A small bell tinged gently as a door opened. The crisp autumn air floated in, carrying with it soft hints of winter in its chill. An inviting smile graced the features of a petite, pale, freckled woman with dark hair who stood behind a wooden counter.
The warm interior of the coffeehouse instantly soothed the senses, the smell of coffee very present but not overwhelming. A hint of cinnamon somewhere. The hum of brewing machines was soft, contributing nicely to the hushed atmosphere.
Gentle footsteps made their way from the door to the counter.
"Bonjour, Mademoiselle Césaire. How are you this morning?" the employee inquired.
"Quite well, Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, thank you. How are you?" came the response.
The woman spoken to chuckled. "Quite well. Thank you. The usual?" she asked.
"Yep! One coffee," Alya responded, also laughing. The pair of close friends did this every morning, regardless of the crowd inside the shop or how much time Alya had before she had to leave for work. It was their routine, and they followed it faithfully, giddy as schoolchildren each time.
The employee's co-worker had made the drink as they talked and had it ready before Alya had finished paying. She took the small cup and sugar cubes, deciding to eat one of the two right away. She walked back to the other counter, dropping the other sugar cube in and taking a sip of her steaming drink.
"So, Marinette," Alya began, eyeing her friend over the rim of her cup in an attempt to hide her face, "what do you think Nino wanted when he called me yesterday?"
Marinette looked over at her and laughed when she spotted the blush on Alya's face."I think you know exactly what he wanted!" Marinette replied. She leaned over the counter carefully as though to whisper a secret. Alya lowered her cup, interested to hear what her friend had to say, and jumped a little when Marinette tapped Alya's nose lightly.
"You! On another date with him!"
Heat crept up Alya's neck, dusting her cheeks with red. Her blush was much more prominent now, forcing her to turn her face away.
"I hate you," she mumbled insincerely, to her friend's ringing laughter. Alya and Nino were never awkward, but lately Nino had been showing more and more interest in Alya. In response, she gushed about him like a schoolgirl daily, especially to her closest friend. Often, she spoke of how supportive, thoughtful, and handsome he was. The two had never dated one another, but had become increasingly closer as the years passed. Currently, they went on dates, but weren't "official," according to Alya. She mused over the situation, swirling the drink in her hand absentmindedly.
Marinette watched as her friend stared off the distance, lost in thought. She stayed mostly silent, only speaking to greet patrons and take their orders. Marinette giggled to herself in delight. This was what she'd been waiting for since middle school. She went back to the patrons, humming softly as she did.
Alya didn't realize it when she finally finished her cup, taking an extra sip or two before looking down, slightly confused. She shook her head in bemusement and chuckled to herself, causing Marinette to glance over as she finished ringing up another order.
As the man she had just helped sat to wait for his drink, she whispered to Alya.
"What's so funny, Als?"
"Nothing. I was just deep in thought and didn't realize my coffee was gone," came the distracted response.
"Were you daydreaming about Nino again? You're too old to act like this!" Marinette teased, her nose wrinkling as she suppressed her laughter.
"Maybe," Alya drawled, standing and checking her wristwatch. She sighed as she adjusted her scarf. Before adding her cup to the small stack for washing, Alya exchanged another joke or two with Marinette. She dramatically shivered in anticipation before heading back out to the cold, waving goodbye.
Marinette waved back. She suppressed a little shiver herself as the increasingly cold air swept in. She watched as a small leaf from outside the door found its way in. She left it be, though, as another customer walked in. The bell gently sounded once again. Though she only saw him for a moment, the atmosphere around her shifted, suddenly and violently. Marinette, although she was only standing still, felt as if she were about to trip and fall. A tad nauseous even. She looked at the other people sitting in the coffeehouse and her co-worker, then back at the ground. No one else seemed affected by it.
As the person neared the register, Marinette forced herself to look up with her usual greeting smile. She had to look up a bit farther, as the man was taller than she had thought.
Memories and flashbacks hit her like a ton of bricks as her eyes met shockingly green ones. Familiar green eyes. Familiar blonde locks. She forced herself to act professionally as the patron smiled in return. His smile was too warm to just be for an employee he'd never met.
