Yay for quick updates! And it is actually the final chapter and not just another chapter to draw out this fic. Thank you so much to everyone who follower/favorited and reviewed! I'm sorry for leaving the last chapter on a cliffhanger but I really like leaving cliffies (also because I never really know how else to finish chapters in these kinds of fics haha) but at least there wasn't a massive wait for this one :) I'm already drafting an idea for what is supposed to be a oneshot but might become a mini multi chapter fic again but I'm probably going to write that for valentines day (if I get time anyway haha, life is hectic as always). Anyways. Thank you all for reading this :)

I don't own anything

Marinette transformed into Ladybug the moment she regained her senses and jumped from her room and to the rooftops of Paris bathed in the early morning sun, the mere notion of school a distant, insignificant thing that she left behind along with her discarded phone. Why did Hawk Moth want her to come now in broad daylight? How did he suddenly figure out hers and Chat's real identities? How could he stoop so low as to attack Adrien while he was in no position to fight back? The whole situation baffled her beyond anything she could comprehend but one aim remained fixed in her clouded mind.

Hawk Moth had Adrien. The thought made her heart batter against her rib cage, pumping blood through her body at a speed she could almost feel it rushing through her veins, propelling her forward as she jumped and swung from rooftop to rooftop at lightning speed until she came to the road lined with estate after estate. The wide street was lined with well kept stately homes, gardens rich with exotic vegetation and cars that probably cost more than most people earned in their entire lives. She jumped down from the block of flats she stood on the opposite side of the street and disappeared into the shadows of the trees just inside the walls that perimetered the edge of the property owned by Adriens father. She scanned the building, scoping out every inch of the building watched by CCTV cameras that where poorly hidden from onlookers.

She jumped over the gate surrounding the next house and ran the length of the fence, hoping to find a blind spot at the side of the building. She found a small eye hole in the wooden fence granting privacy between the two grand constructions inhabitants and spotted one particular half-open window that was only in sight of the nearest camera when it turned on its automatic rotation. studying the cameras and memorising the pattern of their movements she swallowed and jumped over the fence and sprinted straight. Arching with the movement of this and that camera, she made it so she was flat against the wall of the grand building and threw her yoyo directly above her to a gutter running just above her targeted entrance and counted seven seconds before pulling herself up to the window and lifting it open and slipping in. She landed silently on her feet in a crouch and tip toed to the closed door, passing a large king sized bed and various matching, expensive looking furniture that decorated the un-personalized room, one of many guest rooms most likely.

It only occurred to her at this moment that she had never actually set foot in the Agreste's home before and had no idea of where Adrien might be or where anything was. Shaking the idea of an underground, medieval underground dungeon out of her head, she eased the door open and opened the side of her yoyo and holding it out so she could look around with her duel yoyo/phone's camera. The hallway was as empty as it sounded. Marinette let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding and slid out of the guestroom, edging along the wall to the grand double doors that, if she had gathered enough of the layout of the house from it's exterior, should lead her more central to the house where there should be stairs that lead into the grand lobby she had caught a glimpse of during hers and Chat's clash with Nino's akumatized form, Bubbler. She reached the door and opened it a crack, using her phone/yoyo to peak into the area. Outside was an unoccupied landing with a railing that Marinette was sure you could see the front doors if you looked over and she found it hard to believe her luck, stepping out into the open, she glimpsed over the railing and saw the familiar foyer with it's beautiful white marble staircase and black marble walls, large flower pots also made of the expensive black marble filled with a vivid red foliage she couldn't identify dotted the room and brought a flush of colour to the spacious white room. At a turn off on the landing opposite her, she spotted a lone Akumatized butterfly drifting back and forth in and out of the hall. She squinted trying to distinguish anything else further down the hallway and noticed a number of butterflies fluttering outside the second door on the right. That must be Adriens room. She concluded, bounding across the landing to the other side and capturing the first butterfly in her yoyo. Once the purified butterfly drifted away towards a open window, she flattened herself against the wall and peaked around the corner at the swarm of darkened insects. Swinging her yoyo, she quickly captured and released the threat one by one, flinching as her earring beeped in rapid succession, one dot down. When there was only one left, she ran towards the door and captured it and dashed into the room, closing and locking it behind her with her yoyo raised defensively.

