Saying that Marinette was surprised to wake up in her old bedroom years after moving out would be too weak of a word.

But saying that she was surprised to wake up naked, curled up against something warm that was most likely a man, would be the understatement of the year.

And then the previous night came back to mind.

How overwhelmed she had felt with Gabriel Agreste scolding her like a child in front of the entire team.

How Chat had somehow known where to find her, that she needed him.

How she had felt when he had showered her with kind and supportive words, holding her through her meltdown.

How much she had wanted to kiss him then, to show him how much she loved (where did that even come from?) him, how much he meant to her.

And how right it had felt to press her lips to his. How it had felt to push herself against him, taking in every single gasp, every single moan she could pull out of him.

The feeling of him inside her, making love to her in sweet surrender.

Cheeks ablaze, Marinette rolled on her side, careful of avoiding looking at the face of the sleeping Adonis beside her. The blanket rolled with her, and she caught a glimpse of a well-defined hip bone framing what couldn't be called anything short from a six-pack.

Her kitty was muscular.

Chasing impure thoughts from her mind, Marinette sauntered out of the bed and searched for her clothes. It wouldn't do for her mother to find discarded clothes in the bedroom her daughter had vacated years prior.

Once she was properly clothed, she grabbed a forgotten notepad on her old desk and quickly scribbled,

"Cinderella had to leave before the Prince met the Pumpkin.

XXX

Yours

P.S. I haven't looked. Your secret's still safe."

There.

Cryptic enough that if her parents were to find it, it wouldn't give anything away, but clear enough to convey a clear message to him.

She wasn't fleeing.

She wasn't regretting their night.

She was only protecting their identities. Doing what had to be done.

Seconds later, she was out the skylight, leaving a sound asleep Chat Noir behind her.

Things only got busier and more hectic from there.

Gabriel Agreste managed to akumatize at least one employee every day, only adding to her incredibly already full plate. He kept sprouting unrealistic deadlines on her team and getting mad when they weren't met.

Work was nothing short from her own personal hell.

Every minute was dedicated to Gabriel's latest whim, and tardiness wasn't tolerated, making her double life even more complicated than it was, to begin with.

But she had Adrien on her side.

Adrien, who was acting a little bit strange lately, but who was keeping close tabs on her. He was bringing her lunch whenever she failed to eat, was insisting she clocked out at a decent hour, was quietly cheering her on when a deadline was looming over her.

He was being perfect.

And then there was Chat Noir.

Their night together was constantly on her mind, taunting her, and they had yet to talk about it again. But he was always there, comforting her, helping her, supporting her through her hectic life.

And she only loved him more for it.

Weeks passed at the same dizzying pace. Marinette somehow managed to pull through it, with her friends supporting her so actively.

Her mind was still hung onto that night with Chat Noir.

Neither of them had broached the touchy topic yet, and it still hung uncomfortably between them.

But she constantly replayed that night in her thoughts, in her dreams, in her fantasies. She was missing his touch, the way his lips had all but worshipped her skin.

She missed him.

It had been almost a month.

Nearly a month, and she couldn't shake those feelings away.

That she needed him.

Wanted him.

A sharp knock on her office door startled her out of her grim thoughts, and she looked up only to be met with Adrien's caring smile. "My little finger told me someone is long overdue for lunch," he said, grinning as he held up a paper bag. "Are you hungry?"

Marinette smiled, "I'm famished," she said. "You're an angel."

He chuckled, walking up to her. "I'm just trying to be a good friend to a dear friend of mine."

True, she had felt weak and dizzy all day, and her morning coffee had given a bad bout of nausea, so a proper lunch was more than welcome. And Adrien had a certain flair to pick up her favourites almost every time, making her mouth watering unwillingly.

"I honestly don't know what I'd do without you," she said as she stood up, wanting to meet him midway. Having been sitting for a good majority of the morning, she felt taking the moment to walk could do her some good. Offer a good stretch for her body and legs.

What she hadn't expected, though, was that her legs would refuse to cooperate.

It was odd. Everything felt like it fell into slow motion. Though it no doubt was different in Adrien's eyes.

Since that morning, everything had felt fine other than lingering nausea and light head feeling. No reason to worry about minor discomfort.

Reaching her hand out to grip the side of her desk, her fingers grazed the edge as her body began to lean to one side. Her knees gave out under her as she felt her own body lose control. Never once had she thought that a fall could act so slowly.

Body twisting towards her side, her gaze fell onto Adrien's. Blue met worried green, his face contorting to a mix of shock and mild horror.

The colours of her office, the lights on the ceiling, and bare open windows spinning around her until it blurred. The only solidness being Adrien in front of her, like tunnel vision where everything else in the background moved fast paced.

Seeing small faded spots poking in the corners of her vision, she watched helplessly as her body continued on its own trajectory while Adrien dropped the bag of food.

By the time her knees made contact with the floor and her vision faded to a near black, Adrien slid to her side. He caught her in his arms before her head could meet the checkered pattern carpet.

"MARI!" Adrien shouted as he cradled her in his arms. Her head rested against the bicep of his arm as her gaze slowly regained consciousness, taking in the blurred view of her best friend's frantic expression. She was faintly aware of warm fingers brushing her bangs aside, of green eyes scanning her face intently.

