Watch the video that I've attached. ⬆️⬆️
It's really something to look at, it's CUTE!

Thank you for 6.03K reads! ❤️❤️❤️
•°•°•°•°•°•°•

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news. Our beloved superheroes have succeeded in not only getting back the people of Achu who were held hostages by Hawkmoth and Mayura safely but also have defeated the villains for good.

The famous duo announced their victory earlier today through the Ladyblog. We haven't been told about the villains' identities due to security reasons, but Ladybug and Cat Noir assured that they have taken care of them and that they've been arrested and kept in an isolated prison under high security. Ladybug also purified the amok of the sentimonster responsible for Notre Dame collapse and has reverted everything back to normal by her healing wave. Everyone has recovered from their injuries.

People all around the world are celebrating Ladybug's and Cat Noir's victory. Mayor Bourgeois is hosting a party today at his hotel, Le Grand Paris, to honour the superhero team. Celebrities like Clara Nightingale, Jagged Stone, Mr XY, Audrey Bourgeois will be present there and of course the people of Achu along with Prince Ali.

Every Parisian is elated. It seems like akumatisation is a thing of past, people would be able to feel whatever they want to without risking anything.

But what will happen to Ladybug and Cat Noir? Will they retire because there is no potential danger to Paris now? Or will they keep protecting us, citizens? It's a question for them to answer..."

_______________________________

<Ladyblog>

[Ladyblogger]: I can't believe it! After all this time, finally! Hawkmoth's reign of terror has ended. Yay Ladybug and Cat Noir! Thank you!
👍🏻2958 👎🏻0 🗨️1697

[DJ_Dude]: That's awesome, isn't it? Like, finally! That Hawky dude wasn't getting anywhere either.
👍🏻1876 👎🏻0 🗨️ 789

[QueenBee]: You are right. It's really great that we have heroes like them to protect us. Now we can all live in peace.
👍🏻1287 👎🏻 0 🗨️ 200

50 more such posts. Click to view.

_______________________________

"Don't be bemused, it's just the news, but our favourite designer, Gabriel Agreste and his assistant Nathalie Sancoeur have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

We have been told that they were last seen near Puerto Rico... According to the sources, it has been guessed that their aeroplane disappeared when it entered the mysterious Bermuda Triangle. The Devil's Triangle or the Hurricane Alley has been responsible for a lot of disappearances of various ships and planes and people in the past few decades. If this is the case in this scenario, then we can easily guess that neither of them may never return. Mr Agreste and his assistant were headed to Tampa for an important meeting with the CEO of Versace regarding a new winter clothing line for the Gabriel brand. They were apparently launching this line together.

Gabriel Agreste's son, Adrien Agreste, 17, who wasn't accompanying his father to Tampa, is currently completing his education and is still in high school. We have no news on how he is dealing with the current situations right now. His mother, Emilie Agreste had disappeared roughly three years ago.

The company's control will be passed on to the director of the company, Paul Valeron, 41, for now. He will be looking into all the matters of the company. Adrien Agreste will take over him as soon as he graduates from college, according to Gabriel Agreste's will. He will be taught how to handle the company in the meantime.

The most shocking news about Gabriel's will is that he seems to have given partnership rights to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, 16. She is a classmate of Adrien and has made appearances as a designer many times now. Apparently, as soon as she graduates from college, she will be given a 50% partnership and she will work alongside Agreste Jr.

This brings us to the next topic, who is Marinette Dupain-Cheng to Adrien Agreste? Have the two best friends been secretly dating? What persuaded Gabriel Agreste to do this? See our special report on this topic later tonight at 8 PM. Au revoir!"

_______________________________

<Group Chat>

[Alya]: OMG! Did you guys see the news? It's really sad to hear that Mr Agreste and Ms Sancoeur aren't with us now. I feel really bad for Adrien. He is such a great guy, he doesn't deserve this. And Marinette's back! This is such a bittersweet moment.

[Nino]: I know, right? My dude is the best, he deserves happiness. As a friend, I give him all my support, 'cause that's what bros do. Glad Nette's back though.

[Rose]: You are right Alya and Nino. He needs his friends now more than any other time.

[Kagami]: I agree.

[Luka]: So do I.

[Lila]: Oh my poor Adrien! Why do such things happen to him? He has a heart of gold. It's a good thing that Adrien will always have me by his side. And you guys.

[Chloe]: Ugh! I am not even going to try to reason with you guys now. But, you are right, we will always be there for Adrikins.

56 more unread messages.

_______________________________

Adrien looked at his phone, checking all the news feed and messages from the past few minutes. Apparently, the defeat of Hawkmoth and Mayura was trending on various social media sites, so was Gabriel Agreste's and Nathalie Sancoeur's sudden demise.

Why did you have to do this, Father?

But something was bothering him. Why would he give 50% partnership rights to Marinette? Not that he minded, he knew that his girlfriend would be able to handle the company better than him once they grew up. Did his Father know about Ladybug's identity too? Did he know about their relationship status? Sighing, he made up his mind to not to think about it. It was all in past now. It wasn't like he was getting any answers anyway.

