Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chat Noir sat on a lonely rooftop, his back against a chimney, his eyes scanning lazily over the city. The night was quiet, but quiet didn’t always mean safe. More than one akuma had cloaked themselves in silence and so he remained alert. Constantly vigilant. Which was why his cat-ears twitched, picking up the soft sound of footfalls coming ever closer.

Their familiar tread made him smile.

“Lovely night, isn’t it?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the city as his partner walked over to stand by his side.

She let out a soft hum of agreement, then sat down next to him, joining him in gazing out upon their home. After a few minutes of silence, she said, “I need to talk to you about something.”

He immediately gave her his full attention and, when he did, he noticed a telling tension in her posture. “What’s wrong?”

She sighed, leaning back and staring up at the night sky.

It was obvious that she was collecting her thoughts, so he didn’t press her. Instead, he waited patiently, working to keep his breathing calm and his face passive until, finally, she admitted, “I’m pregnant.”

There was a beat of silence as Chat Noir processed this news. Then he leaned forward, eyes widening as he exclaimed, “What?!? Since when? How?”

The last question startled a laugh out of her. Then she grinned at him and teased, “Oh boy do I feel bad for your girlfriend!”

He pouted at her, cheeks flushing as he muttered, “I didn’t mean it like that! I know where babies come from!”

“Of course you do, Kitty,” she assured him in a patronizing tone, reaching out and ruffling his hair, which only served to make him pout harder.

Then he batted her hand away and said, “I do! What I meant was were you, I mean, I didn’t think, I’m not blaming you or anything here, I just-”

To his relief, she cut him off, saving him from his quest for the right words. “It wasn’t planned. We’ve been careful, but well…”

“Life finds a way?” he guessed.

She nodded. Then she sighed and flopped back against the rooftop. A few seconds later, she quietly admitted. “I haven’t told anyone else yet.”

“Not even your boyfriend!” Chat Noir asked, stunned.

She shook her head. “Nope. I’m gonna tell him first thing tomorrow, but I wanted to talk with you first because I- I- I-”

To Chat Noir’s surprise, tears welled in his Lady’s eyes, pooling in the corners before escaping to trail down her mask.

After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out, gently tugging her off of the roof and into his arms.

She came willingly, hiding her face against his chest as she whispered, “I know that I shouldn’t keep it. I know Paris needs me, but I- I can’t, Kitty. I just can’t!”

“Hey, it’s okay. We’ll figure it out,” Chat Noir promised, tightening his hold on his partner.

For a good minute, all he did was hug her while silently gathering his thoughts. Once he had the right words, he carefully said, “It’s okay to be selfish on this one, Bug. Whatever choice you make, I promise, I’ll support it.”

“But, but Paris-” she began, only to find herself cut off, her partner’s voice gaining a harsh edge.

“Paris owes you a debt that can never be repaid. You’ve given them years of your life and never once asked for anything in return. Instead, you’ve made sacrifices that they’ll never understand. You don’t owe them this. If you wanna keep the baby, then keep the baby. We’ll make it work. You’ll use that brilliant brain of yours to come up with a way to pull this off and I’ll do everything that I can to help,” he vowed.

To his relief, Ladybug relaxed, slumping against him and taking deep, calming breaths. After a little while, she admitted, “I do have something of a plan already.”

“Well, there you go then!” he cried, grinning down at her. “Lay it on me!”

She nodded, pulling back and wiping the tears from her eyes with a muttered, “Stupid hormones!”

Then she put on her game face and said, “Tikki and I talked over the risks and they’re apparently pretty small. She can keep a baby safe just like she keeps me safe.”

The obvious discomfort on her partner’s face made Ladybug smile. “Yeah, I had a similar reaction. I trust Tikki completely, but I don’t think that I’ll be able to override my emotions with logic on this one. Any hit I take will send me spiraling.”

“You and me both,” Chat Noir muttered, his eyes darting to her stomach.

Ladybug laid a hand over the still-smooth surface, her smile turning soft. Then her face hardened, returning to planning mode. “Paris won’t be safe without a Ladybug, which means that I’ll either have to help at a distance or find a replacement. I think that the second option is our best bet.”

“You wanna bring back Mister Bug?” he asked, obviously not thrilled by the idea.

Ladybug shook her head. “No, Paris needs a Chat Noir, too, and it’s already got the best person for that job.”

The praise made him preen as Ladybug continued, “Plus there’s no way that I’m leaving you to fight alone! Instead, I’d like to give my miraculous to a temporary replacement. Someone that I trust and who I’ve considered my unofficial backup basically since day one. I truly can’t think of a better option, but I didn’t wanna hand my miraculous over to them without talking to you first.”

Chat Noir nodded. “And I appreciate that! I can’t think of a better option either, though I don’t like the idea of not hearing from you for the next who knows how long.”

“Yeah, about that,” Ladybug began, making her partner’s eyes narrow. “I’m not planning to just hand off my earrings and disappear. I’m still the Guardian and I’ll still need to call in temporary heroes when the need arises, so I’ll still show up to every attack. I won’t fight, not unless I absolutely have to, but I can help in other ways! There are plenty of miraculouses that work best from a distance, like the fox or the snake.”

“I guess,” Chat Noir said, crossing his arms and frowning. He didn’t like the idea of having her anywhere close to the battle, but he also knew that there was no stopping her once she’d made up her mind.

After a few seconds of trying to think up ways to keep her from fighting, he perked up, excitement in his eyes. “Hey, speaking of the other miraculouses, how do you feel about promoting one or two of our temporary heroes to a more permanent position?”

Ladybug grew thoughtful, then nodded. “Not a bad idea. I wouldn’t wanna pull everyone in, that would risk weakening us. Too many cooks in the kitchen and all that. But a team of three or four should be doable. It would help to make up for their lack of experience.”

She grew quiet again, obviously thinking through the logistics of the idea. Eventually, she gave her partner her full attention and said, “I have some thoughts as to who would be the best candidates, but you’ll be the one who’s working with them in the field, so I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

The offer made Chat Noir grin. “I was hoping that you’d say that.”

For the next half hour, the two heroes discussed their options before finally settling on a roster that they were both comfortable with. Once that was done, Chat Noir stood to go, but Ladybug stopped him, a nervous note in her voice as she said, “Wait! There was one more thing that I needed to ask.”

Chat Noir turned to face her, giving her his full attention.

She shot him a timid smile, then quietly confessed, “I- I wanna tell my boyfriend my identity, assuming that he doesn’t dump me over this.”

The request made Chat Noir bristle and Ladybug drew back, growing frantic, “I know that identities are a big deal! I’m not doing this just because I want to! It’s because I think that I’ll have to! With me pregnant, we’ll probably finally move in together and I don’t know how I’ll pull that off without him finding out the truth! The Kwamis aren’t exactly great at hiding.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I get it,” Chat Noir agreed dismissively, startling his partner. Then he demanded, “You really think this guy’s gonna dump you?”

“Oh,” Ladybug breathed, surprise flashing across her face. Then she smiled, her expression turning soft. “No. No, I don’t. Not really. He’s… wonderful. And I love him so much! But, you hear stories…”

“Hey, look at me,” Chat Noir said, crouching down so that their heads were at almost the same height. When he had his partner’s full attention, he asked, “Do you know what I’d do if my girlfriend told me that she was pregnant?”

Ladybug shook her head, her eyes glued to his face.

Chat Noir grinned. “I’d grab the ring that’s sitting in my dresser and beg her to forgive me for waiting so long.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her mouth, whispering a shocked, “Chaton!”

He shrugged, grin fading, his expression turning melancholy. “It’s like you said, living together means revealing your identity. There’s not much point in proposing when you have to follow it up with a request to keep living separately. I want to, though. Desperately. Without her, my apartment’s just an apartment. She’s what makes it feel like home and- oh, gosh, why are you crying?!?”

“That’s one of the most romantic things that I’ve ever heard!” Ladybug sobbed. Then she grabbed her partner’s hands, staring at him through watery eyes as she demanded, “Tell her!”

“But-” he began, but Ladybug shook her head, shushing him.

“No buts! If I can tell my guy, then you can tell your girl. You have my full permission. It’s not fair that an accident is letting me build a family while you have to keep waiting!”

“Are- are you sure? If you need time to think or-” Chat Noir asked, feeling lightheaded.

“I’m sure!” Ladybug interrupted, tightening her grip on his hands. “This is hardly a new relationship! You’ve been with her almost as long as I’ve been with Adr- I mean, my boyfriend. I’ve thought through the risks of telling him and decided it was worth it. I would be such a hypocrite if I denied you the same choice. You know this girl. If you think that it’s safe to trust her, then you have my blessing to tell her that you’re Chat Noir.”

“I- I- thank you,” Chat Noir whispered, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, the results of an overwhelming surge of hope. “Seriously, Ladybug, thank you! I- this means everything, really! I’ve been dreading the day that she got tired of waiting and finally left me, but- but now!”

“I know the feeling,” Ladybug confessed, letting go of his hands so that she could wrap her arms around herself. “It’s part of why I’m so nervous. All of our couple friends have either broken up or moved in together, but we’ve been together for over four years now and, I don’t know. We talk about the future, but only ever as a vague notion. Never anything concrete.

“My boyfriend actually moved into his own place a couple of months ago and I thought that he’d ask me to move in with him. He certainly asked me lots of questions about what I’d like, but then… nothing. And that was a good thing! I was thrilled that I didn’t have to turn him down or come up with an excuse why it was a bad idea, but still…”

“Has he lived on his own before?” Chat Noir asked.

Ladybug shook her head.

“Then don’t worry too much,” Chat Noir assured her. “I moved out recently, too, and even if I could have moved in with my girlfriend, I still would have wanted to wait a bit. Living on my own is forcing me to learn life skills that I desperately needed to know to be a good partner. Plus I didn’t wanna look like a total idiot around her. She knows that I’m learning things and has helped a lot, but my best friend is the one dealing with my panicked phone calls.”

“I don’t remember any phone calls,” Ladybug teased, making Chat Noir laugh.

“Best civilian friend! Though, if he doesn’t pick up next time, maybe I’ll transform and call you! How good are you at cooking and doing household chores?”

“I’m not an expert, but I know a thing or two. How would you rate your skills?” she asked.

He grimaced. “Let me put it to you this way: I learned the hard way that dish soap and dishwasher detergent are NOT the same thing.”

The confession made Ladybug laugh. “Oh no!”

“That’s one way to put it,” he muttered, gazing out into the night with a distant expression, remembering the bubbles. The endless sea of bubbles. Then he shook his head and said, “Anyway, your guy might be doing the same thing. Though hopefully he’s not as useless at it as I am.”

“Oh, I’m sure that you’re doing fine,” she assured him, earning a shy smile. “And, you know, that might be exactly what’s going on. My boyfriend’s best friend has been making a lot of weird jokes about housekeeping lately. Cooking, too.”

Chat Noir sighed, thinking back over his multiple desperate calls to Nino and the resulting teasing. “I feel his pain. But I’ll be a proper house cat yet, just you wait!”

“I hope that I get to see it in person one day,” Ladybug said. “And I hope that I can meet your girlfriend, too.”

“Me, too! I hate the fact that I can’t introduce her to the second most important woman in my life,” he sighed. “Once Papillion is gone, we’ll have to do a double date!”

“Hmmm, I’m not sure that I can approve that,” Ladybug said, an amused glint in her eyes. “The resulting pun war might just drive me insane!”

“Your guy likes puns?” Chat Noir cried, noticeable perking up. “Then I have to meet him! We connoisseurs of word play are a rare breed, cruelly shunned by those who don’t appreciate our skills.”

“And yet, somehow, I’m surrounded by you,” Ladybug muttered, smiling when her partner laughed. Then she glanced down at her stomach, a loving look in her eyes. “Hopefully this little one doesn’t get that gene.”

“You know, a love of puns is a sign of high intelligence,” Chat Noir pointed out, making her roll her eyes.

“It can be, but it can also be a sign of brain damage,” she shot back, making him grin and shrug. Then he rose to his feet and held his hand out towards his partner. 

She took it, allowing him to help her up. Then they wrapped their arms around each other in a fond embrace.

“If he doesn’t propose on the spot, give me a call and I’ll come beat him up,” Chat Noir whispered, making her laugh.

“Will do. And she better be thrilled at the thought of living with you. You deserve nothing less.”

Chat Noir smiled, giving his partner a final, firm squeeze before pulling away. Then he glanced down at her stomach and said, “You’ve got a great mom, Baby Bug. I can’t wait for you to meet her!”

“They’ve got an even better uncle,” Ladybug declared, making him beam.

“Uncle, huh? I could get used to that,” he said. Then he gave her a two-fingered salute before darting off into the night, heading for his apartment.

As soon as he was inside his balcony door, Chat Noir dropped his transformation, turning back into Adrien. Then he let out a whoop of joy, twirling about the room as he cried, “Plagg, did you hear Ladybug?”

“Oh, I heard alright,” Plagg said in an odd tone, making Adrien stop short, turning to face his Kwami.

“You don’t think that it’s a good idea?” he asked, praying that he was wrong. But if Plagg was against it-

“Nah, I’m all for it,” Plagg said, making Adrien’s shoulders slump in relief. Then the Kwami adopted a Cheshire grin and said, “If anything, I’m looking forward to it! Pigtails is gonna flip.”

Adrien beamed, grabbing a slice of camembert from the fridge and tossing it to his Kwami. Then he began to walk through his apartment, taking it all in, imagining what it would look like when Marinette’s touch was added to his. Would she want to paint the bedroom pink? Redo the curtains? Change out the furniture? He’d let her without a second thought! Right now, it was all generic, sleek and modern. Not exactly his taste, but the idea of changing any of it had made him sad. Like he was acknowledging that this was his place and his alone for the foreseeable future. But now-

He paused beside the room that he half-heartedly called his office. There wasn’t much there. Just a desk and his gaming chair, both of which could easily be relocated to the guest room. Then this room could fulfill its intended purpose: a sewing room fit for a princess (or an online boutique owner).

It wouldn’t make for a bad nursery, either.

He quickly brushed that thought aside. Best to not get ahead of himself. Work on moving in together first. Then the proposal. Then a wedding. Then babies. And probably a bigger apartment. Maybe even a house!

Adrien smiled, unable to keep himself from imagining the sound of tiny feet running along the hardwood floors. He hoped that Ladybug’s guy had similar dreams. That her announcement would be met with nothing but joy and, at a minimum, a request to move in together. His first love deserved that and, while there was a small part of him that was sad that he wasn’t the one giving it to her, he was perfectly content with how things had worked out. 

Realizing how much stress his Lady was under and forcing himself to move on had been miserable, but it had also made him a far better partner to her. Someone that she could confide in without adding unwanted love confessions to the million-and-one other stresses that she faced as both Ladybug and the Guardian.

Plus, once the initial depression had passed, he’d finally been able to see the amazing girl sitting right behind him! The girl who had every quality that had drawn him to Ladybug and then some! After all these years with Marinette, he truly couldn’t imagine anyone being a better match for him. Not even Ladybug.

Chapter Text

Adrien talked to Marinette every day and saw her as often as he could. Rare was the evening when he didn’t invite her over for dinner or join her family for theirs. He even risked spending the night together any time that there was an evening akuma, knowing that evening attacks pretty much guaranteed peaceful mornings.

To his relief, she never questioned the odd schedule, adopting it without ever once mentioning the correlation between their nights together and the akumas. She just seemed happy to spend time with him, whether it ended with a kiss at the door or curled together under the covers, warm, happy, and sated.

Last night had been the first kind of night. A night that filled his kitchen with teasing comments and laughter as they worked together to make dinner. When the meal was done, they’d curl up on the couch in front of his TV to watch their latest show and eat the fruits of their labor. Then the dreaded moment had come. The moment when he walked her to the door and kissed her goodbye, watching her go, taking that feeling of ‘home’ with her, knowing that he wouldn’t get it back until the next time he saw her.

So, when Adrien opened his front door to find Marinette standing there, he was thrilled! He was also confused, because he had no idea why she was here, looking all lovely and dolled up while he was still in his pajamas. In his defense, it was a Saturday and he’d only just gotten up. He hadn’t even had breakfast yet!

After a moment of staring, he glanced back into his apartment, his eyes seeking out a clock, widening when they read the time. Then he looked back at his nervous girlfriend and said, “Is something wrong?”

She bit her lip and shrugged, filling him with worry because Marinette was only quiet when big emotions came into play. Emotions related to personal matters, both good and terrifying.

He really hoped this was the first kind.

There was only one way to find out, though, so he stepped aside and motioned for her to come in.

She walked through the door, barely even looking at him or where she was going. Instead, her eyes were focused on the bakery box in her hands.

As soon as she was safely inside his apartment, she stopped, turning to face him, a determined look on her face.

He closed the front door and gave her his full attention, patiently waiting for her to find her words.

