Reunited (A Miraculous Ladybug Romance)

New Beginnings

     "I'm so nervous, and I don't know what to wear!" I shouted over the phone as Alya patiently listened on the other end. "I'm finally starting my dream job as one of Gabriel Agreste's fashion designers. Well, of course one day I would like to run my own company, but baby steps... baby steps!" I took a deep breath and then continued my diatribe. "What if I totally screw things up and ruin my chances at furthering my career? Then, all of these years of design school would have pointless!"
     I threw my phone on the bed placing it in speaker phone and ran over to my closet. Nothing that I owned looked good enough to wear. I was a fashion designer for Pete's sake and I couldn't leave the house looking like a fashion disaster.
     "Marinette," I heard Alya's voice calmly waft out of the phone, "grab your dark skinny jeans and your heeled ankle boots. Pair those with your sheer pink blouse. Don't forget the undershirt." I obeyed Alya's commands. As if she could sense that I had complied to her will, she then continued, "Now, go to your make up table and make yourself look natural. Please don't add too much. Oh, and keep your hair down today. You don't want to look like a schoolgirl anymore."
     I fumbled my way towards my makeup somehow managing to trip as I tried putting on my boots. Usually, I did just fine getting myself ready in the mornings. I was always late, but that was besides the point. This time, I was just so flustered that I couldn't seem to get myself together.
     "Hey girl," Alya chimed as I was stroking mascara onto my eyelashes, "I have to go. I have work, too, you know. Good luck on your first day!"
     With that, she hung up leaving me completely alone to get ready for the most terrifying day of my life. Well, I wasn't completely alone. Of course I had Tikki. "Marinette ," Tikki sung as she flew between me and the mirror, "you are going to do just fine. I believe in you."
     My little Kwami always knew just what to say to cheer me up. "Thanks Tikki," I said as I cupped her in my hands, "it helps knowing that you will be there with me."
     "Of course!" she squealed taking off to fly circles around me, "I wouldn't miss your first day as a fashion designer for the world!"
     I quickly finished applying my make up and brushed my hair. Looking in the mirror, I tried to decide if I had pulled off the adult look. Sure, I no longer looked like a high school fan girl, but did I really look mature enough to have this serious of a job? I decided that there was nothing more that I could do, so I grabbed my purse and headed downstairs through the bakery grabbing a couple of pastries for the road.
     Getting into my car, I just had to laugh at myself. I was heading to my first day working a real job and I was still living with my parents. How would I explain that to my new coworkers if they found out? Would they ever understand the fact that I still liked helping my parents run the bakery? With this new job, maybe I would finally have enough money to get a place of my own.
     When I arrived at Mr. Agreste's building, I realized that I didn't even remember driving there. My mind had been so overtaken by thinking about everything that could go with this day, that the actuall memory of driving was nowhere to be found. I hoped that I hadn't run any red lights or cut off any pedestrians in my distracted state.  Finding a parking spot was not too hard seeing as how I was over thirty minutes earlier than I was supposed to be. That was a first and most likely a last for me.
     My hair was greeted by the gentle breeze as I stepped out of the car locking and closing the door. I had barely gotten ten steps before I realized that my purse was not resting upon my shoulder like it should have been. I froze as the realization of the grave mistake that I had just made sunk in.
    "No, no! This can't be happening," I shrieked as tears started to well up in my eyes. My whole world came crashing down around me as I thought about everything that was locked in my car. First of all, I would not be able to enter the building without my ID. I couldn't even call someone to come and pick the lock of my car because my phone was still in my purse! Even if I could get in the building, I didn't have my sketchbook with any of my designs that I was supposed to be presenting to Mr. Agreste that afternoon. This was a complete disaster.
     I ran back to my car looking in the window and spotting everything that I needed. It was all so close, yet so far away. If only I could have transformed, then I could have used my lucky charm to get a new set of keys. However, as soon as that thought entered my mind, I knew it was futile because Tikki was still in my purse.  Just as I was about to knock on the window to alert Tikki of the terrible situation I had gotten myself into, I heard footsteps come up behind me.
     "Need some help?" a gentle male voice asked.
     "Y yes," I responded without even looking to see who was talking to me, "it's my first day of work and like an idiot, I locked my keys, along with everything that I need, in my car." I could feel the tears that I had been trying to hold back overflow and start to stream down my face.
