Six years later...

Watching the rain always reminded him of Paris.

Chat Noir would sometimes run along the rooftops at night, feeling the pattering of raindrops against his suit and the water run along his face. It used to help whenever he was down, consumed with thoughts about his father, his isolation and his love for the girl who always kept him at arm's length.

But he didn't have the time to do it now.

"Did I tell you about the last time I was in England?" asked Plagg. He was seated on the windowsill, munching on a piece of Camembert, "My holder was always stingy, more worried about beating Ladybug than feeding me. I think it had something to do with her looks, but then again he didn't really know what she looked like beneath the mask."

Plagg grew quiet and took another bite. "Humans are so confusing."

"We're not that hard to figure out," said Adrien, "We're just really stupid sometimes." Adrien rested his cheek in the palm of his hand and sighed. "Do you ever miss him?"

"Kwamis live forever. Humans don't. Once you accept that, it gets a little easier."

Adrien could feel Plagg's narrowed eyes burning into him, gauging for a reaction. "What about Ladybug's kwami?" he asked. His chest tightened as her name rolled off his tongue, but he pushed it aside.

He'd thought about her a lot these past six years. No matter how hard he'd tried to push her from his mind she was always there, haunting his dreams and thoughts like a ghost of the past. She was a mirage his heart refused to forget.

Plagg swallowed down his food. "Tikki's always been a kind of stick in the mud, but sometimes she's real sweet...When she's not telling what not to do."

Adrien couldn't help but smile. He'd often wondered if Ladybug had the same issues he did with Plagg and in a way it was comforting, knowing he had something in common with Ladybug no one else would. But the memory of her also served as a painful reminder of what he'd lost.

Of what he'd left behind.

His bedroom door swung open and Plagg hastily disappeared behind the morbid curtains. He watched Adrien from the shadows, hovering quietly between the cool glass and grey fabric. Adrien didn't bother turning to see who'd entered.

"Good morning, Natalie."

"More like good afternoon," she mumbled. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "Adrien, where have you been? You were supposed to be at your photo-shoot over an hour ago."

He shrugged. "I thought Father cancelled it. Besides, I didn't feel like modelling today. Mr Mason's daughter always sits in the corner staring at me. It makes me uncomfortable."

"Adrien, you're a model," she replied, "People are supposed to stare at you."

"They're supposed to stare at what I'm wearing," he grumbled, "Not picturing what I look like underneath."

"You're not a child anymore. You're twenty-two and it's about time you started acting like it."

Adrien huffed, his breath fogging up the window, and turned away from it to face her.

Natalie's hair had grown over the years, pulled back in a neat bun atop her head with a few delicate strands framing her face. She still had the red dye in her hair and wore the same suits she had while on duty taking care of him only now they were accompanied by a ring. A small diamond studded one from his father's private collection.

Adrien closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm sorry, Natalie. I'm...I'm just having a rough day. That's all." He could feel her presence lingering in the room and smell the scent of her lavender perfume wafting in the air.

"Adrien," she murmured, "I wasn't supposed to say anything until next week but...I think you should know your father and I were thinking of moving back to Paris."

"What?" His eyes snapped open and he shot to his feet, knocking the chair on the floor behind him. His heart leapt painfully in his chest. "Why?"

Natalie licked her lips and trained her gaze on the bookshelf beside him, filled with his father's old volumes and new books he'd gotten as birthday presents –an improvement from the pens he'd received, but nothing like the scarf he currently wore around his neck.

"You're not happy here, Adrien. We've tried everything to rebuild things since you found out about..." She cleared her throat, "But even though things have improved between you two, they aren't moving forward from there. You've both hit a wall and we think it's time to go and face the past."

"When did you decide this?" And how long have you been keeping it from me?

"We haven't decided anything yet, Adrien. It was just something we were considering. Of course, we wouldn't leave if you didn't approve of the idea."

Adrien didn't want to admit it, but the thought of finally going back terrified him.

