A/N: This can be read as a stand-alone one-shot. however, if you're curious as to how Ladybug and Chat Noir got...carried away before this, you can go read my other story Heightened Senses, which can be read as a sort of prequel to this. However, one major difference from that leading into this one: they did not actually reveal their identities during the incident. Enjoy!

"Tikki, this is ridiculous, I'm not pregnant." Marinette's statement came out in a quiet hiss from where she sat huddled in the bathroom stall.

None of her fellow university students were in there at the moment, so Tikki flew out of her purse. "Better to take a test and be sure, right Marinette?"

Marinette grumbled, determined to keep her gaze away from the test that sat innocently on the closed receptacle on the wall.

Sure, her period was over a week late, but even while she'd been on the birth control pill she was taking, it varied.

Sure, it had never been this late, but that didn't mean she was pregnant, for goodness sake!

Plus, it had only been that one time…

Marinette's mind drifted off, an unconscious smile flitting across her face as she remembered getting trapped with Chat Noir in an akuma's bubble a month earlier. It had had a strengthening effect on their senses, which built up the tension between them until neither one could hold back. One confession from her that she had been suppressing her own feelings for him had led to the release of that tension. Thankfully, they both had kept their sense of duty in perspective just enough to hide their identities from one another. The akumatized villain had lost track of them when they'd fallen into one of their many trap bubbles, thank goodness, and they'd been released an hour later when Hawk Moth had given up after no heroes had shown up.

Marinette was pulled back to the present by the alarm on her phone loudly proclaiming the end of the three minutes. She glared at the phone, still avoiding glancing over. She was on the pill, damn it, and she never missed a day! Knowing she was protected had been one of the reasons she had allowed herself to give in during the moment.

With a frustrated sigh, she twisted her head to look at the result.

The sigh that followed was one of relief. One line meant negative.

"See, Tikki, I told you. Not pregnant."

The Kwami just looked at her in confusion. "But Marinette, there are two lines."

Marinette snatched the test, her heartbeat kicking up a notch. "No, there's just the one. Wait–" She squinted in the dim bathroom lighting. "–no, that one's too faint, doesn't that still mean negative?"

"No, Marinette. A second line means positive, no matter how faint."

Marinette glared at her. "How do you even know that?"

Tikki smiled softly at her holder. "I'm the Kwami of Creation, I know everything there is to know about it."

Marinette groaned, dropping her face into her hands, and then let out a yell of frustration that she barely kept muffled.

With her mouth still squished against her hand, she said, "This is your fault, then, isn't it? That my birth control failed?"

Tikki landed on her head. "I suppose you could say that. If you don't take it at the same time each day, it usually doesn't make a big difference. As my holder, however, it gets a bit trickier to prevent."

"And you didn't tell me this because…"

Marinette looked up to see a contrite look cross over the Kwami's face. "I may have exaggerated when I said I knew everything. I read up on your more modern science regarding it when I figured out that you were expecting."

Another alarm went off on Marinette's phone, and she glanced down in a panic. "Shoot, I'm going to be late for class." Making the decision to think about what it all meant for her later, she grabbed the test from the floor and darted out of the stall, washing her hands and leaving the room at a run.

Unfortunately, she didn't notice someone just outside the bathroom door, and her speed caused her to crash into them, sending them both to the floor. She looked over to see Adrien Agreste righting himself and reaching down to help her.

Though she once had a debilitating crush on the boy – well, man, now – after Chat Noir had begun overtaking her heart, she found herself finally able to interact with Adrien as a normal human being. She ended up glad that he wound up at the same University as her, and they had become quite close friends.

She took his hand. "Ah, sorry Adrien, didn't mean to run you over."

He waved her apology away paired with a quick smile. Her heart stuttered just once – fine, so her crush wasn't completely gone, okay? – and then continued at its normal pace.

Adrien leaned down. "Here, you dropped–" He stopped part way to the floor, and Marinette followed his gaze to where she only just noticed her pregnancy test had fallen from her hands. She groaned, reaching down past his frozen arm to pick up the test.

Her movement apparently restarted his own and he stood back up, surprise lifting his eyebrows. "Are you–is that–" He glanced around before moving in closer, his voice growing quiet as he apparently became aware that there were other students milling about. "Marinette, are you pregnant?"

Marinette sighed, glancing at her phone again. Yeah, this warranted skipping her Economics class. Since she couldn't keep this a secret for even two damn minutes, she might as well get the advice of one of her closest friends. She tilted her face back up to look Adrien in the eyes. "Yeah, I guess so. I just found out."

