Bored.
Adrien was super bored.
His future-self said he would be gone all morning for a photoshoot, something that wasn't a surprise to know that he was still doing, so Present Adrien felt it was okay to share.
"I don't see why future-you still needs school when the modeling is obviously working." Plagg yawned as his kwami lounged in a square of sunlight near the balcony.
"It's not something I could rely on forever, Plagg," Adrien answered, staring at the idle intro screen to Mecha Strike III. Being more of a multiplayer franchise, he'd lost interest fairly quickly without any non-computer players to challenge. "Besides, there are more things in life than modeling." His thoughts drifted to his friends, finding himself once again wondering about their futures.
He was disappointed he hadn't seen any of them—like his brief run-in with Nathalie. But since he wasn't able to leave the apartment, it wasn't like he could run into them, and his future friends weren't going to just stop by when he wasn't home.
It was so much like his current home situation that it took a tremendous effort of willpower to break his usual habits and just transform to escape. He had a slew of entertainment to choose from: foosball, a selected assortment of anime and movies, plus a game system. And the apartment was large and spacious, but it still drove him crazy to be stuck inside.
And there were few places he could access. Aside from the living room, kitchen, up-stairs and guest room that he had slept in, he wasn't allowed in any of the other rooms—of which there were four. Present Adrien and his wife obviously slept in the master bedroom, and from what he had been told, there was an office and 'the mystery room.' His future-self claimed it was storage, but from the way he had quickly come up with that answer, it only made Adrien suspect that it was something else he couldn't see. The last one, he was simply told that he couldn't go in due to major future spoilers.
So while he limply draped himself over the couch, trying to come up with something entertaining, a robotic voice eventually spoke up from the TV and caused him to jump. "Incoming video call from Alix Kubdel."
Plagg groaned from his place in the sun. "Come on, can't a kwami get some shut-eye around here?"
"You'll just have to ignore it, Plagg." Adrien settled back against the couch with a sigh. "It's not like I can answer it."
As soon as he finished talking, the TV screen flipped on, and Adrien found himself staring at the same Alix that he had met back when Timetagger attacked. "Huh," she said with a smile. "Hey there, kitten."
"Uh…" Adien's wide eyes flicked between a surprised Plagg and the TV. "I didn't think I could do that."
Alix laughed and waved her hand. "Don't worry. The device just responded to your voice." She tilted her head and gave him what looked like a mischievous smile. "I thought I might be able to catch present-you by calling the apartment directly."
"Oh, sorry, he's still out," Adrien answered. He'd had the entire apartment to himself for the last few hours, aside from a surprise visit from Nathalie again. He didn't know why though, since she had asked him to hide in the guest room until she left. "Is there an emergency?"
Alix raised an eyebrow. "Nah. I would just transform if it was that bad. I wanted to let him know that I may have made a breakthrough in figuring out this time-line dilemma."
"You did?" Adrien straightened up at that. "So... Ladybug and I can go back to our own time now?"
"Well… Not necessarily." Alix frowned. "We've still got to find the akuma. That's your only ticket back home, because that's how it happened before." She crossed her arms over one another and pointed in opposite directions. "Fluff didn't sense anything because it turns out this is all just one big loop."
"Happened before?" Adrien repeated. "I thought Present-me said he didn't remember any of this happening at all?"
"Yeah, I've got a theory on that, and I had a few questions to run by adult-you just to make sure." Alix twirled a finger in the air, tracing out a circle. "But I did a little burrowing and managed to figure out that this is basically a self-fixing time-line."
"So, by 'burrowing,' do you mean you looked into the future?" he asked, intrigued.
Alix barked out a laugh. "If I could see the future, then we wouldn't be talking to each other." She leaned forward with a playful smirk. "Or would we?" Alix turned her head, waving her hand through the air and sighing. "Time stuff can be a major headache if you think about it too hard. That's why mini-bug entrusted me with Fluff, since I don't sweat over the details."
"Like the details of a self-fixing time-line?" Adrien grinned.
"Well, you can see that for yourself." She then winked at him, making Adrien pause. "But I'll explain all that to older-you later, because right now I gotta head out." She waved, giving him a big grin. "Don't have too much fun out there, kitten!" She then ended the call, the TV screen quickly turning black.
"Finally," Plagg mumbled sleepily, setting his head back down and closing his eyes. "Some peace and quiet."
