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4) Stuck

- The Future -
Marinette's POV

I didn't get any sleep that night. Neither did Chat.

I mean... how could we? I had just learned that I was trapped in the future, married to my flirty partner (that I still didn't know the name of), and apparently pregnant with his child.

That's right.

Pregnant.

As if I didn't have enough to deal with already, I had to take care of an unborn kid. Something I knew nothing about.

The following morning, I got up right away walking towards a mirror.

I froze at my reflection.

My hair had grown out and it still had its bluish tint. My face was more defined and mature, though it was still recognizable. The biggest differences, though, were from the neck down. I had filled out a bit and had more muscle from my time as a hero. Not a ton, but my abs, biceps, and calves were more defined. My chest had grown out a bit, though a lot of that was probably due to the large baby bump protruding from my stomach.

I looked down at the bump, lowering my hands to trace around it. This would take some getting used to.

I was startled when I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, lightly rubbing the back of my neck and playing with my hair, though I quickly relaxed. Something about this man seemed... familiar. Safe.

"Morning, M'lady."

"Good morning, kitty."

I looked back up at the mirror, noticing his reflection as he looked in as well. It was the first time I had really noticed Chat's face; really been able to see him in the light of day.

He was strong. That was the first thing I noticed. My scrawny little partner had gained some defined muscle as well and had grown into a sharper jaw line. His hair was still pretty unruly and untamed, though that could be blamed on his bed hair. The thing that stuck out the most though, was his emerald eyes.

I had always imagined what Chat's eyes were like under the mask. I figured that they weren't naturally as cat-like, though his iris's were the same bright green I was used to. But something about them still seemed familiar, like I should recognize them.

Anyways, no matter how annoyed that stray could make me, I had to admit he was handsome. Really handsome. Like model level looks. I managed a weak smile which he returned, lightly pressing a kiss to my forehead.

I flinched at the action, as he immediately backed up.

"I-I'm so sorry, M'lady... that was a force of habit. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything-"

"It's fine." I giggled, watching relief flood his face.

"Well, in that case... why don't we grab some breakfast? Are croissants okay? Mom and dad brought them over yesterday, fresh out of the oven."

I maybe didn't know his real name, but all night I had been learning new things about Chat.

"You're parents bake?" I asked.

"What? Oh no, sorry. I meant your parents. I call Tom and Sabine mom and dad, probably because they're more family to me than my own parents."

"Oh." I watched as he nervously rubbed his neck, obviously quite scared to mess something up.

"Well, that sounds delicious. Though I have to admit, I'm kind of in the mood for..."

"Cocoa Puffs?"

"Yeah! How did you-"

"You've been craving them for the last few months." He laughed. " I swear we've spent more money on boxes of those than we have on taxes. Not to mention the pickles and chicken with hot sauce."

"Now that you mention it, that actually sounds kind of-"

"What have I done?"

"Cocoa Puffs sound perfect." I giggled, watching as he rolled his eyes.

"As the lady wishes."

- • - • - • - • - • - • -

"So, I know this is all really weird... but, don't you think I should know your name?"  The question has been gnawing at me all night, but I had been too nervous to actually ask.

Despite the odd situation, I felt safe here. I trusted Chat, Tikki, and Plagg, and in all honesty... this place felt like home.

That doesn't mean I wasn't still freaking out, though.

"Well, um, are you sure?"

"Of course! I mean, I know I've always been against knowing your identity, but with everything that's going on... what other choice do we have?"

"You're right," he sighed, "it's just... well, we're finally starting to get over the initial turn of events. I don't want to throw even more at you. This is a lot for us all to handle."

"I can take it Chat. How else are we going to fix this mess if we can't trust each other? I'm carrying your baby, and according to this ring on my finger I'm your wife. Not to mention, your partner. Just trust me. If we catch this akuma, everything will go back to normal anyways."

He finally nodded, giving in.

"Okay, just don't say I didn't warn you," he smirked, "Mdme Agreste."

- • - • - • - • - • - • -

- The Past -
Adrien's POV

"Let me get this straight. You expect me to believe that you're Ladybug from the future in which we are married and are having a child, but you've switched places with the Marinette of this time period until we capture the akuma. Then, everything will reset and it will be like none of this ever happened and the future will be back on track." I confirmed.

"Adrien, I know it's a lot, but-"

"No," I cut her off, "it's fine, really. I believe you. How else would you know so much about me? About my life? It's just the whole marriage and time travel things that I'm trying to register."

She gave me an encouraging smile, and I couldn't help but copy it.

"I-I can't imagine how hard this must be for you," I finally responded. "Being stuck in the past, away from your home and family... your husband and child. We'll fix this, bugaboo, I promise."

"I know we will, we always do."

"Now the first question, how will we find Tok?"

Obviously, that was not my first question. My first question, actually, top 20 were about our future and life together and how I finally got the girl of my dreams. However, now didn't seem like the time to go into that.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, "he'll have to come back if he wants to steal our miraculous', but he could try to target my younger self who's currently stuck in the future. I'm sure she and you are making plans as we speak, but we need to be ready too."

I nodded. It was weird trying to imagine sweet, kind, Marinette stuck in the future. I wondered how she was reacting to the news? I wondered if she and my future self had a plan to get back home.

"Patrol at nine?" She asked. "Meet me at the Eiffel? I think we both need a little bit of time to adjust to... well, everything, before we rush into things."

"I wouldn't miss it. Something tells me that we'll have a lot to talk about. Until then, m'lady."

"Until then, my prince."