"Bonjour. Welcome to Le Petit Parisien. How may we assist you in your coffee needs?" she said, trying her best not to sound robotic out of shock. She struggled to keep the memories and feelings at bay.
There was no way this could be him. But it couldn't be anyone other than him.
"Bonjour," the man began, quickly glancing at her left hand (or did she imagine that?) before addressing her, "Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng. One black coffee, please." He smiled again and her heart raced.
That voice, though lower than she remembered, couldn't be anyone else's. Or could it? Marinette shook her head surreptitiously to clear it and nodded, keeping her eyes on the screen and struggling to keep her emotions in check.
"What was it I told Alya a few minutes ago?" she whispered to herself in chastisement.
"Pardon?" he asked.
"Sorry, Monsieur. Your drink will be ready in just a moment," Marinette covered quickly, flashing a quick smile to cement it. He smiled back and she swore she could feel the rays of sunshine he still radiated, even after all this time. 'Oh, right,' she thought, 'I told her she was too old to act so obsessed with a man.' She rolled her eyes inwardly. 'So much for taking my own advice.'
"Thank you very much," he said, bringing her back to reality. Marinette forced herself to meet his eyes and felt as if the wind had been violently beaten out of her. He gave her another charming smile. It was then that Marinette noticed his hand was behind his head in a telltale pose. Marinette gasped softly. Only one person she'd ever met made that gesture.
"Y-you're welcome," she stammered and immediately looked to the floor, struggling to keep the blush from her face. 'This is ridiculous,' she thought fiercely, 'I'm acting like a child!'
The corner of the man's lips quirked as he walked away from the counter and took a seat in the far corner of the cafe, by the door. He pulled a book out of a previously unnoticed bag and began to read, only pausing to get his coffee.
As he read, the man dipped an end of a sugar cube in his coffee until it turned brown and ate it.
People came and went for a good portion of the hour, and he still sat there reading, his cup empty. The poor woman felt like a fourteen year old again, obsessing over a crush and whether she had the guts to talk to him. The answer to that was simple: Of course not. She looked outside in an attempt to distract herself. Marinette felt childishly delighted see the sky gradually darkening with rain clouds. She loved rain.
He left after the hour passed with a smile in Marinette's direction. She absentmindedly smiled back and called out the polite, "Come back again, soon," that was customary at her workplace. She watched him as he opened his umbrella, expecting the coming rain and walked away. Finally, she was able to breathe again.
More customers came and stayed for shelter from a drizzle that had begun outside. When the rain finally let up to a sprinkle, most people left, and it was time for the next shift to begin.
Marinette clocked out when the next part-time employee arrived, still dazed by the man's sudden appearance after all these years.
"Bye, Erin. Bye, Aurore," Marinette called absently as she walked out the employee only door in the back. She heard two goodbyes in response as she exited into the very light rain.
By the time she had crossed the parking lot to her car, Marinette's legs felt like jelly. She fumbled to unlock her small vehicle, and was shivering wildly when she finally slid in. She pretended that it was merely the cold, but Marinette knew that it wasn't the weather at all.
She was twenty-five years old. An ache found its way to her head, and she thought tiredly of the six hours of sewing to do for her newest designs.
Marinette started the car and waited a few minutes for it to heat up. She blew into her cupped hands and rubbed them together, allowing the action to consume her mind, intent on thinking of anything other than the "stranger."
As she backed out of her parking spot and began the drive to her flat, she turned on the radio and switched between multiple stations. Eventually, she became fed up with finding a station playing anything other than ads and nearly slammed the CD button. Nearly instantaneously, her favorite Jagged Stone album began on the first track.
Marinette felt her shoulders and face relax and huffed. For good measure, she shook herself, as if to snap herself back into reality. As she pulled up to a red light and hit the brakes, she looked up to the roof of her car.
"What is he doing to me? He isn't even here! What am I doing to me!?" Marinette whispered to herself. To become so easily upset-especially by something so trivial-was very unlike her, and she knew that.
The light turned green just as Marinette was refocusing on the road. She habitually adjusted her bangs before shifting gears and continuing to drive. The rain seemed to be unable to decide between pouring buckets or sprinkling gently. She wished it would just storm, eager to watch the rain from her bedroom window and have her own coffee.
