One Miraculous Circus

Chapter 41

In the back of the taxi, excitement grew between them. Adrien squeezed Mari's knee as they got closer and closer to the airport, a large smile appearing across his face each time they made eye contact.

Once they reached the airport, they paid the taxi driver and clambered out of the car. They pulled their suitcases from the back of the car and wheeled them through the large building, now becoming one of the many couples running around trying to catch a flight.

Marinette peeked down at her watch and picked up speed, grabbing Adrien's hand to pull him along with her, "Okay, so there was a lot of traffic and we're going to have to check our bags in and basically run through security and to the gate."

Mari held both their passports in hand and had her boarding pass up on her phone, her heels clicking on the tiles and her eyebrows pulled in, in concentration causing a few wrinkles on her forehead and nose.

"You look cute when you're concentrating," Adrien giggled as he practically jogged to keep up with her insanely fast walking.

"I normally love your jokes, kitty, but you know how I get when it comes to being late or missing things," she said, her face still buried in all the things in her hands.

"Okay, okay. I'll leave you and your cute scrunched up face to do your job, bugaboo," he said with a small smirk, admiring her adorable concentrating face and the way her tongue stuck out of her mouth slightly.

She weaved the pair through baggage claim, security, running and bumbling toddlers, a toilet trip where she moaned that Adrien took too long for about 15 minutes afterwards and eventually they finally found themselves sat at gate 25. 

"Can I talk to you now, Mari? Have you calmed down from your manic organisational rage?" Adrien laughed and Marinette glared back at him.

"I do not have a 'manic organisational rage'," Marinette said back as she thrust his passport into his hand.

"You only have it sometimes," he smiled, "You won't have it when you're back in the Ladybug element in Paris. You feel freer then, I can see it. Anyways, I love you for your organised self, your stuttering self, your free self, your cute self and your rage self."

"God, am I really like all those?" Marinette said as she made eye contact with the blonde for the first time since entering the bustling airport.

"You're the free one mostly and always cute, bugaboo, but your other personalities pop out sometimes."

"Ugh, shut up," she smiled as she leant in and pulled him into a soft kiss, sparks fluttering through them and her body feeling as if it was on fire where he touched her, "Come on. Let's get on the plane."

Adrien put Marinette's handbag into the overhead bin after she almost fell multiple times attempting to put it up and he slipped into the seats after, placing himself in the seat next to the window. Marinette sat next to him and snuggled into his chest, leaving a trail of kisses from his lips to his collar bone before drifting peacefully off to sleep. Adrien placed a soft kiss on her forehead with a small whisper of an "I love you" before placing his head on hers, breathing in the scent of her shampoo, and falling asleep as well.

The overnight flight passed by quickly as they slept and they only woke up when the stewardess spoke over the microphone telling them to prepare for landing. Their arms and legs were tangled up from their long sleep wrapped in each other's embrace and because Adrien woke up first he looked down at the beautiful girl he was happy to call his as her eyelids fluttered open to reveal her big bluebell eyes. She smiled up at the boy staring at her, leaning in and pulling him into a few more small kisses.

"I missed you," she whispered in between kisses, smiling into each one unable to withhold her happiness.

He held her small face in his hands, feeling sparks in their contact, "I missed you more, I should've never let you go."

Eventually, the plane came to an abrupt stop on the runway, throwing everyone around slightly before everyone filed out of the large plane. They ran through the building towards the baggage claim, comforted by the french words that filled every sign. They waited by the conveyor belt and scanned all the bags, searching for theirs eagerly. When Marinette spotted hers and went to grab it, Adrien snuck up behind her and picked her up, spinning her around, sending them both into a fit of giggles. 

"Come on, kitty! Let me grab our stuff so we can get to the circus, okay," she smiled as she managed to pry herself from his grip.

"Okay, okay, okay. I can have my fun later," Adrien said with a wink and she jokily slapped him on the arm before dragging a suitcase off the conveyor belt. 

As soon as they had their bags in tow and were through all border control there was, they burst through the airport doors revealing the city they happily called home.

They were back in Paris.

Marinette took a deep breath of the familiar air. It didn't feel heavy with sadness like it did when she left. With her fingers intertwined with Adrien's and her mother's necklace that she found while moving out of her family home wrapped around her neck, she didn't have a heavy heart held down with hurt anymore. Her heart was glowing with love as she was held by her boyfriend and imagined her family smiling at her from above, happy to see her happy.

He squeezed her hand, smiling widely at her as he had been all day. They couldn't help but grin at each other like idiots, high on their own love. They dragged their bags through the city of lights, seeing faint images of their meetings in the park before long days at work; remembering their nights at the club as they passed the old bar; remembering their sneaking romances within the apartment as they strolled past the cafe; remembering their school days as they passed the elementary, from them falling in love at 18 to the days of Marinette stuttering at 14.

Eventually, they found themselves stood outside the old circus, staring up at the giant circus building. Even though the lights inside were out and the building now seemed intimidating, it still reminded them of home, bringing a warming, comforting feeling to their hearts.

"Ready to go in?" Adrien said as he pulled keys from his bag.

"Always ready when I'm with you, Chaton."