This fic explores a couple of my headcanons. It was conceived prior to Season 4 so it ignores most of the major plot developments from that point on, but may borrow a few titbits here and there for flavour. Most importantly, nobody has learned the identities of either Ladybug or Chat Noir.
Thanks to my betas lizziemagic from Miraculous Discordance (discord dot gg slash QwgKdUhJNJ) and Agrestefanfictions from Miraculous Fanworks (discord dot gg slash mlfanworks) on Discord.
"Before you go, Bug, I might be delayed if Hawk Moth decides to send out an akuma this weekend. I'll be attending a friend's wedding and it could take some time to get away."
Ladybug looked at him strangely for a few moments. "I have a wedding to attend as well," she said carefully.
"Wouldn't it be weird if we were going to the same wedding? We could both be guests and not even know it!" Even as he said it he knew it was impossible.
"I doubt it. Mine is a small wedding, they're all close friends I have known for years."
"Mine too. But it would still be funny." Or sadistically cruel, if the suspicions he once held about Ladybug's identity hadn't been proven wrong during Kwamibuster all those years ago. He turned to face her. "I might actually be grateful for an akuma. I'd rather face ten of them than watch the girl I love marry someone else," Adrien said, an edge of bitterness infecting his tone.
Adrien let his eyes wander over the crowd assembled on the decks of the Liberty. Nino, Alya, Kim, Max, Alix… most of his school friends were there to celebrate the end of Kitty Section's final tour. The party was an impromptu reunion of sorts, and Adrien was happy for the chance to spend an evening catching up with his old classmates. The only notable omissions were Sabrina and Chloe – the former still never going anywhere unless she was following the latter.
Although Kitty Section had some modest success on the indie circuit playing small venues around Europe, the responsibilities of adulthood and rigours of touring made it harder for them to spend time away from Paris. Ivan was anxious to start a family with Mylène after two years of marriage.
Earlier in the night, Adrien learned that Luka planned to open a music shop specialising in hand-crafted instruments. Juleka would be working part-time in the shop while she built up her modelling portfolio, Adrien having already introduced her to a few contacts to get started in the business. As for Rose… actually, he wasn't sure what Rose's plans were. Adrien knew she studied social work at university, so he assumed she intended to do something in that field. He would have to make some time with her tonight to ask.
Besides the odd spontaneous jam session, Adrien had been unable to play with the band since university. When the demands that his father – Gabriel, he mentally corrected – placed on him to carry on "the family business" finally overwhelmed his once extensive list of extracurriculars, Adrien was forced to give up a large portion of his already dwindling social life. Carefully orchestrated public relations and networking events had replaced casual meet-ups with friends. Of course, that was before Adrien effectively severed ties with the man who once had his life scheduled down to the minute. Even back then, he had managed to catch up with Nino and Alya every few weeks and remained in contact with Kagami despite her frequent visits to Japan. As for Marinette, well, that was a different story.
Adrien was just turning towards the drinks table when his breath caught in his throat at the sound of her voice, a voice he had not heard in several months.
"Hel- hello, Adrien."
Adrien felt his heartbeat accelerating as he turned to face the gorgeous woman standing behind him, her hands clasped nervously in front of the knee-length floral blue cocktail dress she wore. Marinette's lustrous black hair shimmered almost midnight blue under the deck lights. She had grown it out since lycée, her long dark locks forming an alluring contrast against the pale glow of her skin. "Wow, you look beautiful," the compliment slipped out before Adrien realised what he was saying. He shook his head and cleared his throat when he saw Marinette's cheeks flush pink in response. "H-hey, Mari. How are you?" Adrien took great care to keep his eyes on her face.
"I'm well. I feel settled for the first time in a long while."
"That's good to hear. You must be happy to have Luka back."
"Yeah, this last tour was a long one. How about you? How does it feel to finally branch out on your own?"
"It's been an adjustment, but a necessary one. I couldn't keep letting Gabriel dictate my life, but I would have been lost without your parents." When Adrien finally moved out of the mansion, Tom and Sabine became the closest thing to family Adrien had. The older couple helped him navigate the challenges of truly living on his own for the first time. During the periods Adrien had been forced to work and study overseas, Gabriel had the Gorilla go along to keep tabs on his son and take care of his daily needs. While Adrien had chafed under that arrangement, it helped him deal with the inconveniences of living away from home. Once he moved out on his own, Adrien's lack of self-sufficiency became apparent. After a few weeks living off take away and accumulating a huge pile of unwashed clothes, he finally swallowed his pride and trudged on autopilot through pouring rain to the bakery. He was saddened to find Marinette wasn't there, having recently moved into her own place, but Tom and Sabine took Adrien under their wing to teach him the basic life skills his father had neglected.