Minutes passed without a sound, Marinette’s determination slowly fading to desperation. Eventually, her shoulders slumped in defeat. Then she stepped forward and shoved the bakery box into his hands with a pleading look.

The sudden movement startled him, but his reflexes kept him from dropping the box. Once he had it firmly in hand, he glanced between her and the box before hesitantly taking hold of the lid, giving her a questioning look.

She nodded eagerly, motioning for him to continue, so he did, opening the box and studying the contents.

A second later, he smiled excitedly and exclaimed, “Oh, mini macarons!”

Then he glanced up to find the love of his life shaking her head, her eyes begging him to understand.

“Not mini macarons?” he asked, earning a nod.

He glanced back down at the desserts, wracking his brain for what he was missing. They were definitely macarons, right? He picked one up, studying it closely before sighing and admitting, “I’m sorry, Princess, all I see are tiny macarons.”

To his surprise, Marinette perked up, rolling her hand in a gesture that he’d only seen her make during charades. A gesture that meant, ‘you’re on the right track, keep going.’

He glanced between her and the macaron in his hand before offering, “Miniature macarons?”

Marinette shook her head, making the ‘keep going’ gesture again, so he shrugged and did as he was told.

“Little macarons? Itty-bitty macarons? Micro macarons? Baby-?”

At the word ‘baby’, her whole body stiffened and he didn’t even need the accompanying tense nod to know that he’d stumbled upon the right phrase.

He grinned, looking down at the desserts as he exclaimed, “Baby macarons!”, thrilled at having finally got it right. Then confusion set in as he muttered, “Wait, why did the word matter? Don’t they all mean basically the same thing?”

Marinette didn’t reply, she just gave him a desperate, pleading look, reminding him that this hadn’t really been about macarons. Something was going on, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what. He wanted to get it, he really did, but his mind just kept going back to Ladybug’s pregnancy and that-

He froze, the macaron in his hand falling to the floor. A second later, his eyes darted to his girlfriend’s stomach. Then to her terrified face. Then back to her stomach. When his eyes once more met hers, he took a shaky breath. Then he gave her a searching look, pointed to her stomach, and whispered, “Baby?”

She nodded, tears in her eyes.

There was a long moment where Adrien just stood there, his mind whirling. Then he dropped the box of macarons, a brilliant smile spreading across his face as he swept his girlfriend into his arms, kissing her with a desperate sort of passion, leaving them both panting when he pulled back to give her a watery grin and cry, “We’re having a baby! Oh my gosh, I can’t-”

He paused, a sudden thought occurring to him. Then his grin vanished, replaced by a serious, nervous look. “You, uh, you did wanna keep it, right?”

Marinette nodded, smiling through her tears, making Adrien sigh with relief. Then he pulled her into a hug, hiding his face in her hair as he whispered, “Oh thank goodness! I would have supported you either way, I promise, but I’m so glad that you want this, too!”

Marinette’s only reply was soft sniffles, making Adrien lean back so that he could look down at her, taking in her joyful smile and red-rimmed eyes. They made his mind wander back to last night. To Ladybug’s fears.

He reached up, wiping some of the tears from Marinette’s cheek as he whispered, “Did you think that I wouldn’t want this?”

She stared at him for a moment before darting back to hide against his chest, muttering her confession into his shirt. “I- I wasn’t sure. I know we’ve talked about it, but- but never with a timeline to it. I- I didn’t know if you’d feel ready.”

“I don’t feel ready!” he laughed, somehow managing to sound only mildly hysteric. Then he pressed a kiss against the top of her head before taking one of her hands in his and adding, “I still want this, though. When I look at my future, you and kids are the two things that I’m absolutely sure of.”

“Really?” she whispered, pulling back to stare up at him, eyes wide.

He nodded. “Really. You’ve been it for me for- actually, wait one second! I’ll be right back!”

He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before letting go of her and darting off into his apartment, leaving her to stare after him with a dazed look. Then she glanced around her, her eyes falling to the discarded bakery box and its slightly smashed contents. She smiled at them, then picked the box up, carrying it over to the kitchen and setting it on the counter. She was just thinking about pulling out the broom and sweeping up the macaron that Adrien had dropped when he came skidding back into the room.

Before she could even process his return, he was standing in front of her, falling to one knee and holding up a velvet jewelry box containing a stunning diamond ring.

Marinette gasped, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth as her eyes darted between her slightly-panting boyfriend and what was obviously an engagement ring.

Adrien stared back, his mouth working, but no sound came out until, finally, he managed a soft, whispered, “Please?”

Marinette immediately burst into tears, tackling him where he knelt, peppering his face with kisses as he somehow managed to keep them from toppling over and smacking their heads on the floor. Once he’d steadied them, he shifted his weight so that his right hand was free. Then he reached up, gently taking hold of the back of her head and guiding her lips to his, kissing her back with equal fervor.

They kissed for several long minutes before the need for air made them stop, pulling back just far enough to rest their foreheads together as they panted and grinned at each other.

Adrien found his voice first, his eyes gaining a teasing gleam as he asked, “So that was a ‘yes’, right?”

Marinette laughed, giving him a quick kiss before crying, “Yes! Yes, absolutely, yes!” Then she kissed him again. 

Adrien let her, smiling against her lips as joy filled his heart. Yes! She’d said ‘yes!’ And, okay, he’d sort of flubbed the speech because nothing had seemed good enough for her, but it didn’t matter because she’d said ‘yes’ anyway!

Eventually, the kiss ended, that pesky need for oxygen forcing them apart at which point Adrien collapsed back against his kitchen floor, pulling his fiancée down to rest against his chest. 

They lay like that for a while, both of them taking a moment to process things and catch their breath. Then Marinette reached out, picking the ring box up from the floor beside them, relieved to find that her tackle hadn’t hurt the ring.

She ran her finger over it before she looking up at her fiancé and asking, “How long have you had this?”

“Since I moved in here,” he confessed, a sheepish look on his face. “It’s okay if you don’t like it, by the way. I know it’s not your usual style, but I wanted you to have it anyway, even if you’d like something more ‘you’ for everyday wear.”

She gave him a confused look, so he quickly added, “It was my mother's.”

Her eyes widened. “And your father…?”

“Yeah, he knows! I saw the ring when I was gathering all of my documents from the family safe and I immediately knew that I wanted you to have it, so I asked father for his permission. I honestly thought that he’d refuse or yell at me, but he just walked off without a word. Then, the next day, there it was! Sitting beside my breakfast with a note telling me to not screw it up, which means that he really does like you!”

“Joy,” Marinette muttered, her idolization of Gabriel Agreste having long since died. Then she forced a smile onto her face, banishing all thoughts of her future father-in-law as she said, “And I don’t need another ring.”

“You sure?”

She nodded, reaching up to cup his cheek. “I’m sure.”

He leaned into her touch, closing his eyes and letting out a content sigh. “Okay, but let me know if you change your mind. I promise, I won’t be upset. It was more about the symbolism of it all than it was about you having to wear it.”

With that, he tilted his head, pressing his lips against her palm before carefully sitting up and taking the jewelry box from her hand. Then he took the ring out and offered it to his fiancée, who looked at him with pure devotion, holding out her hand so that they could see how well it fit. To their surprise, it slid on smoothly, fitting snugly against her skin.

“Well that’s lucky,” Adrien muttered.

Marinette nodded, taking a moment to appreciate her new jewelry. Then she slid it off and popped it back into the box, handing it to him as she asked, “Can you keep hold of this until our fiançailles? Knowing me, I’ll end up losing it.”

Adrien laughed and nodded, setting the ring box to the side so that he could wrap his arms around her and pull her back against his chest.

She came willingly, snuggling against him, closing her eyes, happy to just be together.

Eventually, he spoke, shyly whispering, “I want you to move in with me, too.”

“Yeah?” Marinette asked, tilting her head up to look at him.

He smiled at her, eyes full of adoration. “Yeah. I actually picked this place out with us in mind, that’s why it’s got so much space. I don’t need three rooms, but I think it’ll be perfect for us. I just had to get to a point where I was no longer useless before officially asking you.”

“You’ve never been useless!” she exclaimed, glaring at him before wiggling up so that she could kiss him, a gesture that he happily returned.

When they parted, he nuzzled their noses together, teasing, “I will gladly let you live under that delusion!”

Marinette frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but Adrien cut her off. “Seriously, Princess, it was bad. I’d tell you to ask Nino, but please don’t. Let me keep my aura of competence for at least a little bit longer.”

“Fine,” Marinette muttered, pouting.

Adrien pressed a soft kiss to her pout, then gently patted her backside, saying, “Come on, get up! I wanna talk about where we’re gonna put your stuff and what you wanna change! I know you. You must have a million ideas already and I wanna hear every one!”

Marinette gave him a shy smile, then rolled off of him, allowing him to stand up. Once he was on his feet, he turned around to help her up, only to pause when he saw the look on her face. Her smile was gone, replaced by a worried frown.

“What’s wrong?”

She shot him a nervous half-smile, then said, “It’s, uh, well. It’s not gonna be just us living here.”

For a second, he was confused. Then he grinned. “I know! I was planning to make my office into a headquarters for your boutique, but it’ll be the perfect nursery instead! Or we could scrap the guest room and make that a nursery. Or even just get a bigger place! I never meant for this to be our forever home, just the first one, but if you don’t like it, then I’m happy to go apartment hunting again! It’ll be so much more fun now that we can really talk about what’s best for us instead of me just guessing and-”

“Adrien,” Marinette interrupted, bringing his rambling to a halt, returning his full attention to her. What he found made him nervous. She was sitting on the floor, staring up at him with a serious, unreadable expression. Then she sighed and got to her feet, taking his hand in hers and guiding him out of the kitchen, into the living room, over to his waiting couch.

Once they were both seated, Marinette took his hands in hers, took a deep breath, and confessed, “I wasn’t talking about the baby. When I move in, I’ll be bringing a little over a dozen little friends with me.”

Adrien stared at her, totally lost.

Marinette gave him a tight smile, squeezing his hands before letting go of them so that she could grab ahold of the coin purse that she always carried around with her. Then she opened it and a red Kwami flew out, coming to hover in the air by Marinette’s head. A second later, a teal cobra-like Kwami flew out, too, joining the red one.

“This is Tikki,” Marinette explained, gesturing to the red Kwami. Then she gestured to the second Kwaim, adding, “And you already know Sass.”

For a long while, Adrien didn’t say anything. He just glanced between his fiancée and the two Kwamis, processing what their presence meant. Eventually, he slowly asked, “Princess, why did you have Kwamis in your purse?”

“Well, Tikki’s pretty much always there,” she confessed. “Because she’s my Kwami. Because I’m, uh, I'm-”

“Ladybug,” Adrien breathed, interrupting his fiancée, but she didn’t seem to mind. She just nodded, remaining silent, letting him take his time with the news, relieved that the expression on his face was of the awestruck variety. That was probably a good sign, right?

She watched as his eyes darted over her face, taking her in, his expression growing ever more revenant, his eyes shining with adoration. Then, suddenly, his eyes flew to her stomach. His face paled and his excitement turned to horror. 

“You- you’re Ladybug!” he cried, his eyes darting up to meet hers. Then he jumped to his feet, one hand gripping at his hair while the other flew through the air in random, jerky motions, all of them vaguely focused on her. “Why are you still Ladybug? You- you were supposed to take the earrings to the new holder! Why haven’t you- We haven’t had an akuma in three days! That means we’re due another one any minute and you still have the earrings! Why do you still have the earrings?”

“I- I wanted you to meet Tikki!” Marinette stuttered, staring up at him, her shock startling her into confessing, “I was gonna hand them over to Alya as soon as we were done and, wait, how did you know about that?”

“Alya! Alya’s perfect! Excellent choice!” Adrien praised, falling to his knees beside her, grabbing hold of her hand and staring up at her in desperation. “Go to her now! Please!”

He suddenly let go of her, his expression turning serious as he held out his hand and demanded, “Actually, no, better idea! Give the earrings to me and I’ll take them!”

Marinette jerked away from him, eyes narrowing. “I’m not giving you my earrings! Not until you explain how you knew about that plan. No one knew about that plan! No one but-”

“You, me, Plagg, and Tikki,” he agreed, holding up his hand, showing her his dormant miraculous. “Now, please, please give me the earrings! I’ll transform and find Alya! I’ll tell her whatever you want me to just, just don’t- I can’t- I’m gonna be useless if you’re in a fight, Bug! I won’t be able to help it! It was bad enough when it was my best friend’s kid, but- but it’s mine! It’s ours and- and please! Please, I can’t! Please!”

He didn't seem to know what else to say. He just kept repeating the word 'Please' while gripping her leg, his eyes closed, his forehead pressed against her knee as Marinette stared down at him, her eyes wide with shock.

After a few moments, she reached out a trembling hand, cupping his cheek, coaxing him to look up at her.

He did, revealing a terror-filled expression.

Marinette stared at him, her eyes darting over his face as she whispered, “Kitty?”

He nodded and Marinette found herself covering her mouth in shock for the second time that day.

Within seconds, she was pulling him onto the couch, into her arms.

He came willingly, but there was a tension in his body. A subtle trembling of his limbs that made her feel terribly guilty.

After taking a few seconds to just hold him, she took a deep, shuddering breath, her eyes looking over to the two Kwamis who were silently watching the scene play out. No, make that three Kwamis. At some point, Plagg had joined them.

Marinette’s eyes met Tikki’s and the Kwami nodded, granting her permission, earning a grateful smile from her Chosen and a mouthed, "I'll miss you so much!"

Then Marinette pushed her fiancé away so that she could reach up and carefully remove her earrings from her ears. Once they were both removed and the backs had been reattached, she held them out to him, saying, “We need to talk, but it can wait. You’re right, this is more important.”

Adrien took the earrings reverently, pressing his forehead to hers and whispering a breathless, “Thank you!”

Then he was on his feet, striding towards the balcony while calling out his words of transformation. When he finished, magical green light raced over his body, replacing his well-worn t-shirt and sweatpants with black hexleather so that, by the time that he reached the balcony door, Adrien Agreste was gone. In his place stood Chat Noir, who shoved the earrings into one of his pockets and then vaulted out into the early morning without a backward glance. Off to hand his Lady’s miraculous to its next wielder with Tikki zooming after him, flying as fast as she could to try and keep up.

At first, Marinette just stared after them, mind blank. Then she started to replay the last few minutes in her mind, wincing when she realized that she’d revealed Alya’s identity, too. Then she sighed and forced herself to move on from that thought. There wasn’t anything to do about it now and it’s not like Alya wouldn’t know! Chat Noir was the one bringing the earrings, after all. So there was no point in worrying over it. Especially when she needed to focus on gathering her thoughts before her fiancé returned for their clearly much-needed conversation.

She sat there, thinking in silence, until a soft voice spoke, hissing, “Well, that wasss far more interesssting than I had expected! Quite possssibly the mosssst dramatic reveal that I’ve ever ssssseen! Did you have any idea that he wassss your partner?”

Marinette slowly turned her head to the side, where Sass was hovering, watching her with a curious look. After a few seconds of staring, she smiled. “No, but I don’t know how I missed it! It seems so obvious now!”

Then she leaned back, staring around the apartment, taking in all in with new eyes. At the same time, her mind was replaying moments spent with her fiancé on both sides of his mask. Eventually, her thoughts wandered back to the previous night’s conversation, making her giggle and mutter, “Dish soap! He really used dish soap! Oh, my poor Kitty!"

Then another thought occurred to her and she felt herself getting misty eyed. “Oh my gosh, Sass! He really did plan to propose before this! He, he said I was his home!”

“A lovely ssssssentiment,” Sass agreed sagely, but Marinette barely heard him. She was too busy squealing in excitement, wiggling in her seat as she realized that every word he’d said last night had been about her! Her best friend had been her boyfriend all along! Her sweet, wonderful, amazing partner was also her sweet, wonderful, amazing fiancé! She wasn’t just having a baby with Adrien, she was having one with Chat Noir! Chat Noir, whose reaction on both sides of the mask has been unwavering support for her and their unborn child!

She stopped wiggling to lay a hand on her stomach, smiling down at it as she whispered, “I’ve got a secret for you, Kitten. You and I? We’re the luckiest people in Paris!”

Chapter Text

Chat Noir flew over the rooftops of Paris with a singular goal in mind: pass on the earrings before the next akuma alert. Which was why he didn’t stop to think before vaulting off of a rooftop and swinging through the open window that led into Alya’s tiny living room. The tiny living room that she shared with Nino, who was sitting on the couch beside his girlfriend, a mug of coffee frozen halfway to his lips.

For a moment, Alya and Nino just stared at Chat Noir in shock. Then their expressions hardened as they both set aside their breakfast dishes and rose to their feet, chorusing, “Which one of us do you need?”

The questions startled Chat Noir, leaving his joking ‘whoops, wrong window’ to die before he’d even had a chance to start forming the words. With that plan gone, all that he could manage was a stuttered, “I, uh, what?”

