"Nino?"

A voice behind him startled him a little. As he turned around he saw it was Rena, presumably just having snuck out from the police station as well.

The boy in green shrugged lightly, turning back up front.

"What're you doing here?", he asked back, his fingers fidgeting in his lap.

Rena let herself down next to him, her legs over the edge of the building, as she leant against his shoulder.

"Looking after you.", she replied in a quiet voice. Paris laid still beneath them, not a sound to be heard. Today was a special day, "You?"

He sighed as they looked out onto the ocean of lights, reaching over to take her hand in his. She sucked in a sharp breath as she did a wrong movement but she took his hand anyway.

"Thinking, I guess. I couldn't see his face anymore."

Rena nodded as she looked up to him again, reaching up to cup his face and pull it towards her to press a kiss to his cheek.

"I know… Me neither…"

They remained in silence for a bit before Carapace spoke again, rubbing his wrist with the Miraculous with his free hand.

"I would've never thought it would be him.", he admitted, his gaze still staring out into the vast city, feeling uncomfortable in the unusual silence the night brought. Normally this city was thriving with energy and life but right now, it was so silent.

"Poor Adrien…", Alya agreed, rubbing her nose against his shoulder, "How's he gonna deal with that?"

Carapace breathed through, trying to blink away his tears.

"I dunno yet. He has Marinette, though, and Plagg. I'm sure they'll be there for him. And I don't think his father is too much of a loss. It's more of a shock that it had been him."

They fell into the same silence that reigned the city already after their hard fight with Hawkmoth that had taken several days.

For some reason, the silence was both deafening and unfamiliar, as well as comforting.

Even if it was weird to sit here, to not hear a single car on the streets and not a single human out, Carapace found comfort in the knowledge that the city was silent for them.

It was like someone had pressed pause after Rena had grabbed a live TV camera, carried it up the Eiffel Tower and projected Gabriel Agreste's face in a live broadcast on all available screens in the city and the world.

At once the city had been as silent as it remained now. The cars hadn't driven for a few hours anymore but as his face was visible, as his identity, right after Ladybug had forced him on his knees and taken his Miraculous from him, was revealed. That was when the city had fallen silent.

They had taken Hawkmoth, no, Gabriel Agreste, to the police station and to prevent becoming a prime suspect of being an accomplice, Adrien had dropped his transformation right when he had been in the room with Ladybug, his teammates and a dozen of police officers.

Without even hesitating, Marinette had detransformed as well, and taken him into her arms, holding him for a few hours until the interrogations and the reports had started.

After the worst had been done, Carapace had left. Adrien was safe in the arms of his lady and albeit shocked, he had still looked so relieved that his lady had been his princess all along.
That's when Rena had finally found him, alone on this rooftop.

Finally, after some minutes, something seemed to happen. Noises began resurfacing, people stepped out and the streets finally filled again. Slowly, beneath the superheroes' feet, the whole of Paris seemed to wake up from its shock, and thousands over thousands of people pilgrimaged down towards the city hall. The houses emptied, young and old were on their feet, and whispers filled the air, as if something had happened.

Carapace looked over to Rena in surprise as it took just minutes for Paris to awaken, for hundreds over thousands, everyone, to leave their homes.

He took out his shield and turned on the screen on the inside, clicking around until he reached a news program, apparently an urgent message that played all over again.

It showed Ladybug and Chat Noir, beaten up but proud, standing atop the balcony of the city hall. Ladybug held a microphone and looked over to Chat Noir before breathing in and saying the words everyone had craved to hear for years.

"Hello Paris. Today, a war has ended. A war that's consisted of many fights in which Chat Noir and I and the rest of our teammates risked our lives to protect you. Today, Hawkmoth has been sentences to a lifelong service in prison."

Chat Noir stepped to her, wrapped his arm around her and his voice was thick of emotions as he spoke into the microphone, his words echoing over the empty place.

"We are free.", he announced and Carapace had the feeling, he didn't only mean Paris.

That had seemed to do it.

The broadcast had been sent to all national and international programs, all radio stations and it had been spread over the internet wherever possible.

They were free.

Within only a few minutes, Carapace and Rena were arriving on the balcony of city hall, tightly embracing Ladybug and Chat Noir as the place before them filled up with the citizens of Paris. Queen Bee and a few other helpers joined them from all directions, everyone sharing wordless actions of relief and comfort.

Carapace didn't know who started. But as they looked down to the people, arm in arm, hand in hand, someone started singing. The national anthem.

Slowly, the entire crowd joined in, the singing got louder, and Carapace couldn't help it, he started singing as one of the first with the people.

That night, the silence of the fight was broken. That night, Paris stood as one and sang from the top of its lungs so that the bells of Notre Dame shook.