How to Adult

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Author's Note:

Hello, my dear readers! ~

Welcome back to my story! I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter. Thanks for all the love and kindness I've received so far from you all. Thanks to the love, I've decided to give you guys chapter 2 in advance. I actually planned on uploading it tomorrow, because I don't want to give the chapters away took quickly, so don't get used to the early uploads. ;D I'm sorry if things haven't gotten interesting yet, but I don't want to rush things at this point. Hope you all understand! For now, enjoy the story! ~

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Warnings: OOC-ness, AU, adult language/swearing

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.

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Chapter Two: Surprise!

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Marinette's P.O.V.

''Adrien Agreste…'' Those words escaped my lips as my eyes landed on the familiar blonde. He hadn't changed that much, considering we all were 20 now. Or maybe that's just because I am standing too far away.

''Are you okay, Marinette?'' Tikki asked me. She had a worried glance in her eyes, but I was too busy to notice, still frozen in place, eyes wide.

''Make this quick, okay?'' The bodyguard, let's just name him the Gorilla, spoke. At least, that's what I could overhear.

Adrien didn't seem to notice me, instead climbing up some stairs to a door on the far end of the street. What's he doing here? Suddenly, a sad feeling washed over me. Does he even want me in his life? Why am I standing here like I want him to notice me? He clearly is on a tight schedule and has a new life. If he really wanted me to be a part of it, he would've called. With that thought, I turned on my heels and walked to other way, towards my car and got in.

''What's up, Marinette? Don't you wanna say hi?'' Tikki asked me. There was a worried tone in her voice.

''It's okay, Tikki. I guess we have our own lives now.'' The tone of my voice was more sad than I thought it would be. Maybe it did bother me more than I'd let myself admit. With a sigh, I started the engine and drove away, a heavy feeling in my heart.

-X-

The moment I arrived at my small apartment, I dropped the keys on the kitchen counter and face-flopped first on my bed in the far corner of the room.

''Marinette, don't feel sad. I'm sure he would be happy to see you again.'' Tikki tried to cheer me up.

''I'm not so sure about that.'' I sighed. ''He never called any of us, and since he's back, he hasn't exactly made an attempt to contact one of us.''

Tikki sighed. ''Maybe he has a different number? I know for starters you have a different number than when you were 15. And don't you think he has been busy?''

I turned around on my back and stared at the ceiling. ''Yeah… maybe. I just feel like he is so far away from me now. He is some sort of celebrity now, and I am just Marinette.''

Tikki went to fly next to me and landed on my pillow, beside my head. ''You aren't just Marinette. You're an amazingly talented fashion designer, with a heart of gold, always ready to help others. If you were just Marinette, Master Fu wouldn't have chosen you to become Ladybug.''

I shot her a thankful smile. ''Thanks, Tikki.'' My hands went towards my earlobes. I still wore my Miraculous earrings every day, even though I hadn't transformed in 5 years. ''I wonder why Master Fu hasn't taken back our Miraculouses, even though there hasn't been a major crisis in Paris for so long.''

''I'm sure he has his reasons. Don't tell me you don't like me being here.'' My red kwami asked me with a pout.

I tickled her little belly and she squirmed and let out a giggle. ''Of course not, Tikki! I am so happy to still have you by my side every day. It's just… you know… I've been wondering . Does Chat Noir still have Plagg around? Where is he and what's he doing? Do you think he's still in Paris?''

Tikki sighed. ''You know I can't answer that, Marinette.''

''Yeah, yeah, secrecy and all. You know, now that Paris doesn't need us anymore, can you really not tell me who Chat Noir is, behind the mask?''

''No, Marinette! A secret identity is all a superhero has, when it comes to privacy. Would you like it if Plagg ratted you out like that to Chat Noir? If Chat Noir wants to tell you who he is, then that must be his choice.''

I let out a groan. ''Fine…'' At that point, my cellphone started ringing. I looked at the caller-ID and saw it was Alya.

''Hey girl!'' My best friend greeted me, after I picked up. ''Are you free?''

''I guess? I just got home. I finished the dress for miss Beauchêne, and was planning on eating dinner, watching some Netflix and then go to sleep?''

''Forget about all that! Fancy yourself up and get your ass over to the park.''

''And why, if I may ask?''

''Because me and our old classmates and friends are throwing Adrien a welcome-back party and I figured you'd want to be a part of that.''

My eyes widened and I sat up straight. ''You mean, there's going to be a party at the park tonight to celebrate Adrien's return and he's going to be there?''

