start notes—

Chat Noir goes on a mission to the past, and it hurts too much.

my tellonym: milkisande

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time travel

this time we had,
i will hold forever.

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BUNNYX warns him that he shouldn't stay for too long.

It's a simple mission, after all— get in, ensure Master Fu meets Marinette that day on the street, and him outside the school, and that the two of them receive their Miraculous. All he really has to do is maybe put up a roadblock or a stop sign, but he can't find it in himself to leave so soon.

Instead, Adrien Agreste walks toward the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

"What are you doing?" Bunnyx's voice rings in his ear— a telepathic talent she'd developed over years of training in costume (and one that he personally finds quite irritating).

"Calm down," he replies instead. "This is all part of the plan."

"No, Chat, the plan is that you get Master Fu to the bakery. Not you." She sighs, and her voice shifts to a softer tone. "Look, Adrien, I know you want to see her but you can't do this. It's too dangerous."

Adrien's eyes shift downward, and he takes a deep breath in. "I won't do anything," he says. "I swear. Besides, I know for a fact that she won't be there yet." He laughs softly to himself. "It's too early; she'll still be asleep."

"But we can't take that risk. What if her parents recognize you?"

"It's been almost fifteen years, Alix. I doubt they'll recognize me now. And at this point in time, I haven't even met them yet." Adrien tips his shades downward, and shifts the tie along his black trenchcoat. "I'm disguised, too. Trust me, I just need to order something to get this plan moving, okay?"

He hears her sigh, audibly exhausted, but she caves. "Fine," Bunnyx finally says. "Just be quick, alright? And no small talk either." Her voice quiets down. "This is important. Please don't do anything to jeopardize this."

"Thank you," Adrien replies. There's still a lot of things left unsaid, things that hang heavily in the air, but they choose to ignore it.

Now isn't the time.

He enters the bakery.

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It's the smell that hits him first—

That unique blend of scents from freshly-baked goods and sweets that waft pleasantly across the room. Sure, the bakery still stands years into the future (something he's always been thankful), but there's something new and at the same time nostalgic about entering the place it was years before.

And he sees them: a small, tout, woman lightheartedly berating her husband, an almost-gigantic man who would've been intimidating if not for his kind smile and altogether too-sweet demeanour.

Adrien's mind flashes back to a few years later, with him bowing down to them, nervously asking for their blessing to have their daughter's hand in marriage.

Being held in the token Dupain-Cheng family hug.

His mind's distracted as a familiar voice rings through the store: "Well hello there, what can I get for you today?"

"Ah," he coughs. "I'll take anything you recommend. I'm not really in the mood for anything specific."

The small lady nods as she looks along the shelf of goods, before retrieving a single tray of macarons from the fridge. They're bright pink, and he recognizes them as soon as they enter his sight.

They're hers. She made them.

"Now these aren't actually our creations, but our daughter, who's extremely talented at great at baking, is—,"

"No need," he replies, quickly retrieving his wallet. "I'll take it."

(It takes a few minutes for him to retrieve bills that were still used in the period he was in, but he does have enough.)

"Great! Then I'll get that right out for you." She smiles brightly. "Will you be eating it on the way out?"

"Yes, thanks Miss Dupain-Cheng."

As soon as the statement escapes his mouth, they both pause in surprise— Adrien, even more so. "I mean, that is you, right? Since this is the Dupain-Cheng bakery…"

To his relief, the adult woman simply smiles at him. "You're right. I'm Sabine," she replies. "And this is a family-owned business. You've heard of us, then?"

Adrien scratches his head. "I've heard that your family makes the best sweets in all of Paris."

Sabine laughs. "Well, I don't know about that." She says easily, before winking. "But I'm glad someone seems to enjoy our food to that level."

He nods along absentmindedly. "So even your daughter bakes, then? That must be great."

"It is!" Sabine replies, softly humming along as she carefully reheats the macaron. "She helps out sometimes— that is, if she wakes up on time." The parent laughs to herself, suddenly looks at him, then wonders aloud. "Do you have kids?"