He turned his head to look at the beautiful girl sleeping at his side and smiled unconsciously. She looked so peaceful while sleeping. He admired her sleeping form. Her hair were sprawled all over her pillow, her cheeks were a lovely shade of rosy, her mouth was slightly open as she snored softly, a bit of drool was coming out of her mouth. Beams of sunlight through the skylight kissed her milky skin, giving it a godly glow. He could admire the freckles that were splattered across the bridge of her nose for all eternity (which were thirty-four in number). They really were like stars. She looked absolutely divine.

He might have a messed up life, a disappeared mother and an evil father, but he wasn't unfortunate. He had Marinette. He was in a loving relationship with his lady, his princess and he would not trade it for anything in the world. He might be a black cat, but he really was lucky with Marinette by his side.

She turned in her sleep so that she was facing him. Her eyes opened partially for a few moments to blink up at him sleepily. Her lips twitched into a smile and she scooted closer to him till they were sharing the same pillow. Heat blossomed Adrien's cheeks.

Her eyelashes fluttered open and she looked at him once again with those gorgeous blue eyes that were still hazy with sleep. Marinette raised her hand and pressed a kiss the tips of her fingers before pressing them against his lips. His eyes widened and it took all of his self-control to not to capture her into a hungry kiss and kissing the living daylights out of her. Marinette's eyelids closed once again, overcame by sleep. She threw one leg over his before snuggling into his chest and the warmth he radiated.

Adrien.exe has stopped. He died a sweet death and his soul departed happily to heaven.

The feeling was truly miraculous! He was lying beside the love of his life— absolutely nothing could ruin this for him, for them. They didn't have any worries. His hand reached for his phone that he had kept on the small shelf near the headboard to check the time. He took a glance at the screen and his eyes widened in horror. He sat up abruptly, disturbing Marinette a little, but she didn't wake up. That girl could sleep through a zombie apocalypse and he wasn't even exaggerating.

As much as he liked to see a sleeping Marinette, they had school in half-hour and if they wanted to reach there in time, she had to wake up. He shook her by her shoulder gently. "Wake up, love."

"Another twenty minutes." She mumbled groggily and rolled over to her side.

So cute!
She sleeps like an angel... My angel.

Adrien shook his head. This wasn't the time to get distracted by his girlfriend's cuteness. It was time to wake her up. Hell, baking macaroons was an easier task in comparison (and he could mess up microwave mug cakes)! He carefully lifted her head and placed it in his lap. He stroked her hair affectionately, muttering about how it should be illegal to be this cute in the morning and how he could die of cuteness overload. He bent to rub his cheek against her forehead. "Wake up, sleeping beauty."

"N-No."

"Alright then, I guess you don't leave me with any other options." He cracked his knuckles dramatically. He started poking Marinette on her shoulder, "Are you asleep?" He poked her arms, "Are you asleep?" He poked her nose, "Hey, purr-incess, are you asleep?" He poked her cheek as well.

"Adriennnn," she groaned, "Let me sleeeep." Her voice slurred.

"We have school today, love. I am very excited to show you off as my girlfriend."

When she did not stir, he finally got up carefully lest he should disturb her. "I am going to take a shower now, you better get up before that."

"Mmmmm..."

"Kid, stop disturbing me," Plagg whined and Tikki rolled her eyes.

Adrien looked at his girlfriend's kwami and greeted her and proceeded to head for the bathroom.

.

.

.

Adrien felt fresh after his quick shower. He sat down on the pink chaise, about to call for Marinette when his eyes landed on a letter on her desk. He got up and grabbed it. He was shocked as it was addressed to him.

Who would write a letter to me?

He ripped it open and his heart sank. It was written to him by his father. After an internal debate, he sat on the pink chaise and started reading it.

Dear Adrien,

I know that you have many questions and unfortunately, I cannot answer all of them but, I can answer one and that being why I did this.

A couple of years ago, before you were born, your Mother and I travelled to Tibet. On one of our expeditions, we found two jewels, a butterfly pin and a peacock brooch, lying frozen and unattended in an old shop for antiques, we also found an ancient book which had various illustrations of legendary heroes. At that time, we had no idea what they were, but Emilie always had a weakness for beautiful pieces of jewellery so, we brought them back with us to Paris. I brought the book too.

Hardly a few months later, when she was pregnant with you, we got to know what they really were, thanks to Nooroo and Dusuu. They told us about the Miraculouses, their history and uses. To say we were shocked would be an understatement. They also told us how invaluable the book was.

The idea of Miraculouses never really appealed to me enough to use it, but your Mother, well, she was a good soul— always wanting to help others. She decided to use it to create sentimonsters that would help people and that's when Dusuu told us that the Peacock Miraculous was broken and it was dangerous to use it, but Emilie did not listen and she used it thrice. The effect was quick and her soul, it started disintegrating. That's when I stepped in and forbade her from using it, I didn't want either of you to get hurt. She listened to me, for the first time because she wanted you to be safe. But, using the Miraculous did have its side-effects and you ended up being allergic to feathers, if you ever wondered how on earth did you end up getting that allergy.