''Well, technically, Adrien doesn't know yet that we're about to throw this party for him. I came up with the idea myself this afternoon, after returning from Spain. I called Gorilla to make arrangements and he'll make sure Adrien ends up here at 9. Me and some others are at the park now, doing some final preparations. Don't you think this is a great occasion to get back in touch with him?''

''I don't know, Alya… Should we really do this?''

''What's up with you, Mari? Aren't you excited Adrien's back?''

''I am, I am! It's just… if he didn't try to contact us, do you really think he would be happy if we threw a surprise party for him?''

''Mari, just shut up and change into some cute clothes. Meet you in the park at 8:30 PM.''

Before I could say another word, Alya had hung up the phone and I was left staring at the black screen of my phone.

''Are you gonna go, Marinette?'' Tikki asked me.

''Well, I feel like I kinda have to, now. Alya expects me there and it would be weird to be the only one of our old group to not show up.'' I sighed. Some part of me was excited and ready to see Adrien again, but the other part held me back. I was anxious, maybe even cautious. Maybe I was scared to get close to Adrien again, because he might get up and leave again. I didn't want to emotionally invest myself in someone again like that, if I could get hurt so easily. I wasn't even sure what I thought about him. Was I still crushing? Or did I see him as just a friend?

''Come on, Marinette. If you're going anyway, might as well dress up in something cute. It is a party, after all.'' Tikki tried to encourage me.

I sighed and got up. ''Okay, what to wear?'' I made my way over to my closet and opened the doors, looking at all the clothes on the coat hangers, hoping to get some inspiration from looking at them.

''What about a cute dress?'' Tikki suggested. She flew to one of the coat hangers and dropped on top of it. ''Try this one!'' She jumped up so I could grab it.

I grabbed the dress from my closet and studied it closely. It was a white-crème tight dress, made from lace, with long sleeves. It's length reached to just past my knees. It had been hanging in my closet for a while, because I could never find the right occasion to wear it.

''Try it on, Marinette!'' My little kwami spoke in an excited manner.

I hesitated for a moment, before I shrugged. ''Why the heck not.'' I changed into the dress and found some nude-colored pumps to complete my look. I decided to keep my hair down, but curl the ends, so that it would flow loosely over my shoulders. I quickly ate a sandwich, before heading to my vanity. I didn't really change my make-up, since the make-up I had applied that morning still looked decent. Besides, I didn't want to go overboard. It was a casual party. I brushed my teeth, then grabbed my shoulder bag and ushered Tikki into my bag. ''I know you can't show yourself, but it would mean a lot if you were there.''

Tikki shot me a sweet smile. ''Of course, Marinette! Everywhere you go, I go! I'll be in your bag if you need me.''

Then, with a final sigh, as if to give myself some courage, I left my apartment.

-X-

It didn't take long for me to reach the park. It was still the same as always, the fountain still adorning the mid-section and the park benches still in the same spot as I remembered them. When I looked around, I saw that Alya had really made work of the situation. Little party lights were hanging from tree to tree, Nino was standing behind the DJ table and there were tables filled with little snacks and there was an alcoholic table and a non-alcoholic table, with enough beverages. Almost everybody was here, and it was nice to see some old faces again. I always thought my classmates from my second year in middle school were my favorite class. They even were my classmates for the third year as well. When we finished middle school, some of them went to the same High School me, Alya and Nino went to. But not all of them. So seeing their faces here really made me want to talk to them and ask them how they had been. Before I had the chance to, Alya spotted me and waved me over.

''Marinette! You look amazing!'' She then shot me a mischievous smile. ''Put in a little extra effort for our boy Adrien, huh?'' She elbowed me in the process.

I rolled my eyes. ''Oh, shut up, Alya.''

She stifled a giggle. ''Come on, let's talk to some old friends!'' She then grabbed my wrist and guided me to some familiar faces.

It was nice to catch up with a lot of them. Mylène and Ivan were still together, living in an apartment in Paris. Ivan was now in a band, singing metal music and Mylène did the management for the band. Nathaniel continued to grow as an artist, his artwork now in an exposition in a museum in France. Rose and Prince Ali were still seeing each other, Rose planning a trip to his kingdom soon. Juleka, Alix, Kim, Max, they were all there. Even Chloe was there, together with Sabrina. The two were still close and had definitely matured up, Chloe finally acting as a normal human being. She was helping her father run his hotel, so he could focus more on his Mayor duties, Sabrina being Chloe's assistant. It made me happy to see my old friends all grown up. When the clock struck 9 PM, Alya ushered everyone to their places.

