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The day was normal, the patrol was normal and her life had been pretty normal recently, so Marinette was almost too relaxed
And then the unthinkable happened. A burrow opened in the air right in front of them and someone stepped through it.
He was doubled over, panting, as if he'd been running. But Marinette could recognise the suit and the mop of blond hair on his head pretty easily. She still didn't have any idea what her partner with her Miraculous could want from them though.
When he finally managed to straighten up and look at her, Marinette gasped. He was so tall! And wow, so handsome! She didn't dare look at Chat but she wondered what he was thinkin when looking at his future self.
Of course, all this didn't matter, because Mister Bug needed them for something and he looked quite worried.
"Marinette, I need your help," he pleaded. She closed her eyes for a second, bemoaning the sudden loss of her secret identity, and then opened them again. More pressing matters first.
"What happened?"
"I need you to come with me into the future, I can't do this alone," Mister Bug said. She could see how much it pained him to admit this.
She was about to answer when Chat intervened.
"What happened to Marinette in the future?" He asked. The pause before her name was so miniscule she almost didn't notice it. It was barely there, as if he wasn't surprised at all. But she was more concerned with the tone of his voice. He sounded scared.
Oh. Her partner has arrived from the future with her Miraculous. There was a big possibility that something bad had happened to her. She hadn't even considered this and yet it was Chat's first thought. Aw.
It was her turn to look at his future self in apprehension. He caught the look in their eyes and barked a laugh.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Marinette is perfectly fine. Maybe a little grumpy and a lot impatient, but fine. She's about to give birth to our baby."
He couldn't hide the happiness and pride in his voice. This was obviously the simple truth. Simple for him.
For them it was as if the world was turned upside down. She heard her own gasp and the whistle from Chat. Talk about big news.
Mister Bug didn't miss their reactions in spite of his own state. He groaned.
"I messed up, didn't I?" I got back too far into the past and you're not together yet." He stated the obvious.
Marinette shrugged although internally she was freaking out. She hadn't expected that, she hadn't been prepared for that. But if there was an emergency, they had to deal with it first.
"What do you need us for?" She asked without answering his question.
"I'm at a loss. I've been fighting this akuma for hours, all the temporary heroes are out of town and my wife might go into labour any minute now," Miste Bug rattled out, the panic back in his voice. "I've dealt with a few akumas on my own before. But I'm.. I'm not as good as her," he whispered, hanging his head in shame.
"Oh, no. I'm pretty sure you're more than capable," Marinette rushed to say. "You've always been the best partner I could ask for and I'm sure that if I entrusted you with this in the future, I believe in you."
He looked at her hopefully.
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes. I would be lost without a partner and have needed a whole team many times. Don't be so hard on yourself. You did the right thing by coming to us."
He smiled gratefully and when she looked at Chat for confirmation, she saw the same expression on his face.
"Let's go," she told him nd he nodded. Together they followed Mister Bug into the future. The akuma was a tough one but the three of them working together overwhelmed the villain.
A three-way "pound it" and lots of well-wishes for the future parents later, they were on their way back.
"Are you ok, m'lady?" Chat asked softly when they were back at their usual meeting place. Always worried about her.
She was ok. She wasn't even that surprised by the fact that she ended up with him in the future. She'd seen the possibility more than once - in erased timelines and forgotten moments. What surprised her more was the fact that it was a happy future that awaited them. It was so at odds with her constant fear that if she got too close to him, bad things would happen. It was good to know she didn't have to worry about that. Maybe the future could be changed in more ways that one.
"I'm fine. I only need to find out your identity and today will be complete," she giggled. His somber expression gave her a pause.
"I'm sorry I had to find out like that but you don't need to know mine if you don't want to,' he said.
"We'll be married and expect a baby in about ten years. I'm pretty sure I need to know your identity for that," she noted with a smile. She was actually looking forward to that.
"But the future is not set in stone. You can change it if you don't want it, " he noted.
"You want to change it?" She asked, surprised by his reluctance to proceed with the logical next step.
"God, no, this would be the best thing in the world. But I don't want you to feel forced into this..." Her heart couldn't take him thinking this.
"Forced? No way. I'd never need coercion to fall in love with you, kitty" she admitted finally. "Loving you will be easy. It is easy, I already know that," she added in a barely audible voice. He looked amazed at her.
"Claws in," he whispered and she took a steading breath before the magic retreated completely.
"Do you still think this way?" He asked shyly. If only he could look into her heart, to see how happy she was.
There were no words to explain this so she just threw her arms around him and pulled him down for a kiss. He melted into her, his relief seeping into her.
"You have no idea, it's even easier now," she said when she pulled back. "Adrien," she added with a grin.
"Marinette," he grinned back.
They had a lot of things to talk about. But for a few minutes she wanted to just be happy that this crazy day had brought them together. Hopefully they'd get to see that future again first-hand. If they were lucky. Which she had every reason to believe they were.