Nearing nine o'clock, Marinette locks up the doors to the empty boutique. Her feet drag, exhausted from the mountain of changes to the dress and the venue and the food and the cake that she decided to get a head start on. Not to mention the emotional and mental effort she used confronting Adrien.

Her phone chimes inside her pocket. She sees a text from Alya, of simply '!!!!!!!!'.

Marinette replies as she starts walking towards the elevator, 'What is it?'.

Alya texts back instantly, "There was a Chat sighting! Chat Noir! A real one!"

Marinette freezes, stopping right before the elevator, a million thoughts running through her head. '...It can't be. Why is he here? Is there danger?...'

'Are you sure?', she texts back once her self-induced trance is broken, her body waking up. She swipes her card and gets on the elevator to her loft, her foot tapping anxiously all the way up.

Alya sends a link to the, mostly inactive, Ladyblog; only really serving as an archive after Ladybug and Chat Noir were no longer needed, until now apparently.

The link led to the media feed of the blog, where there were five new posts about seeing Chat vaulting over rooftops. 'I think this is the real deal' Alya adds, 'I can still spot a real hero a mile away'.

The elevator opens to her apartment and she runs over to the windows that overlook the streets. Her eyes scan the rooftops the best she can from her vantage point. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she catches a glimpse of the all too familiar silhouette. Her throat tightens.

She racks her brain on how to wrap up this conversation with Alya. 'That's cool. I'm gonna turn in though, really tired.'

'I'll keep you updated! gnight', Alya replies.

Marinette tosses her phone onto the couch as Tikki flies out. "Marinette, do you think it's really him?"

She paces back and forth, glancing out the window, "I-I think it is. Why would, - how, - you think someone's in danger? That Hawkmoth is back? Is someone Akumatized?" She runs back to the window, looking for any signs of a fight.

Tikki flies to her side, "I think we both know there's only one way to find out for sure," she hints.

Marinette looks wide-eyed at her Kwami, "Are you serious? Master Fu instructed that we should only transform again if the city really needed us!"

"As far as you know, Chat Noir seems to think he's needed..." Tikki wiggles excitedly.

"I can't believe you're actually trying to convince me to, what, become Ladybug again?" she answers, waving her arms around, flustered.

"I think you'll find that it's just like riding a bike," Tikki encourages.

Marinette holds her arms still, trying to center herself, closing her eyes, "If there's no real danger, I think Master Fu would understand the...misunderstanding, if he was here. Plus, I'm the Guardian now, so I should check on the other Miraculous holder, right?"

Tikki zooms around her, "So, I think what you want to say is..." she says expectantly.

Marinette opens her eyes, "Tikki, spots on!"

Tikki flies into her earrings and Marinette transforms in a burst of light.

The familiar tingle of her body being covered in a red and black suit immediately sends her back into her Ladybug mindset. She walks over to a mirror and touches her mask, "Oh my god..." She looks over herself, running her hands over her arms. She picks up her yo-yo and spins it around experimentally, finding all her muscle memory intact.

She takes a deep breath and exhales it slowly.

She makes her way up to the rooftop, not feeling the wave of nausea she expected when she looks over the edge. Marinette flips open her communicator and sees Chat's location.

Her yo-yo zings out, and she begins to soar through the night sky; her mind eases, gaining all the confidence back from all those years ago.

She tries to remain unseen. Seeing one superhero return may be a fluke; but seeing two return? She didn't want to cause any false alarms before she could confirm there being any reason for Paris to worry.

Her heart pounds with excitement as she flies from roof to roof across Paris. She lifts her face to the stars, breathing in the crisp night air.

She approaches the Palais de Chaillot, which overlooks the Eiffel Tower. She silently lands on top of a nearby roof and approaches the cat dangling his legs over the side of the building.

Chat's ears perk up and he whips around to see Ladybug. His mouth hangs open in awe, "Fancy meeting you here, M'lady."

She freezes; her heart skips a beat looking into his glowing green eyes.

She shakes the feeling loose. "What are you doing up here?" She asks plainly, standing over him.

"Taking in the view." He stretches and pats the area next to him, "Join me."

Ladybug sighs, "You know what I mean." She bends down but doesn't sit, "Is Paris in trouble? Is Hawkmoth akumatizing people again?" She asks sarcastically, pretty sure she knew the answer at this point.

Chat senses this. He presses his lips together, "I just needed a break, an unaccounted for break," he looks out towards the Eiffel Tower, "a break from life."

Ladybug straightens up and sighs, resigning to sitting next to him, "I think I know how you feel." They stare off over the top of Paris. "I forgot what this felt like," she reminisces.

"I thought I remembered what this was like," he turns his gaze towards her, "but I was wrong. It's so much better."

They stay there, simply breathing together, taking in the view they could never see as civilians.

After the initial moment passes, Ladybug clears her throat, "So, still in Paris? You never left?" she folds her hands in her lap, trying to deal with the slightly awkward bubble she feels rising inside her.

Chat shakes his head, still looking ahead, "I'm actually just visiting for a while."

