Time slowed down as they made their way back to Adrien's apartment. Marinette was in a surprisingly good mood after her encounter with Lila, and they thanked everyone for showing up before making a quick exit. This fashion show was gonna be the talk of the town, maybe even forever.

The ride home seemed to be taking forever.

Delicately, Adrien took hold of Marinette's hand, brushing his thumb over her knuckles and smiling. "You were amazing tonight, Bugaboo."

She smiled and his whole world brightened. She really was it for him.

"It was fun. Well, apart from the drugging, kidnapping, and attempted murder."

"I did tell you the fashion world was intense."

She laughed, his hand pulling hers to his lips and pressing a delicate kiss to the back of it.

"How's your father?" Marinette asked, Adrien shrugging in response.

"Nathalie told me not to bother coming tonight, that she'd keep me updated once she knows more. Apparently, Chat Noir is staying closely by his side. How are you feeling?" he asked, his thumb going back to rubbing small, slow circles over her knuckles. He was moving the conversation away from himself, obviously blocking out what was happening with his father.

"I'm okay, really! Whatever it had been has passed. I think the adrenaline kick is helping too. Though I might have a different answer for you in the morning."

His lips pulled as he focused on her. "I'll be there to help you if needed. Chat will be too. If you need to stay in bed, just let us know. We will graciously be your slaves for the day."

She chuckled. "A day in bed, eh?"

"Not in that way, dirty girl." He chuckled too.

"What do you think will happen now?" She nibbled on her lip nervously, just as she had on the way.

His free hand reached up to pull the lip from between her teeth, his thumb gently brushing her lower lip. "What do you mean?"

"With us?"

And by us, he knew she didn't just mean him and her. She meant all three of them.

He sighed, dropping their hands into her lap. "I really like you, Marinette, but I know this isn't exactly a normal situation. I don't want to push you into something you don't want, or make you feel guilty. I've spoken with myself and we're both willing to do what you want - whether that's one of us, both of us, or neither of us. We just want to make you happy."

"You don't need to be my knight in shining armour all the time," she said. "You always give up your happiness for mine. I - I want you to be happy too. Do I make you happy?"

He smiled back at her. "More than anything in this world."

This time it was Marinette lifting their hands and pressing a gentle kiss to the back of his. "Then it's sorted. We stay together. All three of us. I..."

She stopped, and so did his heart. What was the end of that sentence? What was she going to say?

He watched her close her eyes. Her lips pouted as she puffed her cheeks with air and let it out in a dramatic huff. Finally, she opened them and he'd never seen anything so wonderful in all his life. She was vibrant and her eyes glistened with more beauty than a thousand stars.

"Adrien, I love you. I love you as Adrien Agreste and I love you as Chat Noir. I just... I really love you. And I know this isn't a grand declaration, and it's probably anticlimactic, but I need you to know I'm in this for the long run. I want you to be mine — both of you. It's us against the world."

God, he wished the car wasn't currently in motion. He wanted to unclip his seatbelt and jump the woman next to him. She loved him! She loved him!

"I've always been yours," he whispered back, his throat so full of emotion he was finding it hard to keep it down.

Her eyes sparkled once again. "Even when you were sleeping with the enemy?"

"Too soon, Dupain-Cheng."

She giggled, her cheeks taking on a pretty pink colour.

"If you must know," he continued, "I love you too, more than anything. You're the most important person in my life. In Chat's life, too. You mean everything to us."

His tongue darted out over his lips, the intense need to kiss her engulfing him as she said the most wonderful words. "Me too."

They remained staring at each other for the duration of the journey, the tension between them building with the more pressing need to kiss. He wanted to get his hands on her — his lips. He needed to be touching her and loving her the way she deserved.

As the car finally pulled up to the curb outside his apartment, he didn't even wait for the Gorilla to let him out first. Instead, he darted out of the car as quickly as possible, heading to the other side to help Marinette out onto the sidewalk.

She hadn't been clear of the car longer than five seconds when he was on her, his hand grabbing around her neck to pull her in close and to his lips. Kissing her with every feeling in his heart, he didn't care who was watching or what was happening around them. All that mattered was he was kissing the woman he loved. The one who loved him back.

He broke free, needing to breathe and just have a moment to calm his rapidly beating heart. He pressed his head to hers, kissing her gently on the nose before following it with a gentle rub of his nose to hers.

"I love you," he whispered. His hands traced the contours of her face as he studied each and every imperfection in her eyes, the flickers of light and dark which made her so unique.

Marinette giggled. "I love you too. Now, are we going upstairs or not?"

Not needing to speak another word, Adrien grabbed her hand and began to drag her to the elevator, happy once they were closed firmly inside and he could get back to what he wanted to do the most—kissing his girlfriend. Before he could move, Marinette pounced, pushing him back into the wall and pulling him down to her height.