His face lightened slightly, the confusion disappearing. "Wait, is this your mystery crush? Did you guys get together and you didn't tell me? Or, wait–" His expression fell slightly as his eyes darted to the bathroom. "I thought I heard a scream, is this not a congratulations-type moment? Are you okay? Hold on–" Now his face darkened, his hands coming up to rest on her arms protectively. "Did something happen to you?"

Marinette couldn't help but let out a soft laugh at how fast he moved through the possibilities. She felt grateful to have him there with her at the moment, and had to hold back a tear from escaping at his thoughtfulness. "I'm fine, Adrien. I mean, I don't know yet if I'm fine, but it was fine," she waved vaguely behind her, "nothing untoward happened, I mean." She nearly laughed at the strangeness of referencing her having sex as being fine with Adrien. They really had come a long way.

Adrien dropped his hands from her, the relief clear. "Okay, good. You had me worried there for a minute. So, you're not okay? Do you want to talk it through?"

"I feel bad, don't you have class?"

He waved her off. "It's fine, I'll make it up. Here, let's find a better spot."

Marinette followed him into another part of the building, and they sat in a more isolated area with a few comfortable chairs.

Adrien watched her with concerned eyes. "So, what are you going to do?"

Marinette snorted slightly. "I literally just found out, so I have no clue."

"How can I help?"

She stared at him for a few seconds, contemplating. She'd told Adrien in the past some about her mystery crush, though she had never revealed him as Chat Noir, of course. She tapped her leg with her finger, wondering if she could reveal this part of her life to him. Not that she was Ladybug, of course. But no one in the public knew that Ladybug and Chat Noir had been trapped together during that akuma fight. Perhaps, if she swore him to silence, it could be nice to have a friend help her through this. Alya was busy with her own studies elsewhere, after all.

She finally let out a breath. "Okay. So, do you remember one akuma from a while back? The one that trapped a lot of people in bubbles?"

Adrien's face remained neutral as he nodded, though his eyes seemed to go distant for a split second. "Yeah, sure."

Marinette continued. "I sorta got caught in one."

"With…?" Adrien's prompt was followed by a slight smile as he read her face.

"Yeah, okay, you were right. My mystery crush."

Adrien grinned. "Did you finally confess?"

Marinette couldn't keep the smile back then. "Ugh yes, I did, and he did too, it was great, yada yada. Anyway, there's a problem."

Adrien's grin began to fade. "What is it? Did you guys not get together?"

Sadness tinted her next words. "It's… complicated." She thought back to her discussion with Chat after she had let things become messy in that bubble.

"We can't be together yet, Chaton. We need to stay focused."

He'd been disappointed, but they'd both agreed.

And now here she was, pregnant with his child, tangled in an even bigger mess.

She cleared her throat, coming back to the present. She could tell Adrien half of it, at least. There was enough complication in that alone. "I'm going to tell you, but you have to promise to keep it a secret."

Affecting a grave expression, Adrien crossed his heart with his finger.

Marinette snorted. "I'm serious, Adrien."

Adrien smiled again before growing serious himself. "Of course, Marinette, I would never reveal your secrets."

She eyed him before letting out a breath. "It's Chat Noir."

His reaction wasn't quite what she had expected. Adrien's brows knitted together in confusion. "That…can't be right."

Marinette crossed her arms and sat back, feeling put out. She hadn't expected him not to believe her. "What, is it too hard to believe someone like Chat Noir would like someone like me?"

"—no, that's not what I meant. I— you said… wait—you…"

The transformation on his face was puzzling for Marinette to watch. His eyes widened as he went speechless, staring at her in silence. Then, a strange fire began to light behind his eyes, and something like awe took over, his mouth parting slightly. "You're…" Finally, his gaze dropped to her stomach, his words full of emotion. "You're…pregnant."

Marinette plucked off her sandal and promptly threw it at his head. Of course he managed to catch it. "Seriously, Agreste? That was like, the first revelation in this whole thing. Can you please catch up?" She felt slightly embarrassed by his reaction. "I'm still just Marinette. That doesn't change just because I'm pregnant with a super hero's baby."

"Uh…" Adrien looked thrown again for a second, his eyes glazing as pink lightened his cheeks. Embarrassed, she figured. "Just Marinette, right."

"You don't have to say it quite like that," she grumbled, reminding herself to get back on track after all of whatever that whole train wreck had been going on with Adrien.

She cleared her throat pointedly. "Anyway, if you've remembered what we were talking about, you can see why this complicates things."

Adrien seemed to drag himself back to the present, finally. "Yeah, okay, that does…seem complicated." Now, why the man looked excited by that, she had no idea.

Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to loop him in.

He leaned forward again, eyes intense. "What are you going to do?"

Marinette wanted to throw her other shoe at him.

