Adrien didn't know what he was going to do once he turned 18, as Marinette had explained her mother's concern about the police suspecting they were harboring him all along. He supposed he could go back to the mansion, the police hadn't seized it so it technically would belong to him, but the very thought made his chest tight. He'd have to go back completely alone. It was bad enough before, with a handful of his father's employees milling about. He couldn't bear the thought. He half-wanted to ask Marinette to go with him, but he couldn't do that to her. She had a family who loved her. Why would she want to leave that for him?

He loved being around the Dupain-Chengs. He loved Tom's jokes and Sabine fretting over whether or not he was eating enough at meals and feeling like he was actually doing something by helping in the bakery. And Marinette. How on earth could he survive without her sunny optimism, the way she teased him, and the fact that she was the only person since his mother disappeared who loved him unconditionally?

Marinette was always there to put her arms around him and tell him it would somehow be okay. When they were in the same room, they rarely didn't touch in some small way: holding hands, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, having her legs across his lap when she was reading one of her textbooks. He needed that affection. And how was he ever supposed to have a decent night's sleep again without her? The nightmares still happened a few times a week but having her there to soothe him back to sleep made a huge difference. She would always hold him, rub his back, and whisper reassurances until his heart rate slowed.

Even if his turning 18 and having to leave wasn't a concern, what about after? Marinette had applied to fashion schools all over Europe. What if she left? He'd follow her anywhere, but what if he couldn't get into a school near her? He couldn't start his applications for another month, to be safe. He was going to try to apply to schools near the ones she applied to but what if it wasn't enough?

He realized Marinette was asking him something. "What?"

"I asked you what you thought of this skirt I was working on three times. What's wrong, kitty?" She dropped what she was working on and came over to lay a hand on his arm reassuringly.

"The past month has been like a dream, Marinette. Something out of someone else's life. But it's going to end soon and then what happens to me?" His voice was more vulnerable than he wanted it to be, but he supposed it didn't really matter. This beautiful girl had seen him at his worst.

"I've been thinking about that, actually." She sat down on the chaise next to him and wrapped a slim arm around his waist. "What would you think about being an official employee of the bakery? Papa has really appreciated your help. It would give you an excuse to be over here every day, even if you couldn't stay the night."

"Really?" He brightened a little. "That would be great! You know I love your parents."

"I was also thinking…" she continued nervously. "I don't want you to be alone. You should never have to be alone again. Wherever you go, I'd like to go with you."

His jaw dropped. "You have a life here, I can't just make you—"

She placed a finger on his lips. "I'm still going to be working in the bakery after school too. It would be a formality, really. A place to sleep. I've talked to my parents about this and they said their doors will always be open to us. We can find somewhere nearby, to make getting to school and the bakery easier."

Adrien was speechless. She had really thought this through. All this effort put into helping him. Because she loved him. "You'd really do all this for me?"

"I'd do anything for you, Adrien," she said sincerely. "I love you."

He pulled her in for a tight hug and choked out, "I love you too."

They were wrapped in each other's arms for a while before Adrien spoke up. "I'm going to sell the mansion."

Marinette looked at him in surprise. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "My mother is never coming back. There's no reason to keep it. I can probably get a lot of money from it to help us live somewhere nice and go to university."

"You can't pay for me to go to university!" she protested.

"Why not? You've done so much for me, Princess. You've taken care of me. Let me take care of you."

"It's a lot of money," she said quietly. "You don't have to feel obligated—I didn't do any of this expecting compensation. I did it because I cared."

He grasped her hands. "And I want to do this because I care. Chat Noir and Ladybug are a package deal, remember? Wherever you go, I go."

She bit her lip. "It's a lot to take in, Adrien."

"I know," he sighed. "You've just done so much for me and I need to do something for you. I don't want you to regret anything down the line."

"I'll never regret helping you," she promised, leaning over to kiss him. "You say I'm everything to you. You're everything to me too. I'm not going anywhere." She smiled at him so sweetly he thought he'd melt right into the floor.

