A/N: We've made it! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 22: Living
Epilogue

"Life is not always easy to live, but the opportunity to do so is a blessing beyond comprehension. In the process of living, we will face struggles, many of which will cause us to suffer and to experience pain."

-L. Lionel Kendrick

As years passed, everyone settled into life and what it looked like for them.

For Luka, it looked like graduating and Kitty Section finally having their big break. They'd been booked to play at an up and coming nightclub and after their performance they'd been approached by a scout! After meeting with and performing their new song Supernova for a producer, they were almost immediately signed to the label. Luka couldn't really comprehend what had happened, but once he told Marinette and Adrien, there had been so much excitement and celebration that he had to accept that it was real.

For Marinette, it looked like a huge invitation by way of Gabriel a week after their graduation. While she hadn't been particularly fond of Gabriel, they had grown closer over the years over their love of fashion, designing, and Adrien. He was constantly remarking on her incredible designs and how she reminded him of himself when he was a burgeoning designer. As soon as she graduated, he offered her an internship with Agreste alongside a scholarship to attend the best design school in all of Europe: his alma mater. She'd been a little skeptical that it was due to her ongoing relationship with his son, but Gabriel assured her that he knew talent when he saw it and he'd be remiss not to snatch it up and nourish it before someone else got the chance. So she spent her days studying and designing and learning. Her boys were right there, cheering her on and being her models when she needed it.

For Adrien, it looked like taking time off once they had graduated. Despite finding his voice years before, Adrien hadn't really found his purpose. He had no idea what he wanted to do with his life so he tried out a bit of everything, jumping from interest to interest until something caught his heart: giving back. Adrien was never delusional about the fact he grew up privileged with money and resources that others never had. However, volunteering at a homeless shelter made him realize that he could use his resources to help others in a different way than Chat Noir: he could help them as himself. So, with his lovers and Father's help, he set up a non-profit charity and outreach so that he could help the people of Paris. It provided food, clothes, shelter, job opportunities, rehab, scholarships, and other services that gave people down on their luck a second chance.

For the heroes, it looked like... peace? While they dealt with akumas here and there, Hawkmoth essentially went radio silent a year after all the girls' akumatization. Ladybug had assumed it was a ploy to get them to let their guard down and then attack... until three months after their graduation.

She was patrolling Paris near the school when the sight of a glittering purple butterfly shaped paper caught her eye from it's spot on top of the school. She dropped down to see what it was and reeled back, shocked. At the site of the first ever akumatization from nearly five years ago sat two miraculous boxes. Cautiously, she picked up the purple paper. In beautiful calligraphy, it read:

Ladybug,

I concede defeat.

-Hawkmoth

Ladybug hardly believed it but as soon as she opened the boxes, two kwamis appeared and greeted her with joy. Ladybug had immediately detransformed and Tikki had verified that these were the long sought after miraculous and Ladybug had almost collapsed in relief.

Overjoyed, she immediately called a team meeting and shared the news.

"He's gone?" Chat shouted. "Absolutely gone?"

"Yes. Here are the Butterfly and Peacock." She showed them and there was a universal sigh of relief.

"So no more akumas?"

"No more super villains?"

"No more ultimatums?"

"No more surprising deep voiced 'I am Hawkmoth 's?" The group laughed before Chat looked at Ladybug with a mixture of hardly contained feelings.

"No more secret identities?"

Ladybug could understand. She had so many emotions swirling around inside of her too as she looked him in the eyes. "No more secrets."

Carapace was the first to reveal that- to literally no one's surprise- he was Nino. "No one's surprised? That's lame." He pouted.

Rena laughed. "Of course not, sweetie." She detransformed and Alya kissed her boyfriend. "Who's next?"

"That'll be me." Viperion stepped forward and, in a flash, Luka appeared.

Alya cackled. "I should have known! How did I not know!"

Luka grinned. "The best is yet to come." He whispered as he directed their attention to their fearless leaders who looked insanely fearful and nervous.

Chat scratched his head. "Are you ready to see your Purrrrrince Charming, my Lady?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"Plagg... claws in."

There was a legit moment of complete silence as Adrien looked at his friends. Even Ladybug was in complete shock.

"WHAT?! " Alya gasped before she nearly tipped over from shock. "Adrien?!"

"My dude!" Nino shouted and jumped on him.

Adrien's eyes were still on Ladybug. "You're not disappointed, are you?"

She face palmed before a smile spread across her face. "No, I'm not. But of course it's you. Of fucking course."

