Thank you guys so, so much.
I am honored I could upload this fanfiction here and meet you all, discuss theories and questions in the comments and make you all smile, be thrilled and, yes, also make you cry :D
It's really been so cool to work with you all and upload this huge project.
I don't know if you've noticed but this fanfiction means a lot to me. I've smiled and cried along with all of you and I've put quite a big part of myself into this project. I've written Marinette how I've experienced my depression so it really meant a lot to me to write, publish and get feedback from you guys.
So yeah, just so you know ;)
With that being said, thank you guys so much for reading and for one last time:
Enjoy~

Their hands swung between them as they headed home, Alya humming happily.

"You good, beautiful?", Nino asked, a smile on his lips as she turned to him, grinning widely.

"Yeah! I kinda have a surprise for Marinette so I'm in a good mood."

He chuckled, squeezing her hand as he led her over a street since she was too caught up in daydreaming.

"A surprise? What kinda surprise?"

She just giggled, shaking her head.

"You'll have to see.", she smugly replied, giggling a little as they entered the house in which her family lived, walking up the stairs to her front door. Nino decided to let her have her fun, instead gesturing for her key to unlock the front door.

In his understanding Alya had promised to him they'd be alone but apparently her mother had gotten a free shift. She came towards them with a smile as they kicked off their shoes.

"Hi Nino! Hi Alya! How was school?", Marlena asked with a gentle smile, briefly hugging Nino before hugging her daughter as well, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

"Good! It was really good now that's Ladybug's back. Everyone's so much better now."

Marlena held her daughter close and swayed from side to side a little, then unwillingly let her go.

"I'm glad. Anyway, Papa is still at work and I've just brought the girls to their music lessons. Could you get them in about an hour again? I'll be a little busy so I can't pick them up."

Alya nodded, then Marlena turned to Nino again, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Are you okay, Nino? You look a little pale."

Just from the corner of his eyes he saw Alya recoiling, then staring at him with wide eyes. Her gaze immediately flickered down to his chest and he was fast to respond, know what she must think.

"I'm feeling absolutely fine, Madame Césaire, nothing to worry abo-aaah!"

Alya had grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her room, throwing a quick comment over her shoulder to explain to her mother.

"We'll be in my room, homework! See ya, Maman!"

"Okay…?", Nino barely heard from Marlena as Alya already closed the door, pushing him into the room. He was about to say something but Alya cut him off, grabbing his shirt and pulling it up. Her gentle hand trembled as she ran her fingertips over the faint scar that he wore as a reminder of what had happened, a little sniffle escaping her.

"Alya?"

Her fingers stilled on his bare chest and he sighed, slowly, carefully wrapping his arms around her. Her face was blocked because she held his shirt up so he stretched up his chin to hook it on the seam and push the fabric down, finally seeing her again. She was breathing quickly and flatly, her eyes fixed on his chest where Hawkmoth's sword had stabbed him.

"Alya…", he tried another time but she didn't react. Her body trembled and recoiled another time. Now Nino finally understood that she was probably reliving this moment.

"Hey, Alya, snap out of it. I'm fine, I'm okay."

After a few moments Alya shook her head, lowering his shirt down again but keeping her cold hand on his warm skin beneath the fabric, then she dropped into his embrace. He rested his chin on her head and hummed, placing one of his hands above the fabric on hers, still keeping her close with the other arm.

"It's okay, promise. It's okay. I'm okay."

She sniffled another time, her fingers beneath his, beneath the fabric slowly moving on his skin.

"… Sorry…", the word came with a slight choke, barely being pressed out beside the forced will not to cry. Nino shook his head, his hand above hers curling in to take a hold of her thumb through the shirt.

"It's okay, Alya… Really. It's fine.", he repeated all over again, finally feeling her lifting her free arm to wrap it around his waist. He placed a gentle kiss on her hair, burying his nose there, "I'm here, we're together. We're together, Alya."

