Adrien looked down at his usually silver ring and spun it around his finger, rotating his hand side to side to check for any type of change. The object in question had seemed to change colour overnight. When he woke up this morning the object was black, almost the same as when it was off his finger and Plagg had been renounced.

His kwami hovered over his head as he slipped it off and spun it on the table, only to have the confirmation of no change. He sighed and snatched it back up, putting it back on his finger. There was a weird feeling lingering, almost like déjà vu, like he wasn't quite here, but had been here before. Could he be having withdrawals from the powers in his Miraculous?

Adrien took off his glasses and placed them on the table, rubbing the heels of his hands over his eyes in trepidation. This could not be a good omen.

He held his hand up to the window, allowing the light to absorb itself into the piece of jewellery instead of watching it sparkle and glisten in the light.

"I don't understand." He continued looking at it, his mind considering different options for why the ring was behaving the way it was. Was it to do with the Akuma? Why couldn't Plagg feel anything? If he was activated, shouldn't it be wearing him out? He seemed fine, though. Just as annoying as always.

Plagg made his way down into the drawer, fed up with the conversation and obviously in need of more cheese. He couldn't blame him, he'd been rambling on about this for hours.

"Afternoon. How was your night on the town?" Félix entered the room and collapsed down opposite Adrien in the same chair as yesterday. Oh, how things could change in 24 hours!

"You know very well how the evening went. I'm sure you've seen the stories on X, which FYI are exaggerated! I only went back to the hotel with her because I was staying there too, not for...well, you know. And wipe that smirk off your face."

Félix snorted before leaning his elbows on Adrien's table, his eyebrows wiggling. "So, who is this femme fatale? Kagami thinks she's seen her before but can't place her."

Adrien pushed away from the desk, standing up and heading to the boxes positioned on the side table, his back now to Félix. "She's Mary Humphries' assistant. She was having a bad day yesterday and was staying in the same hotel as me. I saw her in the bar and thought, as I had a spare ticket, she may as well come with me. They always say shows are better with a friend."

"And would this newfound friend happen to be named Marinette?"

Adrien turned from where he was loading in a couple more documents into the boxes and glared at Félix. "How do you –"

Adrien gasped, dropping the folders and moving forwards. "Give it back!" he demanded, holding his hand out for the phone currently sitting in Félix's.

Knowing full well the phone's lock screen could mistake Félix's face for his own, Adrien dived over the table attempting to grab it, Félix swiftly moving in another direction and taking the phone with him.

"Fe!" Adrien warned, both coming to an impasse as they stood either side of a chair.

Félix waved the phone in front of Adrien's face, his own obviously not working this time, and continued to open the message. Adrien edged around the chair.

Félix took a small step back. "I hope you arrived home safely. Thank you once again for accompanying me last night, it was fun. I know this is kind of last minute, but a friend of mine has a movie premiere in France on Saturday night and I've been issued a plus one ticket. Would you like to come with me? I'll supply the M&M's." As Félix read the message, Adrien chased him around the room, resulting in his cousin climbing onto the desk for sanctuary.

"Adrien Agreste, I never thought you had it in you!" Félix laughed, throwing the phone down to him. It bounced from one hand to the other as he finally caught it and read the message back.

"Geez, don't look so worried, she said 'yes' and that this time she'll provide the snacks. She's a keeper." With a quick wink, Félix jumped from the desk onto the floor and pushed the chair back towards the desk.

Adrien rolled his eyes at his cousin's antics before quickly typing a response back. He read her message again. She would come. He had a friend in France who wasn't a stuck-up snob (no offence to Chloé). As ridiculous as it sounded, this was a big deal.

"Now, there's that prize-winning, toothpaste commercial smile! I've missed it!" Félix reclaimed his place in the chair.

Adrien moved back to the boxes and pocketed his phone, hiding it away from Félix.

"Har - de - har!" Adrien mocked, continuing to organise the files he needed ready for Paris. One day! He just had to get through one more day in London before he restarted his life. After the meeting with his father, he'd decided to move up his departure and head to Paris sooner. The contract with Gabriel was rather lucrative, and he couldn't delay the start date.

His ring caught his attention again. It had been amazing seeing Ladybug the night before. She looked incredible and he couldn't wait to see her again. The way she spoke to him, and the way she reacted to him, he couldn't help but be wishful of their romance rekindling, that there was hope for the two of them to be together again. She seemed to respond well to his return, and he hadn't noticed a wedding ring. Not that he'd see one over her gloves anyway.