"Ladybug?" He was confused and a little hurt by her reaction. Was there something wrong with it being him?

"Sorry, I'm just wondering how blind we've been over the last four years." Her eyes shot to Luka and narrowed at the sound of his chuckle. "You've known the whole time, haven't you?"

He shrugged and didn't answer as Adrien's eyebrows furrowed. "What? He's known what?"

Alya looked around at their group, ignoring the obvious conflict around her. "This group! We've been friends living, protecting, and fighting side by side for years and never knew!" She snorted. "The only thing that would make this even more insane would be if Ladybug was-"

"Tikki, spots off."

Everyone stared as their leader, heroine, protector of Paris, and Guardian of the Miraculous was revealed to be...

"-Marinette."

This silence was deafening as everyone's brains- except for Luka's- digested it and rewrite all the memories from the last four years. Years of fighting akumas with and deferring to Ladybug when all along she was their best friend or girlfriend. Never knowing that the clumsy, caring girl who supported everyone- who Adrien had even called their everyday Ladybug- was actually the hero they all looked up to.

Adrien looked like he would faint... and Alya right after him.

Alya, in a faint tone that was so unlike her, was the first to speak. "Marinette... you were Ladybug the whole time?"

"Yes."

Adrien blinked and blinked again. "We've been fighting side by side and dating for years and I never knew."

"Me neither." Marinette's eyes cut to Luka again. "But you've known about both of us for a while, haven't you?"

Luka shrugged and lifted his hands. "You both technically revealed yourselves to me in the span of two weeks. Not my fault I couldn't say anything."

"We've all been dating for three years. It must've been hard keeping it to yourself. How did you keep it in for so long?"

He gave them a small smile. "Secrecy was important to you and the safety of Paris: I did what I had to."

Gazing back at each other and really seeing the other fully and completely for the first time, the titular heroes kissed- letting their love for their alter ego's partner and for each other merge- before they embraced Luka as well. Marinette went to pull Luka's face down to hers but was interrupted.

"Aht! Aht! Aht!" Alya said as she pulled them apart. "We'll never get off this roof if you guys start kissing. Learned that the hard way at Adrien's birthday party when we were late because a couple of someones couldn't keep their hands off each other long enough for us to get in the car." She rolled her eyes as the three in question blushed. "Let's go break the news and celebrate!"

And so they did. Without revealing their identities- they had agreed to hold on to their miraculous for a little while longer just in case- they spread word that Hawkmoth's reign of terror was over. There were parties in the streets, parades, and other celebrations for days as Parisians everywhere celebrated the news.

A week later, Marinette received a visit from Su-Han. She knew it was coming but was surprised by his words.

"We are allowing you to continue being the guardian of this miracle box."

"I get to keep it?"

He gave her a tight smile. "You have proven yourself more than worthy and capable of being a Guardian. You have also righted the wrong by returning the missing two. For that, we thank you for your service."

"Your welcome?"

"It is also in case of other disturbances that may befall your city. Continue serving and protecting as you have for the last five years. The burden is hard, the work unrelenting, but the reward is far greater. If you ever need anything, we are never but a call away. And when the time comes to relinquish it, we will be here."

And so Marinette continued to serve and protect Paris as the years flew by: they all did. Through all of life's struggles and changes, they served. From the trio moving in together, Luka going on tour, mourning Adrien's mom year after year, Adrien's return to modeling, Marinette's moving up the ranks until she was second in command to Gabriel, Adrien's charity spreading across the nation, celebrating Gabriel's marriage to Nathalie, Nino and Alya's wedding, to the trio's eighth anniversary where Luka had gotten down on one knee and proposed to them both. After an enthusiastic yes from them and rounds and rounds of kissing and loving each other, the trio relaxed in bed.

Adrien marveled at how things had worked out. How having the two of them in his life had truly changed it and how he couldn't wait to commit to them for the rest of their lives.

Marinette marveled at her new ring that matched her fiancés, their apartment, their love, their lives . It wasn't free of struggle or perfectly balanced, but it didn't need to be. For her, it just needed to have her two loves and everything else would work itself out.

And Luka? Well, he just couldn't wait to share the rest of his life with the two people he cared about most in the world. Their love made music that he couldn't even put to words and, even if he could, he wouldn't. The music was theirs and theirs alone, and he wasn't ever going to share it.

A/N: If you're interested in Lukadrinette and want to talk to others about the ship, consider joining the Lukadrinette OT3 Discord server, adrien has a thing for brunettes.