He's a Keeper

Fun Times

Adrien watches as the French authorities lead his handcuffed father out of the room.  He stares for a while, wondering what life would be like without his father, without Hawkmoth.

He's startled out of his thoughts when his girlfriend hangs up the phone and comes from behind him and loops her arms around his waist.

"Long night, huh?" she asks trying to squeeze in a chuckle but instead releasing a worn-out grunt.

"Yeah," he replies, pulling her closer to him. "I wonder what life's gonna be like without Hawkmoth," he sees her wince but continues on.

"I mean, we won't have any Akumas, no patrol, no battles,"

"No more Miraculouses either," she cuts in.

Adrien looks at her, shocked. "I beg your pardon?"

Marinette musters a small smile at his ever-polite vocabulary and nods. "Master Fu believes we've neglected our duties, and requests that the Miraculouses be returned to him.

"He requested?" Adrien asks, a glimmer of a grin in his eyes, "But doesn't that mean that we could ref-"

"He said that we were very well welcome to do exactly that,"

Adrien smiles.

"But," Marinette continued, spinning around in their embrace to look him seriously in the eye. "He also said that if we did so, there would be consequences. He said "Universe must always stay in balance. For every action, there is a reaction. For every wish, a price to pay in return."

Adrien shrugs, "I can't imagine anything worse than having to give up our Miraculouses. I can't and don't want to imagine a life without Tikki and Plagg,"

"Me neither, Kitty" Marinette responds, "Are you sure this is the right choice though?"

Adrien looked at the fear on his lady's face.

"Yes,"  he says trying to be confident enough for the two of them, then quickly adds, "But not unless you're 100% there,"

"I am", she says.

Adrien looks down at his wristwatch, "We still have enough time to go tell him now. Unless you wanted to go home?" he looks back at her, uncertain.

"No, let's go now," Marinette replies. They take one last moment to savour their embrace, then break away to transform to leave for Fu's.

Later, Once they've arrived

They stand at the door for a few minutes, unsure what fate awaits them.

Marinette squeezes Adrien's hand.

"Ready Chat slash boyfriend?"

He squeezed hers back and feels a stream of confidence surge through him.

"Ready M'lady slash girlfriend."

|~|

Master Fu opens the door for the two after a brief moment of knocking.

He ushers them in wordlessly, sits them down and pours each of them a cup of camomile tea. He doesn't sit down though, as he makes himself another brew, this time, a ginger tea.

"So Master Fu," Marinette starts, "We've made our decision."

Master Fu nods, takes his filled cup and sits down before them on the ground in the silent shop.

"Before you tell me what it is, tell me this." He pauses, seemingly deep in thought "You came here transformed as Ladybug and Chat Noir, correct?"

"Yes," Adrien answers, puzzled to why Fu was asking this when he had seen them detransform.

"Good, good," the man mutters, almost to himself. "Did you enjoy your last time as superheroes?"

"Our last time?" Marinette asks, "But Master Fu, you said we could keep our Miraculouses if we so chose"

Master Fu smiles, "Keep, yes. Use, no. Wording is key."

"But-"

"No, Marinette. Neither you nor Adrien have been part of a successful Miraculous Team. You've had a prime suspect for years but you never acted on it until tonight, when the information was presented clearly under your noses. Marinette, you got akumatized while under the guidance of the spirits of Ladybug, had you not taken off the earrings, not only would you have been safe but Tikki would have as well. No other Ladybug has ever been akumatized. No other Ladybug had such an ignorant Team that they couldn't tell a woman with a wig from their true Ladybug."

"Master Fu," Adrien cuts in, "You can't blame Mari for that, she didn't know that she couldn't get akumatized"

Master Fu shakes his head... "Adrien, the reason why she was in the position in the first place was because of your combined lack of communication skills. Never before has there been a Ladybug and Chat Noir who couldn't talk over a simple slip of the tongue."

Adrien looks his mentor in the eyes. "This was a mistake, we caught Hawkmoth. Isn't that all that matters?"

"Times are changing, Adrien. Members of your team are getting married, starting families. The city isn't, and shouldn't be, your number one priority. Hawkmoth is gone, and so's the threat for now. You guys aren't needed right now, and if you keep going out someone else with come after you five."

"But you can't take them away!" Marinette yells, "You promised we could keep them"

"And you will." Master Fu said cryptically.

The couple stood up, upset and ready to leave.

"So how can you know we won't use them?" Adrien asks, gripping Marinette's hand.

"Because I've placed a magic ban on your team. When you're ready, pass the Miraculouses down to your offspring, they -and never you two- will be able to reawaken the kwamis and use the Miraculouses again."

Upon seeing the smirk that appeared on Adrien's face, Master Fu elaborated. "If either of you two tries to use either of your children's Miraculous with the intention to fight evil, it will become dormant until your children decide they wish to reawaken it."

Marinnette's face falls. Adrien puts a hand on her  back and they walk to the shop's exit. At the door, Marinette turns back to Master Fu one last time. "Can we at least say goodbye to the kwamis?"

Master Fu shakes his head, almost as if he was sad. "I'm sorry Marinette, you cannot."

|~|

On the walk home after leaving the shop the two seem to have come to terms with exactly what had happened.

Marinette takes off her earrings and put them in her purse. "Well, I guess I have no use for these anymore." She smiled as she put them away. "And to think the future generation will have the experiences we did,"

Adrien grins "And the two of us will be there to witness it." he puts his hands out as if speaking to the entire population of Paris. "Suave dashing ex-model and charming sweet baker girl teamed up." Marinette smiles, which makes Adrien's grin even wider "But that's old news, Next up... their future children, the future LB and CN."

Marinette smiles even wider now, even going as far as to burst into giggles.

Adrien takes off his silver ring miraculous, but instead of putting it in his pocket ...

"Marinette, Bugaboo, M'lady, would you make me the happiest man in the world,

and marry me?"

A/N The end is here!

         (Kind of)

         There is a sequel to this story. It's called The Return of the Kwamis

         I'll post it tomorrow.

Thanks for reading