Adrien was supposed to be sorting through some of his father's belongings, but mostly he was watching Marinette pack a box of office supplies from one of the bookshelves in the storage closet off the atelier. Her movements were hypnotic—her hips swayed slightly every time she leaned over the box, and her bangs kept swishing when she blinked. She had her lips pursed slightly, looking highly kissable.

"You know, we could totally ditch this and go track down Andre," Adrien proposed.

She laughed, "Why don't you take a break for a bit, I'll finish up here."

"No, the point of playing hookey right now would be to go on break together."

She smiled and turned to him, "Is that why you keep coming up with excuses to sneak off?"

He grinned unabashedly, "I have no problem admitting that I'd prefer to spend the afternoon chasing down delicious goodies with my gorgeous girlfriend than staying here cleaning out my father's desk."

She stretched and yawned, "A break does sound good. Maybe you should just hire someone to clean this all up." She walked over and sat on Gabriel's desk.

Adrien wrapped his arms around her waist, "Yeah, but we both know I can't do that. What if there's anything that ties him to his supervillain identity?"

"I know," she whispered, "you're being very mature about all of this. That's something I love about you." She leaned in and kissed him softly. "How are you doing, by the way? With all of this?" she tapped the desktop; Adrien knew what she meant.

He nodded and took a slow breath, "Good, I think. The therapist is helping a lot."

"Great," she whispered, kissing him again. "Of course, we can take more time. It'd be nice if the dreams would go away, but—"

"But we agreed to that price, together," he finished for her, firm. "I'm not reneging on that now, and I never will."

She smiled broadly, "And another thing I love about you. But I did need to talk to you about that—"

"About what?" Adrien questioned as he released her waist and returned to the stack of papers he was rifling through.

"About together. About what that means going forward."

Adrien sighed. He'd thought about this a lot. "Like, what to do with our Miraculouses since Hawkmoth is gone?"

She nodded, "And other things, but let's start with that."

"OK," Adrien smiled, "well, we don't know where Mayura is, and even though he's not here, there's always the possibility of future threats."

"I agree. We don't know what dangers the future might hold. So, we hang on to them then?"

Adrien thumbed his ring, "Sounds good to me. You're the guardian, though, so you get final say."

"Well," she bit her lip, "about that—"

The intercom buzzed loudly. Adrien and Marinette exchanged a look before Adrien went to the door to check who was at the gate. Officer Raincomprix was standing at attention, and next to him was Adrien's lawyer holding a stack of important looking papers. Adrien opened the gate to allow them entrance. They made their way into the foyer, where Adrien ushered them into the atelier.

"Officer Raincomprix, Madame Lamounte—good to see you." They all exchanged fond handshakes.

"Monsieur Agreste—"

"Please call me Adrien."

The officer smiled, "Adrien, and of course I know Marinette," he nodded in her direction. "We're here on secure business, though, so would you like to meet in private?'

Adrien looked at Marinette, "No, she can stay."

"Very well," Madame Lamounte began, pushing her glasses up further on her nose. "I've got the last few legal documents from the merger with the Tsurugi Business Group that your father initiated in the week before he went missing. You're still behind the merger, right?"

"Wholeheartedly," Adrien noted. "I think it will be best for everyone. Madame Tsurugi agreed to the conditions we set forward, then?"

Adrien's lawyer nodded, "Yes, she agreed to act as interim CEO until the board selects a new one, and both you and Kagami will be listed as board members. We have just a few things to sign to ensure that your inheritance and stake in the company will remain secure until you decide what to do—even if that takes years and years."

Marinette slipped her arm around Adrien's waist and squeezed. "That's perfect," she whispered. "You can take some time, go to University—"

"Madame Tsurugi did ask if you'd made a decision on the mansion," Madame Lamounte asked softly.

Adrien looked around the atelier, "I… I think so. I want to keep it. Without him here, it's no longer the prison it once was. I think with a little redecorating and a few housemates, it could be a real asset to the community." He smiled back at Marinette. "Do you think I could find a really great designer to hire?"

She tapped her lips, "I don't think I know any interior designers—"

"I'm talking about you Marinette," he laughed.

Marinette blushed bright pink, "Uh, I-I don't have much ex-experience," she stammered.

He kissed her forehead, "We'll work it out later. Besides, you'd only be the head of the design team; you'd have lots of people to help you." Adrien turned back to the lawyer, who was smiling at the two of them fondly, "I'd really like to use this mansion to help others in need. Maybe some other students?"

Madame Lamounte nodded and jotted down some notes on her tablet. "That sounds excellent. We'll work on the legal side to make sure we can honor your wishes."

"Other students," Marinette whispered, still flushed from considering being hired as the head of the design team for Adrien's home, "does that mean you've also made a decision about university?"