“Is this a fox or a turtle situation?” Nino clarified while Alya glanced over at her phone, muttering something about missing akuma alerts.

After a moment of confused staring, Chat Noir began to say, “Fox or turtle?” only to stop midway, mouth dropping open as the glamors protecting Alya and Nino shattered. Then he stumbled backwards, leaning up against the living room wall as he pointed at Nino, gasping, “You- you’re- you’re Carapace!”

Then he jerked his hand towards Alya, adding, “And you! You’re Rena! Rena Rouge!”

The couple exchanged baffled looks, then Nino slowly said, “Yeah? Did you not know that?”

“And if not, then why are you here?” Alya added, her bafflement turning to curiosity as she sensed the tell-tale signs of a story.

Chat Noir didn’t say a word. He just kept glancing between his friends, who were also his teammates, which seemed so obvious now! Of course Nino was Carapace, who else would it be? And Alya! Alya was a perfect Rena Rouge! He could see them both so clearly, even though they weren’t transformed. It had been the same with Marinette, too, which troubled him. If he’d managed to miss these three, then who else had he missed? Was everyone he cared about a Chosen? It was certainly possible given Ladybug’s secret identity!

“Dude, are you okay?” Nino asked, tilting his head to the side and giving his reeling teammate a searching look.

For a brief moment, Chat Noir considered trying to say something. He even opened his mouth to speak. Then he realized that words weren’t going to be happening anytime soon, so he closed his mouth, reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Ladybug earrings, holding them out to Alya with a blank expression.

Alya stared at the earrings for a moment, then her eyes widened. “Holy shit, are those-?”

“The earrings of the Ladybug,” a tiny voice confirmed, drawing everyone’s attention to the window where a red Kwami was hovering, taking in the scene with a frown. Then she glanced over at Chat Noir and added, “I really wish that you would have waited for me before diving in here, but I suppose that it can’t be helped. Plus I doubt that Alya would have been able to keep Nino in the dark for long, though we had planned to let her be the one to make that choice.”

“Are- are you Ladybug’s Kwami?” Alya gasped, staring at Tikki in awe.

Tikki nodded. “I am. My name’s Tikki!”

“Is Ladybug okay?” Nino asked, glancing worriedly out of the window as if he expected Papillion to come charging over the rooftops at any moment.

“She- she’s fine,” Chat Noir managed to stammer, finally finding his voice. Then he frowned. “At least, I think that she’s fine?”

A second later, his expression turned panicked. “Oh gosh, what if she’s not fine! I- I just- I left her there! Left both of them there! And I didn’t even- I mean, was so focused on the earrings! I didn’t stop to think- Did I even say goodbye?”

The more he rambled, the more worried Alya and Nino became, both of them picturing an endless parade of scenarios where Ladybug was trapped or hurt or even dying.  

That parade came to an abrupt, screeching halt as Chat Noir buried his free hand in his hair and whispered, “Oh gods, I’m a terrible father!”

There was a beat of silence as the room processed this statement. Then Alya cried, “You have kids?”

Her obvious horror made Chat Noir start. Then he glanced up at her and lowered his hand from his hair, holding up a single finger as he stammered, “Just- just the one.”

Then his eyes widened, his gaze turning distant. “Or is it one? It could be more, couldn’t it? Twins run in families, right? But is it paternal or maternal? I can’t remember!”

Before Chat Noir could really get going, gentle hands came to rest on his shoulders and he found himself looking into his best friend’s worried eyes. 

“Hey dude, it sounds like there’s a lot going on and we’d love to hear the details, but first, can you do me a solid and take a nice deep breath?”

Chat Noir did as requested, making Nino smile and say, “Yeah, that’s it! Now let it out, nice and slow, okay? Now in again and, this time, when you breathe out, let's see if you can make it last for a full count of five. I’ll even do the counting for you! One, two, three, four, five! Perfect! Now breathe in again… and now we’re gonna let it out for one, two, three, four, five. And then we breathe in again and now out for one, two, three, four, five. Fantastic! You wanna go again?”

“No. No, I- I’m okay,” Chat Noir muttered, managing a halfhearted smile. “I’d just really like to sit down, if that’s alright?”

“Not a problem!” Nino assured him, guiding him over to the room’s couch while Alya ran off, returning with a glass of water, which Chat Noir gratefully accepted. Then, at Nino’s insistence, he took the next few minutes to slowly sip on the water, gathering his thoughts while his friends set about cleaning up the breakfast dishes, Nino’s way of forcing Alya to give their guest some space before she ‘went all reporter on him.’

While the couple cleaned, Tikki took up residence on Chat Noir’s shoulder, leaning against his neck, smiling at the subtle vibrations of a self-soothing purr.

When he finally felt up to talking, Chat Noir set the glass on the closest side table, then said, “I’m sorry, Tikki.”

“It’s fine!” the Kwami assured him, flying up to hover in front of his face. “Alya and Nino have known each other’s identities for years and they’ve never told another soul! I trust them to maintain that discretion.”

“They have?” he asked, giving his friends a searching look. “And Ladybug okayed this?”

“Not exactly,” Alya admitted with a laugh. “I figured Nino out all on my own!”

“You did what? When? How?” Chat Noir cried, curious as to how Alya had managed a feat that he’d apparently been failing at for over half a decade.

Instead of answering right away, Alya looked over at Nino and grinned, making him blush. Then she said, “I figured it out during his first day on the job. See, my wonderful, sweet boyfriend had been valiantly trying to save me from my crazy older sister, but then, suddenly, he disappeared! In his place was this wonderful, sweet guy who was valiantly trying to save me from my crazy older sister. It wasn’t exactly hard to connect the dots after that.”

“She didn’t even tell me that she knew,” Nino grumbled, pouting at her. “And she didn’t flirt with Carapace or give him any hints, either. Not as Alya, anyway. Rena Rouge, on the other hand…”

“You were just so cute!” Alya teased. “Getting all flustered every time I batted my eyes at you and called you ‘my hero’!”

“I didn’t know how to handle it! I had a girlfriend, but I couldn’t just tell you that! We were supposed to keep personal stuff a secret!” he cried, making Alya laugh. Then he sighed and gave Chat Noir a rueful smile. “Who knows how long she would’ve kept it up if Ladybug hadn’t outed us to each other.”

“She what?!?” Chat Noir demanded, floored by this statement.

“It was during the Papillon Ecarlate incident,” Alya explained. “We were hiding together when  Ladybug came to get us. She didn’t have the time or a good excuse to separate us, so she just handed us our miraculouses while apologizing for forcing a reveal.”

“Oh,” Chat Noir muttered, relaxing into the couch cushions as he thought back to that long-ago day. Then he nodded, “Yeah, okay, that makes sense. I can see why she’d make that call. Especially if she knew that you were dating.”

“I’m pretty sure that she did,” Nino said. Then he gestured around their tiny, one-bedroom apartment adding, “And I think that we would have had to either tell each other or quit when we moved in here. No way for her to come and grab one or both of us without the other knowing.”

“Yeah, you can’t really keep secret identities a secret while sharing a bedroom,” Chat Noir agreed, glancing around the cramped space. Then he returned his gaze to the couple and said, “I gotta admit, I didn’t know that you two were actually dating. Well, I knew that Alya and Nino were dating, but not Rena Rouge and Carapace. I thought that their flirting was all just playful banter.”

“Yeah, well, we didn’t know that you and Ladybug were dating, so fair's fair and all that,” Alya countered with a shrug, making both Chat Noir and Nino stare at her.

Then Chat Noir frowned, demanding, “Who said that I was dating Ladybug?”

“You did,” Alya replied, earning a spluttered protest. Before he could say anything of substance, she continued, “Let’s go over the facts, shall we?

“Fact one: you’re here to give me Ladybug’s earrings, which I will be nerding out about later.

“Fact two: when asked if Ladybug was okay, you started freaking out about your parenting skills.

“Fact three: you don’t know how many kids you have. 

“Now that last fact could mean some rather nasty things about you, but given the rest of your rambling, I’m thinking that it just means that someone is pregnant with your kid or kids, number currently unknown, which means that this is a new pregnancy. So here’s my theory: you just found out that Ladybug’s pregnant with your baby (or babies) and that’s why I’m getting promoted. Care to comment on any of that or offer an alternative theory?” she asked before grinning at him and taking a pointed sip of her coffee.

There was a beat of silence, then Alya let out a soft humming noise and added, “Oh, and twins run through the maternal line, not the paternal. If either side of Ladybug’s family has a history of fraternal twins, then your odds of having them are higher, but if you’re the side with twins? Then you’re fine.”

She started to take another sip of coffee, only to pause when she realized that Nino was staring at her. She turned to meet his gaze, then shrugged. “What? I have twin sisters. I wanted to know what that meant for my odds if kids end up being a thing for us.”

Her explanation made Nino let out a bark of laughter. Then he grinned and said, “I wasn’t staring because of the twin thing! I was just, wow! The way your mind works, it’s just-”

He paused, shaking his head in wonder. Then he turned to look at Chat Noir before demanding, “Is she right? No, nevermind, of course she’s right! She’s always right! Different question then: are you okay? Because it sounds like you just got a bomb dropped on you!”

“Several bombs,” Chat Noir muttered, closing his eyes and covering them with his hand before slumping back against the couch.

The implication of still more hot news made Alya perk up, but before she could say anything, Nino laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her a pointed look and shaking his head.

She frowned at him, then looked back over at Chat Noir, taking a moment to study her teammate’s slumped posture and tight expression. Then she sighed and nodded, ceding control of the situation to Nino.

He smiled at her, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before walking over to join Chat Noir on the couch. Then he laid a hand on his teammate’s shoulder and said, “Seriously dude, whatever you wanna talk about, we’re happy to listen. And we promise that we won’t tell a soul. Alya may have that blog of hers, but she knows how important secret identities are.”

“I guess she does, doesn’t she?” Chat Noir sighed, opening his eyes and looking over at Alya, who was currently sipping her coffee in a desperate attempt to keep herself from grilling him. 

After taking another sip, she lowered her cup, shooting him a closed-mouth smile before immediately returning her coffee to her lips.

It was a gesture that Chat Noir knew well from years as one of her best friends and the simple, familiar nature of it made him relax. Then he gave her a genuine smile and said, “You know, when Ladybug said that you were her pick for a replacement, I didn’t really stop to think about it. Now that I am, I can see why she picked you. Those quick thinking skills of yours are exactly what makes someone a good Ladybug.”

“He’s right!” Tikki agreed, flying over to hover in front of Alya. “Your mind is a big part of why Ladybug chose you!”

“Oh, right, that!” Alya gasped, lowering her coffee again and turning her attention to Chat Noir. “If she's pregnant, then this isn’t a one-time thing, is it?”

He shook his head. “Nope. It’s gonna be you and me for the next few months.”

Then he looked at Nino and added, “All three of us, actually. Ladybug and I wanted to make you a permanent holder to help make up for Alya’s lack of field experience. Though I guess that she’s got more experience than I thought! No wonder Ladybug was so against adding Rena Rouge, too!”

“Awww, did you advocate for me?” Alya asked, pressing a hand to her heart, genuinely touched.

Chat Noir nodded. “Your illusions have saved our butts more times than I can count! Speaking of which, I guess that I should let you both know that Ladybug’s not totally benched. She’ll still be joining us in the field, but only from a distance with miraculous like the fox and I’m so glad that doesn’t mean making Rena Rouge think that she’s done something wrong! I was seriously worried about that, but Ladybug said she’d take care of it.”

“Well aren’t you just the sweetest!” Alya gushed. “No wonder you eventually won Ladybug over! A story that I am desperately curious to know the full details of!”

“I, uh, I don’t know if I can tell you that?” he admitted, his expression turning apologetic.

“And that’s fine!” Nino quickly assured him, giving Alya a pointed look. “There’s no pressure to tell us anything.”

“Right, right, no pressure,” Alya muttered, returning to sipping her coffee as Chat Noir laughed. Then he stood up, walking over to her side and holding out his hand, opening it to once more reveal the Ladybug earrings.

“I take it that you’re willing to accept this temporary promotion?”

“Absolutely,” she gasped, eyes bright with excitement. Then she set her coffee down and took the earrings one at a time, carefully placing them in her ears where they transformed into simple orange studs. As soon as she was done, she looked over at Tikki and asked, “So, can I try them out?”

“I wouldn’t recommend going for a trial run until after dark. We'll want to keep Papillion from finding out about the switch for as long as possible,” Tikki cautioned, making Alya sigh.

“Fine, I guess that makes sense,” she conceded. Then she turned to Chat Noir and asked, “What about getting Nino his miraculous?”

Chat Noir considered the question, then said, “How about this: let’s plan to meet on your roof tonight around midnight to do some practicing. As long as Ladybug’s okay with it, I’ll bring the turtle then and Nino can join us, assuming that you’re okay with a more permanent role?”

He addressed this last statement to Nino, who sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I’m cool with it. Not sure how reliable I’m gonna be, though. Alya’s got special permissions set up with her school because of the Ladyblog, plus all of her classes are online, so she’ll be able to get away pretty easily. My classes are a different story. If the akuma attack isn’t nearby or high risk, then I’ll have no reason to go running.”

“Any help is better than no help,” Chat Noir assured him. “If the akuma isn’t bad enough for shelter in place orders, then Alya and I should be fine to handle it. Especially with Ladybug acting as backup.”

“Then count me in,” Nino agreed, holding out his hand.

Chat Noir happily accepted the offer, walking over and taking ahold of Nino's hand, giving it a firm shake.

As the two men shook hands, Nino added, “And thanks for including me. I hate standing on the sidelines when Alya’s fighting.”

“Thanks for agreeing to help,” Chat Noir replied. “Knowing that you and your shield are around to protect Ladybug will help me keep my mind focused on supporting Alya.”

“I’ll protect your girl, you protect mine?” Nino suggested, making Chat Noir grin.

“Deal.”

“I don’t know if that’s sweet or patronizing,” Alya mused, making both men tense and slowly turn to look at her. 

After a few seconds of consideration, she nodded and said, “I’m gonna go with sweet for now, but I reserve the option to change my mind. Especially once I get Ladybug’s opinion.”

“You sure you want her for a partner, dude?” Nino muttered, giving Chat Noir a searching look.

Chat Noir shrugged. “My first choice is out of commission and I can’t think of anyone else who could do better. I’m open to suggestions, though!”

“My offended meter is nearing critical mass!” Alya warned, though there was a teasing note to her voice.

“And that’s my cue to head out!” Chat Noir decreed, backing towards the still-open window while treating both of his teammates to a grateful smile. “Seriously, though, thank you both from the bottom of my heart! I don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d turned me down.”

“Don’t mention it, kitty-cat,” Alya assured him with a wink. “With all the times you’ve saved our lives, a little help is the least that we could do.”

“What she said,” Nino agreed, jerking his head towards his girlfriend. Then he added, “And are you sure that you’re okay, dude? You look good now, but I honestly thought that you were gonna pass out earlier.”

The question made Chat Noir pause mid-stride. Then he just stood there, staring vaguely at the ceiling, taking a moment to consider everything that had happened this morning. After a short while, he slowly began to smile. A gleam entered his eyes and, soon, his whole face was beaming. “Don’t worry about me. I’m good. Better than good! I’m fantastic! And terrified, but in the best way possible!”

“Yeah, that tracks,” Alya said, grinning at him. “Congratulations on the kid or kids and, for what it’s worth, I think you’ll be a pretty great dad. You’ve always had a knack for handling kids in a crisis. I don’t see why those skills should fail you in more low-key settings.”

The praise made Chat Noir blush and duck his head as he whispered, “Thanks. I hope you're right!” Then he took a deep breath, gave his teammates and Tikki a two finger salute, and darted out of the window, more than ready to head back home to his waiting family.

Chapter Text

Chat Noir sat on the roof of his apartment building, staring down at his balcony as he gathered his thoughts. He had no idea how his Princess felt about the fact that he was her partner, so he wanted to be sure that he was mentally ready for her to be upset before he went inside. Especially since he hadn’t exactly done a stellar job when handing over her miraculous. He didn’t think that any of his various blunders were too bad in the grand scheme of things, but he didn’t know if she’d feel differently and that worried him.

There was only one way to find out, though, and he was as ready as he was ever going to be, so he pushed off the edge of the roof and dropped down onto his balcony. Then he turned around, opened the balcony door, and stepped into his apartment where all thoughts of serious discussions vanished, washed away by a surge of bone-deep contentment at the sight of his lovely fiancée darting about the kitchen, laughing and babbling with Sass.

A few seconds later, she glanced up, catching sight of him. A beaming grin spread across her face as she rushed out of the kitchen and into his waiting arms with a delighted shout of, “Kitty!”

He held her close, burying his face in her hair and just breathing her in as he realized that this was his new normal. No more lonely nights or too-quiet mornings for him!

The thought made him grin and squeeze her tight. Then he leaned back so that he could look down at her as he asked, “So the fact that I’m Chat Noir…?”