Adrien ignored him, silent because Alix's words buzzed around in his mind like a riled up swarm of bees. "So, the time-line is self-fixing... and this has all happened before..." he mumbled.
"Whazzat?" Plagg snorted sleepily, his head jolting up.
Adrien smirked at Plagg as he stood and strolled closer to his kwami. "Alix said that the time-line was a loop, which means, even if our future-selves don't remember any of it, they've already gone through all of this. So if I want to transform and go out, it won't change what's happened in their past, because it's already happened before… Right?"
"Didn't future-you say not to leave?" Plagg moaned.
"He's worried that I might alter his future—err, my future. His present," Adrien pointed out. "But I get the feeling that Alix was trying to hint at something." He furrowed his brows, his curiosity growing with each passing second.
Plagg rolled over and let out a quick sigh. "She was just teasing you! We should definitely listen to future-you and stay put." He rubbed his paws over the plush carpet. "Sit back and relax. It's a much better idea than jumping around Paris."
"But what if it's important?" Adrien continued, tapping at his chin. "It could be something I need to do that she can't tell future-me."
"If she was trying to tell you something important, then she did a bad job of it." Plagg stuck out his tongue. "You don't even know what it is, if it's anything at all!"
"I'll be extra careful then." Adrien grinned while Plagg just let out another groan. "Besides, if I'm wrong, then I'll be quick, because there's a place I was curious to see."
"Why can't we just—" Plagg started, but Adrien had already made up his mind. Before his Kwami could continue to protest, he called out the transformation phrase and hopped out through the balcony.
It didn't take him long to reach the mansion, since the rooftops of Paris had not changed in the slightest. They had remained relatively the same after several hundred years, afterall, so it shouldn't have been a surprise that they were still familiar to him in only less than a decade.
His home seemed exactly the way it did in the past—or his present? Either way, when he landed on a nearby roof to peer over at his room, it didn't appear any different. Even the window that he rarely ever closed had been left open, though the place was dark with no one inside. Aside from looking bare of his belongings, it didn't seem as if anything had changed.
So Adrien extended his baton to jump across the street and dropped silently in through the window, his gaze shifting about once he was inside. His eyes eventually landed on the bed, and he was met with the curious sight of a pair of bags placed in the middle, the sheets slightly rumpled as if they had been laid on recently.
Before he could move closer to investigate, the bathroom door slid open, and his gaze whipped around as a woman stepped out. She yawned lazily, stretching her arms above her head with her eyes turned down. Adrien didn't dare move, as she hadn't noticed him yet. Maybe if he crept slowly to the side...
The movement must have caught her attention, because her gaze lifted.
"Back from your—" Her voice cut out as she let out a strangled sounding shriek, one that startled him enough that he jumped back to land on all fours, crouched in preparation to quickly spring away. But he was completely frozen, not really knowing what to say or do. He was obviously busted, even though he didn't know who this woman was or why she was in his old room.
In his panic, it took him a moment to understand the strange nagging at his thoughts. Even though he had assumed her to be a complete stranger, there were features he slowly began to recognize that were simply more... grown up. He took in her eyes, her face, the loose hair that hung over her shoulders...
That's when it hit him.
Marinette.
He had only seen her with her hair down once. No wonder it took a minute for him to recognize her!
His heart raced with both excitement and terror. He wasn't supposed to be here. He wasn't supposed to know anything about the future. But he couldn't help the thrill that rushed through him at seeing his friend all grown up.
"Umm... Chat Noir?" Her trembling voice pulled him out of his thoughts and rebooted his brain, and he hesitantly stood, stepping toward her carefully. He'd been too distracted to realize that she had collapsed to her knees against the floor, both hands tightly gripping the door frame for support.
"I... sorry," he mumbled quickly, realizing that he must have scared her. Marinette had always been easily spooked, so it looked like that hadn't changed a bit.
"What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be out like this," she exclaimed as he held out his hand for her to take. She glanced at his claws hesitantly before accepting it, and he helped pull her to her feet. When she straightened, his gaze automatically followed her movement, and he was surprised to find his head tilting back. She stood only slightly taller than him, if he pulled his cat ears straight and counted those, but it was still an incredibly weird feeling to look up to see Marinette in the eye!
"Uh... I was just... curious?" He shrugged awkwardly, before his smile dropped. "Wait!" He waved his hands quickly and pointed at her before she could say anything else. "What are you doing here?" He tilted his head as a curious grin grew over his face. "Do you live here now?"