After you were born, she took to her old ways and started using the Peacock Miraculous once in a while to help others. I tried to talk her out of it but all in vain. I was never really against her helping people, but I was against her using the broken Miraculous.

Son, you know that your Mother disappeared when you were barely fifteen and now I think you know what really happened. She lost her soul. I was devastated, I blamed myself for her d-e-a-t-h. I know how close you two were and how much you enjoyed spending time with her. I always thought that if I were a little more strict with her on using Dusuu's powers then she would have never died and that's why I became Hawkmoth. Nooroo explained to me that one could get absolute power when the Ladybug and the Black Cat's Miraculouses are combined. I missed her terribly, I still do, I wanted to bring her back for me and you. And now you know why I did this, I don't know how I ended up in this mess, I had no ill intentions.

When Nathalie joined forces with me, I was reluctant to let her use the powers of the Peacock, but then when I found the old guardian, Nathalie found a translation of the ancient book in his tablet and that's how I fixed the Peacock Miraculous and Mayura became a permanent ally.

I am sorry Adrien, me and Nathalie both. We were just doing what was right or what we thought was right. I was in too deep that I didn't realise the magnitude of my actions. I don't expect forgiveness, son. I know that I don't deserve it but, one day I hope that you will find it in your heart to forgive me.

Adrien was so engrossed in reading the letter that he almost missed the sudden presence of his girlfriend beside him. Almost. She sat next to him and hugged him, he leaned into her touch, following her warmth and comfort. He continued reading.

You remind me of your mother in many ways; you look a lot like her, you both have the same temper tantrums, you two are very much alike in habits and you both have a kind heart. When she died, I became overprotective, I didn't want to lose you the way I lost her so, I made sure that you did everything I said. By doing so, I managed to save Adrien but I lost my son. Seeing you there, as Cat Noir, was extremely heart wrenching and I realised that it wasn't worth it. Nothing justifies how I pushed you away. I am sorry.

Adrien, I just want to say that I am proud of you, as your Father. You are a great person with a big heart. You do so much and never expect anything in return. You are a great superhero and I am proud of you, I am very proud of you, my son.

Adrien choked back a sob and Marinette tried her best to comfort him. His heart pooled with emotions. He had waited to hear his father tell him that he was proud of him for a long time and now he had finally said it.

Adrien, I don't know what you want to be when you grow up, but I can tell that you will be great at whatever you do. You don't have to continue modelling if you don't want to but, just handle the company, I have already lessened the weight of responsibility by making Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng as your partner, I think that she will do great. She is a keeper, Adrien. That's right, I know. I know that you asked her out, only to get rejected, you were miserable for days and then suddenly, you were back to your cheerful self again. When Dieu Maléfique was akumatized, he used a spell to look into your head and I was able to join the dots and figure out Marinette's identity. Don't worry, Ladybug's identity is safe with me.

In the end, I just want to wish you all the best for the future and you have my blessings. Your Mother would be very proud of the boy you have grown into.

Also, a surprise awaits you at your school. Don't thank me when you find out what it is. It's just a little gift after all these years... I'm sure you'll like it.

Love,
Your Dad.

P.S: Nooroo will guide you to my secret lair where you will find answers to the rest of your questions, hopefully. Just don't hate me.

Tears were flowing down his cheeks while Marinette was wiping them by dabbing tissues on his cheeks, cooing gentle words at him.

He buried his face in her neck as she cradled his head. "Okay, shush now, chaton. Why don't you transform and go downstairs? Mom would be there laying the table for breakfast, I will join you in ten minutes." She kissed his the tip of his nose.

It wasn't like he was going to say no to her offer of eating breakfast at the best bakery in Paris.

******

"So, what are you planning on telling them?" Marinette asked Adrien, lifting their joint hands, their fingers were laced together

"The truth," Adrien stated, "There's no point in denying us anymore. We can tell them that we are together now." He beamed at her, "And I don't want to hide the fact that I am dating you, chèrie."

Marinette blushed as they made their way through the corridors towards their class. She was nervous. How were they going to react to her return? Of course, they'd be happy, they would be quite elated, but she was more worried about the questions they would ask her. How would she explain her sudden disappearance?

That's when she noticed the other students in the hallway. They were all whispering and pointing 'discretely' towards her and Adrien. Well, rude. She guessed that they were all talking about Adrien's father. He had always been famous at school, being a model and everything though this time the other kids might have been talking about something else than his charisma. She squeezed his hand gently— giving him all her support so that he won't falter under their schoolmates' very blatant stares, assuring him that she would be there for him through thick and thin. She felt him return the gesture thankfully.

As soon as the couple entered their class, they were attacked by their friends and were hauled into a group hug. They couldn't hear anything over the din of their classmates' voices.

