Requested by Freddy101

I am so so sorry that it has taken me so long to write this one-shot. The wait has been long enough. I hope you enjoy!

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Adrien and Marinette are what one would label as inseparable best friends. But when Adrien's mother is tragically killed in car accident, his father pulls him away from society— including his best friend, Marinette. When Gabriel Agreste suddenly decides to leave the city that reminds him all too well of his beloved and heads off for the states, Marinette and Adrien are forced to bid each other farewell and pray they will see each other again someday.

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"Y-You're leaving?"

It was something he had been dreading on telling her, but seven-year-old Adrien Agreste didn't know how else to break the terrible news to his best friend. Her parents had scheduled a playdate that afternoon... because it would be the last time he would get to see her. His father had been reluctant to let his son go, but Nathalie had persuaded him, saying that it was only fair for the young children to properly say goodbye. Adrien, however, didn't want to say goodbye. He didn't want to lose Marinette too—not after his mother had been taken from him at such a young age. Back then when his mother had been so sick, he pleaded for her to stay and she didn't. Now, he pleaded for his father to stay in Paris, France, and he wouldn't.

He and Marinette were currently seated on the floor in a crisscross position. He had taken a seat across from her when he told her that there was something important he needed to tell her. There was a plate of croissants seated in between them that her mother had brought up for them, and he eyed the plate wearily. He felt guilty for wanting to take one—even as a child—and then have to break such terrible news to her. Even as a young child, he understood the severity of losing someone—of what it could do to your heart, soul and mind. Marinette deserved so much more than this heartache.

Adrien could feel her eyes on him as he finally decided to reach for a croissant. When she didn't try to stop him, he concluded that it must have been okay for him to still eat her food and took a small bite. As he ate, Adrien took the courage to look up at her again, only to find the tears that threatened to spill down her soft, rosy cheeks. He tried to swallow down the guilt he felt along with his croissant.

They had promised to never leave each other.

And he was breaking that promise.

"Yes." He broke the silence hesitantly and chewed on his bottom lip nervously. "Father says that we're leaving in the morning."

It was hard to fathom it all. Adrien had cried beforehand when his father had first given him the news, traumatized by the fact that he would never get to see Marinette again. He wasn't just moving from one house to another, oh no.

He was moving to the other side of the world.

"Will you visit?" Marinette asked, sniffling.

Adrien hadn't even realized he'd finished his first croissant until he realized there was nothing left in his hand to eat. He reached forward for another croissant, though it was no longer to satisfy his hunger. It was more of a distraction now—something that could divert his attention from telling Marinette the entire truth. Or maybe it was a reminder. So he wouldn't forget the Dupain-Cheng bakery that he considered as his second home.

He would never get to taste these tasty pastries ever again, after all.

"N-No," Adrien replied sadly, his own bottom lip quivering at the thought. If only there was a way to stop his father from making such a terrible decision—if only he could stop it. "I don't think we will ever see each other again."

"E-Ever?" Marinette whimpered.

Adrien didn't know what else to say. How do you tell someone you care so much about that you will never get to see them again? He didn't dare look up to meet her eyes as he nodded, not wanting to know what her reaction would be. He knew the news would be hard for her to take in; hard for her to understand. He could barely understand them himself.

Marinette was softly crying now, and all he could do was listen as she choked back sobs behind her shaking palms. "Why? Why can't we see each other again?"

He hated seeing her so sad.

"Father says we will be too far away." He tried to explain, remembering the brief explanation his father had given him before sending him off to his room the day before. "We are going to this place called America, and Nathalie told me that it's on the other side of the world."

"But... but that's too far!"

Adrien hesitated, and then he looked up from underneath his bangs to catch Marinette's eyes once again. She sat in the same position since they had first sat down together, and her hands were balled into little fists as they clung onto the ends of her skirt. She hiccupped as she struggled to comprehend the news she was receiving, and Adrien wanting nothing more than to wipe her tears away.

He decided this small distance between them would do them no good. If his father planned to separate him from the best thing in his life, he figured he should at least enjoy this for the rest of the time he had left. Slowly, Adrien stood from his spot on the floor and moved to sit by his best friend. He reached for one of her hands that was still clenched into a fist and coaxed her to relax her fingers. Though it was all done wordlessly, Marinette allowed him to open up her hand, and he immediately wove his fingers together with hers, holding her hand firmly in his.