She responded with a hesitant nod, then finally he pulled out her warming hand from beneath his shirt and glanced down to control the cuts on her arm, the ones she got from cataclysm. They had noticed how they had begun closing themselves to leave nothing but tiny, faint scars after the magical reaction of Adrien's cataclysm had shaken the building and apparently sucked out all the remaining magic in Alya's body. Of course, what didn't stop destruction only made it stronger.

The magic inside her body had probably been attracted to the new cataclysm like a magnet.

He breathed through when he saw that the cuts had gone back to barely cover her hand. The ones on her forearm and wrist had completely healed.

Nino took her hand, and interlaced their fingers, resting the back of her hand against his chest, against his beating heart again.

He knew she needed that.

"It's okay, Alya. We're together and we're okay."

She sniffled once again, pressing her face into his shirt. He smiled, holding her tighter.

"You said you have a surprise for Mari?"

Marinette's phone beeped.

She looked at it, suddenly beaming and leaning against Adrien who had come over to her place after school.

It was a notification of the Ladyblog. She pressed on it and read the text under a photo of Ladybug that Alya must've taken right as she'd left after she'd dropped her off at her home.

Peeps, Ladybug's not dead! I've seen her yesterday evening, jumping over the rooftops! Our hero is back in business! Anyway, I'll keep you updated on what held her down so long, so stay tuned on the Ladyblog! Love ya!

"Hey Adrien, look at this!", she exclaimed happily, nudging his shoulder with hers. He looked at her phone and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Did you know she made a photo when you left?", he asked, slightly kissing her cheek.

"No! She surprised me with this. Hold on."

Marinette: Aaaaaaahhhhh! Alya, thank you so much!

Alya: I got your back, gurl!

Marinette: Thank you so, so much, I love you Alya!

Alya: Mutual feelings here!

The bluenette grinned, turned her phone off and laid back on Adrien's shoulder.

"Finally, everything's going back to normal again…", she sighed, relieved. He rested his head on her hair and smiled.

"You've earned it.", he mumbled, carefully brushing over her lower arm where her scars had been. She smiled as well and looked down at the thin, almost not visible white line that went down her arm up to her wrist, interrupted by the bracelet, now repaired and whole, with its colors shining again. Adrien brushed over the scar with his thumb, caressing it gently. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent as he slowly reached her wrist and intertwined their fingers.

"Princess…?", he silently asked, snaking a hand around her to rest it on her stomach. He buried his face in her let down hair and she could feel his breathing on her ear, "You know… I'm sorry…"

"For what?", she whispered, enjoying the warmth that radiated from his body beneath her through her back. He laid back and she adjusted herself above him on the chaise where they were snuggled up, "For this?"

His head was beside hers and he still looked at her arm, tracing down the line with his fingers again. She kissed his cheek and closed her eyes. Adrien softly bent her arm and placed her fingers on his lips, resting them there. After a few moments, he replied, letting her feel the breeze of air against her skin.

"For not being there for you. I could've prevented-… this…"

She felt his thumb against her scar again, nuzzling against his face with her nose.

"It's not your fault. And soon, the scar will fade. Then, nothing will remain of this time but memories and the knowledge that we've overcome this. Promise."

"But what's with the scars inside? I hurt you… I believed you killed Ladybug – which you obviously didn't – but I was blended with my mourning and pain. I was-…"

"You don't have to justify your actions. You didn't know any better."

He shook his head, biting on his lip. She felt his erratic breathing and feared he would burst out in tears.

"Adrien?"

"No, I-… Mari, I could've-… I should've, actually-… I-…"

She sat up a little, looking him into the face.

"Adrien, shh. It's alright. It's over and we're both just fine, aren't we? I have a new life now, a better one than ever before. I have you and I finally know that you're my Chat, my partner in fighting Hawkmoth. We actually had a chance in defeating him and I bet we'll have another one sometime in the future. Don't worry. We'll stand through this… Together. Won't we?"

His eyes shimmered with tears but he smiled and brushed over her cheek.

