Of all of the things Adrien expected to hear come out of Nathalie's mouth when he arrived back from school, it was not what actually came.

"Adrien, your father demanded your girlfriend fill out this paperwork."

"Excuse me?" Adrien shrugged his bag off of his shoulder as he walked up the stairs. He heard Nathalie follow him. Obviously, this was no joke.

"He, erm, he is worried her presence in your life will be detrimental to your studies and career. I did, however, convince him that she should be given the opportunity to prove this assumption wrong." Nathalie said. She held out a thick pile of papers to Adrien. Was his father seriously asking for his date to fill out a questionnaire before they were allowed to see each other?

"I didn't expect anything different from my father," Adrien murmured. He watched Nathalie for a moment before adding, "but I know you did all you could. For me. Thank you, Nathalie."

The pair spent the next hour reviewing exactly what was expected from the questionnaire. Adrien wasn't worried, though. He knew that of all of the girls he could choose, Marinette would easily be the one Gabriel Agreste would approve of. Nathalie seemed tense, though. She admitted to seeing the girl once, and she was unsure if Gabriel would approve of someone so soft. Perhaps his father would prefer someone stricter, but Adrien didn't really care what he wanted anymore.

The bell rung above the door. Adrien flinched, but still found a way to smile at the broad man in front of him. In an attempt to delay the inevitable, Adrien ducked behind a display of cupcakes. But, one can only stare at the same purple frosted cupcake for so long before attracting attention.

"Is there something I can help you with, son?" The man asked as he approached. A sudden feeling of fight or flight struck up in Adrien. For once, though, the Chat in Adrien pushed through, and he smiled up.

"Actually," Adrien straightened his posture, "I was hoping to talk to Marinette. If that's okay, that is."

The man laughed, clasping a hand onto Adrien's shoulder with a big smile. "You could have said that, you know, instead of staring at the same display for over ten minutes."

With nothing more than a quick wave and a few more laughs, the man disappeared from Adrien's vision. There was a few moments of silence, in which Adrien contemplated just running away, before Marinette appeared in front of him. For once, Adrien was left speechless. Marinette was lightly dusted with flour, her hair the slightest bit disheveled. She was attempting to straighten herself out while Adrien stood motionless.

"Are you okay, Adrien?" She asked, "Dad didn't, uh, freak you out did he? He's very nice, I promise!"

The only reply she received was a muffled groan and an armful of papers. She peered down at the bundle. Adrien tapped his foot, watching her flip through the first few pages. The farther she looked through the packet, the sterner her face became.

"Is this for…me to fill out?" She asked. She didn't look up at him. Marinette licked her index finger before flipping to the final page and then giving a nod.

"Yeah. You've met my father before. He's," Adrien struggled to find the right word for his father, "interesting…at best. Obviously if you feel pressured or anything we can just call the whole thing off and th-"

"No! No, this is fine, I promise." Marinette said. She held the papers tightly to her chest. "I just will need a little time. I can give it back to you tomorrow, though, at school."

Adrien resisted the urge to clutch his chest in response to the way his heart skipped a beat. Her face was the most delicate shade of pink he'd ever seen. Not only was she agreeing to a ridiculous questionnaire, but she didn't even seem bothered by the task. She is such a genuine, sweet, and cute girl, huh?

"I'm so glad you agreed! I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with this. Some of the questions are…" Adrien trailed off, watching Marinette scan through one of the pages.

"Do you intend to arrive unexpectedly? Do you intend to provoke Adrien Agreste to sneak out? Do you intend to be a distraction during any of the following activities: school, fencing, fittings, photoshoots, or study sessions?" Marinette read aloud. Adrien blushed at how aggressive his father's questions were.

"I'm sorry, Marinette. I doubt a single date with me is really worth any of this." Adrien said.

Marinette shook her head violently. "Adrien, no! Going out with you is-," she paused, looking away from Adrien, "it's something that means a lot to me. This is worth it." She hid her face behind the packet. She kept herself hidden until a firm hand reached out and pushed the pages away. Adrien smiled down at her.

"I'm glad…really, really glad."

The pair watched each other tentatively. They didn't dare to move away from their position. Adrien loomed over the girl, staring into her eyes. He felt guilty for comparing her eyes to those of Ladybug. He felt even guiltier for imagining Ladybug in this situation. Would she blush the same rose color? Would she look up at him, eyes wide and hopeful?

With very little of a goodbye, Adrien rushed away from the store. Away from his date. Away from a potential girlfriend. I am the worst. I am a terrible, unworthy person. Marinette deserves better than an asshole who thinks of another girl when with her.

When Adrien arrived home, his body shook. Never before had he felt like such an idiot. Adrien had genuine feelings for Marinette. The way her eyes lit up with excitement when she talked about designing was intoxicating. The way her freckles danced around her face with every smile she held made Adrien's stomach churn. Yet, he couldn't stop from comparing her to Ladybug. Ladybug, who had never once returned his advances. Ladybug, who, after years of partnership, was going to disappear from his life soon.

He hardly recognized the familiar feeling of Plagg resting on top of his head. "Kid," the kwami said with a yawn, "why do you look so upset? Isn't this what you wanted?"