Adrien cleared his throat, then answered, "I made that decision a long time ago."

Marinette's face split into a huge grin, "I'm so happy for you. Sorbonne doesn't know how lucky they are to get you."

He kissed her nose, "The best part is, it's not so far from ESMOD that we won't be able to see each other frequently." She nodded enthusiastically.

"Wonderful," the lawyer responded, jotting down notes as rapidly as she could.

Officer Raincomprix smiled, and spoke for the first time in the conversation, "I am so happy for you both. I do, however, need to ask about the investigation."

The mood in the room shifted several degrees colder. "I figured as much," Adrien muttered.

Officer Raincomprix looked at the notes on his phone, "It's been several weeks since your father disappeared. We still have no leads. I'm glad that the merger was completed before he went missing, as that simplifies things considerably, but… I'm sorry, Adrien. The case has gone cold."

Adrien nodded. "What do you need from me?"

Officer Raincomprix shuffled his feet, "We need to know what to do next. Would you like us to continue our investigation?"

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other knowingly, then Adrien replied, "No, you have my permission to close it."

Officer Raincomprix seemed to relax. "Very well. However, that doesn't answer the question about what to tell the media—"

Marinette spoke up suddenly, "Gabriel Agreste was a very private man. I'm sure his disappearance, especially after he signed away all his business holdings in the merger, could be attributed to nothing more than an early retirement, and would be hardly newsworthy. I think it would be to everyone's best interest if we just let it go." She checked in with Adrien, "Right?"

He smiled at her, trying to thank her for her understanding with his eyes, "Right. Please, let's let the statement about the merger stand and keep everything else quiet."

Officer Raincomprix looked like he might protest briefly, but then he smiled and nodded. As he moved his head, Adrien could have sworn he saw the faintest golden glow streak away from his cheeks. "Sounds like everything is settled, then. Thank you for your time."

Adrien shook hands with the officer and the lawyer, then saw them out. Marinette met him in the foyer. "You know," Adrien grinned, "this house is seeming brighter and better with every passing moment."

She hugged him, "I agree." He leaned in for a kiss, but she placed a finger over his mouth. "Before I let you distract me any further, though, and while we're making lots of big decisions, I didn't finish my thought from before."

Adrien wracked his brain to remember what they were talking about. "Oh," he recalled, "you mean about… together?"

She nodded. "Adrien, we're a team. And no matter what happens in the future, no matter how far we might go as a couple—"

"Marriage. Forever." He blurted.

She blushed violently but pressed on, "No matter what we choose for the future, we're a team first and foremost." He nodded, holding her hand and tracing the burn scar on her palm. "I was wrong to push you away for so long."

"Marinette, we've discussed this, and I don't blame you—"

"Nor do I blame you," she gushed, "but that doesn't negate the point that I should have trusted you all along—with my identity, with everything. But the past is in the past. All we can do is move forward, together."

"That's all I want as well," he added tenderly.

"Then, can I make it official?"

"Make what official?"

She ran a thumb over his ring, "Will you be my co-guardian? The work, the secrets, the decisions will all be shared equally."

His eyes blew wide. Of all the things she could have asked him, this was not what he'd been expecting. However, surprise quickly morphed to delight, and he kissed her palm, "I would be honored. Of course, it would mainly be to help you, so you'd never have to bear this burden alone again—"

"And that," Marinette kissed his lips softly, "is the thing I love the most about you. You're such an incredible, selfless person Adrien. You fought for me, even when I couldn't understand why. Thank you for being my partner; I thought being given the earrings made me lucky. But no, I'm lucky because I have you."

He stammered, no suave quip coming to smooth over the tears that had sprung to his eyes. "I love you too, Marinette," was all he could think of.

She took a step backward, "Then, there's only one thing left to do. Spots on," she transformed in a blaze of pink light, "As guardian of the miraculous, I confer the rights and responsibilities of co-guardianship to Adrien Agreste. From now on, we'll do this together."

Adrien took Ladybug's hand, looked into those brilliant blue eyes, and vowed, "Together."

The End

Author's note: Thank you all for reading and for the kind comments and encouragement all along the way! If you enjoyed this story, please let me know in the reviews. I cherish every one of my dear readers. Take care!

Love,

Mommadon

Thank you, thank you all for reading this wild ride of a fic. I love your comments, your kudos, and all the love. It really lifts my spirit and encourages me to keep writing. I hope you enjoyed Becoming Reality and will consider dropping me a line if you did. Take care!
Love,
Mommadon Thank you, thank you all for reading this wild ride of a fic. I love your comments, your kudos, and all the love. It really lifts my spirit and encourages me to keep writing. I hope you enjoyed Becoming Reality and will consider dropping me a line if you did. Take care!
Love,
Mommadon