"Marinette, you're back!"
"We're so happy!"
"Adrien! We heard about your Dad. Are you okay?"
"We'll always be there for you, dude."
"You can count on us, Adrien."
"Where were you, girl?"
"We were so worried sick."
"Thank God you're okay."
"You can come to my house anytime, man."
"Nonsense! Adrikins don't worry, I'll inform Daddy that you'll be staying in our best suite."

Talk about bittersweet.

"Silence, children." A mature female voice said, tranquillizing every person in the room.

Heads turned to the source of the sound and the class found their teacher, Caline Bustier, standing at the doorway. She quickly walked over to the overwhelmed couple and scooped them in her arms, giving them a warm hug. Adrien and Marinette relaxed in their teacher's embrace.

"Marinette, are you okay? Are you hurt?" She pulled back and asked the short girl.

"Yes Miss Bustier," the ravenette nodded, "I am all right." She confirmed.

The red-haired teacher turned to face the blonde, "Adrien, I heard about your Dad and his secretary Miss Nathalie. Are you okay?" She searched her students' eyes for any pained emotions. To her surprise, he smiled hesitantly.

"I am all right too, Miss Bustier, " he looked at his partner, "Marinette helped me feel better. If it wasn't for her then I most probably would've been still mourning." His loving gaze moved the girl and made her blush furiously.

"I am glad to know that you're okay, Adrien." The teacher smiled widely, "I just wanted to let you know that all of us are going to be there for you if you need us," she put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly, "Don't hesitate to ask for help, okay Adrien?" Her voice was so gentle.

The boy nodded and the teacher turned her attention back to the shorter girl. "Ah Marinette, if you don't mind me asking, where were you exactly?"

Marinette's eyes widened in horror as the question she had feared the most had been asked to her by her teacher. Sensing her fear, Adrien chimed in to help her, "She was captured by Mayura's sentimonster Miss Bustier," he said, "Marinette told me that she was freed by Ladybug and Cat Noir."

The red-haired teacher grimaced, "I'm so sorry, Marinette." She hugged her again, "I hate that you had to go through all of that trouble."

The undercover heroine smiled, "I am okay, Miss. I really am." Marinette assured her for the umpteenth time. She was glad to have a mother in the guise of a teacher. This was the quality that she admired the most in Miss Bustier, she was so kind and caring.

The teacher surprised her by handing her a folder, "This might interest you, Marinette." She said to her.

The heroine's eyebrows furrowed as she opened the folder, she could she Adrien watching the item in her hands curiously from the corner of her eyes. She looked at the papers inside and gasped, "A lawsuit against Lila Rossi!?" She shrieked. To her utter astonishment, it was only Adrien who had gasped. The class didn't even flinch. They already knew, the entire school knew about that lying vixen's fate. "B-But how?" She asked incredulously.

Caline smiled, "To be honest, I had no idea about her real character till this morning when I found a few interesting things on my desk in the staff room." She explained, "There was a pendrive on my desk. The contents were quite disturbing," her face contorted painfully, "There were medical records of Lila which claimed that she was a perfectly healthy child, there were several other documents that proved that she hadn't left the country since she arrived in France, there were videos of several celebrities acknowledging that they had no idea who Lila was including Prince Ali and Jagged Stone. Other than that, there also was a vid-" she inhaled and tried to calm her shaking arms, "There was also a video which showed her catching an Akuma and getting akumatized willingly. There were also photos and videos that proved that Lila was responsible for the mass akumatization on Heroes' Day. The pendrive had not only enough documents that proved her as a liar and cheater but also as a terrorist sympathiser as she was working with Hawkmoth." She finished.

The teenage heroes flinched at the mention of Hawkmoth. Lila had been working for Gabriel Agreste!? That was a revelation that neither had expected much less knew how to deal with. Words from Gabriel's letter came back to Adrien's mind.

...Also, a surprise awaits you at your school. Don't thank me when you find out what it is. It's just a little gift after all these years... I'm sure you'll like it.

"W-what happened wh- when you found out?" Adrien stammered. This was the gift his father had mentioned?

"I showed it to Mr Damocles," Caline admitted, he was just as shocked as I was earlier. We reached Mrs Rossi successfully for the first time and she clarified our doubts. Lila was expelled at the scene. In fact, she was sent home just a few minutes before you both arrived.

Adrien and Marinette exchanged surprised looks. "What about her diplomatic immunity?" The girl asked.

"Mrs Rossi has renounced her immunity," Miss Bustier informed the two, "She was furious when she found out the truth about her daughter. Who wouldn't be mad?" She swallowed a dry lump in her throat, "Marinette, I jus- I just want to apologise for letting Lila fool me into even thinking of believing her over you. I am sorry."

Caline's apology acted as a trigger and suddenly the entire class was apologising to Marinette. She was hauled into a bone-crushing hug by Alya as the taller girl stuttered out an apology. "I - I shou- I should've beli- believed you. I am s- so sorry, M."

"I should've trusted you too, dudette." Nino spoke guiltily, "I am sorry."

