Home was actually a little further away than Adrien had lead them to believe.

They couldn't after all, just leave the Cult of Kahn lying around. At best, it would have been irresponsible. The fact was that left unchecked, they were only likely to come back again. They might not be so fortunate next time. Some inventive thinking had been required along with some phone calls. Thankfully, the words of both Ladybug and Chat Noir still seemed to carry some weight as far as the Parisien justice system was concerned. This would not be simple however, that much had been made clear to the group as the police had come to take away the four offenders. Whilst the whole city, indeed the whole would could attest to the crimes of Hawk Moth and Mayura, the same wasn't true for this new group. They only had the – granted weighty – testimony of the miraculous holders to back them up. It would be a little more complicated this time…

A bridge to be crossed at a later date.

As it was, Marinette had rushed home accompanied by her friends. Whilst it was fair to assume that her parents would spend much of the day occupied, every minute she spent outside of her bedroom to which she had notionally confined herself, was another which they ran the risk of one of the Dupain-Chengs going to check on her and discovering that she'd escaped. Back to being Marinette, it was Alya who had spirited her back to her room, dropping her off carefully and promising to be back as soon as possible. Whilst the young woman had stayed quiet, reluctant to reveal her weakness, she hadn't been entirely disappointed to be allowed to return to her bed. The painkillers were beginning to wear off, informing her that only a few days ago, she'd received a moderately severe concussion.

As it stood, her friends had been kind enough to keep her informed about just what was going on and more importantly about what the cover story was. For the whole afternoon, her phone had been going off.

They'd been eager to keep her updated with everything that was going on. She was grateful, at least it meant that she wasn't worrying about it. Well, she was but at least not as much. By mid-afternoon, exhaustion had begun to creep in. Adrien was safe. Their enemies had been locked up. Now, in theory, she could rest easy. Enough tranquillity had returned at any rate to allow her adrenaline levels to gradually fall back down. She simply felt drained. No doubt the lunchtime exertions could be blamed as well as her prior injury. Tikki kept her company, chatting idly about things when she felt like it and simply staying nearby when she needed it.

At about 5 o'clock, the others asked if she felt up to a video call. Whilst tired and seriously considering calling it an early night, she agreed, eager to ensure that she had the full story, aware that it would likely enable her to sleep soundly that night if she knew that all of their enemies were safely behind bars. She turned the volume down. Whilst her parents might not object to her talking with her friends, she didn't want them to hear any of the details about just how she had secretly spent her afternoon or any of their other vigilante activities for that matter. After a few moments, she managed to bring up the image of the entirety of their little group. It looked as if they had retired to the Agreste mansion judging by the décor which she had become rather familiar with since Adrien's return. It was much of the same. They informed her that everything was okay. She didn't need to worry…

They were handing their miraculouses back to Adrien. They were no longer needed now that the cult was locked up and having them in the open as they were was only exposing them to the potential threat of having them stolen. A somewhat sombre atmosphere seemed to settle in at that point. Marinette couldn't help but glance towards her own kwami. It seemed like just yesterday that the two of them had been reunited and now they were to be torn apart once more. She didn't linger on the fact for too long. Perhaps, just perhaps, they might be able to talk about the matter later… At least work out some way for her to talk with her partner from time to time.

They bid her goodnight, promising to be back in contact the next day.

At quarter past eight, the doorbell went. It only just registered to Marinette. Her parents would surely have closed the bakery by now. In fact, she knew that they had. She had been able to hear them moving around and talking for a while now. Even the smell of cooking was enough to confirm that dinner was on its way. A visitor at this hour would have been unusual but not entirely unheard of. It could have been her grandmother or another of their closer friends. Exhausted, she decided not to leave her room, reasoning that they would likely go away eventually. If it was anyone important, her parents would come and-

Her father materialized a few seconds later. He seemed a little confused. It was enough to perk his daughter's interest. The man frowned slightly, as if he were surprised to see her there. For a few seconds, he simply stood there. It was only when Marinette raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to ask him just what was going on that he seemed to snap out of it:

"Adrien's here to see you."

"Adrien?"

Instantly, she found herself regaining some strength and enthusiasm. This was something of a surprise. She had assumed that he would much rather spend the rest of the day trying to recover as opposed to coming to pay her a visit. It was a welcome surprise however. It had been difficult to talk to him with the others around. At least not one on one. She smiled, silently informing her father that she was more than ready to greet a guest. Already, even as she approached the door she could hear the sound of voices from downstairs. Her mother seemed to be chatting with her boyfriend quite amiably.