"You're amazing, Marinette," he sighed contentedly and leaned down to kiss her more thoroughly.

"Happy birthday Adrien!" the Dupain-Chengs chorused, standing over him with a tray of breakfast food.

He blinked and rubbed his eyes. "Is this for me?"

"It's a birthday tradition," Marinette explained. "Breakfast in bed."

A grin broke out on his face. He'd never had breakfast in bed in his whole life. "You made all this?"

"Well, Maman made the crepes, but I did everything else," she said bashfully. "Eat up."

"Thank you," he said with tears in his eyes. "All of you."

The birthday breakfast was delicious and it took him finishing it before he noticed there was a small, wrapped box on the tray. "What's this?"

"Why don't you open it to find out?" Tom encouraged.

It was a key.

"For our apartment," Marinette explained. "Papa may or may not have gone ahead to set some things up last night so we'd be ready to go. You may want to sneak back to your old room to get more stuff beforehand but I've packed almost everything I need."

Adrien jumped up and surprised Tom with a hug. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it, son," he said warmly. "We're glad we were able to help you as long as we did. Now it's time for you to spread your wings."

Adrien turned to Marinette. "Will you help me pack?"

"Sure! We should probably go as Ladybug and Chat Noir though and sneak in the windows."

It had been weeks since he'd transformed. "I'm down for that," he said with a smile.

They arrived through the window without difficulty and Adrien stared at all the dust around the room. "It looks so empty." It wasn't even that there was much missing. There just weren't any signs of life.

"Where do you want me to start?" his red-spotted girlfriend asked.

"Well, I figured I'd just bring my computer and my anime and video game collections but is it terrible of me to admit I want the foosball table?"

She laughed. "We might have a hard time sneaking that out the window. We can come back for it later. Now that you're an adult you can start selling things off. How much of this do you want to keep anyway?"

"Not much," he admitted. "It might be kind of weird, but I'd like to keep the portrait of my mom in the study. It's kind of huge, and probably won't fit in our apartment, but I want to store it somewhere."

She smiled at him with understanding and laid a hand on his arm. "It's not weird wanting to hold on to memories of someone you love. There's so much stuff here you'll probably need to get a storage unit anyway."

She really got him. Adrien's heart melted a little and he shot her a dazzling grin before resuming packing. It took a couple of hours but they talked and laughed so it didn't seem like very long at all.

Eventually they stood on the doorstep of their new apartment surrounded by bags. Adrien unlocked the door and looked around in awe. It wasn't very big, only a few rooms, but it was theirs. He was overcome with emotion but decided to play it light.

"I think the foosball table can go right there."

Marinette laughed. "As long as it's not in front of the TV, I'll be happy. Come on, I'll show you the rest of the place."

She took his hand and led him through the kitchen, the bathroom, and the bedrooms. He turned to her in surprise. "There's only one bed."

She shrugged. "We always sleep together anyway. I figured, what's the point of having separate bedrooms? The other one could hold my sewing stuff." She gave him a sly grin. "And the foosball table."

Adrien wrapped her in a hug. "You're the best."

"I know," she teased.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Marinette asked as she fingered the strap of her backpack.

Adrien was bouncing on the balls of his feet. He had missed school more than anything. He'd actually be able to be around his friends again! Go outside! Be free. "Yes! I can handle the questions."

"I'll be there to help you," she assured him. "I just want this to go well. I know how much it means to you."

"It'll be fine," he said optimistically. "Let's go, I know you have a habit of being late."

Marinette stuck her tongue out at him and followed him out the door. It was a cold, wintry day and Adrien was wearing a scarf and hat Marinette had made. He eagerly grabbed her hand and pulled her enthusiastically down the street as he laughed.

When they arrived at the school he looked up at the building fondly. "It'll be good to be back."

Marinette looked worried but still gave him a smile. "Let's go."

They walked into the building hand in hand, ignoring the stares from passersby. Everything was fine until they stood in the doorway of the classroom.

Alya shrieked, "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you have a whole lot of explaining to do!"

Adrien glanced down at their entwined hands. Crap.