3 months later

Marinette stood in front of her full body mirror with her eyebrows pinched together, naked except for her underwear and sport's bra. Her hands were currently cradling her stomach as her baby bump was just starting to become somewhat visible.

Alya was seated on her chaise behind her, watching her thoughtfully through the mirror. "You're finally starting to show." Her best friend marveled with appreciation. "How do you feel?"

How did she feel? Marinette studied herself further in the mirror. She felt... overwhelmed. She felt stupid to even be in such a predicament. She felt unsure. How was she supposed to raise a child at seventeen?

At first, it had been easy to ignore the fact that she was pregnant for a while... but now that it was becoming visible, it would be impossible to ignore. Now, it would be like a daily reminder of her mistake—for sleeping with Adrien—and it would force her to have to relive that heartbreak over and over and over...

Marinette sighed and shook her head. "I feel... a little overwhelmed to be honest."

"A perfectly normal emotion to be feeling." Alya assured her gently. Marinette knew it was the truth, but that still didn't subsided her feelings.

She scrutinized herself even further in the mirror. "Do you think I'll be a good mom?"

Marinette watched through the mirror with uncertainty as Alya silently stood to her feet. Alya came to stand behind her reflection and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. "You'll be a great mom, Marinette. You're already a pro at babysitting, and all of those kids love you."

Marinette simply stared at their reflections. Alya was right, of course, but the uncertainty for what lied ahead still made Marinette anxious.

Alya squeezed her gently. "Have you decided if you're going to tell Adrien yet?"

Marinette let out a shuddered breath at the idea. Telling Adrien that he was going to be a father was the one thing everyone seemed to not mind if she was procrastinating on. They all seemed to understand why she was hesitant, or rather, didn't want to push or rush her. They only knew half of the story though—they had no idea that Adrien was Chat Noir.

However, they were aware that Adrien had made it clear that they were just friends.

"You know, its not too late..." Alya began when she was met with Marinette's silence. "You could still schedule an appointment—"

Marinette instantly shook her head at that. She didn't want to abort.

"Okay." Alya sympathetically pouted at her through the mirror. "So, what do you want to do?"

Marinette didn't know what she wanted to do. She wasn't even sure if she wanted Adrien to know... but wouldn't it be wrong of her if she didn't tell him?

"Whatever you decide, I'll support your decision." Alya added softly.

Marinette considered her options in a moment of silence. With a hum, she asked her best friend for some advice. "Do you think it would be selfish of me not to tell Adrien?"

"Yes," Alya quickly answered as if she had already prepared for this question. Marinette's shoulder sagged at her best friend's answer, but Alya wasn't finished. "But... Adrien was selfish when he decided to mess with your heart, so you have every right not to tell him."

"Do you think that's the right thing to do?" Marinette asked.

Alya shrugged at that. "It's up to you, Marinette. I can't answer that for you without being incredibly biased because even though Adrien is my friend, I'm pissed at him for what he did to you, and personally, if it were me, I wouldn't let what he did slide."

Oh... she forgot to mention that the only one who did know the whole story was Alya.

Perhaps Marinette needed advice from someone who was a little less biased then. In most instances, she would have presented this situation to Chat Noir with different names... but Chat Noir was Adrien, so that surely wouldn't work anymore.

She couldn't ask her parents either. Her father was already upset by the fact that Adrien had broken her heart (even if he tried his best not to show it.)

The only one who could probably give her unbiased advice was Tikki... and Tikki had already said that she should tell Adrien eventually.

Marinette just wished there could be a different solution.

"I'm not going to tell him for now. It's not like Adrien and I talk anyway." Marinette said as she pulled away from Alya. Her best friend reluctantly let her go and watched her move across the bedroom as she headed for her closet. Marinette pulled out a baggy, black t-shirt along with a pair of grey sweatpants.

"Who was the one who wanted space again?"

"It was me, and I'm not complaining." Marinette slid her shirt over her head. "So far it's been incredibly peaceful on my end not having to worry about fucking up in front of him and getting embarrassed about it."