"Have you heard from Chelsea?"

Adrien looked at Félix, deadpan. "What do you think?"

"I bet she's seething!" Félix laughed, finding the bowl full of M&M's on Adrien's desk and popping three into his mouth.

"Something like that!" Adrien muttered.

"Listen, I actually came here to talk to you about Chelsea. Basically, she cornered Kagami at work yesterday. It seems that she fully believes that because her name was on the invitation she has a right to be at our wedding too. Kagami, well...you can imagine Kagami's reaction...but my little dragon is obnoxiously fair too."

Adrien's shoulders sagged. He knew exactly what was going to happen next. "In other words, my ex will still be coming to your wedding."

"For once, it's not me that's made the boo-boo. If you want Kagami to take it from Chelsea, you can speak to my fiancée yourself."

No thank you!

He'd be crazy to battle Kagami on this. To say the woman had turned into a full-on bridezilla would be selling the devotion to her wedding short. It was so un-Kagami-like, it was perfect! She'd already vetoed her mother on the location, the venue, the food and, most of all, the dress. He had seen it, and it was wonderful, another little product from MDC. He was sure she was about to be removed from the Tsurugi family tree.

"Do I at least still get plus one privileges?"

"You do, she doesn't! It was the compromise they came to."

"Great. So I'm going to be attending the wedding of one ex-girlfriend, whilst another ex-girlfriend will be plotting my demise, and my elusive father will also be there. But it's okay, because I have just over a month to find someone to drag with me, who can join in with the circus of Adrien Agreste's greatest screw-ups – all whilst I have to give a speech. Lovely."

"That's my boy!" Félix said, standing up and patting Adrien on the shoulder. "Call me when you get to Paris tomorrow. Kagami will be hunting you down if you don't!"

Adrien saluted.

Félix turned to leave the room, stopping and turning back again. The bravado dropped as he smiled shyly at Adrien. "Just because it didn't work out with Chelsea, doesn't mean you need to hold yourself back. Who knows, someone else might just fall into your lap."

As though in tune with Félix, Adrien's phone chimed again, the name Marinette flashing on the screen.

"Stay safe," Felix cackled, the double entendre not going amiss. And with that, his cousin was gone.

Plagg reemerged from his napping spot in Adrien's top drawer, holding a piece of cheese and looking to where Félix had just left. "He's right, you know! I'm saying that far too often at the moment."

Adrien grabbed his phone, pulling up the message from Marinette and rereading their conversation so far.

Adrien: I hope you arrived home safely. Thank you once again for accompanying me last night, it was fun. I know this is kind of last minute, but a friend of mine has a movie premiere in France on Saturday night and I've been issued a plus one ticket. Would you like to come with me? I'll supply the M&M's.

Marinette: Of course! 😆 Wow! A movie premiere? That sounds amazing, but are you sure you'd want someone so un-red-carpet-ready to be your plus one? If I do come, I think it's only fair that I buy the M&M's again. So, tell me, what's your poison?

Marinette: Btw I arrived home complete and with a job! Suddenly some luck has struck from somewhere. Thank you again for last night, it was needed after such a traumatic day.

Adrien: It must have been the umbrella! 

Adrien: It's not an official red carpet affair so don't worry too much. It's just a small gathering to get an idea of the film's rating. The actors will be there, but it's more of a secret cinema event. As for M&M's? Peanut butter, or salted caramel.

Marinette: Good choice, I'll raid the corner shops for some salted caramel for you. After all, you don't want me nibbling at your nuts. Let me know the details when you can ?

Marinette: Oh! My! God! I just read that message back and that's not what I meant. I meant I don't want to nibble your Peanut Butter M&M's, not your nuts! I'm not into that sort of thing. I swear I am normal! No kinks! Not about nibbling nuts anyway, as nice as yours might be!

Adrien snorted, a hand covering his mouth as he watched the words: Marinette is typing... jumping across his screen.

Marinette: Hi! Me again! I just want to set the record straight. I have no kinks. Zero. Zilch. I do NOT nibble nuts! And it seems I'm just making a colossal idiot out of myself!

Adrien: What you do in your own time is completely up to you. I don't judge! I'll let you know asap ?

He heard cackling, Plagg sitting on top of a stapler and looking a little too smug for Adrien's liking.

"What now?" he asked, rolling his eyes at the small godlike creature.

"Nothing. You'll figure it out in your own time."

Adrien looked down at his ring, the attention once again being taken from the cackling kwami to the dormant object. "What do you think happened to this? Why is it black?"

