Chapter Text
A room filled with familiar people yet Adrien felt all alone as he looked at his friends and former classmates.
The one person he'd hoped would be here wasn't.
Everyone had noticed her absence but non dared to comment on it mostly because it was their fault she had left in the first place.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the most wonderful person Adrien had ever gotten the chance of knowing, if only for three years.
Marinette Dupain-Cheng, his lady, the hero Paris had loved and had saved her.
The hero that had left right after, the hero they had all but appreciated in her civilian form.
Adrien pushed her to the back of his mind, those thoughts were for later tonight when his mind would buzz with either sleep or alcohol or both.
He walked over to Nino and Alya, they were talking with Chloé and Alix. Nino noticed him first and was quick to hug his best pal and welcome him back home, soon after Alya did the same.
Alix gave him a firm handshake and Chloé scolded him for not calling the company first before returning to Paris.
Adrien laughed at her, it felt good to be back after four years, England had been great and he had learned a great deal but Paris would always be his home and hearth.
Nino nudged his shoulder.
"Now tell us, how was Oxford? I sure hope they'll let you finish your studies here."
Alya agreed with her boyfriend.
"They're not so stuck up, they at least need to look at your.....situation, right?"
Adrien smiled at their concern.
"They told me I'm good to go and I'll be starting here in the second semester, so right now I just have time to focus on everything else."
Chloé huffed and crossed her arms.
"Don't worry Adrien, I'll focus on all the legal aspects and mother said she will do most of the preparations."
Adrien was grateful for the help Chloé and her family had provided, it helped making this more bearable.
Alix looked at the exchange between all of them and wondered what it would have been like if she were here.
'Probably alot better.'
She thought and she said as much.
"Have you guys heard anything from her?"
They all knew who Alix was referring to, it made their eyes glance elsewhere and hands fidgit.
Alya was staring straight to the ground, boring a hole in it with her gaze.
"No, I've got nothing on her. I lost track after she went from Tibet to Hong Kong the third time. If even I can't find her she doesn't want to be found."
They all knew this in some part of their minds but it didn't feel good to say. They wanted to see her again and apologize and be friends again, if only they could find her.
It haunted them that whole night, no matter how much small talk and jokes circled the room.
Later that night in an attempt to keep it all at bay, the whole class agreed to have a small after party at a nearby café.
While most of the class was outside waiting on the last few to join them, Adrien saw Luka Couffaine standing with a few people from his class, Felix was there too, he had tagged along with a few friends from university that so happened to go to the same school as his cousin.
Kagami was there too, Luka's arm thrown around her shoulder. Sometimes Adrien regretted letting her go but he saw how happy she was with him and how much Luka adores her, it didn't make it better but bearable at the least.
A few rain drops began to fall and umbrellas were opened as the pavement began to shine in the recently lit streetlights. It was a nice Parisian night in autumn and Adrien shuddered as he pulled his jacket closer around him. He'd grown out of a lot of these as his shoulders had gotten broader by the year, it helped that he still tried to keep up his stamina and he had some muscle from the beginning.
His hair was hanging in his face as a reminder to go to a salon soon, he pushed it back again as Nino came to stand next to him, offering him a cigarette as he lit his own.
Adrien declined as he looked at Luka and Kagami's group.
"Thought you stopped smoking?"
Nino huffed, a cloud of grey spewing from his mouth.
"Yeah I did but you know sometimes it helps against nerves."
"What are you nervous about?"
Nino looked at him, punching his glasses up and taking another drag.
"You know, we all thought that maybe she'd be here tonight."
Adrien's shoulders slumped, he could've guessed it was about her.
"She really never contacted you?"
Nino asked him, Adrien didn't look at his friend as he thought back to his time as her partner.
"No, why would she."
"Dude, you were her partner for like four, three years. She trusted you with her life."
It did Adrien good to hear his friend talk with such conviction.
"She trusted all of us, not just me."
Their conversations was over as soon as Alya joined them, she was more sensitive than anyone when it concerned her friend.
The sound of a roaring engine drew everybody's attention to a motorcycle coming down the road, it was a modern model, one you'd see in a generic action movie, painted black and deep purple.