"At least you distancing yourself from Adrien has improved your mental health." Alya plopped down on the chaise again with a loud sigh. "Nino has been basically pissing on me with updates about how Adrien has become a depressed loser."

"I don't want to make fun of Adrien, Alya." Marinette reminded her in a somewhat scolding tone.

"His words, not mine."

Marinette shot her a knowing look through the mirror.

"Fine. Maybe they were my words." Alya huffed like a child who had gotten caught sticking their hand in a cookie jar.

Marinette slid her sweatpants up her thighs in silence. Now fully dressed, she looked incredibly laidback and definitely out of her usual style, but she felt comfortable. Plus, wearing such baggy clothing only further allowed her to keep concealing her pregnancy for however long she liked.

"Is that what you're wearing to school?" Alya broke the silence in confusion.

Marinette arched a brow at her through the mirror. "What's wrong with my outfit?"

"Nothing." Alya shook her head as she stood to her feet. She slung her backpack over her shoulder. "But you do know that will only cause Adrien to stare at you more, right? Actually, it'll cause everyone to stare at you more."

Despite all the shit that was currently occupying her life, Marinette found herself smirking. "Let him look. It'll be the closest thing he'll ever have again to this." She gestured to her body, which looked far from sexy in that moment.

Alya busted out laughing at that. It was enough to put a temporary smile on Marinette's lips—something that hadn't been there since Marinette actually slept with Adrien.

But that was going to have to change sooner or later. Marinette couldn't allow herself to be depressed for the rest of her life. She needed to move on entirely, and part of that process was accepting the fact that Adrien would not be a part of her future like she wanted him to be.

He would never be her romantic partner, and he surely wouldn't be a father to their child.

However, Marinette did know one thing. She was going to give her baby the world. Despite her massive fears for what motherhood would bring, she wanted only the best for the little bean she was growing inside of her stomach.

Marinette quickly fixed her hair into a messy bun before reaching down for her backpack, which was leaned up against her desk chair. Slinging it over one shoulder, she turned to face Alya. "We should probably get going before we're late."

Nodding in agreement, Alya followed after Marinette as she opened the hatch door to her bedroom. They headed down the stairs in unison with Marinette up front. They were greeted with the smell of croissants in the Dupain-Cheng family kitchen. Her father was standing in front of the oven with his mittens on, eagerly waiting for his batch to be done. Apparently, it wasn't his first personal batch of the morning either. Marinette spotted a whole stack of croissants on a platter already on the table, and when she grabbed one, they were still warm.

"Good morning, Papa." Marinette greeted him with a smile. Her father turned to look over his shoulder to smile back at her. "Where's Maman?"

"She had to run to the market." Her father explained briefly. His eyes then shifted over towards Alya, his smile directed at her just as bright. "How did you girls sleep?"

"Really well, actually." Alya answered sweetly. Marinette nodded in agreement. Surprisingly, she had slept amazingly well for the first time in months.

"That's great." Tom replied oddly cheerfully before he was turning his attention back to the oven. "Don't forget to grab a croissant on your way out. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and you can't afford to skip it anymore."

Marinette's smile tightened at her father's choice of words. She knew he was talking about the baby, and she knew he meant well, but it was still a sensitive subject. "Don't worry, Papa. I'm not going to be taking risks like that anymore."

He turned around to fully face her then, offering a smile that radiated just how proud he was of his daughter. "Good. Now hurry up and get to school. You don't want to be late."

"Right." Marinette quickly snagged a croissant before she was grabbing Alya's wrist. "Have a good day at work today, Papa!" She called as she rushed out of the apartment door.

"You too, Mon Chéri!" He called after her.

"I'm assuming you haven't mentioned to your dad about wanting to drop out?" Alya questioned in a hushed tone once they had made it down to the lowest level of the complex, which was the Dupain-Cheng bakery. It was still too early for the place to be opened yet, so the bakery was empty.

