welcome home •• Miraculous Ladybug AU

cause & effect (small wording edits)

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Adrien ::

After Lila had left Adrien had the sudden need to know more about Marinette, I mean, she was gone for years! Who wouldn't want to know what happened to her?

He pulled out his laptop and began searching away, he hoped this wasn't creepy or stalkerish and was the reasonable thing to do.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

As soon as Adrien clicked the search button, tons of photos of her pulled up, turned out she was a model in the US, somehow only known in the US, Adrien wasn't gonna lie, it seemed sketchy, he was a model himself and he had no idea how he's never heard of her, he clicked a wikipedia page and behold, 'facts' about Marinette, what was strange is that nothing on there was true.

"lived in Florida before New York?"

"Lived with her aunt her whole life?"

"What in the.." Adrien whispered to himself almost choking on his own spit, what was the reasoning for this?

He then inspected some photos of her, she looked completely miserable if you looked close enough, and how he could tell? He was the exact same, but why would she be miserable, behind every photo, was a meaning, what was hers?

He kept scrolling and scrolling through the web hoping to find an answer, then he found a link, just full of strange.. symbols?

.-- .... --- .. ... -- .- .-. .. -. . - - . .-. . .- .-.. .-.. -.-- ··--··//.com

as soon as he was about to click it, he got a call from an unknown number, he thought it would be Lila playing a little prank on him like she'd usually do, but as soon as he picked up the phone, he regretted it.

"Listen here, I want you to mind your own business before you get in trouble." A deep voice roared as he hung up the minute he finished his warning.

Adrien was completely petrified.
Enough for him to completely close his laptop completely.
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Marinette ::

Marinette and the couple exchanged numbers and then they parted. Marinette was jubilant about reuniting with her close friends, she knew HE wouldn't be happy about it but she didn't even care about that at the moment.

Marinette was dreading going back home, really, she did enjoy the penthouse but it was always so alone.

She soon found herself walking towards the Agreste residence, and then ringing a bell at the gate, coincidentally.

She was soon let in by one of the mansions maids and waited in the living area for Adrien.
"Marinette?" Adrien surprisingly asked, as he saw the woman in his living room.

"Hey A-Adrien!" She began stuttering just like she did when she was in high school.
Adrien thought this would be the perfect time to begin questioning her, he had to get answers, he had to find out what was up, and he was sure Marinette would trust him.

"Marinette could we talk..?" He asked seriously, but plastering a goofy grin to make her feel more comfortable.

"Sure, wh-y not?" She sheepishly smiled.
Adrien signaled for her to follow him into an office.

"Marinette, i don't want you to lie, okay?" He asked, to set the mood, and make sure she was gonna be honest with him.

"Why..would I lie..?" She awkwardly squeaked out.

"Who really are you Marinette?" Adrien looked up at her as he asked, "Or what happened, while you were gone, you were seriously pronounced 'dead' you hurt a lot of people and i'm not mad I just need to know why."

"What do you mean..?" She asked innocently, but then again, she was never a great actress.

"Cut the mess Marinette, why did you disappear, how are you famous in the US but nowhere else? How come you've been acting shady, what are you hiding and how come you won't tell me?" He began yelling at her, not realizing he had been doing so, there were so many emotions just building up.

"I can't tell you!" Marinette snapped.

"He won't let me tell, you know if i tell you, you could be put at risk, Adrien, i'm a pawn in his game, a distraction to what's coming, i can't tell you any more than that but just mind your business! You have no right knowing, you could get me hurt!" She continued screaming at him before she broke down right in front of him, Adrien was stunned at her sudden outburst of emotions.

"It hurts me not to be able to tell you Adrien, it really does, all i've ever wanted was to run into your arms, tell you how I truly feel, live a normal life out of hiding, to be with my parents, to have a family, go out to be an adult!" She began crying, not the pretty cry a girl would put on for people to sympathize her, but a real cry, one that was ugly, one full of true emotions.

Without thinking of Lila, actually without thinking of anything but the girl in front of him who he had thought he lost, he stepped towards her, looked her straight in the eyes, almost like asking for approval, before he pushed his lips onto hers, he held her face with his hand as they gave in, it was a sweet kiss, full of emotions.

Before this all she would have kissed back, and express her love for him, but now all she did was push away the boy she's loved since she was a teenager away, first of all, he was with Lila, second of all..

"You don't understand it Adrien, we could never have a connection now, we could never be together, its not my choice.." She whispered to him as she stroked his cheek looking up to him with soft tears spilling from her eyes, she looked so beautiful and tragic. Before he could say anything, she turned and began walking out, closing the door on her way out, not once looking back, because she knew if she did, she could never leave.

The second day, and she already lost someone she truly had loved.

"What is it with you Hawkmoth? out of everybody you could torture, you picked me.." She whispered knowing he could hear her.
Marinette was in love with Adrien, but she could never have him, never.

Not with the fear of her doing something she would regret.
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word count 1056