When Marinette finally arrived in the complex parking lot, it was raining hard again and she had to run to the door to avoid as much water as possible. She almost slipped, but managed to steady herself, reaching the lobby without incident.
She walked directly to the stairwell, often preferring stairs over lifts for various reasons, and ran up the many levels. When Marinette reached her floor, she was slightly out of breath and made a mental note to start going back to the gym. She walked down the hall to the right to reach her door, unlocking it with more steady hands than she'd had leaving the cafe.
Marinette let the heavy door shut behind her and walked directly to her bedroom. She dropped her bag by the door, and her keys on the desk. She cringed at the loud sound in the silence of her small home.
Plopping down on the bed, Marinette let out a long sigh and fell back onto the duvet. She just as quickly sat up and removed her shoes and coat before lying down again. She listened to the rain gradually increase and thoughts of sleep entered her mind.
The dark haired woman huffed and reluctantly sat up again, refusing to procrastinate on her sewing. She slid off her bed and walked to her desk, rubbing her eyes. 'So much for that rain-watching and coffee,' she thought with slight bitterness.
Marinette had powered through her sewing and final touches in just over five hours, keeping her mind busy with thoughts about the various designs. She was nearly done when her phone began to ring, startling her slightly out of her creative reverie. She completed her last stitch and placed the needle in the pin cushion on her wrist. She walked a short distance away from the mannequin to grab her bag, fishing through it for her ringing phone.
When she found it at the very bottom, she immediately pressed answer before taking it out of the bag, afraid of missing the call.
She hadn't checked the caller ID and was pleasantly surprised to hear her mother's voice on the line.
"Hello, Maman! How are you and Papa?" Marinette said cheerfully. She pushed speaker, set the phone on the bed beside the mannequin, and finished tying the final knot and cutting the thread. She took the dress off of the form and turned it right-side out again, examining it. Marinette didn't realize until after she had finished moving it that she had missed what her mother said due to the noise of the fabric.
"-so many customers today! And guess who stopped by to say hello this morning?" Sabine asked, sounding excited. Marinette didn't have the chance to interrupt and comment on missing the first part of her answer. She was too distracted by the next words that came out of her mother's mouth.
"Adrien Agreste! Your crush-" she paused and coughed innocuously, "-friend from secondary school; the model one. He looks so different, so much older, but in a handsome way! He still has those same green eyes, too. That's how we recognised him after all, and he came looking for y-" Sabine chattered on, excited for her daughter and unfazed by her lack of response. What got her attention was Marinette's distressed tone.
"Maman, can we please not talk about him?" she pleaded. Sabine went quiet. When she spoke again, her tone was gentle and concerned.
"What happened, sweetie?" She asked softly. "Is everything okay between you two? I gave him the address of the cafe you work at. I'm sorry if it caused any arguments between the two of you."
Marinette almost laughed. She would have if she hadn't been so shocked that he was really back.
"No, no, nothing happened between us. I mean, really. He treated me as a regular employee and-" Marinette paused and yawned suddenly, as though she failed to suppress it, hoping it didn't sound too dramatic. "I'm really tired, Maman," she began. "I've been sewing for five hours and I've had a headache since I left the cafe..."
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. Get some rest, okay? Call in sick tomorrow if you have to," Sabine replied, sounding relieved but still a little concerned.
"I will if it comes to that. Good night, Maman. I love you," Marinette said, smiling to herself.
"I love you, too, Marinette. Good night."
Marinette hung up in a state of autopilot and dropped back into the state of confused shock she had when she left the café. Despite her mother's confirmation that the boy who had unintentionally broken her heart was really back, she still had a feeling that if she were to pinch herself, she would wake up with a start in the morning.
Half-expecting and half-begging to do just that, Marinette squeezed her eyes shut pinched her arm hard, wincing slightly. She opened her eyes, unsurprised to see it was still the afternoon and she was still standing by her finished dress.
Now that she had finished her project, she could have her coffee and watch the rain, which was still beating relentlessly on her window.
Marinette didn't try to put the memories out of her mind as she went to the adjacent room. It was half-living-room, half-kitchen. She made herself a cup of plain black coffee and took three sugar cubes from the jar in her cupboard. She went back to the living room portion to sit on the floor at the coffee table.
