I'M BACK! Did you miss me? Well, whatever. This is a 2k chapter. Not that much but better than my other 1k chapters. Hope you like it.
P.O.V Marinette was pinching herself while she stared up at Adrien. This has to be a dream, right? He can't actually be holding her in the rain after kissing. And….WAKE UP! She shouted in her head, bracing herself for this world to melt away and for her to wake up to her reality. But nothing happened. Adrien was still staring at her and she was still dazed from their kiss. The kiss. One word. Magical. She could feel all her troubles lift when he kissed her, and could still feel the warmth of his neck on her hands. She was a goner. From the moment she saw him waiting for her in the rain she knew that was it. Any walls she had built came tumbling down when she saw the despair in his eyes. She had never meant to hurt him but she had.
"I don't deserve you." Was all that slipped out of her mouth as she stared guiltily at him. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I left, Adrien. I left everyone." His face cleared of his confusion and he smiled softly at her.
"You could've run away again. But you didn't. Because I'm holding you right now." He said brushing her cheek with his thumb. "That has to count for something." She smiled back and leaned her head farther against his hand like a cat. Like Chat.
God, she was betraying Chat. After all she had done to him, now she chose Adrien. She shoved the thought to the back of her mind. She held onto the hand on her cheek, clinging to the warmth.
"We have to talk though." He murmured the warmth in his eyes dulled. "You're dead. Well, at least you're supposed to be." Marinette gave an understanding nod, and looked down at her feet. How was she going to explain everything that had happened without telling him her identity. She couldn't lie to him again. It just wasn't right. So she would tell him. Wasn't that the right thing to do? She was brought out of her thoughts as Adrien slipped his phone into her empty hand. She looked down at the object in confusion and then looked back at him. He grinned at her, leaning down and whispering in her ear, "So I can keep you up all night on the phone." Her eyes widened and she blushed. He sounded exactly like Chat which eased her thoughts. At least she loved someone who was like Chat.
She typed in her contact information, contemplating whether to add a heart next to her name, but decided against it. They still hadn't talked about what this was.
Adrien took back his phone and handed hers back. He smiled and leaned down a little as if to kiss her. But if he was he had decided against it because he just placed his hand on her shoulder the way he had in grade school. She smiled back at him, reveling in the warmth he gave her. He was her home when she was 3,625 miles away from Paris.
"I'll see you tomorrow then?" She said clearly not wanting to seem flustered. He nodded in response and stepped past her, making his way down the street in the opposite direction of her apartment. So, they didn't live in the same area but they probably weren't that far away since he had opted to walk. She scolded herself for thinking such stalkerish thoughts. She was not going to go back in her habits of figuring out everything about. At least not yet. Not when all of this was still a very sensitive place for her.
So, she walked back to her building, her mind quiet and at peace for the first time in 5 years.
. . .
P.O.V Adrien:
Adrien flopped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling dreamily.
"I kissed her Plagg. I kissed Marinette." He said, still staring at the ceiling intently. He could hear Plagg snorting in the trashcan. Probably eat that stinky Camembert cheese. What Adrien would do for a Kwami that didn't eat that fucking cheese. His mind wondered to Ladybug as he thought about what her Kwami ate. She had always smelled like sugar and cinnamon so maybe it ate baked goods. Thinking about it, Ladybug smelled exactly like Marinette did. Maybe it's because Marinette's so sweet that her personality is seeping into her scent. OKAY, stop, because now you're thinking extremely creepy and stalkerish thoughts.
Adrien pulled out his phone, his stomach doing flips as he stared at her contact. He couldn't wait till tomorrow morning to text her and technically it was the next day. He tapped her contact and pondered what to send to her. What if he woke her up with the text? And then she hated him and never spoke to him again. That wouldn't happen, right? Well, maybe that's something the new Marinette would do. Oh god was this all a mistake. No! You will send a text! This is Marinette she could never hate someone over something so petty like a text message.
He mentally slapped himself if that was possible and typed out a text message, sending it quickly, so he wouldn't overthink it and criticize every part of the message. He turned his phone off and even his breaths. He could have a panic attack about the massage in the morning but right now all he wanted to do was get some rest. So, he laid his head down of the soft milky pillow of his hotel and closed his eyes, and dreamt about blue.
P.O.V Marinette
Marinette was currently rolling around with her phone in her hand squealing like a teenager. She glanced back down at her phone and read the text Adrien sent her for the millionth time. She had read it over and over again, not really sure if it was real or if this was all just a dream that she would wake up from.
Adrien3: I was wondering if you would like to get a coffee sometimes. It doesn't have to be a coffee. It could be anything, I just want to catch up and figure out this whole "I thought to be dead but now I'm back." Not that I only want to see you to solve this. I like you. I would get a coffee with you anytime...
Adrien3: Third Rail Coffee 11:30. If you want to go.
She totally ignored the context of the situation and the fact that he wanted to figure this out. She only saw it through her love hooded eyes. She may be 20 years old but she had totally not grown out of her "squealing and rolling on bed" phase. No, that phase was permanent, unfortunately.