Marinette blinked at him before she burst out laughing. "Oh, oh no! No. Not that it isn't a possibility." She winked before stepping around him to move to the bed, sighing as she sat down on top of the covers. "I wasn't feeling well, so Nathalie suggested I rest here."
"Huh." Adrien rubbed his chin, the gears spinning to fill in the blanks of what that meant. "So you work at m—uh, for Gabriel Agreste?"
Marinette's eyes widened as she seemed to hesitate. "I... probably shouldn't say much about that. You can't know about your future."
Another nagging sensation, until this one suddenly clicked. Marinette knew about him being from the past. "I thought it was weird you weren't questioning me being here." He pointed an accusatory claw at her. "You must know about the akuma! Does that mean you're—" A look of panic crossed her face "—Multimouse now? I mean, again, actually."
"O-on occasion." She smiled at him, tapping her fingers together as she let out a sigh. "Now that we all know our identities, it looks like I'm back on the team roster." She then waved her hands wildly. "Except now! Not now! I'm taking a bit of a break... so I don't have Mullo with me."
"So..." Adrien started, taking a slow step toward her. "You know who I am?" He pointed at himself. Another step. "Beneath the mask, I mean."
Her eyebrows drew together while she hesitated, but Marinette eventually appeared to relax and then nodded. "Yes, I know it's you, Adrien."
She knows. His heart pounded, an excited jolt traveling through his body like a playful, electric shock. Marinette knows!
Even though the secret was obviously out, Adrien still hesitated before he said, "Claws in."
The green glow surrounded him, and Plagg flew off above their heads, crossing his paws over his chest as his gaze moved silently between them.
"I guess... Is this okay then?" Adrien found his hand rubbing at the back of his neck instinctively. He mentally chided himself to stop that. Why was he nervous about being around Marinette? "Even though you already know, it feels good to share my identity like this." He added softly, "I don't really like secrets."
Marinette giggled and patted the bed sheets beside her. "I know." He scrambled to join her on the bed and sat next to her. "But you need to understand the importance of keeping your identity a secret in your time, even from your closest friends."
"Right," Adrien sighed sadly.
"There are a lot of complications behind that," Marinette continued. "But frankly, you would be in danger if you knew each others' identities." She placed a warm hand on his shoulder, and Adrien found himself leaning toward her. "So it may hurt, seeing all of what might be, but you just have to be patient. Answer the call, defeat Hawk Moth, and protect Paris."
"And Ladybug," Adrien answered, and Marinette patted his shoulder with a smile, which quickly faded when Marinette suddenly jerked to the side, her hand moving up to cover her mouth.
"Marinette?" Adrien reached toward her, but she flinched away, almost as if she were avoiding his touch. "What's wrong?"
"I'm... ugh..." She shifted her legs as if to move off the bed, and Adrien shot forward to grab her arm when she nearly collapsed. "C-camembert..." she managed to stammer out. "I forgot you used to carry it."
"Camembert?" He tried to make sense of that. Was it an allergy? He didn't remember Marinette having anything like that. So why was she…
Marinette suddenly tore out of his grip and stumbled to the floor, practically falling over the trash bin at the bedside.
"Should I get Nathalie? Or a doctor? She can get a doctor!" Adrien yelped, trying to keep the panic from his tone. Now was not the time to freak out.
"It's not that bad. I'm f-fine..." Marinette managed to say before leaning over the trash can again, her sides heaving.
"But you're not!" Adrien insisted.
"It's..." she pinched her nose and took a stuttering breath through her mouth. "The smell of your camembert," she mumbled. "It makes me nauseous."
"Oh!" Adrien scrambled away and called out, "Plagg!" He then pulled the hidden cheese out of his pocket and tossed it into the air. His kwami dove in and eagerly chomped it up.
Kneeling down by Marinette's side, his hands hovered over her back. "Is there something you can take?"
Her eyes lit up and her hand shook as she pointed toward the bed. "In the large bag... There should be something."
Adrien quickly jumped up and grabbed the bag sitting next to her purse. She hadn't specified to actually hand it over, so to help her more quickly, he opened it up to search inside without hesitation.
Unlike a normal purse, there were various assortments of snacks: crackers, pretzels, and even a pack of ginger tea. There were also some wristbands of some sort and... He dug deeper and pulled out a bottle of pills, unable to help it when he caught sight of the large print. The words registered in his brain, and he froze, forgetting for a moment his mission to help his good friend.
