Author's note: This was by far the hardest chapter to finish. Thank you all for your love and support. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as we enjoyed creating it.

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After a brief journey on foot (since Adrien had conveniently "forgotten" to ask his bodyguard to fetch them at the bakery), Adrien pushed open the gates to the Agreste mansion, eagerly escorting his brand new girlfriend next to him. He wanted to spend more time with her in private and speak with her freely, redefine the parameters of their developing relationship. What was she comfortable with Adrien and Marinette doing? What did she want Ladybug and Chat Noir to be? How would they tell their friends and family about "Them"? There was so much to discuss.

He was still somewhat in disbelief about the what had transpired over the past few days. Never in his wildest dreams could he have guessed that he'd become the happiest he'd ever been, practically overnight, thanks to a series of strange yet extremely serendipitous course of events.

"After you, my Princess," he said as he ushered her into the house, smiling shyly.

Marinette followed him into the mansion, giggling softly. Giggles that were promptly interrupted by the tall silhouette standing in the foyer.

Gabriel cleared his throat loudly, looking displeased as usual. The pair froze upon hearing him. "I thought I had instructed you to call your bodyguard whenever you needed transportation, Adrien."

Marinette gripped Adrien's hand, no doubt feeling anxious from her previous encounters with his father. Instead of recoiling and becoming withdrawn in front of his father, however, Adrien suddenly felt ten feet tall. Marinette, Ladybug, was clinging to him for courage. Now was the time to be more assertive and become the man she deserved.

Adrien straightened up his spine, rising to his full height (which at this point was almost as tall as Gabriel) and looked him in the eyes. "Sorry, Father, but the bakery isn't that far from home, and Marinette and I enjoy walking together. I didn't feel it was necessary to bother him."

Then Gabriel Agreste suddenly did something he hadn't done in years. Was it because Adrien called the mansion "home " for the first time in years instead of "the house"? Was it because Gabriel noticed the way Adrien's thumb kept stroking the side of Marinette's hand, trying to reassure her? Was it because of the way Marinette was unconsciously leaning into Adrien, their shoulders brushing against each other's and her head ever so slightly leaning toward his?

Whatever the reason, Gabriel walked down the stairs, his arms linked in his back in his usual fashion, and smiled.

"I..." Gabriel trailed off as he walked up to them. "I am proud of you, Adrien. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel otherwise. You have grown to be an exceptional young man, and I'm really glad you've found yourself a girlfriend who loves you for who you are instead of your last name. One who cares about you enough to stand up against anyone who would try to hurt you, even if that someone was me ."

Marinette and Adrien exchanged a startled glance, and Gabriel let out a low chuckle. "Don't act so shocked, Adrien. I might not be the perfect father, but I do care about you deeply. Seeing you in a relationship with a girl that has a strong head on her shoulders and who's willing to argue with me, even when she knows I could ruin her future fashion career with the snap of a finger," Adrien felt Marinette flinch, "It's all I could have ever wished for you."

Adrien stared at his father blankly, words suddenly failing him. "Fa... father? Does-does that mean that you approve of... 'us'?"

Gabriel smirked, an expression looking every bit out of place of his otherwise stern face. "I do. I think Mlle Dupain-Cheng has a lot to offer you, Adrien. Now if you will excuse me, I have some business matters to attend to. Have a good evening, both of you."

With those final words, Gabriel Agreste left the foyer, leaving the stunned pair of teenagers behind him.

"Did... did that really just happen?" Marinette said staring at the spot Gabriel had just vacated.

Adrien blinked. "I... think so?"

The two exchanged a puzzled look and broke out into laughter. Adrien shrugged and said, "Should we head to my room? It might be slightly less Twilight Zone in there."

She snickered and followed him to his bedroom, still holding hands as they were quite accustomed to by this point.

________________________________________

As soon as they stepped into the bedroom, the kwamis zoomed in front of each other's charges with matching grins on their faces.

"Hi!" chirped Tikki's cheerful voice. "We haven't really gotten a chance to introduce ourselves properly. I'm Tikki, Ladybug's kwami! I'm so happy to finally meet you, Adrien!"

Adrien's grin widened and stuck out his finger to shake her tiny hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Tikki! Marinette has told me so many nice things about you." Tikki nuzzled against Adrien's cheek, squealing in delight.

"Hey LB! You got any cheese on you?"

Marinette giggled and reached her hand up towards Plagg, letting him land into her palm and curl up like a cat. She exclaimed as she scratched him behind the ears, "Oh my goodness Plagg, you're just so adorable! We've got plenty of cheese at home, you're welcome to it anytime!"

Plagg beamed, "Finally, someone who recognizes my grace and beauty! I knew I liked you!" He nuzzled into her fingers. "Loverboy here has spent a lot of time swooning about you, so please be careful with him. I don't think I can handle him going all lovesick-mode again and sighing whenever he sees your photos."

"Plagg," Adrien hissed inelegantly, the top of his ears turning pink. "Stop talking right this second."

Plagg cackled and zoomed behind Marinette to avoid Adrien's wrath.