He'd often wondered what it would be like to go back, to see how things had changed in his absence. Whether Nino had attended film school or whether Chloe was running for mayor like she'd been so adamant to do, whether Alya was still Paris's top blogger or even whether Marinette was any closer to rivaling his father's brand.

He hardly knew anything about them now and going back, would it feel like an intrusion into their lives? Did they even want to see him? Would they ever forgive him?

Would Ladybug?

Adrien fiddled anxiously with the ring on his finger, a nervous habit he'd developed since the last time he'd seen her. It was an anchor, not only because it meant Plagg was still there, but because it reminded him that it'd all been real.

"W –When would we leave?"

Natalie smiled softly. "We can have everything packed and ready in about a month or two. Given that no one else knows of the...incident with your father, we're both sure that given a few phone calls he can restart his brand in Paris and pick up where he left off. Unless," she paused, "you want to fly there sooner?"

"But what about the photo-shoots?"

She shrugged. "The probability of you showing up would likely be zero anyway. It wouldn't be unlike you and it's not like it would lead to the loss of your father's empire if you disappeared for a short while."

He couldn't help himself. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" He crossed his arms over his chest and uncertainty crept into the back of his mind, whispering dark thoughts of rejection and resentment. "Paris, he...he hurt a lot of people. What if –,"

"Adrien," her voice was sharp as she cut him off, "Your father only did what he did because he was in pain. He's changed now, accepted things he couldn't control and loves you more than he'll ever let you know. He's willing to do whatever it takes to make you happy and he sees that London isn't doing that."

The words passed his lips before he could stop them. "Thank you, Natalie."

She frowned. "Adrien, you don't have to –," He didn't wait for her to finish. In one long stride he reached out to her and held her tightly in his arms, as if she'd just shed a light in his dark world. "What are you –,"

"I'm glad he married someone like you," he whispered.

He felt Natalie relax in his arms, her entire body melting against his as she returned his embrace, resting her chin above his shoulder. "I know you're behind this somehow, so thank you Natalie. Thank you for everything."

Adrien pulled away from her and felt a bit lighter at seeing the polite smile on her face, all business as usual. "I'll inform your father right away and book your ticket for tomorrow afternoon. Is that all right?" He nodded and she turned away from him, closing the door as she left.

Plagg flew out from behind the curtains and hovered next to Adrien's face. "I take it we're finally leaving?"

But Adrien barely heard him. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from him and he could slowly feel the life flowing back into him, along with all the anticipation and longing he'd been hiding for so long. "I can't believe it," he said, "We're going home."

"About time too. I was beginning to forget what the sun looked like."

"Ladybug," he breathed, "I'm going to see Ladybug again." Adrien hurried towards his closet and tore through his hangers until he found a suitcase stashed deep in the back. He pulled it out, set it on the floor and began packing his things.

"Wait a second, Kid. Have you even thought this through?" Adrien ignored him, brushing past him to get his toiletries in the bathroom. Plagg flew after him, exasperated. "I mean I'm not expert on human emotion, but I doubt Ladybug will just accept you back with open arms, especially after –,"

"I can handle it!"

Plagg wasn't convinced, but Adrien knew in his heart that he'd left a part of himself in Paris. He'd tossed aside his responsibilities not only as a friend and a protector of Paris but as a partner to Ladybug. He'd abandoned her right after he promised he wouldn't.

"I –I can handle it," he said, softer this time.

He'd been plagued with memories of the night before he'd left her. Unlike all the other times he'd been alongside her she hadn't been confident and strong. The look in her eyes had been vulnerable –a shadow of the civilian self beneath the mask.

It was a side of her she'd never allowed him to see and he knew in his heart he had to make things right between them. He couldn't just leave them broken and unfinished after all they'd shared, after all they'd done together.

Adrien was ready for Paris. He had to be.

He just wasn't sure if Paris was ready for him.

Edited on 1/26/2019.

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