A/N: Couple trigger warnings: brief mentions of past abuse (verbal), vague suicidal ideations

The sound of dripping water was the only thing Shadybug could hear as she lay curled up on the floor of the abandoned house.

She'd been bluffing of course, when she had told Chat Noir she was returning to her universe. She couldn't leave; she didn't have the power to get back on her own.

Instead, she'd come back to her only other refuge and planned to wait until Bunnilark realized it was time for her to go.

After fruitless yelling at the ceiling in the hopes the damn rabbit would appear and put her out of her misery, Shadybug ended up smashing a hole in the brittle drywall with her fist and sliding to the floor, feeling like everything was crashing down around her.

She'd been a fool to drag Adrien into her life.

The pull had been too strong to resist. She'd had nothing of value to call her own her whole life – even her miraculous had been given to her with stipulations. So when Adrien had appeared, wanting her for some idiotic reason, she hadn't been able to keep away, hadn't been able to resist the illusion that she deserved the foreign happiness that being with him brought her.

She'd rationalized it to herself, thinking she might have a purpose with him, a way to be useful for once. In exchange for the inexplicable contentment he gave her, she could protect the blond from those around him that would hurt him or take advantage of him.

When really, it was herself he'd needed protection from.

Her feelings for him had taken root from early on and had continued to grow, weaving through every piece of her as he'd tried over and over to get to know her, to get past the mask she wore.

He didn't know there was nothing of worth underneath.

If Shadybug had known her treacherous feelings were growing into a cage around him, she would have cut them out from the beginning.

Because he could have anyone he wanted. The man was sweet, kind, thoughtful, not to mention sexy as hell; he would be able to find a nice, good girl to settle down with – someone without a whole fuckton of problems.

Someone like the Marinette Dupain-Cheng of this world.

Which was why she had to leave. Immediately. Before he found out about…

About the baby.

If Sunshine found out, he'd fall on his own sword in a heartbeat. She couldn't let that happen. He had his whole life in front of him.

But fuck, what was she going to do with a baby?

Some small piece of her tried to claw itself to the surface, wanting to see it as a hope for the future, a possibility to be better, to provide a more loving situation for someone who needed her.

To be different from her own parents.

Shady smothered the flame of hope. She couldn't even take care of herself, let alone a tiny innocent child. She didn't know how to be a mother — didn't have a stable life.

Shady slumped to the side, laying on the floor with her arms wrapped around her middle as her options dwindled in her mind.

God, she was pathetic. No friends, verbally abusive parents, a nonexistent life outside of the mask, and she'd misused the one thing she was good at to fight for the wrong side for years.

She really did need to hand herself over and be done with it.

Shady hunched into a ball, spiraling as she alternated between berating herself and panicking. Her breathing became ragged, tears leaking out and dripping down to the musty floorboards.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that before a popping noise split the silence, the smell of ozone prickling her nose.

Resignation filled her as she realized that Bunnilark had indeed come back for her. Shady opened her eyes in a squint to take in the portal that was in the process of widening in the middle of the room.

A man in a spiked leather suit and a lopsided green mohawk stepped through the shimmering rectangle.

Claw Noir's purple eyes darted around the room before spotting her on the floor. His arms crossed as he looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Have I interrupted your nap, Shady McShade?"

Shadybug groaned in irritation as she dragged herself into a sitting position. "Fucking hell, Claw. What are you doing here?"

"A little bug told me I was needed." The man frowned at her. "Not the warm reception I was expecting. Where's my, 'Claw Noir, I haven't seen you in months!' Or, 'Oh Claw, you look so much more dashing than I remember!'"

Shadybug held onto her irritation, despite the relief that seeped through her at seeing him and hearing his familiar banter. "Why would I need you, you insufferable fleabag?"

The languid mirth dropped from Claw's expression like a stone as he focused on her. "Have you been crying, Shay?" he demanded, suddenly angry as he strode over, bending down in front of her. "Tell me who, and I'll go fuck them up for you."

"No one," she gritted out, keeping the traitorous tears held back. "I'm not crying, damn it."

Claw glared at her. "You're lying and you're fucking terrible at it."

Outraged, she shot back, "Excuse me, I'm a fan-fucking-tastic liar."

"Ha! You admit it then; you were lying." His mouth twisted into a grin.

She dropped her head, emotions threatening to spill out of her. Damn, she used to be so much better at hiding everything. "Fine," she admitted. "I was. But it was no one else's fault except mine."

Claw must have been surprised at her quick admission because he went silent.

A silent Claw? Here she thought that was impossible.