“Positive. Major positive! I couldn’t have picked a better partner!” she assured him, gazing up at him with pure adoration. Then her expression grew nervous. “And the fact that I’m Ladybug?”

“I don’t know how I didn’t see it!” he laughed. Then he reached up to cup her cheek, staring at her in awe as he whispered, “But then, I guess my heart saw what my eyes couldn’t. It’s no wonder that I fell in love with you so easily. I’d already done it once and, hey, I was right!”

“Right about what?” she asked, sounding breathless.

He leaned down, brushing their noses together as he confessed, “When we were kids and I first fell for my brilliant, mysterious partner, I promised myself that I’d love the girl behind the mask no matter who she was and I kept that promise without even realizing it!”

Marinette had no idea what to say to that. She just giggled, burying her face against his chest to hide her growing blush.

Chat Noir let her hide, perfectly content to just hold her and play with her hair as she calmed down.

When he felt like enough time had passed, he said, “I’m sorry for running out on you like that.”

“Don’t be,” she assured him, pulling back so that she could look into his eyes. She was blushing again, but she still managed to admit, “I actually kinda liked it.”

Confusion spread across his face, making her giggle. Then she leaned up for a quick kiss before explaining, “I didn’t like upsetting you or having you leaving in a panic, but after I had a chance to calm down and think about things I realized something.”

“And what was that?” he asked, deeply curious.

She grinned, running her fingers along his chest, gazing up at him with a sultry gleam in her eyes as she confessed, “You being protective of the baby is incredibly attractive.”

“O-oh?” he stuttered, gulping at the way that she was looking at him. That was a good look. A very good look.

She let out an approving hum, running her hands up over his shoulders and wrapping them around his neck to pull him down for a kiss.

He eagerly followed her lead, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her tight as he lost himself to the feel of her lips against his.

When they eventually parted, she smirked up at him and teased, “And here I was thinking that True Love’s Kiss was supposed to turn you back into a handsome prince!”

“Are you saying that I can pull off tight, black leather?” he asked, keeping his voice low and intimate.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Marinette murmured, running her fingers over the magical material with a considering look. Then she wrapped one of her hands around his bell and gave it a tug, adopting a fake pout when it remained firmly in place. Then she looked up at him and gave a little shrug as she confessed, “I just prefer it when your clothing’s removable.”

For a moment, Chat Noir just stared at her. Then he rapidly released his transformation, making her laugh as green light rushed over them. 

When the light faded, she pressed a quick kiss to his newly revealed neck, making him shiver as she murmured, “Much better!”

Then she started to pull away, only to have him tighten his arms and cry, “Hey, wait! Where are you going?”

“To finish breakfast, of course! Where else would I be going?” she asked, feigning innocence as he pouted at her, giving her his best kitten eyes.

Before he could actually say anything, though, a loud cough had them both glancing over to where Plagg was hovering, arms crossed, face a mask of annoyance.

Marinette smiled at him and pulled away from her fiancé to give the Kwami a scratch between his ears. “Welcome home to you, too, Plagg! I suppose that you’ll be wanting fed now, huh? Your thing’s cheese, right?”

“It is! The stinkier the better!” Plagg cried, shooting his pouting Chosen a wink as Marinette headed towards the kitchen, crying, “Oh, good! I saw a few wheels of Camembert in the fridge. Let’s go get you some!”

By the time that Marinette finished had taking care of Plagg, Adrien had given up on his pouting and moved over to lean against the kitchen’s island, smiling as he watched his Kwami and his fiancée interact. Then he noticed what she’d been working on and he perked up, letting out an excited cry of, “Quiche!”

“Yeah, I needed something to do with my hands while I waited and you had all of the ingredients on hand. It’s almost ready to go in the oven. I just need to roll out the dough and pre-bake it for a few minutes,” Marinette explained. “While I do that, why don’t you tell me how things went and then, well, it takes at least 25 minutes to cook a quiche. Any thoughts on how we should spend it?”

This question was accompanied by a suggestive smile, but Adrien didn’t let himself get excited. That could come after he knew whether or not he’d flubbed his mission. Which meant that it was time to own up to his mistakes.

After a deep breath, he began, “So, Alya’s got Tikki and the earrings and she seems really excited about the whole thing!”

“I’m sensing a ‘but’ in there,” Marinette said, giving him a searching look as she pulled the quiche dough from the fridge.

He nodded, looking sheepish. “Yeah, so, I sort of forgot about Nino and just went barging into their apartment through the living room window without checking to see if she was alone.”

“Adrien!” Marinette gasped, almost dropping the dough ball.

“I know, I know, that’s probably a total breach of protocol, but in my defense, I’m not used to handing out miraculouses and I wasn’t exactly in the best headspace.”

After a moment’s consideration, Marinette sighed and nodded, setting the dough on the counter. Then she grabbed the rolling pin and started rolling as she said, “Fair points and I did assume that Nino would learn about this sooner rather than later. It’s not exactly ideal, but I didn’t know what else to do! I couldn’t ask Alya to move out! She couldn’t afford it! Plus Nino would have wanted to know why she was leaving and what excuse would work other than the truth? At which point, well, why even have her move out? And there was also no way that I was breaking them up over this!

“I also considered finding another candidate, but no one stood out! My replacement had to be quick thinking, creative, and trustworthy. That didn’t leave me with many options. Maybe, if I’d had more time, I could’ve found someone, but of the candidates at hand? Alya really was the only one who was qualified. It’s why she’s my go-to backup if something happens and Tikki has to run off with the earrings.

“And I know this means that she’s gonna ask me to help with the Ladyblog, but I’ve got plans for that! Well, I did have plans, mostly involving you helping since, you know, baby plus me acting as team support, but I’m sure that we can come up with other ideas and-”

“Hey, Princess, slow down,” Adrien interrupted, reaching out to lay a hand on top of hers, stopping her from over-rolling the dough. “Don’t stress about the Ladyblog. Alya’s been running it for years and she’s almost as good at planning as you are! I’m sure that she’s got ideas for how to make it work. Plus we’ve got time! It’s not like she captures every akuma fight. Sometimes she can’t make it there in time or it’s in a bad spot and people know that. No one's gonna think twice if she seemingly misses a few while we figure things out.”

“Right, right, you’re right,” Marinette sighed before shooting him a grateful smile. “Sorry, I’m just still getting used to all of this. Plus I’m worried that she’s gonna be discovered or get hurt and it’ll be all my fault for asking her to take my place!”

Adrien let go of her hand, walking around the island so that he could pull her into a hug as he said, “Don’t apologize for being a good friend! It makes sense that you’re worried about her, but we both managed to keep our identities secret when we were just idiotic teenagers, so I’ve got no worries about Alya pulling this off!

“And, as far as the fighting thing goes, well, she’s not gonna be fighting alone. She’ll have me at her side and you’ll be supporting her from the shadows. Plus, you know, Nino will be there, too! As often as he can manage it, anyway.”

This last statement was said in a halting, nervous manner as Adrien waited for Marinette to realize what it meant.

A second later, she pulled back from their hug, staring up at him with wide eyes as he shrugged and explained, “They sort of thought that I was there to give them their miraculouses? So, well…”

“They revealed themselves to you!” Marinette groaned, bringing a hand up to rub at the bridge of her nose.

“Yeah, that about sums it up,” Adrien agreed, giving her a sheepish smile. Then he said, “Anyway, since I was already there, I told Nino about the whole promotion idea and he’s in! I’d actually like to give him his miraculous tonight, if that’s okay with you. I promised Alya that we could do some after-dark training to get her up to speed and I figured that he might as well join us.”

“Sure! Why not!” Marinette cried, stepping back and throwing her hands into the air in exasperation.

Adrien immediately reached up, grabbing her hands in his and pulling them back down to rest between their bodies. 

The action startled her, making her look at him.

As soon as he had her attention, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“I- I just- we’ve kept our identities secret for almost seven years! Seven years, Adrien!” she cried. “And now, in the course of one day, I’ve gone and messed it all up!”

“Hey, no, you didn’t mess anything up! This was all on me!” Adrien assured her, rubbing his thumbs along her fingers in a comforting gesture. “Plus, keep in mind that no one new got pulled into our little circle. Sure, I know who Carapace is now and I know the identity of my new partner, but I'm not new to keeping secrets. I’ve been Chat Noir since I was 14 and, until this morning, no one knew that save for me, Plagg, and Tikki. Now you know, too, but that doesn't worry me, especially now that I know that you're Ladybug. You can keep a secret just as well as I can and I’m sure that the same goes for Alya and Nino!”

Adrien paused, searching his fiancée’s face. Then he added, “Come on, Princess, think about it. What additional risk does any of this pose? Isn’t it actually safer than our original plan to tell two civilians?”

Marinette grew quiet, thinking over his questions. Eventually, she sighed and admitted, “I suppose that you have a point. This puts Alya in a little extra danger if you or Nino get akumatized, but with the two of you already being miraculous holders, that would sort of be the least of our worries. Plus, with me living with you and Alya living with Nino, the chances of one of us getting akumatized without another Chosen knowing right away are actually pretty tiny.”

“So does that mean that we're moving you in today?” Adrien asked, perking up, making her laugh.

“How do you always see the bright side?” she demanded, staring up at him with a baffled expression on her face.

He shrugged, grinning. “I don’t know! It’s just natural for me."

Then he reached up, cupping her cheek as he added, "Plus it’s hard to miss the bright side on this one. Its glow puts the sun to shame!”

“You are such a dork,” she muttered, leaning forward to rest her head against his chest.

He let out a hum of agreement, then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

They stayed like that for a good minute, just soaking in the moment. Then Marinette sighed and pushed away from Adrien, giving him a tired look as she asked, “Is there anything else that I need to know?”

“Well, there was one other thing,” he admitted, making her shoulders slump in defeat.

“And what’s that?”

“They sort of know that Ladybug’s pregnant?” he confessed, making her relax because that wasn’t too bad. She’d already been planning to tell them about the baby so that they knew why they had to avoid pulling her into fights.

Before she could grow too relaxed, Adrien shot her a winning smile and quickly added, “and-they-also-know-that-Chat-Noir’s-the-father.”

“Adrien!” Marinette gasped before demanding, “How the hell did that come up?”

“It’s a bit of a long story, but the short version is that I’m not sure how Alya hasn’t figured out one of us by now,” he replied, gesturing between them. Then he sighed and shook his head. “That woman is far too observant!”

“You’re not wrong,” Marinette muttered. Then she let out a sigh of her own and admitted, “The only reason that I’ve managed to keep her from putting it all together is that she goes running off after akumas every time there’s an alert, so I rarely need to make excuses as to why I’m running off, too.”

“That’s Ladybug luck for ya,” he said, making her roll her eyes. Then he gently pushed her towards the living room, adding, “Alright, I’ve dropped a lot of info on you in the past few minutes. Why don’t you go sit down and take a moment to think it over while I finish the quiche?”

“Oh no! You may be growing strong in the ways of the cook, but you still have much to learn young padawan. You can take over, but I’m staying right here to keep an eye on you,” she decreed, stepping around the island and then leaning against it so that she was facing the kitchen.

“I’m never gonna say ‘no’ to having you around, but what’s with the sudden lack of faith? I thought that I was getting pretty good,” he said as he walked over to grab the already-prepped pie pan.

“That was before I heard the dish soap story,” Marinette replied, making him splutter in indignation.

“I told you that under strict confidence!”

Marinette just smirked at him, motioning for him to get to work, which he did while muttering about betrayals of the highest order.

After a few more grumbles and a prolonged period of pouting, he gave up on his pity party, moving past it to focus on giving her a more detailed version of his time with Alya and Nino. He hoped that walking her through it again would calm her nerves, which it did. By the time that the quiche was ready to go in the oven, Marinette was fully relaxed, which made Adrien dare to hope as he closed the oven door and set the timer. Then walked over to stand beside her while casually observing, “So, 25 minutes, huh?”

“25 minutes,” she agreed, giving him a knowing smirk. “Any thoughts on how you’d like to spend them?”

“A few,” he confessed. Then he swooped down, picking her up in a bridal carry as he said, “Let's see how many of them we can fit in!”

“Adrien!” Marinette gasped, laughing as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn’t offer any real form of protest, though. She just leaned against his shoulder, letting him carry her off into the bedroom, more than a little curious as to what her kitty had in mind.

A little over half an hour later, the freshly showered couple was back in the kitchen, dishing out quiche and prepping tea before heading into the living room for a late breakfast. As they sat down on the couch, Adrien asked, “So no cravings or food aversions yet?”

“None that I’ve noticed,” Marinette said. “So far, my only symptom is tiredness. That’s actually how I figured it out.”

This confession earned a curious look from her fiancé, so she explained, “I was planning on working on some stuff for the shop when I got home last night, but I could barely keep my eyes open! I decided to see if coffee would help, but Tikki stopped me before I could even measure some out. Apparently too much caffeine is bad for babies and I was already close to the limit.”

“Tikki knew?” he asked.

Marinette nodded. “Yeah, Creation powers are no joke! She’s known for weeks! She just didn’t wanna tell me until she had to. She knew that it would probably mean finding a new holder, so she wanted to make sure that the baby was viable before we took that step. She’s also been keeping an eye on what I’ve been eating and drinking, but everything's been fine since I’m not as caffeine crazy as I used to be and we already don’t do alcohol.”

“The rare benefit of having to always be ready to fight our local magical terrorist,” Adrien muttered. Then he glanced at her stomach and smiled before setting his plate aside and leaning down to whisper, “Don’t you worry, Baby Bug, mommy and daddy will make sure that the mean butterfly man doesn’t touch a hair on your perfect little head!”

“You’re still going with that nickname?” Marinette asked, smiling down at him, eyes bright with affection. “I thought that you’d start calling them ‘Kitten’.”

“Nah, I want them to take after you, not me, Bugaboo,” he said, grinning when she rolled her eyes and muttered, “Great, now I’m gonna hear that on both sides of the mask!”

“You know you love it!” he teased, sitting up straight and leaning in for a kiss, which she promptly denied him, turning to face the other way, making him laugh. Then the laughter stopped as he let out a soft gasp.

The sound made Marinette look back at him, her eyes full of concern. What she found filled her with fear. His eyes were sparkling and his grin had widened, turning mischievous. It was a look that Marinette knew all too well. A look that warned her that she was about to be subjected to a truly terrible bit of humor.

A second later, he reached out, tapping her gently on the nose as he decreed, “Bugaboo.” Then he pointed to himself and added, “Bugaboy,” before finally resting a hand against her stomach, beaming as he said, “Bugababy!”

There was a moment of silence as Marinette processed the suggestion. Then her expression hardened. “Absolutely not!”

“Absolutely yes!” he countered, almost vibrating with delight.

“Nope! No! Not happening!” Marinette decreed. “In fact, new rule, no miraculous-based nicknames for anyone in this house unless they’re transformed. We don’t wanna get lax and accidentally reveal ourselves.”

“But my Lady!” Adrien cried, making his eyes big, sad, and pleading.

Marinette was unmoved. She just gave him a judgmental look, so he tried again, taking her hand in his as he begged, “My Princess, my heart’s desire, mother of my child, light of my life, my now and forever-”

“How many of these do you have?” she interrupted, staring at him in wonder.

He considered the question for a moment, then shrugged. “Enough for two people, both of whom are you, so I can go for a while!”

“Then I’m cutting you off now. No amount of sweet nothings is gonna change my mind on this one!” she promised, making him pout again.

Then he offered, “How about this: miraculous-based nicknames are only allowed when we’re at home or transformed.”

“Nice in theory, but Alya and Nino are over here a lot and, as you've already learned, that woman picks up on everything! All it would take is one bugga-whatever and she’d know!” Marinette pointed out.

Adrien bit his lip, thinking hard as he gave her a quick once over. Then he hesitantly said, “You know, that wouldn’t be a problem if we told her and Nino everything.”

There was a brief silence as Marinette processed this suggestion. Then she frowned and cried, “What?”

“I didn’t wanna suggest it earlier because it seemed like a little too much on top of everything else, but now that you’re a little more relaxed, I thought that I’d mention it. There would be a lot of positives to them knowing. Especially as we get closer to your due date,” he explained. Before she could say anything in response, he added, “You don’t need to make the call right now! I’d just like you to think about it and talk me through you concerns before you say 'no'.”

Marinette frowned, but nodded. “Alright. I can see where you’re coming from, but I’m tabling it for at least a week or two. Right now, I just wanna focus on moving and breaking the news to my parents.”

“Fair enough,” Adrien agreed, leaning back against the couch, his expression turning pensive.

Marinette knew better than to rush him when he was thinking, so she focused on eating her breakfast until he quietly asked, “Are you okay telling my father, too?”

“If that’s what you want,” she said. “This is your baby as much as it is mine.”

“Yeah, but you’re the one who has to deal with all the attention,” he countered. “If you wanna wait, then I’ll understand.”