Marinette grinned. "Don't worry, Plagg, I'll take care of him," she replied as she looked up fondly at Adrien and winked, the latter's face softening at her gaze. "I promise."

Adrien's eyes bore into hers, and he turned his body to face her. He touched her jaw lightly and gave her a featherlight kiss. "I know you will. And I'll do everything in my power to keep you happy, I swear it."

Marinette smiled and quirked her head slightly. "You already make me happy, Adrien." She reached up and gently moved some stray hairs away from his face. "All you need to do is to keep on being your amazing self."

"Eww, gross." Plagg stuck out his tongue and grimaced. "You guys are cheesier than my Camembert. I'm outta here. Come on, Sugarcube! We've got some catching up to do!" Tikki snickered and followed him as he flew off.

Picking up where they'd left off, Adrien pulled Marinette flush against him. He tilted her head up, then kissed her slowly, passionately, pouring every ounce of love he could into it, hoping she could feel even a fraction of what he was trying to communicate, of how strongly how he felt about her. Every kiss was a promise of things to come, of words he couldn't figure out how to say, a declaration of his commitment to keep her safe and protected, pleased and adored, respected and valued. Her free arm slid around his waist and she deepened the kiss. Adrien moaned in response, his stomach twisting into delightfully tingly knots.

Their amorous activities were interrupted by a loud, long grumble. Their eyes shot open and they looked at each other quizzically.

Marinette looked at him sheepishly. "Uhh... I guess I'm a bit hungry."

Adrien grinned and said playfully, "Don't worry, My Lady, I'll make good on my promise and satisfy your every need. Even when your needs sound like Godzilla." She blew a raspberry and poked him in the ribs lightly as he chortled.

Adrien called for dinner to be brought up to his room, and they ate in comfortable chatter before pulling out the controllers and challenging each other in a murderous game of Ultimate Mecha Strike III. A lot of laughter, merciless victories for Marinette and multiple brushes of skin that sent their hearts racing later, they turned off the game and headed to the bathroom shower with their bathing suits, eager to clean off the grime from such an exhausting day.

Unbeknownst to them, both kwamis took this opportunity to go exploring. Plagg rummaged through Marinette's duffel bag while Tikki perused Adrien's DVD collection. They giggled to themselves, with mischief on Plagg's part and pure delight for Tikki.

Once they were clean and clothed, Adrien and Marinette returned to the bedroom. Adrien took notice of Plagg going through Marinette's stuff then gasped and exclaimed, "PLAGG, what are you doing?!"

Marinette touched his arm attempting to assuage him. "It's alright, Adrien, it's mostly just clothes."

Before Adrien could reply, Tikki flew in front of them, "Marinette! Come and see! Adrien owns even more Disney films and romantic comedies than you do!"

Marinette turned her head toward her kwami, but Plagg zoomed right in front of their faces holding a pink book.

"ADRIEN, LOOK!" The kwami exclaimed, waving what Marinette now recognized to be her diary. "I unlocked a cute little box and found this very interesting notebook!" Marinette's jaw dropped and her throat made a suppressed croaking sound, and she could swear she felt her stomach try to jump out of her body.

"OUCH!" Plagg yelped, "Tikki, why in the world did you smack me?"

"What Marinette writes in her diary is private, Plagg!" the small deity cried, obviously offended. "You have no right to pry into it!"

"But she's written a lot about Adrien in there! How his golden hair glistens in the light of the sun, and how his brilliant smile that could outshine any star!" Plagg went on, ignoring the fiery blush spreading on Marinette's cheeks as she made a quiet but lengthy screeching sound that resembled a deflating balloon.

"PLAGG!!" Tikki chastised, a deep frown set on her face.

But Plagg was on a roll, a wide, teasing grin spreading across his lips. "You think this is bad, Sugarcube? You should see how much time Adrien wastes browsing the Ladyblog every day and making up crazy plans about wooing Ladybug."

" Plagg...." Adrien groused, but his kwami wasn't in a merciful mood.

"What?" he said, "Don't want your pretty lady to know how much time you spend staring at her derriere in a skintight supersuit?"

Adrien made a groaning, choking sound that didn't quite sound human. He could feel his face heat up, probably turning into an interesting shade of red. Spontaneous combustion was a thing, right?

Marinette opened her mouth to respond, but Tikki beat her to it. "I'll bet you it doesn't compare to the amount of time Marinette spent staring at that underwear campaign Adrien did a few months back."

Marinette squawked and sputtered, "TIKKI!!"

Tikki's eyes shot open, "OOPS! Sorry, Marinette!" she said apologetically.

Marinette's throat went dry. Was the moon an appropriate moving location? Or maybe Mars would be more habitable. Because there was no way she could face Adrien after Tikki revealed just how much appreciative of his charms she really was.

But before she could start packing for her upcoming move into outer space, Adrien chuckled softly, wrapping his fingers around hers and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "We're both ridiculous," he said mirthfully.

She lifted a startled gaze toward him. "THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING . I mean, Tikki wasn't actually lying, and-"

"Plagg wasn't either," Adrien replied airily, his eyes kind and caring. "I did spend an awful lot of time trying to figure out how to confess my feelings to you."