"Who's there?" A stifled voice registered from the king sized bed and Marinette's head snapped around, trying to find the source of the noise in the mass of comforters and pillows. A shock of blond hair slowly lifted and slitted green eyes found hers, widening as he caught sight of the red clad teen. Adrien's usually lustrous blond locks where plastered to his face with perspiration and a dark purple bruise well formed on his right cheek like he had been backhanded with force. His eyes shot open as he watched her approach. "Marinette why did you come?! It's a trap!"

"I don't care, I'm getting you out of here!" She immediately tried to reach for his uninjured arm which was stretched out above him and finally noticed he was handcuffed to the bed.

"You got to get out of here! my- Hark Moth is my father! He used me to get to you,"

"Wait, back up a second, Your father is Hawk Moth?" Adrien nodded grimly as Marinette tugged at the handcuff testily.

"I figured it out when I noticed my miraculous was gone and you told me what had happened, it doesn't make sense that he would actually appear and stop his attack and then just take me home, it didn't make any sense until I realised he must have realised I was Chat Noir, I don't think he really intended to hurt me, especially because he didn't want the Puppeteer to possess my doll and force me to come out," Ladybug looked gave the handcuff an almighty tug and the metal beam in the headboard snapped open, the handcuff slipping over the broken wooden beam and freed Adrien.

"We need to go,"

"No! I'll only slow you down. He wont really hurt me, he just used me to get at your miraculous. Get out of here before he catches you!" Adrien urged, stretching his arm out after holding it at an awkward angle for so long.

"And what will happen to you if you stay?" Adrien looks down at his now freed hand looking like a little lost kitten.

"He's my father, he wouldn't hurt..." He trails off looking unsure of himself, a morose expression twisting his captivating features as he touched the black, slightly swollen evidence that betrayed his words. "He stopped attacking you when I was in danger and came to help me, He wouldn't do anything drastic." Despite his own uncertainty which was clearly painted all over his face, his eyes burned with determination. "Please, Just go!" Marinette gave the most reassuring smile she could and tugged his uninjured arm over her shoulder, forcing him to stand and worrying over how little resistance he made.

"I'm not leaving you," A blush dusted her cheeks and she gave him a short peck on his cheek, "What kind of hero would I be if I left my partner behind?" She gave a light chuckled and started slowly making their way towards the door. "What's the quickest way out of here? I don't think Hawk Moth will let us just walk out of the front door." Adrien gave a small nod, focusing on finding his footing while keeping his weight off his broken limb.

"There's the side door through the kitchen, it's down the stairs to the left, the door at the end. We can leave through there." They edged out of the door and the blond teen tugged Marinette towards the balcony where he pulled himself on it and slid down.

"Are you insane?" She hissed as she jumped down the stairs as he slid to a stop at the bottom of the main staircase leading to the foyer and carefully dismounted with a slightly cocky grin.

"It's quicker and I doubt the lift will be working as these kinds of situations go," He shrugged one shoulder and waited for her to rejoin his side. Before she reached him the entire room filled with a dark, looming voice, paralysing the two in place.

"I'm glad you decided to join us Ladybug, I welcome you to our humble home. Your Miraculous will be mine in just a matter of moments." Chat and Ladybug exchanged an alarmed look and they picked up their pace only to halt completely as the door leading in the direction Adrien guided them flew open and a number of Akumatized butterflies cut through the air like bullets, spreading out across the room as Hawk Moth himself emerged from the double doors, arms extended to enphasis his dramatic entrance.

"Hark Moth," Marinette hissed, jumping pack and taking Adrien with her. Immediately she felt something cold touch her shoulder and saw one of the Akumas landing on her shoulder and the her suit turned black. Eyes widening, she cought it with her yoyo, the black patch disappearing once the white butterfly was freed.

"Cleaver," Hawk commented with a snicker, clapping his hands together lightly, his masked face showing nothing but malevolence. "Can you evade them at the same time as me?" He extended an arm, his other hand clasping his collar and a dark orb of dark purplish light shot at her from his outstretched hand straight at her. She quickly manoeuvred out of its path and the marble wall behind where she had stood merely seconds ago exploded outwards, raining down tiny shards of black marble in all directions. Another destructive sphere shot at her and she jumped, narrowly escaping its path as it shot past her face.