"Honestly, it's alright. If she's not feeling up to it, just please tell her I stopped by and wish her a speedy recovery."

"I'm fine..." Marinette announced emerging into the hall.

Adrien had smartened himself up. He'd probably taken a shower by the looks of things although seemed to have neglected to shave curiously enough. She wasn't about to question the decision. He wasn't unhandsome with the stubble and had likely had somewhat more pressing matters on his mind. He gave her a charming smile as he stood there. Promptly offering to leave if she felt even remotely unwell. It actually took some convincing to prevent him from walking out. She was fine. A lie but not one which particularly bothered her. They chatted for a while in the company of her parents before Marinette requested to be given a few brief moments in privacy with her boyfriend. Naturally, they didn't object.

Her friend seemed to be somewhat bemused by her bedroom. It had been quite some time since she'd last let him in here. The way he looked around told her that he was remembering various times form the past that he had stood here. There hadn't been that many but they were from over a decade ago. If his memories of that time were the same as hers, it would seem like a strange place. He'd left his childhood behind quite a while ago and had spent a sizeable amount of time since then on the side of an isolated mountain in Tibet. She allowed him to get lost in the nostalgia. Plagg was by his side once more. She offered the kwami a brief smile which curiously, he failed to return. He was probably going through quite a lot she reasoned and didn't question it any more than that.

Finally, after a while, he turned round to face her. There was a gentle smile on his face as he looked at her. She took a few steps forwards, allowing herself to fall into his embrace. Resting her head against his chest, she felt safe in his arms. The young man rested his head atop of hers, softly rubbing her arm. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to momentarily forget about everything which had happened to them. It was a strange form of comfort she'd feared she would never experience again.

"You had me scared." She confessed after some time had passed.

"I'm sorry princess..." He held her a little closer in response. "If it counts for anything, I obviously didn't mean for it to happen."

"Of course not..."

"How's your head?"

"Fine."

She wasn't inclined to leave his embrace. Instead, they opted to sit down on her couch. Snuggling up to him, she closed her eyes. They could hope that they'd seen the last of the fighting with their enemies now safely locked up. Adrien's wounds had healed up, almost entirely at this point. In a few days, things would be back to normal. Marinette dared to hope that this might become something similar to the new normal. Perhaps with less exhaustion and no bruises… The presence of the young man was enough to let her know that they were both safe once more. She felt as if she could have fallen asleep like that.

"I'm surprised you came." She confessed keeping her eyes closed.

"Is it illegal for a guy to want to make sure his girlfriend is okay?" He asked somewhat teasingly.

"I thought you'd want to recover a bit yourself first." The young woman justified her statement.

"I'm fine." He shrugged his shoulders indifferently before grinning. "Best I've been in a while in fact."

She glanced up at him, surprised by his statement. She reasoned that he was probably referring to the state he'd been in not all that long ago following his first encounter with the Cult of Kahn. Their defeat must have been quite the weight off of his shoulders given his position as the last guardian. For a moment, Marinette contemplated asking him just what had happened to him after he had been taken but thought better of it. They'd had enough strife for one day. Tomorrow, they would be able to talk things over calmly, more removed from the events and when their wounds had had more time to heal. Again, she spent a few moments in silence. It was very tempting to allow herself to drift off here and now. The stresses of the day had evaporated and now, her body requested that she be allowed to rest so as to be able to fully recover.

"What did you say to Nathalie to get her so angry at you?" Adrien asked her after a while. "It's not always easy to tell with her but she seemed cold – well, colder than usual – where you were concerned."

"A lot of stupid stuff. I was angry and worried about you." Not a great justification but the only one she could offer. "I really should apologize"

"Yeah… She can bare a grudge." Adrien laughed softly as if somehow amused by the whole thing.

Marinette found herself wondering if Adrien knew what exactly she had said to Nathalie. She could blame some of it on her injury and maybe a little bit more on the medication but most of it had been her. She'd been upset and afraid and angry. She bitterly regretted what she had said. Apologizing to someone like the assistant would be a challenge. She was such a strange and unpredictable person in her own way. There was little doubt in the young woman's mind that she was going to have to ask her boyfriend for tips about how, when and what to say. Maybe she was overthinking all of this and a simple "I'm sorry" would suffice. Something to be dealt with tomorrow when things were all a bit clearer and she was thinking more clearly.

