So here's part 2 of my 'I haven't updated in like eight months, I need to do something special' update.

Once again, let's thank wonderfulwizardofthozz for writing the previous chapter *applauds in my wifey's direction*

Now that I've posted these two chapters, I won't be posting much for a few weeks. To quote wonderfulwizardofthozz, I 'goofed' and wrote too much of other fanfics in too short amount of time and I overworked myself. Now my two internet mums, wonderfulwizardofthozz and livinglittlelie, are adamant I chill out a bit and only post once every two weeks. That said, I have an assignment coming up and I'm going overseas to meet livinglittlelie, so I won't be writing as much as usual. And I know I've said this before, but please go read their fics!

Oh! I also set up a ko-fi account. So if you'd like to support my writing, please donate/buy me a coffee at ko-fi dot com /A0632C2Z (fanfiction needs to up their game and let us include links). I feel weird for even bringing it up, but every little bit of support counts, right?

I realise I'm rambling, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry you had to wait so long to read an update. Please let me know what you thought in the comments and I'll see you in a few weeks.

Much love,

Leisey.

Lost in the Time Stream

Chapter Nine

PARIS
2027

Marinette was, admittedly, not the best actress.

She was not known for acting cool—just look at how she acted around Adrien before the reveal—but it became even more apparent when she reached the bakery.

"Hello, Maman! Papa!" She said when she entered her old home, with far too much cheer and far too loudly. Thankfully, Emma was nowhere to be seen and nor were there any customers, otherwise Adrien wasn't sure if Marinette would spontaneously combust before they saw their daughter.

"Girl, chill!" Alya hissed from behind them.

Adrien gave Marinette's hand a comforting squeeze. They'd get through this.

While he was used to acting composed, and thought he'd done quite well with his, "Hello, Madame, Monsieur," he didn't think he'd be the one to give the game away.

Tom, Sabine, Alya and Nino all stilled; Nino even let out a groan of disappointment.

Or no, they would not get through this.

Uh oh.

Sabine's eyes narrowed and she looked from her daughter (who was doing a great job at not acting cool) and her son in law (who'd inadvertently just blown their cover). "What happened?"

"Uh, well," Nino and Alya tried to speak up, and potentially try to lessen the fallout.

"Adrien calls us Tom and Sabine," Marinette's mother said.

"Sometimes even Maman and Papa," Tom added. "He doesn't call us Madame and Monsieur. He hasn't called at that in years. What happened?"

The four miraculous wielders let out sighs of defeat.

Alya flipped the store's 'open' sign to 'closed.' "It's complicated."

The Dupain-Cheng's did not look impressed.

"Alya, you will tell me what happened to my son and daughter right now," Tom said.

"Right now," Sabine reiterated.

(Adrien really liked the fact they referred to him as her son; it put a warm, happy feeling in his chest.)

"It's okay, Maman, Papa" Marinette spoke up. "Really. We're not hurt, we just got hit by an akuma and it sent our present selves eleven years into the past."

"And swapped us with our fifteen-year-old selves," Adrien put in.

Dead silence met reigned in the bakery; Marinette's parents just stared at them.

"And I know it's a lot to take in," his Lady said, "but I'd really like to meet my daughter."

PARIS
2016

Adrien and Marinette turned in mortified unison to see Alya's head poking through Marinette's trap door.

He groaned. "Why in the name of camembert did I even try and preserve the timeline?!"

The corner of Marinette's mouth turned up in a grin. "You've got to stop getting your exclamations from Plagg."

"By all the brie's and blue vein, no I do not."

"We're restricting his cheese access when we get back, he's a bad influence on you."

"Awww, come on, leave him brie."

"Definitely restricting his cheese access."

Alya scrambled completely through the trapdoor and shut it behind her. "Oh no. Nononono. You're not distracting me with cheese. I know what a heard! What's with you two getting married!"

Marinette hushed her. "Alya! Not so loud! Do you want my parents running up here?"

Alya may have lowered her voice, but that didn't stop her from whisper-yelling at them. "What is going on?!"

"Uh, well," Adrien started.

Alya waved a hand dismissively at him. "Not you, Sunshine, I'll get to you in a second. Mari, spill. I love you, but you can't say two words to him." She pointed at Adrien and continued. "Now you're bantering and talking about marriage?"

Marinette shifted uneasily. "Well, you see—"

Alya turned to Adrien. "And you! Sunshine! Pretty boy! Actual Disney Princess, Adrien Agreste!"

"Alya, please!" Marinette begged. "Not so loud!"

"We can literally hear the exclamation marks in your voice," Adrien said.