"The only way it's usually black is when it's without its owner, or activated. But I'm here, you're wearing it and you're not transformed, so it makes no sense. Why don't you try calling your transformation again and see what happens?"

Adrien held his hand up to the window and looked at it again, twisting and turning it from side to side. Tightening his fist, he clenched it together before opening it out again. An odd feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

"Here goes nothing." He knew full well this wasn't going to work. For some unknown reason he could feel the lack of energy and power. The lack of anything. It was just black metal wrapped tightly around his finger.

He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath. "Plagg, claws out!"

Nothing.

"Plagg, claws out!" he said again, this time with an air of desperation.

Nothing.

"Plagg... claws out!"

Adrien collapsed down in the seat and studied the ring, as he had for the better part of the morning. Frustration attacked his nerves as he took the ring off and slammed it to the table. Not only was he now useless in the case of an Akuma attack, but he also couldn't go and meet his lady as planned.

He placed his elbow on top of the glass desk and began to rub across his eyebrows. What was he meant to do?

"Do you know who Ladybug is?" Adrien asked.

Plagg nodded in answer.

"Could you pass a message onto her that I won't be around if there's an Akuma attack?"

"I could definitely try. I'll have to wait until we're back in Paris though."

A defeated sigh left Adrien's lips as he picked up the ring and placed it back onto his finger. He usually felt overrun with confidence and strength as he wore his ring, but this was different. It felt cold and unwelcoming, almost as though it was dead.

"Chin up, Kid. I'm here with you and we know Ladybug is fine. I'll just find her when we're back in Paris and see if we can fix this. No harm done."

"You seem awfully calm for someone who usually finds any excuse to bite my head off."

"You're taking me back to the land of glorious cheeses, what do you expect?"

Chuckling, Adrien stretched forward again and checked his phone. Another message off Marinette, plus 4 off Chelsea and 1 off Chloé.

He started with Chloé.

Selecting her name, he placed the phone to his ear and waited for it to ring through, his friend on the other side of the phone waiting for him.

'About time!'

"Hello to you too, Chloé!"

'When were you going to tell me you have a new girlfriend?'

He should have known this was coming. Nothing slid past Chloé Bourgeois without her having her opinions heard first. "I don't have a new girlfriend. I have no girlfriend. I am girlfriend-less!"

'Oh, thank god! Chelsea was an absolute bitch!'

"That's rich coming from you!" Adrien chuckled.

Chloé snorted on the other side of the phone. 'I don't know why you dated her, Adri-kins! I gave you more attention than that and you never dated me!'

"Probably because you were too busy making out with Sabrina to go on a date with me. I didn't want to be second best."

'Whatever! Sabrina says hello, by the way. So, this girl...are you bringing her to the premiere?'

Adrien looked to Plagg, the kwami smug with himself. There were far too many times Chloé and Plagg were on the same page...not that they ever knew it.

"She's just Mary Humphries' assistant and had a bad day. I just took her to the theatre because I had a spare ticket and she needed a break."

'Sure, sure! A trip to the theatre with Adrien Agreste, when you work in design? Are you sure she didn't want more?'

"She actually didn't, and for the record, yes, she will be at Zoé's premiere on Saturday. I just need the details to let her know."

'I'll text them over. Listen, Adrien, I'm really looking forward to having you home, and you look happy in the photographs. It's so good to see that.'

He smiled. "Thanks, Chlo, see you Saturday."

Ending his call with Chloé, he waited for the details from her before sending them onto Marinette. Next on the list...Chelsea.

Chelsea: So you ditch me for someone else? That's harsh Adrien, I knew I was right about you.

Chelsea: I spoke to Kagami today. I'll still be attending the wedding, so you have four weeks to get your act together. I'm still willing to have you back even after you've had your plain Jane fun!

Chelsea: I bet she wasn't as good in bed as me!

Chelsea: I bumped into Jaxon James tonight and brought him back to my place. If you need to get anything in the morning just be prepared for him to still be here.

Adrien couldn't help the stab of hurt in his chest. Though it had come to the end of the line with Chelsea, that didn't mean there were no feelings there at one point. She was a girl that he thought he could love, a girl that had been there for him as a friend before it developed into more. How could he mean so little, that she'd slept with someone else less than 24 hours later?

Sighing, he stood and walked back to the box, placing the lid on it and looking around his empty office.

Tomorrow he will return to Paris.

Tomorrow he will start his new life.

And tomorrow he will once again work for his father.