I really think that this fic is a brilliant concept and idea that is really well written. I’d love if you’d continue it!
Much love,
SecretMoon

Crying. Please break up with Luka is all j can think of right now. I don't want her to cheat on him with Chat.

Noooooooooooo! Adrien, didn't stand a chance. :(

No, he can't propose to her. This will ruin everything.

This story is good. I love gap age stories. This gives a fresh of air to the fandom. Can't want for the next one.

Ugh oh... seems like both luka and marinette sense a disturbance within 'the force' but luka is more alert than marinette

I’m somewhat confused. You write as if everyone except Adrian is an adult, I thought it was only Luka and Marinette who were adults.

Thank you for the update.
I wonder what will happen in those few minutes, just talking or will Adrien start something.
I read your reply, and I agree that some places in the world other than the US & France might have a negative view on people that stay(ed) single who have children.

Hey Anna! Not sure if you'll see this, but I just realized from some other fics that authors occasionally reply to guests by reviewing their own works... and I wanted to reply to you because I'm not sure if I'll get to update this story this week or not :) Might be next week before I can.

But anyway, yes. I am definitely not saying that a couple "has" to be married before having children, just remarking that people would probably assume a rushed wedding might mean the woman is pregnant. I live in the US, too. I am guessing this attitude might even be less prevalent in France, where people/the public "seems" to be more liberal in terms of social norms/attitudes held by the public. And I am guessing their public healthcare system might even be better than ours! Not sure again, but yeah, thanks very much for your review :) I would type a heart but the less than and greater than symbols don't seem to show up here!

There is a thing called medicaid. They help single moms pay for everything, like doctors visits and among other things, basically the government pays for everything as long as your child is under 18

Thank you for the update

While it's true that marinette isn't pregnant. And people will assume there will be a shotgun wedding. However you don't have to be married before your baby is born. A few associates I know, are still considered single even though they live with their partner and children.

I truly don't know other countries do this but in the US there is a thing called

Thank you so much for the incredibly detailed and lovely review. I thought I'd pop over here and return the favor! (Just a heads up though, I try to avoid stories that get to be too sexual in nature, so if I stop reading this one, that's why.)
I think the flash-forward was a good choice in this intro. You've established the conflict and now we'll be wondering throughout the story how we got to that point. Nice!
Minor grammar critique, ages should be typed out (twenty-four, not 24). Also instead of 'had gotten the hang of it,' you can say 'had the hang of it.'
You've got Chat's juvenile swagger down, and it's an interesting contrast to a more mature and confident Marinette. On that subject, it seems a bit strange to have Chat still giving Marinette the pep-talk in Stoneheart. It's hard to know how much to deviate from canon when you're writing an AU, but personally I prefer when authors go with what's in character in their situation and what makes a more interesting story.
I also like that being Ladybug feels like a burden to her. Very in-character.
I'm glad Adrien is at least seventeen. I was getting really worried about the age gap. I'm assuming (hoping) he'll have reached the age of consent before anything happens.
Was the Lamaze class thing foreshadowing?
All in all, it was a solid introduction. You've shown us the strong emotions that will happen later in the story, sown seeds for that conflict (Marinette's subtle attraction to Adrien) and provided a strong contrast to the later conflict by showing us the happy, ordinary present.
I will say that now I understand why you have more reviews on your other, more lighthearted story than you do for this one - it has nothing to do with the quality of the work here and everything to do with the accessibility of the story. 1. The higher the rating, the fewer readers you will have. 2. You're dealing with some heavy topics - infidelity and an age-gap relationship. Fewer people want to invest in potentially complex themes. (Especially in a fandom with a young target audience.) Two teenagers being adorable attracts a wider audience. I think its a good sign that the reviews you have on this story are longer and more detailed. So you've got breadth on one and depth on the other. *shrug*

huh...I was worried about the really public proposal because sometimes people get pressured a bit to say yes but luka does know mari well...its nice to know mari is still loving Luka. it does however make me more stressed on the Adrien half. I like the hints of potential nate drama with nate holding mari's hand. even though its clear it was out of friendship I like the hints of nate possibly repressing his feelings for his friends relationship. This does mean mari will be moe lkly clearer about being engaged if chat flirts wth her again. so safest bet for chat right now is for mari to feel flattered but not believe he is serious serious about the flirting.
luka leaving however will be interesting. on one hand thy are used to these gaps every once in a while and being engaged means mari will be more likly to stay loyal. but on a different hand its possibly mari would have been more at ease if their status quo hadn't changed because she is engaged now but Luka will be leaving soon after so she might feel a little more lonely because he wont be there for the early time of their engagement.
The gap will probably give mari the opening to start being around chat more often or nate hanging around more.
chat is certainly has a convenient bittersweet self love session ight there. ladybug just put him out of his misery and let him you are engaged and he has no chance! if he ever thinks he went after someone unavailable he will hate himself!
seems master fu is getting judged by mainette XD hilarious!