"I saw Nino texting you!" Alya continued as if they hadn't spoken. "What was up with that little green thing?! He wouldn't give me a straight answer. He kept saying it was a toy. Toys don't breathe, Adrien."

Jeez, Alya was just as terrifying this age as she was in the future.

"As I was in what?!"

Oh. Oh shit. Oh hell. Oh damn. Oh balls. Did he just say that out loud?

Marinette put her head in her hands and groaned. "Yes, yes you did."

Adrien looked between Marinette and Alya and muttered a curse.

Marinette hummed in agreement.

He looked at her. "I didn't mean to."

She sighed. "I know you didn't, Chaton."

That was when Alya, apparently, reached her breaking point. "Okay, what the fuck is going on?!"

Marinette and Adrien shared a glance.

Do we have to? Adrien's expression seemed to say.

You're the one who mentioned the future! Marinette's responded.

"Okay, on what planet can you two communicate just from looking at each other?" Alya demanded.

The pair froze and looked at the blogger. "About that," Marinette began. "Adrien and I have been—uh—dating for a while."

"In secret," Adrien added.

Marinette nodded in agreement, like she wasn't making this all up on the spot. "In secret, because we didn't want his dad to find out. But we're pretty serious, and that's where the marriage comes in."

Alya looked entirely unimpressed and crossed her arms. "Uh-huh. Now the truth."

"That is the truth!"

"No, it's not! Marinette, you hate liars, so why are you lying to me?"

"We're not," Adrien interjected, trying to back up his Lady. "It's just—"

Alya shook her head. "No, okay? No. Today I've seen a new superhero, Nino talking with a little green thing that he claims is a toy, now you two are super close, can actually talk to one another, apparently are getting married and Sunshine here is talking about timelines and the future?! Something is up and you know what it is and you're gonna tell me right now!"

Marinette and Adrien sighed in unison. It seemed there was no getting out of this one.

"Would you believe we're the time travelling Ladybug and Chat Noir from the future?" He asked.

Marinette stiffened and opened her mouth, likely to scold him for being so brazen about their circumstances.

Alya spoke up before his wife could say anything; the blogger snorted. "Yeah, right, Adrien. Pull the other one."

"No, real—"

Marinette's trapdoor flew open with a bang and Nino rushed into the room. "My dudes, Alya saw Wayzz! Why aren't you answering your phones…?" He trailed off when he saw exactly who was in Marinette's bedroom. A beat passed. "Welp, goodbye." He turned to walk back out the way he had come.

"Oh, no you don't!" Alya grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him towards her. "I have questions for you too!"

The blogger herded the three of them onto Marinette's chaise lounge and stood in front of them. Her crossed arms and expectant expression made her seem very much like an exasperated mother with three disobedient children. "Spill it," she ordered.

Nino looked at Marinette and Adrien expectantly.

"Why are you looking at us?" Adrien asked.

"Because I got mine today and you guys are you guys."

"Um, any time you guys want to stop talking cryptically," Alya said, "that'd be great."

"Come on, Michelangelo," Adrien grinned. "You're just as important as us."

"Dude, please, I'm totally Leonardo."

"Sure thing, Mikey."

Marinette lightly shoved him. "Act your age, Chaton."

Adrien could basically see the gears turning in Alya's brain as she tried to work it out. He could see her murmuring words like, 'Toy turtle,' 'Turtle superhero,' 'time travel,' 'marriage.' He could tell the exact moment she put it all together, because shock flickered onto her face and she took a deep breath and busted out with, "What THE FU—?"

Marinette jumped up and clamped a hand over her best friend's mouth. "Alya! Shh!"

Alya wouldn't be deterred; she pulled Marinette's hand off her. "You're Ladybug!" She whisper-yelled. "You're Ladybug!" She turned to Adrien and Nino. "And you're Chat Noir and the new guy!"

"Uh, Tortue Verte," Nino supplied helpfully.

Alya looked thrilled and her resolve to keep her voice down didn't last for long. "This is incredible!" She turned to Adrien. "You! I even said you would look like Chat Noir if you put the costume over your picture. Marinette said it was ridiculous. Wait. Marinette—Marinette said you guys were getting married! You guys are married! My two OTPs are canon!" Alya hugged Marinette delightedly. "Girl, was I the maid of honour? I better have been the maid of honour!"

"Your speech mortified me," Marinette answered with a grin. "You even had a PowerPoint presentation to go with it."

"You said you had years of dirt on us and were just waiting to tell the world what you'd gone through with our ridiculous, oblivious selves," Adrien added.

"I'm incredible," Alya, ever-modest, beamed.

The blogger was buzzing with excitement. She hauled them all in for a big group hug. "You're superheroes! You're from the future and you're superheroes!"