Marinette offered her friend a deadpanned look. "Can you imagine how horrified my parents would be if they found out I wanted to drop out? They would tell me to just finish my senior year because I've already started it and I'm almost done with high school anyway."

"That's exactly what I told you." Alya remarked playfully. Marinette's frown deepened. Alya raised her hands in mock surrender. "I'm just saying... only seven months to go before you finish and get your diploma. If you were still a junior, I'd say fuck it and just get your GED, but I don't think it's a good idea to quit now when you're almost there."

"You make a good point. But..."

"But you don't want anyone to find out you're pregnant." Alya finished for her. "I don't really understand why you want to hide it from everyone. Most of the class would be happy for you. I know they would support you."

"I know," Marinette sighed heavily, "But the last thing I need is to give Chloé and Lila another reason to tease me."

"Surprisingly, Chloé is getting a lot better." Alya opened the bakery door and held it open for Marinette to step outside. The bell dinged as she did so. "I think it's because she's growing up and realizing that the world doesn't actually revolve around her."

"Good for her for finally maturing... but that still doesn't change my mind."

Alya fell into step with her best friend as they walked down the sidewalk. Despite already being pressed for time, neither one of them bothered to pick up the pace. "I know... and I meant what I said when I told you I would support your decision. Just know that you will still hear me give you advice if I don't agree."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Marinette chuckled.

They crossed the street a moment later. The best part about living over a bakery was that it was right across from their high-school.

"I already see Nino waiting for us on the steps." Alya said underneath her breath. "And guess who's standing right next to him, eyeing you like a piece of candy?"

Marinette let out an airy laugh. "It shouldn't be anything to worry about. All he does is look."

"If it doesn't matter to you, then it doesn't matter to me. But for the record, I would totally punch him in the face right now if you gave me permission."

Marinette snorted at that.

"Hey babe!" Nino, deciding they were taking too long to reach them, jogged down the steps. Thankfully, Adrien did not follow him. Nino placed a kiss to his girlfriend's cheek before turning to face Marinette. "And good morning to you too, Marinette. You're looking good. Not as pale as last week. Sucks that you couldn't spend the last week of summer with us."

Alya wordlessly slapped the back of her hand into Nino's chest, causing him to wince.

Marinette forced herself to smile, despite her visible wince. "I wasn't really feeling well last week. I'm pretty sure it was some kind of stomach bug. But I'm doing much better now."

"Glad to hear it." Nino didn't seem to notice that his choice of words had made her uncomfortable. Instead, he was too busy admiring her choice of clothing. "Digging the outfit choice, by the way. It totally screams 'I don't give a fuck about school anymore'."

"I think we're all feeling that way." Alya nudged her boyfriend in the shoulder. "Especially you since we just had our first quiz yesterday and you already failed it."

"It was a quiz that was basically a review from last year." Nino replied with a pout. "It doesn't actually count as a mark for this year."

"Do you think they would still let me take the quiz?" Marinette interjected curiously. She was honestly interested in knowing just how much she actually retained from last year considering she spent most of it fawning over Adrien... and saving the city of Paris.

"I'm sure Mrs. Bustier wouldn't mind." Nino assured her. Mrs. Bustier was probably the only teacher who wouldn't mind working around Marinette's seemingly tardy absence to the new year of school.

And besides, if Marinette needed to explain why she hadn't been present for the first few days of school, she wouldn't mind confiding into Mrs. Bustier that she was pregnant.

She figured since Mrs. Bustier was pregnant herself, she would understand.

"Another thing..." Nino's words sliced through her thoughts as he let out a long sigh. "Adrien has been asking about you, and—"

"Tell him to fuck off." Alya quickly cut him off with an angered look in her eye. "He already knows that Marinette wants nothing to do with him. He needs to mind his own business."

"He's just concerned..." Nino tried to reason with her.

"Concerned my ass."

Marinette let out a defeated sigh. It wasn't Nino's fault that he was trying to side with his best friend. Nino had no idea that Adrien and Marinette had had sex... only that Adrien had rejected Marinette's 'love' confession. That was the story they had given him... so it only made sense for Nino to think that Marinette completely ghosting Adrien was a bit intense after Adrien 'rejected' her.