"Adrien?" Marinette's weak voice broke him from his stupor, and he shuffled over before holding the bottle of pills out to her.
"Will these... uh... Will these help?"
Marinette lifted her gaze, and her eyes widened when she saw the bottle in his hand.
"PregEase," she whispered quietly with a groan, but accepted the bottle from him with a soft, "Thank you," before looking down at the label.
"They're chewable," he offered helpfully, realizing she was trying to find the directions. "I saw it when I was... yeah."
Marinette quickly took a single pill, then leaned back against the side of the bed with a sigh, closing her eyes and covering them with one of her hands. A moment of quiet passed between them as he gave her a minute to recover, but also because he didn't know what to say. A million questions were fighting to the surface of his mind, and he wasn't sure that he could even ask any of them.
"Are you..." he finally started. "I mean, I don't want to be rude... But those pills...?" He glanced at the bottle still in her hand before looking back up at her. "Are you feeling better?"
Marinette chuckled softly, keeping her hand over her eyes. "I'm fine now, but I guess the secret's out."
"You're really pregnant?" Adrien asked dumbly, even though he was certain he already knew the answer, and Marinette nodded to confirm. "Huh…" He slumped down beside her, eyes forward and unfocused, his mouth hanging open slightly. "I guess you can't tell me who the father is?"
"Nope," Marinette replied. "Confidential information." She lifted her hand and gave him an understanding look. "I know you don't like secrets, so consider it a surprise instead."
"Well, then… uh, congratulations!" A wide grin broke out on his face at his genuine happiness for her, even though he felt an odd discomfort. Maybe he was worried, considering what had just happened. Marinette will make an amazing mother. "So my father knows?"
"Yes," Marinette said. "I'm actually spending the night here." She continued to explain before he could ask, "They found some black mold at the building I live in, so I tried staying with my parents, but I could smell everything. " She spread her hands out with a groan. "And the egg wash that my dad uses... Ugh, it was just making my morning sickness worse."
"And my father offered you a room here?" Adrien asked.
"Nathalie actually suggested it." Marinette shifted as if to stand, and Adrien jumped up before she could to offer her a hand. He helped her back onto the bed, where she settled with a sigh. "It was good timing. I had just been talking with Alya about finding a place, too."
Adrien's face lit up at the mention of Alya. He wanted to know how she was, and in turn, what Nino was up to. Instead, he rubbed his face and dropped to the bed beside her, groaning in frustration. "I just want to ask about everything, but I can't know anything!"
Marinette hummed softly, so he lifted his head. "I can at least tell you that they're doing fine." She smiled as he blinked at her. "Alya already has a job, of course, because who wouldn't want the girl that runs the Ladyblog on their reporting team?" Marinette chuckled. "She took an internship in university, earned enough credits for a degree, and landed a paying job before any of us. It's not the fanciest, but she'll be eligible for promotions and great opportunities down the line."
Adrien grinned widely. "What can you tell me about Nino?"
"Nino's still working on his degree, but he lives with her and DJs on the side."
"And you? What about you?" Adrien asked, even though he was certain he knew the answer. How could Marinette not get a job in the fashion industry with her design skills?
"I'm still in school." Marinette frowned and gave a light shrug. "I don't think I'll be able to return with the pregnancy though. It was unexpected, to be honest, but it's not like we didn't want any kids." She giggled and wove her fingers together over her stomach. "Just maybe not this soon."
Adrien frowned, feeling a bit uneasy. She hadn't given many details, but it didn't sound like an ideal situation. "What about a job? Don't you work for my father?"
Marinette leaned back on her arms and scrunched up her nose. "That's... a little complicated? He's already offered me a position, but it's not my first choice." Her eyes flicked to the side. "I'm still exploring my options, but we've decided I'll take things slow until the baby is born."
"But you're doing alright in the meantime?" Adrien asked.
"Like what?" Marinette tilted her head and gave him a quizzical look.
"Like... Your living situation?" He thought about the mold. Old, decrepit buildings had that trouble. He imagined a small room in an ancient, run-down complex. He might not have money concerns, but he was aware that rent costs in Paris were some of the highest in the world. "It's an okay place?"
"Oh!" Marinette laughed, a gentle sound that helped to settle his concern. "Don't worry! It's an old building, but it's well maintained. They just found a bit of trouble in the basement." She gave him a wink. "You actually helped me find it. It's just that the mold could come up through the vents, and we didn't want that happening. So while my doting husband was reluctant for me to leave, he's happy that the baby and I aren't in any danger."
