Chapter Text
"Well," Sabine says, much more thoughtfully than Ladybug had expected or been prepared for. "If we legally adopt you both, son, that might make the wedding a bit tricky."
"Ma-Madame Cheng!" Ladybug exclaims, feeling herself flush brightly. "I'm- I'm flattered, really, thank you, but this- this should only be temporary, we don't really need-" Marinette swallows, trying not to look at Chat Noir. "Um, adoption."
She shoots a quick glance over at her partner after all, but his sudden starstruck look is both the opposite of reassuring and sends some unidentifiable emotion shooting through her. She knows he's been enjoying this particular akuma fight more than she has- she has the really, deeply unsettling sense that Chat Noir didn't have this kind of fun as a child before and he seems to be trying to make up for as much lost time as possible as fast as possible.
When she's honest with herself about it, Marinette's pretty sure that they both enjoy fighting villains more than they should. They still aren't usually having this much fun unless it's Max that's been akumatised. (They're never thrilled to see anyone akumatised, but Max has given them opportunities to pilot a giant robot and leap into a video game- to say that fighting him hasn't been fun would be such an obvious lie).
This time Marinette had missed both the akuma's actual monologue and explanation, because even though Chat Noir had been as quick as ever to tackle her out of the way the akuma has such a ludicrously fast recharge time that she'd had no trouble firing again.
Chat Noir had still tried to throw himself over her again. Marinette is relieved he wasn't successful, because he already looks about five years old, and she doesn't want to test whether the effect is cumulative- but that means that she's currently in the body of a five year old, too.
She hadn't noticed when it was just Chat who'd been hit, but the akuma's youth ray seems to change more than just their bodies. Her Lucky Charm had been her own cat pillow in red-spotted glory and Marinette had spent too long staring at and fretting over it, to the point where they'd both had to hide to retransform.
And the bakery had been close by.
And the Lucky Charm had seemed to indicate that was where they should go.
And there's a tiny, terrified part of her that's cropped up since first being hit that had been crying out for her mother.
They'd both retransformed crouched on either side of a bakery counter, barely out of each other's sight, and then before Marinette could get past her disappointment that they were both still children Maman had appeared only to exclaim over them both.
Maman laughs now, which is also not terribly reassuring. "Oh, sweethearts, I'm mostly kidding. I know you'll be back to your normal selves as soon as you defeat the akuma." She eyes Chat Noir knowingly, though, and adds, "Although, I might remind you that it isn't only young children who can be adopted. There are teenage adoptions, you know. It might raise some difficulties to adopt you both but I can't see that anyone would want to separate you, any more than I would keep my own daughter from her best friend."
Marinette viciously strangles any and all noise that tries to escape her throat at that.
Chat Noir does no such thing, letting out a sound that's more cat than human in his delight, and this time Marinette turns to face him entirely.
He looks as happy as she's ever seen him. His ears and tail are both giving happy constant twitches, and his purring isn't the loudest she's heard it but it's getting close, and his eyes have dilated wider than she's seen them since the time Venom Rose had conjured catnip all around them.
The longer Marinette looks at her partner, the more the sudden crack in her heart widens. He looks- he looks so happy about the prospect of adoption. He looks way too happy about it.
Marinette's not even going to think about her mother's offer to adopt her. Ladybug is used to a certain level of identity shenanigans, because it's already a struggle juggling Alya and Nino knowing about each other and everyone knowing about Chloe and Adrien knowing about Viperion while Chat Noir knows about Aspik, which she still hasn't found a good way or time to explain to her partner-
"Kids," Maman says gently, breaking through Marinette's racing thoughts. "Can you fight like this? Do you need help?" She reaches behind her without looking and seems to let a broom handle hop into her hand. "I may not be a superhero, but I do know how to fight."
"You do?" Chat Noir breathes, finally breaking his silence. He's bouncing on the balls of his feet now, tail tip twitching rapidly.
Maman laughs. "Dear, I'm a mother. Of course I do. How else would I make sure my daughter knows how to fight, too? Although I admit she has a much better handle on strategy than I do, even at her age!"
Ladybug finally, finally breaks herself out of her deepening worry over her partner's enthusiasm to wrap an arm around his elbow and tug before her mother can say anything else embarrassing or potentially dangerous. She does not need Chat Noir to think of Marinette as being a strategist. "I'm really grateful, Ma- Madame Cheng, but it isn't safe without our powers. We'll be alright if we stay together, but thank you so much for your generosity!"
"If you're sure," Maman says, looking honestly disappointed. "But I want you both to know you can come back here anytime, okay? Any time at all , and if you need anything at all."