"Why are you doing this? Why are you attacking your son?" She yelled over the pattering of more marble pebbles scattering across the floor. Hawk Moth halted his advanced and his face darkened almost regretfully.

"I will eliminate anything that gets between me and the miraculouses, even if it is my own flesh and blood."

"But why?" Adrien yelled, speaking for the first time in a while. He tried to regain his own footing having lost it from being dragged around like a rag doll while Marinette dodged the orbs of destruction. He tried to shrug off the bluenette but she held his arm firmly, stopping him from approaching his father. "Don't you even care about me anymore? You just want to take our miraculouses and gain power? Is that it? IS THAT IT?" Adriens shout was muddle of anguish and anger and bitterness, a horrible sound Ladybug didn't want to have to hear again.

"You could never understand, foolish boy of mine. This is my lifes work, everything I have done in my life has lead to this! My lifes work! I will take the miraculouses and fuse them with my Diabolic," He touched the pendant pinned to his top buttonhole adorned with a single black stone that emitted an icy blue glow set on white ribbon in the shape of a butterfly, "I will become the most powerful man in the world! I tried to keep you out of this Adrien but you've managed to make yourself an obstacle I can no longer ignore."

"Is that all I am to you? An obstacle in your way? Just an inconvenience?" Marinette could feel the hatred and hurt that rolled off the blond in waves, his entire body shook as he forgot everything around them, all his inner rage channelled towards the black clad figure before him. Adrien.

"Well if that's how you think I guess I'll have to be the spanner in your works!" Marinette picked Adrien up with fair ease and threw him across her shoulders in a fireman's lift and darted to her left, taking the stairs three at a time while dodging incoming barrage of destructive orbs while avoiding the Akumas. She was almost at the top when a swarm of Akuma's materialized out of nowhere and Hawk Moth appeared amongst them, reaching through them and striking her chest, throwing her off balance and the two teens tumbled back down the stairs, landing in a dishevelled pile at the bottom.

"Fool. Just give up! Hand over your miraculous and I will let you go. You're running out of time," He inclined at her as she awkwardly tried to stand and she heard the beep indicating she had three dots, a little over three minutes, left before you untransformed. Adrien slowly tried to get his bearings beneath her but he had cushioned her fall and took the worst of the fall, a concussion would be a lucky escape. Jumping to her feet, Marinette threw her yoyo into the air, she didn't have long before she untransformed so she should try to finish this quickly. In her hands fell a large, microwave-sized container with a small door fixed closed with a latch, a strange, quiet pattering noise coming from inside that puzzled her for a moment.

"I guess that means if I can get that Diabolic, that means you won't have the power to make Akuma's anymore doesn't it?" She lifted her eyes from the curious box just in time to see a sphere of blackness shooting at her.

"You're to slow!" The sphere was merely inches away from her chest when something crashed into her side, sending her carting to the floor, her lucky charm flying from her hands and skidding across the marble floor and out of her reach. Catching herself on her hands and knees, she whirled around and saw a dark blue hue cloud her vision for a split second, a deafening crack splitting her ear drums, someone let out an agonized cry and the sound of someone hitting a wall and crumpling to the ground. All the sounds and her vision and for a split second, the bluenette was dumbstruck, unable to clasp what was happening. She scutteled across the ground to her mysterious lucky charm and jumped to her feet, eyes darting around the room to assess what had just happened. Adrien lay in an awkward heap against the front doors, the front of his pyjama top was singed and his head slumped forwards, his hair shielding his face from view. Marinette resisted the urge to run to him and instead turned to Hawk Moth, probably having a minute or two before she untransformed.

"You'll pay for that!" She charged at the man she had so much hatred towards, the vile man who would strike down his own son for power and unhinged the latch keeping the box closed, finally realising what was insides. Three steps away from the landing, she flipped the latch open and opened the little window. Thousands upon thousands of ladybirds flew out of the box, far more than the box could possibly hold. They came in waves, surrounding Marinette and creating a fluttering, buzzing, living cloud of red and black. The Ladybirds exploded out, obscuring the Akumas and leaving behind purified white butterflies that fluttered harmlessly towards the morning sun that spilled through the large windows. "I'll make sure you never hurt any of my friends ever again!" The ladybirds swarmed around the wide eyed villain and before he could react, Ladybug's hand reached out from the swarm and snatched the pendant right off it's fixture.

