Chapter Text
It was such a beautiful day.
Staring through the window, Marinette sighed dreamily, longing so badly to get outside and feel the sun’s warmth on her skin. It has been so long since she went outside and felt the sun shining over her head. She didn’t exactly remembered what it felt like, but she did remember how at peace she always felt when the sun was out. She also enjoyed rainy days, but it was never exactly the same thing. With sun, life came out as well. The cats and dogs on the streets played, the children were laughing, adults were swaying… Marinette simply loved sunny days. Even if she could not enjoy it herself anymore, she still loved looking out the window.
She smiled when she noticed two teenagers walking down the streets hand in hand, laughing about something. The way people showed themselves through their clothing might have changed a lot since the last time she was among them, but they still looked very good. Marinette was happy for everyone she saw walking past the building. She was happy that Paris continued to move on and evolve even though she never was part of it.
But then, she was too busy being distracted by looking through the window that she gasped when she heard the door downstairs creaking: meaning someone was opening it. She frowned: who could that possibly be? The last time she saw anyone come inside this building was… 50 years ago, when some random men took everything out and never returned. Before they even came, nobody entered the place in more than 20 years. The building has been empty ever since and Marinette, even though she couldn’t interact with anyone, was left all alone.
“This is it, Nino! My future headquarters! What do you think?”
Marinette frowned, but quickly faded herself to go through the floor, stopping only when she was on the main one. Tip-toeing, force of habit even if it was completely pointless, she got closer to the source of the noise. She pressed her back against the wall before she took a glance, still trying to hide herself as much as possible. There, she saw two men: a blonde one, turning his back from her and one with brown hair… Possibly from the Maghreb? She couldn’t be sure, she wasn’t the best at guessing someone’s origins.
“I’m going to be totally honest with you here, dude… What the fuck is this? How did you even found such a shithole?”
Marinette scrunched her nose, frustrated by Nino’s commentary. A shithole? This place was nothing of a shithole! Long time ago, it was Marinette’s favorite place in the whole wide world! But she didn’t say anything: after all, even if she tried, none of them would hear her. She was invisible and unhearable. She got used to it.
“Okay, I know it doesn’t look like much at the moment… But hear me out! We’ll just have to clean up all the dust and start renovating this place a little bit! Then, it will be as good as new!”
“You think you’re playing Homescapes now or what? Seriously, I know money isn’t a problem for you, but… Don’t you think you’re putting too much effort into this?”
The blonde man sighed, put his arm around Nino and walked. That’s when Marinette’s eyes widened upon finally seeing his face. His smile was so wide and his green eyes… He looked so invested, so hopeful. Also, she had to admit: he was quite charming.
“I’ve been walking in front of this place for as long as I can remember. I don’t know why… But there is something special about this building. I just know it, I feel it. I know, it is pretty old, more than 200 years… But it still holds up just fine! It will be even better with some renovations and redecorations! Think about it!”
He let go of him and started to walk all over the room.
“I don’t exactly know what we’ll do, but I’m meeting with Sabrina tomorrow for the renovation plans. Well, I guess the stairs could use a bit of assistance, the windows as well. They’re so dirty we can’t see through. Also, new floors, I’m thinking maybe…”
“Adrien. It’s fine, I get it. If you’re so sure about it, I’m sure everything will turn out just fine! Besides, you know you can always count on me to help if you need it.”
“I know, Nino. Come on, let’s look around.”
Marinette had a lot to process in the moment. First, the building had a new owner. Second, his name was Adrien. Three, she would soonly find herself surrounded by people again! At this thought, she couldn’t help but let out an excited squeal. Sure, she couldn’t talk to them, but still, she won’t be alone anymore!
“Nino, did you hear that?”
Marinette frowned and looked in their direction as the two men were on the middle of the staircase. Adrien was frowning as he tried to get a better look at the entrance.
“Hear what?”
“I thought I heard a… A squeal? Does that even make sense?”
“Maybe? This place is kinda old… There might be mice creeping around somewhere.”
“But it didn’t sound like an animal squeal… It sounded… It resembled the sound Alya does when she’s excited about something.”
Marinette’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand before she could let out a gasp. She knew herself there wasn’t any mice around here: if they were, she wouldn’t be so alone. Could it be that…
“Dude. We’re the two only people here and we’re probably the first ones to actually come inside in like… Four decades.”
“I know but…”
“It’s probably your own excitement that you heard. Wouldn’t be the first time to happen anyway.”
“Maybe you’re right… Okay, let’s go take a look. And then… Pizza?”
“Say no more. I’m in.”
The two men rushed upstairs and Marinette quickly followed them, watching them discreetly as they looked at every room. She also noticed how Adrien always took out some rectangular object from his pocket, placed it in front of him and pressed his finger against it everytime. Marinette had never seen this object before that moment and she wondered about what it could possibly be.