Adrien smiles back at her, though it's a little less genuine. "I wish I could've been so lucky, but no, unfortunately."

"Oh," Sabine replies, sympathetic. "Sorry if I was intruding."

"No, no," Adrien's quick to reply. "It's okay! I did want kids— me and my wife, but we were never blessed with them."

"Well," Sabine hums. "It's not too late to keep trying! Marinette… my daughter, she was a little surprise to our family. Our little miracle."

Hearing her name escape her mother's lips is a little too much to handle.

A flash of her father, oftentimes towering, hunched downward, head buried in his hands, never looking smaller than he'd ever been then. Her mother's aghast face, kneeling beside him, holding onto his frame like it was the end of the world.

(And maybe it was. He felt like it was. They all did.)

Adrien swallows down the sudden rush of emotion, and instead plasters on a happy expression. "I'd love to try again. It's everything we ever wanted."

"Then I wish both of you luck." Sabine smiles, kind, full of good intent, as she passes him two macarons— one ready-to-eat, and the other neatly tied into a box. "For your wife," she winks. "I hope you'll come again."

Adrien smiles, again, and whispers, "thanks," before immediately walking away.

Bunnyx was right, after all. It was too much.

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After his visit at the Dupain-Cheng bakery, Adrien immediately makes his way to Master Fu.

The experience is a whole other mess of emotions— he wonders if it's because he's been thrown so far into the past, but the memory of their guardian sacrificing himself to save them becomes a fresh wound, and he actively has to shake off the feeling.

He doesn't introduce himself, of course; it's too risky, but he finds a way to catch the older man's attention.

With Marinette's macarons.

(Even now, she still finds a way to help him. It's a strange feeling, like she's right there, working with him to complete the mission together.)

As Master Fu steps outside his shop, Adrien strategically walks past, bumping into him as they both tumble into the ground; dropping the macaron box as near as he can to the guardian.

"I'm so sorry!"

"Please don't worry, it's okay." Master Fu's quick to respond— quite agile for his age, and easily picks himself back up. He bends down and picks up the box, offering it to the younger male. "Here, I believe this is yours?"

"Oh, thank you so much," Adrien replies, taking it into his hand. "The Dupain-Cheng's have the best sweets in town; it'd be a waste if they were ruined."

"The Dupain-Chengs…." Master Fu hums, leaning over his cane as if in thought. "That's the bakery in Rue Gotlib, is it?"

"Yes, I love what they make there," Adrien continues, as if hooking in bait. "It tastes delicious—," then, as if in thought, he suddenly returns the box. "Please, try some."

"No, that's alright…"

"I insist," Adrien presses on. "Take it as my apology for bumping into you."

"Well, I'm not one to say no to a free meal," Master Fu laughs, then pops the macaron into his mouth in one gulp. His face lights up almost immediately. "That is lovely! And they're currently open?"

Adrien smiles. This was child's play. "Yes, just got these fresh off the oven earlier today." Then, he drops the hint. "These macarons are actually made by the family's daughter— she seems really sweet, and talented too."

"A daughter, hm?" Master Fu looks deep in thought, then nods to himself. "Then, maybe I should order a box for myself. Thank you, sir…"

"Just a friendly stranger passing by," Adrien finishes on for him. Master Fu nods in understanding. (If anything, he was the expert on secret identities, after all.)

"Maybe you'll allow me to treat you some time? I'm sure that macaron was meant for someone else."

"Maybe in the future," Adrien responds, still smiling at him. "And it's completely okay— I don't think she could've eaten them, anyway."

At that, he excuses himself, making up some half-baked excuse about having somewhere else to be.

Adrien doesn't really remember.

His heart feels heavy and it's becoming so much more than he can handle.

He doesn't belong here.

Not anymore.

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The next, and final, task involves much less talking— simply needing to follow Master Fu around and ensure that the Miraculous end up in their hands.

Adrien's relieved to find that he doesn't have to do much to get his own Miraculous, seeing the guardian quickly end up at their school after finding out about Marinette.

He watches with slight awe as the younger him helps Master Fu without a moment's notice, with his expression souring as he's escorted back into the limousine.

