After my first quarter of college, a hellish few months, and some working here and there there is a new chapter. I wish the ending was better, I wish it all was better but you all deserved something for sticking around so long. So, here you go. Thank you for being faithful.

The plot and Cora are mine, Miraculous Ladybug doesn't belong to me.

Another lazy morning dawned on Paris, once again revealing the sun's bright rays over the land.. However, for Marinette it was more of a curse than a blessing. Usually she would just sleep through it, but the absence of the blinds made it especially difficult to see past.

Luckily for her, even with the windows uncovered some sun had been blocked. By what? Probably a pillow. Marinette needed it to block more of the light. Grasping out for the soft cushion, Marinette pulled it closer, though it was already pressed against her chest. She felt around the defined muscle structure outlining of whatever this pillow was. Since when did she even have a pillow that was body size? And warm.

Marinette gasped lightly, her eyelids flying open. Her gaze was cast upon the bare patch of skin from the thing in front of her, his soft breaths still cascading against the back of her neck. His shirt smelled like her, but with a hint of someone else. The long blond tresses falling towards her eyes, Marinette looked up to be greeted with a handsome face of one of her best friends. Her conveniently married good friend.

Face flushing bright red, a squeal left her lips. Marinette found herself recoiling as best she could, her head smashing against his chin and her back slamming his arms.. Groaning, Adrien slowly opened his eyes, looking down at the flustered girl in front of him. Rubbing his hand across his eyes, Adrien reached one hand up towards the sky. "Morning." He mumbled, closing his eyes and rolling over. It took him a few moments to take in his surroundings, the smell of lavender that clung to his nose and the unfamiliar feet brushing against his legs.

Looking over his shoulder, Adrien spotted a red faced Marinette, who was trying to hide her cheeks from Adrien. Flushing himself, Adrien jumped away from Marinette, his limbs tangling in her sheets. Soon gravity took over and Adrien promptly yanked the blankets and Marinette off the bed. With a slap his back hit the wood, and the other weight smacked into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Wheezing out a breath, Adrien looked up at Marinette who was now nose to nose with him. Pausing, Adrien tried to fight the redness climbing up his neck and ears, yet it was futile. Warm breaths washed over him as the long unbearable silence drew on, his shining emerald eyes latched onto her sky blue ones. Biting her lip, Marinette diverted her gaze, and Adrien did so too.

"Uh, sorry about that." Adrien said, pulling his hair gently. Shuffling around underneath her, Adrien looked up at her, trying to figure out a way to gracefully get them both up without dumping her on the floor.

"Please don't kill me." Adrien mumbled before wrapping his arms snugly around her. Standing up, he flipped Marinette into his arms, holding her close to his chest. Smiling sheepishly at her, he walked back over to her bed and set her down. "There." He said, taking the blankets off the floor and putting them over her.

"Uhmm, thanks." Marinette said, sitting up and looking at him. Adrien shuffled his feet, coughing slightly. He was still wearing her shirt, pajama shirt to be exact. Looking around, he cleared his throat awkwardly. "I am just going to give this back to you, and then, uh, head out." He mumbled, turning his back to her.

The heat was rising in both their cheeks as Adrien stripped her shirt off easily. Marinette had a fantastic view from the bed of his back, which was probably just as muscular as his chest. Averting her eyes, Marinette looked up at him, and then back down at her hands.

"Adrien, we… I… Let's just never mention this gain, and forget it happened." She mumbled getting up. Looking around, she spotted Adrien's shirt sitting on the chair of her sewing table.

Shuffling the blankets, Marinette got up and went to the table, picking up his shirt. Coughing slightly, she walked back towards him, shirt in hand. "Adrien…." She said cautiously, walking towards him. "I want something to be very clear…."

Turning back to her, Adrien looked up. "Yeah, go ahead Mari." Looking down and seeing his shirt, he reached out for it, but she held it close to her chest. Close to her exposed collar, her warm skin.

He averted his eyes again.

"This means nothing between us." She stated clearly, looking down at the shirt. Her hands were folded into it tightly, like she was trying to distract herself. Well, she was. His bronzed and perfectly toned model worthy chest was not the easiest to look away from. "This can't become a thing, I don't have the heart to get between the two of you." She sighed, bringing her palm up to her eye.

