Here it is, the 168th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released later than planned. I'm sorry for the delay but between trying to figure out how this chapter was going to work and all my other commitments I couldn't get things done in time. This is likely going to continue for a while and while I'll still strive for weekly uploads it may be bi-monthly from now on so bear with me. We are in the final stretch though and soon the final war will begin. Before that, though, it's time for a long awaited and never expected reunion and there's nothing more to say about that so let's get to it. That's all the administrative stuff that I have for y'all and as there are no guest reviews to respond to or questions to answer I will end this here. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all. That is all I have for this pre chapter note so that means that it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 168th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.
Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.
Chapter 168: Friends Old…
"So, er, yeah, that's the situation." Marinette said nervously as she finished her explanation and looked over her classmates in the common room of the Troy. "A little unexpected I know but, well…"
She didn't know how to finish that so she just trailed off as she looked at everyone unsure of what their reactions to the sudden situation would be. It was now a good few minutes after Momo had gathered everyone in the common room saying that Marinette and Adrien had something to discuss with them and they'd just finished explaining what had happened on the roof and what they wanted to do now.
The fact that the couple wanted to discuss something with the whole class had been enough to get everyone, even Bakugo, to come to the common area to hear them out even at this late of an hour. This was Marinette and Adrien after all, the former was one of the class's leaders, especially with the girls, while the latter was friends with all of them other than Bakugo but both held enough respect with Bakugo to get him to show up. Add in their earlier revelations about their true past and when they had something to say the class was willing to gather for it and even the kwamis were present this time.
What none of them had expected was for the couple to show up through one of Momo's portals, well Kaalki's but at this point those with kwamis considered their kwamis partners so shared their powers, with a taller, older, red haired woman with several piercings in her ears and nose. If she'd not shown up with the pair the whole class would have been on edge at the arrival of a stranger in a supposedly secure location but she did so they gave her the benefit of the doubt.
That doubt turned into confusion when Marinette introduced her as Alix Kubdel, one of her and Adrien's friends from their old lives before they were blasted into the future by Hawk Moth. She was also the only one of their old friends who knew about their secret identity as Ladybug and Cat Noir from back then because of the nature of her kwami's power to both travel through time and view things that have occurred or are occurring.
Even though Marinette had explained what Fluff's power was, the nature of which was why no one knew who in the class had been assigned it as it was the Miraculous of last resort, it was still really hard to believe that a power like that existed and so they were still skeptical and rightly so. Naturally, that was when Mage had briefly reappeared to return the Fluff from Alix's time to her and confirm, with a video call from Nezu and All Might to back him up, that Alix was who she said she was and for the moment considered to be a pro hero with the Guardian Agency called Bunnyx with full authorization to be there.
That at least removed any doubts or confusion and from there things progressed relatively normally. Well, as normally as it could when dealing with something like this but by this point Class 1-A was pretty used to things that defied even what the Age of Quirks considered to be normal what with who Mage was. Still, his presence helped and allowed Marinette and Adrien to continue.
From there the couple explained that Alix had used the power of the Rabbit Miraculous to travel through time searching for them, including how she searched when she had no clue which year they'd appear in, to make sure that the pair were alive and well. Alix couldn't speak Japanese and while her English was fluent thanks in part to her travels, it would take too much time to conduct this in a mutual language so Adrien and Marinette had had to explain her journey, why she undertook it, and how she found them first in the right time period.
After that Marinette explained how Alix had spent some time learning all that she could about their new lives before finally finding the right spot to reappear to them. That right spot was apparently today when they were alone on the roof and on the eve of what was almost certainly the final battle in a generations spanning war.
From there Marinette got emotional about everything again and Adrien took over fully while Momo did her best to comfort her, the other girls wanted to as well but they needed to learn what was going on first. Adrien explained that Alix had told them of what had happened over the 5 years or so between their disappearance and that at the core of it her journey to find them was to give them all closure. He proceeded to say that this could be achieved by seeing their old friends again in the extra dimensional space that Burrow created and that they were going to do that.
However, after they had their moment with their friends they wanted everyone else to join them so that they could introduce their new friends to their old ones. This did spark some questions, mainly on the language front, which got Marinette back into the explanation as she explained that Mage had borrowed Fluff to ensure that the magic behind Burrow would act as a translator overcoming that issue while adding that it would cast illusions on those with Mutant Quirks that couldn't be explained away or covered up to avoid revealing them.
This led to more confusion to which Adrien pointed out that they were about to meet people from the era before Quirks and while they would soon live through the advent as they were from the time period during which the advent occurred, their current moment in time was still around a decade or so prior to it so they couldn't reveal Quirks. This was due to the whole not messing with the past and led to even more detailed explanations about why, along with an Izuku mumble storm on the why this was necessary that was only ended from a shout from Bakugo, which in the end they all understood.
That had brought the class up to speed with everything and now Marinette was looking really nervous before them while Adrien looked as calm as ever, though internally he was just as nervous as Marinette, and their friend Alix, who'd only been able to follow things thanks to Momo translating things into French for her the whole time, just grinning at them. Clearly Alix was fine with everything.
"There's no need to be nervous Marinette." Ochaco said breaking the slightly awkward silence that had fallen over them in the wake of the couple's explanation and getting Marinette's attention though that was in part because Ochaco seemed pretty happy and upbeat which meant that her confession had gone as planned. "We all know about your past and how important this opportunity to get closure is to you even if it's come out of nowhere."
"Yeah but we also didn't expect you to be from before the advent or have access to cute kwamis that give powers." Toru said as Mullo flew around her. "So honestly at this point we're not too surprised by what you do."
"Though you still do surprise us, which we really should be used to by now." Jiro said with a chuckle. "You've always had our back Marinette; we've got yours now. We fully support you and understand why the illusions are needed. Then again, I'm learning a lot about illusions thanks to Trixx."
"It's the same with Agreste." Ida said. "If this is important to you then you have our full support. You were there for me when I needed you help the most and I haven't forgotten the words you spoke to me that day in Hosu, Agreste, so I'll be there for you when you need me."
"Thanks Ida." Adrien said.
"Also." Ida continued. "I for one want to meet all your old friends, it's a chance of a lifetime to meet people from before the advent and exchange our cultures."
"Remember the restrictions, Ida." Adrien pointed out. "Nothing about Quirks or the future, as far as they'll know you're all just Japanese high school students and friends of ours in our new lives."
"Of course." Ida said. "Though I am still concerned about you two going to the roof alone, that was risky given the current situation, not to mention inappropriate."
"We're a couple on the eve of war, one where we may not come back from." Adrien said simply. "After all that we've been through we deserved some private time before it and sneaking into each other's rooms is a bit harder though I get it, we should have used one of the rooms on the girls' second floor which is fully empty."
"Yeah Ida, don't be insensitive." Mina said. "If they want to be intimate one more time before the battle they're allowed to be. That said, doing it outside, that's risky Marinette, who knew that you had that kinda side to you."
