••

     Adrien embraced her tightly, holding her like this was the last time they'd see each other.

"I've missed you, so much Marinette." Adrien began sobbing into his shoulder, happy that Marinette had been alive this whole time, even after many years of Marinette's disappearance passing, he still had sometimes cried to himself, or cried himself to sleep.

"Don't ever do that again, never again, you had me worried sick, and depressed Marinette, you don't understand how much I think about you everyday, every time i passed your home, which used to be the bakery, i'd wonder what i could've done to prevent your supposed death." Adrien continued with his embrace, as he sobbed into her shoulder, he was so relieved.

"Adrien.. i'm so sorry." Marinette choked out as she gave into his embrace, holding him like a child, her embrace reminded him so much of how his mom would hold him before she died.

"Where did you go anyways?" Adrien asked out of pure curiosity, wanting to not remind himself of his mothers death.

Marinette paused for a second.
"Oh..um..well.."
Oh how could she tell the innocent and sweet Adrien, about how..

"Wait, we don't have to talk about it now.. I don't want to pressure you!" He quickly inquired, not blind to how Marinette had reacted, but took it as a sign of something personal, maybe she left because of what her parents did..

Marinette let out a quick awkward smile.
"Hey its getting pretty late, I should get going.. Hopefully we run into each other soon again.. well not actually run into like right now but-.." She continuously rambled before Adrien interrupted her.

"Yeah, i'll see you around, bye Marinette." Adrien laughed as he began walking ahead of her to his residence, he forgot to ask for her number, ugh he slapped himself softly.

The two parted.. for now.
••
the next day
••
Marinette ::

It was 9:00am, Thursday morning, everyone in Paris was already out and about, except for a certain bluenette who was struggling to get out of bed.

buzz buzz..

Her alarm clock had been snoozed 4 times already and Marinette was about to snooze it for its fifth time before she remembered she had a full day of redecorating her new penthouse.

She groaned internally.

She jumped out of bed running into her restroom, she was a sight for sore eyes.. truly.. hair all over the place, bad under-eye bags, bad morning breath, she groaned as she washed her face.

After she had brushed both her teeth and her hair she decided to throw on a bit makeup to hide the mess on her face.

She was wearing a simple off the shoulder ruffle dress and 2 inch peep toe platform wedges.

She was excited to see how alive Paris would be. Marinette ran out her door, not before almost tripping, and almost forgetting to lock it, even now she still has the same clumsiness she did when she was a teen.

Marinette walked around for a little until she came by a nice welcoming cafe, and not really full, it was chinese themed and she liked how cute it looked.

As she entered she instantly felt warm, and instantly heard a few whispers.
"Nino doesn't that look like her.." She heard a females voice say, Nino.. sounded familiar to her. She just couldn't place where it came from.

"Alya calm down, it could be anybody, remember that everyone declared her dead, we were at her funeral for goodness sakes." He hugged Alya just incase she began to get emotional, Marinette had always been a sensitive topic for Alya.

"I know.. but she looks so much like Marinette, bluebell eyes, black-blue hair, same face structure, and plus the casket was empty, she probably is still alive!" Alya had also never excepted Marinette's death, always believing Marinette was somewhere out there, waiting to be rescued.

She instantly remembered now.
"Alya, its me Marinette!" Marinette yelled as she ran towards her old bestfriend, embracing her in the biggest hug she could manage.

"Oh my god it can't be!" Alya screamed hugging Marinette even tighter, Alya was surprised and overcome with shock and questions.

"Where were you? How are you? Why didn't you tell anybody? When did you come back? Have you seen anybody else yet?" Alya bombarded Marinette with questions.

"I'm great now! I came back yesterday and yeah i ran into Adrien last night." Marinette answered only some of her questions perfectly.
Alya didn't seem to realize it as she was full of shock.

"Ahh Hey dudette, we've all missed you." Nino then interrupted pulling Marinette into a hug too. The group sat down at a table and began bonding, Marinette had told them about a career she had built, and Alya and Nino shared the news of the engagement they had.
••
Adrien ::

"Lila you could not believe who I ran into!" Adrien shouted out of excitement and happiness, as he gestured for Lila to come over to the couch he was on.

"Who, mon amour?" She smiled as she sat next to him on his couch, holding his hands to calm him down a little.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng!"

"but I thought she was dead..?" Lila spat, but quickly covered the way she said it by coughing, and smiled and faked an excited front.

In truth Lila had always hated Marinette, she knew that Marinette and him shared a bond nobody else could have. She was relieved when she got news on Marinette's passing, she sought it as a perfect chance to snatch up the weak vulnerable Adrien Agreste, who was depressed about she bluenettes passing.

"Nope, she was alive the whole time, but she wouldn't tell me why she disappeared, so I didn't pressure her." Adrien smiles innocently, not aware of the terrible reasoning that could be behind her long disappearance, oh how naive could Adrien at times be.

Maybe Lila even had a part in it, maybe everyone he thought he could trust was really the most untrustworthy and the ones who have hidden the most truth.

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