Marinette smiled at her classmates, she raised her hand to silence them, "It's okay guys, I forgive you all. Whether you believed me about Lila or not doesn't matter, what matters is that all of you were always there for me when I needed you. And it's all in the past anyway after all," she remembered words from her blue-black haired friend, "It's all about forgiving and forgetting."

"Yes!" Adrien's voice chimed in, "As long as Lila gets what she deserves, nothing else matters." He pulled Marinette closer to him by the waist, "I would like her to stay away from my girlfriend at all costs." He winked at the bluenette.

"Girlfriend!?" Alya and Nino yelled in unison, "Girl/Dude, you never told me this!" That's when all hell broke loose as the superhero couple was fired with never-ending questions from their friends. Even Caline couldn't control the eager kids.

"Now you've really done it, kitty," Marinette whispered while Adrien just grinned like a Cheshire cat in return.

******

"Princess, get up." Adrien's voice woke her up. He shook her shoulders as gently as possible.

"Adrien?" She checked the time, "It's five FREAKING forty AM! Why did you wake me up?" Groaning, she buried her head in her pillow.

Cat Noir chuckled as he lifted her up into a sitting position and patted her back gently, "I need to show you something, love. Get up and come with me, please."

"No." She yawned and let herself fall back on her bed. Remind her why she loved an early riser as her boyfriend, again. Oh yeah, because he was cute. She cracked her one eye open look at him. As soon as her eyes landed on her kitty, she realised that the action was a mistake.

Cat's feline ears were pressed flat against his head, giving away his sad mood. His eyes were wide as he was batting his eyelashes innocently and his lower lip was popped out. His expression was that of a kicked kitten.

That damned cat! He was blackmailing her emotionally without even saying anything. He knew her weakness for his kitten eyes. "Ugh! Alright, fine, but this better be good." She groaned and got up. Wow, she had never seen his sad expression change into one of happiness so quickly.

"Freshen up and just don't forget your jacket," he warned.

"But, I don't need one when I am transformed." She reasoned. And it was true. The Miraculous armour did a great job of protecting the heroes.

"It's a surprise, ma cheriè. That means I get to carry you all the way to there."

"But kitty," she whined. She pouted childishly when he denied and made shooing motions at her. Quickly brushing her teeth and splashing her face with cold water several times made her feel a little better, but she still wasn't quite awake yet. She rummaged through her closet for an outfit. If she had been in her right mind, fully conscious, then she would have concentrated on wearing something more elegant to take his breath away, but she was sleepy. Dressing up for him would have to wait.

She threw on a plain white full-sleeved t-shirt and black jeans. Grabbing her gray woollen jacket off the hook, she trotted over to the waiting cat. "So, where to?"

He grinned at her, "You don't get the concept of surprises, do you?" He produced a blindfold.

"I hate you..."

"But, you continue to love me." Cat Noir practically purred out and booped her nose.

Marinette tried her best to hold her serious-and-angry demeanour but failed as she started giggling. "Yes, kitty, I will always love you."

.

.

.

Marinette's laughter pierced through the Parisian sky as her boyfriend carried her bridal style. The sunrise was barely minutes away. Cat Noir chided her constantly to be silent, they didn't want an audience, but his admonishment fell short since he was laughing too. It took a few minutes before the dark-haired girl felt the ground beneath her feet.

She didn't know what to expect when Cat Noir asked her to open her eyes. He had carried her to somewhere not so far way in Paris, she could guess. He had placed her on the ground before she could even know and had immediately stood behind her— his arms wrapped around her waist and his chest pressed against her back, his chin was rested on her shoulder and she could feel his breath on her neck, but she didn't expect anything this beautiful.

She opened her eyes and realised three things, one: she was standing on the top of the Eiffel Tower with the love of her life, two: her heart was beating wildly, third: the sunrise view was extremely beautiful!

The sun bloomed on the horizon, golden petals stretching ever outwards into the rich blue. It looked like the brilliant flower of the sky that was about to warm the day. The ordinary sunrise was so... so extraordinary. The sun rays lightened up the sky with delicious hues of orange and pink. The clouds appeared like soft cotton balls— like cotton candy her brain supplied, reflecting the sun's lights and looking prettier than ever.

"Chaton, this is amazing!" She breathed. She was swooning. Why was she swooning?

"And you are beautiful." He rubbed his cheek against her affectionately. "So, was it worth waking up?" He straightened up and asked.

"Of course it is," she looked up at him, "You are the best!" She turned around literally leapt into his arms, visibly catching him off guard.  He huffed out a laugh and wrapped his arms around her small frame, hugging her tightly. After a few moments, he let go of her.

"Mari?" He asked.

"Yes, Cat?" She raised an eyebrow. There was something in his tone. He sounded nervous. Why was he nervous? God, she really was acting like a curious cat today, wasn't she?

"Listen to me carefully, will you?"

"I will," she assured him.