"I understand but…" Ida began while Marinette went bright red.
"No you don't so shut up about that." Mina said glaring at him while Roarr matched it as she floated next to Mina's head. "Plus their friend showed up and now this is happening. I've heard of her friends and the couples that formed from them or were about to so I want all the juicy details from them! They've got straight and yuri, we just need some yaoi and I'll have so many different love stories to bask in. That will help me before the final battle!"
"Well I guess given the circumstances…" Ida said adjusting his glasses.
"Intimate?" Mineta asked both jealous of Agreste and interested at the same time. "Detail! I want all the lascivious details. Don't hold anything back! Did you…"
Mineta didn't get to finish before a long tongue slapped him sending him sideways and into a trap that was sprung and he was in a tight net that he couldn't get out of, though that didn't stop him from struggling. Naturally, at the end of the rope was Tsu.
"Please ignore him." Tsu said looking at Alix and using English so that she understood even with Tsu thick accent in the language. "He can be a bit much so I've set up traps for him everywhere though sometimes Marinette will just kick him into a wall if that's what's needed. Naturally, the rest of us are behind Marinette and Adrien in this. We'll be there to support them, ribbit."
"It is clear that you need this." Todoroki said with a nod as he looked at Adrien. "You have my full support. You helped me when I needed it Adrien, the least I can do is be there for you now."
"Same, how can I not be after you came for me when I needed it." Izuku said. "So I'll be there when you both need it, it's what friends do. Plus I'd like to learn more about the era before Quirks, within what can be learned of course."
"Of course I'm with you guys, you deserve this." Kirishima said tears in his eyes. "This is so manly you two."
"Still female here." Marinette pointed out.
"How can I not come and support you." Kaminari said. "And see all the cute girls from your pictures. Will they be really French I wonder? You never greet us guys the way you do the girls so…"
"Sorry about him." Jiro said switching to English so that Alix would understand that he'd done something wrong to justify why she'd interrupted him by jammed one of her earphone jacks into Kaminari and used her heartbeat to jolt him. "We know why you don't."
"It's cultural for most but Kaminari, well, yeah…" Marinette said in Japanese before switching to French as she looked at Alix. "He's not as bad as Mineta but he's got a perverted side and was part of the whole cheerleader outfit and even suggested a maid café for the School Festival. I did humiliate him in the Sports Festival for the former. That and the cultural differences are why I only do the traditional French greeting with the girls though for obvious reasons Toru has to initiate it in her case."
"I did see a little of that though mostly it was the little gremlin pervert that I saw." Alix said. "Alright, good to know."
"I don't mind doing it though." Adrien said in Japanese while Marinette explained things to Alix. "Us guys do it as well, I just don't for cultural reasons."
"Please do, that would be amusing." Jiro said snickering while Kaminari should his head.
"We'll warn them." Marinette said switching back to Japanese as she looked her friends. "The girls will probably still do so with the girls but don't expect anything else so Mineta and Kaminari are out of luck there."
That got a round a laughs from several of the class before those who hadn't spoken yet began to voice their support as well. All of them, even Koda, who was normally quiet and had never really managed to have a conversation with the French pair, spoke up with words of support and encouragement for Adrien and Marinette. They understood how important this was to them and they wanted to be there for their friends through this.
The pair had been there for them many times since they all started at U.A. so it was their turn to show support for the French couple just as they'd done when they'd learned their secrets and with Midoriya. The only person who didn't speak was Bakugo, he just tsked but as he didn't leave that was a sign that he'd be there as well which really showed how much he'd grown.
"Th, thank you." Marinette said with tears in her eyes at the support from all her friends before she offered them a formal bow. "Everyone, thank you for your support."
"Gotta say mini bug; you've got some great friends here." Alix said with a light chuckle as she noted that some of the Japanese culture had worn off on Marinette as well and naturally using French as she was addressing Marinette. "And on that note, shall we go? The others are waiting."
"O, oui." Marinette said defaulting back to French for a moment before remembering and switching to Japanese as she turned to look at her friends as other than Momo they didn't understand what Alix had said. "We're going to enter Burrow in a moment. Time works differently there so it will only be a few moments before it opens again for you but by then we'll have met with our old friends and be ready to bring you in. Please be patient."
"It will only be a moment." Adrien said. "Thanks, all of you, for your support."
There was a chorus of agreements at that. As that was going on, Alix had activated Fluff and transformed into Bunnyx giving Marinette and Adrien one more moment with their new friends. When that was done, she cleared her throat.
"It's time." Alix said sticking with French and got their attention and they turned to see that her right arm was out and they nodded at her. "Burrow."
At that a circle appeared in the air not too dissimilar to what Momo made with Voyage. With a final wave and smile at her friends, Marinette turned to the circle, took a deep breath, and leapt in followed by Adrien who just nodded at Class 1-A before he left. Alix was the last through and the circle closed behind her leaving the common room in silence as they waited to be called.
That would be almost immediately but that wouldn't be the same for Marinette and Adrien as they stood in the large space filled with disks showing point time that were above to the sides and below them. They'd never actually been in Burrow before so they didn't know what Burrow looked like until now so they took it all in, they're nerves coming back to them as they stood inside the pocket dimension. This was a moment that they never thought that they'd have but which was now almost at hand so how could they not be nervous?
"One moment." Alix said as she walked over to one of the disks, she knew exactly which one but then again she'd long mastered how Burrow worked to the point that if need be she could live her indefinitely if she wanted to, though she'd probably have to get some future versions of herself to keep her company if that happened. "I'll get them now so hang tight."
"It will be ok m'lady." Adrien said softly as he took Marinette's right hand in his left. "We never thought that this was possible but thanks to Alix it is. We're seeing them again, that's all that we need to focus on."
"I, I know." Marinette said interlocking their fingers and drawing comfort from the contact. "I, I just don't know how I'll handle it. We've done so well moving on but you know as well as I that the nagging longing has always been there at the same time so this is necessary but still…"
"Yeah, it will be emotional for us but we've gotten through much worse." Adrien said squeezing her hand. "This is going to be joyous for everyone, it's what we all need, remember that."
"I will." Marinette said calming slightly as Alix used the disk to find the right moment while Marinette turned to look at Adrien. "I love you, Adrien."
"I love you too Marinette." Adrien said looking at her and smiling the smile she loved so much as Alix stopped and pressed down. "Let's do this."
Marinette nodded and they both looked back just as Alix activated Burrow and then stuck her head through the disk. They didn't hear what she had to say but she pulled her head back a moment later and grinned at them as the pair were suddenly facing the disk and could see a group of 13 people, amusingly a baker's dozen Marinette noted, that they knew well even if they looked older.
However, before they could really assess them, the group moved forward led by a deeply tanned girl with chin length reddish brown hair in a flannel shirt and jeans and a tanned north African guy wearing a red baseball cap over his short hair wearing a blue hoodie and black skinny jeans. There was no doubt who the pair were and in seconds they'd stepped through the portal and into Burrow shortly followed by the others with the Burrow hole closing behind them.