"Look, I don't want thing to get complicated, I mean with me in the picture as a friend there probably already are. If she knew what had happened, things would get worse."

"But what if she just, didn't know." Adrien asked, looking around. He really didn't want to do this, but the reminder of how warm Marinette was, and how good everything smelled, and how whole he felt, he didn't want to throw it away.

Shaking her head, Mari looked over at Adrien. Shoving the shirt forcefully into his chest, she looked him in the eye for the first time that morning. "NO, that isn't an option. It's filthy, weak, and dishonest. I could never live knowing that I was stealing someone who belongs to someone else." Marinette said, pulling her hands away from his chest.

"This doesn't happen again, ever Adrien." Marinette stressed, pushing him away from her bed and towards the door. She pulled it open with her other hand, starring Adrien down. "I would love to think of us as friends, but until you have your head on straight again, I would suggest spending some time alone." She stated, giving a taught smile before slamming the door on the shirtless Adrien.

The man outside her door was baffled, his mouth hanging open. He knew Mari was protective, but he didn't think she would go that far. Looking around, he looked down at the rumpled shirt, and slid it on, ruffling his hair. 'Man.' He thought, looking around, 'I should try and distract myself with Ladybug.' He mumbled.

Ladybug was waiting atop their rooftop that night, the wind ruffling her ribbons. It had been a wild day to say the least. Waking up to the warm skin of Adrien and then, well, falling on him didn't make getting him out of her mind easy. She had liked him way back when, and it seemed those feelings were crawling back, but stronger. They were adults now, above all this does he like me and how can I confess. Things tended to just, happen. And Mari wasn't going to let that happen.

Hearing footsteps behind her, Ladybug turned to see her fellow partner in crime just waiting for her, smug smile and everything. "Well well well, who let the cat out of the bag?" She asked, a grin forming across her features. Tipping his head in a formal bow, Chat looked up at her. "That would be you Milady. Somehow I always seem to know when you need me most."

That was a total lie. Adrien had been out the evening to try and get some thinking time to himself, or a distraction. Mari's words had stuck with him all day, through the photo shoot, and even when he was at home. He couldn't eat any more nutella without thinking about her. The damn woman was invading his brain one cell at a time.

And then there was Ladybug. She didn't know about his fiance, and she was just her beautiful perfect self, now with much shorter hair. But he couldn't just jump straight into the flirting, not with the shit he had pulled before.

Looking back at him, Ladybug offered up a small smile. "Well then, let's get started on patrol shall we. Might need to get back into the rhythm." She said, stepping up to the edge of the roof. Chat was quick to join her, his toes dangling off the edge.

"Well, considering what I know, I am seeing that a lot of things changed." He said, pressing his lips into a smile. Looking back at him, Ladybug sighed, a hint of sadness once again gracing her vision. "A lot has…." She added, before taking out her yoyo.

"Last one to the tower is a rotten egg." She challenged, before leaping off the roof fearlessly. Staring after her, Chat had to wonder for a few moments. 'Since when is she so carefree?' He thought, grinning as he lept off afterwards. Staff out, he basically pole vaulted from rooftop to rooftop. He chased after his lady, just like old times. No drama, no marriage, no ties. Just him, her, and the rooftops of paris.

It had been a week since their first escapade across Paris, and not much had happened. Every night they would patrol the city, half watching, half racing across the grid like streets. Leaping over yet another rooftop, Ladybug heaved a sigh. She was no closer to being over this whole, still kind of liking Adrien thing. And tomorrow they had their first fitting. Which meant seeing him again. They had been on a silence for a while now, but as far as she knew, his fiance wasn't at home.

Looking out over the rooftops, she let out a soft sigh. "It's been a long week. A good week, but a long one." She mumbled, running her hands over her head. Short locks whipping around, Ladybug looked over at her partner, Chat Noir. Things had gotten better in the last week. Granted, it wasn't what they had before, but she found herself opening up much easier to the new Chat Noir.

Chat grinned, looking over at her. "Yeah, it sure has. It's, sure been interesting. Like a trip to the past." He spoke sweetly, looking out at the lights. "There has been so few akuma activities though." He mumbled softly, his lips pursing together. Maybe she could help now.

