Until the sun set, Adrien lied in his bed, staring at the ceiling. A few hours prior, Nathalie had knocked on the door and asked if he needed anything to which he politely declined. Other than, Adrien hadn't moved an inch. He was feeling homesick despite being in his own home, a home which he couldn't even remember.
He curled up on his side and hugged his pillow. "I want to go home," he sighed, hugging the pillow even tighter. When he ran away from Marinette, he had felt lonely, but not this lonely. This kind of lonely made him want to scream in frustration and cry at the same time. Adrien's stomach let out a loud growl. Great, he was hungry now too.
Adrien forced himself out of bed and wandered over to the window. He pressed his forehead against the glass, staring out at the rising moon. He spent many moonlit nights running around with Marinette. An image of Marinette in her bedroom flashed through his mind. She was working on a design at her desk, humming to herself. Tikki was sitting beside her, just watching. The two were having a great time and he was missing out.
"I really want to go home."
All of a sudden, something black knocked into the window, startling Adrien. "What the heck?" Adrien cried as he opened the window. Had some crazy bird freaked out at his reflection? What was that?
To his surprise, Plagg was sitting on the windowsill, rubbing his head. "It would've been nice if you opened the window a little bit sooner."
"Sorry!" Adrien apologized, scooping up the kwami in his hands. "What are you doing here? Didn't you go back with Marinette?"
"Only for lunch and also some dinner. For a bakery, they have some fine cheese. But that's not why I'm here!"
"Then why are you here?"
"You're the wielder of the Chat Noir miraculous! We can't be separated for too long. We're like two peas in a pod. Besides, I couldn't let you spend the night in a place like this. You used to call it a prison. Still is by the looks of it."
"A prison?" Adrien frowned. "Did I really hate living here that much?"
Plagg shrugged his shoulders. "Your dad's the overprotective type," he explained. "He wasn't too keen on letting you run around the kingdom. He usually made you stay here which in turn meant you had no friends. When we first met, I thought you were going to jump out the window from loneliness. It took a lot to turn that somber attitude of yours around."
"And I'm going to have to live like that from now on?"
"Who knows? Maybe your dad will loosen the reins now that he's seen what's happened to you. But what I can tell you is that your dad probably intends to tell the kingdom of your return tomorrow and that means you'll be swamped with all kinds of boring royal duties! So I'm here to whisk you away for the night. Consider it a favor though you owe me lots of camembert."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean we're going to see Marinette, you idiot! Spending a year as a cat didn't sharpen the mind much, did it? Now hurry up and transform before I get too hungry."
Adrien gave Plagg a hug, nearly crushing the kwami against his chest. "Thank you, Plagg! You're the best!"
"I know!" Plagg tried to say as he struggled to breath. "But could you please let me go? I'm going to suffocate!"
"Plagg, claws out!"
The transformation felt more natural this time. With a green flash, Adrien turned into Chat Noir and happily flexed his claws. "This is more like it," he grinned, his cheshire like smile returning. He couldn't be confided to a stuffy, old castle when he was like this. With a joyful howl, he hopped out the window and swung over the palace rooftop.
He launched off the roof into a nearby tree and then down to the cobbled streets below. A few people gave him confused looks, but moved on with their lives. The local Parisians had become more adjusted to seeing him and Ladybug and stopped questioning them. Little did they know their acclaimed heroes wouldn't be making appearances as frequently now that there were no more akumas to fight.
Chat Noir jumped onto another roof and found himself more winded than usual. His legs were dragging and it was taking more arm strength to vault himself using his baton. "I guess that spell really did help my strength," he thought, sucking in deep breaths. "I might collapse before I make it into Marinette's house. I need to get in better shape without relying on magic."
"Ah! Here it is!"
He swung onto a familiar balcon and hung down by the window. Pressing his face on the glass, he knocked on the window and a half-asleep Marinette, who had been sulking on her bed, shot up in surprise.
"Chat!"
Marinette shot out of bed and came racing towards the window, her heart beating fast in anticipation. She unlocked it and pulled Chat Noir inside with all her might. She used so much force that she accidentally fell backwards and Chat Noir landed right on top of her.
"Hello, my lady," he smirked, his head hovering just above hers. "How are you this fine evening?"