She checked the time on her phone and nearly fell of the bed when she realized how late it was. She had somehow slept till 10:00 and only had an hour of so to actually make herself look presentable and not a hot mess.
She pulled her long raven hair out of it's bun let it rest on her shoulders. She softly padded towards her bathroom and stared the mirror. Her hair was knotted and twisted and seemed to poof out like a ball. Yeah, this was going to hurt. She grabbed her pink brush with intricate flowers painted on, and tugged it through her hair over and over what seemed eternity and a lot of arm switching she had calmed her hair down into it's normal state, straight with a slight wave at the bottom. Pleased with herself she exited the bathroom and picked out a light blue sleeveless dress. It stopped at her knees and flowed out. She decided to keep her hair down and let it sit on her shoulders.
She was surprisingly calm since she was going to be meeting Adrien soon and talking. WHich brought her back to another problem that needed to be dealt with quickly. Would she tell him she's Ladybug? She would have to explain everything to him and none of it would make sense if he didn't know she was Ladybug. She didn't want to lie again because look where that got her. Away from home and away from her life. She covered her face with her hands willing herself to not cry. She had spent the last 5 years dealing with this grief and now she could finally put an end to it. If anything she should be crying in happiness, for finally being able to get her life back. She force herself to tear her hands from her face and gave one last glance in the mirror.
"You can do this." She whispered to her reflection and gave a determined face, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes narrow. Her lips were set in a firm straight line. "You can do this."
P.O.V Adrien
Adrien had reserved a table at the cafe just in case the lunch rush would prevent them from having to find another place. The manager had owed him a favor so he had reserved a small seat in the back near the large window. It was on the corner of a street, making two of the four walls have large windows.
The light streamed in, golden beams that painted the table and chairs in it's golden hue. He pulled out my chair and sat down, his hands fidgeting underneath the table. He pulled out his phone, for what seemed the like the hundredth and checked his messages. She hadn't responded or gave him any indication that she would come. But he had come anyway, clinging to a strip of fools hope.
11:27. Still 3 minutes. And even if it was 11:30 he would stay for hours in case she came. He would wait. Time ticked by, seconds turned into minutes, and his nervousness turned into dejection. She wasn't going to come, was she? He should've known better than to get his hopes up. He glanced one more time at his phone, 11:55.
He stood up warily and grabbed the jacket that rested on on his chair. He didn't bother putting it on though, he was to tired. Tired of always letting people slip through his fingers. Marinette. Nino. Mother. Mother.
Flashback: "Mommy, why do you have bruises?" a blond boy said, his small arms wrapped around his mother. "Did dad get mad at you?" He asked, fully aware of what was happening between his parents. The young women looked up, her tear stained cheeks glistened and she gave him a small smile.
"He didn't mean it." She whispered to the boy, she seemed to be trying to persuade herself more than her son. "He told me he didn't mean it."
The boy frowned at his mother, clearly disappointed in her for believing what his father had said.
"Daddy lies." He was now grasping his mother's shoulder, squeezing them, trying to make her believe him. Trying to knock some sense into her. "You said you would call for help if it happened again." He said sternly. "If you can't stop this than I will." He let go of his mother and walked towards the landline that was plugged into the wall.
"He said he loved me." Was all she said, staring blankly at the floor, the light that used to be in her eyes had left when the beatings had started. She was a beautiful broken doll. Only being held together by strings, that were ready to snap at any moment.
The boy gazed at his mother, sorrow filled his eyes and he could feel warm tears make their way down his cheeks.
He pressed the first digit.
9.
Then the second.
1.
He couldn't press the last one.
He collapsed on the ground, his eyes gradually swelling up from the salty tears that filled them. He was exhausted from this life. From the bruises on his mother's pale skin. From the scars that traced his mother's wrist. From the lies she had believed. They should've left before it had gotten this bad. They should've grabbed their suitcases and left.
End of flashback
He was about to walk away from the table when he glimpsed bell blue eyes looking right at him through the window. He stopped dead in his track, his legs cemented to the floor.
He took in the sight before him, Marinette in a light blue dress and her raven hair down, draped on her shoulders. Her blue eyes were wide open, giving her a "deer caught in headlights" look. Her cheeks were flushed red and her rosebud lips were slightly opened in a "gasp" shape. He tore his feet from their spot on the ground and sprinted through the cafe. Dodging waiters, tables, and customers. He shoved the glass door open and twisted his body around the corner. He was about 6 meters away from her, which he covered in a matter of seconds.
He gave her a grin and reached his hand out, not sure whether his hands were shaking from excitement or the 5 espressos he had drank while waiting.
P.O.V Marinette
"You coming in?" He asked, letting a little bit of Chat Noir slip into his voice and smile. She was slightly taken back from his attitude but smiled nonetheless. Though she hadn't expected this side of him she wasn't against it.
Not the best place to end but I really just wanted to give you a chapter. I hope you likfed it. This story will be like 30 chapters in case you wanted to know. As always, love y'all!