"Hah... that sounds familiar. At least I know I wasn't alone," she admitted timidly.

"That's right, Marinette!" Tikki chirped. "You have nothing to be ashamed of! You're in love! Love makes everyone act a little silly sometimes."

"Do all Ladybugs and Chat Noirs end up together? Romantically, I mean. Like Jack and Alice." Marinette asked, leaning into Adrien's side.

Tikki shook her head with a fond smile and replied, "Not always. Ladybugs and Chat Noirs are two halves of a whole, and some of them remain as platonic soulmates even if they go on to marry someone else. But they are always connected, no matter what."

Plagg interjected, "Those were the less disgusting pairs we got. Humans and their silly mating rituals..."

Adrien decided not to let Plagg elaborate about said "mating rituals" and changed the subject. "Do you miss them? Your previous holders?" he asked, his voice earnest.

Tikki smiled wistfully. "We always make wonderful memories with our holders and have a special bond with every single one of them. All of them are chosen for specific extraordinary qualities that they possess."

"Exactly," Plagg chimed in. "I clearly chose you because you had easy access to expensive quality cheeses."

Tikki giggled and rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to him, Adrien. Plagg is obviously very proud of you. We are both proud of you. You two are a very special pair. You were our youngest Ladybug and Chat Noir so far, and yet you've managing it all spectacularly."

Plagg zipped around and quipped, "You're both still ridiculous though."

Tikki grabbed onto his tail and pulled him away. "Come on, Plagg, let's go check out those apps on the tablet you were telling me about before you say anything else that might embarrass them."

Adrien and Marinette were left relatively alone once again.

"Well, he's not wrong." Marinette shrugged, lighthearted. "We are ridiculous."

"Well, I happen to be ridiculously in love with you, My Lady." He pulled her into his arms and she giggled shyly, resting her hands on his chest.

The kiss Adrien pressed on her lips was anything but shy. He all but ravished her lips, pressing her close to his heart as their lips moved in perfect sync, years of partnership overriding their inexperience in this new field. She whimpered softly in his hold, surrendering to the love he was pouring in their kiss. The feeling that kissing Marinette sent down his nerves was electrifying. Addicting. He knew that he was in deep trouble now, that he could never get enough of her kisses, of the breathy sighs that fell out of her lips every time they pulled apart for air. She took him by surprise when she pushed him firmly against the wall and kissed him on the neck, rough enough to make his head spin and moan louder than he'd intended and, but gentle enough to not leave any marks that they'd have to explain to others later.

When they broke away, breathless and slightly dizzy, they stared at each other for a bit, unable to move past the feelings of elation that were awakening in them.

"I love you, Marinette. I love you so much."

Marinette didn't think she could ever get tired of Adrien's silky, gentle voice uttering those amazing words, saying them to her. "I love you too, Adrien. More than ever."

They hugged each other tightly and stayed that way for a few moments, revelling in merely being with each other, how comfortable they felt, how grateful they were.

It was then that wave of tiredness overtook Adrien and he yawned, then sparked a chain reaction as all four of them (kwamis included) yawned one after the other.

Adrien blushed and apologized shyly, but Marinette smiled softly, tugging on his hand. "Come on, Kitty. Let's get ready for bed, I'm exhausted. Plus, we have to get up extra early to meet the locksmith at the Louvre."

Adrien replied as they crawled into bed together, "Oh, that's right! I'd almost forgotten about that! Honestly, I'm so used to our little conjoined-twins routine that it didn't even cross my mind."

They made themselves comfortable under the soft, heavy comforter. As they lay face to face in Adrien's bed, their bound hands tightly interlocked, Marinette reached forward, placing a simple kiss on his lips. He grinned, pulling her even closer and kissing her once more, deeper this time. They finally broke apart and gave each other wide, lovesick smiles, then wished each other good night.

Marinette ultimately fell asleep with her free arm draped across Adrien's chest and her head comfortably nestled in the crook of his neck. Plagg and Tikki snuggled up next to them also, basking in the joyful vibes that always radiated from their holders any time they found each other.

That was by far the best night's sleep the four of them had gotten in a long time.

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When they woke up the next day, they were still clinging to each other like magnets. Unbeknownst to him prior to this experience, Adrien was a cuddler in his sleep. Now that he was allowed to cuddle his lady both in and out of the mask he sure wasn't going to pass on it.

Getting dressed was an easy routine by then and was quickly done. Adrien's breath hitched when he saw Marinette in the dress he had chosen from her closet. It was a red criss cross halter top with a high waisted black and white polka dot skirt, and she looked absolutely stunning in it. He couldn't help but ogle as he was pulled very close to her body when she lifted up her arms to tie back her hair into a low ponytail. He looked away blushing hotly, a bit shocked at how helplessly attracted he was to her.

Marinette also remembered to pack a sweater in her backpack that she could wear after their handcuffs got taken off, lest they receive another "Modest Attire" lecture from Principal Damocles, even though it wasn't their fault they'd had to violate the dress code the previous day.