"I don't get why you guys are being so damn harsh on him. No offense, but I don't think he deserves to be treated like this just because he didn't return your feelings." Nino didn't break eye contact with Marinette as he said all that. Marinette wouldn't take his oblivion to heart.

"Nino... what the fuck!" Alya gaped at him in horror, as if she intended to pull out a knife on him.

"What?" Nino turned to face his girlfriend with wide eyes. "I'm just being honest... and realistic!"

"If you knew the whole story, you wouldn't be saying that!"

"Then tell me the whole story then!"

"Ehem." Marinette calmly cleared her throat, her expression radiating how unperturbed she (seemingly) was . Her friends instantly pulled apart from their nose-touching standdown and turned to face her, their angered expressions slowly diminishing.

"I chose to distance myself from Adrien because it was better for my mental health." She said sternly. Nino looked really apologetic, but that didn't make her feel sorry for him or for Adrien. "I think you should care more about that rather than Adrien's feelings."

"I'm sorry, Marinette, but Adrien is my best friend." Nino said with a shrug. "I don't understand what he could've done to make you not want him in your life at all anymore."

Marinette wouldn't dare mention that she and Nino had known each other longer than he and Adrien had. It felt like a stab in the back knowing that Nino wasn't on her side in this, though.

"I don't really need to explain myself to you, Nino. But you can trust me when I say that Adrien deserves this and he knows that he deserves this."

"Damn right he deserves this." Alya once again interjected. "And if he needs a reminder, tell him I'll be happy to remind him."

"Jesus... okay." Nino shot his girlfriend a wide-eyed look. Then, he turned to Marinette, his expression sympathetic. "I'm sorry for bringing him up... but he did want me to ask you how you were doing."

Marinette didn't even hesitate with an answer. "I'm doing better without having to worry about him, Nino. A lot better."

Nino simply nodded at that. With one more sad look directed at Alya, he took his leave and headed back up the steps towards Adrien, who was waiting patiently by the entrance. Marinette watched as Nino slung his arm around Adrien's shoulders and shook his head, guiding his dumb, blonde friend inside.

Marinette watched them both until they had fully disappeared inside.

"Maybe you should tell Nino the full story." Alya suggested timidly, "Not just because he's my boyfriend or anything, but I think he would understand and support you. Plus, I know if he knew the whole truth, he would stop saying all this shit about how Adrien deserves a second chance."

Marinette let out a wry chuckle and shook her head. "He never said I should give Adrien a second chance—"

"No, he didn't... but I bet you he sure as hell was thinking about it." Alya looped her arm with Marinette's as the girls began to make their way up the steps.

Marinette simply shrugged as the two friends passed under the threshold into the school building. The entire court was filled with students, all doing their own things before the first bell rang. For a change, Marinette was actually on time, and part of that reason was because of Alya's persistence and motivation.

Anyone who knew who Marinette was in that court turned their eyes to her as soon as she could be spotted. As Alya predicted, almost everyone was looking at her.

It was almost as if they couldn't believe their eyes. As if a new version of her had entered the building.

It made Marinette feel proud in every step she took. With her chin held high, she suddenly felt more comfortable than she had ever felt entering this building before. She briefly caught Lila's glare from across the court, eyeing her with so much hate that couldn't even be fathomed.

Marinette paid her no mind.

She caught another person watching her from the other side of the court, though. She could recognize his blonde hair anywhere, even if she only got a glance of it. Adrien was trying to be discreet, but even though he seemed entirely occupied in a conversation he was supposed to be having with Nino, his eyes rarely ever left her figure.

"See?" Marinette said to Alya with a jerk of her head in Adrien's direction. "You don't have to worry about him. All he ever does is look."

_______________________________

So... how was the first chapter? I hope you liked it! I feel so accomplished finally releasing the first official chapter to an idea I wrote almost a year ago in my one-shot book. I'm super excited to share more of this story with you guys!

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