15. Different Era (20's, 50's, Pre/Revolution)
Standing by the edge of the pier, Marinette fought to keep from being pushed over as the crowd pressed in on all sides, everyone present desperate for a glimpse of a loved one. France's soldiers were finally returning from the war, hailed as heroes for their service to the motherland. But that mattered nothing to anyone here unless they saw their son, fiance, or parent back and alive and safe.
Excited cries and tears grew into a cacophonous din as friends and family recognised each other, breaking away from the crowd and exchanging words and affections months in the waiting. She watched as parents hugged their children, couples holding onto each other as if afraid the other would disappear, kids clinging onto their father's necks and squealing for joy as they were lifted high in the air, as wives stepped forward to press tearful kisses on their husbands. Marinette fidgeted, the simple band around her finger like a leaden weight on her hand, growing heavier with each passing minute she didn't see a head of golden hair.
As more soldiers filed from the ship, the crowd grew thinner and thinner, those who remained growing increasingly anxious. Marinette was no exception, jiggling a leg and wringing her hands as she worried her bottom lip. Hoping, praying, not even daring to think—
Then there he was, walking—or rather, limping—down the ramp and stepping onto the pier. Adjusting the weight of his rucksack on his shoulder, his head swivelled around, green eyes she'd missed so dearly scanning the crowd. For her.
He was finally home.
"Adrien!" she cried, surging forward, heart expanding so many times over in her chest she thought it might burst before she reached him. But he turned, their eyes met, and the smile that transformed his face could have rival the sun as she ran into him, arms clutching at him in a vice grip that promised never to let go.
Something in his eyes had changed. This was not exactly the same Adrien who had left France months ago. He'd come back a changed man; they all had. War changed people, Marinette knew. What he'd seen and heard and sensed would remain with him till the end of his days.
But so would she.