Adrien let out a relieved sigh. "I'm glad to hear that. About everything! Especially that we're all still friends."
Marinette giggled softly as she gave him a side glance. "Very good friends."
Adrien smiled at her, and then his growling belly chose that moment to break into the conversation.
Marinette stifled her laughter beneath a hand. "Someone sounds hungry. Do you want me to ask Nathalie if she can bring us anything?"
"Oh! It's alright!" Adrien backed up off the bed, slightly embarrassed by his traitorous stomach. "I'm not supposed to be here anyway, I should probably leave."
"Nonsense!" Marinette yelped. "She knows about you, and we're already here."
Adrien eventually gave in, allowing Marinette a moment to text Nathalie, and it took all of two seconds for her to arrive. While she asked him what he would like, Adrien kept deferring to Marinette, and they finally decided on sandwiches; something light that was easy for Marinette to digest and didn't have a lot of strong smells that would set off her morning sickness.
Marinette convinced him to move out into the garden, where Nathalie found them on a bench when she brought out their food before leaving the two of them to enjoy their meals and fresh air. Though Marinette insisted that he could get whatever he wanted, he'd basically gotten the same thing as her to ensure that she wouldn't have another episode with her nausea.
"You didn't get any camembert?" Plagg whined when he took a whiff of Adrien's meal.
"It would make Marinette sick, so no." Adrien frowned at his kwami and picked up a wedge of mild cheddar, holding it out to him. He'd requested it for Plagg after Marinette had reassured him that only strong, stinky cheese like camembert was a trigger.
In the back of his mind, he felt something familiar stir, as if he were experiencing déjà vu, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Bleck." Plagg stuck out his tongue. "How can I eat something other than camembert?"
"I've seen you eat plenty of other things, Plagg," Marinette pointed out after taking a sip of her tea.
"Like what?" Plagg crossed his paws over his chest.
"Oh, like..." Marinette tapped her chin as she smiled mischievously. "Macarons?"
Plagg gasped and jabbed a paw at her. "You can't prove that!"
Marinette giggled while Adrien concentrated on that déjà vu feeling again, and he quickly realized why it had felt so familiar. His older-self had banned camembert from the apartment, which made sense if Marinette came to visit, as it wouldn't be good for her to get sick.
So we're both married, Adrien couldn't help but let his thoughts wander while Plagg shouted something beside him, though he wasn't paying much attention to the words. Marinette simply laughed, probably because Plagg had inhaled the cheddar despite all his complaining. And it was nice of my father to let her stay in my old room when she needed help.
"Are you gonna eat that?"
"Plagg." Adrien's voice was sharp as he turned to his kwami, realizing that he was bothering Marinette about the wedge of cheese on her own plate. She had specifically requested for Nathalie to bring it, along with a small bar of chocolate. "That's Marinette's food. Don't bother her."
"It's fine." Marinette picked it up off her plate and held it out for Plagg. "It sounded good, but these cravings can come and go. Just one of the many wonderful effects of pregnancy." Plagg snatched the cheddar out of Marinette's fingers without so much as a 'thank you' before wolfing it down.
"Do you have enough to eat?" Adrien eyed her plate warily. He couldn't help but notice that her sandwich had been half the size of his when Nathalie brought them out. He thought she might have been saving room for a second course, but Nathalie had yet to return. "You're eating for two, so I don't mind sharing mine."
Marinette laughed at that before quickly apologizing. "Too much food actually makes me nauseous. I eat smaller meals throughout the day to make up for it though." She tapped the bag that she had laid beneath their bench with her foot. "Nathalie also brought me a bunch of pregnancy-safe snacks to help. Don't worry, Adrien, I've got plenty."
Adrien glanced down, staring at the bag, the same one that contained the very helpful PregEase that had settled Marinette's nausea earlier. In his concern over his friend's health, he hadn't noticed at all how familiar it looked.
As a thought jolted to the surface of his mind, he swallowed his next bite of sandwich with difficulty, feeling as if it had suddenly gotten stuck. "Nathalie brought you all of that?"
Marinette hummed in answer, nodding after taking another small bite of her food. "It's kind of like a morning sickness survival kit. She wanted to make sure I had all the necessities."
His eyes shifted to the bag again, but that didn't change the way it looked. It was still the same pink fabric with floral designs.