Of course it was. A pretty girl with not a mean bone in her body. The way she said his name could move mountains. Every time someone brought her up, Adrien got cottonmouth. His feelings for her were true, but something didn't add up.

"Plagg, I feel so torn. I thought that once I began falling for someone, Ladybug's face would disappear from my dreams. But, she's still in the back of my head. She won't leave me alone." Adrien hid his face in the crook of his elbow.

Plagg nuzzled into Adrien's hair. He contemplated asking for cheese, but held his tongue for once. "Adrien, you aren't the first Chat to deal with loving a Ladybug. Just…what do you want to do right now? Try following your instinct." Adrien stared off into the distance for a long while, only deciding to move when the patient kwami finally broke and asked for a snack. Plagg began rambling idly, but Adrien never replied.

What was Adrien supposed to do? Had any Chat Noir ever successfully snagged his Ladybug? It wasn't supposed to matter anymore. Marinette was real. She wouldn't disappear, she wouldn't deny his flirting, and she wouldn't call him mean names. Yet…

"Plagg, transform me. I know what I want to do."

Plagg's tired eyes met Adrien's. They were questioning, waiting for some further explanation. "What is it that you want to do?" Plagg finally asked as he swirled into the air. The two combined, and Chat appeared quickly. Chat stared out the window for a moment before answering.

"The only person I want to see right now is Ladybug."

Something wasn't right. Ladybug spotted the difference in Chat as soon as he carefully landed on their usual meeting area. His tail flicked gently between his legs, his ears resting tightly against his head. God, he was just like a real kitten, right in front of her. She sat down first. She waited for him to sit next to her as he always had, and always would. Or, Ladybug thought.

"My Lady, I know-" Chat Noir sat beside his bug, not once making eye contact, "I know this isn't our regular time. We usually meet on Tuesdays, but…"

"Chat, what's wrong?"

"Is it possibly that I can say everything and nothing is wrong all at once?" Ladybug didn't answer. They stared ahead, both aware that something between them was changing. Chat leaned into her the slightest bit. For some reason, though, it felt as though he was getting farther away.

At one point, Chat started to cry. Ladybug gripped the side of his head closer to her shoulder as a way to comfort him. She couldn't tell if it helped. All Ladybug could be certain of was that there was more of civilian Chat in front of her than her usual crime fighting partner. When his tears stopped and they were sure no criminal activity was going to happen under their watch that night, Ladybug began to speak again.

"Chat, what if Paris doesn't need us anymore?"

Adrien's eyes shot up to his Lady's. Although in costume, he couldn't bother to call himself Chat Noir when he was so obviously acting more like Adrien. He waited a moment, hoping that maybe she would answer her own question, or maybe she didn't want an answer. But, sadly, she watched him and waited for some kind of explanation of their future.

"Then, well, they don't need us." Adrien said.

She sat in silence for a few moments before it seemed to click in her head. "So, uh, what happens to Tik- to our kwamis?"

"They leave. And, we leave, too. Leave Paris to protect itself, leave our secrets behind us, and I guess that means we leave our partnership too."

Again, the silence swallowed them whole. Ladybug realized then why Chat had asked if it was possible to feel like everything and nothing was wrong all at once. Paris, resting quietly below them, was safe. Their friends, loved one, strangers…they were all safe from the dangers that the duo had been fighting for so long. Somehow, not being needed was bittersweet for the two. They laid against each other, memorizing the feeling that was both trust and comfort that rested between them.

"We can live normal lives." Adrien said. Ladybug nodded, her head resting against her partner's lap. They stayed pushed together, whispering nostalgic stories of their heroism until they throats hurt and the sun was beginning to rise. Somewhere in the mix, Adrien stopped feeling so bad, and his Chat began to show again. He made sure to slip in as many puns as he could, as if he was never going to tell her how "pawsitively purrfect" she was ever again.

When their miraculouses beeped for the first times, they pulled each other in closer. They had decided that after that night, their partnership would resume as normal. They would act as if their lives as superheroes weren't ending. They would fight, patrol, and fist bump as they always had. Nothing would change, until it had to.

At the second beep, Chat purred into the top of her head, kissing it affectionately. Ladybug nuzzled up into him. He whispered, "I think I've fallen in love in my civilian life."

She whispered back, "I've been in love for a long time."

The third beep rang, and they both decided it was time to separate. They held each other at arm's length and tried to soak in as much of their partner as possible. They needed to remember every curve of their face, every freckle, every blemish.

A fourth beep only brought questions. Chat asked first.

"Might we just…reveal our identities before we disappear? I don't want to lose you."

She didn't even bother to answer him. She cupped his cheek, not daring to open her mouth. Chat held her hand as he leaned down on one knee to kiss the back of it, "Then, my Lady, I'm sorry to say I must leave." They waited until the cusp of the fifth beep was coming. And, for once, Chat was the first to leave, and Ladybug watched him go, wishing he had been able to stay a moment longer. Maybe she would have changed her mind.

A/N: And there's chapter 2. Follow me phoenix-wright0. Expect the next update in about a week again! And, thank you for the great response!