"Look, I have something that needs to be, uh, addressed." He said, scratching the back of his head. "You know how I can't heal akuma's. That's just not my power. But you on the other hand…." He trailed off, fiddling with the clawed gloves. It was so embarrassing.

"Oh god, how many?" Ladybug asked, turning towards Chat. The look on her face screamed exhaustion already, and he bit down on his lip. "Maybe ten… thousand." He said softly, avoiding eye contact.

Groaning, Ladybug let her hand smear across her eyelids, pulling at the skin gently. Opening her eyes again, she looked at Chat. "Lead me to them. The faster we get started, the faster we can end this night, and get some decent sleep for once." She mumbled, flinging her yoyo up onto a nearby pole.

Sighing, Chat extended his pole. "Just follow me. I'll lead you to the safe." He mumbled, jumping off the roof.

It didn't take long to reach the little apartment. All the curtains were still drawn over the windows, but one was left conveniently left open. Landing on the windowsill, Chat slipped easily through the black flap.

At first, Ladybug was confused, but afterwards, she understood that the blacked out windows were for privacy. Following him in, Ladybug swinged straight through the curtains and rolled onto the floor.

If there was a single light in the whole room, she couldn't tell. All she could see was black. "Seems pretty fitting." Ladybug joked, but the humor was meet with silence. Coughing awkwardly, Ladybug felt around. "Chat?" She asked uneasily. After a few moments, the cool touch of Chat's suit touched her hand. "This way." Chat mumbled under his breath.

Ladybug could barely make out his blond locks and green eyes in the dark. Blinking, Ladybug let Chat guide her through the darkness. "So you really can see in the dark?" She asked curiously, hearing several clicking sounds, that sounded like locks. "Yeah, enough to make out how cute your butt looks in the suit." He joked, a devilish grin crossing his features.

Ladybug was grateful for the darkness now because she was sure her cheeks had become the color of her suit. "If I could see you, I would smack you." She grumbled, her fingernails digging into his hand. Chat didn't even flinch.

Suddenly light flooded the room. The one room with a light that was ever kept on, his safe. And that safe was sure full. Ladybug gasped at the sheer amount of jars, containers, fishtanks, anything that could seal in a creature. Each one had anywhere from one to a dozen akuma's floating around in it.

Looking next to her her, Ladybug nodded. "Good, I can see you." She affirmed before slapping his cheek hard. Chat groaned and let his weight lean against the doorway as Ladybug walked inside. His eyes followed her slim figure as her delicate fingers traced the cages. "Damn. I can't believe I didn't hear them outside the vault. It's so noisy." She grumbled.

Groaning, Chat covered one of his ears. "No kidding. After listening to them long enough, they start to sound like your worst fears. It's depressing, creepy, and terrifying all at the same time." He mumbled, sitting down on the floor. Ladybug grasped her yoyo, and looked at Chat. "Well let's see how many I can get through." She said, before starting her curing process.

Hours later, Ladybug was still trying to cure akumas. The light no longer burned bright. Ladybug looked exhausted. The moon was up by now, and Chat had been keeping a close eye on her. He had a feeling she might pass out soon. "Don't push yourself." He reminded her for the millionth time.

Sighing, Ladybug wiped the sweat from her forehead, pursing her lips. "I'm fine." She insisted, looking down at the cages. She had started on the large cages, and she had only managed to finish one.

Chat, feeling more concerned by the dripping sweat, walked towards her. "You don't look fine." He stated simply, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, that's enough. You are going to pass out if you exert yourself more." He said, looking at her.

Ladybug took a glance at Chat before looking back at the butterflies. "Just… a few… more." She mumbled, flinging her yoyo into action again. She was mid swing when her vision went dark. Her legs gave out, toppling towards the ground.

Chat leapt forwards, his arms barely swooping underneath his lady as she fell. Weight shifting, he found himself tipping onto his toes and falling right behind her, his arms the only thing to cushion her dead weight. Luckily he had moved his hand behind her head just in time.

It took Chat a couple of moments to recover from the sudden shock. Slowly blinking, Chat lifted himself off the floor. His akuma blared irritably in the background as he lifted her with all his weight. She was surprisingly more muscular than he thought.

