Marinette wasn't sure if she heard what she heard.

There were always pros and cons to every situation, but Marinette couldn't help but to always focus on the better side of things.

On the pro side, Alya was going to be a mother, Marinette was going to be an aunt, and from the short time she knew Nino, she could already assume that he would be the happiest guy on the planet.

Marinette couldn't understand the stress and complications of pregnancy, but she could clearly tell by the way it affected Alya that it was possibly a lot more than she could essentially handle.

The young woman chewed on her bottom lip, her heart leaping in her chest as she reached over and placed her hand onto her shoulder.

"Alya...I'm...just as shocked as you are," Marinette reiterated, feeling her friend tremble beneath her palms. "But...I promise it's going to be okay."

Alya exhaled, shrugging Marinette's hand away from her shoulder with a grimace.

"Marinette...its easy for you to say that. You're married, you have a stable job, stable income, a beautiful home...if you were in my shoes, it'd be completely different. I don't know if I have the monetary means to care for a child; I work at a bar..." the brunette stood up, running her hand through her hair anxiously. "How can a visibly pregnant woman work at a bar?!"

Marinette widened her eyes, watching her friend with a grimace who began to pace back and forth.

"What if I fail my child? What kind of mother would I be? What if I scare Nino away? What if this isn't what he wanted?" Alya rambled, the anxiousness permeating through her voice more evidently.

"Alya," Marinette immediately interjected, standing up straight to place her hands on to Alya's shoulders to keep her still. "You know you would make an amazing mother. Hell, you're like a mother to me sometimes. I know without a doubt that you'd be a cool and caring mother..." Marinette blushed, the color contrasting against her freckles.

"If I were to become pregnant by Adrien, it would be an entirely different story. Nino loves you, Alya - he would never just abandon you if you told him. Adrien doesn't love me, we dont have that close personal bond that you and Nino share..." Marinette explained. "You both have a mutual love and understanding for one another. The last thing you should do is push him away..."

Alya shook her head, her eyes lowering to the ground.

"I felt like I had no choice. Who am I to just waltz into Nino's life and bring him a baby? I know he's had plans, he has goals; none of which includes children...especially with me..." her voice trailed off.

Marinette frowned, her heart sinking into her stomach as she could almost understand Alya's desire to isolate herself from everyone.

"I know that surprises happen," Marinette murmured, her blue eyes glancing over towards Alya with a heavy heart. "But you know that I'll always be here for you. You'll always have a place to stay if need be. You could work at the bar until you need to take a break for when you grow a little bigger. You know Adrien and I wouldn't let you-"

"Marinette, you can't tell anyone about this." Alya interjected, her eyes widening at the thought of everyone finding out about her pregnancy. "I'm not ready to tell Nino. I know that if I tell Adrien, he would tell Nino."

Marinette frowned, pressing her lips together.

"You know I wouldn't tell anyone if that's what you wanted." She breathed softly. "And I'm sure Adrien could keep a secret..."

"It's not whether he could keep the secret...it's more of that it's my burden to bear." Alya interjected. "I know you guys wouldn't leave me in the dark with the baby. I've already decided that I would keep the child. I'm just scared shitless..."

Alya paused, running a hand through her hair with a grimace.

"The issue that happened between me and Nino should have never left the space between us. I don't think Nino had the right to get you involved..." her voice trailed off, her eyes lowering to the ground.

Marinette frowned, her hand reaching up to rub her freckled cheek with anxiety.

"I...I'm glad you decided to keep the baby. I understand you must be a little annoyed with Nino for coming to me in hopes to have me talk to you and make sure you were alright...but he was only doing this to make sure that you weren't sick. He was worried that he did something wrong and that you were mad at him..."

Alya shook her head, a deep sigh escaping her lips as the young woman refused to let the fact go.

"It doesn't matter. If he had given me the space I needed, it would have given me time to come around. I needed to figure out what I wanted to do and how I was going to tell him, without him freaking out..." her voice trailed off once more, another grimace tugging at her lips. "And for me to not feel like I was ruining his life..."

"I don't think Nino is like that." Marinette murmured, her blue eyes shifting down to the ground. "I mean, I don't actually know Nino as well as you do, but I'm sure he would be welcoming to the idea of a new child."

Alya kept her arms taut against her chest, her nails lightly began to dig through the top layer of skin as the female began to contemplate and weigh her options.

"I wasn't planning on telling anyone in the first place. I knew it would make you worry and I knew that it would possibly make him more on edge. It sucks to feel like you're just a burden on everyone you come into contact with." She sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this. I know I'm promiscuous, and I always make sure that I'm safe," her voice quivered as she spoke. "But I wanted to do this right. I wanted to get married, I wanted to be in a longterm relationship... I wanted to travel with him, get a stable job, one that pays more..." she inhaled, her chest heaving as she tried to remain composed. "I don't like depending on other people for help..."