"NO!" She dived back, still hidden from sight behind the fog of insects, somersaulting backwards down the stairs and glared up at the masked figure, glaring at him triumphantly as she threw the pendant to the ground at her feel and stamped on it with all the ferocity she could muster. The stone crunched satisfactory and a dark mist oozed out from beneath her foot and she felt the dark aura she hadn't even noticed lift from the room, goosebumps lifting all across her skin as she felt what ever evil that had befallen the atmosphere, and the whole of Paris, dissipate. "No!" My Agreste fell to his knees, reaching out to the place the pendant had been, his eyes so wide they might just fall out of his head at any moment. The outfit he had been wearing turned to dust revealing the man she had only ever seen in newspapers and magazines, his light blond hair dishevelled and his usually pristine suit crumpled and creased as he crawled towards the top step, disbelief plastered across normally blank expression. Marinette stood awkwardly, happily lapping up her triumph but at the same time not knowing what to do when the front doors burst open without warning and a group or armed policemen filtered in the room, carefully stepping around Adrien who was still out cold by the door, forming a protective wall between him and his father, guns raised towards the defeated Agreste while looking around, analysing what had happened.

"Gabriel Agreste, You are under arrest on suspicion of attempted murder, terrorism, kidnapping, domestic abuse, stalking, harassment and numerous counts of attempted theft. You do not have to to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you say may be given in evidence." The front man who had lead the squad of eight into the room, whom Marinette recognised as her friend Maylene's father, approached the lamenting man at the top of the stairs winged by two other enforcers on each side, a pair of handcuffs in his hand. He nodded in the bluenettes direction with a affirmative smile. "You did well Ladybug. We saw you running over here earlier and after the report you made about young Mr Agreste being kidnapped we put two and two together and did a little background check we realised he must be Hawk Moth and got over here as fast as we could." Mr Agreste didn't attempt to resist as the men approached and roughly clasped his wrists in the handcuffs, he merely stared at the floor, occasionally giving hateful looks to her and Adrien as they escorted him towards the door. Adrien who was being checked over by a paramedic who trotted after given the all clear, slitted his eyes open just as his father past. She watched as Adrien called to his father, his voice low as he was forced into a sitting position against the wall next to the open doors, his voice full of hur, almost pleading but the Agreste didn't even acknowledge him. The policemen stopped, unsure of what to do but after several seconds of silence from the elder blond, ignoring Adriens calls to him, they awkwardly marched the older man out of the door to an armoured car that undoubtedly awaited him in their driveway. Marinette watched, spotting something drop from the older man's hand as he disappeared from sight and caught sight of something small hit the floor and roll to a stop, unnoticed by the officers. She walked over to the fallen item and scooped up the black ring and turned to Adrien who was trying to push away the ice pack the paramedic was trying to press to his head where a lump was forming from being blasted into the wall.

"I have to go, I can see you have the situation under control," She said with a forced smile. Adrien looked up at her, biting back words that might threaten her secret identity if spoken in front of the paramedic. He looked up at her, his face one of hopelessness that made her want to smother him in an almost creepy way but he still managed a faint smile.

"Thanks Ladybug, for saving me... You where amazing." She gave him an understanding smile and clasped her earring as the final spot bleeped.

"I have to get going." The last thing she wanted to do right now. She practically had to tear herself from the spot, glancing once more at the shattered pendant that lay at the foot of the staircase and at Adrien who gave up on resisting the aid presented to him and ran out the door, tossing the ring in Adrien's direction before she exited the house. She caught a glance at Mr Agreste as he was driven off in the back of the police car as she grappled the high wall around the house and swung over it, touching down in her bedroom moments later and untransforming before her feet hit her bedroom floor.