"I know," He said after a moment of silence. "I asked father why we had to move so far away... but he wouldn't tell me. I even begged him if we could stay... but he didn't listen. If mother were here, I'm sure he would have listened to her. I just wish things didn't have to be this way."

Marinette sniffled again, her gaze still focused in her lap and on their conjoined hands. "I'm going to miss you, Adrien. I'm going to miss you so much."

She had no idea how much he was going to miss her as well.

He opened his mouth to respond—to assure her that no matter the distance, she would always be his best friend. But he didn't have the chance to when Marinette suddenly lunged into him, pulling him into a tight embrace. She rested her cheek against his chest as she cried, clinging to him as if it could prevent him from leaving her, and he rested his chin on top of her head. His arms wove around her to return the hug, and he found himself crying as well as the idea of leaving her behind became more surreal. Though they were nothing more but children, he found that she was always his best comfort. And he hoped he was hers.

Perhaps this would be the last time they would ever see each other, but he knew for a fact that he would never forget her.

Marinette would always be his best friend.

Always.

Adrien sniffled as he tried to compose his tears. "I'm going to miss you too, Marinette."

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It had been eleven years since Adrien Agreste had last seen the city of Paris; his hometown. He left many years ago when he was simply a child, forced into a life of modelling by his father to drown out the sorrow and loss of his mother that seemed to plague them both even after years of attempted recovery. Adrien realized at a young age that Gabriel Agreste would never be the same man he once was, and that the loss of his wife would leave an everlasting scar on the man's heart.

For years, Adrien longed to return to his hometown. For years, he begged his father to return home. It was only when he turned eighteen did his father grant his wish. He was given the option to choose where he wanted to vacation this year, and his father had no authority to stop him when he chose to vacation in Paris, France.

When he and his father boarded their private jet, Adrien could hardly contain his excitement. He was going home. Finally. After so many years.

And he would finally get to see Marinette again.

When they landed, Adrien was so excited that he couldn't even wait for his father to exit the jet. He didn't even bother to grab his luggage, knowing that for once in his life, he wouldn't feel guilty for Nathalie and his bodyguard taking care of it.

Adrien's only concern in that moment was getting to the Dupain-Cheng Bakery as soon as possible.

When Adrien did arrive at the bakery, his sudden entrance through the front door had been a surprise at that. Sabine and Tom Dupain-Cheng had been downstairs in the bakery—thank goodness—putting pastries into the oven. Sabine was assisting customers at the counter when she noticed and recognized her daughter's childhood best friend, and quickly she told Tom. Immediately, the parents rushed to embrace Adrien, and Tom ruffled the boy's blonde locks.

They shared wide smiles between one another, each welcoming Adrien home. They asked him about how he had been, complemented him on how grown up and handsome he looked, and asked him many questions as to why he was back in Paris. He answered their questions glad-fully. But he noticed, that as he reunited with his other parents, that there was one person who hadn't joined the bakers downstairs in the shop today.

Marinette was nowhere to be seen.

Adrien's smile fell slightly, and he turned his head to look around the shop, wondering if he had missed her somehow throughout all the excitement. Her parents seemed to notice this and they followed his gaze, assuming his thoughts had wandered to the pastries. "Since you're here, we might as well whip up some of those croissants you used to drool over." Tom chuckled.

Adrien smiled. Those did sound good. "That would be wonderful, thank you. It is lovely to see you both after all this time, but is Marinette here too?" He asked.

He watched the smiles of Sabine and Tom fall at his question, and Sabine drew nearer into her husband's side. "She is here, Adrien. But she's not the same person you once knew."

Adrien furrowed a brow at that. "What do you mean by that?"

Tom sighed heavily and put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Marinette took your absence very hard, my boy. She became closed off and isolated. She spends every moment she can in her room... alone. We personally haven't spoken to her at all day today. When we do have conversations with her, they're very short and clipped. She hardly spares a word. It's almost as if she lost a part of herself when you left. Marinette isn't the happy, bubbly little girl we used to know."