Groaning at the sudden increase of weight on his arms, Chat looked down at the passed out ladybug. Her earrings were already showing only two dots, which meant he had little time to work with. She knew he wouldn't be happy if he saw her out of costume.

Rushing back into the dark room, Adrien let the door to the vault close. He lifted Ladybug into his arms, taking into account her weight and balancing it in his arms. He figured his way around the floor easily, laying her gently onto his bed. The springs creaked underneath the new weight. The soft light from the akuma room and the small little white butterflies were illuminating her soft features.

Chat didn't have time to waste. Shutting the safe door, he locked it quickly, maneuvering around in the darkness. He shut the blinds, flooding the room in darkness. No sooner, a flash of red flooded the room, the last of the beeping fading into the darkness. The soft flop of a small body perked his ears.

"K-Kawamii?" Chat asked uncertainly, looking around his room. He heard a faint whimper from close to his bed. Chat wandered over, keeping his eyes lidded. "Kawamii, do you need anything? Cheese perhaps?" Chat asked, his eyes still turned away from his lady. He could see well enough in the dark to be able to see the edge of a foot. Chat didn't dare look farther. All he could do was relish in her perfectly shaped feet.

"Something with sugar." Came a soft muffled voice, high and dainty, much different than Plagg's. Obviously female, and obviously starving. Chat raced towards the kitchen. There wasn't much left but some crackers and a lot of cheese, and maybe a bit of food for him. He grabbed the last bit of cookies he had, and headed back towards the bed.

Gazing at the faint light peeking through the blackout curtains, Chat gently set the cookies on the bed near where the voice had been coming from. He felt the brush of something kwamii like, and faint nibbling. Chat fount the back of the bed both relaxing and comforting as he listened to the nibbling of his ladies kwamii, and letting his lady delicate toes barely brush his long locks.

"What should I call you?" Chat asked after the nibbling had died down. Even though his gaze was set across the room, his ears were trained on the two ladies behind him.

"Tikki." Came the soft rumble from just behind his ear. "They call me Tikki. And I am sure Plagg will be joining us soon." She mentioned. As she brought it to light, the blinking of his ring became more prominent. It was the only light in the room after all.

"How do you know Plagg?" Chat asked, his gaze turning back up to the window. A small stifle of a surprised gasp came from behind him.

"Well you are Chat Noir, and she is Ladybug. We are a part of you in these forms. Of course we know each other. We chose you together. We are both opposites, and yet we work in harmony." She said beautifully, ruffling around on the bed. Chat assumed she was going to sit next to his lady.

"Well I can see that. You sure are much nicer than Plagg." Chat chuckled, the light of his ring finally giving out. With a flash, he felt Plagg flee his body, leaving him utterly blind and sitting on the floor. Flopping his arms in his lap, Adrien groaned.

"Speak of the devil." Adrien mumbled, pulling up his knees. He felt drained just watching Ladybug do her thing, and from transforming back. A nap would do him some good. But Adrien was in no mood to look for the couch. Not without light.

Adrien let his head slump against the small section of bed that was left, the sound of Plagg complaining to Tikki fading into the background. After so many years of complaining, Adrien had gotten used to tuning it out when he needed to.

Drifting in and out of sleep, Adrien found himself quite uncomfortable while sitting on the floor. Not like his couch was much better. The couch probably had piles of dust on it after all the passing time with no use. It was a nice couch appearance wise, but comfortability was questionable.

At some unknown hour of the night, once Adrien had finally fallen asleep, Marinette was stirring. Soft groans of pain, coupled with a couple cusses rang out behind him. Her toes reached out, searching for whatever the hell was brushing against her foot. It was tickling her.

The sound of Adrien's body slumping against the floor sure as hell startled the both of them. With a yelp from Marinette and a groan from Adrien, the two of them started searching blindly in the dark.

"M'Lady?" Adrien asked, his hands searching around in the dark. Without Plagg Adrien was as good as blind in the dark. He couldn't see a thing. Neither could Marinette. This is probably why they found themselves smacking foreheads. Another series of yelps.