The sky above as a crystal clear blue, undisturbed by a single could on the warm monday morning, and the sun was blinding at it's low position in the sky. Leaves bristled in the light breeze merrily as students, workers and business owners went about there early morning business, waving in greeting at each other as shop doors and windows opened for another day of business-as-usual, several coffee shops and cafe's already buzzing with activity. Marinette's smile was painted brightly on her face as she slowly strolled down the suburban street on her way to meet her classmate, and now boyfriend, and a certain excitement she couldn't describe filled her stomach with a fluttering sensation. It wasn't long before she reached her destination and pressed the buzzer of the front gate of the Agreste household, waiting patiently and nervously as she waited for the little spy camera to come out of it's hatch so she could communicate with the stiff assistant who would inspect the visitor before opening the gates. It had been two weeks since her final face off with Hawk Moth, aka Mr Agreste and it was Adriens first day back at school. The usually stiff assistant had turned out to be quite a nice person when she wasn't being heavily overworked by Mr Agreste and had gotten quite friendly with the bluenette since she had spent every day after school visiting Adrien, bringing his homework and keeping him up to date with their classes. Her voice came from the intercom fixed to the wall as the snake like camera came out of the wall.

"Ah Miss Dupain-Cheng Good morning! Adrien will be out in a moment." The camera retired to behind it's shutter and Marinette waited a few minutes before the games finally opened and Adrien walked out, bag slung over his shoulder.

"Where's your chauffeur?" She immediately asked, wondering why he looked like he was going to be walking to school. The cast on his arm had been removed the previous day but he still clung tightly to the clutch acting as a limb while his left leg was still in it's cast. He pouted a little.

"I'm sick of being indoors, cars, I need to walk! Physio doesn't count, it's still in doors!" The argument was well recited and Marinette wondered how many times he had had this discussion with his uncle who was not acting as his guardian, him and his wife had moved in the day after Mr Agreste had been arrested as his appointed guardian by the authorities. The arrangement had been welcomed and Marinette had been quite surprised to discover that Sebastian Agreste was a very kind hearted man, a complete polar opposite of his older brother Gabriel. She stifled a chuckle at his defensiveness and put her hands on her hip and plucking the strap of his satchel off his shoulder and throwing it on er own.

"Okay, well I'm carrying your bag for you," She smiled brightly, slightly daring her to argue with him but the tension in his shoulders wilted slightly.

"H-Hay! ugh, fine." He pulled tongues at her childishly but left it at that and fell into pace beside her. They walked in a comfortable silence until they got to the end of the road and turned onto the main street that lead to their school. It was the first time they had been alone without the high likelihood that someone would interrupt them so there where a lot of things that Marinette was burning to ask while they where on the quiet street, well out of earshot of anyone around, any conversations had been reduced to school or everyday life.

"I-" "Um-" The two of them turned to each other at the same time.

"You first-" "What whe-"They both stuttered and giggled, Adrien giving her a nudge with his shoulder.

"You first."

"No you."

"Ladies first." Marinette flushed a little at the mischievous glint in his eyes and gave in, how could she not in the face of those captivating emerald eyes?

"Um, it's just something silly, I've been wondering for a while," She offered, grinning stupidly and scratching the back of her head sheepishly, getting flustered at how quickly her cheeks heated up which didn't help much to her embarrassment. Adrien eyed her curiously, a small grin tugging at his lips at her rambling. "It's just... what I mean is... I still can't believe you're Chat, I mean, you're like two completely different people!" She facecpalmed as she tried to put her thoughts into words instead of rambling like she used to. "What I mean is, how are you so... I don't know.. confident? When you're transformed but so... the opposite when you're in school?" The question sounded dumber the more she thought it over and Adrien raised his brows. "I'm sorry, that wasn't very nice." She let her head fall forward, shielding her face behind her fringe. Adrien only chuckled lightly. Great, no I've offended him.

"You really want to know?" He said lightly giving her a sidelong glance. She looked up and found him smiling fondly at her, his cheeks flushed and she nodded timidly. "It's kind of embarrassing really. I just...just wanted to make my dad proud of me, since my mom disappeared I did everything I could to be the perfect son and I never realised what a burden it become, how tiring it was trying to be everything everyone expected me to be, the perfect son, a model, the gifted son of the Agreste family." He sighed heavily, staring off skywards like he was speaking to himself more than anything. "When I'm Chat Noir it didn't matter what I did or how I acted and I guess I got a bit carried away, and you where always there and you didn't care how I acted, you just accepted me and humoured me but you never really expected anything of me and it was the first time anyone ever acted like that. I'm sorry to be such a pain but you always have this way of making me feel like i can just be myself and it really swept me off my feet I guess." He clapped a hand over his face and turned away from her, the tips of his ears practically glowing. "Umm... I mean..." Marinette stared wide eyed at the confession, never having expected anything like this. Adrien's confession circled around her head. "Umm, pretend I didn't say anything," He spluttered, walking forwards without looking at her. Marinette took his free hand in hers with a a cheshire grin, liking how his face lit up even more and he looked down at the contact.