Marinette and Adrien just stood there doing their best to contain their emotions as the others filed in behind the first two. First was an attractive and fashionable blonde woman with her hair in a high ponytail with a set of bangs framing her face wearing a yellow cardigan over a white outfit who was accompanied by a girl with orange hair cut in a bob just past chin level and that was held back by a white band with green eyes behind large glasses and wearing a sweater vest over her white blouse and bright blue shorts over leggings.
That pair was followed by another one, this a very short girl with dreadlocks tied back by a bandana leaving the hair up front smooth and parted over her left eye wearing and a pair of denim overall shirts with pins on it over a yellowish brown top holding the hand of a larger, solid, man with short black hair that was now under a black baseball hat though his sideburns were noticeable and wearing a black hoody and dark gray cargo pants. To Marinette's surprise, the girl had lime green eyeliner over her eyelids and noticeable rouge on her cheeks, both of which suited her unique style but was new for Marinette to see.
They weren't the only pair holding hands though as right after them was another short girl with her blonde hair cut in a pixie cut that was shorter than Marinette had remembered and was held back by a pink sash tied atop her head and wearing a cute pink dress, pink cardigan, and bracelets. She was holding the hand of a taller girl with black hair that was now shaved close to her scalp on the right hand side with the shaved part and the strands at the front dyed purple and wearing a black top with lacy shoulders and purple pants.
Like the shortest girl, both were significantly more pronounced with their makeup choices then before but which suited their respective personalities as the blonde girl had pink lipstick and eye liner one with pink sparkles around her eyes and the taller girl bright green lipstick. The looks all really showed Marinette just how much her old friends had grown up.
However, neither she nor Marinette dwelled on that for too long because right behind the second pair was a single man, the only one who'd come through alone, with shaggy black hair dyed teal green at the tips and a matching hoodie. He still wore gages in his ears and painted his nails so clearly his punk rocker vibe had never changed.
The solo man was followed by the two more pairs, both of which were male though Marinette had a feeling that one of the pairs was now a couple while she knew the other wasn't. The two she knew weren't were a short, skinny, dark skinned boy with a flat top hairstyle, glasses, and a green shirt under a darker green sweater with brown suspenders holding up matching pants and a tall, buff, Vietnamese French boy in a tight read athletic sweater and black running pants with close cropped black hair save for a mohawk style that was dyed dirty blond.
As for the pair that Marinette was certain was a couple now, that was a boy with now dyed maroon hair that that fell over his left eye in a long sleeved orange shirt under what looked like deliberately paint stained dark gray overall that had one strap down and a tanned boy with messy black hair wearing a red jacket over a rainbow tie-dyed shirt and ripped skinny jeans though he still wore fingerless black gloves. Both Marinette and Adrien noted that he still pained his fingernails black.
In short order all of them were gathered but they just stood there, eyes wide and in many cases filled with tears, some of the girls even had tears running down their faces. Well almost all of them were like that as the fashionable blonde was trying to seem uninterested as she idly looked at her perfectly manicured nails with a slight pout on her face but she did occasionally glance over at the pair her eyes flaring with anger at the interlocked hands.
The rest though were still taking all this in as they looked over the half Chinese girl with short pigtails in her black hair and the classically French blond boy that were standing before them holding hands. That said, why both were in pajamas was a mystery to everyone.
Regardless, they all recognized each other while Alix moved to stand off to the side as she'd already had her moment and would have more so she just stepped back and smiled at the reunion. Still, the shock of this moment being real was there and no one was moving, at least until a small blue robot flew up on a head helicopter blade from behind the group and over to the pair and scanned both with its eyes. It then turned and looked back over the group.
"Analysis complete." The robot said in its familiar voice which broke the silence that had fallen over Burrow. "They are a 99.9% match based of facial identification to Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste. I therefore conclude that it is them and that Alix has succeeded in her mission to find them."
"Thanks Markov." Adrien said smiling at the robot. "We, um, needed that."
"Happy to be of service Adrien." Markov said his robotic eyes smiling as he looked back at Adrien. "And I must say it is good to see you again and alive and well from what I can tell. What I can't understand though is why are you all just standing around?"
"Well it's still a lot." Adrien said.
"I, well…" Marinette began as she tried to blink back tears and failed as they started to run down her face as she took everyone in. "I…"
At that Adrien squeezed her hand and she looked at him her tears still running. His own eyes were wet but he held it in as he smiled and nodded at her. That was all that she needed and she smiled back before she turned to the group.
"Alya!"
Marinette's cry to her best friend was enough to break whatever was holding everyone still and she let go of her hand and rushed forward. That was enough for the rest of them to move and Alya ran forward leading the group.
"Marinette!" Alya said matching Marinette's cry as the tears began to flow. "You're…woah girl wait…"
Alya didn't finish before Marinette suddenly reached her, a lot faster than Alya had expected because she'd never known Marinette to have this kind of speed in her, and slammed into Alya at full speed her arms going around her friend's body and hugging her close. That would have been fine, usually Alya would have been able to catch Marinette and spin with her as Marinette was a light girl but this time was different.
Instead Marinette hit her at an unnatural rate of speed, though she seemed to have done something to mitigate the impact, that she knocked Alya backwards and sent the rest of the group running away lest they be knocked over like bowling balls. Alya barely had time to note that Marinette was a hell of a lot more solid than she used to be before they hit whatever constituted the ground in Burrow and rolled over it though thanks to Alix's manipulations of the space they'd flown far enough that their momentum had died down enough to make the landing relatively painless, for Alya at least.
For her part Marinette was just sobbing and not realizing, after all something like this didn't ever register on her advanced constitution these days, as she held Alya tightly. Despite the shock of Marinette's embrace, Alya couldn't deny that this was good and she too began to cry as she held Marinette back and rolled with it.
Finally, after a few moments they came to a stop and Alya let go of Marinette to flop onto her back and pant, the tears still running from her eyes as they lay there in the strange space that was Burrow. Marinette for her part wasn't even tired or hurting as she rolled back onto her shoulders before she flipped up and onto her feet as if it was nothing. That stunned Alya and she blinked, her tears gone for the moment, as she stared at Marinette's grace.
"Marinette, since when have you been so graceful girl." Alya said as she looked up at her best friend who she'd thought she'd never see again after she'd suddenly vanished a little over 5 years ago in her timeline. "And so solid. You've packed on the muscle I see. You were always in shape but this is something else."
"Huh, oh, yeah that, um…" Marinette said going bright red and getting flustered in a way only she could as she tried to settle on the right lie to explain her sudden strength away. "Since ending up where we did I've been working out a lot with Adrien, it helped us early on and kinda became our thing. That and the school that we now attend is big on exercise and health so that's helped a lot. Don't worry, I'm still as clumsy as ever when I'm walking normally."
