Wow hey. It's been awhile. I'm terribly sorry for that, I kinda lost inspiration for this and most writing in general. But with that aside, I'd like to thank everyone who has supported me on the fanfiction journey. Yes, this is the last chapter. This has been the longest story I've ever written, and I'm pretty damn proud. But it couldn't have been possible without all the kind reviews, follows and favorites. Special thank you to mayuralover, Elise-Collier and Synsoflove for pretty much reviewing every chapter, you guys rock! And another huge thank you to the guest reviews I couldn't respond to.

It's been fun, guys. Hope to see you again.

Love and fluff,

Ghost


Simultaneously, it felt like floating on a cloud and being crushed under a pile of bricks. He tried to force open his eyes, but it was no good. They were too heavy. Blurred voices danced around his pounding head, all familiar, but impossible to place. He struggled to find meaning in their words.

"He's stirring," said a gentle, slightly squeaky voice.

"Go get Marinette," said another, a voice the was rough and sounded watery. "I'll stay with him."

Adrien groaned wearily.

"Take it easy, kid." the voice spoke. "It's over now."

What was over? Desperately, Adrien searched through bits and pieces of his blurry memories, trying to make sense of them. But they were jumbled and, he was quite certain, out of order. Exhausted, he allowed his mind to go blank.

What did it really matter anyway? The thought of drifting back to sleep was far more alluring than trudging cluelessly through his muddled mind and the headache it brought.

His surroundings around him slowly faded away and he was left to a dreamless sleep.


When his eyes flickered open again, he found himself in a hazy alertness, but it was enough to tell him that he was in familiar surroundings.

He was in his room. Alone.

Flashes of broken carnival lights and blood raced through his memory. He shot up in alarm. Marinette! She was the last thing he remembered. Was she okay?

He choked out her name, the syllables tumbled raspily from his dry throat.

A tiny dash of black caught his eye, and within a moment, it hovered in front of his face.

"Plagg?"

"Hey, kid." he smiled sadly, tiny fangs visible.

Adrien smiled back weakly. If Plagg seemed okay, surely Marinette was too.

"Where is she?"

"Ladybug went on patrol. She'll be back anytime now."

Adrien stared at the kwami, confused. "No, not Ladybug. Marinette."

Plagg rolled his eyes fondly. "You're still dense as ever."


Adrien had nearly dozed off again when he heard his window creaking open. He froze. There hadn't been that much wind, had there?

Then he heard it. The gentle sound of footsteps.

He sat up instantly, wishing he was transformed.

The figure at the foot of the bed froze, and trembled slightly. "Adrien?"

He relaxed. Marinette.

Plagg zoomed up from his pillow and switched on the light.

Ladybug stood before him. He couldn't help the rush of disappointment that flooded him.

"Yeah, it's me. Hey, Ladybug. What're you doing here?"

Ladybug still seemed very stricken. "You don't remember."

He swallowed, the atmosphere in the room becoming heavy, tense.

"Remember what?" he asked, hesitantly.

Ladybug sighed, seemingly conflicted. Finally, she spoke. "Tikki, spots off."

Instantly, she was surrounded in a bright, pink light. Adrien slapped his hands over his eyes.

There was a silence.

"You can look." she said simply. A command.

Adrien shook his head.

"Kitty, look at me. It doesn't matter anymore."

Adrien's blood froze. She knew. She knew everything.

"I can't," he forced out. "It could put you in danger."

The bed dipped down beside him. He leaned away from the sudden warmth.

"Adrien."

Two hands gently pulled his hands from his eyes. She was so close. He could feel her breath on his lips. He kept his eyes firmly shut.

A sob left her throat. She flung herself on him, tears slowly soaking through his clothes. "Please look at me."

Adrien felt his heart race, slamming inside his chest.

Her voice was nothing more than a murmur when she spoke again. "You need to know who I am."

She pulled back. Adrien gave into the temptation. He opened his eyes.

He wasn't sure what filled him when he saw her face. Surprise, then guilt, and pure, unrestrained joy were his best guesses.

It was you all along.

"Marinette," her name tumbled from his lips like a prayer.

"Hi, Kitty,"


The change was painful. It was the burning emptiness of what had quickly become his whole life. But Plagg had told him the ring was not ready to be worn, and Adrien wasn't about to take his warning lightly. Not anymore.

But no longer being Chat Noir wasn't the worst part. No, something was wrong with Marinette. She remained friendly, but distant. Her smiles never quite reached her eyes. She was quiet, haunted.

She had briefly explained what she had done to save him, but it was obvious she was leaving parts of the story in the dark. Adrien couldn't blame her, after what she must have seen, after what he had done.