"I've noticed you've changed since your uncle got here," She pointed out playfully, realising for the first time. Adrien ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well if you really like my puurns I guess I could use them more often if you pawfurr."

"That isn't what I meant," Marinette rolled her eyes, watching his expression flicker from playful to downcast in an instant.

"Yeah my uncle doesn't organize my life for me and he doesn't expect me to be somebody I'm not." He gave a wide smile which faded a moment. "That comes back round to what I wanted to ask, When you first showed me you where Ladybug you asked if I was disappointed but the real question should have been are you disappointed? You never really liked me as Chat but..." He trailed off, realising he should shut his mouth before he confessed to having noticed how she had pictures and magazine clippings of him in her room that time when they had joined up for the Ultimate Mecha Strike III tournament way back when OR that he had heard in great detail how much she liked him from Nino after him and Alya started dating. Unfortunately it appeared he hadn't shut his mouth soon enough. Marinette's entire face turned a similar shade to her Ladybug suit, eyes wide and expression horrified and he quickly tried to backtrack. "I-I just mean because you're usually really shy in school," He backtracked to his first impression of how he thought she would try to get away any time they ended up speaking, "I always thought you just didn't like being around me." He sighed internally, seeing her embarrassment fade and her eyes widened. Tragedy averted.

"No no no no nothing like that! How could I be disappointed? I like you a lot, like a lot! I always got awkward because I turn into a drooling idiot any time I was around yo... Did I really just say that?" Another wave of heat darkened her already pink skin and she marched a few paces ahead.

"Hay wait!" Adrien tried to speed up, cussing at his leg as it continued to impair his mobility. Marinette turned around, seeing him losing his balance and caught him under his shoulder, linking his arm. Creases appeared on her forehead as she looked up at him with that look of concern he was getting sick of seeing every time he so much as sneezed but his heart wasn't in the agitation, it was an alien experience to have people actually care for his wellbeing. He found himself trapped in her bottomless cerulean eyes and couldn't help a cheshire cat smile stretching across his lips. "I make you nervous?" Marinette was about to deny the point when Tikki popped her little head out of the inner pocket of her jacket.

"Yeah, She's always telling Alya how much she loves him and wants to ma-"

"Tikka!" Marinette gently clapped a hand over her pocket, muffling the Kwami's words before she died on the spot of embarrassment.

"Haha, that's nothing! You should have seen how much effort Adrien put into writing a poem for Ladybug for Valentines Day! He poured his little heart into it for wee-"

"Plagg!" Adrien hastily zipped his half open bag which swung between them from Marinette's shoulder. The two held each other gaze, completely unsure at what to do or say. After several tense seconds, Marinette snickered and it quickly elevated into an all out fit of giggles Adrien couldn't help but mirror. She gave his linked arm a light tug and let it drop, finding his hand and entwining their fingers.

"Lets never bring this up again shall we?" The raven haired said eventually before they came to the corner near her house where they would meet Alya and Nino. Adrien hummed in agreement, every intention to endorse this, unable to stop himself from shooting her a playful grin and leaning in and planted an affectionate kiss on her cheek.

"Puuuuurhaps that's for the best, my ladybug."

"..."

~ FIN ~

Grrrr, I wrote and rewrote the last part of this about four times and it still didn't come together the way I wanted and when I was finally happy with it and finished it, I got the stupid chrome "Something went wrong" message and when I tried to reload it, I lost 1k words and couldn't remember it! Thank you to KatrinaK14 for helping me out with the last section. Hope it was ok anyways, I'm kinda depressed that this is finished as I really enjoyed writing it but as I mentioned earlier I already have ideas for other fics and I'm already drafting the next one :3

Thank you for reading and hopefully I'll see you in the next fic.

Aneki x