Ghosts Of Adrien's Past

chapter 1: The Invitation

Adrien hurried down the hallway, tugging on the ends of his sleeves while his employee half ran to keep up with him.

She was bambling about something he didn't care about with a clipboard hugged to her chest.
"Mr. Agreste I really think that-"
"Nadia I don't pay you to think."
He stopped, and she stopped with him. Her small doll-like body so much smaller than his. He sighed down at her.
"I pay you to organise my schedule and deal with the press."
"Yes but sir-"
He stopped listening and decided to eye the two women that walked past. One smiled at him and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He stopped looking when he noticed her hair was blue.
"-nino"
He snapped back to his assistant Nadia.
"What? What did you just say?"
She straightened.
"Your old friend, Nino. From high school? You received an invitation from him this morning-"

He snatched the envelope she'd pulled from her pocket and opened it. A pale blue piece of thick paper was inside, decorated with black and white swirls on the edges.
The time, place, and date were written in the middle. He snorted to himself.
"So he actually did it? Didn't think he had it in him"
"What sir?"
His eyes snapped up to her.
"Nothing, Nadia"
He turned the paper over, peering on to the back. The list of the other guests was written there. Everyone he used to know was there...Everyone.
After a long breath he tucked the invitation into his suit pocket.
"Do you think I should go?"
He said, and her eyes flew wide.
"W-What?"
"Do you think I should go?"
He said again, this time more stern. She paused for a moment before answering.
"Back to Europe? I...I think it would be good for business. If it were advertised it would look good on your...reckless reputation. A world-class company owner taking a trip home for his old friends wedding- I think you should go"

He nodded once, looking back down the wall towards his office, clean and white and mostly made of glass. Past the windows, the city of Shanghai was clear and bright.
He thought of high school, of his old life, of the people he left behind when his father died.
He glanced down to his right hand, where the white band now marked his skin. He'd worn the damn thing for so long it'd caused a tan line.
"Book the trip"
He said, and started into a walk, She hurried along side him.
"For how long?"
"Two- three days."
"That long? Wouldn't maybe one day be better? You have a business to run"
He smirked and winked at her.
"If you had an old leather jacket, wouldn't you want to wear it once in a while?"
She looked puzzled, her nose crunching up. He chuckled and opened the door to his office.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marinette hummed quietly to herself while she stitched in the lace to the hem of alya's wedding dress. Her fingers spotted in tiny scars from slip ups with needles. Her phone buzzed so violently in her pocket it made her jump and prick her finger. Again.
She answered and held the phone against her ear with her shoulder.
"Marinette speaking"

She said, and was met with a high pitched squeal.
"Mari!"
The woman screamed. A smile bloomed across her face.
"Alya!"
She said cheerfully, still focused on her stitching.
"Mari, you'll never guess what happened"
Marinette smiled to herself.
"What is it?"
"Adrien's assistant just emailed me back! He's actually coming!"
Marinette nimble fingers stilled. She dropped the needle to hang by its thread and stood up from her stool. Holding her phone properly now.
"Adrien's coming?"
"Of course he is! He was Nino's best friend"
"I know I just-"

Marinette's gaze floated over to her desk. To Tikki sleeping soundly on a stack of material, a half eaten cookie beside her.
"I didn't expect him to be coming. With his important business and all"
"Mari, you can't keep pining over that. It was years ago"
"Yeah but-"
"No buts. He's coming. And besides, you'll be too distracted to notice him anyway"
Mari arched a brow and walked over to her offices glass wall slash window. Peering out over the city streets of high New York she found herself missing paris.
"Why would I be too distracted?"
There was a pause on the other end of the phone.
"Alya?"
She said suspiciously, and then she could hear her friends grin.
"Okay don't be mad but I sent an invitation to Luca"
"You what?!"

She almost dropped her phone.
"Alya you've got to be crazy! Out of your mind!"
"No way! He said he'd take time off his tour"
Marinette's eyes shot to the building a little ways down the street from her. High and shiny. An advertisement for Luca's world wide tour was big and obvious. He'd grown into his face and height, his hair still that same rock and roll black and green. The add faded to a fashion company's logo, Adrien front and center. She narrowed her eyes.

He'd turned a proper and sophisticated fashion company into a rich play-boys playground. She scoffed and turned back to her conversation with alya.
"Are a you sure he's coming?"
She said after a while, and alya laughed like a teenager.
"Yes, as long as you are. Oh and by the way I finally found a dress that's not too expensi-"
"No. You shut your mouth"
Mari said, cutting her off, and alya stopped talking.
"I told you I'd find you one when I got there, alya. I have connections in Paris now. Good connections"
"And I said no. You are not taking time out of your schedule to make me a stupid dress that I'll only wear once. I'm wearing one that's nice and affordable"
Mari scoffed, and then smiled over at the dress she'd been making anyway. As if she wouldn't make one herself. Who did alya think she was?
"None of my clients would pass up a free wedding dress"
Mari said teasingly. Alya chuckled.
"Oh no. Especially not from the Marinette du-pain Cheng, featured on vogue magazine every other day"

Mari began chewing on her nail.
"Well at least wait for me to get there first. I want to be there when you get fitted"
"Hey, when are you flying over here? I miss you too much to wait another day"
Mari giggled.
"I'm working late tonight on a project so I should land in Paris around six or seven tomorrow morning"
"You better stay for a while this time, ever since you graduated and went to study under chloe's mother in New York I barely see you"
"I'll be staying for a little this time. But I do have work"

Alya made a sound like 'Yeah Yeah' and hung up. Marinette tucked her phone back into her pocket and got back to work on alya's secret wedding dress.
Still humming, her mind wondered. She was still furious at adrien. So mad she could barely keep her vision clear. His father had died in a car crash late senior year, and he'd disappeared without another word. He took the company the shanghai and built it into an empire.
She would have been fine with it, really, had they not met by chance in his new city and caught up. She'd let him in again, told him She missed her partner, and she'd let herself believe he'd actually consider coming back.

Long story short one night she fell asleep beside him in her hotel and woke up alone. She hasn't talked to him or forgiven him ever since. The thought of him in the same room again made her sick.
Her mind snapped to Luca. Suddenly the anger in her chest floated away quicker than it came. She still remembered waving him off at the airport.
His strong arms around her in a tight hug and his promise to come back to her. They held each other in that airport until his mother pulled them apart and kicked his butt to the boarding gate. She smiled as she stitched.
Viperion...maybe This wedding wouldn't be so bad. Even if adrien was there to remind her of her mistakes. She finished her final stitch and stood back with a proud smile. Her hands on her hips.
"Paris here I come"