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.