Reunited (A Miraculous Ladybug Romance)

19: Reappearance

I would like to thank @Eyre99 for Beta Reading this chapter. I actually ended up splitting this chapter in two because it was so long. I hope you enjoy. Don't forget to comment and review!

4/14/18

The scent had been harmless.

A tiny little detail spritzed within the woven tapestry of his evening. But now, shifting around restlessly in his bed, it burned at the edges of his mind like the tickling flames, the innocent beginnings of a wildfire that cannot be contained. Anxiety-driven nearly to the point of insanity, Adrien jolted, sitting up straight, residing to the fact that an answer would be as easy to find as a speck of dust, lost upon the wind.

But it was in vain. A hollow attempt to relinquish the hold that this memory had implanted upon his mind. He had smelled this fragrance before. Long before he had caught a whiff of this scent in the coffee shop, it had brought him a sense of pain. A feeling of regret, sorrow, and even shame.

But what was it?

Adrien ignored the sounds of his sleeping Kwami (who had been quite unpleased with the amount of time that he had chosen to stay transformed) as he threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up slowly. Running his fingers through his disheveled hair, he shuffled towards the bathroom whilst scolding himself for his irresponsible lack of rest. Any other time he would have gone straight back to sleep. Not this time, however.

The mid morning rays of the summer sun lit the room, blanketing it in a flood of yellow. It wouldn't be long until he would have to make his call.

With an unflattering groan and a quick slap of the cheeks, Adrien twisted the knob to the coldest setting, swifty throwing himself underneath the vehemous stream. His body shivered and his eyes burst wide as the water lashed against his skin, piercing him with the remorse of a set of throwing knives. Adrenaline surged through his veins while his hands worked at lightning speed. Then, he shut off the water, managing to complete his task in record time, quickly savoring the warmth that only his oversized towel could bring.

Mission success. Adrien grinned, shaking the cold droplets out of his hair like a cat caught unexpectedly clawing itself out of a stream. I am definitely awake.

Carefully wrapping the towel around his waist, Adrien glided towards his dresser in search of the perfect outfit for the day. He realized, gulping nervously, that it had been way too long since he had actually had a chance to get his laundry clean.

In his own little corner across the room, Plagg swallowed a large piece of cheese.

"Why did I have to insist that I keep up with my own laundry?" Adrien groaned, frantically fumbling with the undesired remains at the bottom of his underwear drawer. "All of these are either too small, too worn, or too scratchy. Surely there has to be something hidden in here that I would at least want to wear..."

Heartbeat pounding, Adrien froze in place, fingers trembling against the rough, wooden surface of small a hexagonal box. It was just like his own, sitting in the top drawer of his nightstand, adorned with its matching intricate red filigree. However, unlike his, this box was far from empty. Hawkmoth's miraculous had sat, for the better part of five years, untouched, unseen, in the back of Adrien's underwear drawer.

Adrien winced, memories washing through his mind as if he were a grain of sand caught up in the mighty sea. Pain. That was all that this tiny little item ever brought him. Pain from the absence of a father who had been so wrapped up in this miraculous' power that he neglected his own son. Pain from every akuma attack that had spread fear and malice throughout the city. Pain as its absence had caused a void making it much harder for him to see his lady. And now, here it was, resting peacefully, innocently, beneath Adrien's hand.