Work Text:
Marinette looked up from her sketch book in surprise. She had been so invested in the drawing, the lines of the dress finally aligning and making sense after weeks of refusing to even stand next to each other in her head, that she hadn't noticed when Trocadero had filled with people.
It had always been her place to find inspiration and this was what had sent her there early in the morning after another night of tossing and turning. It had been quiet then, only the pigeons keeping her company as the warm rays of the sun started dancing across the city. Now it was teeming with tourists, guides clamoring for attention and busy people on their way to work even on a day off for most people. It was a miracle that she hadn't noticed earlier.
She had found her missing spark there, so her mission was a success, but now it was time to go home, she decided, gathering her things and getting up.
Giving the Eiffel Tower one last glance and then completely ignoring the one spot directly opposite it, because it would just hurt to linger there, she headed up the stairs. Except that something seemed to be pulling her back.
She paused, the throngs of people once again almost forgotten, as this strange feeling settled in her stomach. It couldn't be, right? It wasn't possible to feel him there. The pang in her heart made her close her eyes for a moment. No, it was just her imagination. Being back there, where a lot of memories waited in the background, always messed her up.
Marinette lifted her foot to resume her journey up the stairs, but a voice stopped her.
"Marinette!"
It was a very familiar voice. Something straight out of her dreams. The pain was white hot this time. So strong it almost made her double over. Was she having hallucinations now?
She knew that she had to keep going, to get out of there. She would feel better once she was home. But a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
She whirled around, expecting a friend she hadn't noticed, which would explain someone calling her name even if the voice was wrong. Or a stranger who had taken her for someone else, the wind distorting the name that had reached her. Instead, she came face to face with the last person she had expected to see there.
"Adrien?" She squinted, lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun which had gotten much brighter and was beating down on her.
"You remember me! It's so great to see you!" He exclaimed, his smile warm and almost as bright as the sun. And then, to her surprise, he pulled her into his arms.
"Hey," she laughed in surprise, even as a part of her noticed just how familiar that hug felt. He has hugged you before, she all but groaned, refusing to entertain the ludicrous thoughts further. It was Adrien and she was actually happy to see him.
"Isn't it wonderful, how you're the first person I bump into on my return to Paris?" he asked as he pulled back and led her up the stairs. She could only steal quick glances at him as they walked through the crowd. But she didn't need to look closely to know that he had changed. Of course he had, it had been years.
"This is the first place you went to?" She asked with a frown.
Adrien had left Paris quite suddenly just after they finished middle school. Rumour was that he had gone to London after his father had realised that he could no longer cope with the loss of his wife and looking after his son was out of the question.
Marinette had been very sad, of course. But she had been distracted, because this was happening shortly after the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculouses had been returned to her, the man who had held the kwamis hostage disappearing. And then, Plagg had followed suit, leaving her without a partner.
She had lost both Adrien and Chat but seeing Adrien again had never seemed impossible. After all, Nino still talked to him occasionally, from what she had heard from Alya, with whom she still kept in touch. And this was who she had expected him to call on his return - his friend.
Instead he was where, at the spot that brought back memories of the other missing person in her life. The one she had no hope of ever reconnecting with.
Shaking her head, almost mad at herself for once again thinking about this, she focused on Adrien just in time to see uncertainty flicker in his eyes before he gave her a bright smile. A fake one, if she'd ever seen one.
"I guess I wanted the tourist experience," he chuckled, sounding almost nervous to her ears. But maybe she was imagining things. She couldn't trust her own judgement right now.
"Right. Well, it was good seeing you."
After all, she expected him to go about his day, which in no way included her.
"Do you have time to grab a coffee?" he asked, instead, surprising her again. "I arrived early and no one is expecting me."
Her heart gave a traitorous jolt at the thought of going on a date with him. Except that this wasn't a date. It was just catching up with an old friend. She was really mad at her confusing thoughts.
"Of course," she forced herself to smile. "I was just making some sketches but I can finish them later."
She no longer feared losing her touch again. Once she had gotten over the block, she knew that she would be back on track. It always happened like this.
"You still draw?" Adrien asked as they headed to a nearby cafe. "Is it designs?" She nodded. "That's great. You were so talented."
"Thanks," she smiled shyly.
It turned out that the cafe was packed. And it was probably true about every other one as well. It was Saturday, the weather was warm, of course central Paris would be packed. So they decided to grab some coffee on the go and have a walk.
"You seem different," Marinette said as they waited. "I can't put my finger on it. Like, yes, you're taller," she giggled, making a show of looking up at him. But it was true. She hadn't noticed when first seeing him because she had been on a higher step than him. And then they had been making their way through the people. "But it's not just that."
"I recognised you instantly," he gave her a happy smile that almost made her blush. "Well, the ponytail is different but it doesn't change you much."
It felt good to know that he remembered her. But she was still trying to make sense of him.
"Your hair... " she looked closer. "It's not as tidy as it was before," she realised. "And you seem more relaxed," she added, biting her lip. It was really strange. How her thoughts kept going back to him, who was not Adrien.
"I guess, yes," he chuckled. "Once my father... well, stopped controlling my life, I might have reverted to something more like what I've always wanted to be. I mean, I had been like that in my head," he explained, almost too fast, as if he didn't want her to ask more questions about what he meant.
They were both acting strange. Was it any wonder since they hadn't seen each other in years.
"It suits you," she shrugged, content to let it drop.
"Thanks," he smiled as he handed her her coffee.
"So you're back?" She asked, as they walked along the Seine.