Things were never easy back then. (They never got easier even after he was 'free'— but Marinette always had a way of making things seem much better than they were. She always knew what to say.)

As soon as the Younger Adrien leaves, Bunnyx's voice rings in his ear. "Good job, Chat. Now it's time to go."

"Wait."

"What do you mean wait, it's done. The Miraculous are in the right hands. You need to go."

"Wait."

His voice is soft, almost too quiet to be heard, but it's so set and determined that even Bunnyx pauses in her tracks.

Then: "I just want to see one thing."

"Adrien, you know I can't…"

"Please." He whispers it, but she can hear the crack in his voice. Hear the crack in his heart. "I just want to see her."

Bunnyx sighs.

"How long do you need?"

"Just give me the end of the day."

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Adrien spends the rest of the afternoon walking around Paris.

It's strange, being somewhere so familiar yet unfamiliar, somewhere so new yet so nostalgic, all at the same time. He decides to stay away from the school and all the places he knows she'll be, simply because he's not ready.

Not yet.

Just a few more hours.

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It's raining.

Adrien watches from outside, as the dark clouds serve well to cover his grown frame. Students are walking outside as the bell signals the end of classes for the day, and he waits.

He waits until they slowly fill out until only two people are left in the entire school building.

He's not sure if he's ready for this.

She walks out of the building.

He knows he's not ready for this.

Adrien almost slips over the concrete. It feels like the wind's knocked out of his lungs; seeing her all over again, he can't help but gasp for air. She was right there. Standing plainly like there wasn't anything wrong in the world.

Like she hadn't destroyed his own.

He has to stop himself from running to her. From confirming for himself that she isn't fake; not another figment of his imagination coming to haunt him after months of nightmares and night terrors.

Instead, he breathes in.

And he waits, as a Younger Him walks next to her.

Adrien's not close enough to hear their exchange, but it doesn't matter because he already knows those words by heart. Their first conversation forever carved into his memory as the first time he ever spoke with his soulmate.

He watches as his younger self extends his hand to give her umbrella, and how she reaches out to take it.

"You know, I felt something when our hands touched," Adrien begins, fully aware that Bunnyx was watching the whole spectacle from her burrow. "I just… I didn't know what it was yet. It was a new feeling… but I know my body knew before my mind did: that I had met my soulmate."

He laughs as the umbrella closes over Marinette's head.

"Apparently that was when she fell in love with me." Adrien continues, smiling forlornly. "Can you believe that? No normal person would fall in love with someone that quickly. We spoke less than a hundred words to each other. And we just met."

He pauses, watching as the Younger Him drives away, and as Tikki flies out from Marinette's bag to speak with her.

"But I think subconsciously, she knew too. That we were meant-to-be. That I loved her, and that she loved me. We just didn't know it at the time… not yet."

The tear rolls down Adrien's face before he can stop it.

Then they don't stop at all.

A torrent of tears, unstoppable. He can't breathe. He can't speak. He can't stand. He exhales deeply, and desperately tries to rub away the sadness. The grief. The loss.

Adrien only realizes he's no longer in the past when Bunnyx's arms wrap around his body.

He feels lost.

And Marinette's no longer there to guide him.

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Adrien kneels down onto the soil, and sets down a bouquet of flowers.

He lights a candle— scented, sweet, and lays it on the grass.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng

"I miss you."

Beloved friend, daughter, and wife.

"I love you."

Our Everyday Ladybug.

"I'll never forget you."

May she rest in peace.

"Goodbye."

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end notes—

i know i said it'd be short but i love time travel aus so ! here we go again ! (i did this same prompt with the same love square ship in the last chapter of marichat may if youre interested ;u;) both are kinda angsty i think but this ended up way more depressing than it was meant to be ,, hsdkjfs

i'll leave it up to imagination on how ladybug d-worded (also for my own peace of mind so i can stop thinking abt them suffering) ! also the prompt was taken from a prompts account on tumblr ! (i dont really remember the acc but i'll update this when i do) - anw as always:

thank you for reading! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～