"Marinette, I love you and I don't know what's a better way to celebrate our first monthiversary than to promise you my heart." He got on his one knee and opened a square box that caused his girlfriend to inhale sharply, "This ring holds a promise- from today onwards my heart will be true and one day I plan to marry you. Sweethearts forever from beginning to end, my commitment to you will never break or bend..."

Marinette covered her mouth in shock as a surprised gasp escaped her.

"With this ring, I give you my heart. I promise, from this day forward, you shall not walk alone, may my heart be your shelter and my arms be your home.
Will you let me fulfil my promise, princess?" He looked at her expectantly, blushing profusely. Like a courteous knight, he had proposed to his fair lady, promising his allegiance to her and had declared his undying love for her.

Happy tears slid down Marinette's cheeks. "Yes, I will!" She practically bounced up and down but managed to extend her left arm towards her lover.

Cat Noir slid the promise ring up her third finger of her left hand. She took her time to admire the ring. It was so beautiful, after all.

She literally jumped into his arms as he got up. He lifted her off her feet and spun her around, slowing down only to rub their noses together.

"Where is my gift, princess?" He asked curiously.

"You will get it later at the party today, kitten."

"But-"

"Be patient, kitty. I swear that it will be worth the wait."

"Oh, I am sure of it." He grinned. He glanced at her lips and she nodded in affirmation.

Adrien pulled Marinette's chin towards him with his two fingers and closed his mouth over hers, pressing a tender kiss on her lips and she made a pleasantly satisfying sound against him.

She melted against him and eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck. He replied with growling roughly against her lips as he hungrily deepened the kiss. His tongue entered her mouth and he explored the familiar taste.

His heart hammered against his chest and he could hear Marinette's heartbeat with his feline ears. It was just as wild as his. There was just something about kissing her. It was familiar and new at the same time. He just couldn't get enough of her. Like catnip.

The bluenette's fingers twisted in her beloved's blonde hair as they stole each other's air. He pressed her hard against himself, keeping his one hand tightly wrapped around her waist while the other was rested on her hip. His touch was so hot and gentle at the same time. They devoured each other's mouths to the extent that they were both aware of their bruised lips, but neither minded.

The promise was sealed with a kiss.

******

"Even our friends have left. Where is my gift, princess?" Adrien whined.

Marinette chuckled. She was nervous about her gift, not because of whether he would like the surprise or not, but what would she explain to him. She turned to face him. "Alright, fine, close your eyes."

Adrien did as he was told, a little too excitedly.

Marinette signalled someone from behind him. Her breathing was uneven. This was it.

"Adrien?" The blonde heard a very familiar voice, a voice he had always loved and his eyes shot open. With shaky breaths and Marinette providing him support, he turned around to meet his mother's eyes.

"M-Mom?" Thousands of memories came back to him. Her singing him a lullaby to sleep, her playing hide and seek with him when he was a toddler, them laughing together as he cosplayed his mother, her gentle voice as she thought him how to play the piano and everything. Tears welled up his eyes as he looked between his princess and his mother.

"How?" He remembered his mother's body lying in a glass coffin in his father's lair, he remembered him making necessary arrangements for her funeral.

"Master Cheng Zheng helped me when we visited him in the temple in Tibet. It's a story for later, chaton. Don't you want to catch up with your Mom?" She pecked his lips.

Adrien looked at her lovingly and gave her a chaste kiss. He ran up to his mother, giggling like a toddler and wrapped her in a hug. Their faces had brightened, happy tears refused to stop. Emilie kissed her son's forehead affectionately and after a long time Adrien's heart got the motherly love it needed, there were no empty spaces anymore.

"You've grown so much, Adrien." Emilie soft voice warmed her son's heart, she brushed his bangs away from his eyes.

"I missed you so much, Mom." He sniffled, the word 'Mom' had sounded nice on his tongue.

Marinette watched the scene in front of her, she was so happy for both of them. She wiped her own tears. She was happy that Adrien finally had the parental love he needed, she knew that the love of a partner cannot replace parental love and vice versa. Affection was such a powerful force. It had the power to draw anyone in and when it came to a mother's affection, there wasn't any seniority.

But she still had a small worry at the back of her mind. How will he react when he finds out?

~~Flashback~~

Marinette and Adrien walked around the courtyard of the Guardian's temple, hand in hand. They weren't transformed at the moment. They had to make this visit quick as no one back at home knew that they were in Tibet. They had summoned Kaalki's powers once again.

"Hello, Ladybug and Cat Noir." A voice startled the duo and caused them to jump a little. They whipped their heads to the right to see an old man with long white beard and hair, a groomed moustache, wearing a pale blue garment with a yellow belt, smiling at them.

"Hello, sir. You must be Master Cheng Zheng, right?"

"Indeed I am, kids." He blinked slowly, "You are here for the purification of the Butterfly and the Peacock Miraculouses, right?"

The duo nodded. "The Miraculouses were used for an evil cause for almost 3 years and Tikki told me that we needed to cleanse them before I put them back in the Miracle Box," Marinette told the old man.