The young man lifted her like she was barely weighing a thing and placed her in the office chair. She could see he was talking, the words refused to compute in her brain. When she failed to respond to the words he spoke, having heard them but couldn't make sense out of them, Adrien frowned and pulled out his phone.

"Almost passed out. Can't or won't talk. Conscious, yes. Yes, her eyes move. She doesn't seem to be in pain, Mari, does anything hurt?"

Did anything hurt?

Not really. It was more like being wrapped in a warm, fuzzy blanket on a scorching day. With what little strength she had left, Marinette shook her head, prompting a relieved sigh from her friend.

"Marinette," Adrien said slowly, "my doctor is on his way. Do you need anything? When is the last time you've eaten?"

Her blank stare did nothing to comfort him. "Okay, here," he said, holding up the bag he had brought with him, "take a sandwich. Eat it slowly, alright?"

A sharp knock on the open door startled them, and Adrien got back up to walk up to the newcomer. "Dr. Thompson, thank you for coming this fast."

"It's no problem, Adrien," the woman said with a smile. "This is my patient?"

Adrien smiled, worry dripping through his expression. "She is. I fear she hasn't been eating properly lately."

"I see," Dr. Thompson replied. "Adrien, would you mind stepping out for a minute? I'd like to talk with my patient one-on-one."

Adrien's lips tightened, but he nodded and exited the room without a word.

Dr. Thompson turned to Marinette. "Now, what is it I hear about eating problems? You're not making yourself throw up, aren't you?"

Marinette shook her head weakly. "No need. Just not hungry."

"Not hungry, or nauseated?"

Marinette groaned as her upset stomach decided to make himself known. "Nausea. And I keep feeling dizzy."

The doctor marked a pause and produced a small pot with a white lid. "Would you be kind enough to pee in this? I have a theory I'd like to test."

With furrowed brows, Marinette slowly got up from her chair and took the offered pot. Walking to the bathroom and peeing on command proved to be more difficult than she had previously thought, but in the end, she managed to bring back a decent urine sample to the doctor.

Dr. Thompson smiled at her warmly and unwrapped a plastic white stick that she dipped into the pot. Within a minute, two parallel lines were on the stick, clear as day.

"Just as I suspected. Explains the dizzy spell and the nausea, you'll really have to be careful about your alimentation from now on. You'll also need to come to my office for more extensive tests. Do you have a rough idea of the conception date?"

"...conception… What are you saying? Was that a…" Marinette trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

Dr. Thompson seemed to pick up on her uneasiness, because she smiled again, saying softly. "Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, you are pregnant."

Right on cue, Adrien came back, knocking on the door. Marinette didn't have time to properly process the words that had been just dropped on her and was sitting there with her mouth agape like a fish out of water.

"Good news, Marinette," Adrien said as he walked up to her, "I talked to Adam and you're getting the rest of the day off to rest. He'll lessen your workload too so that we don't get a repeat of today."

Dr. Thompson nodded. "I think it's a good idea." She handed her business card to Marinette, a kind smile gracing her lips. "Call me if you need anything, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. As a close friend of Adrien, it'll be my pleasure to take care of you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a class in ten minutes."

"Thanks again, Dr. Thompson," Adrien said as he escorted her to the door.

She turned to him on the threshold, grabbing his shoulder. "Keep an eye on her for me, will you?"

Further worry began etching across his face from hearing those words from the doctor. "Is-is she going to be alright. This is the first time I've ever seen her collapse."

The doctor offered him kind and warm smile. "She'll be fine, Adrien. I just need you to make sure she doesn't overexert herself any further than what she's been doing. I'll have to meet with her later and discuss further with her, I'd like to make sure she's taking care of herself until then. Alright?"

"I will," Adrien assured, casting a worried glance toward Marinette. She could almost see the questions racing through his mind, the concern for his dear friend seeping through the cracks of his composed facade.

As soon as the door closed behind her, he spun on the ball of his feet, rushing to Marinette. "Mari? What did the doctor say? Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

Despite everything, Marinette couldn't help but giggle. That man was truly a dork. "Adrien, you're making me dizzy. Slow down, please."

He pouted but backed off slightly. "I'm sorry. You just got me worried."

"You're a real mother hen, Adrien," she said, smiling at her friend fondly.

Adrien had a nervous smile, "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, of course not," Marinette replied with a giggle.

"Well then, I'm taking you home," he said, standing up.

Marinette tried to get up, but her legs gave out under her again. She really would have to watch her calorie intake more carefully if she wanted to survive the next few months.

Pregnant.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'll just call a cab."

"Yes. When you can barely stand on your own, let alone walk," he snorted. "Stop arguing, I'm taking you home."

Pregnant.

That was the only word playing on and on in her head as Adrien carried her to his car under the curious stares of their colleagues.

Pregnant.

As he settled her on the front seat of his car, his motions caring and gentle.

Pregnant.

The word haunted her as he carried her to her apartment, ignoring her pleas that she could walk on her own now.

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

Pregnant.

As he left her on her own, alone in her apartment, staring blankly at the wall in front of her.

A question remained:

How would she tell Chat Noir?