As she ate coffee-dipped sugar cubes, her mind wandered to the reason that she loved the rain.
The sky was dark and thunder sounded overhead. Rain was pouring onto the buildings and streets endlessly. Lightning flashed, and a little girl in pigtails stared up in awe.
Her father held an umbrella over their heads, but the girl insisted upon seeing the lighting and stuck her head out from under the umbrella. Her face was soaked and the rain made it hard to see, but she didn't care. At six years old, all Marinette wanted to do was watch the lighting strikes and listen to the thunder and thunderous rain.
She saw all kinds of things in rainy weather that she never saw in the sunshine. For one thing, the lightning. She was obsessed with the lightning. Not only that, but she loved to watch snails move along sidewalks in a race, as well as raindrops on the car window when they drove places.
There wasn't truly a reason that the young girl was so obsessed with the dark weather. One day, she just saw it, and it was love at first sight.
Marinette thought fondly back to the days during primary school where she could watch the rain from inside. She slowly stood and walked back to her bedroom, leaving the now-empty cup on the table, and sat by the window. She smiled to herself as she watched two raindrops race, taking no notice of the tear that trickled down her face as she thought to another time.
Marinette sighed dejectedly as she held her hand out and felt how heavy the rain was. She loved it, but hated to travel without shelter in it. She slid her backpack off her shoulder and held it in front of her, prepared to wait out the rain in front of the school. She heard footsteps behind her and soon saw the new boy walk out. He stopped and turned to her.
"Hey," he said warmly. Marinette huffed and turned away from him, upset that he had joined in on Chloe's cruel gum joke. She ignored his disappointed sigh. He walked a few steps before opening his umbrella.
Adrien seemed to hesitate before turning slightly so she could hear him, though not necessarily facing her.
"I just wanted you to know that I was only trying to take the chewing gum off your seat. I swear," he promised, sounding serious. He turned more so he look at her fully and so he could gauge her reaction. Marinette eyes widened, instantly regretting being so cold to him. She just thought that he would be another Chloe.
"I've never been to school before," he continued, sounding more than just unhappy, "I've never had friends. It's all sort of... new to me." Adrien gave her a smile that came off as sad. She couldn't say anything, her eyes speaking her surprise and regret.
He held the umbrella over her head, his smile a little happier now. Marinette stood there for a moment, a thunderclap sounding overhead. He stood patiently, still smiling. When she finally realized what was happening, she gasped slightly.
Tentatively, pale, dainty fingers took hold of the umbrella handle. It seemed so surreal. He was so much more selfless and kind than Marinette expected.
Suddenly, it snapped shut around the unfortunate girl. She heard Adrien gasp, then chuckle. Obviously, he was trying not to laugh. Just as Marinette was opening up the umbrella again, Adrien burst out laughing.
Marinette briefly looked unamused, but his laughter and sweet face were too much to even pretend to be upset with, and she laughed, too.
They regained their composure quickly, just as his car slid effortlessly to a halt in front of them. Adrien smiled again at her.
"See you tomorrow," he said before turning to walk to his waiting driver.
Marinette dropped her bag unintentionally and stammered a parting response.
"Why am I stammering?" she asked herself nervously. Tikki flew around her and giggled.
"Hey! I think I might have an idea!" she joked. Marinette blushed and looked away. Tikki nuzzled her cheek, giggling. Marinette watched him drive away before she began walking home with a borrowed black umbrella.
Marinette refused to allow any more tears to fall as she began to mourn the loss of Tikki. Neither of them had wanted to part, but Master Fu had said it was necessary.
That brought another night to mind, but that one was sad enough without the gloomy weather. Marinette refused to allow even snippets of her last night as Ladybug to enter her mind.
Instead, she decided to go to bed early to clear up her headache.
She could only hope the long-buried memory didn't sneak into her dreams that night.
(A/N): Hopefully this is my first and last A/N ever. I want to apologize for the awkward formatting of this chapter and future chapters. I do not have the patience to edit the awkward formatting (again) so it will stay like this.
You can find this story and others on Wattpad and AO3 under the same username: LyraNoir
Thank you, my lovely readers!