"I see." Alya said a little surprised as she looked up at Marinette. "We'll deal with Adrien later, you're spilling everything there girl because don't think we didn't notice what was going on when we followed Alix into this place, but for now come on and show me those results."
"Oh sure." Marinette said her flush dying down for the moment as she raised her pajama top and Alya blinked. "Yeah I have abs now and my raw strength is more than my body would imply, future conditioning and advancements in sports science. Kinda odd I know but Adrien likes them and they're nothing compared to his."
Alya would agree there, just looking at Marinette's stomach and she could tell that the girl had basically no body fat to her and a clearly defined and toned abdomen but that wasn't what really caught Alya's eye. Not that was the ladybug print barbel navel stud in Marinette's belly button that she had never seen before and knew for a fact that her friend didn't have back when they were in Paris together.
"You could say that again." Alya said as she grinned and got up close to examine the piercing. "But that's nothing compared to that new accessory of yours. Since when did you get your navel pierced?"
"Huh?" Marinette asked before she looked down and went bright red though that was more Alya's interest in it. "Ah! I forgot about that!"
"Forgot?" Alya asked as Marinette hurriedly pulled her shirt down. "How do you forget about something like that? Especially because I'd never have expected you to get that, at least when we were teens and I'm guessing you still are a teen."
"Well, um, you see, er, I got it shortly after Adrien and I returned to the timeline about 2 or so years ago our time and I'm so used to it now that it's just, you know, there." Marinette said still red as she tried her best to explain it away without revealing that she had to get it when Mage changed her Miraculous so that it could work better as her hero costume. "I know it's not something I'd have done in Paris but, well, I, um, kinda…"
"Girl you don't need to make up excuses, it looks great." Alya said still grinning. "Different sure but still cute and a little rebellious which just adds more to it. Who knew that you'd have that in you to get that done. Next you're going to tell me that you're not a virgin anymore and that you and Adrien finally did it or that you've gone and gotten a tattoo or something else crazy like that."
"Er…" Marinette said going even redder and trying to look away. "About that, I don't have a tattoo though I do have a scar on by back now, but…"
"Since when!" Alya shouted understanding what Marinette was saying and ignoring the comment about a scar, she could address that later, as she leapt up at last and grabbed Marinette's shoulders to turn her so that she could try to meet Marinette's eyes. "Spill girl! I want all the details! When was your first time? Where? How long were you dating for before you did it? Everything!"
"You're as bad as Mina I see." Marinette said though Alya had no idea who this Mina person was and presumed it was one of Marinette's new friends who like her supported Marinette's relationship. "All I'll say was that a few months after we got here, and about a week after we started school, we, er, we realized that we were ready and so we did it. It was as you'd expect for our first times. Must have been about a year ago now actually given the current month for us."
"Come on that's not what I mean, I want everything!" Alya said. "All the juicy details! We all do!"
"I'm not…" Marinette began before she was suddenly interrupted.
"Marinette!"
The cry came from several girls at once and Marinette turned to see that the others had finally either caught up or had felt that they'd given Alya enough time with Marinette before they closed in and reached her with Mylène getting there first. The short woman, and Marinette couldn't deny that all her friends were full grown women now as they were around 20 or so while she was only biologically 16, leapt at Marinette.
With ease Marinette caught Mylène and spun her around causing her to yelp in surprise and happiness as they embraced and exchanged cheek kisses. That surprised the others but didn't stop them as Rose cried out and leapt at Marinette too.
"Woah girls." Marinette said as she used one arm to still hold Mylène and caught Rose around the waist with her other as the girl kissed her on each cheek. "Steady on."
"Since when have you been that strong Marinette." Juleka asked as she reached them but politely held back as Marinette had her arms full. "You couldn't lift any of us back in the day."
"Yeah, well, been busy." Marinette said smiling at Juleka and still holding Mylène and Rose. "And I'm not the only one who's changed and I'm not talking about that new hairstyle of yours Juleka though it looks great on you. It seems like you and Rose finally…"
"Yeah." Juleka said flushing at that. "Took a while but after you and Adrien, well…you know…"
"I do; I know that very well." Marinette said blushing. "I'm happy for you."
"Thanks." Juleka said. "And it seems like you and Adrien are finally together. About damn time."
"Chloe, can I…" Sabrina asked bouncing on the balls of her feet as she looked between the other girls as they reached and threw themselves, well Mylène and Rose did, on Marinette. "Um, please…"
"Oh very well." Chloe said, she wasn't here for the baker girl but Adrien and it would look good for her in Adrien's eyes if she let Sabrina do this and Sabrina had managed to get closer to the other girls after Chloe went to London due to Sabrina betraying her following one of the many fights in the wake of Adrien's disappearance but they'd since reconciled somewhat thanks to the therapy Chloe had been through. "Go on."
"Thanks Chloe." Sabrina said smiling before she turned and ran off with Alix helping out by changing a little bit within Burrow. "Marinette!"
"Marinette!"
The cry interrupted Marinette before she could answer Juleka and she looked over to see Sabrina rushing in and before she could process it Sabrina had also leapt on her as well. That was a surprise as they'd not been close in the years prior to her and Adrien's disappearance due to her being Chloe's lacky though Alix had mentioned that Sabrina had turned on Chloe in the end which had led to Chloe going to London and ultimately the therapy that got everyone to this point. In that regard, Sabrina was potentially the catalyst for all this and so Marinette had to thank her properly.
Unfortunate Marinette's arms were full and Sabrina was already nearing so all she could do was try to brace herself but Sabrina managed to mistime things and ended up headbutting Marinette, which hurt Sabrina a lot more than her, and finally knocked Marinette back and to whatever one called the floor in Burrow. That was all that Alya needed though and she gave into something that she'd wanted ever since she'd seen confirmation that Marinette was alive and well.
"Everyone jump on Marinette!" Alya shouted as she leapt on the pile with a laugh.
"That means something different to me these days!" Marinette complained. "Last time…"
Marinette didn't finish, which was good as she was going to mention that the last time she was ganged up on by a gaggle of girls all 7 girls had ended up unconscious but that was training so best to not mention it. Thankfully, any issues had been avoided because Juleka had just smiled and walked over to join in silencing Marinette in the process.
Not that Marinette really minded and she gave into the group hug pile thing and closed her eyes as more tears fell while she felt the tears of her friends fall onto her at the same time. As such, for the next few moments the girls were just a pile and in some cases the tears finally began to flow as they hugged and just enjoyed the moment.
Finally, after what felt like ages but was entirely needed, Marinette felt the need to extricate herself and actually talk with her girls so she easily lifted Sabrina and Alya off her at the same time and then sat up. That was the signal for the others to do the same and they formed a circle around her though they were all still trying to process just how much stronger Marinette was.
"Thank you, all of you." Marinette said with a smile and tears still in her eyes though she felt that she'd finally cried out all that she could cry out. "I needed that and I'd like to talk to the boys as well but they're clearly with Adrien at the moment giving us some girl time so we should let them have their guy time."