"I love you," she had told him the last time they spoke. "But I can't give myself to you. Not yet."

Adrien had nodded wordlessly. And she had left. He had not seen her since.

"Adrien?" Natalie's voice called from outside his closed door. "Your father wishes to see you."

It was the moment he'd been waiting for and dreading since he woke up. He would have to come up with an explanation for why a sobbing Ladybug had brought his cold body to the hospital. There had been no akuma attack he could blame it on, only a rogue Chat Noir. But Adrien had a sinking feeling that whatever story he could come up with would be in vain. Gabriel already knew the truth.

Taking a steading breath, Adrien opened the door and followed Natalie down the hall and downstairs to his father's office. Natalie held open the door.

The older man's back was turned, seemingly deeply focused on the work spread before him on the table. But Adrien knew it was nothing more than a facade.

A moment of silence passed, then, "Thank you for coming, Adrien. I trust you're feeling better." It wasn't a question, so he didn't answer it.

"You wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes. I'm sure you are aware, it will soon be time to showcase my summer line of evening wear. I will want you to participate in the modeling, as usual."

Adrien balked. "Are you serious?"

Gabriel turned around, eyes glinting dangerously. "Quite. Is there a problem?"

"I almost died, father! And all you have to say to me is another modeling assignment?"

Gabriel stared at him thoughtfully, rage calmly hidden under cold, unfeeling eyes.

"It seems rather counterproductive to dwell on the past, doesn't it?"

Adrien clenched his fists, biting his tongue to stop the angry tears.

"Do I really mean that little to you?"

"You may go."


Somewhere behind him, Plagg panted dramatically. "Slow down, kid!"

But Adrien didn't listen. He may not be able to transform for the foreseeable future, but that did not quench his thirst for freedom and the wind in his hair. His feet pounded across the pavement, the setting sun burned into his eyes. But he didn't stop. He couldn't. He couldn't stop until his father's words faded into nothing but a faint echo. He doesn't define you. He chanted to himself. You are more than that.

And as true as that seemed, Adrien couldn't help but believe he was something far worse than even his father. Even without the Miraculous, he still felt like a monster.

He focused on the ground below him, refusing to look up for fear of seeing his own face. Even gazing at his own reflection left him feeling sick to his stomach.

It had been a slow process, but his memories had come back, each one leaving him sicker than the last. He hadn't sought Marinette out. He never deserved to see her again. He had hurt her too many times.

His pounding footsteps finally slowed when he reached the park. It was deserted. The breeze gently whistled through the trees.

Plagg finally caught up, plopping utterly exhausted into the boy's hair. "Can we please take a rest?"

"Yeah," he replied numbly.

He walked along the row of trees, glancing around for a place to sit and think.

A rustle from above caught his attention. "Hey, stranger."

Adrien looked up into to bright blue eyes and a gentle smile.

His throat went dry. "Hey," he croaked.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same."

To his surprise, she smirked. "Stargazing."

Despite himself, he grinned. "Ah, but a wise girl once told me you can't see the stars in Paris."

"What if I like to pretend?"

She scooted over on her branch a patted the spot next to her. Adrien took her wordless invitation and quickly scurried up to the branch. Tikki smiled at him from Marinette's shoulder.

He settled down beside her and fell into a companionable silence, staring up at a empty, dark sky.

After what felt like a lifetime, she spoke again. "I don't blame you, you know. Not for any of it."

Adrien said nothing, just swallowed hard. She leaned her head on his shoulder, effectively making his brain go completely blank.

"I can only imagine what you went through," she continued. "I wish you had come to me sooner. Promise me something."

"Anything," he croaked.

"Promise me that if you're ever in trouble again, you'll get help. I couldn't bare if anything else happened to you."

Adrien nodded.

"I need to hear you say it."

"I promise."

Satisfied, she let the conversation fall into silence again.

Adrien couldn't help himself. He wrapped both arms around her and held her close, careful not to disrupt their balance and tumble from the tree. He buried his face in her hair. It was softer than silk. She hugged him back.

"I meant what I said."

"Hmm?"

"I'm not ready to give myself to you. I need to heal."

Adrien loosened his grip, but she didn't pull away from the embrace.

"I know."

"I am willing to give you something, though."

Adrien froze, refusing to get his hopes up.

"What's that?"

"Hope."

Adrien squeezed her tight. It was more than he could ask for.

Glancing up, he could see the lights of the carousel. But instead of a rush of terror, he had a sense of peace. And as the lights flickered like the greeting of an old friend, Adrien felt that maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay after all.

Fin.