Adrien sighed as his hand wondered, grasping her hips and pulling at the thin fabric around her thighs. His fingers scraped along her bare skin, caressing the smooth flesh through the slit in her skirt.

"Down, boy!" Marinette giggled, moving backwards and away from him.

"I'm not a dog!"

"You're acting like one right now." Lifting a hand, she brushed her thumb over his lips whilst chewing her own, only adding to the twisting in his stomach at the thought of getting her out of the elevator and into the apartment. Heat pooled lower, and even with the events of the evening, he couldn't control his burning desire within.

He brushed his nose over hers, before kissing her softly on the lips again. She sighed as she melted into his body once more.

"Can you remember our first kiss?" he asked, kissing her gently on the forehead.

He leaned back against the wall of the elevator, pulling her body weight towards him and allowing her to lean on him.

She smiled up at him, tilting her head to the side in the most adorable way. "How could I forget? You bit me!"

He threw his head back and laughed, colliding sharply with the mirror behind him. He winced before rubbing the back of his head. Her own hand came up to help him. "I didn't bite you on purpose."

"I believe you did, Kitty. You just couldn't hold yourself back."

Adrien smiled down at her, leaning his forehead against hers. "You fed me a macaron and then caught me out when you told me you wanted to taste it...from my mouth. I didn't realise you were just going to kiss me. I was still eating!"

"Excuses! Excuses!" She giggled.

"You weren't complaining. If I remember correctly, you asked me to do it again."

"I did," she started, lifting onto her toes and pushing up towards his ear. "And if I remember rightly, there was an exact place I suggest–"

Right before she could finish, the elevator slowed down. The doors opened, revealing the third person in their little trio.

"You two seriously have no shame!" Chat Noir stood with his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised knowingly.

"Says the little Kitty-Cat who used to like to ruin rooftops all over Paris." Marinette chuckled, letting go of Adrien and heading towards Chat Noir, stretching onto her toes and kissing him on the cheek. For the first time, Adrien felt no jealousy, just fuel added to the flames in his heart as he watched his most powerful side treat Marinette with so much delicacy.

"That was him too!" Chat Noir said, pointing at a smirking Adrien.

"Good times, man! Good times." Adrien walked past, tapping Chat Noir on the shoulder, then digging into his pocket to pull out his keys.

"I never said they weren't. By the way, our father is going to be okay. Lila – not so much!"

The three of them crowded around the door as Adrien unlocked it and guided them all inside.

Marinette placed her bag down on the counter, Tikki flying out into the air and Plagg joining them all in the lounge.

"Anyone need a drink?" Adrien asked, heading to the bar in the corner.

Chat Noir nodded before sitting down one side of Marinette.

"So, tell me," Marinette said as she rotated in her chair. "What happened after you left?"

Adrien brought two glasses of wine, and one full of water, and handed them out before sitting on her other side, his attention fully on the story Chat Noir was telling.

It seemed once Chat Noir and 'Ladybug' had got Lila outside, with the help of Viperion and Carapace, she was quickly taken into custody. But not without putting up a fight. After lashing out, Viperion took her down, making sure she was secured in the police van before being escorted away.

It was now up to the law what would happen with her. She had been taken into psychiatric care, and the defence seemed to want to play the insanity card. But as it looked at the moment, she was going to be behind bars for a long time. Chat was almost certain that he, Marinette, Adrien, and 'Ladybug' would need to be present to testify against her.

Gabriel, however, was in hospital for the foreseeable future. Though physically fine (just a minor stab wound), it seemed the knock on Gabriel's head had caused longer-lasting damage. As of right now, he didn't even know who he was.

"Do they think it's permanent?" Marinette asked.

"Unsure. He seems to have gone back to when mother just died."

Adrien winced at the words. His father hit such a depression at that point. If it wasn't for Nathalie, he wasn't quite sure how he would have survived. He just hoped Nathalie was strong enough to go through it all again. Out of all the people in his life, she'd been there the most. Well, her and Gorilla—but the conversations were very minimal.

"So, there's not a lot we can do right now?" Adrien asked, looking between the two of them.

"Nope," Chat Noir agreed. "For now, we've won the battle."

Marinette walked back over to her bag and pulled the butterfly Miraculous out, spinning it around in her fingers. "Maybe this time, we've won the war."

Plagg snorted. "That's what they all say."

"Plagg," Tikki scolded.

"Let's be honest," the kwami of destruction stated. "If it's not a crazy butterfly, it's a crazy ox, or a crazy dragon, or a crazy cat – though we've got that already." He cackled, flying off, Chat Noir jumping up to try and catch him.

"Plagg's not completely wrong." Tikki sighed, flying down to nestle herself against Marinette's cheek.

