What Adrien loved about living in London was the freedom to walk around and be in the constant buzzing crowds. What he didn't like about living in central London was getting caught up in the rat race.

He waited for the train doors to open before following the cattle crowd out of the tube and up the staircase. Even though he'd timed his train back into London after the morning commuters would be at work, the ever-growing tourism made sure the platforms were busy and the streets were packed in central London.

He'd taken the tube to Leicester Square, opting to walk the remaining distance to the Gabriel office rather than battle the queues for the lifts at Covent Garden. Whoever thought 193 steps at a tube station was a good idea needed their head checking. But still he loved early morning in the bustling marketplace, taking the opportunity to absorb himself in the architecture and stillness. It wouldn't be long until the area was full with buzzing tourists and many street performers.

He moved forward, crossing the road and heading in his desired location on The Strand. His eyes wandered from left to right, memories of being here with Marinette flooding his thoughts. One night spent with a random girl he'd felt sorry for, and battling an Akuma, was probably his most favourite memory from his whole time here. A memory which could have been captured from a simple weekend getaway.

He'd been back in Paris for two weeks and it had already started to feel like home again. Even with his boxes still packed, and the fact he was barely going anywhere beside his home and the office, Paris had once again stolen his heart, his newfound company quite the help.

However, there was still something bothering him. He looked down at the dull black band wrapped around his finger. What the hell had happened? And how was he going to sort this out? He hadn't been able to get in touch with Ladybug, and Plagg had been as helpful as a hairdryer clearing snow. After finding out he was invisible to Tikki and Ladybug, and everyone else, he'd decided to just see how it played out...easier said than done when you were the defending player for the single most important weapon for battling evil.

He checked the time on his phone, happy with his progress. He had a quick meeting with his father before heading to Félix and Kagami's for a suit fitting and to stay over. It was only a couple of days until their weekend at the villa and Adrien couldn't wait. Not only would the break be good, but he would get to spend more time with Marinette and show her off to his family. Finally he would prove he could find a nice wholesome woman with a brain and a cracking personality.

Adrien crossed the road, pushed open the revolving glass door, and stepped into the foyer, making a beeline for the reception desk. "Hello, I'm here to see Gabriel Agreste."

He glanced around the foyer, feeling a twinge of embarrassment as he caught sight of the smouldering pictures of himself. When had he ever thought those expressions were appealing? And those "come to bed eyes" – who was he kidding? If anyone actually looked at him like that, he was more likely to want them out of bed than to invite them in.

"May I ask your name please?"

Adrien turned back to look at the receptionist. His name? She wanted his name?

"Excuse me?" He didn't know what else to say. His face was everywhere in this room, and although he was probably 3 years older than he was during the last shoot he did for the company, he was almost 100% sure he didn't look that much different.

"Your name...please."

Frowning, Adrien couldn't help but feel perplexed. He was the owner's son and had visited just three weeks ago; his face was even plastered all over the walls. He took off his glasses and leaned casually on the counter, attempting to channel his inner model and muster his best smoulder.

"Are you alright, sir? Do you need me to call someone for you?"

Although it likely wasn't meant to be offensive, Adrien couldn't shake the surprise of no one recognizing him. He never imagined he'd crave that instant recognition as 'the' Adrien Agreste. His gaze drifted to his ring once more. Clearly, it was the key to his success; without it, he felt like nothing.

"Yes," Adrien said, placing his glasses back on his face. "You can call my father. Gabriel Agreste."

"Father?"

Retrieving his ID from his pocket, Adrien flashed it at the receptionist, observing her face go pale.

"Yes, my father," he replied with a patient smile, expecting her to pick up the phone and call through to his father. Within a split second, Nathalie appeared at the door, looking as though she had rushed down the stairs instead of using the elevator.

"Adrien, it's so good to see you."

"You too, Nathalie." He stepped forward and embraced her. He never thought he'd see the day he towered over her, yet here he was, taller and a lot more broad. "Is Father here?"

She shook her head. "Not at the moment, though we're expecting him back soon."

Nathalie, his father's girlfriend (there's something he never thought he would say), led him through the doors and towards the elevator, Adrien dropping a quick farewell to the receptionist and an apologetic smile.

"How was your journey?" Nathalie asked, a slight tremor in her voice.