The two being done, they left the building, leaving Marinette to look at their backs as they walked away. She sighed. And there she was: all alone again. But she didn’t stay there and returned to the entrance, retracing their steps that formed on the floor because of the dust. She imagined walking in their shoes as she put her feet in every footprint. She giggled. It had been so long since she was so close to other people like she once was. It was a nice feeling being surrounded by other human beings.
She twirled as she started to sing a tune she remembered from her previous life. She smiled as she danced to the lyrics.
“I leave my heart with thee, my love / Tho forced from thee to stray / Wrinkled grief I onward move / And lonely take my way / How tedious will the hours appear / Each day a year to me / For ah! my love, my only dear / I leave my heart with thee.”
The hours passed and Marinette, even if she didn’t really sleep anymore, still walked to her usual spot and laid down. She stared at the ceiling up and sighed before she closed her eyes. She won’t sleep, but it didn’t meant she couldn’t relax.
She spent the night tossing and turning, always trying to find a more comfortable pose as she laid down. Just like she always did. She would have loved to have some blanket just to put it around her, but not only wasn’t there any, it wouldn’t even stay on her: after all, she wasn’t a solid being anymore.
At the first sunrays, Marinette opened her eyes, stretched and got up. She started to walk around every room, just like she always did.
“Good morning entrance, good morning staircase, good morning bathroom…”
As she continued to wander all over the place, she finally settled in front of her usual window. As it was pretty early, she didn’t see many people walking on the street. Sure, they were some: people who probably got out last night and were walking back home after a night partying, people going to work, night-shift workers coming back from their job… It was one of her favorite ways to spend her time: guessing what these people were up to.
“Oh, there comes Mr. Pigeon! Always feeding the little birdies… Oh! Hi Syren! Going to train so soon? Wow, you’re so dedicated to your sport… Ah, Startrain with her son, I think. What’s the flying thing next to him? I have never seen such a thing…”
As she was thinking about what could the object be, she heard the front door open. She stiffed.
“Thank you all so much for coming with me this early, guys. It really means a lot.”
“No worries, Adrien. We’ll always got your back!”
Her eyes widened as much as her smile did. People ! Quickly, she got downstairs, hiding slightly behind a wall as she looked at them: even if they couldn't see or hear her, she still felt like she wasn't supposed to be here and listen to their conversations, so she kept hiding as a force of habit. Just like yesterday, Adrien and Nino were there. But with them, there was a brown-skinned girl with beautiful hair, another one with jet black hair and white skin, a really tiny girl with lots of colored braids in her hair and a tall man: he reminded Marinette of a giant teddy bear because he seemed to be so gentle even though he didn’t look like it.
“Okay, so we have three hours to get this place clean before Sabrina gets here. So here’s the plan. The building has three levels: the one we’re on, then the two upper ones. We all have a broom, dusters, well, any equipment we might need to make this place so clean we’ll be able to see our own reflections. We’re six, so I was thinking teams of two on each level.”
“Sounds good. I’ll go on the second floor with Mylène.” Said the tall man as the tiny girl nodded with a smile.
“Awesome. But try to be careful everytime you take the stairs. We don’t know when was the last time they were used, they can be fragile. I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“Got it. Nino and I will stay there. You dragged us out of bed, you have to give us this, at least.” Argued the brown girl.
“Fine. But pretty please, no make-out session! It might be a building and we might be at different places, it doesn’t mean we can’t hear you.”
“Not like I’m going to let you see Alya and me in a… convenient position once again.”
Oh, so this girl was Alya. The girl Adrien referred to yesterday when he, no, she thought he heard her squeal. Marinette nodded, the information noted at the back of her mind. She never had any problem to learn people’s names, so she now knew four of them: Adrien, Nino, Mylène and Alya.
“Anyway, let’s get down to business!”
“Please, don’t say to defeat the huns…” Mumbled the dark haired girl.
“Don’t need to, you just did, Kagami.”
He chuckled softly as she rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance. Everyone grabbed cleaning supply and headed to their positions. But Marinette stayed on the main floor, getting closer to Alya and Nino, but still trying to hide from them as much as possible.
“Okay, start to get rid of the spider webs while I clean up the floor… What are you doing?”
“Well, I figured this would be kind of boring, so I brought my speakers and I’m ready to launch some beat. Any preference?”
“Nah, I trust you.”
“Perfect.”
Alya started to clean the floor as Nino settled the, well speakers she guessed, and switched something, making colours burst out of it. Then, he took out the rectangular object from his pocket, swiped on it with a finger and a second later, music came out. Marinette gasped. Music! Real music! Sure, this was very different than what she had been used to in her previous life. A lot different, even. But it seemed lively and the beat was catchy. She recognized the language as being English: Marinette didn’t know it very well, but she could still understand some of it. Especially the chorus.
‘Cuz you make me feel like
I’ve been locked out of Heaven
For too long, for too long
Yeah, you make me feel like
I’ve been locked out of Heaven
For too long, for too long
Marinette found herself dancing and even if she felt like the steps she was doing were odd to make in this kind of music, she didn’t care much. She simply enjoyed the fact she got to hear real music again: it had been so long since she got to do so! Leaving the two of them, she headed to the second floor, where was Mylène and the teddy bear. She could still hear the music from downstairs, meaning the others could too.