Marinette felt her heart sink, the young woman bit her lip, listening to her friends words.

She knew what it was like to feel like a burden to the people she cared about.

Hell, her previous interactions with Kagami only proved that lingering suspicion. Since the moment she learned that the man she was marrying had been in a serious relationship with another woman for four years, she had told herself that she was a homewrecker.

The fact that Marinette had been making careless decisions that eventually led to her assault, as well as Kagami's and Adrien's disputes, only hardened the blow.

Part of her wanted to scold herself for Alya's pregnancy - Marinette did steal most of Alya's contraceptives after all.

Marinette sighed, knowing that taking it too far was a bit of a stretch, but it certainly wasn't impossible.

The female sighed, slowly wrapping her arms around her best friend and drawing her close.

"It's going to be okay," Marinette whispered. "We all make mistakes...I mean, you've seen me make a ton of them in these few months alone." Marinette smiled softly, lightly rubbing her cheek in a tender motion against Alya's.

"If it hadn't been for the support of you, Nino and Adrien...I'd probably be dead in a ditch somewhere..." she murmured softly. "I know how it feels to doubt yourself and to worry about ruining the normal routines of others and sometimes that's not always the case, especially if we all want to be here to help you. We make mistakes in life...but the gift itself is life...and we learn and grow through the lessons that life throws at us..." Marinette subtly pulled away to offer her friend a weary smile.

"Even the unexpected surprises are gifts...I promise I'll be the best auntie the world has ever known."

Alya chuckled, her cheeks flushing as the brunette was desperate to look at the bright side of things.

There was always that worry regarding space to put the baby, the monetary means to feed the child, to cloth them, to go nights without sleeping in case the baby was fussy.

It was something that appeared inconceivable to do alone, though she knew many single mothers who'd done it for years.

There was a hunch in her that was positive that her burden would be less if she had just confessed to Nino that she had gotten pregnant.

"I've only known Nino for a couple of months," Alya replied, her voice barely above a whisper as the shame of getting pregnant by someone she had only known for a short time had began to set in.

"What right do I have to change his life with a surprise as big as this?"

Marinette sighed, her lips pursing as she planted a kiss to her friend's cheek. The blunette very quickly swathed her arms around her friend once more and drew her into a warm embrace.

"You're now the mother of his child..." she replied, her voice soft as she tried to lighten up the mood. The bitter sweet feeling of that moment would forever leave a sour taste in their mouths, but there was a new life that were now on all of their hands.

"You have every right to change his life with news as wonderful as this," the young woman continued with a small giggle. "But this is Nino's child too. When you feel ready, I strongly suggest that you let him in on the conception of his new pride and joy..."

Alya hummed in acknowledgement, her shoulders carefully slumping as she could no longer deny the inevitable.

"I know..." she breathed, knowing that she was going to have to come clean to Nino.


Marinette was tired.

The young woman lay in her bed, her heart feeling heavy in her chest as she couldn't get the look of fear from Alya out of her chest.

Marinette couldn't quite understand what Alya had been processing through her head, because Marinette was never really pregnant before.

She turned to her side, slowly tugging at the edges of her nightgown as she tried to sleep. She furrowed her brow, her heart picking up the pace in her chest as Marinette realised that she had resonated with Alya with the white horse and carriage dream she wanted for herself and her future child.

In fact, Marinette would have loved to have children.

If the marriage she had with the person she was with now was authentic and done out of true love, she would have wanted to start trying right away.

Marinette smiled, nuzzling her face into her pillow as she couldn't stop herself from imagining the scenario.

She could almost picture herself with a baby belly, her parents would be happy and would celebrate.

Of course with being half Chinese, she'd have to follow traditions during pregnancies. Which meant only hot tea and no cold drinks.

Marinette chuckled, not minding one bit, she enjoyed hot tea anyway.

Sure, it seemed almost narcissistic to purposely make small clones of yourself to raise and bring into the world, but what mattered to her was to carry a part of her she knew she'd always love.

The thought of carrying the baby of someone she loved and bringing a life the two created together into the world set off a swarm of butterflies in her stomach.

She bit her lip, her heart fluttering in pure ecstasy as she couldn't let it go.

Her stomach quivered and she clutched onto the pillows, her mind wandering to the thought of caring enough to hold Adrien's baby.

The concept that the two of them could raise a child with love.

She gasped, her heart picking up the pace as she squeezed her eyes shut as she almost began to feel like a high school girl with a crush. She knew she had to gather control of her emotions or she'd go off the rails.