"I see, I am guessing that you defeated Hawkmoth and Mayura."

The pair looked at each other and nodded again.

"Good, Fu made the right choice. Who were they exactly?"

Adrien flinched at the question. "It's always the people we trust the most..." His voice trailed off and he couldn't meet the older man's eyes.

Zheng saw his mood change and quickly changed the topic, "You know what young man, how about your partner and I go to purify the Miraculouses while you go to our training room and meet the others? They are all training currently, I am sure that they will like a little tutoring from Cat Noir." He suggested.

"Why can't I accompany her?"

"I am sorry," he smiled kindly, "But only guardians can be present while the Miraculouses are being purified." Cheng Zheng informed the blonde politely.

Adrien sighed. "Fine um, so where's this training room?" He inquired.

"Jian?" The man called out.

A young lad of fourteen appeared from an adjacent room and bowed courteously, "Yes Master?"

"Take Cat Noir to the training room, he can teach the students some fighting skills," Zheng instructed.

"You are Cat Noir?" The kid turned to look him, looking awed and excited.

"Yes."

"Oh my god!" He squealed, "You are so awesome, I have heard a lot about you."

"Thank you, Jian!" The older boy rubbed his nape nervously, flushing in embarrassment, "And please, call me Adrien."

"Okay, Adrien." The boy then looked at Marinette, "And you must be Ladybug, right?"

"Yes, Jian," she held out her hand, "Call me Marinette." She shook hands with him.

"Well, it's a pleasure meeting you two, you guys are amazing." He looked between the two.

"Thanks!" The duo said in unison.

"Would you two like some tea?" He offered.

"No, no," Adrien made an 'X' with his arms, "We were hoping that we could do this real quick if you don't mind." He added urgently as he didn't want to hurt the boy. "We need to get back in time."

"Alright Adrien, follow me," Jian said as he led him to the training room.

"Marinette, follow me." Cheng Zheng said to her.

She followed the man to another room. The room, though old, was incredibly clean and well maintained. She noticed that it had illustrations of older heroes with their Miraculouses, they were drawn with finesse on the walls. Drawings of dragons and other mythical creatures were painted on the ceiling.

"Take a seat, Marinette," Zheng said. "And put the Miraculouses there." He pointed.

Marinette did as she was told. She sat down cross-legged inside an outline of a circle, putting the pin and the brooch on a hexagon platform. The hexagon was very similar to the illustration on the Miracle Box, the only difference was the lines and patterns were engraved in the surface.

Zheng was seated opposite to her and started reciting something what she thought was a mantra. Unnatural light beams came out of the engraved lines and surrounded the two corrupted Miraculouses. Her breath hitched as her gaze fixed on the sight in front of her.

The process was surprisingly quick and before Marinette knew it, she was already packing the Miraculouses in her bag.

"I believe that you had something else to talk about?" He asked.

"Yes, Master. I- It's about Adrien's mother."

"Go on."

So, Marinette told him everything. Emilie's relation with the Peacock Miraculous, her slipping into a coma because of using the previously broken Miraculous, Gabriel's role as Hawkmoth in order to bring her back and everything that had happened due to it

"Master, I just- I just wanted to ask if there is any other way to bring her back... Adrien misses her a lot, I just want him to be happy." She fidgeted with her cardigan's button. She was nervous because she was afraid that he might say no. After all, asking to bring a person back from the dead (even if magic existed) was asking too much.

Zheng sighed and got up, he walked over to the window and stared outside, his hands were clasped behind his back. "There is a way, Marinette."

"What?! Really? What is it?" She asked as she got up and ran over to his side and peered at him curiously. She couldn't believe her luck.

The wise man turned to face the young girl, "Marinette, there is a way to bring Emilie back and that's because she never was in a coma."

His answer took her by surprise, "What? But, she- she was! I saw her."

"How did it look like?"

"Huh?"

"When you looked at her," he explained, "What did you think? What did it look like?"

"It was almost as if she was asleep, she wasn't responding, but it looked like she was just resting. Her body wasn't even cold or blue, but that could have been because of Gabriel's repository. She was in a coma that could not be cured and Gabriel just couldn't admit that she was gone, her slumber became deeper with time. Even if her body is in just a never-ending coma, there isn't any medical cure to her condition."

"Right, but that doesn't mean that we don't have magic to help us." He looked out of the window again. "I wouldn't call her state as a coma, it's just a side-effect. Like Adrien's allergy to feathers. It's called Shénqí de shuìmián."

"Master, would you please explain a little?"

"Marinette, the Miraculouses are complicated pieces of jewellery with a unique way of working." He walked over to a nearby table and poured steaming hot tea into two cups. "When you wield a Miraculous, it gives you a lot of strength, but a broken one does exactly the opposite, it sucks your energy." He joined her by the window, handing her a cup as he sipped his tea. "But, that's not the only thing it does... It breaks the alignment of the heart, mind and soul."

"So, souls do exist?"