"As is Chloe." Rose noted.
"She has been obsessed with Adrien since he vanished." Sabrina admitted. "And not at all concerned about you Marinette. That's what led to everything falling apart between us but thanks to that she got the help she needed and we've managed to reconcile somewhat."
"That's fine, I didn't expect Chloe to care about me and I'm not worried about her at all." Marinette said confidence in her voice. "I won that battle long ago. Still, I owe you for what you did Sabrina, it was courageous to stand up to Chloe the way you did and because of it we're all here as I get the feeling that without your actions that therapist wouldn't have been in the position to help out and inadvertently plant the seen in Alix's mind for this."
"Oh, I, I guess you're right there." Sabrina said softly. "I never thought of that, I've been through a lot myself. Chloe's half-sister Zoey showed up a couple months after you vanished and she's nothing like Chloe. She was a great help in everything."
"That's good to hear." Marinette said smiling. "See how much your actions helped and I'm far from afraid of Chloe anymore. She'll never get in the way of me and Adrien, I know that nothing will."
"Of course it won't, you two are together at last after all." Alya said with a wink before looking at the others. "Marinette here's gone all the way already so I'm guessing she's roughly the same age most of us were when that happened in our relationships. She and Adrien didn't mess around once they finally figured things out."
"Hey!" Marinette exclaimed.
"I'm still amazed you got over how awkward you were around Adrien." Mylène said. "It was bad, really bad."
"Best not to tell Chloe though." Sabrina muttered. "She'd, um…"
"I can handle her." Marinette said. "I won't start things or rub it in but I won't back down to her either. I'm not going to stoop to her level or anything, I know that Adrien saw her as a friend and she was the only one he had when he needed one so I won't do anything unless he ends it. Still, he knows how bad she was to me now and has begun to realize that she's not the same person he knew."
"Good idea." Alya said. "And on the Adrien front, how did that happen? Like seriously, how? You were an utter mess around him girl and now you're in a full relationship with the man of your dream, that's impressive."
"Well, being blasted into the future with only him kinda forced me to get over my awkward clumsiness around him." Marinette said, she'd have liked to tell them about her being Ladybug but in the end they'd decided to keep their secrets, for now at least. "We only had each other so I had to get over things quickly if we were to adapt to the changes and move on. It helped that shortly after arriving Adrien realized his own feelings for me and I realized that he reciprocated mine, in a complicated and roundabout way of course."
"Well that's just to be expected with you Marinette." Alya said causing the other girls to laugh in agreement. "Simple and straightforward are foreign concepts to you."
"They still are." Marinette said chuckling as well. "I just can't think linearly no matter what it is. Still, it worked out in the end and we began dating. Honestly, I think that if it had happened with everyone around I'd probably be a total hot mess even in a relationship with Adrien but with it just us in a new place it made the transition into a relationship easier. I still get flustered and what not but I think I'd overthink things more if I'd not, you know…"
"We get that and that's good." Alya said with a smile. "You do overthink so something as extreme as what happened to you would help on that front. It's hard that it had to come to this but at least you're with Adrien, we always knew you were and hoped for this. It's so nice to see."
"Thank you, that means so much to me." Marinette said blinking away more tears as she looked at the girls. "It was hard as we were in such a new and alien place but Adrien and I were there for each other so we were able to adapt."
"About that." Juleka said. "When did you end up? Alix had said that you were likely in the distant future but how distant?"
"About 230 years into the future give or take a year and that's about all I can say, timeline stuff and all." Marinette said. "It was rough but together we adapted and overcame it. We even enrolled in a new school and have many new friends who support us just like you all did. We knew that for as much pain as we caused you by vanishing you'd still want us to move on and live our lives to the fullest and not dwell in all that we'd lost so we did that. It wasn't easy and I still have moments when I'm alone or asleep but we've managed it."
"It is what we wanted." Alya said smiling at Marinette. "It took us a while to accept that you weren't coming back because we always held out hope but like you, we knew that you and Adrien would want us to move on. It was still hard because we thought that you might be out there somewhere but when Alix had the idea that you were in the future and that it was after our lifetimes, which would explain the complete lack of any trace of you, well that changed things."
"Plus she said that she could find you with the power of the Rabbit Miraculous." Rose said. "And when she did we could then use Burrow to see you again and get closure on this so we jumped at that."
"And we understand that you can't say much." Juleka added. "Alix explained the rules of time travel to us. We know that whatever she saw or found, she couldn't go into details about to preserve the timeline and prevent us from messing with the future that you call home now."
"That is true and Alix's commitment to this is why she's worthy of wielding the Rabbit Miraculous." Marinette said. "Sorry, I can't be more precise than roughly when we returned to the timeline, where we were spat out, and the general overview of what we've been up too since then. That's not much really as it's just been adapting to a new culture and the changes to the world, going to school, and making new friends."
"You said where." Sabrina said picking up on that as well as the new culture thing. "Does that mean that you're not in Paris anymore? Or France for that matter as you did say new culture?"
"Correct and that was a major thing that we had to overcome." Marinette said before she switched to her notably French accented Japanese. "We ended up in a whole new country on the other side of the world that had a totally different culture to what we knew so we kinda had to learn the language and quick."
This got all of the girls to blink in confusion at her. They all knew that Marinette was fluent in French in addition to English and though given that she was half Chinese and a quarter Italian she should have learned Mandarin and Italian as well but never did so to hear her speak another foreign language fluently, and one that sounded east Asian to them, confused the hell out of them.
"That, that wasn't Mandarin was it." Alya said. "I've heard a bit of Adrien speaking it and it didn't sound the same as what he was saying."
"You're right it's not." Marinette said switching back to French. "And in case you're wondering I was just saying that we had to learn that language quickly as we were in a new country with a different culture to what we knew and which was on the other side of the world. Also we didn't have a way back to France at the time, and with what happened to us it's not like the French embassy would have understood, so we just kinda adapted and ended up staying."
"What language was that though?" Rose asked. "If it's not Mandarin then what?"
"Japanese." Marinette said getting blinks from them. "Yup, we ended up in Japan and never left."
"Cool." Juleka said.
"Kagami's homeland." Sabrina added. "Somehow that's fitting I think."
"That's right." Marinette said surprised that no one was questioning how she and Adrien had managed to actually remain in Japan after they ended up there but not doing anything to address that as it was a lot easier this way. "It's a shame she's not here though; I'd have liked to see her too."
"She couldn't take the loss of her only friends at the time." Alya said sadly. "I wish that we could have been there for her but alas we failed to get close to her, likely because of her mother, and in the end Kagami returned home before the Tokyo Olympics. Once she did that we can't contact her."
"It's fine, I've got a good feeling that she's ok." Marinette said knowing that that was the case thanks to what Momo had found out. "And I can just ask Alix to take us to her, as well as what would be the right point in time for it, so it's fine."