“Ivan, I can’t reach this spot. Please help me?”
“Of course, sweetie.”
He swiped the dirt he was on before he headed over to her and picked her up, seating her on his shoulder. She gasped, initially surprised, but then giggled.
“Thank you, my love.”
Marinette awed while cupping her cheeks. They were a couple! And they looked so adorable together! For a while, Marinette simply looked at them as they balanced each other, helping and stealing from time to time a quick kiss. She didn’t get to witness pure love like this for a long time, but this was enough to make her feel warm. She simply loved love.
“They’re so perfect for each other! Aww, I love them already! I hope they’ll come back here often!”
With a smile, Marinette then headed to the last floor. What she witnessed there surprised her. Adrien and the girl, Kagami, were fighting with the brooms as if they were swords. Initially panicked, Marinette relaxed when she saw they were laughing. Okay, so this was just a game. That was fine, they’re not mad at each other!
“Okay, as fun as fighting against you is, maybe we should get back to work, now. If you want Sabrina to do her work properly, this place needs to shine like a thousand suns!” Said Kagami.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
He sighed.
“What’s the matter, Adrien? You know you can talk to me.”
“I know… I just… I guess I’m having second thoughts about all of this.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“No… But… What if this doesn’t work? What if this place wasn’t what I thought it was? I have such high expectations and… Well, I’m also doing this for Mom. Would she agree to all of this?”
Marinette frowned. She didn’t understand why such a gentle-looking man as him would hesitate.
“Adrien, now you listen to me. You’re the most hard working person I have ever known and I have known you for a while now.”
“Please, you’re more hard working than I will ever be.”
“Don’t interrupt me. You’re hard working, but most of all, you’re a believer, a dreamer. Everything you’ve ever wanted, you did anything in your power to get it. Even when I was defeating you again and again in our fencing classes, you never gave up. You always got back up on your feet and tried again and again. You’re too stubborn to fail. So this is why I know this thing you’re putting on will work out just fine. And I know for a fact that your mother, if she was with us, would be so proud of her little sunshine. Don’t even dare to doubt yourself. Les mesquineries du Chat Noir is such an amazing concept, you can’t be wrong.”
“You really think so?”
“I don’t think so… I know so. Did that help?”
“It did. Thanks a lot, Kagami. You truly are the best friend I could have got in this life.”
“Always the flatterer. But I’m still happy to hear it! And if that wasn’t clear, you’re my best friend too.”
He smiled widely and swooped her in his arms, hugging her tightly. Marinette smiled widely at the sight, touched by such amazing friendship. At the same time, she was also jealous: it had been so long since she had a friend to talk to. With a small sigh, her mind wandered and she found herself thinking about the friends she had when she was still alive: Rose, Juleka, Nathaniel, her hamster pet Tikki…
“Hey, hold that thought for a second.”
Marinette shifted.
“What is it?” Asked Kagami.
“I heard something. A sigh.” He affirmed.
“I didn’t hear anything. Well, maybe you have a sixth sense when it comes to Alya and Nino hooking up…”
“No, it wasn’t them. I’m sure of it. Someone sighed. It was a longing sigh?”
“Adrien… Are you feeling well? Maybe you need a break…”
“No, I don’t! I heard something, I’m sure of it! I heard someone yesterday as well! I know I did!”
Marinette gasped.
“There! There it was again! A gasp!”
“Adrien, there was no other sound than Nino’s music downstairs and you talking. There was nothing else.”
“You’re not messing with me, right?”
“No, I’m not. Maybe you’re simply tired because of all the work you’ve done this past few days.”
With reluctance, Adrien stepped back.
“Yeah… Maybe you’re right. My mind must be playing tricks on me, I guess.”
“Well, the other explanation is that there is a ghost haunting this place. Oooooooh!”
Adrien chuckled.
“Yeah, that’s ridiculous. Okay, back to work.”
For the rest of the cleaning and the meeting with a red-haired woman, she was Sabrina, Marinette stayed hidden in a corner, not daring to make any sound. Even when an electrician came to “plug in” the building, she didn’t move. She simply waited for everyone to leave, barely trying to comprehend what happen.
Could it actually be possible that someone hears her? Actually hears her?
No, it couldn’t! Her mind must be playing tricks on her as well. Her loneliness must have got the best of her, that was the only possible explanation, nothing else. If no one didn’t ever heard or seen her before in the last 176 years, why would this be any different? That was it, she must have been imagining it.
Finally, everyone left and Marinette let out a relieved sigh. She got up and walked to take a look at the clean place. It has been a while since she had seen this whole place clean. Even the windows were clean!
“Wow, this looks so much better! They really did a great job!”
She got back before the front door, taking in the view of the lobby. She couldn’t help but wonder about what it would look like when everything will finally be put to place, with the modifications Adrien wanted to make.
She was so happy to know this place would get a second chance and she was so excited to be a part of it even if she was the only one to ever know about it.