''Everyone, he's going to be here any minute. Time to hide!'' She spoke excited.

''Aren't we a bit old for that?'' Kim asked, an eyebrow raised.

''Shush! Now hide!'' Alya silenced him.

Everybody shrugged and went to find shelter behind the trees, under park benches or underneath the tablecloths. I hid behind one of the trees further away from the party. It wasn't until long before the familiar limousine stopped in front of the park and the Gorilla opened the door for Adrien, who got out with a confused look.

''I don't understand. I thought we were going home?'' I heard the voice of Adrien ask his bodyguard.

At that moment, Alya jumped from behind her tree. ''SURPRISE!'' That was the cue for all the others to jump from their hiding spots as well and follow her lead, yelling 'Surprise!' in unison.

''Welcome back, Adrien!''

''Hey, Bro!''

The moment I left my hiding spot and walked closer towards the party, I saw Adrien's face full of shock and surprise, but it quickly morphed into laughter. ''Seriously, guys? You threw me a welcome-back party?''

Nino walked up to his former best friend and slung an arm around his shoulder. ''Of course, bro! We missed you, man! Welcome back!''

Adrien shot everybody a thankful smile, before his eyes met mine. Upon doing so, it seems like he froze for a split second, holding my gaze longer than he did with all the others. In the corner of my eye, I saw Alya smirking. She probably had the time of her life right now. Finally, Adrien broke our little moment and went to greet some of his old friends. Nino ran back to the DJ table and started up the first song. It wasn't until long before the party was in full swing.

-X-

''So, what was that earlier?'' Alya asked me, holding a beverage in her hand, raising her eyebrows at me. We were standing close to the beverage table and I was sipping my drink, glaring at all the guests at the party. Upon hearing her question, I nearly choked on my drink.

''What are you talking about?''

''Don't play dumb, Mari. I saw the way he held your gaze. Trust me, he didn't do that with the others.''

''That's probably because me, you and Nino have known him better than all the others here, with the exception of Chloe, of course.''

''Sure, Marinette. Keep telling yourself that.''

By that time, a blush had spread over my cheeks and I tried to dismiss the thought. It was then that my eyes found Adrien in the crowd. He was having a conversation with Kim, laughing and probably recalling memories. It was like he felt I was looking at him, because it didn't take him long to find my eyes. When he did, he excused himself towards Kim and headed my way.

''Oh, this should be good.'' Alya grinned. She quickly walked over towards Nino, leaving me by myself at the beverage table.

I mentally scolded her, before passing Adrien a smile, who had finally reach me.

''Hey, Marinette.'' He smiled.

I could tell by his body language that he wasn't sure if he was supposed to hug me or shake my hand or something. So I lifted my hand and gave him a small wave, mentally slapping myself afterwards for being so lame. ''H-Hey, Adrien! What's up?'' I mentally frowned at myself for stammering. I had thought that would've gone away by now, after 5 years apart.

Adrien flashed me a smile. ''You look lovely, this evening.''

The compliment managed to make my cheeks flush. I found it hard to maintain direct eye-contact with him. So instead, I let my gaze wander down, noticing how much Adrien actually had changed over the years. His hair may have stayed the same, but his physique appearance definitely had changed. Over the years, he really had built up some muscle, and his face was more mature, a strong jawline defining his features. He had gotten even more handsome than he already had been when he was 15. Upon realizing that, my blush only seemed to grow and I started to stammer, realizing I still hadn't returned his compliment from before. ''T-Thanks. You too! Wow, you've changed.''

''So did you! I barely recognized you, with your hair down like that.'' Adrien smiled at me. ''I guess 5 years can do a lot to a person.''

''Yeah, I guess you're right.'' An awkward silence followed soon afterwards, where we both seemed to be looking for words, a blush adorning our faces. The moment Adrien seemed to want to speak up, we then got interrupted by other people, who waved for Adrien's attention, to which he shot me an apologetic smile. ''Sorry, Mari. I'm gonna go greet some other friends. Talk to you later?''

I gave him a nod. ''Sure thing.'' I then watched him leave, letting a sigh escape my lips. It didn't take long for Alya to join my side again.

''Soooo?'' She asked me hopeful.

''We said hello?''

''No way that that's all! What else did he say?'' Alya was really out on getting the details, it seemed.

''Well, he said I looked lovely?'' Upon saying that, Alya let out an excited squeal.

''Score! That's good, Mari! Now you'll just have to seduce him!''

''S-Seduce him?'' I stammered, my cheeks flaming up once again.

