t kill the kid.”

Tikki giggled. “I think that’s his way of saying yes.” Adrien wiped a fake tear and Plagg gagged at the show of affection as the other two laughed at their antics. The bantering and squabbling continued, and it reminded Marinette that despite all the uncertainty closing in on them, everything would be okay as long as they had each other.

Marinette eventually shooed the boys out of the bathroom so they could both get ready for the big night ahead of them. She stared at herself after slipping on the red dress and felt her confidence flourish. Red really was her color. The night was going to be scary, but she was Ladybug with or without her miraculous. She rubbed her little bump and took a deep breath. She didn’t need a lucky charm to know that things were going to work out one way or another.

-

Everything was not okay. Granted, things had not been okay for a long time, but with a shake of her blonde hair, Chloe attempted to block all that out. The issue at hand was the tear in her dress. With all the change around her, she had elected to wear something a little different than her usual black and yellow. She attempted a soft blue; an elegant Cinderella aesthetic, but no, Chloe just had to stumble and trip over the hem. She almost called the designer of the dress to yell at them for using such flimsy material before remembering it was an Agreste dress. She didn’t want to get uninvited to the very banquet she was going to wear it to.

Frustrated and tired of the messes she kept getting herself into, she found another option. It wasn’t new or different, but it wasn’t torn. She slipped on the yellow dress and resigned herself to feeling no different than she did in the past three weeks.

She went to approach her jewelry to switch out the color scheme when a glint caught her eye. She turned to face it and saw a hair comb sitting on her nightstand. She hadn’t forgotten about it or the weird old man who gave it to her, but she found no use for it. Well, at least not before that moment. That was the only new accessory she had that went with yellow, so if she wanted to try something new, she found it.

She picked up the hair comb and placed it snugly into her bun, but before her fingers could even retract, a blinding light flashed around her. It was almost akin to the flash of cameras, but it lingered and ignited something inside her. Something tingled and sparked, and before she knew it her vision was returned to her.

She opened her eyes and saw something horrific in front of her. She flailed her arms and fell back, kicking and screaming and the- the thing. The alien, insect, creature- whatever it was! But it was weird and creepy, and it was starting at her.

“No, no, it’s okay!”

It spoke. The alien bug thing spoke. She screamed louder, “Daddy-“

“No, please!” it said, zipping towards her face and covering her mouth. “Don’t panic, I’m here to help.” It was surprisingly strong for its size. “My name is pollen, and I’m a kwami. You must be my miraculous holder. If you let me explain, everything will make sense. I’m at your service, my queen!”

Pollen. Kwami. Miraculous- Miraculous? As in the thing that makes Ladybug, well, Ladybug? While Chloe didn’t have the Cinderella theme she was initially going for, it seemed the universe still granted her a fairy godmother.