It came to a screeching halt in front of the school, it's rider stepped off like an experienced motorcyclist. They were clearly a woman by the curve of her hips and those legs. Adrien felt like he knew them, the way they walked and moved made him think twice, confident, controlled and fluid. They wore a pair of dark jeans, black Doc Martins, a dark blue denim jacket with a dark gray hood over a dark red blouse tucked into her jeans. A deep purple and black helmet with darkened visor made sure to protect their identity.
Luka, Kagami and Felix seemed to know her as they walked over to the stranger as they took of their helmet.
Luka waved at the rider and called their name, making everyone's heads turn to them.
Alya gasped, it almost sounded like a sob. Nino muttered a 'holy shit' under his breath and Adrien well...
Adrien's world stopped as he spotted her raven hair, it almost looked blue in the light of night, it was longer than before, now it spilled over her shoulders and back. But her eyes were still the same like endless skies and her smile was still as bright as she hugged Kagami.
She was here, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Ladybug, his lady.
No one moved, they were all frozen in place as Marinette hugged Luka and Felix and talked to them like old friends.
She had come, she was here, she was in front of them.
Alya was first to move, yelling her name as she ran over to her former best friend.
Marinette turned around slowly, she had recognized that voice immediately. It had been a long time since she last saw her classmates, her teammates, she wondered if they had forgotten about her.
Alya had changed, she noticed, she cut her hair shorter than before, her glasses were a different shape and she had gotten alot taller since they were kids.
She looked good, except for the tears shining in her eyes and that worried look on her face.
Had....had Alya missed her?
Marinette looked past Alya to see the rest of her class standing there, almost mortified, like they'd seen a ghost.
She immediately noticed Nino and Kim, they both had changed so much from the scrawny boys she had known when she was small. It was weird to see Kim with his hair slicked back but he made it work, Nino still looked the same except for his mediocre attempt at a soul patch.
Alix and Chloé stood close to them, Marinette could easily recognize them, the same could be said about her other classmates.
That's when she noticed him, her partner, her childhood crush, Adrien Agreste.
He had become taller and broader like she knew he would, he looked like he still worked out, no doubt he was still a massive dork but he looked good, he always did. She put his good looks aside as his spring green eyes seemed glued to her, they looked.....hopeful.
She half expected him to come leaping across the pavement to her but she knew he may resent her for leaving.
She locked eyes with him, everything else fell to the background as it was just him and her.
Marinette broke their spell rather quickly, she didn't have time for these feelings again.
Alya had stopped just a few steps away from her, Marinette didn't want to deal with their turbulent relationship today but not saying anything wouldn't make it better.
"You're back! Where...we-"
Marinette did give Alya time to finish, they weren't friends anymore, she had moved on. Keeping her voice neutral and her face uninterested helped calm her nerves and get her point across.
"There's no need to worry, I'll get out of your hair soon."
She turned back to Felix, Luka and Kagami, promising they'll hang out soon before returning to her motorcycle, she got as a gift from her grandmother who taught her how to drive.
She got on it and was ready to put on her helmet when she heard her name being called.
Looking up, she saw Adrien standing only two meters away.
The rain her made his hair shiny, like gold, it was longer than before, he looked more like his alter ego than ever before.
"Mari-"
He began but changed his mind to address her differently.
"My lady, I-"
She didn't give him time to talk to her, he may look surprised and maybe even happy to her but in reality he wasn't, he couldn't be, he probably hated her and he would be right to.
"Don't."
He stopped talking immediately, sounded so resolute, so cold and foreign to him. She wasn't looking at him directly her gaze somewhere on the ground, those blue eyes now looking like clouded sky's. It was the same when she left, she looked like she was angry at him but mostly sad.
"I'll leave soon, you don't have to deal with me for long."
She said as she put on her helmet, hiding her face from view but Adrien saw that split second of hesitation which he reflected as he decided to just stay silent and let her take off into the streets of Paris.
Adrien stared after her, not paying attention to Alya raging against Luka and Kagami as Felix was shouting back at her just as loud. Adrien would talk with Nino about it later as the bespectacled young man tried to calm his girlfriend down while also trying to not lose it.
For now Adrien just wanted to stare after her, like he did when he was young and she was his partner and she would swing away into the night.