"I'm not crazy!" Chat Noir retorted, only for everyone to laugh - such a welcomed relief to the past couple of days.

"You know what I mean." Tikki rolled her eyes.

"It all seems too easy," Marinette sighed, taking the opportunity to let her hair down.

"Maybe that's what made this one a success," Plagg said.

Tikki continued. "But for now, sleep. You've all had a busy few days, and the present villain has been stopped. For once, there are no impending threats. Enjoy yourselves. Go on a holiday! Go to space! Just... rest!"

Adrien could feel the tension evaporating from his body. She was right. They were without threat for the first time in years. His father needed support and he could be there for Nathalie. He wasn't just a sad teenager anymore. He could use the time to get the business running. He could maybe get Marinette to take over his father's company. But most of all, he could spend more time with her. There would be no reason to think about ending dates prematurely, or to hide away from stalkers and psychos. They could just be them. And maybe, if it was a prolonged super-sabbatical, they could think about moving in together...marriage...babies...

He glanced over at Chat Noir, who was looking at him with the same expression. They knew they were on the same page - that they had the same ideas, that their future was about to improve dramatically and that the jealousy they had always felt over Félix and Kagami's relationship could be pushed to one side as they lived their own happily ever after.

"Well, as much as I'd like to carry on partying," Marinette said, "I'm starting to feel a little fuzzy, so I'm going to go in the shower and then to bed. If that's okay?" She stood up from the sofa with a wobble, Chat Noir launching forward to catch her.

"You okay there?" he asked. Marinette stretched one hand to her head, closing her eyes and keeping stable. "Maybe you should forget the shower?"

"Or you could help her?" Adrien said.

Marinette looked at his alter ego, her expression hopeful.

"Sure." One side of his lips turned up. "Come on, Bugaboo." He scooped her effortlessly into his arms and made his way to the bathroom.

She turned her head to look at Adrien, mouthing a grateful thank you, before snuggling into his alter ego's neck, his own tickling from the feeling.

Goodness, he loved that woman. The overpowering feeling in his heart only cemented the fact that he really, truly loved her.

Both sides of him did.

*****

In the dark realm of his nightmares, shadows clung to his consciousness like tendrils of despair. Each attempt to open his eyes felt like pushing against an invisible force, trapping him in a surreal abyss. The nightmare's grip tightened, weaving a labyrinth of fear that defied the solace of waking. Desperation echoed in his mind as he struggled to break free, but the nightmare's embrace remained unyielding, locking him in perpetual dance with his own fears.

He tried again.

Beads of sweat cascaded down his trembling body, a chilling testament to the intensity of his struggles. He had to wake up—now.

Eyes still closed tightly, he shoved the duvet off, his body beginning to convulse. He needed to wake up!

"Adrien?" He could hear his name being called, the voice both familiar yet distant.

"Adrien?" It called him again. A bright light shone through his eyelids, or maybe it was in his dream. His whole body flinched at the sudden assault, his whole being unsure what to do. "Adrien!"

His body continued to pulsate against the bed, flashes of bright light zoning in and out as his name was called repeatedly, over and over again...

...Until it stopped.

The darkness took over, his eyes fluttering in a need to open.

Slowly, the slit became bigger, alerting him to what was surrounding him. They widened, flowers and greenery coming into his peripheral vision. Steel bridges and beams. A lift. And... Ladybug? Except she wasn't in her normal attire. She had his green, his pawprints scattered all over her red and black polka dots.

A fight was happening, but he couldn't focus for long enough, as everything went black once again.

Time and time again, his eyes fluttered open to a different scene. A different ending. Himself and Ladybug. Himself and Lady Noire. Himself and Loveybug. Again and again and again until a green light appeared in front of him. A green light with Plagg in the centre.

"It's done!" Plagg morphed from his usual self into a larger giant, his form changing as he was joined by another of a similar sort, this time surrounded in red. "It's over!"

The two kwamis spun in a circle, intertwining with each other, the green combining with the red as they spiralled around and around, creating a vortex and suddenly being sucked into the middle of it. The combination blinded him.

The room felt suffocating as Adrien jolted awake, gasping for breath, his heart pounding from the remnants of a haunting dream. The sweat beads ran slowly down his body as he looked around the room. This was his room. He was wearing his sleep shorts. He had his sheets tangled around his legs. He had...

He jumped. The hand on his shoulder wasn't his hand.

"Adrien? Are you okay?" He turned his head. Marinette. Marinette was beside him. His Lady. His partner.

"Y-yeah!" he stuttered out through deep breaths, his hand coming to connect with hers. "I just need water. I need..."

He stopped. There were only two people in the bed. Him and Marinette.

