A:N:/Sorry the delay my friends. After the American election I kinda lost all will to do anything. Then I had a big personal hurdle to jump over and I lost someone very important to me. I based the reactions of how Marinette and Adrien react on him. This chapter is for the boy I will never see again but the lesson will always be in my heart. I grieve and ache but you gave me something rare and to be desired.

And on a brighter note...this story was created for a person who grew into a life long friend. They live 42 hours away from me across the border but in two weeks I am going to meet them face to face. I could not be more excited.

"Chat" Marinette giggled and tried to push back from the assault of kisses. Her attempts were small and the pressure was near non-existent. Each kiss gave her a sense of peace. She was content with how things panned out, she decided. She loved the boy under the mask and he loved her. That's all she needed to know. The identity was just a bonus she was about to redeem.

Familiar green eyes awaited for her when her eyelids fluttered open. She knew them from anywhere. Their noses touched from the close proximity. Marinette had to lean back in Chat's grasp to get a good look at him. His arms tightened around her waist to accommodate for the extra weight as she lolled back into hands. He would never let her fall. Silently, they both knew this to be true. His face was instantly matched with one she had met prior to this night.

"Adrien?" The boy who gifted flowers. Many things were said through petals and aromas. All from the same boy. Her boy. Adrien had a gentle smile on his face despite the fear radiating off of him. His grip was tight but if there was any indication from Marinette that she wanted to run away, he'd let go.

"Yes?" His swallow are audible.

"Adrien…" Marinette tasted the name on her tongue. Though not foreign, it left a taste to be desired still.

"Hi." Adrien's face was calm and collected but his voice shook.

"I'm Marinette." Marinette thought she was grasping a hold on the situation but as the moment dragged on, her mind didn't wait for her to catch up.

"Yes." Adrien's voice was every bit of patient.

"And you're Adrien." The tension flew out the window. Marinette's face crinkled with laughter that was every bit contagious. She curled back into Adrien's bare chest and tried to stifle the flow of vowels and amplified noise; non coherent. Adrien's head tilted with a gentle smile as he glided his fingers through Marinette's tousled hair.

They wouldn't get to talking any time soon.

And when the giggles finally subsided the only sound either could hear was each others breathing. Adrien's heart was caught in his throat yet Marinette could catch the rhythmic drumming of it. The radio was still on but neither paid it any mind. You could say they stood there for days—swaying every once in awhile to a stray laugh or smiling at nothing in particular.

"Why didn't you tell me..." Marinette's voice was neither sad nor disappointed. Everything in the air was positive and smiles were in over abundance. "Did'ya think I'd only be in it for the looks?" She danced her fingers up his sides to emphasize the joke on her tongue. "Not everyone strives to be in the Agreste line."

There the ball dropped. When Marinette glanced back up to look at his face he was looking away. She had jabbed at the reason. His eyes were looking everywhere but her at the moment and they swirled with fear and discontent. Marinette felt the tension and jumped to scare it away as soon as it arrived. "Hey, hey, hey." With each word her hand lightly tapped his cheek til he returned to looking at her square on. "I did not fall for Gabrielle Agreste, fashion icon of the world. Nor did I fall for the pretty face on billboards." Adrien clasped his eyes shut only to be tapped repeatedly till he opened them again.

"Adrien...I fell for the boy who did everything in his power to grab my attention. The silly alley cat that got up and danced with me in the middle of the stage without a care in the world. The boy who'd walk me home and dish out as many cat puns as there was time. You're more than that, Adrien. You're my Chat Noir." Adrien swooped low to catch her lips and more giggles followed.

It is always best to nip fear in the butt as it sprouts. And what Marinette had with Adrien was rare and irreplaceable. And they both knew it.

"I don't know why I was freaked to see who was under the mask...It wasn't like you were going to be frankenstein."

"It's okay…I was freaking out a lot too." Adrien followed up with.

"You? Suave playkitty like you?" The air had gone back to being light and bubbly. Snide remarks and playful teases passed back and forth. Marinette bopped his nose at the end of the sentence as if going for the final strike.

"Playkitty? What makes you think I had time for something like that?"