     "I'm so sorry," the kind voice said, "that is a terrible way to start your day. Maybe I can help make it better." He chuckled and then added, "You really haven't changed at all have you, Marinette?"
    My heart skipped a beat when this stranger said my name. Did this guy know me? I quickly turned around only to find myself face to face with none other than my longtime high school crush, Adrien Agreste. My breathing became haggard as my pace quickened and my palms began to sweat. I became lost in his soft green eyes that looked exactly the same as I had remembered them. However, the rest of Adrien's features had matured making him even cuter and even more dreamy looking than he had been four years before, if that was even possible. He still had the same golden blonde hair, but had styled it in a slightly shorter more refined cut. His face had thinned out some and his body definitely had some more muscle to it. I caught myself beginning to blush and flung my eyes to the ground.
     "Are you feeling okay?" he asked in an angelic voice. How was I supposed to respond? I couldn't just tell him that I was feeling overwhelmed at seeing my long lost crush for the first time in years.
     "I uh... just... it's that.... you... and well... my keys... work... and this...ugh disaster," I stammered just like I used to do around him when I had been in the tenth grade. What was I doing? I was supposed to be an adult now, but I definitely did not feel like one. I wondered if all adults felt this way; as if they were just mumbling kids who were expected to be something different being trapped in an older body. Does one ever truly really grow up?
     Adrien just laughed while he pulled out his phone. "Oh Mari, you are still as cute as ever," he smiled sending my heart into palpitations. "I mean" he added, "it's just that... I haven't heard you stammer like that since we were really young. It reminded me of when we were just silly kids in school together." He blushed as he started typing something on his phone. "Do you have some kind of roadside assistance service? I can call them for you if you would like."
     Adrien handed me the phone after he had dialed the number. After a long time of giving my information, I was promised that an agent would arrive in about fifteen minutes.
     "I can wait here with you if you need me to," Adrien offered. "My shoot doesn't start for another hour. I will have plenty of time to get ready."
     "Your shoot?" I squeaked in a much louder voice than I had intended. "I thought that you had quit modeling?"
      The wind picked up causing Adrien's perfect hair to dance across his face as he formed an innocent looking smile. "Yes, well," he said as he scratched the back of his neck, "I haven't really found a job since graduating from college. My dad thought it would be a good idea for me to resume my modeling career for now. At least until I find something else that I want to do."
     I found myself bending over with uncontrollable laughter at what he had just told me.
     "Hey!" he shouted in a playful voice, "it's not nice to make fun of someone just because they still don't know what to do with their life."
     I straightened back up still nearly being able to hold in my laughter. "I'm not laughing at you," I giggled while gasping for air. "I'm laughing at us." I reached my hand up to flick a strand of hair out of his face. "I still live with my parents! How pathetic is that?"
     Adrien pouted while crossing his arms, "what is so pathetic about that?" Other cars were beginning to arrive and I could see many well dressed very mature looking adults entering the building. A woman dressed in high heels and a tight skirt just shook her head as she caught a glimpse of the still pouting Adrien. I could tell that she was not amused by the kids who were hanging out at her workplace.
     "Don't tell me that you still live with your dad?" I jokingly chuckled.
     "What if I said I did?" he said with rebuttal in his voice somehow sticking his lower lip out even further.  "It's kind of hard to find a place of my own when I have only just returned from China."
     Then, he burst out laughing just like me for who knows how long. A few minutes later, after we had shared the generalities of what we had been up to for the last four years, the man arrived to unlock my car. Once I had grabbed my things and repeatedly thanked the man, Adrien walked with me to the entrance of the building.
     I couldn't believe how perfect this day had become. I was about to walk across the threshold to begin my dream job alongside the most amazing boy that I had ever met. I took a deep breath as I took my first step into a world that was full of opportunities. I couldn't help but smile as I caught a glimpse of the boy holding the door next to me with his kind, green eyes and playful grin. I had a wonderful feeling that this was going to be the beginning of something new and beautifully, utterly special.

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Thanks for reading. Feedback is appreciated. Updates will be coming sporadically. Please let me know if you like the story so far. This is my first fanfic, and I am excited with all of the possibilities that this story offers.