Ghosts Of Adrien's Past

Chapter 6: Run To Me

Adrien had tried not to think about Marinette. He'd succeeded in that for years before seeing her again at that bar, so why wasn't it working now?

He sighed and ran a finger over the ring. Plagg was dozing somewhere in a bin, and he was sitting at the kitchen of his hotel room. He hadn't expected to see luka last night. Well- that was a lie. He had expected to see him, just not so close to Marinette.
He shouldn't be surprised, he reminded himself. They'd seen each other the previous week and caught up. They'd gotten drunk together even, and luka had started spouting about his broken up marriage. How he'd lost the love of his life, and he didn't know what to do.
"Shut up,"
Adrien had said.
"You couldn't hold another girl for a few days even if you tried"
"Oh yeah?"
Luka had fired back at him.
"And you're so much better than me?"
"Damn right I am. I'm Adrien Agreste, one of the richest CEO's in the world and incredible with women."
Luka had laughed in his face and taken another sip of his drink.
"You couldn't even keep Marinette"
"And?"
"And that says something about you. That says even she couldn't stand to be around you. The nicest person either of us have ever known. She left me in high school for you, and you couldn't even hold on tight enough to keep her"
"It's not like you could do any better"
"Oh really? I bet I could"
"Then let's strike a deal"

The rest of that night was a blur. But he remembered the deal. If luka could stay with Marinette until the wedding was over, Adrien would do all he could to boost luka's music career.
If Adrien won, and luka couldn't keep her, luka would hang up his miraculous for good.

A cold and strong hand suddenly landed on his shoulder and he jumped. He turned to look at the person standing behind him.
His eyes widened and he shot to his feet.
"Felix?!"
Felix looked as bored as usual.
"Yes, yes, it's me hurrah. Let's get down to business shall we? A have a life to get back to"
Adrien put his hand out to touch his cousins chest, but it passed right through. Felix rolled his eyes and grabbed adrien's collar.
"So why are you here Felix? What amazing memory are you supposed to show me?"
Felix scoffed and began dragging him towards the front door.
"I'm not here because of your past. I'm here because of your present. Whether or not either of us like it I'm the only constant person in your life. And that makes me the only person available for the job"
"Job? You make it sound like work"

Felix suddenly stopped at the door and turned to face him.
"It is work! I had my ass dragged here because you can't control your own goddamn behaviour! If you don't-"
Felix realised his anger was getting the best of him, and he took a deep breath.
"Did you learn anything from last nights ghost?"
Adrien shook his head.
"Just that it was a good idea to move to Shanghai"
Felix's eyes fluttered as he rolled them and his mouth tightened to a scowl.
"This is why Gabriel liked me more"
Adrien tensed.
"Excuse-" 
But he cut himself off. They were no longer in the hotel, but on the deck of a familiar boat. He looked around.
"What are we doing here, Felix?"
"You'll see"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marinette held luka's hand as they walked up towards the deck.
"So are you sure your family's home?"
"One hundred percent. Even if juleka isn't here, my mother sure as hell is"
"How can you tell?"
"Can't you hear that singing?"

She tuned her ears in, and actually heard what he was talking about. His mother was below deck and singing some shanty. They went to turn towards the hatch door, but she stopped suddenly.
She could've sworn she felt something or- someone touch her shoulder. Like the brush of fingers. Tikki began to squirm inside her bag.
She lifted her hand, as if to reach out and touch whatever brushed her again. A shiver went through her as something brushed her hand. Fingers again or another hand.
"Are you okay?"

She turned to luka again. She shook herself out of it and smiled.
"Yeah I just thought- it's nothing, don't worry"
He nodded once, but snapped his attention back to the door when it opened. Four children came out of it screaming. Three jumped onto luka and one latched itself onto marinette's leg.
A small boy with long limbs and dark hair jumped as he held her leg.