"Flirt." A kiss. "Flirt" A pat on the chest. "Oh and you are a major flirt. The second you had your hands on me you knew exactly what you were up to." A loving gaze to her long time friend and recent lover.

"I'll give you three reasons." Adrien kissed her left eye and made it close. "My Lady." The right. "Princess...Marinette." and lastly on the lips. They were both content in the moment and the night bent to their will and lasted a lifetime.

They started going to the bar less and less each week. They memorized the way to each other's flats and found solace in being in each other's space. A shiny newly cut key was found on each of the rings as the weeks went on. Marinette tried her best to find her way back to the bar but night after night she failed. A toothbrush finds its way onto the sink and an extra pair of slippers come into creation.

Box after box appeared in Adrien's hallway and Lady Luck was completely forgotten. Friends would bring up questions like "How did you meet" and the story of a pole dancing bug was always on the tip of their tongue but never passed the lips. It was as if they had always known each other. There was no beginning just always the middle with no end in sight. They were both fine with that.

When Adrien asked Marinette to be with him till the end of his days there was no other word that day than yes. The ceremony they had was simplistic yet stylish. Marinette guided each and every stitch of the bridal seamstress until it reached perfection. She insisted on not working on it herself, since it was her special day, yet couldn't stop dictating how it went. Every flower was directly in place and no one argued with the bride. No one understood why the theme was ladybugs and black cats but for some reason it suited them.

A few stray figures came and went in the back unnoticed. The strangers spoke many languages but one flourished in Italian. No one was the wiser when the Italian slipped back out with a tiny pixie like red head girl and tall serene man. They blended in and out as quickly as anyone could notice them.

When she gave birth to her first born, Emma, the world turned upside down for the both of them. Adrien stopped being a model for his father's industry and stayed home to watch the child grow up. With how much he made and set back, they were both able to relax til the second one came around. Adrien stayed home and Marinette opened a small boutique. Emma toddled around the storefront day after day helping her mom dress the forms and straighten the jewelry. It became ingrained in her to help out her mom in the shop every day.

The door chimed and Emma, now 19 years young, sprung to her feet. "Hi, welcome to 'It's Miraculous'! How can I help you?" Marinette smiled and continued sewing in the back room. Her fingers looped in and out of the belt she was repairing as she listened to her daughter greet the customer. Her eyes were heavy, closed, and at peace with what was going on around her. Hugo was chattering about his homework and Louis about his cooking classes. It was anything but quiet.

"I was hoping to get this repaired. It meant a lot to a friend of mine." A familiar voice rang through the shop. It didn't strike as odd to Marinette's ears to hear a familiar voice. The majority of her customers were repeats and long time coming. Emma's voice was stiff and professional. A flag raised. If Emma didn't recognize a face, it must be an old friend. The voice sounded maybe 21 or 22 years old—and Marinette could not place it for the life of her.

"Beadwork and lace? No problem. My mom is the best around for that. That'll be-" there was a pause and Marinette perked up. "Oh, I'm sorry that's too much...Here..." the sound of money being exchanged around clicked and clacked and clacked.

"I'm sorry I don't know the exchange rate here." The voice continued on. "Think of it as a tip." Scribbling. "And my card. Could you call me when it's done?"

"Yes ma'am." Marinette pulled herself from her chair and walked over. She drew back the curtain in time to see a splotch of red hair greet a tall figure outside and walk together in tandem down the road. On the counter was a single red and black polka dotted mask. "Mom?" The color drained from Marinette's face.

"ADRIEN!" Marinette's voice boomed before she darted for the door. Adrien came falling down the stairs with a jacket being slung around his shoulders. They both crashed through the door seconds after the two people had left yet they were nowhere in sight.

Emma walked out the door with a card in her hand. "They left this and asked me to call...but there isn't a number." A black card with green lettering was presented to Marinette with intent that she take it.

A:N:/ Well this is it guys. The actual story is over with. I am sorry that I couldn't take you on a longer journey but this is has been the end for a while now. I wanted to make this chapter longer but I also wanted to keep it short and to the point to show how quickly time could pass you by. If you still have questions about some things they will be answered more clearly in the companion story. Hope you stick around. I love you all...and thank you for reading.

-Artist