“Thanks, but it’s fine. It’s not like he’s gonna be that much of a bother,” she said dismissively before gasping and covering her mouth with her hand, her expression horrified.

Adrien let out a mirthless laugh. “Don’t worry, you’re not saying anything that I don’t already know.”

Then he got up and walked back into the bedroom to fetch his phone. As soon as he'd grabbed it from its charger, he pulled up his father’s number, hitting the dial button before raising the phone to his ear. Then he glanced back towards the bedroom door, unsurprised to find Marinette standing there, watching him with worried eyes.

Before he could say anything, the call connected.

“Adrien, is something wrong?” Nathalie’s voice asked.

“Everything’s fine,” he assured her. “I’m just calling to see if father’s available for a family dinner this week.”

“Let me check,” Nathalie said. A few seconds later, she sighed and said, “My apologies, Adrien. Your father won’t be available until after the upcoming Fashion weeks.”

“After-” he began to shout, only to pause, realizing that he was being rude. Then he took a calming breath before lowering his voice to point out, “That’s not for another eight weeks. Isn’t there some night that he could make work? We could even do lunch or breakfast if that’s better for his schedule.”

“No, I’m sorry, it really does have to wait until October,” Nathalie apologized. “I can put it on his schedule right now, though.”

Adrien didn’t reply right away. First, he looked at Marinette, taking in the resignation on her face. Then his eyes fell to her stomach. A second later, his expression hardened. “Don’t bother, Nathalie. I know that he’d probably cancel it anyway.”

“Very well. Was there anything in particular that you wanted to tell him? I’d be happy to pass the message along.”

“Just tell him congratulations, he’s a grandfather,” Adrien said, ending the call before Nathalie could say anything in reply. Then he just stood there, staring at his fiancée, realizing that maybe that hadn’t been the right move.

Marinette didn’t look upset, though. Her expression held nothing but sympathy as she walked over to join him, enveloping him in a hug.

He hugged her back, her familiar warmth a much-needed comfort.

After a few minutes had passed, Marinette said, “You know, I really don’t mind the whole rescheduling game that he always plays. It’s not like we see him often. If you wanna call her back and have her set up that dinner-”

“No,” Adrien interrupted, pulling back and looking down at her with an unfamiliar seriousness. Then he knelt down, resting a hand against her stomach, thinking of the little life growing there.

After a brief pause to gather his thoughts he said, “I’m sorry that your grandfather’s a bit of a jerk. He doesn’t mean to be, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is. I’ve spent years chasing after him, trying to change him, but I’m not doing that to you. I’m not-"

Adrien's voice broke and he had to pause for a moment to collect himself. Then he took a shaky breath and continue on, his voice rough with sorrow. "I'm not letting him break your heart the way that he broke mine.”

He had planned to say more, but he suddenly found himself unable to speak, his throat clogged with years of disappointment and rejection. Tears began to gather in his eyes as he leaned forward, resting his forehead against his fiancée’s stomach, crying softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.

When it became obvious that Adrien wasn't going to calm down any time soon, Marinette pulled him over to the bed, forcing him to lie down so that she could curl around him. Her silent support was exactly was he needed and he burried his face in her chest, allowing her comforting hands to sooth him into much-needed sleep.

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Gabriel Agreste demanded, staring at his assistant, his blue eyes wide with shock.

“Adrien called to inform you that you are a grandfather now. Congratulations,” Nathalie said, her expression uncertain.

Gabriel continued to stare at her for several long moments before asking, “Is the child already born or-?”

Nathalie shrugged. “He didn’t say, but I would assume not. He and Marinette were here for dinner three months ago and she wasn’t showing any signs of pregnancy then.”

“Right. Right, of course, I’d forgotten,” Gabriel murmured, his eyes growing distant. Then he shook his head and said, “Thank you for telling me, Nathalie. You may go now.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, giving him a concerned once over.

He nodded. “Yes. I will let you know if I need something, but for now, I would like to be alone.”

Nathalie nodded, giving him a second once over before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

For a long while, Gabriel didn’t move. He just stood there, staring at the door that she’d left through.

Then, suddenly, he turned, walking over to his wife’s portrait and pushing the buttons that activated his secret elevator. It lowered him out of sight, into the secret chamber that held an ornate, human-size capsule.

When he elevator stopped, Gabriel stepped forward, slowly approached the capsule, coming to a stop directly in front of it. Then he hit the button that opened it, revealing his wife’s frozen form.

As he stood there, staring down at her, two Kwamis watched him from the shadows. Then, suddenly, the blue Kwami darted forward, nuzzling into his master’s neck.

“What are you doing?” Gabriel asked, looking down at Duusu, his expression blank.

“You’re sad! I can feel it!” Duusu cried. Then he tilted his head to the side and added, “I mean, you’re always at least a little sad, but this is more than that! I’ve never felt such a strong mix of unhappy emotions from you!”

Instead of replying or yelling at the Kwami, Gabriel just returned to staring at his wife, letting Duusu stay on his shoulder.

After a few minutes had passed, he called out, “Nooroo!”

“Yes, Master?” Nooroo replied, floating forward into the light, his voice and body trembling with fear.

Gabriel didn’t notice. He was too busy staring at his wife. After a short pause, he demanded, “Tell me, if I make a wish and restore my wife, what would happen to any children born during the time when she was lost to me?”

The question startled both Kwamis, making Duusu gasp and Nooroo grow thoughtful. A short while later, Nooroo said, “They would likely cease to exist. Even if you managed to pair the same couple together and ensured that the exact same moment of conception occurred, there’s no way to be sure that the same children would end up being born or even that any child would be born. There’s too much chance involved.”

Gabriel didn’t say a word. He just continued to stand there, staring down at Emilie, his expression unreadable.

He didn’t move for a long time.

Chapter Text

“Well, Centerfold, I hope you’re ready to kiss the minimalist lifestyle goodbye,” Alya said, gazing around Adrien’s living room, which was covered in boxes of Marinette’s things.

Adrien came to stand beside her, grinning at the hastily packed mess. Then he looked over at Alya and said, “More than ready! You good to keep going?”

“Yep, but I expect a spa day after this,” she warned before grabbing a box and calling, “Okay, M, time for phase two! Where’s this one headed?”

“Oh, Alya, you don’t need to do that!” Marinette cried, rushing out of the guestroom with Nino hot on her heels. “We really just needed to get my sewing equipment in place. The rest of it can stay out here. We haven’t even figured out where most of it’s going, so it might as well just live in the living room until we have a plan. As long as you’re okay with that?”

She addressed this question to Adrien, who nodded, smiling at her as he teasingly said, “I mean, it’ll put a snag in our oh-so-packed entertaining schedule, but I supposed that we can make the sacrifice.”

“Or you could’ve actually planned this move instead of throwing it all together in a single night,” Alya pointed out, flopping onto the couch and giving the couple an amused look. “I know that you’re excited and all that, but have you two even slept?”

“I got a full night’s rest plus a few power naps,” Marinette assured her while joining her on the couch. “And I don’t have that much stuff. Just my sewing supplies and clothes. Honestly, the only reason that we asked you two to help was because Adrien didn't wanna leave the van sitting in the street unattended while my stuff was in it and I didn’t want Adrien doing it all on his own.”

“But we still greatly appreciate the help, so don’t worry, you’re getting that spa day,” Adrien promised, not bothering to glance up from his phone, too busy picking out a couple’s package at his favorite local day spa.

It only took a second for Alya to realize what he was doing. Then she straightened, looking mortified. “Adrien! I was kidding.”

He paused, glancing up at her and tilting his head to the side, a confused look on his face. “You sure? I really don’t mind. It’s probably not much more than what we would’ve spent on movers if we’d scheduled this all out properly.”

“Yes, I’m sure! You’ve helped at least half of our friends move by now, have any of them bought you a spa day?” she demanded, rolling her eyes.

Adrien frowned, his expression turning thoughtful. “Well, no-”

“Exactly! Stick to tradition and get your pretty butt busy ordering us food. Nino can help you pick out something reasonable. He knows what I like.” She accompanied this statement with a wink directed at her boyfriend, who flushed and shook his head before guiding Adrien off towards the kitchen to discuss takeout choices.

As soon as the men were out of earshot, Alya turned to her best friend and whispered, “Okay, spill, what’s going on? Why the rush? Are your parents kicking you out or something?”

“No! No, nothing like that! Mom and dad would’ve let me live with them until I was an old lady if I’d wanted to. The rush was entirely our choice,” Marinette promised. “After Adrien asked me to move in, we went over to look at my stuff and quickly realized that there really wasn’t all that much to move. And, when we saw that movers would mean waiting weeks while there were vans available this weekend, we decided to see if we could pull it off. I wouldn’t recommend it, but Adrien was so excited and, well, you know.”

“You still can’t deny him anything,” Alya said, relaxing back onto the couch while shaking her head in amusement. 

“No, I really can’t,” Marinette agreed, looking over to the kitchen where her fiancé was busily debating food options with Nino. Then she turned back to Alya and said, “Thanks again for helping. If you two hadn’t stepped up, then Adrien would’ve run himself ragged!”

“We were happy to help, M. Plus this was nothing compared to our move,” Alya assured her. Then she glanced around the crowded room and asked, “Is there anything else that we need to do? We’re at your disposal for the rest of the evening.”

Marinette considered the question, then said, “You and I might as well take the van back. It’s not like we need it anymore. Plus it’ll give us something to do while the boys take care of the food.”

“What, you don’t wanna get started unpacking?” Alya teased.

Marinette’s nose crinkled in disgust. “No thank you! A hasty packing job is one thing, but I’m taking my time unpacking! I’ve already got plenty of lounge wear stored away here, so there’s no reason to rush. Especially when we might end up buying new furniture. Adrien’s got this idea of redesigning the place to better reflect ‘us’ now that I’m finally moving in and I don’t know if any of his current furniture’s gonna survive that.”

“Ah, the life of the rich man’s girlfriend,” Alya sighed without a hint of malice or jealousy in her voice. If anything, she sounded pleased, because she’d been there for the early days. The days when Marinette freaked out over every gift, even something as simple as a much-needed coffee. It was honestly refreshing to see her letting Adrien buy things without constantly obsessing over what was ‘fair’.

Those memories made Alya frown, her eyes studying her best friend. Marinette had gotten better about letting Adrien spend his money however he liked, but this whole moving in thing was a new element. A big step up from the occasional date or gift. Alya would have expected it to bring back at least a little of the old ‘I wanna be an equal financial partner’ anxiety, but that was completely missing. Marinette was obviously tired, but she was also obviously happy. Her posture was relaxed and there was a subtle glow about her every time that she looked at Adrien. 

Okay, the glow thing wasn’t exactly new, but there was something different about it. Something more and that made Alya’s reporter instincts buzz like a swarm of bees.

Before she could come up with a good question to get her bestie talking, there came a loud knock on the door, startling both women. Then Alya spun to look at the men as she cried, “Okay, there is no way that-” 

The sight of their confused faces made her fall silent. Clearly they hadn’t been expecting the knock either.

“Not the food then?” Alya guessed.

Nino shook his head. “We haven’t even finished ordering. Were you expecting a package or something, dude?”

“Not that I can remember,” Adrien said before shrugging and walking over to the door to look through the peephole. A second later, his jaw dropped. Then he pulled back and glanced over at his friends as he stammered, “It’s- it’s my father!”

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone processed this announcement. Then Alya smirked, leaning up against the back of the couch as she said, “Well I’m impressed. I would’ve bet real money that he didn’t even know that you’d moved out.”

“Alya, he might hear you!” Nino hissed, mortified, but Adrien smiled, letting out a soft chuckle.

Then he winked at Alya and said, “Don’t give up your money just yet. We don’t know if he checked my old room before getting the address off of Nathalie.”

Alya grinned, pleased that she’d made him relax a bit. Then she adopted a polite expression as Adrien took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and walked over to open the door. Once it was open, he gave his father a welcoming smile and a cheerful, “Good afternoon, father! This is a surprise! To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“We?” Gabriel asked before glancing past his son, his eyes widening ever so slightly as he caught sight of the apartment’s other three occupants and the mountain of moving boxes. Then he turned his gaze back to his son, hesitantly adding, “I was under the impression that you lived alone?”

The question made Adrien tense, his expression hardening. “I’m allowed to have guests over, father. This is my home. Mine and Marinette's.”

“Oh, um, yes. Yes, of course. I didn’t think-” Gabriel began, then he stopped, taking a moment to clear his throat before asking, “May I come in?”

Adrien nodded, stepping aside, muttering, “Please excuse the mess. We weren't expecting you.”

“I didn’t think to call,” Gabriel admitted as he walked inside, eyes darting about the space, taking in his son’s home. Then they caught sight of Marinette and he froze, staring at her.

The attention made Marinette feel like some sort of exotic attraction, so she jumped to her feet, heading towards the kitchen while nervously babbling, “It’s been a long day and we’re all probably due for a drink! Why don’t I get us all some water? We’ve also got tea and coffee and possibly some fruit juice? I can’t remember. We really do need to go shopping.”

“Water would be lovely,” Gabriel said, turning his gaze back to his son, who looked downright furious.

Then he moved to stand between Gabriel and Marinette, blocking his fiancée from his father’s view as he demanded, “Was there a reason for this visit, father?”

Adrien’s tone made Gabriel wince. Then he glanced over Adrien’s shoulder to where Marinette was bustling around the kitchen before looking back at his son and explaining, “Nathalie passed along your message and I wanted to see how Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng was doing.”

The admission made Marinette freeze. Then she slowly turned to face her former idol, her surprise obvious. “Me? I’m fine!”

“And, the, uh, the child?” Gabriel asked, glancing down at her stomach, missing the way that Alya and Nino’s mouths dropped open.

Adrien caught it, though, but he didn’t say anything. He just shot them both pleading looks, silently begging them to leave it be for now.

Nino gave him a dazed nod while Alya glared between Adrien and Marinette, clearly upset that this was how she was finding out. She still managed her own tense nod, though. Then she forced her face into a calmer expression before walking over to Marinette’s side, shooing her over to join Adrien with a terse, “I’ll take care of the rest.”

After a brief, apologetic glance, Marinette walked over to stand beside her fiancé, giving Gabriel her full attention as she said, “We're both fine.”

“No complications then?” he asked, glancing between Marinette and Adrien.

Marinette shook her head, taking hold of Adrien’s hand as she said, “None so far, but it’s still early days. We’ve got a long way to go yet.”

“You, uh, aren’t far along then? Nathalie didn’t mention a due date, so I wasn’t sure…” Gabriel trailed off, clearly at a loss for words.

Marinette forced a smile. “I’m somewhere around seven weeks.”

“Seven weeks! Well then, I suppose that means that we’ll have a new addition in, uh-” Gabriel paused, clearly trying to do the mental math.

Before he could manage it, Adrien said, “May. They’ll be here in May.”

“How lovely,” Gabriel muttered, his eyes once more falling to Marinette’s stomach. Then he just stood there, staring at her, making her feel ever more like a caged rat.

Adrien could sense his fiancée’s discomfort at the attention and it made him angry. They’d been having a lovely afternoon with a perfect plan to announce things to their best friends and then what happened? His father had to barge in and ruin everything! The ridiculousness of it all made him want to scream, but he managed to keep his voice calm, if a little tight, as he said, “You know, father, when I called yesterday, Nathalie said that you wouldn’t be free until after the fashion weeks were over. That’s not for another two months, so I have to ask, why are you here?”

“I, uh, well. When Nathalie passed along your news, I wanted to congratulate you in person,” Gabriel explained, finally looking away from Marinette’s stomach. Though he couldn’t help but give it one, final glance as he added, “All of you.”

When neither Marinette nor Adrien responded to this, Gabriel cleared his throat again and said, “I apologize for the intrusion. It was rude of me to assume that you’d be available. Why don’t I have Nathalie schedule something for later this week and we can catch up properly?”

“I’ll have to see when we’re free,” Adrien replied, his voice cold. “We might not have an opening for a while, though. We have a fiançailles to plan. A wedding, too. And a nursery to decorate!”

“You’re engaged?” Gabriel demanded, staring at the couple, his eyes wide. 

Adrien sighed, shoulders slumping as he gave his father a searching look. “What did you think that ring was for? I would’ve even sworn that I told you.”

“Oh, yes, of course! You did tell me, didn’t you? I wasn’t thinking,” Gabriel admitted, flushing lightly. “Did the ring fit? If you need it altered, then I’d like to use the family jeweler. It's a one-of-a-kind piece that needs an expert touch.”

“It was a perfect fit,” Adrien assured him, all traces of anger replaced with deep-seated resignation.

Gabriel nodded, turning his gaze to Marinette, actually managing to keep his eyes on her face as he said, “I believe that Adrien was planning to offer you a second piece for more casual wear? If you’d like something from one of my collections or even something custom, then I’d be happy to arrange it. We have relationships with many of the best jewelers in Europe.”