"Yes," he said around a sip. "It somehow feels right being back here. I thought about studying in Paris, but I hadn't decided firmly. I was preparing to just look around. And then, bumping into you, I don't know, it made me certain that my hunch was right."
"I'm happy to hear that," she replied, hiding her hot face behind her cup. It was so weird, how he could still leave her flustered.
"It's strange, you know," he said, looking away. "At first I thought I was imagining things. I'm used to looking for a face in the crowd and never expecting to find it. And then, there were you."
Marinette frowned. This very much reminded her of her own experience.
"Who are you looking for?"
"It doesn't matter," he sighed, his voice sad.
"It's funny, because when you called out my name, it sounded too much like someone else I used to know," she heard herself admitting. "Someone I often find myself looking for in the crowd."
This made Adrien pause and look closely at her, making her gulp her coffee. It was still hot but it didn't burn her mouth. And she very much needed to feel awake now because was really acting strangely.
"Who did I remind you of?"
"It's nothing," she said quickly, feeling self-conscious. He'd probably think she had gone crazy. "You did use to voice Chat Noir in that movie, my mind was playing tricks on me."
It just slipped, as if she had no control over her mouth. It was what she was trying to convince herself, but when she saw Adrien's eyes widen in panic she reconsidered.
"Oh, wow, that's.... "
"Adrien?" Her heart skipped a beat for some reason. She had expected him to laugh and brush this off as a joke. Instead, he looked serious.
"Can you keep a secret, Marinette?" he said, his voice suddenly low. He looked around, as if to make sure that no one was paying attention to them. They were out of the big crowds but even the people walking by, barely looked at them. It was different from what he was used to from his time in Paris.
She nodded, trying to stifle her own panic. She wasn't imagining things. He looked as if...
"I used to be Chat Noir," he said simply, dropping the bomb that made her whole world implode. She felt her mouth fall open but no sound came out. It was real. "There is no more danger and I know that I can trust you," he said, probably thinking that she was just shocked that he was telling her. "I just didn't feel like lying to you after what you said. Although... " His eyes were suddenly intent on her. "We were never this close. I mean, we hung out a few times, but I didn't think that you had a reason to miss Chat Noir. To even remember him."
Marinette felt her lips quiver as tears blurred her vision.
"Oh, kitty," she cried out, dropping her almost empty cup on the ground as she threw her arms around him. "Of course I remember you!"
Yes, now it all made sense. He had found her at their spot. She had felt him there. Everything reminding her of him hadn't been a coincidence.
His arms closed around her slowly, but tightly. Yes, this was the hug she had been missing earlier. Safe and warm.
"M'lady," he whispered in her ear, making her sob.
"I missed you so much," she said around the tears.
"I'm here. You're here."
He sounded just as affected as her, his voice watery. They stood like this for a while, just enjoying this wonderful twist of fate before they tried to make sense of it.
"I used to scoff at the idea that it could be you," she admitted eventually, feeling ashamed. "And now I saw it so easily but still refused to acknowledge it. It seemed impossible."
"It's ok, I know I didn't make it easy to connect the dots before. But I was right," he gave her a triumphant grin.
"You were?"
"I did think it was you, one time. And I guess I always kept hoping. Even when I saw you back there. Although I dismissing it as wishful thinking," he shrugged. "I never felt like that about anyone else but you." He looked a little shy at this confession, making her heart beat faster again. "I never stopped... you know, forget about it."
She caught the hurt in his eyes and felt him pull back but she didn't let him go. He was probably afraid that she'd be mad to hear that he still had feelings for her. Instead, she was ecstatic. And a little ashamed.
"I rejected you because I was in love with you," she mumbled, her cheeks burning. "I'm so sorry."
"What?" He gaped at her.
"I was in love with Adrien. Well, I had a crush on you. I barely knew you," she admitted. "And then I realised that it was Chat Noir that I kept missing. Too late."
"But it's still me and I'm here now," he smiled slowly. "I guess it was meant to be."
The spark in his eyes was something she had missed so much that she couldn't even pretend to be annoyed by the familiar jab. It was all so wonderful.
"I'm going to kiss you," she said, realising that her eyes had focused on his lips. And yet, she couldn't move.
"If this was meant to be a threat... I'm not scared," she saw his lips move, she saw the smile widening.
"Kitty," she all but whined.
"Come on, m'lady. I have been waiting for years."
And so had she. And well, it was him. With him everything was easy. Even surging on her tiptoes while also simultaneously using a hand on the back of his neck to drag him down until they met in the middle. Kissing him was easy because the rush of feelings inside of her was familiar. She had always loved him and apparently he still loved her as well. This couldn't be anything but amazing.
Until they had to break apart to catch their breath, still clinging to each other. Threading her fingers through his hair, Marinette smiled dreamily at Adrien, her kitty.
"I..."
He kissed her again, stealing her breath just as she'd caught it. It was exhilarating. They couldn't get enough of each other. It didn't matter that they were out in the open. It didn't matter what the rest of the day held for them. Right now, making up for all the lost time was imperative. Or at least starting on it.
"I love you," he whispered against her lips, which felt tender to the touch in the best possible way.
"I was about to say this earlier, but you didn't let me," she giggled, feeling on a high. He gave her a bashful look.
"Say it now."
"I love you."
More kisses followed, needy and hot, hotter than the sun that heated up Marinette's dark hair. It was the best feeling in the world to surrender to this craving inside of her. To finally unleash everything she had kept to herself.
Later they sought shade and bought more coffee and talked for hours. Until it felt as if they had never been apart. And in a way, they hadn't. Because they had never forgotten each other. In their hearts, they had always been together.