"Chat Noir?!" he asked, puzzled. "Chat Noir?" he said again, throwing the sheet aside and tripping as he clambered out of the bed. He untangled it from his legs and stumbled out of the bedroom, pushing himself off the doorframe and into the hallway as he moved.

"Plagg!" he shouted, hoping that his kwami was around to help. "Chat?"

"Adrien, calm down." Marinette was behind him as he wandered around the rooms, looking for his alter ego or kwami.

He looked in the kitchen, switching on the light as he checked everything from the dryer to the fridge in search of the kwami or superhero.

"Adrien, stop!" Marinette moved in front of him, stopping him from his frantic search. She placed her hands on his bare chest, looking up into his eyes, and if he wasn't so out of sorts, he would definitely be commenting on her hair. "Hey, look at me!"

Her hands moved up his neck and began to trace over his cheek bones, his eyes closing and heart calming as she brushed her finger tips over him. "It's okay. I'm here."

He relaxed into her touch, his own hands coming up to meet hers. "Thank you," he muttered, only to be met by her gasp.

"Y-y-your ring."

Abruptly opening his eyes, he moved his right hand from hers and looked down at his once black ring...now sparkling silver under the spotlights of the kitchen.

"Try it," Marinette whispered, her eyes holding the same hope as his heart.

He nodded. Taking a step backwards, he closed his eyes and puffed out the remaining tension in his body. This had to work.

"Plagg," he announced, opening his eyes and watching Marinette. "Claws out!"

Seconds passed without anything happening, Adrien's heart dropping at the lack of transformation.

He looked down at the ring, at the exact place a paw print usually appeared, and noticed it was glowing green. It crackled, sending out sparks of green light before a scream was heard from the lounge - a scream followed by a kwami being dragged butt-first into the ring.

As Plagg was absorbed into the ring, Adrien felt the forgotten feeling of power take over him, his suit wrapping around his body and coating him in a masterful feeling. Oh yes! He was back!

"Y-you're back!" Marinette said, her face lighting up brighter than the stars in the sky.

"I'm back!" he said gleefully. "I'm back!" he said again. His arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her from the ground and spinning her around.

The two of them laughed. Adrien finally stopped and lowered her down to the floor, he bent with her, keeping her forehead against his.

"Welcome back, Kitty. How does it feel?"

He smiled at her. "Amazing!"

Without another word, he pressed his lips to hers, enjoying the feeling of his claws running through her hair.

"Transform!" he demanded as soon as they broke the kiss.

"It's 3am," she laughed, Chat Noir shaking his head against hers.

"I don't care! We used to do this all the time!"

She giggled again. "Tikki, spots on!"

As red light engulfed the kitchen, Chat Noir picked her up again and walked over to the balcony doors, ready to launch them into the night. He lowered her down and grinned.

"Last one to the top of the Eiffel Tower is a rotten egg!" With a gleeful sound, he launched himself off into the night, pounding against the rooftops on all fours as he watched his Lady swing and somersault through the air. Nothing was more freeing than this.

Landing in their favourite spot, Ladybug rested her forearms over the railing and looked out over their city. The city of love and romance. He walked behind her, wrapping her tightly in his arms and placing his chin on her shoulder, moving her in a slight rocking motion from side to side.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Ladybug asked, snuggling back into him.

He sighed. "I'm wonderful! Oh, and you should try splitting yourself apart sometime. It's quite the experience."

"Oh, Chaton," she said, turning around in his arms and reaching up to wrap her own around his neck. She pressed a quick kiss to his lips before stretching a gloved hand up and patting him on the cheek. "You can barely handle one of me. There's no way you'd survive with two."

"You have the mouse Miraculous. How about we test that theory sometime?"

She laughed, turning back to her position backed against him. "I don't think I could handle the jealousy."

They spent hours talking into the darkness of night, reminiscing and conversing about nothing and everything. No one would ever come close to her, and he understood that. No one was Ladybug — Marinette.

"You're my true love," she said, repeating his words from that final night five years ago. She lifted his hand and pressed a soft, tender kiss to his wrist. "And, as in the fairy tales, true love will always prevail — because it's strong, and we're strong. Stronger together."

Adrien didn't know where they were going from here, or what would happen, but there were no painful final goodbyes this time, and if he had his way there wouldn't be ever again.

Now sitting together, emotions overcame him as she climbed into his lap and kissed him earnestly under the moonlight. Paris—their home—dazzled under spotlights and added to the enchantment of their kiss. Passion intensified as their kiss deepened, the world around them fading away in the allure of the moment and allowing them to freely give themselves to each other in this new relationship, under the stars, before reluctantly leaving in the early hours of the morning. Together.

Later that day, he asked her to move in with him.

Three days later, she did.

Only the promise of a new supervillain arriving would ruin their fairy tale ending. A promise which, fortunately, would take its sweet time to come true.