"True, Alix's power can help there." Mylène said before switching topics. "It's a shame that I can't ask about certain things, I'd like to know what the future is like and if it's what I want for it."
"Alas can't speak there." Marinette said. "But I can ask about how things have been for you between when I vanished and now as that's set in stone unless Alix messes with it, which we all know she won't. So how about you all tell me about your lives, I want to know. I mean already I can tell that Rose and Juleka are now together, as are Marc and Nathaniel it would seem."
"Oh no, you'll get those details in time but not after you go first Marinette." Alya said. "Tell us what you can."
"Very well." Marinette said though without any resignation as she smiled at them. "It's not much but basically…"
From there Marinette began telling the story that she could tell. It wasn't much as she had to leave out all the hero stuff or dumb down things like the Sports Festival, though that existed in standard slice of life manga so she could mention it, but it was something and the girls listened to Marinette's tale. When she was done, they all began to tell their own stories as they caught up, laughed, and cried together.
As this was happening, the guys had been busy too. Marinette's earlier cry had broken things open and as soon as she and Alya had rolled far away thanks to Alix's manipulation of Burrow and the girls turned to run after them, the boys rushed at Adrien. Unlike Marinette, however, Adrien just held his ground and let them come to him with Nino naturally leading the charge.
"Adrien, my dude, I can't believe that it's really you." Nino said as he reached Adrien and pulled him into a tight hug that Adrien returned. "I never thought that I'd get to see you again after you vanished without a trace."
"Same though for me it was the whole returning to the timeline long after you would be dead." Adrien said blinking back tears, as was Nino, and patting him on the back. "I'd accepted that just as all of you would have wanted me to but to have this, you don't know how much it means to me and Marinette."
"It's the same for us though until just now when Alix told us that you might be in the future and beyond our lifetimes we thought that you may still be in our time period just elsewhere on earth and unable to contact us." Nino said as he broke off the hug but kept his hands on Adrien's biceps. "This makes more sense though as you would have found a way back to us if you were alive and none of us were willing to accept that you were dead. I must say, you've gotten stronger."
"Yeah, well, I've been working out a lot since I returned to the timeline." Adrien said a little embarrassed but he couldn't go into precise details. "It's helped both of us in a way and the school we're at now has a strong, er, sports program and a high focus on health and wellness so being in shape is part of the whole curriculum."
"Sounds like my kinda place." Kim said slapping Adrien on the back as the guys fully encircled him though Adrien didn't move or even really feel the blow thanks to his enhanced constitution. "Damn, Nino's right, you're really solid now Adrien."
"You do look more muscular but in a toned way." Max said as he adjusted his glasses while glancing over Adrien. "Markov, can you confirm?"
"Affirmative, his physique is in top form, almost no body fat that my sensors can detect though this is just a cursory scan." Markov said as he scanned Adrien. "He was already in good according to my databanks but this is peak for a human, almost too peak actually. I'll have to process this more."
"Just great conditioning and a top tier program." Adrien said a little worried given that Markov was highly sophisticated robot. "Perk of being in the future I guess."
"Is the future better than the present?" Ivan asked. "Mylène and I were curious about that. I know that you can't say much of course but is there anything you can say?"
"Alas no, I can't comment on what the state of the future is in lest you do something that could alter it for Marinette, myself, and our friends though it still wouldn't stop our return as that was a matter of the timeline catching up to where we'd been blasted." Adrien admitted shaking his head. "All I think I can say is that human nature is still human nature though certainly technology is better which helps."
"Well that's at least a start." Ivan said. "Thanks, I won't ask for more information."
"Art doesn't change thought." Nathanial said. "Styles and preferences will but there will always be art no matter where in time you are."
"Art is certainly still around though I've not really been noticing it as much these days." Adrien admitted. "I've been rather focused on the whole adapting to a new time period thing. Then there were my studies and what not but one of my friends likes to draw and is damned good at it. That said, there was a serial graffiti tagger who got in the news recently and because of it his works become somewhat popular, especially after one of my other friends helped him out a bit. Of course we can't condone that stuff and he did have to pay some hefty fines but it's not bad stuff."
"So like Banksy then." Nathaniel said. "Only sounds like he was caught."
"Well he was doing it for personal publicity because he didn't get into art school and not any other reason." Adrien said recalling the Mr. Smiley incident and not adding that he was arrested for illegal Quirk use as well because, well he couldn't mention that. "So kinda had to be caught. He's realized that he went about things the wrong way and has committed to doing it the right way now."
"Guess no matter the era you'll still have that kind of artist." Nathaniel said. "So long as the person accepts responsibility for it and understands where he or she went wrong, as well as not hurting anyone in the process, then there's no real problem with it."
"Art transcends eras, it's the same with music." Luka said. "Though I hope that rock and roll still exists in your day."
"Oh it does, one of my friends is the daughter of musicians and really good at music with rock being what she's into the most based on what I've seen though it's a hobby for her not her career choice." Adrien said. "We even formed a class band to perform a concert for the School Festival with me as one of the ones on the keyboard which was a lot of fun."
"School Festival?" Marc asked speaking for the first time but he was a pretty shy guy so it made sense. "And a concert at it? Sounds like something out of a manga if you ask me."
"Pretty much is, those things are surprisingly accurate when it comes to the general aspects of Japanese high school." Adrien said looking at the younger boy, well younger when he was in their timeline but now he was older in this moment in Burrow. "Makes sense though seeing as we, er, ended up in Japan actually and had no way back to our time or to France so we adjusted to where we were. With over 2 centuries having passed while we were out of the timeline it just made sense to have a full fresh start in a sense, a new life which helped us move on. Of course it took a while but we learned the language and ended up enrolling in school there though we're still adapting to some of the cultural aspects of it."
"That's pretty cool that you ended up there." Marc said. "I've only seen it in manga but a lot of the stories that Nathaniel and I work on are inspired by Japanese and Korean styles."
"There are certainly similarities to what's depicted in manga from what I've gathered." Adrien said. "But yeah it was new for us though I knew a little Japanese thanks to Kagami. Course we're over 200 years in the future from you lot so, er, yeah, none of you are around but…"
"It's ok dude." Nino said as Adrien trailed off. "We get it and honestly this is probably the best outcome for you guys. You get a new life without the worries of your old one, can move on knowing that we'd want that for you and did our best to do so as well, and have a new place not tied to your old lives beyond one friend being from there. I get it. Honestly, knowing that you're alive and well in a new timeline that is after we all die is enough for all of us to move on as well. If I'm honest, this is the final thing we needed in that front."
"It would seem that while your disappearance was cruel, fate was kind in the end to set you up in such a way that you could adapt to your new environment." Luka said while the others nodded or mutter confirmations to Nino's statement. "And from the sounds of it, you've adapted well to a new life and a new school. The band must have helped as it is similar to ours so I can see that you've really flourished."