"Is the sandwich okay?"
Adrien jumped in his seat, then turned to see Marinette watching him, a slight look of concern on her face. "What? Why?"
"You just... You look so serious right now."
"Oh!" A big grin suddenly spread across his face as he blinked at her before turning to his sandwich. "It's great!" And he took another bite to prove it, not at all to occupy his thoughts as they spiraled out of control, eliciting about ten million emotions at once. But it didn't work, because he could hardly keep his attention on his food with Marinette sitting so close to him.
Her bag sat idly by her foot, filled with supplies to help with her pregnancy symptoms. The very same bag that Nathalie had been bringing to 'someone else' that lived with his future-self.
A 'someone else' that was married to Present Adrien and couldn't go home because past-Adrien, whom they didn't want to reveal any future information to, was staying there.
And his father just happened to let Marinette sleep in his old room because she couldn't stay in her own apartment with her husband.
A loud rumbling shook the ground before he could get much further with those thoughts, not that he needed more to make the connection. It was just taking some time for him to wrap his head around the discovery.
Marinette jumped up from the bench beside him, the phone in her bag vibrating with what was most likely an akuma alert.
"That sounded close." Adrien stood up beside her, following Marinette's gaze to where a pillar of smoke drifted above the rooftops some distance away. A moment later, he called to Plagg, and Chat Noir stood beside her, ready to protect her from any danger.
He had intended to remain with Marinette, but the second he transformed, his baton beeped, and he pulled it out to open it up.
"Bad news guys!" Though she wore the mask of a superheroine, a woman he didn't recognize shouted through the screen from a video call. "There are two akuma out here! Yow!" The communicator went dark before he could process anything.
"Was that... Queen Bee?" Adrien asked as he turned to Marinette, who threw her hands up and slapped her forehead.
"You can receive All-Team Calls," she groaned. "Why not? There's just no keeping anything about your future hidden, is there?"
Adrien couldn't help his wince. She didn't realize how right she was.
The ground shook again as something exploded. It sounded as if the fight was moving closer. Adrien stepped in front of Marinette and grabbed her arm, gently tugging her forward. "Come on! You should get inside." She began moving along with him.
His baton beeped again, but he ignored it. No point in answering if the call wasn't meant for him. Marinette's eyes flicked to his weapon and she stopped, jerking him to a halt. "You should go."
"What?" Adrien yelped and whirled around to face her. "I can't just leave you here!"
"Two akuma at once isn't a normal occurrence," Marinette explained. "Which means that Foresight is most likely the second culprit."
"Oh." His tail lashed behind him. Of course, she made sense, but he still didn't want to go—not with what he had just discovered. He couldn't leave Marinette, his pregnant friend—his future wife—without any protection during an akuma attack.
"I'll be alright," Marinette assured him. "I'll stay safe in the mansion."
"Marinette, I…" She was right, but his feet refused to move. What if this was what Alix was hinting at before? Maybe he was supposed to be here to help her.
"Ladybug will be there," Marinette said confidently as she knelt down in front of him and laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "And she needs her Chat Noir with her."
Adrien's heart jolted from surprise, before his expression softened into a gentle smile. Of course Marinette knew how important his partner was to him, regardless of what their relationship was. His ears lowered from a slight twinge of guilt that crept through the warmth as he shifted his feet slowly to back away.
"Get Nathalie to activate the security system," Adrien commanded. He took a step backward, but he didn't leave, keeping his gaze fixed on Marinette.
She nodded, turning to go, but she hadn't moved far before he called out, "Marinette!" He paused as she faced him again, his hand reaching toward her and hovering hesitantly in the air as whatever words he had planned to say left him.
Too many thoughts swarmed his mind to focus on just a single one, still reeling slightly from the discovery that he had made. It gave way to something warring within him, he just couldn't completely understand what.
"Please, be careful…" he eventually whispered.
"I will, cha—" Marinette's warm smile strangely faltered, then she bit at her bottom lip, her eyes widening slightly in surprise, almost looking panicked. "Chat. Not—Yes. Chat Noir. I promise." She giggled nervously. "I'll be safe inside."
He stood there, rooted to the spot, his heart beating faster than it ever had when he was jumping around the city and fighting an akuma. The weight didn't lift from him until she turned to smile back one last time. Then the doors shut tight behind her, and Marinette was safely inside.
He finally turned away. There was no more reason for him to dwell.
There was an akuma he needed to find.