"I'd be a lot better if you got off of me," Marinette giggled. Chat Noir quickly rose to his feet and helped Marinette up, both of them laughing hysterically.
As Marinette wiped away a tear, she asked, "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the palace?"
"I was feeling a little homesick and thought I'd swing by."
"So that's where Plagg ran off to. I was wondering where that devious little fellow had disappeared to," Marinette shook her head, sighing. "He's a handful. I don't know how you ever put up with him."
"I wish I could remember us even being friends." Chat Noir smiled sadly at the thought of recovering his lost memories. So many people expected him to remember, but he just couldn't. The only person that knew the real, current him was Marinette. She was the only one who understood him.
"On the other hand," Marinette exclaimed, noticing Chat Noir's drop in mood. "Why don't you sit down on the bed? I was just about to grab a midnight snack for Tikki and me. Do macaroons sound good?" Chat Noir nodded and Marinette headed downstairs to grab dessert.
Chat Noir sat down on her bed, letting the familiar smell of Marinette envelop him. Beside the bed was the pillow he normally slept on. Carefully, he picked it up and sighed. He wouldn't be able to sleep on it anymore. It was hardly big enough for even his head. It was one of the many things he would have to leave behind now that he was Prince Adrien again.
"Are you feeling okay?" Chat Noir jumped backwards as Tikki came flying out of nowhere. "Oops! I didn't mean to scare you!" she apologized as she sat on Chat Noir's knee. "I was cutting some patterns for Marinette down on the floor when you came in. I can tell by your expression that you've had a rough day. I'm sure Marinette's noticed it too, but doesn't want to say anything. But you can always talk to both of us!"
"Thanks," Chat sighed, petting Tikki on the head. "I'm just having a hard time adjusting to my new life. It's still so surreal. I feel like my father expects me to settle back into royal life even though I don't remember ever being a prince. I don't know if he understands that I can't remember a thing. And that castle... I can't call it home. Home is right here with you and Marinette."
"I had a feeling you'd say that. It'll take some time. There's no getting around that, but give it your best effort. Your father really missed you, so don't be too hard on him. Things will get more familiar with each day. And don't worry, Marinette and I will be with you every step of the way. Though that might be more difficult now that you're a prince."
"That's what I was afraid of hearing." Chat Noir leaned backwards, slumping against the wall. His ears drooped as he thought of Marinette. "She finally returned my feelings and now we can't even be together. She's my everything. I can't bear not seeing her."
Tikki had a sly smile and she flew in close to Chat Noir's ears. "There might be a way to fix that," she whispered.
"What do you mean?"
"I know true love when I see it. You two are soulmates and while you are a little young, I think it'd be okay."
"Tikki, you're not making sense."
"All I'm saying is that there are other rings out there besides your miraculous." Tikki winked before flying back to her patterns on the floor. "That's the only hint I'm giving you," she giggled. "The rest is up to you."
"Wait! What do you mean by ring-"
"I'm back!" Marinette popped out of the trapdoor, holding a tray of macaroons. "Who's hungry?"
Chat Noir and Tikki immediately jumped up and grabbed handfuls of macaroons. Marinette had expected Tikki to be hungry since she hadn't eaten since lunch time, but Chat Noir surprised her. Was he not getting enough to eat in that giant castle? Surely it had to have five star chefs for every meal.
"Are they trying to starve you to death?" Marinette asked as she watched Chat Noir devour three macaroons in one bite. "It looks like you haven't eaten in days."
"They tried to feed me, but I wasn't interested," Chat Noir replied sheepishly. "I didn't have the energy to go down and eat."
"That's not good for you. You need to eat something. I'm sure the palace chefs would feed you whatever you wanted if you asked."
"But it wouldn't be as good as anything from the bakery!"
"Touche, kitty." She down on her bed and patted the spot next to her. "Come sit down. You look tired. Care for a cat nap?"
Chat Noir sat next to her, but Marinette guided his head down onto her lap. "Better?" she asked as she stroked his hair. "Try to get some sleep. You look exhausted. Today's been a hard day for you and tomorrow will probably be like that too. You need to regain your strength. Don't worry. I'll wake you up in the morning so you can make it back to the castle before anyone finds out you're missing."