"Not in the scientific way you imagine, but yes, they do. The human body is like cloth to the soul. After a lot of wear and tear, just like we change our clothes, the soul changes the body. This is the case where the soul is free."

"Alright... Please go on."

Cheng Zheng took a deep breath. "When you use a broken Miraculous for multiple times, the soul gets trapped in the Miraculous Void."

"What's that? Like another realm or something?" Marinette asked.

"In a way, yes. The Miraculous Void not only disables the soul from going back into the alignment with the mind and heart of the older body but also makes it impossible for it to enter another alignment with a different body, thereby causing the person to slip into a deep sleep that only deepens with time, after all, a sleeping person can be considered as half-dead."

"So, how do we cure it?"

The older man pursed his lips. "That's where the real problem begins, in order to bring her soul back in the alignment, we need a piece of another aligned and healthy soul, just a piece. The healthy soul functions as the Sun in our solar system, just like the star's gravitational pull keeps all the other planets in their respective orbits and we don't have to worry about any planet floating away or bumping into another planet, that small part of the soul will help to keep Emilie's soul back in its place. It also almost acts like a spark that is needed to carry on a non-spotaneous reaction. But, after the job is done, that particular part of the soul never returns to the real owner."

"What's the problem with that?" Marinette asked.

Zheng eyed the girl in front of him, "Where exactly are we going to find a piece of the soul?"

"I can do it." She volunteered.

"Marinette, no!" Tikki chimed in, who had been quiet during her chosen's interaction with Master Cheng.

"You do realise that by giving a piece of your soul to Emilie will make you prone to dizzy spells and brain clot from time to time." He informed her.

Marinette bit her lip, considering her idea. "If it's for Adrien then I will willingly do it."

"Ah, young love, always so beautiful..." He whispered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, dear!" Zheng quickly said, "But, if you really want to do it, then we better get to work. It will take time."

"How about we do it this Sunday? Adrien has a photoshoot at that time and we can get the procedure done without him noticing. I will come to you using Kaalki."

"You are not going to tell him?" He asked.

"I will, but after I do it or else he would never allow me."

"Alright, then." Master Cheng said as he and Marinette made their way out of the room.

She stopped suddenly and turned around to face the man. "Is- Is it going to be painful?" She asked.

The older man raised an eyebrow, "Well considering you are giving up a part of your soul, yes it is painful," he answered, "But it will not hurt that much. It would be just like waxing." He added.

Marinette squinted her eyes, "How do you know how much waxing hurts?" She asked.

"..."

"Umm..."

The girl quickly sensed the man's discomfort and quickly said, "You know what? Never mind. It was really nice meeting you, bye!"

"Take care, Marinette."

"You too, Master Cheng Zheng." She bowed respectfully and then ran up to her boyfriend who was conversing with some monks.

~~Flashback ends~~

Marinette brushed her worries aside. Adrien was happy and nothing else mattered. She knew that it didn't matter that she gave up a piece of her soul because she had found her missing piece in Adrien. As long as they were together, nothing else mattered. They completed each other, they were two halves of the whole.

She giggled as Adrien tugged her by hand and introduced her shyly to his mother. She looked at Emilie's warm smile and loving eyes and realised how much Adrien was like her. She didn't mind sharing her soul with someone like her for the golden-haired woman had given her something really invaluable— her true soulmate. The destruction to her creation, the Yang to her Yin.

________________________________

In the black, there is some white,
In the white, there is some black.
In the wrong there is some right,
In the dark, there is some light.
Nature is about balance...
Everything comes in pair,
For what is pleasure without pain?
What is love with hate?
For what is Yin without Yang?

________________________________

•°•°•°•°•°•°•
A/N: This book has a very cliche ending in contrast to how it started. But NO REGRETS! I said that I would make up for all the angst and pain.

The ring's a Verragio (mentioning this for the copyright issues).

Honestly, I would write a 'Lila getting exexposed' fic any day, anytime. She's like the Dolores Umbridge of Miraculous Ladybug (Harry Potter fans can relate). We all want her long gone before Hawkmoth himself. I know it's not much, but the sole focus of this book was MariChat: Friends to Lovers relationship and NOT exposing Lila.

Bringing Emilie back was a last-minute decision. I had been playing with the idea after Felix in which poor Adrien could be seen crying. And that's why I thought that he should have his mother back.

In Miraculous Secrets: Nathalie as seen by Gabriel, it is mentioned that it was Nathalie who helped the Agreste couple to find the Miraculouses and that they knew about the jewels before they got their hands on it. I clearly am not going to even try writing something about it because I have no idea. So, what you read in the letter is completely fan-made.

I gave Gabriel a sort of redemption (which he doesn't deserve at all) just for the sake of Adrien and nothing else. As long as our favourite cinnamon roll is happy, I don't mind forgiving the devil (even if it means that the book ended up being a little too cliche for my taste).

Next up: Epilogue (A fur-ry happy ending)

That is all from my side,

{Edited: June 8, 2020}

⬇️⬇️ Press this star button to vote! ❤️❤️