Marinette thinks that's the end of it, and she finally gets her partner to move in the direction of the door, only to stop when she hears her mother speak up one last time.
"I meant it about the adoption," Maman says gently. "For both of you. I don't know your home lives, but you spend a lot more time fighting for all of us than you do at home- especially you, Chat Noir, we have all seen how you protect your partner. And no matter your decision- really, you are welcome any time. There is always space for one or two more at dinner."
"T-thank you, Madame Cheng," Marinette manages, desperately looking away from her partner because the hope and happiness suffusing his face at her mother's offer is too much. It's way too much.
It makes her already-cracking heart sink down to the soles of her feet, because she knew already that Chat Noir doesn't have the happiest home life, but she didn't think it was so bad that he would be this over the moon about being invited to share her home life.
It would be so dangerous to start having him over for dinner regularly.
But he looks so happy, the expression transforming his child's face in a much more open way than she's used to seeing on him at their real ages. The mask does nothing to hide his delight.
She's going to have to invite him.
She doesn't know how she's going to handle Ladybug not making it to family dinners they've both been invited to, not without either hurting his feelings (because her goofy partner is far more sensitive than almost anyone has realised) or risking too many dropped hints. But she's going to have to figure out some way around that.
"You're sure you don't need help, you two?" Maman asks worriedly as she opens the door for them. "You should gather some of your allies, at least."
Marinette immediately pictures a five year old Chloe and winces. Five year old Alya, while an intriguing thought, also doesn't strike her as a good idea.
But she's known Nino forever and she's confident he can keep his head in battle even if he suffers the same age reversion as they both have, and she thinks Luka would have no trouble remaining calm and focused as well. Plus, Second Chance means that Luka can stay an adult even when the rest of them are struggling.
"We'll get our allies," she assures her mother, even though she feels a little odd about it. "We'll all be okay."
"-just come back here if you still need help," Maman says firmly. "Both of you! Partners should stick together."
Chat Noir is practically vibrating with happiness as he exclaims, "We will!"
Maman smiles. "Good luck then, Chat Noir, little bug."
For the very first time Marinette takes Chat Noir with her to Master Fu's. Master Fu had given her a go-ahead on it after Desperada, after Marinette had spilled the day's events to him out of a desperate need for reassurance only for her Master to gently point out that she knows very well who the most reassuring presence in her life is and it certainly isn't him.
And for the first time he'd said it was time to be more honest with her partner, time to begin to let Chat Noir in on more secrets.
As paranoid as it makes her, Marinette wants to involve him more. She knows it hurts him not to know, that he feels like she doesn't trust him when that couldn't be further from the truth.
Master Fu doesn't seem terribly surprised to see their child forms or that they've shown up together. He slides the Turtle Miraculous off without being asked and hands it to Marinette, then raises a questioning eyebrow when she hesitates over the Snake Miraculous and looks at Chat Noir.
She looks between him and Master Fu, distraught and unsure how much of her upset is due to their forcibly changed ages.
"You know the wisdom of your choices better than I ever can, Ladybug," Master Fu says gently. "If you think it is wise, then let it be so."
Marinette takes a deep breath, then turns to Chat Noir and says, "I can go and get Carapace. Can you bring this to Luka Couffaine? He lives on the Seine, on a boat called the Liberty. He shouldn't be too hard to find."
Chat Noir's pupils dilate again, with happiness or shock or both, she isn't sure. "I-I'll go straight there. Thank you for trusting me with this, my Lady!"
Marinette stares after him, her heart pounding in a way it does not have her permission to do, and realises that if he's this happy and Maman is that determined then there is no way her parents aren't about to adopt a stray Chat as thoroughly as they possibly can.
It's not necessarily a displeased realisation.
He looked so happy. She's used to his light-hearted humour, but she's never seen his whole being light up when it had when Maman had started teasing about adopting them both.
The more Marinette thinks about it the more she starts to like the idea. Chat Noir seems to waver between just fit enough and skinny enough to worry her, and knowing that he's eating dinner with her would be a relief. Knowing that he's getting a little more of the affection he seems to crave so badly will be a relief.
Letting go of her worries and accepting that her family has maybe (definitely) gained a Chat by now, Marinette takes off herself to find Nino. Navigating at this age and size is marginally more difficult but far more fun and she can live with that trade-off.
And the sooner they defeat this akuma the sooner she can make sure that no matter what Chat Noir's real home life is like, he'll have an escape to her own family.
(And if she tries really hard she can ignore the screaming revelation that her mother is apparently a Ladynoir shipper).