"Oh,"

"You uh, ever get with that guy you had a crush on when you were a kid?" Chat asks nonchalantly.

Ladybug leans away from him suddenly, eyebrows raised "I can't believe you just asked that," she can't help but chuckle to herself anyway.

He smirks, "Just wondering,"

She rolls her eyes, "I... never did. He's actually engaged, currently, to someone that's not me." She tries to keep her tone light-hearted.

He sighs, "Well, it's his loss...and mine", he winks.

She scoffs, nudging him, "You really haven't changed at all."

"Well," he tilts his head to the side, "I'm actually soon-to-be-wed, myself."

Ladybug blinks in surprise, "Oh, wow, congratulations. Seriously, congrats," she leans in and wraps an arm around his shoulders for a one-armed hug.

"Thanks," he smiles. "I wish I could invite you to the wedding, you and your plus one."

She laughs, "Thanks for the offer. I don't really have time for weddings, or even dating, at this moment anyway. Kind of a 'married to my work' sorta thing." She shrugs it off, diverting the subject from herself, "Your fiancé, what are they like?"

Chat hesitates a moment too long, "Oh, she's, she's great, really great,"

Ladybug smiles genuinely, "I'm glad. I'm really happy for you." She says softly.

He mirrors her smile, letting himself absorb her enthusiasm for just a second, "Thank you."

Silence hangs in the air momentarily as Chat's mind churns. "But," He blurts out, breaking the silence, "but I think I may be making a mistake."

Ladybug's eyebrows furrow, "'A mistake'? What do you mean?"

"I, I don't know if I can go through with it anymore." He leans over and puts his head in his hands.

"'It'? The wedding?! Chat why? You just said she's great!" Her eyes harden, "This better not be because of me." She says sternly under her breath. She starts to stand up, "I knew I shouldn't have come here, I'm not going to be a part of this-"

Chat catches her wrist in his hand. "Please... stay," he pleads, "this isn't because of you, I promise." Ladybug looks down on him, his eyes distressed, "There's no one else I can talk to about this."

She pauses, trying to take in the situation, before replying, "Alright. Start from the beginning." She carefully sits back down.

He sighs with relief, a silent thank you. "This dilemma is kinda why I came out here. Needed to clear my head, remove myself from the situation." He looks over at her, "Doesn't hurt that I thought there'd be an off chance I'd get to see an old friend,"

Ladybug smiles.

"Anyway, like I said, I'm just visiting. And I ran into an old friend last week. And, and she just reminds me of everything that life could be."

She shrugs, "Well, the grass is always greener, as they say." She comments, not really wanting to steer him either way.

He shakes his head, "It's more than that. She cares about me. Being around her, it's like realizing I've been stumbling through the darkness and my life could have ended up a lot different from now, if only I had opened my eyes sooner."

She looks at him, a bit dumbfounded, "You're serious?"

He nods, "Believe me, I'm not normally that kind of guy, I'm not trying to be." He straightens up, "Even if she rejected me, I would still break off the engagement." He raises to his feet and starts pacing, "It feels like I've been on autopilot for a while now. Ever since we caught Hawkmoth, since I graduated, since I was assigned my job and everything else about my life, nothing has made me feel anything real; until I came back to Paris. And she is just the... embodiment of feeling home."

Ladybug blinks in amazement, having never seen Chat Noir like this, "Do you love her?" she muses, watching him pace.

He stops, gazing out over the city, taking it all in, "I think I always have, in a way. It just took me this long to realize it."

She nods, "I'm not going to tell you what you should do, but I think you already know what you have to do."

He holds out his hand and helps her to her feet. "Thank you, for everything." He pauses, still holding her hand.

"I miss you." Ladybug admits, giving his hand a squeeze.

"I miss you too." He leans in, resting his cheek on the top of her head, "I feel like we never had a proper goodbye."

"We didn't," she whispers, looking up at him.

Chat smirks, "I guess, I just never wanted this to end. Goodbyes just seem permanent."

"Then... let's not let it end." Ladybug ventures.

His eyebrow quirks up, "What do you mean?"

Ladybug backs up and throws her yo-yo into the air, "Lucky Charm!"

A small spotted notebook and pencil fall into her hands. She flips it open and starts writing something.

Before Chat can ask, she rips out the paper and folds it, handing it to him she warns, "Don't get any ideas, but, here's my number, my real phone number."

He holds the folded paper between his fingers, "You're really doing this?"

"Well we've already broken one rule tonight, I don't see why we can't text each other as friends." She hands him the notebook.

A slightly mischievous smile comes on his face, "Seems like you have changed, Bugaboo", he teases as he writes his own number down, folds it, and hands it to her.

She throws the notebook into the air, "Miraculous ladybug!" She recites as it disappears into thin air, leaving the papers behind.

"Does this mean we may meet again?" He intones, bowing slightly to his partner.

She playfully curtsies back, "Perhaps. Maybe next time you don't get seen by everyone in Paris."

He nods, "That's fair, you got me." He stands on the edge of the roof, "So this is only a 'goodbye, for now'." He salutes before vaulting himself into the night.

She waves him off as he blends into the night.