"Chat?" Marinette asked wearily, rubbing her forehead as she looked around.

"Here Milady." Adrien mumbled, realizing they weren't that far apart. He could feel her breaths against his nose.

Grasping out for her, Adrien found her shoulder. He then found her hand, which was currently supporting her. Adrien knew he shouldn't even be considering anything with Cora in his life. She was supposed to be his everything. But all he could think about right now was his lady.

Lifting her hand, Adrien pressed a gentle and chivalrous kiss against her knuckles. He heard a chuckle come from her lips.

"Always the valiant knight." Marinette mumbled, letting herself lean back. Their hands were still interlocked, and Chat let her grip take him up onto the bed. His lady didn't seem to want to let go, so he assumed she didn't mind.

"Only for you Milady." He mumbled, looking down at her, or where she was. He hoped he was getting this whole 'partners but kind of more' thing right. It was a little confusing, but he had noticed a subtle change from all those years. Now she seemed to be more gentle, but at the same time tougher.

"Oh stop it Chat. You are that way always." Marinette stated clearly, grinning as she brought her partner up to sit next to her. "What happened to me anyway. I thought we were cleansing akuma's today. Why am I sitting in your bed?" She asked, looking around. "And why is it dark?"

"We were cleansing Akuma's, but you passed out. You over exerted yourself. So I brought you in here. And we de transformed, so I blocked out all the lights. I know you want to keep who you are a secret." He mumbled, pulling his legs up onto the bed. His foot brushed her leg.

Marinette felt a jolt as Chat's foot touched her leg. She let herself relax into it. It was somewhat comforting to know the boundaries here could be muddled. There was nothing in the way of making a move on Chat. He had certainly pursued it in the past, she did not know what he thought now.

Things certainly had changed between them since she had come back. She had felt closer to him. Maybe it was the distance. Maybe it was longing for something solid, something real in a place where she had to lie on every occasion. No one knew she was Ladybug, except for Chat. He knew who she was, just without a face or a name.

Marinette shifted along the bed to give Chat more room. Their legs were tangled together. A sign of comfort to the both. Adrien adjusted himself to fit on the bed.

"Are you sure you are alright? You did hit your head pretty hard against the ground." Adrien mumbled, his hands circling around the skin of her thigh. Marinette sighed and flopped back towards her bed.

"I mean that would explain why my head's pounding." Marinette mumbled, her hand reaching out for Adriens. Marinette found his fingers and yanked him towards her, pulling his head into her lap.

Adrien kept himself quiet not quite so confident himself now that he had changed back. As much as he loved cat puns, his brain was out of them at the moment. It didn't help that his lady was starting to run her hands through his hair.

A soft hum escaped Adrien's lips as he laid his head against his Lady. Her hands were smaller without the gloves, but he could still feel her calloused skin pulling at his longer blonde locks. He let out a deep breath, his muscles relaxing into his lady.

"You have a way with your hands Milady." Adrien practically purred, his hands crossing over his stomach. A comfortable silence stretched between the two. Between Marinette running her hands through his hair, and the exhaustion from trying to cleanse the akuma the rest was needed.

"Your hair is quite soft." Marinette mumbled, tugging on his locks gently. "What are you, some kind of model?" She asked jokingly, closing her eyes. Adrien hummed softly, his hand reaching for his Ladies.

"Well you might be right, you might be wrong. Who knows. All you know is that I am a man with very soft hair." He mumbled back, holding one of her hands hostage briefly. He tugged it down for a kiss.

A soft giggle passed through the room. Then the silence resumed, aside from the soft inhales and exhales. It lasted for eternity.

"I should probably go home soon." Marinette spoke softly into his ears. Adrien hummed, keeping her hand under wraps. "It's fine Milady. I won't peak. Just take a nap here. You can leave whenever you want." He mumbled, nuzzling into her thigh. Marinette giggled.

"Maybe just for a little while kitty. I'll leave before sunrise." She mumbled, leaning back onto the bed. No longer sitting, Marinette let herself curl up at the top of the bed, hugging the pillows close to her head. Fearing she would hit him, Adrien let himself take the other side, his back pressed gently against hers.

"Night, Milady." Adrien mumbled quietly, letting his brain doze.