“Thank you, that’s very kind of you, but I don’t need a second ring. I'll probably just wear my wedding ring most of the time anyway since jewelry can snag on fabric and, well, you know how it is,” Marinette confessed, giving him an uncertain smile.

Gabriel nodded, glancing between the couple, trying to figure out what to say next, only to jump as the tea kettle began to whistle, drawing the whole group’s attention into the kitchen where Alya was already rushing over to shush it.

“Sorry! Sorry,” she cried. Then, once she’d stopped the shrill sound, she asked, “Anyone want tea?”

“No, thank you, Mademoiselle…” Gabriel began, only to pause, desperately searching for her name.

When it became clear that he wasn’t going to find it, Alya gave him a judgemental look and said, “Césaire.”

She obviously wanted to say more, but a subtle cough from Nino kept her quiet as she went about fixing cups of tea for those who’d expressed interest.

Then Marinette let out a little gasp, covering her mouth with her hand as she murmured, “Oh! I forgot about your water, why don’t I-”

“Please, don’t trouble yourself,” Gabriel interrupted, tone pleading. Then he gave his son a searching look, while adding, “I was just about to leave anyway. I really will have Nathalie message you about that dinner. And she can help you find a qualified event coordinator, too, if you’d like. It could be my wedding present?”

“That would be very kind of you, father,” Adrien said, finally managing a genuine smile. Then he gave Marinette’s hand a squeeze before letting go of it and stepped forward to offer, “Why don’t I walk you out?”

“Thank you, but I’ll be fine. I’ve already intruded enough,” Gabriel said, glancing about the group one last time before turning and walking to the door.

Adrien followed him, stopping him before he could leave, uncertainty holding out his arms for a hug.

Gabriel stared at his son for a moment before awkwardly stepping forward, accepting the hug, the expression on his face unreadable. Then he pulled back and gave Adrien a stiff nod before saying, “Congratulations again.” Then he opened the door and disappeared, leaving a tense silence in his wake.

For a moment, no one said or did anything. Then Adrien turned around and gave Marinette a searching look, silently asking if she was okay.

She sighed and shrugged before turning to face the kitchen where their best friends were standing, staring at them. Adrien followed suit, uncertain how to begin, but knowing that he needed to say something because there was no way that Marinette was going to be able to talk. Not with tensions this high.

Before he could figure out what to say, Alya took charge of the situation, glaring first at him and then at Marinette. Then she reached out, knocking over her steaming teacup, sending hot tea spilling across the counter and onto the floor as her boyfriend jumped back, crying out her name. Alya didn’t even glance at him. She just kept glaring at the couple as she decreed, “Your turn!”

There was a beat of silence and then Marinette groaned, running a hand over her face as she muttered, “You can be such a drama queen!”

“Drama queen!” Alya cried, throwing her hands into the air, clearly offended. “I just had to find out that you are both pregnant and engaged from Adrien’s father!”

“It wasn’t like we planned that!” Marinette protested. “He just showed up!”

“Yeah, but he still knew before us!” Alya pointed out, gesturing first at the door that Gabriel had just left through, then at herself and Nino. When she felt that her point had been made, she lowered her hand and demanded, “How long have you been keeping this from me?”

Marinette let out an aggravated sound before looking over at the oven clock and doing some quick mental math. Then she said, “About 40 hours for the pregnancy and 32 for the engagement. Any other questions?”

Alya froze, processing this new information. Then her posture relaxed. Her hands fell limply to her sides and her expression turned sheepish as she let out a soft, “Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘oh’,” Marinette agreed, voice turning rough as tears sprung into her eyes. “We weren’t hiding any of it! We were literally going to tell you over dinner!”

“Oh, M, I’m so sorry,” Alya said, rushing from the kitchen to envelope her best friend in a hug. 

Marinette immediately buried herself in Alya’s chest to muffle her sobs as Alya stroked her back, muttering soft apologies along with admissions that she could, in fact, be a bit dramatic.

As the two woman comforted each other, Nino came over to stand by Adrien’s side, throwing an arm around his friend’s shoulder as he asked, “You okay, dude?”

“I don’t know?” Adrien admitted, slumping against Nino. “That was just… weird! So weird! The way he kept staring at Marinette? I’ve never wanted to punch someone so badly before!”

A second later, Adrien's expression turned pensive and he added, “Well, okay, maybe Papillion, but you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I do,” Nino agreed. “Come on, why don’t we go sit down.”

With that, he guided Adrien into the living room, forcing him to take a seat on the couch. Alya and Marinette soon followed, with Marinette taking the spot next to Adrien, leaving the couple sandwiched between their best friends.

“Now, let’s rewind a bit and forget about any visits from awkward, creepy fashion moguls,” Alya decreed, drawing the whole group's attention. “There’s been something up with you all day, M. This weird glow that I can’t quite figure out. Care to comment on that?”

Marinette stared at her, expression uncertain. “But you-”

“Would like to hear things from my best friend,” Alya explained, giving her a warm smile.

A few more tears escaped Marinette’s eyes, but her expression was grateful as she took Adrien’s hand and said, “Well, we did have some big news that we wanted to share with you guys.”

“Oh, and what’s that?” Nino asked, more than happy to play along.

Instead of answering, Marinette squeezed Adrien’s hand, ceading the floor to him.

He smiled at her, then said, “Well, yesterday morning, I asked Marinette to marry me and she said 'yes'.”

“What? Plot twist!” Alya cried, throwing her hands in the hair, making everyone laugh. Then she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around the couple, prompting Nino to do the same from the other side as she added, “Seriously, though, congratulations! I’m thrilled for you two, though I am judging you for getting a ring without asking for my input, Centerfold.”

“Oh, he didn’t need input! He used his mom’s ring!” Nino explained, leaning to the side so that he could look at Alya as he spoke.

She stared at him, then let out an offended scoff. “And how long have you known?”

“He showed it to me months ago,” Nino confessed. “Same day he got it off his old man, right dude?”

“I was a little excited,” Adrien admitted, gazing down at his fiancée with pure adoration.

Marinette gazed back just as lovingly while Alya sighed and said, “How are you still this sickeningly cute? Nino are we this sickeningly cute?”

“Nah, we’re the cool couple that everyone wishes they could be,” he promised her, earning an approving nod as Marinette and Adrien rolled their eyes.

Then Adrien gestured towards the kitchen and said, “There's champagne in the wine cooler if you two wanna do this properly.”

“Uh, yes!” Alya cried, jumping to her feet, eyes shining. Then she paused, her excitement fading to hesitancy as she glanced at Nino and said, “One glass should be fine, right?”

Before he could respond, her eyes widened and she cried, “I’m NOT pregnant!”

“Uh, congratulations?” Adrien offered, totally lost, but Marinette immediately understood what was going on. Alya had always been a temporary Chosen, which meant that she didn’t have to be on constant alert. She could drink and act like a normal civilian because akuma alerts didn't automatically mean fighting. Now things had changed. This was probably the first moment when Alya truly realized just how much being Ladybug impacted everyday life. In some ways, it would impact her even more than it had impacted Marinette, because Marinette had grown up as Ladybug. Her whole life had been shaped around her duty to Paris. Everyone knew that she didn’t drink much and that she’d put off going to university in order to ‘focus on her boutique’ and they’d long ago stopped questioning all of that.

Marinette could still remember when that hadn’t been the case, though. When every day was a struggle to come up with excuses that sounded plausible without hinting at the truth. It had been a miserable time and she suddenly realized that she didn’t want Alya to go through that. Sure, Marinette couldn’t completely save her, but she could give Alya one more place where she didn’t have to spend every moment on edge, worrying about revealing her identity.

But giving her that would mean taking a step that they couldn’t undo.

Marinette glanced over at Adrien, taking in his puzzled expression. She knew that he’d get there eventually, but she didn’t need him to. She already had his permission. This was entirely her choice and, in spite of herself, she'd been thinking about it ever since he suggested it. She knew the risks.

She also knew the rewards.

After a moment’s hesitation, she sighed, squeezed Adrien's hand, and said, “You can still have a glass, just take your time with it. That's my normal move when I decide that the attention that comes from saying 'no' isn't worth it.”

A soft “oh” from her side let her know that Adrien had finally caught on. Then he squeezed her hand and added, “Yeah, same. When I'm at industry parties and stuff like that, I just get something that's nice to sip and nurse it all night. It's never caused a problem for me and it means that, when Chloé's around, she can steal my drink without anyone knowing that I haven't been drinking. If you're not comfortable with that, though, then we've got sparkling juice, too, since Marinette can't drink at all now.”

Alya frowned. Then she raised her hand, gesturing between Marinette and Adrien as she muttered, “Wait, why are you two…”

She was almost there. The glamor was almost broken. All it would take was one, tiny push.

So Marinette smiled and said, “By the way, before I forget, did you like the earrings I sent over? I know that the delivery boy was a bit of a ditz, but he’s really sweet and fantastic at cuddling.”

“Hey! I, uh, was that a compliment or not?” Adrien asked as Alya flopped back down on the couch, her hands covering her mouth, her wide eyes darting over her friends as if she was seeing them for the first time.

Nino, however, remained clueless, hesitantly asking, “Uh, what’s going on? Why is Alya freaking out and why do you two seem to be the cause?”

Marinette didn’t reply, she just looked at Adrien, ceding control to him because Nino was his best friend, not hers. In her mind, that meant that Adrien deserved to be the one to tell him.

Adrien nodded, then he turned to face Nino, his expression serious. A second later, a grin spread across his face as he said, “Plagg, claws out!”

Green light filled the room as magic washed over Adrien, transforming him into Chat Noir.

As the light faded, Nino jumped to his feet, covering his mouth with one hand and pointing at Adrien with the other, shouting, “Holy shit!”

“You are so dramatic,” Marinette sighed, covering her face with her hands as Chat Noir laughed.

When his laughter faded, he sighed and said, “Man, I wish I could’ve filmed that!”

“Dude, what the fuck!” Nino cried, waving his hands about wildly, gesturing to various parts of Chat Noir.

Chat Noir just grinned, crossing his arms behind his head and leaning back against the couch, enjoying the show.

Eventually, Nino’s gaze turned to Marinette as he pointed at her and said, “And you! You’re… wow, how did I not see this before?”

“Glamor magic is powerful stuff,” Marinette explained. “It keeps your identity hidden until no option other than the truth works.”

“Exactly right,” a tiny voice said, making Marinette perk up.

Then she turned around, crying, “Tikki!” as the Kwami flew over to nuzzle her primary Chosen’s cheek.

“I missed you,” Marinette sighed as Tikki pulled back to hover in front of the group.

“I missed you, too,” Tikki assured her, then her gaze turned cross. “I don’t remember revealing your identity to Alya and Nino being part of the plan, though!”

“It wasn’t,” Marinette agreed. Then she looked over at Adrien and said, “But Adrien brought up the idea, so I’ve been thinking about it. The whole point of keeping things secret is to protect us, but Adrien knows Alya’s identity. That changes the risk factors. She needs to know what he knows in order to be able to assess situations properly. But there was no way to reveal his identity without revealing mine and she did know that Chat Noir knew her identity, so I was still hesitant about a full reveal.

“Then I considered the other benefits to it. We don’t know what complications are coming down the line now that I’m pregnant. If I’m somehow put even further out of commission, then that might leave Adrien tied up, too. If that happens, then Alya needs to know where to find the other miraculouses so that she can use their powers if the situation calls for them. Even if everything’s fine, being able to call me as soon as she knows that she wants another holder in the field will be the best way to keep us all safe because there are going to be times when she learns about the akuma first.

“Also, well, I know how hard it is to be Ladybug and I didn’t want Alya going through it alone. Not when I can help her.”

“M,” Alya whispered, taking Marinette’s hands in her own, touched by her best friend's trust and consideration.

Marinette just smiled, leaning forward to pull Alya into a hug.

"Oh, their love and support for each other is just so beautiful,” Nino sighed, resting a hand against his heart and wiping away a fake tear. Then he glared at Chat Noir, adding, “Meanwhile, my best friend decided to do his level best to give me a heart attack!”

Chat Noir didn’t say a word. He just pouted while adopting his best kitten eyes, the expression's full force directed right at Nino.

“That’s why you do that!” Nino gasped, pointing an accusing finger at his best friend.

Chat Noir frowned, his kitten eyes vanishing. “Do what?”

“The big pouty eye thing! I thought that it was just a weird quirk of yours, but no! It’s a shtick!”

“Huh,” Marinette mused, giving her fiancé a considering look. 

He gazed back at her, eyes wide and pleading, which had the opposite effect of what he’d intended. Instead of defending him, she started laughing. “Oh my gosh, Nino, you’re totally right!”

“Princess!” Chat Noir gasped, deeply offended, but Marinette just kept laughing. 

He turned his gaze on Alya, his last hope for an ally, but she was grinning, too. When his eyes met hers, she shrugged and said, “Sorry, Kitty-cat, they’re right! You do that look any time we're annoyed with you.”

Then she looked at Marinette and asked, “Are there any other cat mannerisms that he tries to pull over to the civilian side?”

“No, but there is this!” Marinette exclaimed, grinning evilly as she reached up, scratching Chat Noir behind his leather cat ears. Within seconds, he was slumped against her, purring up a storm.

He muttered a weak, “Betrayal,” but didn’t pull away from her. If anything, he tilted his head to give her better access.

Alya watched the scene play out in awe, then gasped, “He purrs??? How did I not know that?”

“It’s not like we advertise it,” Marinette pointed out, continuing to give her fiancé head-scratches as he nuzzled up against her, his purr growing noticeably louder.

“This is so cool!” Alya gushed, her eyes glued to Chat Noir. Then she glanced at Marinette and demanded, “Do any of the other miraculouses do this?”

“Not that we’ve noticed, but I haven’t spent any time cuddling with the other holders,” Marinette said, grinning when the idea earned a soft hiss from her kitty.

“Oh don’t be so possessive,” Alya huffed. “This needs to be experimented on!”

“You know that you can’t put it on the blog, right?” Nino asked, well aware that his girlfriend had a tendency to not think things through when in the throws of a scoop.

Alya was unphased though. “It doesn't have to go on the blog! I’m Ladybug now. I need to know everything about my minions!”

“You mean your team,” Nino corrected as Marinette muttered, “I’ve created a monster.” Chat Noir didn’t seem to care. He was too busy enjoying his Lady’s expert touch.

The nascent debate came to an abrupt halt as four, loud beeping noises filled the room, each one echoing from a different phone. All eyes turned to the nearest device, then four voices chorused, “Akuma.”

“M, what’s the plan? You joining us?” Alya asked.

Marinette nodded, calling, “Sass, scales slither!”

Teal light washed over her, replacing her clothing with a teal bodysuit as her canine teeth sharpened to fangs and her eyes turned to yellow, serpentine slits. When the light faded, she found Chat Noir staring at her, his face flushed and his eyes wide.

“That-” he began, only to pause and clear his throat. Then he tried again. “That’s a good look for you.”

Marinette shot him a smile, then said, “To keep things simple, let’s just stick to calling me by my normal codenames no matter what outfit I wear. I don’t know how often I’ll be switching or dual wielding and things could get confusing fast if we tried to keep my identity hidden!

"For the foreseeable future, I’ll be wearing the snake while in the field to help account for Alya being new to this, so make sure that you’ve got your coms on. I need to be able to warn you about things without having to join the fight. I’ll also let you know if I see anything concerning, but the fight calls are all on you three. Don’t wait for me to tell you what to do. Alya's in charge now. I trust her to guide you.”

Her three teammates nodded, mentally switching into battle mode. Then Alya and Nino called out their transformations, turning into Carapace and the newly dubbed 'Scarabella.'

When the transformation light faded, Alya glanced down at her new look and sighed. “I was planning to get one of you two to help with the Ladyblog so that I could get some footage of this, but I guess my debut will go unfilmed.”

“You got your drone on you?” Ladybug asked.

Scarabella nodded.

“Then grab it. My bestie deserves to have her big moment captured as best as my amature skills will allow.”

Scarabella let out a squeal of delight, giving Ladybug a quick hug before running over to grab her drone and her phone, which she promptly handed off. Then the four of them put on their game faces and headed out to face Papillion’s latest minion.

Chapter Text

“I must admit that, when I signed you up for Mandarin lessons, I never once envisioned that they’d help you in your personal life,” Gabriel said, earning a soft chuckle from his son.

“Yeah, it’s funny how things work out, isn't it?” Adrien mused, glancing across the room to where Marinette’s mother and aunt were talking to their uncle in rapid-fire Mandarin. Then he looked back to his father and admitted, “I’m not sure how good a student I was, though. My accent is, apparently, still atrocious and they noticeably slow down when I’m around.”

“That is far more my fault than yours,” Gabriel admitted. “You were never anything less than diligent to every task that I threw your way. The problem was your age. It’s near impossible to gain the ear and tongue of a native speaker unless you start very young.”

