Timing is everything: Miraculous ladybug

|9|: A superhero and a normal girl

  The conversation with Chat noir the other day had given Marinette a lot to think about.

Sure, when she said that she was thinking of quitting, it was more of an "in the moment" kind of thing, due to how stressed she was. But the more she thought about it, the more quitting seemed to make sense. She thought of several pros, but not many cons. However, the cons she did think of, were pretty big.

  Like how she'd be letting down the people of Paris, and her partner. Or how if she didn't fight, then Hawk moth might never be caught, and he'd be free to terrorize Paris for years to come, making it a dangerous place to raise a child. Those were some of the major things holding Marinette back. But with time ticking away, Marinette grew more despondent. She felt like she would never have a normal life if she remained a superhero. And while she knew that she had responsibilities as the guardian of the miracle box, she also thought of how a normal life seemed to be passing her by.

  She could always pass off the miracle box to Chat noir; after all, Master Fu had taught him all the secrets of the Miraculous as well. And the beautiful thing about the Miraculous's being jewelry, was that she could just pass them off to someone else. It would be easy to give up her powers, all she'd have to do is choose someone worthy of the Ladybug Miraculous. But Marinette knew how selfish that was, and how she couldn't just dump all her responsibilities on someone else just because she was tired of them. She wanted to set a good example for her child, and doing something so selfish would send a bad message. Therefore, Marinette was stuck in a rut. No matter what she did, she would be in a lose lose situation.

   She couldn't help but think that if Luka was still alive, then none of these things would be happening. If Luka was still with her, Marinette would still be a relatively normal girl, who occasionally fights crime as a superhero. She wouldn't have the weight of the world on her shoulders, and all she would need to think about, was doing well in school and preparing for college. Sure, she would also have to worry about catching Hawk moth, but at least at the end of the day, she would have the man she loved to comfort her and give her support. And she really wished she had some support. Because at the moment, no matter how many people surrounded her... Marinette had never felt more alone.

~2 weeks later~

   One night, after a doctors appointment in which she was finally able to see her baby actually starting to look like a baby and not some sort of sea monkey, Marinette went out onto her balcony, and stared at the streets of Paris.

Because of how late it was, there was no one outside, and there was peace and quiet. Marinette had had a brief respite, as there had been no Akuma attacks the past 3 days, which she was extremely grateful for.

  Her morning sickness had finally subsided; for the most part at least, and she was feeling a little better. In a few days, she was going shopping for maternity clothes with her friends, which was something that she was looking forward to. However, she still had a nagging feeling in her gut, that not all was well.

  Marinette pulled out the ultrasound picture that the doctor had given her earlier that day, and she looked down at it with a smile on her face. No matter how difficult life was for her right now, at least she could take solace in knowing that her child was healthy. She absentmindedly put her hand to her bulging stomach, and rubbed it gently.

  "I know things are a mess right now, but I want you to know that none of this is your fault. You are the one good thing that has come out of this crappy situation. I can't wait to finally hold you in my arms. My only wish is that your father could meet you as well. I know that he would've loved you with all his heart." She said as tears pricked her eyes.