There was another matter which needed to be dealt with of course. Opening her eyes, she found her gaze resting upon Tikki. The kwami seemed to be thinking the same thing that she was. They were going to have to part ways soon. With their enemies defeated, there was no need for the miraculouses to be out in the open and vulnerable. Already, the pain of having to say farewell to her friend was beginning to hit her. She didn't want to bring the matter up, unwilling to speed up the process.

"You're going to want the miraculous back now, aren't you?"

"It's too dangerous to have them out in the world, you know that Milady..." He spoke softly, as someone who understood her pain.

"I know…" She whispered under her breath.

"Maybe, Adrien, just for tonight, you could make an exception." Tikki floated over to him. "Marinette's not 100% yet and we kwamis have to watch over our partners. You know that."

Next to her, it seemed like the young man tensed up for second. She almost thought that she heard him wince. It was enough to prompt the young woman to open an eye, peering up at her friend as she did so. His expression was strangely blank as if he had suddenly found himself transported somewhere far away. Somewhat startled, Marinette frowned wondering what could possibly be troubling him so. Tikki's request had seemed both polite and reasonable. Perhaps he was simply weighing up the risks of obliging with leaving the Ladybug miraculous out in the open. The behaviour was odd enough for her to raise her head before asking somewhat concerned voice:

"Are you okay?"

"Fine… Just tired."

Of course, he would be. He'd been through a lot. They both had. Hopefully, this time tomorrow they could have a more civilised conversation. The momentary swell of joy that she'd felt upon seeing him was beginning to give way to both exhaustion and a slight headache. She should probably take her medicine and call it a day herself.

Somewhat reluctantly, she pulled away from him. Adrien got up. He smiled softly, offering her his hand. He helped her to her feet, pulling her up so that she stood close to him. She smiled softly looking up into his green eyes. She had a little bit of trouble reading his expression however. The young woman frowned, wondering just what was going through his head. A few seconds later, she got her answer. He bent down slowly, moving towards her. Marinette clued into his intentions quickly enough. The young man wasn't aiming to take her by surprise, giving her an opportunity to pull away should she want to. She didn't. Allowing him to place a gentle kiss on her lips. It wasn't all that deep, a few seconds only but a greater show of intimacy than she'd received before from him.

How long had she dreamed of this as a teenager? Too long arguably to be healthy. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to lose herself in the feeling for a few blissful seconds. He pulled away after a few seconds, eyes softening as they rested upon her. He stroked her cheek tentatively. She leaned into his hand, embracing the contact.

"I'll be seeing you around Marinette Dupain-Cheng..."

She smiled softly, allowing him to place another kiss on her forehead. It was such a gentle action. She closed her eyes, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. A few seconds later, she lead him back outside. He bid both her and her parents goodnight, promising to come back when she was better and even – to her surprise – invited them round for dinner whenever they felt like it. Whether or not her parents would appreciate Adrien's vegetarian soup or stew or whatever it was he made for himself she wasn't too sure but the offer still gave her some hope for the future.

He said goodbye with a little wave before disappearing out into the night.

Marinette smiled softly, assuring her parents that everything was okay before heading back to bed. She stopped however as she emerged into the room. There was a bag present on the couch where she had been sitting with Adrien just mere moments ago. He must have dropped it off, a little gift it would seem.

Adrien returned home promptly. He arguably shouldn't have been driving given how recently he'd been blinded and the fact that from time to time his eyes would still sting a little, reminding him that he wasn't entirely healed. So he was cautious. It wouldn't take much for the police to pull the driver of a several thousand euro sports car over. He wasn't in a particular rush. Not after tonight. A million things were buzzing through his mind as he pulled into the driveway and garage, parking up carefully. Plagg was quiet, following him diligently. He gave the kwami a brief knowing look as he made his way into the living room. The miraculous box was locked up in the safe. He'd dropped off the fox, turtle and bee miraculouses earlier. They had been very sad to part with their partners but hadn't objected too much.

Marinette was a different kettle of fish. One to be dealt with tomorrow.

He removed the box from its safe, carrying it over to the windowsill where he had better light. What had once been a decent disguise during the first half of the 20th century was now somewhat cumbersome. He would have to change it from a gramophone… Perhaps a radio? No… A games console? A challenge for another day. He opened the box, eager to look inside. He contemplated the contents for a moment, fixing it somewhat absently.

The young man stood there for some time. Trying to get his head around what he was looking at. He didn't react to the sound of heels on the wooden floor, entering behind him. Nathalie stood in the doorway silently, perhaps waiting for his response.

"A problem?" She asked eventually.

"Nathalie..." Adrien spoke quietly, almost under his breath. "Perhaps you would like to explain why all of the miraculouses are gone?"