"The band did help a lot and my experience with our band was useful when we were figuring things out." Adrien said. "The whole School Festival thing was fun. It was different and Marinette and I had a great time at it."
"Speaking of that." Luka said smiling. "There is something new with you, you, and Marinette…"
"Adrikins!"
The cry came from outside the group and the guys parted as Chloe finally got fed up of the conversation she was ignoring, and likewise being ignored in turn, and decided that enough was enough and it was her turn with Adrien. Naturally, she'd not gone to see the baker girl as Dupain-Cheng wasn't worth her incredibly valuable time at all, but the guys had beaten her to her Adrien so she'd been forced to wait until he realized and came over to her. Naturally, that meant that she had a few indignations that she shouldn't have to suffer but whatever.
However, as soon as Dupain-Cheng was brought up, well Chloe couldn't take that anymore and her anger and hatred for Dupain-Cheng overrode her pride at waiting for Adrien to finally notice her. She'd seen what everyone else had when the arrived, how could she not, and she didn't like it one bit so now it was her turn to get involved and prove who was better for Adrien. Her, obviously, hence why she called out to him.
Adrien turned to the sound of Chloe's voice in time to see her leap on him. Even before he'd have been able to catch her whenever she did this but now it wasn't a problem at all as he grabbed her waist and held her there at just shy of arms' length while she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. As she did she enthusiastically planted a kiss on each cheek which Adrien instinctively returned but purely platonically.
It would be a lie if Adrien had said he wasn't nervous about this. He was as dense as they came so he was still unaware of Chloe's crush on him, one that was as vain and superficial as she was, but he was well aware of her history with Marinette and how much of a bully she'd been.
Admittedly, while he'd known that there was bad blood between the girls, he'd not known the full extent. That had changed when Marinette revealed just how much damage Chloe's bullying had done to her only a few hours ago when they were alone on the rooftop. Adrien had realized that while he'd always known a kinder side to Chloe and had given her many chances to improve her behavior since he started going to school, she had a different side to her, one which had deeply affected Marinette.
Thanks to himself and Alya, as well as becoming Ladybug, Marinette had overcome it and become the strong, confident woman that she was today but still, it was something that he was now aware of. This would be a chance for Chloe to show him that she'd truly changed and he hoped for her sake that she had.
"Hello Chloe." Adrien said politely as he tried to put her down but she'd latched on tightly. "Good to see you again."
"Oh Adrikins, you don't know how much I've missed you!" Chloe said as she continued to try and hug him closely. "I was so upset when you vanished without a trace. Naturally, Daddy tried to find you using all the resources he had at his disposal as Mayor but to no avail, which was utterly ridiculous if you as me! On top of that it was so hard and no one was supportive of my loss. That said, since when have you grown so strong? I like this."
"Because you kept ranting about how Marinette was the one who had stolen him and that she had to pay for it." Nino pointed out before Adrien could respond so he just focused on trying to pry Chloe off him but her hold was too tight. "We mourned both of them because it was clear that the same thing had happened to Marinette as well as Adrien. You were just focused on Adrien and actually rejoiced in Marinette's disappearance, even by your low standards that was despicable Chloe."
"Yes but the baker girl had stolen him!" Chloe snapped clearly not remorseful at all. "I was right as you all saw when we got to this place! Now though I can be with Adrien and he can forget about Dupain-Cheng! All will be right once again and I've been vindicated!"
"That's not going to happen." Adrien said his tone serious but not harsh, enough to get Chloe's attention. "Marinette and I were blasted into the future together, which we can't come back from and shouldn't take you with us as Alix no doubt explained to you, she never took me away. We are together willingly."
"I don't listen to what the unwashed masses have to say." Chloe said dismissively. "If I can't take you back then fine, I'll just…"
"No Chloe." Adrien said his tone remaining the same but steadily getting colder as he continued to speak. "You're going to go back with everyone else and Marinette and I will return to our new time as it should be. I know that it's hard to deal with but that is unfortunately the reality that we now live in. Thankfully, we've gotten this closure that none of us expected to receive and Alix can now serve as a conduit for moments like this but that's it."
"But she stole you!" Chloe said. "That damned baker girl must have put some kind of spell on you to take you away from me! I have to…"
"I know what you did to Marinette in the past Chloe, I know how bad it was and how horrible you made her life so while you were always good to me, I can't accept that in a friend." Adrien said as he looked Chloe in the eye, his green eyes showing her how serious he was. "Especially when it was directed at my girlfriend, the girl I love with all my heart and who loves me back just as much."
That statement really shocked Chloe and her grip slackened, enough for Adrien to finally pry her off him and set her down arm's length away before letting go and stepping back to put even more distance between them. It was time to be real with Chloe because Adrien didn't think she'd get it otherwise.
"Chloe, I will always cherish our friendship as you were there for me when I had no one but it's become clear that you are different around others compared to me." Adrien said. "So if you want to remain friends then you need to apologize to Marinette for everything that you've done for her and make amends. I love her and she loves me, we've been together pretty much since we returned to the timeline and in that time I learned how she felt about me ever since I cleared up the misunderstanding you caused during our first meeting and in turn helped me realize that I'd always felt the same about her. If you can't handle this then you can go."
"Please, what's the point of having power if you can't use against those who don't have any?" Chloe asked in response to Adrien's statement. "You should know that well seeing as you're wealthy and rich like me. I highly doubt that that's changed even if you're now in the future, Adrien."
"I see, so that's how it is." Adrien said with a sigh. "It's clear now that no matter how many chances I give you, you will never change and that this is your true nature. I'm done with you; we can never be friends again Chloe. Please, for all our sakes, just leave."
Chloe glared at Adrien the hatred and anger at what he'd said clear in her eyes. His very words were a betrayal to her and she seethed at Adrien's treachery towards her but with everyone around there was nothing she could do about it, at least not here. If Adrien didn't need her then fine, he wasn't worth it though she still wanted vengeance for the indignation that she'd just suffered. However, that wasn't possible so the best she could do was leave and let Adrien be with these pathetic bottom dwellers and not the elites like her and where he should belong.
"Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted and which side you've chosen." Chloe said as she turned her nose up and tilted her head to the side ready to leave just as the girls were making their way back to the boys, which gave Chloe an idea. "Come Sabrina, we're out of her."
"Chloe…" Sabrina began her voice filled with worry and she glanced at Marinette, a good portion of their catch up had been Sabrina's apologies for what she'd done and how the others had begun to accept her back, who nodded. "No. I'm staying. Even for all that I've done to Marinette, I've missed her as well as Adrien just like everyone else here has so I'm not going."
"I see, so it's another betrayal then." Chloe said. "Very well, stay with them, I'm going back to London when I return. Don't think that this is over Dupain-Cheng."
"Er but I live over 200 years in the future from you now and can't return to that time period, at least not permanently as far as I'm aware." Marinette pointed out though Alix wasn't sure that she couldn't even return if she wanted to because of what happened to her but they could test that later. "So it is, fate decided that for us."