There were small moments that Marinette coerced herself into thinking logically, but this was one of those times where she felt as if the fantasy was the better route.

Granted, she knew that things wouldn't ever happen the way she imagined them to be and of course that stirred up a pot of hurt, but Marinette always told herself she would worry about that bridge when she got to it.

Of course Marinette didn't expect that moment to be so soon.

Her heart sank into her stomach and her limbs grew cold the moment she heard the back doors below slam open.

The young woman shuddered, her nails digging into her pillow as for a brief moment she was worried that someone was breaking into her home and she was left alone to fight the attacker.

Marinette relaxed, exhaling painfully as she could hear Kagami's obnoxious giggling below.

She knew the better option would be to stay in bed, especially since Kagami had every intent to physically assault her if she didn't stay away.

There was something about the sounds of stumbling and Kagami screaming that told Marinette the more better option would be to close the door. That way she could drown out the noise and get some sleep.

Let them play around.

Let them fuck.

Let Kagami have his children.

As far as she was concerned, Adrien had chose Kagami. The ring she wore only proved that.

Why would she care what they did?

She shouldn't.

She wouldn't.

It wasn't her business anyway.

That was the plan from the get go. She had no right to intrude in on their lives the way Kagami had accused her only hours earlier in the day.

The young woman clenched on to the blankets, almost ready to snap at the intolerable sounds of Kagami's laughter.

She turned over, her chest heaving as the female quickly guided herself out of bed.

With her dark hair cascading down her shoulders, Marinette had her hand on the door, her nails nearly digging into the wood as she was about ready to slam it.

"Kagami...I'll be fine. You can go home..."

The blunette paused, her heart shattering the moment she heard Adrien's voice. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the door.

Granted, his voice was a bit slurred, but Marinette always found herself in some sort of quagmire when it came to Adrien.

"Are you sure? You can come back home with me, baby..." Kagami murmured, her voice muffled against the walls and the lower floor.

Adrien sighed, his voice strained as he groaned in protest.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I just need to clean up and get some sleep..." his voice trailed off, the drunkenness dripping heavily off of each word.

Marinette bit her lip, her trajectory shifting back towards the bed as she was going to climb into it and hide under the sheets until Adrien returned to bed.

The young woman prayed to the skies above that Kagami wouldn't accompany him upstairs.

She'd see Marinette in her nightgown, sleeping in the same bed that Adrien slept on. If Marinette tired to sneak out, she would be heard and perhaps even caught red toed.

Marinette worried that if she successfully snuck out to the room down the hall full of her junk from her old apartment, Kagami would invite herself to stay over, forcing Marinette to wait the night out settled on the floor until the next morning.

The last thing she wanted was to cancel the date she had planned with Luka, especially because she had been putting it off for so long already.

Her blue eyes lowered to the ground, her heart sinking at the sound of their lips moving against one another down below.

She reached up, tugging at the lobes of her ears as she couldn't stand the noise.

She didn't want to picture Adrien wrapped around the body of another woman, it was something she could no longer do anymore.

Marinette weighed her options, her mind racing at a million miles a minute as she tried to conjure up ways to settle things that didn't result in Kagami putting her hands on her once more.

The young woman exhaled, her cheeks reddening as the whisper of their lips eventually came to a halt.

Marinette ran her hand through her hair, frustration swiping into her bones as she really did want to smack Kagami for putting her hands on her.

Marinette knew she didn't have to put up with Nick's advances, she didn't have to put up with Kagami's motives either.

All Marinette ever did try to do was be on a mutual understanding with Kagami, and instead only ever got verbal and physical assaults in return. Marinette couldn't understand how Kagami could be so cruel, even though Marinette's intentions were never ill mannered.

Marinette grit her teeth as Kagami only ever accused her of horrid things.

Granted, Marinette didn't actually expect that she would fall for Adrien and even then as she acknowledged her feelings, she had no intention to disrupt his life or sabotage his relationship with the girl he continued to stay loyal to over the course of four years, even if Marinette felt that Kagami was a bit wicked.

The blunette furrowed her brow, listening the to scuffling sounds below as it appeared Adrien struggled to move.

"You like it when I touch you?" Kagami murmured, her voice muffled under Adrien's soft groans.

"You can come home with me so we can do that...we don't have to do it here~"

Marinette froze, her heart dropping as she began to put the dots together.

She shifted her gaze to the moonlight that permeated through the silk curtains that lay across the doors to their balcony.

Her first intention was to run, even if it meant jumping from that balcony and injuring herself, Marinette would do just that.

She didn't feel right where she stood and knowing that it was most likely going to go to the two of them consummating, Marinette didn't think she would be able to stomach hearing it.

