Marinette couldn't believe it. Chat's crazy plan had actually worked. After a few fights with some akumatized victims alone, they stopped coming, slowly but surely. It had been nearly a month since the last Akuma, and Marinette had begun to hope that she really could go to _. Most of her friends had already left for their various career and higher educational pursuits, and she felt alone. Only Adrien hadn't left yet, but even after graduation night, they never talked.

Chat, of course, had not once really left her to fight an Akuma alone, but she didn't know that. He had only stayed in the shadows, watching in case anything went wrong. He was still ready to risk his life for her, but now no one could find out. When the Akumas stopped coming, he, too, felt alone.

Marinette, for the hundredth time that day, looked at Adrien's contact on her phone. She wanted to call him, to tell him that she'd been accepted to , but how could she? It had been months since they had last seen each other.

Suddenly her phone rang and she instinctively picked it up and said hello, before she realized that the name on the screen had been Adrien's.

"Hey, Marinette, how have you been?" Adrien's voice came out of her phone and snapped her to her senses.

"Oh, hi, Adrien, good, how about? You?" She stuttered.

"I'm doing OK, I guess. I just wanted to call and let you know I'll be leaving for a while. I've been accepted to _."

"Oh, " Marinette said. A moment later, she realised the line had gone painfully quiet. "I'm so happy for you! Was it your first choice?"

"Actually, it was my dad's choice. But I think I'll like it. I can do modeling for a club, and do architecture as my major."

"That's great, Adrien!" Marinette smiled. "So... I've been meaning to call you, too, to tell you that _ accepted me, too."

"Oh, Marinette, that's great! You'll be studying design?"

"Yeah, among other things. I want to improve as many of my talents as possible."

"Well, don't overburden yourself. Maybe you should just pick out your favorites!"

The two laughed, and Marinette felt the most comfortable with him she had ever been before.

"You said you'd be gone a few years," Adrien remembered. "Does that mean you won't be back for the holidays?"

"Probably not. It's just too much hassle, and it would take out of my studying time. I'm going to try to finish in two years, if possible."

"Two years..." Marinette heard Adrien say under his breath. "Well, good luck. See you around!"

"Yeah, good luck to you, too. And thank you, Adrien." Marinette sighed.

"Bye."