"You're the best, Marinette," Chat Noir yawned. Marinette's petting was soothing, already sending him into a deep sleep. His eyelids fluttered shut, but before he fell asleep he mumbled, "I love you."
"I love you too, chaton."
The light of the morning sun stung at Marinette's eyes, rudely waking her up. She tried to block the sun with her eyes as she groggily sat up. "What time is it?" she thought when she noticed a huge lump asleep on her lap. It was Chat Noir.
"Chat! It's time to wake up!" Marinette poked his cheek to which his nose twitched. He pawed at her hand, swatting it away. It reminded her of how he used to react to her waking him up as a cat. He was never an early riser, then or now. "Seriously, Chat! You have to wake up."
She helped support his body and shake him awake. His eyes slowly opened though he was still lying on her shoulder. "Good morning, princess," he grinned when he saw Marinette's face. "You look beautiful this morning."
"And you look like you're going to be late. The sun's already up. Your father might be looking for you!"
"Can't I stay a little longer?" Chat Noir buried himself deeper into Marinette's shoulder and grabbed her torso, never wanting to let go.
"No, you need to leave. We can't have your father find you missing. I don't know if his health can take much more. If it makes you feel any better, you can take this back with you." Marinette leaned down and picked up Chat's pillow, handing it to him. "It's a little small, but it might help you sleep better."
"Thank you," Chat Noir smiled, hugging the pillow. "I guess I'll see you later then?"
"I'll try and stop by, but I still have to explain to Alya why I ditched her yesterday so I might be a little late."
"Take all the time you need."
He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before disappearing out through the balcony. Marinette touched her hand to the spot he kissed and blushed. "That sly cat," she thought, her heartbeat racing. "I wish I could come with you..."
Chat Noir bounded back home, a new spring in his step. Seeing Marinette had revitalized him and he felt like king of the world. However, Tikki's words from last night were still lingering in his mind. "What was she talking about?" he wondered. "What did she mean by rings?"
It would've taken him all day to figure it out if he handed passed by a young couple on his way back to the castle. They were walking hand in hand, down a market road, laughing to each other. Chat Noir didn't think much of them at first until he saw the sunlight glint off something on the woman's hand. It was a ring that matched the one her husband was wearing. And then it struck him.
"So that's what Tikki meant..."
His mind went into panic mode. "Are we too young? What would Marinette think? Would she be okay with it? I mean we love each other, but it's a big step. What about me? In all the fairytales, princes marry princesses right? Marinette is a princess to me, but she's not an actual princess. Is it still okay to marry her? What would my father say?"
All the questions were frying his brain, but the more he considered it, the more Chat Noir was onboard with the idea. If Marinette married him, they could live together in the palace. They would never have to be separate. Or better yet, they could live in the bakery! He wouldn't mind living or even working there. He could learn to bake.
"Where am I going to get a ring? It has to be the best ring there is. Marinette deserves only the best. And how I am I going to give it to her? Should it be a big surprise or should I keep it casual? I didn't know so much thought went into these things. Just yesterday I was a cat hoping for her love and now I want to get married. Is that moving too fast?"
Chat Noir snuck back into the palace and into the guest bedroom, his mind still reeling. It was just in time too. As he released his transformation, Nathalie opened the door, barely leaving enough time for Plagg to hide inside Adrien's pocket. Adrien tossed Marinette's pillow onto the bed and started to whistle, pretending to act nonchalant.
"Prince Adrien?" she asked, confused as to why he was loitering by the window.
"Yeah?" Adrien fake-smiled. "What is it?"
"There's a guest waiting for you downstairs. She's dying to meet you."
"I'll be down in a moment."
Nathalie nodded and shut the door. Once she was gone, Plagg came flying out and he was hungry.
"I didn't think we were going to stay there all night!" Plagg moaned. "I'm starving."
"I promise I'll get you something from the kitchen. What do you like?"
"Camembert."
"Well that explains where my obsession with that stuff came from," Adrien sighed as he rolled his eyes. Marinette was right. His kwami really was a handful. "But before that, we should see who's waiting downstairs. Maybe Marinette came to visit us already!"
Feeling excited, Adrien rushed out of the bedroom and down to the ground level. He only took a few wrong turns before ending up in the dining hall where he found his father, Nathalie, and a group of guests waiting. To his disappointment, it wasn't Marinette, but another familiar face. Another, dreaded familiar face.
