You're home. [Miraculous Ladybug Fanfiction] (Completed)

Chapter 3 - Ocean Eyes.

"M-..Marinette?" He asked, holding her by the back, his pointer finger just brushing the clasp of her bra, causing her to flinch.

Marinette blinked in surprise, eyes panning up to the stranger's face. Rather, he felt like a stranger. She immediately recognized him. The same golden hair that looked softer than wool, chiseled features, and oh god those bright green eyes. She knew exactly who that was.

"A-Adrien..." she breathed. His name rolled off her tongue so easily.

~

"Are you alright?" Adrien asked, helping the small, but noticeably mature woman to her feet again. He kept his hand on the middle of her back to make sure she was steady. Marinette... the baker's daughter. Highschool colleague, girl he might've once had feelings for... if only he wasn't to blinded by Ladybug. She was still the same height. But her hair was much longer. He found himself staring into those familiar ocean eyes.

Adrien cleared his throat and averted his eyes, staring at the pavement instead
"Y-yea- I'm okay. Thank you." She smoothed her skirt down.

Adrien removed his hand from her back and stuffed them into the pockets of his coat. "Im glad." He smiled. His mind immediately went to the reason why he was here, which brought the question to his mind of which... "Why are you here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Marinette blinked, his voice snapping her out of her thoughts. "M-My plane just landed last night so I came to visit Alya and Nino." She explained. She still seemed shy around him.

Alya mentioned to him that Marinette would be the maid of honor in their wedding. So he expected to see her again someday, perhaps even before the wedding. He had been correct in his assumptions. "What about you?" Marinette asked, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Alya and Nino wanted to give me some of the shopping lists. I offered to help with some of the decorations." He explained.

Marinette nodded. "I see.." she seemed awkward and distant with him.
"Hey, Ill go get the paperwork, and how about we go to dinner? My treat.. a 'Welcome back home' present, I suppose." He smiled. Marinette looked up at him with those same twinkling blue eyes he remembered as a teenager.
"I would love that." She smiled, seemed to relax. Adrien patted her shoulder and then made his way to his friend's apartment, greeting them briefly. He collected the papers and then met Marinette back outside who had been scrolling through her phone absentmindedly.

"Ready?" Adrien asked, holding the folder of documents in one arm. Marinette looked up from her glowing phone screen and nodded. She put her smartphone back into her purse and then walked side by side with him to a nearby sit-down restaurant, close to Marinette's apartment, which apparently is also close to Adrien's pent house.

Because of his father, he was financially VERY stable, and had taken over managing the Fashion line company. He made the contracting, partnership, shipping and financial decisions, being the CEO of the company.

Together, they were directed to a two-person table, next to a window and then given leather menus.
"And what would you two like to drink this evening?" The young waitress asked.
"Pinot Noir"
"Pinot Noir" they both said at the same time. It was a dark red wine. The waitress smiled and then thanked them. She brought them the tall stem glasses and poured the blood-colored liquid into each glass, in between 1/3 and 1/2 full.

"Excellent taste." Adrien said, beaming at the small woman who sat in front of him. Marinette giggled and took a delicate sip. "Thank you." She smiled, setting the glass down carefully. Adrien internally sighed in relief when she seemed to have calmed down and become more at ease with him.

Marinette and Adrien both thumbed through the leather menu, reading the meal items silently to themselves. Adrien decided on a nice steak to go with his wine. When the waitress came back, she took their orders. Marinette must have had the similar idea because she chose spaghetti, both their meals an amazing accomplice to wine.

"So, you moved to China... how different was it?" Adrien asked once the waitress took their menus away. Marinette swallowed her sip of wine and then folded her hands in her lap.
"Very," she said, "very different, for sure. Everything from the traffic to the culture and food... housing, highschool... it was all hard to adjust to." She laughed a little. Adrien smiled.
"Its nice to see you again... You're home." He waited for the waitress to fill their glasses again before he picked his up and held it out to her. "Cheers." He offered.
Marinette clinked their glasses together, saying "Cheers" in such a way that she seemed to be.. relieved. But, if we was being honest, so was he.

Ladybug had left him with no more than a few words, and tears spilling over her mask. He still, to this day don't know why she left. All she had said was, "I have to go, Chat." And no matter how many times he begged her to tell him why, she would just start crying more. He still remembered those same beautiful blue ocean eyes. They were the same as Marinette's. It gave him a sense of his partners presence.

Dinner was comfortable, and friendly. The two caught up with one another, both happily chatting about their careers - Adrien's taking off far better than Marinette's who simply had her own website. But she said she was looking to build a boutique of her own and start a business. Adrien had offered to give her a loan to help her build but she refused and said she wanted to do this all on her own.
He immediately found a new side of her he had never known. A strong and independent side, determined to make her dreams a reality on her own. It reminded him of Ladybug once again. It pained him to think about her, but Marinette... she just seemed to be so similar.

Their evening closed with Adrien walking Marinette home. She tried to refuse but he insisted. He stopped once they walked up to her apartment door. He turned to face her, a soft smile shaping his lips. "Thank you for having dinner with me, Marinette. It was really nice catching up with you." He says, leaning against the frame of her apartment door.

Marinette pulled her keys out and nodded. "Me too, seeing everyone again felt good." She admitted, clenching her keys in her grip. Adrien stepped out of her way, stuffing his hands in his coat pocket. Marinette unlocked the door and then opened it up.
"Ill see you around then. Oh, here." Adrien pulled a business card out of his pocket and then circled a phone number. "Goodnight." He said, handing it to her. Marinette blinked in surprise, taking the small business hard from him. "Goodnight." She whispered before walking into the small apartment, closing the door behind her.

Adrien left the complex. Plagg, his kwami since highschool poked his head out of his little hiding spot. "Hmm~ Marinette turned out pretty attractive." He mused, looking up at his chosen with a smirk. Adrien rolled his eyes ad forced Plagg back into hiding until he made his way back home. When he got there, he immediately found a small envelope on the floor. He raised an eyebrow and opened it up.
All it had was an address written down in neat ink. And the words, "Come with the mask on".