I do find it a bit odd that mari/ladybug keeps thinking of chat as sexy and handsome. I understand he getting a bit flustered because he IS a pretty kitty but too much and it makes mai seem like she is only getting interested in him because he is attractive. like mai/ladybug is the show is able to keep better composure wth just a crush holding her back from chat. here mari is in a strong relationship. So maybe instead of the focus just being on chat being attractive and flirty maybe try woking on his more endearing traits. like maybe he makes a lot moe goofy jokes to brighten the mood and she realizes he is also doing that to calm her o the civilians don so they don't start over thinking and panicing. Or she notices that chat checks up on civilians afterwards(something she has less time to do because he is so busy). While mari enjoys a fine looking man she is more attracted to kindness and attractive traits.
If this is Adrien's first love most likely instead of making him so smooth show the hints of awkward or self-awareness that most people have when they are crushing on someone strongly and don't exactly know hat to do about it. If mari is older than show the hnts of Adrien being both mature for hi age but also that childishness. after all Adrien's best features are his kindness, his patience and ability to see things a bit better from other's perspectives. he isn't afraid to call out ladybug in the show but he also makes sue not to be mean about it.
if mari has been working by herself. even though it seems luka knows and can hold mari responsible or talk with her about decisions later along with tikki it is different to have a partner out in the field. a equal who understands the powers in ways that Luka just can't along with the pressure and the danger.
and maybe build up the partnership a bit more and their shared experiences. so that Adrien feels like a real contender for mari' heart and not some 'other guy' or as my sister called him a 'hussy' trying to steal mari from luka. Showing the hints of mari's attracton to chat is important but its also impotant to show there is a strong friendship bond forming. maybe chat unknowling cheered mari up or dostacted her from missing luka orr having a bad day for a while?
We also know that while mari is olde she also has a good life and maybe show the slight maturity chat has on her on certain subjects like loss. maybe make a reference to wwhat made her fall for Adrien in the show. have chat be vulnerable and admit he is knew at this and wants to impress her.
I like them thinking about ages. fact is if mai knew his rreal age she'd probably wite him off entirely from the attraction page on principle subconsciously. so ith the mask blurig the age it lets her gt attracted slowly.
maybe shw more of his dorky side with him dancing?
I am both very very excited for Luka's proposal but feel like Alya not showing is a omen. interesting cut offs so mari still doesn't think he's serious enough to address the flirting since its playful and she hasn't returned it exactly. and chat stll hasn't fully confessed to his crush yet so he cant be officially rejected yet.
considering ladybug has been around for a long while I think chat at least has a good guess work that she is probably older than him. and mari has nothing to really go age wise just yet.
I do hope plag calms chat down and tells him to dial back the 'love' big L confession. but at the same time better safe than sorry. best to ty to get the point across quickly.
Nate seems suspitious of mari cheating but I also get the vb that nate would almost wish mari would cheat with nate. if nate and mari hang out so much when luka goes on tour it does give off a interesting vibe. especialy with the hints nate might still be crushing on her a little but isn't doing anything because he respects mari and luka.
I onder if mari is even ready fo marriage...and is asking for marriage when there will be large gaps between seeing eachother might not be practical. have they discussed potential kids.
wll 'marinette' end up interacting with civilian Adrien?

Awesome chapter.
Is there a pregnancy sign or symptom that both rose and Nathaniel seem to conclude that marinette is pregnant? Is Luka planning a surprise proposal for Marinette?

I was right about marinette developing feelings for chat noir based on high risk situations. Did it occur to Adrien that ladybug might be older than him? Is he confusing his hero worship for actually romantic feelings? I'm still wondering why master fu didn't give Luka the cat miraculous.

Can't wait for the next chapter.