"Adrikins!"
Adrien recognized that shrill voice anywhere. It was Chloe Bourgeois otherwise known as Marinette's arch nemesis. The blonde haired girl had a kind side when it came to Ladybug, but other than that she was a menace. And somehow she knew him.
Chloe nearly tackled him to the ground with her hug. A bit annoyed, he was prepared to pull her off and tell her to back off when he heard a faint sobbing. His shoulder grew wet with Chloe's tears. "Is she crying?" he wondered. "Out of all people, I never thought I'd catch her in tears. I bet Marinette would pay anything to see this."
"I'm so happy you're okay," Chloe sobbed, hugging him tight. "They said you were dead, but I didn't believe them. I knew it was impossible. I'm so glad to see you again!"
A wave of guilt washed over Adrien. She was crying over him and he had been making fun of her. Like this, she seemed so small and innocent. It was hard to believe she also had a mean streak.
"I'm glad to see you too, Chloe." Adrien rubbed her back and tried to show some sympathy. He was confused on how she and him knew each other, but decided to go with the flow. His disappearance had obviously upset her. "I...uh... missed you too."
"What a lovely reunion," a large man, presumably Chloe's father, said. "I'm glad you invited us here to see Adrien, your majesty. My little girl was already in tears at the news. The two should have some time to themselves before the big announcement later. Why don't we leave them alone?"
"I agree," King Gabriel nodded. He prepared to leave when he was halted by Adrien's protest.
"Wait!" Adrien objected, gently taking Chloe's hands off him. "What about Marinette? I wanted to see her today."
"Marinette?" Chloe snarled, her tears quickly fading into disgust. "You wouldn't be talking about Marinette Dupain-Cheng, would you?"
"I am."
"Adrien, why would you bother with a street rat like her? Has something messed with your head? She's a lowly peasant. There's no point in giving her the time of day especially when you could spend that day with me." She grabbed onto his arm and rubbed her body against his with a disgusting smile. "Come now. We have lots of lost time to make up for."
"No!" Adrien protested, shaking her off. "I'm going to see Marinette!"
"Adrien!" King Gabriel shouted, scolding his son. "It would do you good not to treat your friends this way. Losing your memories does not mean you should've lost your manners. I expected better of you."
"She's not my friend! The only thing I know about her is that she is rude to Marinette! How is that kind of person a friend to anyone?"
"I can see your anger stems from your obsession with this girl." King Gabriel rubbed his temples as he tried to reason with Adrien. "I understand this girl saved your life, but you need to move on. You have a life waiting here for you with duties you must fulfill. If she is a hindrance to that, then I must insist you forget about her."
"I can't forget about her!" Adrien shouted, his hands shaking violently. "I'm in love with her!"
The entire room went silent.
"Why would you be in love with her?" Chloe snickered, not even trying to be discrete about it. "One look at her and it's clear she's no good for you. Stop with the jokes, Adrikins. We're happy you're back and all, but they just aren't funny. How did someone like you even come to know a nobody like her?"
"I'm not joking around! I love her! I love her so much that I want to marry her!"
Once again, the room went silent and this time, even Chloe didn't have anything to say. Adrien took this as a cue to continue.
"That's right. I'm in love with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Without her, I wouldn't be standing here. There'd still be no Prince Adrien. I love that girl so much it hurts. I want to spend everyday of my life with her and if that means giving up being a prince, I'll gladly do it!"
"Stop acting like a child!" King Gabriel shouted. His voice turned loud and stern, reminding Adrien all too much of the man's days as Hawk Moth "We're in front of guests and you're being a spoiled brat. Knock this nonsense off at once!"
"So that nice father thing really was an act," Adrien scowled, turning away from his father. "You're just like Plagg said. No wonder I wanted to escape this place so badly."
The argument was beginning to become tense so Nathalie escorted Mr. Bourgeois and Chloe out of the room. She wanted to give Adrien and the king the time and space they needed to work things out. Secretly, she was pleased that Adrien had returned and hoped this was the opportunity to mend the broken father-son relationship once and for all. She couldn't stand to see them grow apart again.