"We will, if you want to. But still, I'm-… I can't forgive myself for hurting you. I even continued to kick you when you already defeated the Akuma for me and begged me to free you. I-… I felt like I could kill you, my lady! And I don't know-…"

"It's okay, Adrien. It won't happen again and if you can't forgive yourself, then let me do it for you…", she laid back, closed her eyes and lifted her hand from his lips to his hair, scratching him behind the ears. Instantly, a deep rumble arose in his body, somewhere in his chest. She stopped and smirked.

"By the way, you can really purr, kitty?"

He was still in conflict with himself about what he had done to her, but he managed a little smile.

"Yeah. I discovered it a few months ago, when I sat in a massaging chair."

"That's so cool!", her eyes went wide excitedly. She buried her hand in his soft hair again and continued to scratch him, his purring vibrating in his chest. She smiled, finding it soothing and calming, so she allowed herself to doze a little.

The sun slowly moved up her leg but as it stayed on her wound too long, she moved a bit out of the light, scrunching up her face. Adrien's hand moved down her body and lightly brushed over the bandage that was under her pants.

"Does it still hurt?"

She nodded but continued to scratch his head. His hand moved away from her wound and decided to rest on her stomach again.

"You know, I wondered… Why did we stay hurt? Nino was in danger to life but his wound healed like it was nothing."

"Is the kitten jealous?", she laughed, "Maybe it was because he needed all the magic?"

"I'm not jealous! I'm just-… Curious. Why did it heal your cuts but didn't let the wound on your leg vanish? And why are my wounds still there too? Was it something with his sword?"

She shrugged, making an undefined sound. She then proceeded to share her theory with him after a few moments.

"You know, I actually thought about this one. About the wounds, that is. I think it's because we aren't civilians."

"But your cuts healed."

"Because I hadn't been a hero back then. I didn't have my Miraculous, they were with Hawkmoth at that time. And it had been a consequence of my Akuma Miss Fortune, so I was able to reset it with my Lucky Charm."

He nodded.

"But what's it with our suits? They were ripped by his sword…"

Marinette thought for a moment, recalling her confusion back then.

"Alya asked me if I knew anything about our suits being powerless against something that Hawkmoth could've put on his sword…"

They remained silent for a moment until Adrien tensed up.

"Hey, what if it is his sword?"

"What do you mean by that?"

His fingers moved on her stomach and she had to bite her lip to not make a sound. Instead, she put her other hand on top of his, intertwining their fingers.

"Well, I'm saying, what if actual weapons can harm our suits?"

"I thought about that too. But your baton is a real weapon as well. So why didn't it do any harm on Hawkmoth?"

The blonde groaned at that and ran a thumb over the back of her hand on her stomach.

"Hey Tikki?", Marinette called out. She didn't want to interrupt the two Kwami but she had to know. Her little red Kwami flew over from the desk and floated in front of her face, a sleepy Plagg following her. He landed on Marinette's stomach right above their hands and curled up into a ball.

"Yes, Marinette?"

"How comes Hawkmoth could hurt us?"

Tikki looked down to Plagg sheepishly but he just snored away. So she huffed and shook her head, going on to explain it on her own.

"See, you're a Ladybug. And Adrien's a cat. You two have natural enemies and Hawkmoth apparently knew."

"What are our natural enemies?", Adrien wondered.

"Well, for you it's mostly dogs. So everything that has to do with dogs, their teeth and claws and so on. And for you Marinette, it's insect needles, to pin down dead insects, y'know? Bug collectors do that. I guess, Hawkmoth figured and made a very big needle, if you can call it that.", she shivered but continued, "Oh, and also jam jars and spiders."

The bluenette nodded, thoughtful. She felt her boyfriend turning his head, instantly looking out for spiders in her room and couldn't suppress a little smirk.

"Alright, but-… Why did this insect needle hurt Adrien when his suit's weaknesses are dog teeth and claws?"

"You two are yin and yang.", Plagg yawned. But he didn't explain any further so Tikki continued.

"He means to say that you're taking over the other's weaknesses, but also the other's strengths. You, Marinette, have cat like reflexes, while Adrien has the ability to move very quickly, like you two do when you're using your weapons to move."

