It's finally happened, Dr. Franc Thibault thought giddily as he led his clients through the hospital's halls towards his office. Just as he'd been hoping since the birth of their son some time prior, his favorite patients, Adrien and Marinette Agreste (or should I say, thought Dr. Thibault, Ladybug and Chat Noir!) were expecting their second child.

Which means I get to see them more often again!

He had caught brief glimpses of the couple and their young son, Hugo, of course, as they visited for Hugo's check-ups, but hadn't gotten a chance to really speak to them since the boy had been born. And why should he, really? He wasn't really a friend of theirs, per se, he was merely an ultrasound technician who happened to tend to them. Were they any other patients, he wouldn't even really think about it. They'd just blend in to the dozens of other clients he saw every day, week, month.

They weren't just any other patients, though. They were his heroes. Literally! The heroes of Paris!

But, of course, they didn't know he knew. He wasn't supposed to know. It had been an accident, really, that he'd found out. To the Agrestes, Franc was just another friendly doctor, with no special attributes that would stand out in their minds or make them pay particular attention to him. Not the way he found himself paying attention to them.

I…haven't come across as…creepy, have I? Oh dear, I hope not, Dr. Thibault thought. Even if he was naturally apt to paying more attention to these particular patients since discovering their secret, he outwardly acted the same towards them as anyone else who came through the hospital doors. The fixation was purely internal. Wasn't it?

Dr. Thibeault bit his lip as he rounded the corner and opened the door to his office, ushering the couple inside and starting up his equipment.

Should I tell them that I know?

It wasn't the first time he'd wondered it. It would certainly be easier on him if he didn't have to keep his fan-gushing all bottled up all the time. And with Hawkmoth out of the picture, what could be the danger of one random doctor knowing their identities? Which that doctor already did, they just didn't realize it. So the danger wouldn't really increase, would it?

Would it?

Dr. Thibault sighed quietly. No, he was being selfish. They weren't fixated on him like he was on them. If he confronted them, it would only cause problems, if not with supervillains then between he and they as individuals. They would be shocked, confused, probably. Maybe even angry? He couldn't be sure, but he doubted it'd be good.

No, I can't tell them.

Although….

The doctor glanced sideways at his patients, Marinette having laid down and Adrien sitting in a chair beside her, holding her hand. They smiled at each other before turning expectantly towards Dr. Thibault, ready for him to begin. Wily wheels began turning in his mind.

…a little fun never harmed anyone…

.oOo.

The Agrestes were here for a 20-week appointment. Which, Dr. Thibault thought, was quite appropriate, given that was the same milestone they'd been at when…well, not when they met…Dr. Thibault knew from the hospital records that he'd technically met them before for earlier appointments. But that was before he knew. At that point they were still just ordinary patients that blended in with the rest.

It was at their 20-week appointment with Hugo that he'd found out. And since then he'd never been able to forget them.

Speaking of Hugo…

"Everything's looking good," the doctor announced casually (he hoped). "Are you ready to find out if Hugo's getting a brother, or a sister?"

The couple nodded vigorously, a flash of excitement shining in their eyes.

"Well, let's see…" Dr. Thibault maneuvered his probe. "It looks like—huh. That's strange."

He could sense an immediate tension as Marinette and Adrien's faces oh-so-subtly fell, their grip on each other's hands tightening just slightly. They were worried.

Dr. Thibault continued to adjust the probe as if he were trying to discern something very carefully—in reality, he was just moving it around willy-nilly. He leaned in closer to the screen, furrowing his brow.

"…sir?" Marinette piped up a bit nervously. "Is…is something wrong?"

Dr. Thibault leaned back from the screen, taking a deep breath.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but…"

The couple's tension increased. Dr. Thibault nearly had to bite his tongue to keep a straight face. Now or never!

"Well, it…it looks like your baby has cat ears."

Oh, if only his eyes could take photographs!

The couple's eyes went wide and their faces seemed to drain of color, particularly Adrien's. His head snapped from the doctor to his wife and back and forth, mouthing something that Dr. Thibault could only assume was is that possible?! Can being Chat affect that?! Does the doctor know?!

…well, or not. Maybe he was just reacting the way any father-to-be would when confronted with such an unexpected. But then again, maybe not…heh heh.

Deciding they'd floundered enough, Dr. Thibault finally dropped his serious front, chuckling amiably.

"I'm just kidding," he admitted, grinning widely, and the couple began to relax. "It's a girl and her ears are perfectly normal and healthy, just like the rest of her."

After the joke began to settle in, Marinette and Adrien began to share in Dr. Thibault's laughter, partly out of joy for the news of their new daughter and partly (Dr. Thibault assumed) out of relief that no, she did not have cat ears after all, and that Adrien's powers did not, in fact, affect her development in any unusual way.

.oOo.

Perhaps that joke had been a little risky, Dr. Thibault thought as he watched his favorite patients leave the hospital still hand-in-hand, probably off to go pick up Hugo from whoever they'd gotten to babysit him and break the news of his new little sister who was most definitely not a kitten. For all I know, perhaps they assume I've been telling that joke to all my patients.

Still, though, he grinned knowingly. No one else would've have reason to take it so seriously. Their reaction really had been great. Shame he had to keep the whole ordeal to himself.

Oh well. At least he'd still be seeing them more often.

…what Dr. Thibault never did get the chance to see, however, were the tiny black cat ears Adrien had drawn in Sharpie over one of the little sonographs, displayed proudly on the fridge.