"Take that back!" King Gabriel frowned. A frown was starting to become his usual expression. "You never used to act like this before. You were so quiet and well-behaved. What happened to you?"
"Maybe it's because I started to live my own life for a change! I got a taste of freedom and I met someone who showed me how great life could really be. I got to erase my past and start off fresh. This is who I am now! I don't know who the old Adrien was, but I'm not him!"
King Gabriel began to simmer down as he sadly chuckled to himself. "But you are," he sighed. "You have your mother's fire just like you did when you were little. It slowly disappeared with time, but I suppose that was my fault. We never used to fight. You always did as you were told, but you never looked happy. I ignored it, pretending I had the best intentions for you. My mistakes already cost me you once. How foolish am I to make the same mistakes again."
"Father?"
"Perhaps it's time to let you run your own life. My opinions are only a burden. I'm finally starting to understand that you've grown-up in our time apart. You aren't different, just grown-up. It's time to let you make your own choices. I can't stand to lose you again because of my self-centered expectations."
"You mean..."
"While I expect you to welcome yourself back to the kingdom and perform your royal duties, I think you might be better suited to them if you had a partner at your side. And I owe that girl a lot. She's quite nice as well and reminds me a lot of your mother. Without her, you never would have returned to me."
"Does this mean you approve?" Adrien asked, his eyes lighting up.
King Gabriel nodded, a slight smile on his lips. "It's useless to force you into my mold and the next time I try, don't let me. I've decided that it might be useless to recover your old memories and ways. Perhaps it's time to start making new ones."
Adrien ran forward and hugged his father. "Thank you," he smiled, shedding a few tears. "Thank you, father!"
"Calm down," King Gabriel laughed, letting go of his son. "Don't get too ahead of yourself. You're both only sixteen. She might not accept, but I can give you a good luck charm."
"What's that?"
"Your mother's wedding ring."
King Gabriel rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a silver ring with a diamond in the middle. He held it up the light and a rainbow glowed through the rocky prism. He opened Adrien's hand and set the ring in, then closed his son's fingers around it.
"I always keep it with me as a reminder of your mother," King Gabriel explained. "I had to propose three times before she accepted. She wouldn't accept until she was ready, but I didn't want it any other way. Now I pass it on to you. I'm sure she'd want you to have it. Somewhere up in heaven, she's looking down on you and probably wishes she could meet the girl you've fallen in love with. I'm positive she would give her approval."
Adrien admired the ring. He didn't know how, but he could tell it was the perfect size for Marinette. "She'll love it," Adrien grinned, putting the ring in his pocket. "I'll ask her right away."
"Why don't you wait until later?" advised the king. "There's going to be a meeting in the courtyard to announce your return. Afterwards, there's to be a grand celebration. How about we turn it into a double celebration? I'm sure your princess will be in attendance anyways."
"That's a wonderful idea, father! I need to go get ready then! I want to look my best!"
He turned to leave when he felt something poke his leg from inside his pocket. Startled, he reached inside and pulled out the butterfly miraculous. "I don't think I need this anymore. Suddenly, I'm not so nervous anymore. I should return it to its rightful owner," Adrien smiled.
"Father!" he called, grabbing King Gabriel's sleeve. "This belongs to you." He dropped the brooch into his father's hand. The old man looked surprised and stared at his son. They shared a moment of understanding, finally seeing each other for the person they were. Perhaps things were finally right again.
With this final deed done, Adrien rushed away, nearly exploding with excitement. "I'm going to do it! I'm going to ask Marinette to marry me!" He was busy making plans in his head when he passed by a large display case filled with strange trinkets.
"What's this?" Adrien called back to his father. His eyes narrowed on something in the corner on the case lying down on its side. Something about it was a ringing a bell in the back of his mind.
"It's a display of some of the items left for you at your funeral. Nathalie thought it would be best to keep them in your memory, so she displayed them in the dining hall. I suppose they're quite useless now," King Gabriel responded.
"May I take something from it?"
"Go ahead. They belong to you anyways."
Adrien slowly opened the display and reached for the top shelf. His hand grabbed a smooth wooden handle and he quickly pulled it close to him. He admired the object, running his hand across the surface. Yes, something about this was familiar.
"I'm going to take this back up to the guest room."
He closed the display and walked up to his room, a black umbrella swinging in his hands.