"So, it hurt me more than him because it's primarily my weakness?"

"Exactly. Dog claws and teeth will hurt Chat Noir more than they usually would, as will insect needles do to you. Oh, and please do not get bitten by a spider. It could be pretty-… Painful."

They nodded, trying to process this information. Then, a thought came to Marinette.

"I have my Lucky Charm and Adrien has Cataclysm. Do we transfer that, too?"

"We don't talk about that. Now let me nap.", Plagg harshly interrupted, a somehow concerned undertone to his voice. Tikki rapidly nodded, flying down to Plagg and nuzzled against him.

"I'm really tired too."

They shrugged, deciding they would have enough time to discuss this sometime else. Instead, another question still burned in Marinette's mind.

"Adrien, on that-… Day, I tried-… Uh…", he kissed her behind her ear and she relaxed again, "You probably heard Chloé saying there have been death's because of Akuma attacks while I hadn't been able to transform. Is that-… Is that true? I mean… I heard it in the news and-… But you-…"

He remained silent for a moment and she deflated.

"… A few, yes.", he finally admitted, unwillingly.

"Oh god… I-… I'm responsible for that…"

Instantly, Adrien tensed and his fingers held hers tighter, assuring her.

"Mari, I'm so sorry, really. But none of this was your responsibility. And besides, you saved a fair share of people who were hurt or injured or even fell into a coma during the attacks. Because, I actually had my thoughts on that one. Your Lucky Charm was stronger than usual, wasn't it?"

She nodded, now curiosity flashing through her thoughts.

"Well, as was my Cataclysm. I figured-… We're yin and yang, as Plagg said. I'm destruction and you're creation. So, I guessed if I used my superpower without your Miraculous even activated, the balance would have been disturbed. Maybe that's the reason why they were stronger?"

She thought about that for a while, scrunching together her eyebrows.

"I-… Guess-…?"

"I actually talked about it with Plagg while your Miraculous was not activated."

She laughed, placing a little kiss on his collarbone that was bared because his shirt had slid down a bit.

"And Plagg told you? Or did you figure it out on your own, big kitty?"

He joined in laughing and she felt his chest jumping up and down.

"I actually figured it out on my own! You know Plagg."

Marinette just smiled and looked at Adrien.

"Thank you, Adrien. Thank you for trying to keep everyone safe."

Instead of answering, he kissed her gently.

She leant into the kiss and enjoyed his warmth, slightly grinning against his lips.

"Mmmh, we're hungry, aren't we?", he mumbled and she just pulled him closer with her hand still in his hair. He let it happen without any objection and she had to grin even more, deepening their kiss.

Just as they felt completely safe, Marinette's phone went off and she broke up the kiss with an annoyed eye roll. It was a message from Alya.

Alya: Gurl, you and Loverboy have to move! Akuma attack at Rue de Babylone to Rue de Sèvres! Some TV guy…

Marinette: Thank you for the info. We'll be there in five. Stay out of danger!

Alya: Of course ;)

"What is it?", Adrien asked pouting as she got up and the Kwami's started floating next to them. She pulled him to his feet and placed a little kiss on his cheek.

"Akuma, Rue de Babylone to Rue de Sèvres. Alya just wrote me. It's some TV guy, apparently."

"Wait, Akuma? Hawkmoth's still active? And he actually takes the risk of sending out Akumas again?"

"We just had a brief interaction with him. Of course, he's seeking revenge and as long as he still has his Miraculous, he won't stop. Plus, maybe he already found a new place to stay safe in?"

He nodded, grinning. She pulled her shoulder long hair back into her signature pigtails and smirked.

"Well then…", he shrugged, rolling his shoulders.

"Go get him tiger – if I'm slower than you, against all odds, that is."

"Plagg, Claws out!"

"Tikki, Spots on!"

They smiled at each other and settled for one last kiss before they went off to go back to defeating Akumas, just like they did before. Wind blew into their faces while they ran to save Paris, but they wouldn't let themselves be slowed down.

Before you all flood me with questions if there'll be a sequel:

Yeah, there will be a sequel ;)