Then his fist shot out, punching her in the arm without holding much back. Shady jerked away, incensed. "What the fuck, Claw?"

He shrugged. "I said I would beat whoever made you cry."

Eyes narrowing, Shady balanced her hands on the floor. "If you think you can get away with that, you'd be mistaken." She shot both her legs out in a single kick, hitting Claw in the chest and sending him flying back. He rolled and caught himself, a manic grin widening across his face.

And then they were fighting, each successful hit sending one another crashing over dilapidated furniture and across the cramped rooms in the house. One kick of Shady's sent Claw through the air, drywall caving as he busted a hole through the wall and landed in the next room. Doors splintered and floorboards cracked, until Claw finally had her backed up against a wall.

"Cataclysm!" Claw Noir's eyes flashed with triumph as he held her shoulder with one hand, the black destructive power oozing around his other. "I win."

Shadybug glared at him a moment longer before the laughter bubbled up from within her. "Damn, Claw, I have missed you." Her laughter grew until it shifted, the chuckles turning into gasping breaths before the tears overwhelmed her defenses once again. She leaned forward, her head coming to rest on a startled Claw's chest. He released his power into the nearby door frame, sending it to the floor in a pile of ash, before he cautiously placed an arm around her.

They stood unmoving for a minute as she tried to rein in her tears again. "I really must have missed something," Claw said with a huff, "if you're allowing hugs now." She quickly shoved herself away from him, leaning back to the wall and sliding down to sit again on the floor.

Claw sat next to her, his words gentler than they had been. "Do you… want to talk about it, Shay? Whatever's going on?"

Shady leaned her head back and tilted it up to the ceiling, closing her eyes. When she felt like she could control herself once again, she spoke. "Have you ever…seriously thought about joining the other side?"

"The other side, meaning BetterFreak's? It's crossed my mind."

His answer surprised her; here she was, needing an entire alternate universe to make her realize there were options besides going along with the Supreme, while Claw had apparently already thought about it on his own.

"The black cat and ladybug holders in this world are the heroes. What would you say if I told you I was considering it?" Shady opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling.

He didn't even pause to think. "I'd say 'What's the plan, Shade?'"

Shadybug exhaled through her nose in a short laugh. "Good to know you'd have my back." The half-smile on her face flattened back out. "Doesn't matter, I've dug myself a hole and I don't know how to get out without pulling others in."

Claw rested his chin on his hand in contemplation. "You could…let me shove the others in for you instead? Then you can climb on them to get out."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Did you miss the part where I'm leaning on the side of the angels now?"

He groaned. "Oh, right, the boring side. Alright okay, so go on. You're in a hole, and for some reason, you don't want to bury others in it?"

"I know. I can barely believe it myself."

A pout appeared on his face. "Hold on, can't we bury, like, one person at least?"

"No. Well, maybe one. But not right now," she amended, thinking of one Gabriel Agreste. She'd have to find a special shovel just for him when the time came. "Anyway– god, what was I talking about? You're the worst, Claw."

"Why thank you, Shade; that's the nicest thing you've said to me today."

The corner of her mouth twitched. Weariness settled over her, reminding her of her current predicament and once again erasing the levity that Claw Noir brought. "Might as well just bury me in the hole; there's no point in me getting out anyway."

Claw tensed as he watched her with a frown. "What the– why would you say something like that?"

Fuck. She didn't know how to do this sharing feelings shit. "I made a huge mistake, Claw. I went and fell for someone in this universe."

Bewilderment flashed across his face. "You fell for someone…as in–"

She shot a glare at him. "Don't make me fucking say it, cause I'm not going to." She had an aversion to L-words.

Claw's hands rose, palms forward. "I won't, I won't. I just don't get why that would make you all…" he waved his hands at her vaguely, "...mopey."

"If you'd let me finish instead of interrupting every goddamn second–"

"Sorry! Sorry. Here–" Claw held his hands behind his ears, twitching his second set of them on the top of his head. "I'm all ears."

"Oh my god," Shady grumbled, pinching the bridge of her nose and squeezing her eyes shut. "I can't even be around you, you olive-haired idiot."

She could hear the grin in his words, "Cats love olives."

She gave him an incredulous look. "The fuck, Claw? That's not even a pun, it was a…a…"

"A fun fact?"

"Since when do you sprout fun facts?"

"What do you mean? Everything that comes out of my mouth is a fun fact; I'm a fucking riot." Shady covered her face with her hands, a snort of laughter escaping despite her best efforts. He continued smugly. "See! Making my point."