"Whatever, this is ridiculous, utterly ridiculous." Chloe said dismissively as she turned away and glared at Alix who was still just watching things as she'd already had her moment with Adrien and Marinette. "Hey, bunny girl, send me back to where you got me from."
"It's Bunnyx and sure." Alix said and held out her hand so that a Burrow hole appeared before Chloe to take her back to where the others were and Alix would send the other back a few minutes after Chloe so that they didn't run into her though she presumed that Chloe would storm off right away. "Goodbye."
Chloe just let out a huff and walked through the hole without a backwards glance. It closed behind her and they all breathed out a sigh of relief at that as it was likely the last time any of them would see Chloe. They'd given her a final chance because she'd gone through therapy and made some amends with Sabrina, as well as still being Adrien's friend so she had to be included on this, but as soon as she'd been faced with the truth of Adrien and Marinette's relationship she'd blown it and now had no one. It was a long overdue good riddance of Chloe, for most of them that was.
"I know that that was hard." Marinette said putting her hand on Sabrina's shoulder. "But you know that it was the right call. You are as much of a victim of hers as the rest of us are, perhaps more so."
"I, I do." Sabrina said with a sigh as she accepted that whatever reconciliation that she and Chloe had had was now over. "I love Chloe in my own way but it's clear that she's not going to change. She didn't when you vanished, only got worse because you were likely with Adrien, and she crossed a line that caused me to initially betray her. Still, after therapy and our reconciliation I thought that she'd returned to the Chloe I once knew but, now, well, look at her. She's as bad as ever and I'm finally accepting that it's over between us. I'm going to stay in Paris and mend things with everyone, if Chloe wants to reconcile I'll think about it but she's on her own now."
"That's good." Marinette said as the girls reached the guys. "And you have everyone here to support you."
That got a chorus of agreements from everyone and made Sabrina smile at that as they had been repairing things for a few years. However, she'd always been Chloe's bestie, well lacky really, and even after her betrayal a few years ago that had been between them but now that she was clearly done with Chloe and looking for forgiveness, well they could easily do that for her. Sabrina could fully see that she and Chloe had had a very toxic and abusive relationship and that this was necessary. In that vein, she knew that it was time for a new look as she embraced her new friends.
"See, everyone's here for you." Marinette said smiling. "It's a new start for you when you get back."
"Thanks Marinette." Sabrina said tears in her eyes. "I know it will be, they'll all see a new me."
"You've somehow become even more of a leader than before." Alya said smiling, she had her own issues with Sabrina's past actions but Marinette's acceptance went a long way and it was time for them to fully bury the hatched with Sabrina and give her a true chance to prove that she was now their friend and not Chloe's. "Our class president has really grown up in her new life."
"I have you and Adrien to thank for helping me overcome what I went through." Marinette said. "And, well, after the incident and adapting to a new era I've come to realize that I've got a new life that is completely without Chloe so that was a positive."
"As was Adrien." Nino said. "It's about time you two ended up together. Adrien was just telling us that it's been since the start of your new lives, well telling Chloe but we all heard, so a while then."
"Almost two years I think, I've lost count of how long since our first kiss if I'm being honest." Marinette said flushing. "But yeah realizing that Adrien felt the same about me as I did about him really helped me overcome all my insecurities and worries. It was all in my head it turned out."
"See girl all you needed was the right push." Alya said. "Don't worry guys, we got a lot of details to share if Adrien hasn't."
"Alya!" Marinette complained. "Please tell me you didn't say anything Adrien."
"He's been a gentleman." Luka said before Adrien could say that he'd not even told them how he and Marinette had ended up together. "Don't worry."
"That and Chloe interrupted before he could." Nino said unhelpfully. "We'd just learned that you were in Japan and were catching up when that happened."
"We learned that as well." Alya said. "And caught up a bit about what we've done and what Marinette and Adrien have been up to."
"Well if that's the case then are you ready for what comes next?" Alix asked walking over to them her words getting their attention. "Marinette, Adrien, do you want to do this now or do you want more time? There are some cultural things that should be addressed."
"Now's good, we'll clarify things during introductions as that will be easiest." Marinette said looking to Adrien who nodded. "Plus, even though time has stopped for others while we're here it hasn't for us so we should move on as it is late and Adrien and I do need to get plenty of sleep. Besides, if it's ok with you and approved, I'd like another moment here after we're done."
"I'm sure that that would be allowed." Alix said though she'd have to clear it with Mage first as she didn't want to mess too much up when it came to the timeline. "Now that we know that we can use Burrow I can set up some times but it may be for the best to do so infrequently."
"We understand." Adrien said. "We all have our own lives to live and this is mainly for closure but there is so much to cover that a time for purely us would be appreciated, after everything is done that is."
"Sounds cryptic." Alya said.
"Future stuff that Alix is aware of because of how she found us but which we can't divulge." Marinette said but as she spoke she had an idea that would work but only when the time was right and she'd have to discuss it with Alix, Adrien, and Mage. "For now, there is one more thing that we want to do with all of you."
"There is?" Nino asked confused while everyone else mirrored his confusion on their faces.
"Yup." Adrien said with a nod. "This wasn't just about us after all."
"We do have new friends as well." Marinette said as she turned her head to Alix and nodded before turning back to the others. "So we'd like to introduce you to them and vice versa."
I know, another cliffhanger but this whole arc is just one of those arcs that's going to be rife with them. As with other chapters in it, I had planned on it being everything with both the old and new friends but in the end I felt that Marinette and Adrien deserved some alone time with their old friends first and that that should be a chapter on its own to do it justice and so I broke the chapter into two with the new friends coming and meeting in the next chapter. I know that this is dragging things on but it just feels right to do it this way plus a bonus of this is that the more chapters now, the shorter the next hiatus will be if I get to the end of the season 7 material before season 8 comes out. That said, we only have a few more chapters in the Reunion and Closure Arc and soon it will be back to the war but they all need this before then. Also, as you can tell, I've updated the appearances of the characters as best I can based on their new season 6 looks but as this chapter came out the same day as Daddy Cop so I'm limited to the what has been shown up to that point be it in that episode or the new opening. That said, I didn't change Sabrina's look because I wanted it to remain the same as she's still not had the true break from Chloe due to the events that caused that having never transpired though she did branch out over the years thanks to Chloe still going to London hence why that moment is at hand. That break has happened so her style change is now at hand though I'm not the biggest fan of her new hairstyle. Lastly, in case some of you are confused, remember that the incident that blasted Adrien and Marinette into the future occurred during season 3 of Miraculous Ladybug so before Chloe fully committed to evil and before Zoey was introduced hence why Chloe is still around and Zoey isn't present as she never met and got to know Adrien and Marinette or fall for the latter. Zoey still exists in the old timeline as I did reference her but she arrived after the incident. That's all that I really have to say about this chapter, however, so I will leave things off here. As always, if you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.
Stringdog