Adrien shrugged. “I’m still grateful for the skills. Plus there’s no point obsessing over the past. What’s done is done and I’m very happy to focus on my future.”

As he said this, his gaze turned to his fiancée, who was patiently letting his Aunt Amélie talk her ear off.

Gabriel followed his son’s gaze, then frowned as Marinette brought a hand to her lips, obviously hiding a yawn. “Is everything alright? Both you and Marinette seem exhausted.”

Adrien didn’t reply right away. Instead he turned the question over in his mind, debating what was safe to say. Then he sighed and admitted, “It’s these akuma attacks.”

The confession startled Gabriel, but he remained silent, his attention fully focused on his son as Adrien explained, “I’m sure that their sudden increase has everyone a little more stressed, but we get an extra dose of it because of the baby.”

“The baby?” Gabriel prompted, obviously concerned.

Adrien nodded. “It turns out that stress carries all kinds of ‘fun’ problems for pregnancies. It increases your chances for a miscarriage and then, once that risk is gone, it turns to increased chances for a premature birth and a low birth weight. Both of which can lead to life-long health complications, so we’re doing everything that we can to keep Marinette’s mind distracted and relaxed. I’m not sure how well it’s working, though. 

“Knowing the risks makes the already existing stress ever more stressful and these akuma attacks just keep coming! We’re up to almost two a day! Plus her morning sickness is making it hard for her to eat much lately and- and if something happens to her or the baby, then I will personally hunt down Papillion and beat him into a bloody pulp.”

The more Adrien spoke, the harder his voice and expression grew. His hands clenched and a fire entered his eyes. Then he realized what he’d said and the fire died. His expression turned sheepish as he looked back to his father, ready to apologize for the outburst. 

Instead, he found himself stunned into a brief silence. Then he tentatively reached out a hand, saying, “Father, are you alright? You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“I- I’m sorry. I just remembered- I need to go make a phone call,” Gabriel stammered before turning around and rushing from the room, leaving his son staring after him.

A second later, Adrien sighed, his shoulder’s slumping. Then he glanced back into the dinning room where his family and Marinette’s were mingling, laughing and chatting as they discussed the upcoming wedding and got to know each other a little better. 

He knew that he should go back in and join them, but it suddenly seemed like an impossible task. Like the air was too thick to even breathe. So he turned the other way, walking through the hallways of his childhood home, out of the doors that lead to a tiny, private garden featuring a well cared-for statue.

After glancing around the familiar space, he made his way over to the bench before the statue and sat down, staring up into his mother’s face. Then he smiled and said, “Hey, mom. Guess what? It’s my fiançailles!”

Then he sighed, his smile fading as he whispered, “I wish you could be here.”

The sound of soft footsteps drew him from his thoughts, making him turn around to find Marinette standing there, watching him.

When she saw that she had his attention, she smiled and asked, “Do you want some company?”

“If that company is you, then the answer is always ‘yes’,” he promised, motioning to the spot beside him.

Marinette walked over and sat down, taking his hand in hers, leaning against his shoulder as she asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Just my father being my father,” he sighed, staring up at his mother’s statue. “I thought that we were actually having a moment. That he was really interested in my life, but then he went running off again. Probably because he remembered that he had an employee that he’d forgotten to yell at or something like that.”

Marinette didn’t say anything, she just squeezed his hand, shuffling closer, letting him rant.

“I just don’t get him!” Adrien cried, squeezing her hand back. “Why go to all this effort to throw a party before the fashion weeks start if he’s not even going to take the night off! Why does he always seem to think that effort means euro signs and not just- just being here! Listening to me! Being a father! 

“I thought that I’d understand him better once I had kids of my own, but I don’t! Our little miracle's not even here yet and I can’t imagine wanting anything more than to be there for every second of their life! To see their first steps, hear their first laugh, celebrate every milestone!”

Adrien let out a frustrated, broken noise, then fell silent, his thumb running over Marinette’s fingers as he stared up at his mother’s statue, thinking hard. Eventually, he said, “How would you feel about giving our little love bug your last name instead of mine?”

A beat of silence followed this question. Then Marinette straightened, turning to stare at him as she cried, “What?”

“It’s called a ‘family name’ right?” Adrien asked, still staring up at his mother’s face. “Well, the Agrestes aren’t much of a family. But the Dupain-Chengs? You uncle’s here from China! Your Grandmother stopped her latest world tour! Despite all her fussing, your Aunt came from London with her kids and husband in tow. With barely a month’s notice, they all came from hours away, shutting down businesses and giving up on plans all for a silly fiançailles party.

"My father? My father couldn’t even stay downstairs in his own home for a party that he’s paying for.

"One of those is a family. The other? The other’s just an event sponsor.”

Marinette stared at Adrien, her mind whirling. She was thinking back over years of daydreams. Of notebooks scrawled with the name ‘Marinette Agreste’, a habit that she’d never managed to break. Of the sketches she’d drawn of a baby onesie with the words ‘Agreste-vly Cute’ emblazoned across its chest and tummy, her secret plan for their child’s coming home outfit. Of baby names specifically chosen because they sounded good with ‘Agreste’.

Then she thought about the way that Adrien’s eyes had lit up the first time her father called him ‘son’. Of quiet conversations in Mandarin as her mother showed Adrien how to make a favorite family recipe. Of the way that her Uncle had been so happy to have a nephew-in-law who he could talk to without struggling to find the right words.

Those memories were worth so much more than any silly childhood dream. Especially when she was still getting the important part. This wonderful, sweet man who had loved her from the day they met and would continue to do so till death did they part.

So she smiled and said, “Emma Dupain-Cheng does have a nice ring to it.”

“So does Louise Dupain-Cheng,” Adrien pointed out, turning to face her and leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers.

Marinette giggled, then reached up, cupping his face as she added, “But I think I like Adrien Dupain-Cheng best of all.”

Adrien grinned, then leaned down and kissed her, slow and sweet.

If either of them had turned around, they would’ve seen Gabriel standing at the garden’s entrance, his hand raised, his expression more lost than it had been on the day when Emilie Agreste disappeared.

But they didn’t turn around. They were too lost in each other to even hear the sounds of his footsteps fading away. 

When the kiss ended, Marinette asked, “Are you okay to head back in? They won’t start dinner without us.”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Adrien assured her, his gaze soft.

“Then let’s go. Maybe we’ll even get to eat something before the next akuma comes,” she sighed, getting to her feet and helping him to his. Then they headed back to the party, joining their guests for a lovely dinner.

Gabriel Agreste never rejoined them, which saddened Adrien, but he had long since grown used to an empty place at the dinner table, just like he’d gotten used to daily akuma attacks.

Throughout the entire meal, he and Marinette kept an ear out for the telltale sounds of an akuma alert, but none ever came. To their delight, they were able to enjoy the entire meal. And then, the next day, they were able to enjoy a full, uninterrupted breakfast with Marinette’s Uncle before seeing him off on his flight back home. Then they were able to enjoy a laughter-filled lunch with her grandparents before seeing Gina off to continue on her world tour with a promise that she’d be back for the wedding.

It all made for a wonderful time, but by the evening, they’d grown nervous. It had now been over 24 hours since the last akuma without any signs of there being a new one. They had no idea what that meant. Was Papillion planning something major or was the akuma already out there, secretly going about its task? They didn’t know and so they waited, but the akuma never came.

Nor did it come in the weeks that followed as Marinette focused on finishing her custom wedding dress, leaving the rest of the planning to her soon-to-be husband.

Nor did it come during their legal ceremony, where Marinette and Adrien officially became husband and wife with Alya and Nino at their sides.

Nor did it come as a crying Tom Dupain walked his beaming daughter down the aisle to her misty-eyed groom.

Nor did it come as Adrien held his bride close, swaying with her as their proud families looked on, happy to celebrate the young couple’s newly made promises of now and forever more.

Nor did it come as Adrien’s former office was slowly transformed into an ocean-themed nursery, the colors carefully chosen to soothe young eyes.

Nor did it come when Marinette froze in the kitchen, her hand flying to her stomach and her eyes widening as she stared down at the slight dampness between her legs before crying, “Adrien, I think my water broke.”

Nor did it come through the hours of labor, as Adrien held his wife’s hand, his entire being focused on supporting her as she went through the age-old gauntlet of bringing a child into the world.

Nor did it come when the smiling nurse placed a squalling baby into her exhausted mother’s waiting arms as her crying father looked on, equally exhausted, but so, so happy that she was finally here.

Chapter Text

Adrien Dupain-Cheng carried the embodiment of Destruction in his pocket. He’d spent over a third of his life fighting villains with terrifying abilities alongside teammates who could summon items from thin air and project impenetrable force fields at will. He was a man intimately familiar with magic.

And yet nothing came close to the magic of holding his baby girl against his bare chest, watching her tiny nose crinkle, counting her little fingers, and just talking to her. Telling her how perfect she was and how happy they were that she was finally here! Out in the world where they could hold her close and meet her properly face-to-face.

He was so focused on her that he didn’t even hear his phone chime. He only knew something had happened when Marinette said, “Adrien?”

He immediately looked up, ready to hand Emma over if Marinette’s anxiety was spiking or call for a nurse if there was something wrong with her lunch. To his relief, most of his wife's food was already gone, though she’d noticeably stopped eating. Instead, she was staring down at her phone, a frown on her face.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

Marinette looked up at him, her expression softening at the sight of her little family. Then she said, “We got a text from your father.”

“Really?” Adrien asked, eyes widening. “What did he say?”

“It’s kind of long, but the general gist is that my mom included him in the family email blast and he wants to know if we’d allow him to meet Emma,” Marinette explained, summarizing the veritable wall of text that she’d just scrolled through as she ate her sandwich.

Adrien frowned. Then he looked back down at his daughter, his expression thoughtful.

After a little while, he admitted, “I do want them to meet, but I don’t know if they should. We’ve seen him, what, once since the wedding? I mean, I know he's paying for all of this, but…”

Adrien trailed off. Then he looked up at his wife and asked, “And are you even okay with that?”

Marinette didn’t reply right away. Instead, she mulled over her husband’s concerns while finishing off her meal. When she was done, she offered, “If you’d like them to meet, then I’d like for it to happen here where I’m already uncomfortable and getting bothered every other second. Plus it’ll be easier to give him a hard time limit when I can just hit a button and have a nurse take care of him.

“After that, well, he’s not coming over for a while. I’m sticking to the original rules: until further notice, no one’s allowed over but my parents, Alya, and Nino.”

Adrien nodded. “That's fair. I wouldn’t have wanted him added to the list anyway. Any thoughts on after that, though?”

Marinette sighed and held out her hands, indicating that she wanted her baby back.

Adrien immediately brought Emma over, carefully placing her in her mother’s arms, smiling when Marinette relaxed, her anxiety soothed by their daughter's presence.

After a short while spent marveling at their little girl, Marinette said, “He's your father, Adrien, not mine. I think he’s a jerk, but I also think that he does actually love you. I wouldn’t want Emma to be left alone with him, but I’m not worried about him being around her. If he seems to actually want a relationship with her, then I’m leaving that choice entirely up to you.

“You can spend the next few months thinking about it. Coming up with the rules that you’d want to put in place for him to be allowed to see her again, if you’re even okay with that happening. If you let him meet her, but ultimately decide that Emma should never see him again, well, it’s not like she’s going to remember this. You won’t be disappointing her.”

Marinette paused, glancing up at her husband before adding, “Just make the choice that you think that you’ll regret least and I’ll support you either way.”

Adrien considered her assessment, before looking down at Emma and smiling. Then he reached his hand out, brushing it along her cheek as he asked, “And what do you think, Little Lady? Do you wanna meet your grandpa? Not the nice, smiley, loud grandpa who was here earlier, but the mean, frowny, quiet grandpa that your dad stuck you with.”

Emma let out a tiny, sniffle and Adrien nodded. “I see. That’s very reasonable. I’d want to eat before meeting him, too.”

Marinette laughed tiredly, then said, “So you wanna tell him to be here in two hours or so?”

“Nah, let’s wait and see how you’re both feeling when it’s feeding time again. Then, if you’re still up for it, I’ll text him and let him know that he can come and wait in the lobby until you’re done. Then he gets 10 minutes and, if that doesn’t work for his schedule, then tough. There’s a new boss in town who's even more demanding than he is,” Adrien decreed before kissing his daughter’s head and murmuring, “And she’s the cutest boss ever!”

Adrien hadn’t actually expected his father to show up. He’d assumed half-an-hour’s advanced notice would be too short for Gabriel Agreste and that would have been that. The final proof that his father was best left cut from their lives.

But Gabriel had surprised him, accepting the invitation to visit within seconds of receiving it. And he’d done as he was told, too, arriving in the waiting room and waiting patiently until summoned. He hadn’t even barged into the room. Instead he’d knocked politely, allowing his son to show him in.

When he opened the door, Adrien’s eyes immediately fell to the bright blue-and-green object clutched in his father’s trembling hands. Then he frowned, giving Gabriel a searching look.

Gabriel shrugged, handing his son the stuffed peacock while softly admitting, “I don’t know if you knew this, but they were your mother’s favorite animal. I- I thought it would be a nice way to have her here in spirit, but, if you would like me to take it back…”

“Oh. Oh no, no, it’s- it's fine,” Adrien breathed, staring down at the toy because he had known that, but he'd forgotten. Now that he's been reminded, though? He shook his head, banishing the rush of memories before stepping aside and motioning for his father to come in.

Once Gabriel had cautiously entered the tiny hospital room and the door was once more closed, Adrien walked over to his wife, placed the peacock on the table beside her, and gently took his daughter from his wife’s arms. Then he brought her over to his father, angling himself so that Gabriel could see Emma’s face.

“Father, this is Emma,” Adrien announced, beaming with pride as his eyes stayed glued to his little girl.

He was so enthralled that Marinette had to be the one to ask, “Would you like to hold her?”

“May I?” Gabriel asked, directing the question to his son.

Adrien nodded and then tilted his head towards the room’s sink. “As long as you wash your hands first.”

Gabriel did as he was told, then listened with rapt attention as Adrien instructed him on how to support Emma’s head and body while holding her. Once Gabriel had been fully educated on proper baby-holding etiquette, Adrien gently placed his daughter into his father's arms and then stepped back, watching the duo carefully for any signs of distress.

Gabriel didn’t notice. He was too busy staring down at the little girl in his arms. This tiny, new life that carried traces of everyone who had come before her.

“Father, are you alright?” Adrien asked, stunned by the tears in his father’s eyes.

Gabriel nodded, not caring about the tears, too focused on Emma to give them more than a passing thought as he choked out, “She- she looks so much like you. When I saw the picture, I thought that I was seeing things, but- but it’s like I’m holding you all over again.”

Gabriel took a shaky breath, then looked up at his son. “She’s perfect, Adrien. I just wish that your mother could have met her.”

“Yeah,” Adrien agreed, voice rough, gaze focused on his daughter, unsure what else to say.

It was Gabriel who broke the silence, looking back at his granddaughter and offering, “She has your hair color, too.”

Adrien shrugged and nodded, still at a loss for words.

Sensing his uncertainty and far too exhausted to care about offending her father-in-law, Marinette butted in, offering, “For now, at least! We’re not sure if it’ll darken as she gets older. Supposedly my father was a blonde as a child, too, though I’ve yet to see any pictures to support that claim. I think he might just be trying to find some Dupain traits to point out.” 

Then her gaze focused on her husband as she added, “But, personally, I’m fine if she takes after Adrien more than me. I want the blonde hair to stick around. I’m even hoping that her eyes settle on green.”

“I’m rather partial to that pairing as well,” Gabriel admitted, glancing up at his son. Then he looked back down at his granddaughter, memorizing her face before handing her back to her father, saying, “Thank you for allowing me to meet her.”

Adrien wasn’t sure what to say to that, either, so he just smiled awkwardly before walking over to hand Emma to his wife.

Gabriel watched the young couple, brushing the tears from his face, his expression resigned. Then he said, “I would like to apologize for my absence these past few months. There were some matters that I needed to attend to that truly could not wait, but they have been handled now. Moving forward, I will do my utmost to be available to you, all of you, however you need me.”

Marinette and Adrien traded startled looks. Then Adrien said, “Thank you, father. That’s… very kind. I hope you won’t take offense if we don’t take you up on it for a while, though. We don’t plan to see much of anyone for the next few months. Marinette needs time to recover and-”

“Please, there is no need to justify your plans to me,” Gabriel interrupted, holding up his hands in a placating gesture. “Though it has been a while, I do remember what it was like to have a newborn in the house. When you are ready and willing to entertain my presence, simply let me know and I will come. In the meantime, if there is anything that you need, then please, ask and I will take care of it. I would be more than happy to send over food or toys or anything else that any of you might need.”

At the mention of food, Marinette perked up, but she didn’t say anything. She just looked at Adrien, letting him control the conversation.

He nodded at her, then said, “We’ll probably take you up on that. We’ve been warned by more than one person that healthy eating is about to become a thing of the past.”