''Yeah! Don't you want him to notice you?''

''I'd rather just want to take it slow, actually. I have no idea what he thinks of me and honestly, I don't even know what I think about him, myself.''

Alya let out a sigh, but then smiled at me. ''Okay, but let me know if you need my help, okay?''

I nodded at her and she then left to talk to some of our other friends. I decided to follow her example and mingle with the others, until the end of the evening. Around 12, Alya announced we were supposed to break the party up, because we otherwise would disrupt the peace and quiet of the neighborhood, since it was still a Thursday evening. Everybody said goodbye to one another. After my conversation with Adrien, we hadn't had another chance to talk to one another. I figured he was busy socializing with everybody. It had been 5 years after all, not to mention he had gathered some international fame now. I wouldn't be surprised if some girls had their eye on him now, even when they didn't before. Upon thinking that, a heavy feeling fell down over me and I let out a sigh.

''Time to go home.'' I spoke, more for Tikki to hear in my bag. I'm sure she had a lot of questions for me, once we got back. I walked over towards Alya and Nino, the first seeming to notice my gloomy mood.

''Something up, Marinette?'' She asked me.

I shook my head, trying to force a smile. ''No, I'm okay. It was nice to see everybody again.'' My eyes then wandered over to Adrien, who was talking to Chloe. Alya followed my gaze and placed a hand on my shoulder.

''Hey, I know it's hard, figuring out what you feel and what to do. But just take your time, Mari. As far as I know, he won't be going anywhere anytime soon.'' She said with a wink.

I gave Alya a thankful smile, wrapping her in a hug. ''Thanks, Alya. You always know what to say.'' I then offered to help her clean up the remaining decorations of the party, but she dismissed me with a hand gesture.

''You need to be fit tomorrow. Miss Beauchêne is coming to pick up her dress after all. I want you to be in good shape. Me and Nino will take care of cleaning up.'' She smiled.

I shot her a thankful glance and then bid her and Nino farewell, waving goodbye to all the others as well, before leaving the park and walking towards my car. When I rummaged through my bag to look for my keys, a voice called out to me.

''Marinette!''

My eyes widened, recognizing the voice. I slowly turned around to see Adrien making his way towards me. A blush instantly crept up my cheeks and I gave him a nervous smile.

''H-Hey, Adrien.'' I greeted him.

Adrien flashed me a smile, but his eyes had an apologetic look in them. ''I'm sorry for not spending that much time at the party with you. I had never expected this to happen, let alone see all of our old friends.''

''Yeah, it was fun to see everybody again.'' I smiled back.

''Anyway, I know we have a lot of catching up to do and maybe a little explaining on my part, so maybe we can hang out some other time?'' He asked me, almost with a nervous undertone.

The blush on my cheeks intensified and I tried my hardest not to look like a fool. ''Y-Yeah, I mean, sure. That would be great.''

''Awesome. Is there a number I can contact you on?'' Adrien asked.

Oh my god, he is asking for my number… I had to suppress a happy squeal, and did my best to look natural.

''Uhm, yeah. Give me your phone. I'll put it in.'' I smiled.

''Awesome! You want me to add my number to your contacts as well?'' Adrien offered.

I gave him a happy nod. ''That would be nice.'' We exchanged phones and our hands brushed past each other, making it feel like electricity shot up my body. Even after those 5 years, Adrien still managed to have such an effect on me. Maybe I like him more than I let myself believe. The moment we finished putting in our numbers, we swapped our phones back and Adrien saluted me.

''Thanks, Marinette! See you around!'' He smiled, walking away, before stopping and shooting me a look over his shoulder. ''Oh, and drive safe.''

''Will do. Good night.'' I smiled at him, waving him goodbye. I then stepped into my car, with a huge smile plastered on my face. Tikki immediately flew out of my bag, an excited look on her face.

''That went well.'' She smiled at me.

''Yeah, I can't believe he asked for my number. Well, in his own way.'' I smiled.

''I told you things would be fine, Marinette.'' My red kwami smiled at me.

I snuggled her against my cheek. ''Let's see where things go from here.'' I then started my car and drove home.

-X-

End of Chapter Two

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Author Note:

Hello, sweet readers! That was chapter two! I hope you had fun reading it. I know the chapters aren't that long, but like I said in the previous chapter, I'm still figuring out in which direction I want to take the story, not to mention that I have to get back in a writing flow again. It's been a while since I wrote my last FanFiction, not counting chapter One of this story. Let me know what you thought in the comments. For now, thanks for reading and see you next chapter! ~

ShySnowWolf

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