"They've always liked you," her smile was genuine, lighting up the evening. "If you need help with anything, please let me know."
"I'll keep that in mind. How's the boutique?" Adrien knew Marinette had rented a small shopfront a few streets from her apartment near the Place de Vosges the previous year, using money saved from the online commissions she had been taking since lycée.
"It's been so busy! There's always something going wrong with the building, or with orders, or suppliers. The first few months were pretty lean, but I'm starting to get a base of regular clients now."
"That's terrific, Marinette. I knew you'd make it. If you're ever looking for a model..." he left it hanging, unsure if he really wanted her to accept. Working that closely with Marinette would undoubtedly open many old wounds for him.
"It's sweet of you to offer, but I don't think I could afford you," Marinette's soft laughter cut off as her attention was drawn by Luka waving her over. "Sorry, Adrien," she smiled at him, "I better go see what he wants."
"You wouldn't have to pay…" but the reply died on Adrien's lips as he watched her leave, giving Luka a quick wave as she did so. God, why did all their interactions have to feel so stilted? The conversations they had back in the day were their own unique brand of awkward, with the Marinette word salad that always seemed to crop up when he was around, but they held a gentle sincerity that was absent nowadays. He almost felt like he was crossing a line just by talking to her and missed the closeness they shared when they were younger.
Adrien returned his attention to the drinks table, selecting a light beer. He had already eaten enough tonight that one wouldn't hurt. Given Gabriel's rigid control over his diet, Adrien had come to alcohol much later in life than his peers. He quickly discovered that booze and miraculous magic were not a good mix. Although his kwami could cushion the worst effects while transformed, it was usually not worth the five-alarm hangover and Plagg's merciless temper when he returned to his civilian self.
Adrien was returning to Alya and Nino when he heard tapping on a microphone through the speakers set up around the band dais. Luka stood up there, the last remnants of teal dye contrasting sharply with his dark hair under the spotlight. "I want to thank everyone for coming to our welcome home bash. It was a long tour, and we're all glad to be back in Paris! Now, this isn't the end for Kitty Section. We'll still get together from time to time, but we will be taking a break for a while. I want to thank my bandmates for the ride – it's been a blast." Luka raised his glass in acknowledgement and took a swig.
"We aren't kids anymore, and some of us decided it was time to settle down and become the adults we're supposed to be. Speaking of which, I have one more announcement to make before we finish up for the night." Luka focussed his attention on Marinette, who was standing off to the side. "When we got back in this morning, the first thing I did was visit my Melody –" he was cut off by catcalls and wolf whistles. "Not like that. Get your minds out of the gutter!" he protested half-heartedly. Although Luka laughed along with the crowd, it sounded forced to Adrien's ears. He really didn't want to speculate about the physical side of their relationship, and Marinette didn't appreciate that kind of public attention. She had already turned her head in embarrassment, hand raised to obscure her face. There was a momentary pause while Luka searched the crowd, finally locking eyes with Adrien. "The second she opened the door, I asked her to marry me, and she said yes!"
It was like a punch in the gut. In fact, a gut punch would have been a mild tickle, a joy, compared to the molten lead weight suddenly dragging his stomach through the soles of his feet. Deep down, some part of him had held out hope Marinette and Luka's relationship would peter out like it had so many times before. That he would get one more chance to be with her, this time without Gabriel throwing a spanner in the works. He stumbled backwards and crumpled down onto a bench seat, numb to the cheers and applause that erupted around him. It was a miracle Adrien hadn't dropped the half-empty bottle he was holding. He felt an arm reach around his waist and looked up to see Nino's familiar cap and headphones. "I know this has gotta be rough, dude, but will you be OK?" Adrien barely heard his best friend over the boisterous conversation around them, but yeah, Nino knew what was up.
"I've gotta… I've gotta talk to Mari."
"Nah, dude, just chill here for a bit. They're surrounded by people now, so take a minute to get your head together." Nino looked at him, eyes crinkled with sympathy.
"I have to tell her," Adrien's tone was desperate, but Nino's only response was to tighten his grip.