She refrained. Barely.

"Adrien, I thought I went over the fact that I don't know yet, because two seconds after I discovered it I ran into you. Apparently you must have hurt your head in the fall. Perhaps we need to take you to the nurse."

Adrien snorted out a laugh, dropping his face into his hand, which didn't come close to concealing the look of affection he aimed at her.

Friendly affection, Marinette firmly told herself.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. I'm doing terribly at this. Can I try again?" His serious expression returned. "So, Chat Noir is your mystery crush. I'm guessing his secret identity is the major complication, then. Unless…do you know who he is? You don't have to tell me, of course."

She did admire his restraint from asking to be let in on it. Not that she knew, however. "No, I don't know who he is. That's why we didn't get together afterwards. I don't want to be a weakness for him." It was close enough to the truth that she didn't feel bad lying.

Adrien frowned at that. "But, now you're pregnant."

She sighed, looking down into her lap. "Now I'm pregnant."

They were quiet for a minute or so before Adrien asked quietly, "Will you keep the baby?"

Marinette didn't respond right away. "It's still early, it might not even…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, surprised at the sadness that filled her at the thought of losing the baby so early. She looked up, not expecting to see her own pain mirrored on his face.

Adrien always held such empathy for his friends. She felt grateful for him once again.

He cleared his throat. "Do you want to be a mom, Marinette?"

She thought about the question. In the past when she was younger, she had thought about it quite often, about having kids with the man sitting in front of her, a fact that she tried to suppress at that moment. Ever since her feelings had grown for Chat Noir, future hopes for things like marriage and children had mostly been pushed to the side, knowing as she had that anything more would need to wait until they defeated Hawkmoth.

Still, the image of seeing Chat Noir with their child on his hip had been one that had slipped through on occasion.

Marinette smiled slightly as she stared at her hands. "I used to dream about it, when I was younger. I always have wanted kids, eventually. But…now?" Her smile fell. "The timing is terrible."

Could she even remain as Ladybug for long? Less importantly, she was still working on her degree; could she still handle that while pregnant? Or later, with a newborn?

Adrien's voice broke through her thoughts, "Is there any way that he could help support you in this?"

She had to admit, the thought was very enticing. If Chat knew, he could help with the baby. She knew that he would. Her face warmed at the thought. Chat was always so good with kids.

But how could they have a baby together while still fighting Hawkmoth? While still protecting their identities? It didn't feel possible.

The sadness and disappointment hit her harder than she would have expected. She didn't realize a few tears had escaped until she felt Adrien nudge her over in her seat as he sat and pulled her into his arms. "Hey," he said, his words soft, "talk to me. What's going through your head?"

She just slowly shook her head, the tears falling more rapidly now, falling onto Adrien's shoulder. Finally, sniffling, she managed to speak again. "I want this baby, Adrien. But I don't know how to make it work. He might…he might have to give up his miraculous. I can't ask him to do that."

His arms tightened around her.

Then he moved back, meeting her eyes. "You said you confessed earlier, right? Does he love you?" Something intense was simmering within his gaze as he waited for her to answer.

"I think so."

"Don't you think that if he loves you, and knew you were having his child, that he would do anything to be there for you both? To have the chance to be a family?"

She hesitated. Though Adrien made the answer sound obvious, the truth was, she didn't know. Though she knew who Chat Noir was more than anyone else, she still didn't know all of him. She only had half the picture. And the half she knew loved being Chat Noir, loved being free, loved to protect the citizens of Paris.

She didn't want to take that away from him.

"I… don't know." Adrien's face fell at her response, and she felt a twinge of regret for disappointing him. She knew he was just trying to help her out. "I'm not saying he wouldn't, but I don't know his identity. He…really loves being Chat Noir."

Adrien looked like he wanted to argue with her, but shut his mouth. He seemed to become aware that he was still in her seat, and he slowly moved back to his own across from her. "I think you should talk with him about it." He straightened up slightly. "What would you say to him if he was here?"

She let out a long breath. "I don't think I can talk it through that much just yet, Adrien. There are other…complications." It wouldn't be a smart thing to talk through. She was having enough trouble as it was, and couldn't risk revealing she was also Ladybug in this situation.

Across from her, Adrien became still. "What if…what if I knew the complications?"

A sigh left Marinette's lips. "I can't tell you, Adrien, I'm sorry."

He shook his head, undeterred as he met her gaze, resolve firming up behind his eyes. "What if I knew who you were… my lady."

Marinette panicked for a second. Had she done something to reveal her identity? Her first instinct was to play dumb. "Adrien, I don't know what…you…" Her eyes widened as she finally realized what he said, connecting the dots. "…oh—" The word left her mouth in a soft gasp.