“Excellent. All you need to do is send a message to me or Nathalie and we’ll make sure that something healthy and easy to eat is sent to you within the hour,” Gabriel promised. Then he gave the little family a final once over before turning to leave.

When he reached the door, he paused. He didn’t turn back, though. Instead, he stared down at the hospital’s white-tile floor as he said, “And Adrien? I am sorry. You deserved a far better father than I was and I am so proud of the man that you’ve become in spite of my influence or lack thereof.”

Then he was gone, leaving his son and daughter-in-law staring after him, their mouths gaping.

Marinette recovered first, turning to look at her husband as he slowly sank down into the chair by her bedside, his eyes glued to the door where his father had vanished.

Eventually, he looked over at her, his expression lost. “Did- did that really- did he- what?”

“I don’t know,” Marinette muttered. Then she glanced down at Emma, her gaze turning thoughtful. “You know, dad did say that seeing me with a baby made him think about his own parenting choice. Maybe the same was true for your father?”

“Maybe,” Adrien agreed, looking at Emma and smiling. Then he reached out, brushing his finger against her tiny cheek. “And maybe you’ll actually get to know both of your grandfathers.”

Then he looked at his wife and shrugged, his smile growing resigned. "Or maybe not. I’m not getting my hopes up. He's burned me too many times for one apology to be enough."

"But it's a start?" Marinette asked.

Adrien nodded, glancing over to the stuffed peacock staring at them from the bedside table. "Yeah, it's a start."

Chapter Text

Carapace raced over the rooftops of Paris, coming to a stop on the edge of a very specific roof, directly above a balcony. After a quick glance around for onlookers, he jumped down onto the balcony, landing silently. Then he turned around and pressed his face to the glass door that led into the balcony’s associated apartment, trying his best to see what lay in the room beyond, sighing in relief at what he found. Then he curled his hand into a fist, raised it to the glass, and gently tapped his knuckles against the door.

Inside the apartment, Chat Noir started, his attention turning from his sleeping daughter to his balcony door. When he found his best friend standing there, he stared in stunned disbelief. Then he glared and gave a pointed look at the baby resting against his chest before returning his gaze to Carapace and mouthing, “What the fuck, dude?”

Carapace sighed and rolled his eyes before gesturing to his side. To the two Kwamis hovering there, watching the scene with obvious interest.

As soon as Chat Noir caught sight of them, his mouth dropped open. Then he looked back at Carapace, silently begging for an explanation.

Carapace shrugged and then said something to the Kwamis. A second later, the little blue one darted inside, shooting straight at Chat Noir, crying, “Hello, Guardian! I am Duusu!”

Chat Noir immediately made a shushing sound, his eyes frantically looking down at his daughter, praying that the noise hadn’t disturbed her. To his relief, she didn’t even stir, the subtle vibrations of his ongoing purr more than enough to keep her fast asleep.

As he relaxed, a much softer voice said, “Please forgive Duusu. He’s usually much more well behaved, but his broken miraculous has affected his manners.”

“Broken?” Chat Noir asked, glancing up to see that the second Kwami was now also inside.

Nooroo nodded shyly as he explained, “The peacock was broken many years ago. We are hoping that you can fix it.”

“Me?” Chat Noir asked, staring between the two new arrivals. “Why me?”

“You are the Guardian, are you not?” Nooroo asked. “Wayzz’s Chosen said that you were.”

“No, I said that I’d take you to the Guardian,” Nino whispered as he walked through the balcony door, having detransformed so that Wayzz could let him inside. “And the Guardian does live here, but that’s not her.”

“Where is the Guardian then?” Duusu asked, glancing between the two humans.

“She’s sleeping,” Chat Noir explained. Then he glanced down at Emma and smiled as he added, “That’s why this little lady and I are out here. Someone was being fussy and keeping her mommy from getting what little rest she can between feedings.”

He pressed a kiss to his daughter’s tiny head, then looked back up at his guests and said, “But I can go wake her. Your arrival-”

“Oh, please don’t!” Duusu interrupted. “New parents need whatever sleep they can get!”

Nooroo nodded. “Yes, please, don’t bother her on our account. We truly don’t mind waiting until morning. That was our original plan anyway. I’m just pleased that someone knows that we are here so that our presence won’t be a shock.”

“Are you sure?” Chat Noir asked, glancing between the Kwamis. “It’s really not a bother.”

“We’re sure!” Duusu chirped as Nooroo nodded.

“What about telling the other Kwamis?” Chat Noir offered, but this was met with shakes of their heads.

“We are looking forward to the reunion, but we would like some time to rest first, if that’s alright,” Nooroo confessed, glancing between the humans, obviously nervous. “It has been a... stressful few days.”

“Stressful?” Chat Noir echoed, giving his guests a searching look.

“The little dudes aren’t allowed to tell us much, but I can fill you in on what I know,” Nino offered.

“And I can assist my fellow Kwamis in finding something to eat!” Wayzz proclaimed.

Chat Noir nodded. “My kitchen's your kitchen, Wayzz. Make yourselves at home.”

As the three Kwamis darted off, Chat Noir gave Nino his full attention, asking, “What happened?”

“I went out for my standard weekly patrol and there they were, hanging out on the roof of Montparnasse tower. They’d apparently been there for a few days, keeping an eye out for any of us Chosen, but that’s all that they could tell me. Papillon released them, but he didn’t renounce them and it sounds like he gave them some very strict instructions to keep his identity a secret,” Nino explained.

Chat Noir frowned, looking concerned. “Do you think it’s a trap?”

“If so, then it's either a really stupid one or a really clever one,” Nino sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two brooches. One was shaped like a butterfly, the other like a male peacock’s tail. As Chat Noir stared at the two miraculouses, Nino continued, “They’re the real deal. I transformed with the butterfly, just to be sure. I would’ve done the peacock, too, but they weren’t kidding when they said that it’s broken, see?”

Nino tilted the peacock so that Chat Noir could see the cracks running through it. “I don’t know what using it would do, but Nooroo assured me that it wouldn’t be anything good.”

“Huh,” Chat Noir muttered, staring at the damaged miraculous. Then he looked back up at Nino and asked, “But why now? What made Papillion give up?”

Nino shrugged. “No clue, dude. I didn’t get that far with them. It was pretty clear that the little guys had been through the ringer so, as soon as I knew that they were safe, I headed here. I did take a pretty crazy route, though. I also called Scarabella for backup, just in case. She tailed me through half of Paris before giving me the all clear to head here. She’s still out there, though, watching the building and the nearby area to be sure that we don't get any nasty surprises. We’re both planning to stay out there all night, too, just to be extra sure. Not sure what Papillion could do without his miraculouses, but there’s too much at risk to be arrogant here.”

“I appreciate that,” Chat Noir said with obvious relief. Then he glanced over towards the kitchen, where the Kwamis were sitting on the counter, munching on snacks and talking quietly. After a few seconds of staring, he shook his head and muttered, “This day just keeps getting weirder!”

“Everything okay, dude?” Nino asked.

Chat Noir turned back towards Nino, then grabbed his phone off of the table beside the rocking chair. After unlocking the device and navigating to the right text message, he handed it over, saying, “Read that.”

Nino took the phone, glancing down at the glowing surface. Then he raised an eyebrow, giving his best friend a searching look. “Dude, has your dad never sent a text message before? ‘My dearest Adrien’, really?”

“He usually just dictates stuff to Nathalie,” Chat Noir explained, making Nino shrug and go back to reading the message. The more he read, the wider his eyes got.

When he got to the end, he looked up at Chat Noir and demanded, “Is he joking?”

“My father has many faults, but being an incurable prankster is not one of them. Man’s never told a joke in his life,” Chat Noir sighed.

Nino didn’t say a word. He just looked back down at the phone, rereading the text message to be sure that he’d read it right. Then he said, “So he’s seriously offering you the mansion?”

“Yep,” Chat Noir agreed, sounding exhausted.

“Are you gonna take it?” Nino asked.

Chat Noir didn’t reply right away. Instead he looked down at his daughter, studying her still-sleeping face. Then he said, “I’m not sure yet. I've never considered it as an option before, but now that it’s there… I don’t know. There’s some real benefits to consider.”

“Like what?” Nino prompted.

“Like the Kwamis,” Chat Noir replied, glancing over at the trio still sitting in his kitchen. “They’re tiny, but there’s fifteen of them! Seventeen now that Nooroo and Duusu are here. I don’t know how Marinette handled having them all confined to just her bedroom! They basically run whole apartment during the day and it's overwhelming at times. If it weren't for Emma, we seriously would've moved to a bigger space just to accommodate them, but by the time that we'd talked about it, Marinette was too far along to handle house hunting on top of everything else. It's still on the table once Emma's a little older, though, but it would have to be a big house. Big enough for us, the Kwamis, and a few more kids, if things go according to plan. The mansion's bigger than I was picturing, but it might actually our best bet unless we wanna leave Paris.

“Plus who knows what threats we’ll face in the future. If team miraculous has to fight another Papillion, it’d be nice to have a central location where we can meet up and plan that isn’t some random rooftop where we might be overheard. And, well, being part of this team isn’t a tiny ask and I don’t just mean the risks that come from fighting. 

“I feel like an idiot for not realizing it before, but Marinette wasn’t living with her folks because she wanted to. It was because she couldn’t afford anything else! Her boutique sees decent business, but she’s always had to keep her offerings limited and expansion was out of the question because she had to make sure that she could handle working and fighting. Learning that made me realize that we need a way to support the team beyond the battlefield. A way to make sure that they aren't homeless because they're doing the right thing while also keeping people from questioning where the money's coming from.”

“Well, I’m not gonna say that you're wrong because I'm not sure what we would've done if that initial akuma surge had kept up. We were nearing the point of asking you for help,” Nino admitted, earning a stunned look from Chat Noir. Before he could offer any apologies, Nino pressed on, saying, “But don’t rush into this, dude. There's probably a ton that goes into running a place that big and you need to make sure that you and Nettie can handle it. What does she think, anyway?”

“I haven’t told her yet,” Chat Noir confessed. “She’s stressed enough as is and it’s not like we’ve got a deadline for this. I’ll bring it up to her in the next week or so, whenever it seems like she’s got the mental capacity to handle the news.”

“So she doesn’t know about the trip, either,” Nino asked.

Chat Noir nodded. “Yeah, though that’s less waiting until she’s ready and more why would she care? It doesn’t affect us and it’s not an insult or anything. Father knows that he’s not getting an invitation to see us for at least a few more weeks. If he wants to go to the Aegean for a month, then more power to him! It’s about time he got out of that house and cleared his head. Even if we don’t take it and he just sells it, I’m glad that he’s moving out. All of those empty rooms full of memories? That can’t be good for anyone.”

“I guess,” Nino reluctantly agreed, shrugging. Then a chiming noise from his pocket made both men start before glancing down at the baby, letting out relieved sighs when they saw that she was still asleep. Then Nino pulled out his phone, reading the waiting text and letting out a soft chuckle. “Seems like duty calls. She’s also demanding snacks and drinks since we’ll be up all night.”

“Go for it. There’s plenty of quick food around. Feel free to come back here in the morning, too. I'm sure that you'll want to be here for the big reunion,” Chat Noir said, watching with a smile as Nino retransformed and then stocked up on treats before heading off into the night.

Once he was gone, Chat Noir went back to purring and rocking his daughter until she naturally woke up, letting out tiny whimpers, a warning sign that tears would soon follow if she wasn’t given food immediately.

“I know, I know, come on, let’s go see mommy,” Chat Noir said, rising to his feet. He didn’t head into the bedroom, though. Instead, he stopped by Nooroo and Duusu, who were curled up on the kitchen counter next to their miraculouses. “You two sure that you wanna wait until morning? I’m gonna be waking Marinette up now anyway. I'm happy to let her know that you're here.”

“We’re sure,” Nooroo promised tiredly. “I do not think that we’d have the energy for the ensuing madness.”

Duusu nodded in agreement, snuggling closer to Nooroo and letting out a happy coo.

“Okay, then I’ll see you in the morning, I guess. And don’t worry about the other Kwamis finding you. They’re under strict orders to stay in the guest room during the night so that they don’t accidentally wake Emma," Chat Noir assured them. Then a thoughtful look passed across his face and he added, "Plagg might find you when I detransform, though. He’s got free reign of the place since he’s tied to me, but he usually stays with us in the bedroom.”

“That’s fine,” Nooroo assured him. “Plagg will not be a bother. He is opinionated, but quiet, unlike many of our kind.”

The assessment made Chat Noir grin. Then he grabbed some Camembert from the fridge and headed off towards his bedroom, purring all the while to help keep his daughter calm.

As soon as he was out of sight, Duusu poked at Nooroo’s side, whispering, “Let’s follow!”

“Why?” Nooroo asked, displeased at the thought of leaving when they were finally safe and comfortable.

“I wanna see the Guardian!” Duusu explained. Before Nooroo could reply, Duusu darted off after Chat Noir, leaving Nooroo to sigh and reluctantly follow.

The apartment was dark, lit only by the moonlight sneaking in from outside, making it easy for the Kwamis to stay hidden as they chased after Chat Noir, taking up residence in a shadowy corner of the Chosen’s bedroom.

Then they watched as Chat Noir walked over to his sleeping wife, leaning down to kiss her and softly say, “Time to get up, Bugaboo. Our little lady is demanding her next meal.”

Marinette groaned, but didn’t get up. Then Emma let out a soft whimper and Marinette’s eyes shot open, her gaze immediately seeking out her daughter, relaxing when she saw her husband, too.

“That time already?” she murmured.

He nodded. Then he pressed the remote sitting on her bedside table, activating the motor that raised the bed into a reclining position.

Once the bed was done moving and Marinette had made herself comfortable, Chat Noir handed over the baby, watching with loving eyes as his wife coaxed their daughter to start eating.

Only when the baby was happily nursing did he drop his transformation, making the watching Kwamis mouths drop open at the sight of their master’s son. Then Adrien tossed the slice of camembert in his hand to Plagg, barely even glancing at his Kwami, too enthralled by his family to look away.

When Marinette realized that he hadn’t moved, she glanced up, giving him a tired smile as she said, “Come on, Kitty. You can watch us just as easily from the bed.”

He nodded reluctantly, then made his way over to his side of the bed, crawling under the covers and curling up at his wife’s side, watching his Ladies with a look of exhausted adoration.

Within minutes, his exhaustion had forced him into much-needed sleep. Not that Marinette and Emma minded. The baby was perfectly content to eat and her mother was perfectly content to watch, the magic of being able to feed her child still new enough to mesmerize her.

Sensing that this was a private moment, the two Kwamis left, making their way back to the kitchen in silence.

As soon as they were safely out of earshot, Duusu let out a happy trill, twirling through the air as Nooroo looked on in tired resignation.

After a short while, he begged, "Duusu, please, can't we rest?"

Duusu shook his head, vibrating with delight. "How can you want to rest after feeling such pure, raw emotion? Oh, it was wonderful, Nooroo! The love between the Guardian and her husband and their child? It's powerful!"

Nooroo nodded sadly, thinking of their Master. “Love is a powerful thing. It can lead people to do terrible things, bring nations to ruin, or-”

“Or save the world!” Duusu interrupted, laughing and twirling about.

When he saw Noroo’s surprised face, he paused, grinning at his old friend. “Don’t you see? We’re here, free at last, because love made something precious enough to finally make our Master see reason!”

With that, Duusu resumed his twirling as Nooroo sighed and settled down to watch. He couldn't exactly argue with his old friend, even though he didn't fully agree. Their Master had given up his quest, but not because he'd seen reason. Gabriel had stopped because he'd been forced to make an impossible choice. Nothing more, nothing less. Though, the more Nooroo thought about it, the more strange the whole thing seemed. That out of all the people in Paris, Adrien would be Chat Noir. Which meant that Chat Noir and Ladybug had, in fact, forced Papillion to surrender. They hadn't done it with some masterful plan or clever scheme, though. They'd simply fallen in love and made a baby, just like millions of people before them and millions of people who would come after them. Only luck had made this baby any different from the thousands of other babies out there. None of them would have stopped Papillion. Only Emma could.

As Duusu did another twirl, a tired smile spreading across Nooroo's face. Perhaps Duusu was right. Perhaps love really had saved the world. Or perhaps it had been luck or fate. Nooroo honestly didn't care. He was just happy to free again.

With that thought, he let out a tired yawn and curled up on the kitchen counter. A few minutes later, Duusu calmed down enough to join him. Then the two Kwamis drifted off to sleep, gathering their energy for the morning when there would be cries of welcome, tears of joy, and a veritable wave of love.

We will never know the full impact that we have on the world.
The way that we've shaped other lives simply by existing.
But I promise you, you have had an impact, even if you can't see it.
Little moments of selfless love and kindness ripple out.
So do moments of anger and selfishness.
So, when you have the chance, choose kindness.
Choose love.
Happy Valentines Day!

-Nedjemet