"Don't," Alya interjected as she sat on Adrien's other side, patting his knee.
"But I have to. I have to know if there's a chance…if I ever…if I ever had a chance…" he deflated miserably. A small part of him was ashamed his façade had shattered so utterly. Years living with Gabriel had taught him to hide his emotions better than this.
"Don't you fucking dare, Agreste." Even at low volume, Alya's tone was like forged steel. "It took her years to get over you. Don't ruin this for her, or I will end you." The look she gave him over her glasses would have given Madame Mendeleiev pause.
Adrien peered at his friends, dumbfounded. "What…what are you talking about?"
Alya narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, but she finally took pity on him after a few heartbeats. She sighed, "I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. All through collège and lycée, even university, Mari had the biggest crush on you. Why do you think she was so shy and awkward all the time? She died a little inside whenever you called her your 'very good friend'. She would start to think she had a chance, and then you would say or do something that convinced her she had no hope, or you'd disappear for months at a time. Mari knew it wasn't deliberate, but it still hurt her, and she'd fall back in with Luka every time. Then you'd come back and appear to show some interest, only for her to get disheartened, and it all started again."
"Babe," Nino admonished, "you don't need to be that harsh."
"I don't want to be, but he needs to understand how much it took for her to let go of him. What he's feeling now is what she felt back then, but it's too late." Alya's expression softened as she returned her attention to Adrien. "Luka was there for Mari when she needed someone, when you weren't, and they've finally got their shit together. We all hoped you would figure it out, Sunshine, but you missed your chance. Now you need to suck it up, paste that perfect model smile on your face, and act like you're happy for her, or you'll lose whatever friendship the two of you have left."
"I…no…this is…this is too much." Adrien was suddenly overwhelmed by a pressure building below his ribs. This was all coming at him too fast, more than he could process. He stood abruptly and staggered to the stern of the boat. Upon reaching his destination, Adrien promptly leaned over the railing so his stomach could heave its contents into the river below. Anyone watching would assume he was drunk, but he'd barely had half his beer.
All that time he'd wasted! All that time when she was right there if he'd only seen her waiting. And fucking Gabriel keeping him away from her too. He wouldn't be surprised if that was deliberate. The old bastard always made sure to stick his nose into Adrien's personal life.
"Rough night, son?" Adrien looked across to see the afterdeck was not as deserted as he'd thought. The large frame of Tom Dupain leaned with his back against the railing, tie loosened, and shirtsleeves rolled to the elbow.
"Not for the reason you might think," Adrien responded, bile still burning his throat. "This is still my first," he said, his hand shaking as he gestured with the beer bottle he had somehow managed to retain.
"I didn't think it was the beer." Tom gave him a sympathetic look. "I take it that announcement came as a bit of a shock?"
Adrien grimaced in reply. Tom had become a surrogate father figure while the Dupain-Chengs had helped him realise his independence. They bonded over a shared love of puns and video games. Tom willingly lent an ear for Adrien to talk about whatever was troubling him. It wasn't just advice on mundane concerns like fixing a leaky tap or changing a tyre. Adrien also spoke to Tom about things he wished he could discuss with his own father, like his dreams for the future and what he wanted to do with his life. Tom was well aware Adrien hoped that future would include Marinette.
"You remember when you asked me how you would know that you truly loved someone?"
"Y- Yes." Adrien eyed Tom warily, unsure where this was going.
"And I told you that you would know because their happiness would mean more to you than your own. That you would willingly give up anything for even one second of their happiness. Not because they ask it of you, but because they don't. That you'd do it gladly because you can't imagine not doing it. Well, that's what you're going to do for my daughter now, isn't it?" When he wasn't caught up in the emotion of the moment, Tom could be surprisingly astute.
Adrien sighed, releasing a breath he didn't realise he was holding. "Yes, Tom. That's exactly what I'm going to do for Marinette."
"That's what I thought," he said, walking over to stretch a large, friendly arm around Adrien's shoulders. "Let's get you freshened up so you can congratulate your friends on their engagement."
A very possessive, cat-like part of Adrien's mind was screaming for him to carry Marinette far away from here, to confess his feelings in as dramatic a fashion as possible. He was tempted, oh so sorely tempted, but Adrien had learned to respect boundaries after the fiasco with Ladybug. Instead, he allowed Tom to lead him below deck so he could make himself presentable before facing the rest of the evening.