Adrien had called her my lady. He not only knew she was Ladybug, he…

…He was…

"It's you?" She whispered.

He grimaced apologetically before his mouth lifted in a smile. "…It's me."

Adrien was Chat Noir.

Tentatively, Marinette reached between them, her fingers curling to caress the side of his face. She gently traced around his eyes, imagining the mask that hid his identity, along with the magic of the glamour. "Chat Noir." Her whisper floated through the air between them, a name that connected the man sitting across from her, who she'd once loved years ago, with her partner, the man she'd loved in the years since. Marinette couldn't stop the smile from peeking through her tears. "Chat, I'm pregnant."

Adrien let out a laugh as he leaned his forehead down on hers, his eyes shining. "You need to catch up, Marinette, you're about five revelations behind."

She laughed once, and then her breathing hitched as the reality of the situation fell around her. Her face dropped with the weight of it, and she couldn't keep back the tears laced with panic. "Adrien, this is my fault. I shouldn't have told you, you can't give up your miraculous."

"Hey, hey, now hold on." Once again, Adrien was back in her chair with her, holding her close. "Let me make something super clear. I love you. I love you, Marinette. I have for a long while, and that was before I found out you were also my best friend outside of the mask."

Threads of happiness pierced through her panic at his words. It was the first time she heard the words from him. The month prior, they had admitted to having mutual feelings for one another, but that's where they'd stopped once they decided nothing else could happen.

Adrien kept going, "Yes, I love being Chat Noir. But I would give it up in a heartbeat, if it meant you and I got to raise this baby together, if that's what you want."

The threads grew, tearing whole pieces away from the swirl of worry within her.

"Maybe we have other options outside of giving up our miraculous' or giving up this baby. I'm not the guardian, I can't make that decision. But you can. Is there another way?"

Marinette drew in air and released it in several deep breaths, as she felt her panic finally disappear.

She was Ladybug; she was good at handling a crisis. This definitely qualified.

She reached down, bringing her bag up from the floor onto her lap. She glanced around the room, and once she was satisfied by the lack of people, she opened the zipper. "Tikki, can I remain as Ladybug while pregnant?"

The Kwami peeked up from inside the bag. "I can protect you and the baby as long as you're transformed. The main risk comes from if you were to detransform somewhere unexpectedly. I can't protect you then."

She traded glances with Adrien. By the grim set of his mouth, he didn't seem to like that. She, however, wasn't as bothered. "My transformation no longer runs out five minutes after my lucky charm. Plus, there's really no difference there between whether I'm pregnant or not. I could still get hurt anyway. I haven't had any major injuries yet." Adrien still looked unhappy. She hesitated. "Would you be able to handle that, if I continued as Ladybug?"

He stared down at their knees, his hand moving to brush against her bare knee. "I'm not sure I won't be worried about you. It could be…difficult, watching you fight." He let out a frustrated breath. "But that's a me problem. You're right, you've never been hurt before. We've always risked ourselves going out to fight. It's part of the job."

Marinette took his hand in hers and squeezed. "It's not a you problem; we're partners, and it's important that we're on the same page. Maybe we should take that day by day, then, to see how it goes. With a back-up plan, of course."

Adrien lifted his head again, a determined set to his mouth. "I can handle that."

"The main issue is that now we know each other's identity."

"Is that really such a bad thing, though?"

"Only if one of us is caught or akumatized."

They both went quiet after that.

The scenarios ran through Marinette's mind as she contemplated them.

Eventually, she spoke again. "I think…I think we should both have backup holders the other doesn't know the identity of, just in case. If Hawkmoth does discover our identities, or akumatizes one of us, we will need to hand our miraculous' over quickly, if possible."

Adrien nodded. "That makes sense."

"I also think we should bring more of the team back on a regular basis. The more help we have, the less risk."

"Of course." There was a growing excitement in his expression.

Marinette felt the need to temper his expectations, even as a ball of warmth began filling her own heart as well. "We still will have more to figure out, there's a lot to unpack." He nodded. "And it is still early, don't forget! Nothing may come of it all." His smile began to break through like the first rays of a sunrise.

His hand rose up to cup her face, his fingers threading through her hair behind her ear. "But if it does, you're saying you want this baby?"

Marinette's mouth quirked up, the happiness he was suddenly exuding cresting over her, bringing her along with it. "Yeah, I think so."

"Marinette," he said, his voice like a prayer as he looked at her in awe, "my lady, we're having a baby."

She giggled. "We are."

Adrien kissed her.

A/N: Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you feel like it, they really help me :) Feel free to check out Heightened Senses if you want to see exactly how they got...carried away before this whole scene.