A/N: This is a companion story to "The Power of Creation," though they can be read in any order. This is slightly canon divergent, as I have aged them up into their early 20's for this and introduced other minor changes that should be explained within the story itself.

"I'm flattered, but I think it would be best if we kept things professional between us."

The woman's face fell at Adrien's words, though he tried to keep his expression pleasant. "Well," she continued, "—if you change your mind, you know where to find me." Adrien offered a weak smile before he turned and walked away, aiming for the bathroom nearby as a quick exit.

He let out a relieved breath as he closed the door. Plagg zipped out from his jacket pocket. "Everyone seems to want a piece of you around here. I don't understand it; you're no aged gruyere."

"Thanks, Plagg." Adrien replied flatly. "Always good for the ego, you are."

"Someone needs to be voice of reason around here."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't mind if people just left me alone instead of only talking to me because of the job." Jess, the new make-up artist his father had just hired, hadn't even had an actual conversation with him before asking him out.

"You just need to broaden your field of view. Get away from work and patrolling for once."

"I'm happy with my friends, Plagg." He hadn't been able to see his friends, Alya, Nino, and Marinette, more than once a month ever since they all graduated, but the time he spent with them was precious to him. Though he had to admit that what he most looked forward to was his time as Chat Noir. There was something incredibly freeing about escaping the tight reins his father tried to hold him in, even at 23 years old and out on his own. He relished the opportunities to help the people of his city. In a way, it often felt as though he could only be his true self when he was behind the mask. Which was why his closest friend was his superhero partner of nearly a decade. Once he had stopped with overt displays of affection in his youth, the two of them had become close. His feelings weren't gone: in fact they had only grown over their partnership. But he had managed to temper them, accepting that they would only be partners and friends as long as they had to keep identities secret. Not that she shared his feelings, were things to change, but a guy could hope.

Checking to be sure the coast was clear, Adrien left the bathroom. He made it into one of the shared office spaces when he realized something was happening. He heard a shout and a crash, then locked eyes with Jess, who now stood in an elaborate outfit of black and red tulle, clearly akumatized. Employees were scattered around her; to his horror, they seemed to be in various states of undress, kissing each other in some kind of akuma-fueled daze. As soon as she saw him, Jess ran in his direction, aiming her weapon. "Adrien Agreste! Love Bomb will show you that your love should be free from all chains holding you back!"

Adrien wheeled around, darting back out the way he came. He needed to get away to transform, but Jess stayed focused running after him, dashing his hopes of a quick getaway. He circled around the building and ran for the stairs, hoping to lose her on a different floor. When he slammed the door open, however, he nearly crashed headlong into someone.

"Ladybug!" Her expression went wide at his surprised greeting, and he forgot for just a second that Jess was still very much on his tail.

The laugh of triumph behind him clued him back in. Damn it, no! They couldn't both get knocked out of the fight! He barely had time to try and block Ladybug by taking the brunt of the hit that rolled off his back in a glittering red cloud. Unfortunately, his attempt was in vain as the cloud easily covered the two of them. His panic quickly dulled as a wave of heat hit him, his eyes meeting Ladybug's as the world faded from his awareness.

Sometime later, Adrien opened his eyes, groaning as he picked himself up off the floor. What the heck had happened? His head cleared and he suddenly remembered the akuma. He'd been running from her, ran into Ladybug, and gotten hit. He glanced down at his hand, feeling relief fill him at the sight of his ring still on his finger, miraculous safe. But then other flashes of memories came back, how he'd tugged Ladybug to him, kissing her. She'd kissed him back, and then –

He nearly fell down to the ground in shock. He couldn't remember everything, but he knew enough. He'd had sex with Ladybug, right there in the stairway. He groaned loudly, burrowing his head in his arms. How could he have let this happen? Ladybug was gone now, so it had seemed like she had gotten away somehow. The images of her kept flashing through his head, though he tried to push them away. As much as his body wanted him to remember everything, he refused to let it, shoving the memories down. It was as if it were a perversion of his desires, a fantasy he'd had, and yet played out in such a way that didn't either of them with any control or consent. Plus, it may have been a fantasy for him, but for her? To be with someone who must have been like a stranger to her? He felt horrified at the thought. Though the cure had washed away any leftover physical effects, the flashes of memory seemed slow to disappear, leaving him with a mixture of desire and revulsion that twisted his stomach.

Plagg flew up to him, looking concerned for once. "Adrien, are you okay? It's over."

Adrien slowly stood back up once again, trying to clear his head. "What happened, Plagg? Did Ladybug defeat the akuma?"

Plagg acted a bit shifty, flying around him. "I had to find another holder to finish the job." When he didn't explain any further, Adrien pulled his phone out, catching a glimpse of Scarabella in some of the feeds covering the attack. If Scarabella had the earrings, then what had happened to –

"Where's Ladybug? Is she okay?" He walked to the door of the stairway, peeking out.

"She's fine. Tikki will get back to her."

"This is all my fault. I can't believe I managed to get both of caught up in that."

Plagg rested on his shoulder. "Eh, it's all fixed now, no harm no foul."

Carefully, Adrien walked back through the building, watching as the other employees were attempting to resume their work, though he noticed a lot of blushing and attempts to ignore those around them. He didn't catch any glimpses of Ladybug, so he had to trust that she had been reunited with her earrings and had left the building. Reluctantly, he went back to work himself, pushing the feel of Ladybug's lips on his down into his subconscious as he desperately hoped that she was doing okay.

He wasn't sure what to expect when he met up with Ladybug later that evening as Chat Noir for a patrol. When she'd shown up, acting like everything was normal, he'd taken his cue from her to not bring up the subject. He wondered if she hadn't remembered anything, which brought him some relief. As time passed beyond that day and she showed no further acknowledgment of the incident, he even convinced himself that it had all been a dream.

A/N: Just a short one to start it out! Please tell me what you think in a review!