"Kagami..." Adrien slurred, his voice nearly heavy. "I'm tired...I just..."

"Then let me take care of you~" Kagami interjected, her voice silky enough to slip through the crevices and possibly haunt Marinette for the rest of her life.

Marinette wasn't sure if they knew she had been in the home, but she sure as hell wouldn't stick around to find out either.

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest, and Marinette grabbed fistfuls of her night gown, her eyes concentrated on the doors of the balcony and her blood ran cold.

She could feel the soft tingles in her toes, and Marinette had began to move her feet.

Only this time, she had walked in the opposite direction of the balcony doors.

With her fists full of the hem from her night gown, the young woman moved towards the steps.

Her chest grew tight, almost as if she was being led by another entity. Marinette climbed down the stairs, her face flaccid as she concentrated on the thought that now Kagami was in her private space.

Marinette paused, her blue eyes flatly glancing over to Kagami who hovered above Adrien.

The blonde was spread across her white couch, his cheeks growing pink as he struggled to lift his head off the back pillow.

Kagami glanced up at Marinette, her eyes narrowing at the blunette who stood in the hall with her fists clenched.

Marinette had no intention to hit her, that's for sure.

But the young woman had no doubt she wanted Kagami out.

"You're not going to fuck him on my couch..." Marinette replied, her voice sharp as she crossed her arms.

Her heart squeezed into her throat, threatening to spill from her mouth.

Adrien groaned, reaching up to rub his eyes just as Kagami stepped away from him.

Her brown eyes narrowed, Kagami keeping her body posture open. She was quite defensive, but she made sure to be meticulous.

She knew Adrien was drunk, but not drunk enough to dismiss any attitude she may have retorted back towards Marinette.

That would have gave her facade away.

If Adrien had started to question her mannerisms regarding Marinette, there was no telling what else he could have questioned that would eventually lead to the truth of her having an affair.

She needed to keep that safe.

"I can assure you that we aren't going anything." Kagami replied, a smug grin on her face as she opened herself up to Adrien once more.

Kagami placed her hand on to Adrien's cheek, her thumb caressing his blushing skin as she sat on to his lap.

"I'm just here to take care of my boyfriend..." Kagami chuckled, her spine tingling as she could faintly hear Marinette approaching the two of them.

Marinette rounded the couch, her blood boiling as Kagami purposely wiggled her hips in Adrien's lap as the two rested against her sofa.

"That's fine," Marinette replied coldly. "But I don't think I need any of your help taking care of my husband."

Marinette pressed her lips together, instantly regretting the words as they came out of her mouth.

Marinette clenched her fists together, faintly hearing Adrien snoring soundly beneath Kagami.

"What did you say?" Kagami asked, slowly climbing off of Adrien's lap to glare at Marinette once more.

Marinette was close to crumbling, but she knew she couldn't go back now. She knew that Kagami wouldn't try anything, especially while Adrien was merely feet away from the two of them.

The female cleared her throat, her heart racing in her chest way too quickly for her to even keep up.

"I said not to worry," Marinette replied, her voice growing soft as she kept her gaze on Kagami. "I think I can take care of my husband just fine..."

Kagami's face only grew more and more grave, her cheeks flushing red as Marinette tauntingly sat beside Adrien, her fingertips lightly brushing the blonde locks away from his forehead.

"Are you on crack?" Kagami asked, her voice dropping to a whisper just as Adrien began to struggle with his consciousness.

The blonde furrowed his brow, a small groan escaping his lips as he began to fall in and out of his sleep cycle.

Marinette chuckled, her bottom lip catching between her teeth before eye glanced back at Kagami once more.

The young woman knew that she couldn't be caught dead with Kagami alone after tonight.

Kagami would certainly have Marinette's head on a stick if she wasn't careful, but Marinette had never felt so rivaled in her entire life.

Granted, she was being incredibly frivolous, but the current situation was essentially riveting.

Marinette had the upper hand this time, and she certainly wouldn't let Kagami corner her like she had last time.

Oh no, certainly not again.

"I think you need to leave..." Marinette sighed, slowly leaving Adrien behind to sleep peacefully on the sofa. "I don't need your help... I can take very very VERY great care of my husband."

Kagami shook her head, her arms crossing taut against her chest as she was beginning to lose her composure measure by measure and Marinette was living for it.

"What the fuck did you say to me?" Kagami asked, her freckled face scrunching as her words escaped from her lips sharply.

Marinette exhaled, the smug smile falling from her face immediately as she knew she was walking on thin eyes.

"I said get lost..." Marinette replied, her lips parting just as she could hear Adrien stand up behind her.