Adrien shrugged. It was what it was—long, boring, and tiring. He was grateful Marinette had left early for work so he could message someone during the journey. With Lillie still recovering from her 'road traffic' accident, Marinette was covering both shifts. Unfortunately, Mary was still on her power trip, and he hated being around when she started taking things out on Marinette.

He had encouraged Marinette to submit some designs to the fashion mogul, urging her to push her boundaries and take a risk. But she'd resisted, claiming she wasn't ready. Adrien suspected Mary's harsh demeanour played a role in Marinette's hesitation; perhaps if the right design house came along, she would be more than willing to step up.

"A pain," Adrien said, giving Nathalie a small smile. "Are you coming with Father this weekend?"

Nathalie nodded, indicating for Adrien to step into the elevator as it arrived at their destination. "Yeah, though I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous."

The villa was owned by Adrien's Gammy. She was 84 years old with enough sass to take down an army. She was also originally from Northern Ireland and had a hard-hitting, no-shit-given attitude...and Adrien adored her. Her nickname came from his younger years when he couldn't say her name properly, his mother and aunt calling it cute and guiding Félix into calling her that too.

"You know Gammy loves you," Adrien said.

"Yes, but that was when I was just a friend of her daughter's. I'm now dating her son-in-law. Saying it is awkward, isn't it?" She looked at Adrien and cringed.

He chuckled. "It's fine, honestly. I just want to see you both happy, and you are when you are together. Mother's gone and she loved you both loads."

Nathalie looked at Adrien, her eyes filled with unshed tears. "I miss her every day," she whispered, using a finger to wipe under her eyes.

"Me too."

The elevator interrupted their conversation, with Nathalie gesturing for Adrien to exit first. They walked in silence, pausing outside the office, exchanging a knowing glance. Although Nathalie seemed concerned about her evolving relationship with his father, Adrien wasn't selfish enough to believe his father should forever mourn. Love was special. Love was unique, and if you found it, you had to embrace it.

His hand unconsciously moved to his pocket where his phone lay, his fingers itching to pull it out and check for messages.

"Your father's in a meeting. He shouldn't be too long." Nathalie opened the door to his father's office and guided him in. "Can I get you a drink or anything?"

Remembering where the small refrigerator was from his last visit, Adrien headed over and pulled out a bottle of water, holding it up to Nathalie with a smile. "I'm all set."

She left him alone, and Adrien glanced around at the recent additions his father had made over the past couple of weeks.

It was strange to think that London was now his father's home—not just because his mother was buried in Paris, but also because of how close it was to Félix. It was fair to say Félix could really get under his father's skin; the two always seemed at loggerheads.

Chuckling to himself, Adrien strolled over to the floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall of the office, gazing out at the bustling city below. People hurried about, some off to work while others made the most of their break in the capital city. London was beautiful, but it had nothing on Paris.

His hand itched again, his brain willing him to reach down and grab his phone. He could just send one message. One teeny, tiny message and find out how she was. It wouldn't be weird or creepy, just her friend asking about her day.

He hadn't made it into the office at all this week, Mary wanting to meet up over drinks rather than in her building. It seemed she was doing everything in her power to keep him away from the design rooms and checking up on the collaboration between the two, something he was desperate to fill his father in on.

Instead, he had to make do with messaging Marinette, but it wasn't the same. He missed her - genuinely missed her.

Finally giving in, he pulled out his phone. Surely it would be okay for him to let her know he'd arrived. Wasn't that what friends did? Quickly, he typed it out, hit send and replaced his phone in his pocket.

A sigh left his lips without any effort. Just the thought of her sent him into a tailspin, something that hadn't happened since Ladybug.

Ladybug.

The name hit him like a rogue dodgeball. He hadn't given his ex much thought lately, what with his newfound sense of uselessness. Every time he caught himself reminiscing, he ended up sending Marinette some random message. Just as Ladybug attempted to steal the spotlight in his mind, Marinette swooped in and metaphorically shoved her into the orchestra pit.

He glanced at his ring again, twirling it absentmindedly around his finger, only to be joined by his cheese gremlin.

"It'll be sorted soon," Plagg said, knowing full well what Adrien was thinking.

"I hope so." He sighed, slipping off the offending object and holding it in front of the window. As much as he appreciated its transformed state, he missed the cool silver of the ring, its eye-catching sheen.

"I wish I could be more help," Plagg announced, completely out of character. The small fur ball was lazy, he never wanted to transform, so why now?

"You've done what you can. It's not your fault no one can see you."