Shady felt strangely grateful that her partner had managed to turn her mood from dour to only mostly-dour. When she looked over at him, his expression cleared back to something almost serious as he moved away from the wall to face her head on. "Alright, tell me about this guy; he must be something to get your attention."

Shady grimaced. "You'll laugh your ass off when I tell you who." Claw's eyes lit with amusement, but he didn't say anything as he waited. With a heaving sigh, she told him. "Adrien fucking Agreste." To her surprise, Claw didn't laugh; instead, he looked slightly stunned. "You know, the fashion designer's son? Turns out he's a model in this world. His father's a piece of shit, but somehow he's the exact opposite. The guy is just…I dunno how to explain it. He's just a truly decent person. Too much so, for his own good."

For a moment, Claw looked vaguely put out. Then whatever it was cleared away and he leaned back on his arms. "So, model-boy has sunlight shining out of his ass. Seems like a good fit for you. You could use a little of that to brighten you up, Shade." He winked at her, but when she didn't react, he frowned again. "I don't get it. You said you might want to turn over a new leaf, so what's the issue? Does the guy not like you back or something?"

"That's not the problem. He should've hated me, but for some reason he didn't. I never planned for anything to be long term; I'd help the heroes defeat their Moth Man and go back. But everything got fucked." She went silent for a moment as her exhaustion set in, bringing her down even further. She started up again, voice low. "I'm pregnant, and it's too late to do anything about it."

Any remaining hints of nonchalance bled away from Claw as shock settled firmly in its place. "Oh… oh shit."

"Pretty much."

"Damn, Shay, that's…" he trailed off before starting again, gaze intent on her. "Why don't you stay here then? Surely if he's as good as you make him sound, model-boy will step up and help out?"

"No," she replied forcefully. "He doesn't need someone like me weighing him down, let alone a kid. He can get over me and find someone else to be a better match."

Something twisted in Claw's expression. "'Someone like you?' Shay, there's nothing wrong with you; you just don't let anyone in. And yeah, we weren't the heroes, but you sound like you wanted to change that, and I know how relentless you are when you decide something." He must have realized she wasn't going to budge because he groaned. "Fuck, case in fucking point."

Claw ran a hand through his hair before starting again. "I know we never talk about personal shit. But, listen to me; you know I didn't want this when we first started out." He held up his clawed hand, ring flashing. "I didn't want anything to do with it – with anything, really. But then you went and inspired the hell out of me. I don't know why you think you don't deserve to have what you want, but I'm telling you, you do."

Something cracked within her mental barrier at his words, but it wasn't enough. Claw Noir realized it too, as he gave up with a frustrated sigh. "Fine, then. Come back with me, and we'll figure something else out."

Shady stared at nothing. "I can't have a baby over there, Claw. My civilian life… can't handle it." She'd always been very careful to keep her private life – or lack of one – hidden from Claw. No one knew, except for her Kwami.

She knew he didn't understand.

"There's always adoption, right? Just gotta stick it out til then."

Yeah, sure, adoption. She could just hanker down on the random rooftops she called home, eating stolen food as usual and she'd be just dandy until then.

She'd just end up hurting the baby as much as she'd hurt herself during her slow decline she'd been on over the past several years as she slid uncaring towards the end. "It doesn't matter anyway; as soon as I go back the Supreme would be on my ass. I won't do that shit anymore, so he'll just take my miraculous from me and kill me to tie up a loose end." It was getting harder to keep treading water above the mist of lethargy that swirled around her. "Maybe I should just get it over with and be done with it all. I'm so tired, Claw."

"Shay, no. No, you can't do that. We'll find a solution, like you always do. Maybe… maybe you can let me do something for you, I have some resources and – Shade? Shay!"

Everything faded into darkness as the exhaustion Shady had been fighting finally won.

"Damn it, Shay–" Claw Noir used a boot to slide himself across the floor and catch Shadybug before she slumped to the ground. Gently, he lowered her the rest of the way and looked her over.

Had she passed out? While transformed?

As he watched her breathing even out, Claw came to a different conclusion: she'd somehow fallen asleep in the middle of their conversation.

He didn't know anything about pregnancies, so maybe this was some kind of symptom or reaction?

He hissed air out through his mouth as he stood and paced, keeping his eyes on her.

How the hell was he supposed to handle this? He wasn't about to let her give up and hand herself over to the Supreme. He cared about her, considered her his only friend, even if she didn't return the sentiment.

She'd been his only incentive to do anything with his life after his mother had died. He'd have followed her into the sun if she'd asked.

As he stood over her sleeping form, he figured in this case, she would ask him to let her be, to make her own decision, even if that meant giving up.