"Well, I'm not," Nino told her. "I only got my miraculous today—"

She hugged him. "That's amazing! You kicked ass today!"

Caught up in her exuberance, Alya planted a kiss on Nino. Not expecting it, the DJ went stuff with surprise. Alya clearly hadn't noticed what she'd done, too pleased by her discovery to realise that was technically her and Nino's first kiss.

"Okay," the blogger said, "so you guys are from the future? How do we get you guys back and what happened to our Mari and Adrien?"

"Uh, Alya?" Adrien said.

"Mmm?"

He gestured to where his best friend was in complete and utter shock.

Alya turned to Nino; there was a silence as she realised what she'd done. "Oh my god!"

As the blogger and the DJ simultaneously began freaking out, Adrien and Marinette just stood back and watched the chaos. The blogger had Nino's shirt in her hands and was shaking him while the two of them just screamed at each other.

(So much for trying to keep the noise down.)

"If this is her reaction to superheroes and marriage, imagine her reaction to hearing about Emma," he murmured to his wife.

"Let's wait a bit until we drop the daughter bombshell on her," Marinette whispered back.

Alya's head snapped over to them, a flustered Nino momentarily forgotten. "The what?!"

The time travelling pair froze.

"Or we could do it now," Adrien muttered.

"Yeah," Marinette spoke up, "you see—"

"I sense an akuma!" Wayzz flew up out of Nino's pocket and cut Marinette off.

Alya stared at the kwami in wonder. "Whoa, the little tiny turtle thing! It can talk?!" A beat later. "I knew it wasn't a toy, Nino!"

The secret out, Tikki and Plagg flew out of their hiding spots, too.

"The akuma, Volpina," Wayzz said, interrupting whatever Alya was about to say about the other kwamis. "She's returned! You must go to the Great Guardian!"

"To Master Fu?" Adrien looked confused. "Why wouldn't we go and find Lila?"

Wayzz didn't instantly reply, instead he turned to Alya, who was still clutching a very flustered-looking Nino. "Because," the turtle kwami eventually said, "it's time for the true Volpina to appear."

PARIS
2027

Marinette was in love with Emma within moments of seeing her.

(Adrien could relate to the feeling).

For all her nervousness, his Lady had taken to meeting their daughter fairly well. She did better than he did, in any case: she didn't faint.

Once they'd explained the situation to Tom and Sabine, they'd shown her were Emma was playing in their home. Tom, Sabine, Alya and Nino had given them a moment of privacy so they could see their daughter on their own.

"Maman!" Emma had cried happily when Marinette and Adrien walked into the room. "Papa!"

She ran to her mother and lifted her arms up, clearly wanting to be held. After a small moment of hesitation, Marinette picked her up and held her on her hip. "H-hello, Emma," his Lady greeted softly.

Unable to keep away from them, Adrien moved closer to gently wrap his arms around the pair of them. "How is my Little Lady?" He asked.

"Good!" His daughter chirped in response. "I played pwincesses wiv Grandpa!"

Adrien smiled. "Princesses, huh? I bet you and your Maman play that all the time."

Marinette blushed; Emma laughed.

"Silly Papa! I play it wiv you!"

Adrien blinked in surprised and then chuckled. Yeah, he could see himself doing that.

Marinette let out a sniff and he turned to see her blinking back tears. "My Lady?" He asked, alarmed to see her upset.

"She's beautiful," Marinette said in response, looking at their daughter in awe. "She's beautiful."

Adrien smiled and gently wiped away Marinette's tears. "She gets that from her mother."

"Is Maman sad?" Emma asked, looking upset.

Marinette shook her head and held Emma tighter. "No, no, Buglet. Maman is happy. Maman is very, very happy."

Emma smiled and snuggled into her mother. "Good!"

"She's beautiful," Marinette repeated, looking at him like she had no idea how they'd been lucky enough to have such a little angel.

Adrien lent in to press a soft kiss to Emma's head and then another to Marinette's lips. "She's beautiful," he agreed, "and she's ours."

"Can you even believe…?"

He shook his head. "No, but—I mean—god, Marinette, this is all I've ever wanted."

"Really?" There was a hesitance to her voice; a small moment of vulnerability, as if she couldn't believe she was the one Adrien wanted to spend his life with.

Adrien was determined that she know how much she meant to him. "A life with you and a happy family? Marinette, I've dreamed about this. To find out it's real, that it's something waiting for us in our future, it incredible. Amazing. It's—it's—"

"Miraculous," she said.

He grinned and leant in so their foreheads were touching. There was a moment of quiet contentment: just him, Marinette and Emma, together and happy.

"Yeah," he eventually replied, "it's miraculous."