The two stood side by side as the unsettling sound of rattling began behind them. Adrien glanced over his shoulder, noticing glasses vibrating against each other on his father's bookcase. Suddenly, the windows joined in with a loud clatter, followed by a noticeable shift in the floor beneath their feet.

Placing the ring back on, Adrien grabbed hold of the window frame, holding himself still as the room trembled with the effects of an earthquake. Except he was in England, and such a natural event was pretty uncommon.

The ground shifted again, the floor lurching to one side and Adrien pushing a foot into the glass with his arms stretching out. He watched the sky darken, the gloom and doom of an impending disaster filling the sky as a flash of green struck down in the pattern of a thunderbolt. The effects happened again, each one hitting harder than the last; explosions of roof tiles burst into the sky as a woman on a broomstick made herself known.

She cackled long and loud, her hand shooting out ray after ray as she defied gravity on her cleaning equipment.

"Shit!" Adrien exclaimed, looking to Plagg for any indication that he might know what to do.

The kwami shrugged. "Let's just hope there are others who can help her."

As if Plagg's words had summoned her, a swirling portal of blue and white opened on the rooftop opposite.

Ladybug jumped out, followed by Pegasus, Viperion and Rena Rouge. She gathered her team together, and a smile caressed Adrien's lips as he watched her lead her team in the superior way she always did, pointing and indicating where to go next.

Then his smile fell. He felt utterly helpless, his sense of worth crumbling. He was Chat Noir, yet utterly powerless with his abilities nullified by whoever now possessed the butterfly Miraculous. The villain was keenly aware of his absence until everyone else dispersed, leaving only Rena Rouge. Then he saw Ladybug gesture something, and Rena Rouge took out her flute, conjuring an illusion of Chat Noir. She had truly thought of everything, and a tiny spark of hope flickered within him that she could see he hadn't vanished intentionally.

Rena set off in the direction of Viperion as Ladybug remained on the rooftop. She stalked backwards and forwards, arms crossed and looking as though she was ranting, every now and then stopping as she looked into the distance. What was she doing?

She stamped her foot before grabbing her hair and pulling it, pointing into thin air and... Was she...? She was telling it off. Maybe she needed another break?

The lightning struck down beside her, causing her to jump away, unlatching her yo-yo from where it sat on her hip and launching herself into the distance. He tried to move, to keep his eyes on her, but there was only so far he could see thanks to the restriction of the glass.

He stepped away, starting his own march up and down his father's office.

Come on, LB! You can do it! Come on!

Abruptly stopping, Adrien looked out to the rooftop again. This time, a massive dent sat where his Lady was just standing.

"Plagg?" Adrien called in a hushed voice. "Plagg?" he tried again. This time his kwami appeared from the opposite end of the room. "Can you go and check on her, please?" he asked, almost dropping to his knees to beg.

The kwami shook his head. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Adrien."

The room quaked again, Adrien grabbing hold of the plant about to fall off the table and placing it gently onto the floor. "Come on, please! I need to know she's okay!"

Another boom sounded from outside, Adrien running back to the window just in time to see Ladybug defeating the Akuma with a bucket of water.

As the Akuma melted away and Ladybug purified the sickening, purple butterfly, a circulation of ladybugs covered the air and rebuilt the historic city once again. Viperion moved forward and wrapped his arms around her, her head settling into his shoulder.

He tried to look away, but it was Ladybug, and where the bug was his eyes were too...as were hers.

Her bright blue eyes met his, causing her to step backwards and reclaim her personal space out of Viperion's arms. Adrien could see the others talking to her, but her eyes didn't leave his, an unspoken conversation being muted by the glass and distance between them.

The portal reopened, Rena Rouge (and the illusion Chat Noir) walking towards Ladybug and ushering her through. Ladybug's hand slowly lifted, giving him a slight wave.

Adrien lifted his hand to wave back, only for the door to the office to slam open and a female to come storming through. A female he'd hoped to avoid.

"Oh," she said, standing still in the doorway. Chelsea looked as shocked to see him as he did to see her. They continued to stare at each other before he noticed her looking out the window, turning his head just as the portal closed and the illusion Chat Noir's tail disappeared.

"Thank god!" Chelsea finally said, rushing forwards.

Before he could fully comprehend that Chelsea was in the room with him, she had her arms wrapped around his neck, rubbing her nose into his shoulder the way she always did, and in a way he used to think he adored.

"Chelsea?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

He tried to step back and out of her arms, only for her muscles to tense and hold him tighter.