"We think she's been depressed for many years." Sabine added sadly. "We've tried all we could, but nothing seems to help."

"You can go up to her room if you'd like." Tom said, and although his tone was sad and defeated, he offered the boy a gentle smile. "I'm sure she will be so surprised and happy to see you."

Adrien frowned as he began the ascent up to their apartment building. From what her parents had described to him, Marinette seemed to have been scarred from his absence in more ways than he could have imagined. Yes, it hurt him just as much to be separated from her for so long. But he had been forced by his father to move on with his life. He didn't have a chance to become dwell over the loss of his best friend and become depressed by her absence. But things had been different for Marinette. It was almost as if she was stuck... and she didn't know how to move on.

He hoped him being here would help.

When Adrien reached the door he remembered all too clearly, he knocked lightly above his head.

When there was no answer, he pushed the door open himself.

Adrien climbed through the hatch and shut it behind him, surprised when he was met with little light and mostly darkness. He squinted his eyes as he scanned the room. It was hard to see anything with hardly any light illuminating the room, but he could easily make out the desk light that was on by a desktop.

And the hunched over figure that sat in the desk chair.

"Marinette?" He called out unsurely when she remained still and unmoving. He drew nearer to her desk, unsure of what he should do or say. He hadn't spoken to her in eleven years.

What do you say to someone whom you hadn't seen in so long?

Marinette, however, stirred at the sound of his voice and turned around in the chair to face him. Even in the darkness of the room, he could make out her face and the way her eyes squinted as she studied him. Then she moved to turn on another lamp, and he hissed as more light flooded the room and reached his eyes—which had already adapted to the darkness.

Now, the room was lit properly and he could easily make out her figure. Marinette was dressed in a pair grey joggers and was wearing a blue hoodie. Her hair was loose and hung at her shoulders—a length he realized she had kept since they were little. Her face was one he could definitely recognize. She had grown into a beautiful young woman. Even from a distance, he could make out the light freckles that danced across the bridge of her nose and cheeks that she had had since she was a child.

She hadn't changed a bit.

He smiled—because no matter how many years they had been apart, he was happy to see her. It all seemed to click for Marinette just as fast. Her eyes suddenly widened and her hands flew up to her lips, concealing her gasp.

He could already see the tears in her eyes as she watched him closely. "A-Adrien?" She whispered behind her shaking hands.

That was when he realized her entire body was shaking, and he nodded. He moved closer to her, and with each cautious step he took, Marinette could only watch him with a look of uncertainty. When he finally reached her, he descended onto one knee in front of her and placed a delicate hand on her knee.

"Hey," he smiled warmly up at her.

Marinette gasped, and he watched her tears fall silently down her cheeks. She lowered her hands from her mouth and instead reached out for him, and he let her caress him when her hands reached his head first, threading her fingers through his golden locks. Then her hand came around to caress his cheek, and he leaned into her touch.

God, he had missed her.

Marinette choked back a sob as she continued to caress him, almost as if she was unsure on how to greet the boy she had missed so dearly. Adrien, on the other hand, wasted no time in pulling her down onto the floor with him and wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.

Marinette fell into him with a cry and he felt her cheek rest against his chest as she sobbed—the old memories of the day he had left her all those many years ago resurfacing. He rested his chin on the top of her head like he had done as a child and sighed, breathing in her scent. He felt whole once again just having her in his arms.

When Marinette was able to control her emotions, she peeled away from his chest to look up at him. "How... how are you even here?"

Adrien chuckled, his smile wide and bright. "I'm allowed to decide how often I get to come back here now. Who knows... maybe I'll be able to stay here permanently."

Marinette tried to smile in return, but he found it to be more forced than anything. "I've missed you so much, Adrien. You have no idea how much I've missed you."

He pulled her back into him and he felt her muzzle against his chest. Adrien wasn't sure how long he was allowed to stay in the Dupain-Cheng bakery, and he wasn't even sure if it was okay with his father, Nathalie or even his bodyguard, but he did know one thing.

He was never going to leave his best friend like that again. Never again.

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I hope you enjoyed this one-shot— even though most of it was angsty and sad. At the moment, this request reminded me of a current situation I am currently in with my guy best friend. So yes... I did tear up writing this. Thank you for reading!

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