Fuck that.

Claw pulled out his baton, using the built-in internet to do a little search.

He'd have to knock some sense into her himself.

Well, this world's version of himself, at least.

Claw carefully lifted Shadybug into his arms and headed out the door.

Adrien was just about to transform and leave his apartment despite Ladybug's directions when he heard a knock on his front door. Rushing over to answer it, his mouth fell open when he came face to face with a slightly older alternate version of Chat Noir, who must have been Shady's partner she'd mentioned in the past. He only had time to note the green hair and purple eyes before his gaze dropped to see Shadybug limp in his arms.

Adrien sucked in a breath, his stomach dropping. "No. She's not–"

"Sleeping." Claw grunted as he kicked the door open wider. "Can you move, Golden Boy, I need to get her inside."

Relief hit him quickly as Adrien jumped away to give him space. "Thank you," he said in a hoarse voice. "Thank you for finding her."

Claw eyed him as he walked past. "Don't thank me yet. She won't listen to me, so it's up to you, and you better not fuck this up. What do you know about her situation?"

"She's pregnant," Adrien rasped.

Claw's brief look of surprise turned to anger. "You already know that and you let her go?"

Defensive, Adrien retorted, "She told me while I was Chat Noir and got away before I could do anything about it. I would have, if she hadn't run immediately after."

Claw let out a growl. Before he could respond, a red and black flash indicated Shadybug's detransformation in his arms.

Though Adrien stared down at her tiny frame with pain, he became aware that Claw Noir's expression was filled with shock and a bit of horror. "Oh shit–" he said, eyes tracing from her hair down to her face. "...Marinette?"

Adrien startled at the name. "Wait, you don't mean…Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" As he took in her sleeping form, he realized he didn't need the answer to confirm what he hadn't figured out before. It was her; he could see it now. Her red hair, gaunt face, and his preoccupation with his concern for her had impeded his recognition.

Claw's eyes snapped up to his, the anger returning. "What the fuck have you been doing to her, Agreste? Why is she like this?"

"What do you mean, me?" Adrien responded, his own anger roaring to life. "She's kept her identity hidden the whole time I've known her. Tikki told me that this is an improvement over what she was like before. You're telling me you didn't know she was struggling like this?" Claw looked back down at her, aghast. Adrien didn't hold back. "How the hell didn't you know? You're supposed to be her partner!"

Jaw snapping shut, Claw gritted out, "I don't know if you've noticed, but our Shay here keeps things pretty close to the chest."

A high-pitched sigh interrupted them as Tikki flew out and up between them. Adrien was glad to see she looked stronger than the last time. "One of you needs to take her earrings," she said. When Claw tensed and glared at her, Tikki turned and looked at Adrien. "Not forever. She needs to rest and recuperate. I was finally able to take control and release her now, but she usually doesn't stay untransformed for more than a handful of minutes at a time." Adrien and Claw met each other's shocked gazes before Adrien hesitantly reached out, removing her earrings. "I'm sorry," Tikki said, solemnly. "She won't listen otherwise. I won't go far, but she needs this. I've protected her and the baby for as long as I could, but she needs real food and sleep."

With that, Tikki grabbed the earrings and flew off into another room.

Adrien had to push past the white noise that started up in his head at the mention of Shay's baby. "Bring her in here," he said, leading Claw into his room, where his alternate self carefully laid Shadybug— Marinette— down on the bed.

They both stood for a moment before Claw's voice broke the silence, eyes troubled as he looked down at her. "No one has seen Marinette in years. I thought she left the city. I didn't know…" He cut off with a curse, running his hand through his hair. "I should have pried more. But Shade never lets anyone in." His eyes lifted to meet Adrien's. "Except for you, apparently."

A crack sounded from the living room and a woman's voice called out. "Claw, it's time."

"Damn it." Eyes narrowing, Claw looked him up and down. With a sneer, he said, "Can't believe I have to rely on you for this, but you're my last resort at the moment. You need to convince her to stay here." He looked back down at Marinette, eyes tight, before turning back to leave the room.

Adrien followed him to the doorway, catching sight of the portal that had opened up in the middle of the room.

Before he stepped through, Claw turned his head one more time. "Don't fuck this up, Adrien. She needs you."

Adrien's response was firm. "I won't."

The portal disappeared.

A/N: Somehow, in my fic about Shadybug and Adrien, the scene with Shady and Claw ended up as one of my favorites in the whole thing. Loved writing their dynamic here. Hope you enjoyed as the reveals continued to roll out in this one! Reviews keep me going, thank you!!