"I work here, silly." She finally let go of him, moving away and bopping him on his nose with one finger. She'd never done that before. The most he'd got was a cheek kiss, which didn't ruin her makeup or make her look like an idiot. They weren't a playful couple. Not like him and Marinette.

The thought startled him. Marinette? They weren't a couple, yet their relationship was the most meaningful that he'd had in a long time. Once again, his hand itched to reach for his phone. As far as he was aware, she hadn't answered his last message yet. He hoped she was okay. God, he was a pathetic excuse for the man.

"Listen, Chelsea, I –"

His phone began to vibrate in his back pocket, the perfect excuse for ending this conversation prematurely.

"I just need to get this," he said, reaching for his phone.

"You don't even know who it is!"

He looked at the screen which displayed his saviour's name.

Marinette.

It seemed his mother was once again looking over him.

"Why are you smiling like that? You'll get frown lines." Chelsea placed her hands on her hips and glared at him.

What had he ever seen in this woman?

"Excuse me!" He pressed the answer button and brought the phone up to his ear. "Hey, Sweet Thang!"

"You're alive, thank goodness!"

Adrien started to laugh, turning his back on a stunned Chelsea. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"The Akuma attack," she responded matter of factly. "I heard it was right by the Gabriel offices."

"It was, but I'm fine, I swear. Nothing happened to me."

He heard her sigh on the other side of the phone, a sigh which seemed to vibrate through the phone and into his body, causing a fluctuation of warmth to cruise up and down his spine and circulate in his stomach.

"I'm really glad. Sorry for interrupting you at work. I was just...well..."

Adrien couldn't help smiling. She was worried about him but wouldn't admit it. He was thrilled - as was his heart, which was trying to explode in his chest. "I promise, I'm fine."

"Good!"

"Good!" Adrien stood with the phone to his ear and smiled like an idiot. So, this was what it felt like to have someone genuinely care for you.

"When are you back in Paris?"

"In a couple of days. I'm driving back with some boxes for my apartment."

"That's quite a drive."

"Well, I am an excellent driver."

A giggle sounded on the other side of the phone before Mary's voice was heard screaming her name (well, a name that started with an 'M' at least).

"I better go. I'll speak to you soon?"

"I'll text you when I'm done."

"Amazing. I mean – great – yeah, just great! I'll text you... No wait, you said you'd text me. Silly me."

He heard the shouting again in the background. "You best go. Talk to you later, Sweet Thang," Adrien laughed, only for a groan to sound on the other side of the phone.

"Bye, Hot Stuff."

Unable to break the smile, he placed his phone back into his pocket and turned his attention back to the pest in the room, aka Chelsea.

"Who was that?" she asked, hands on her hips and a judgmental frown on her face.

He shrugged in response. It had nothing to do with her. "Just a friend from Paris. They were worried about me after the Akuma attack."

"Is that what that was?" Chelsea asked. "I thought it was a new promo for Wicked."

Of course she did! Chelsea wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the box.

Adrien moved to where his water had dropped on the floor and picked it up, along with the plant he had saved. He made himself look busy, hoping Chelsea would take the hint that she wasn't wanted and leave.

Unfortunately, Gabriel had decided to join the party, strolling in with Nathalie by his side.

The air suddenly dropped to below zero as Gabriel and Chelsea seemed to have a stand-off in the office.

"Chelsea," Gabriel said, not an ounce of warmth in his voice.

"I'll just be..." Without saying another word, Chelsea turned and made her way out of the office, his father's eyes following her every step of the way.

Gabriel closed the door and headed over to the office table, Nathalie remaining by the door. "Adrien, good to see you."

As Gabriel walked past, Adrien thought his father was coming in for a hug, only to be slightly disappointed when his father's hand clamped down on his shoulder instead. Though not quite what he wanted, it was a definite upgrade from the usual nod.

"Come. Sit down."

Adrien made his way to the opposite side of Gabriel's desk, watching as Gabriel began to mess around with a pile of papers.

"Now before we begin, there's something I need to ask you." Without another word, Gabriel placed a newspaper in between them. His bony finger moved down, pointing to the picture in the corner of Adrien and Marinette at the memorial. "Who is this woman?"

Closing his eyes, Adrien took a deep breath and prepared to tell the story. His hand clutching tightly around the USB drive in his jacket pocket full of Marinette's designs.

He just hoped she wouldn't kill him.