"Marinette!" Alya called out to her best friend, "it's been way too long!"
"Oh my gosh! Alya hi!" She ran into her best friend's arms and hugged her tightly. "I promise I won't go off to China again without you. Missed you way too much."
"You've missed so much, we have to catch up on EVERYTHING!" she screamed.
"And I promise that we will! Right now, I just HAVE to see my parents. When I left I was in a weird headspace and leaving was kind of sudden... I haven't called them all month."
Alya raised her eyebrow at her best friend, taking in the changes that had happened in her lately. "Why did you go off to China, anyway?"
"Well, I woke up one day and decided that Luka wasn't the one for me... I freaked out and hoped that he would be gone by the time I came back?" She looked at her best friend nervously and tried to smile through it.
"Oh..." she started, taking a second to think. "This doesn't have anything to do with Adrien, does it?"
Marinette gave a pained smile and played with a strand of hair. "No, I've accepted that reality a while ago..." She turned to the Parisian streets and focused on the Eiffel Tower in the distance. "Him and Kagami make a great couple. They have since high school."
"Well..." Alya's teeth were gritted and she hesitated in sharing the news. "Adrien proposed to Kagami, their engagement was in the paper a few days after you left."
She turned back to her best friend after wiping away a tear. "That's... great. I'm so happy for him."
"Now, let's go back to your parents' house. I could really go for an eclair right now."
~
The bell to the bakery rang and Sabine jerked up when she saw her daughter enter. "Tom! Marinette is back!"
Heavy footsteps came from the backroom and the two of them greeted the best friends with a massive group hug.
"Marinette, I know you're living on your own now, but I'd still like an update when you're LEAVING THE COUNTRY!"
She gave an apologetic smile and hugged them until customers started complaining about the wait time. "We'll fill these orders and then you tell us about your travels, okay?"
"Sounds good, we'll be in the house, okay?"
"Okay! Oh! Marinette, Luka dropped your stuff off... you're more than welcome to stay here, alright?"
"Thanks mom."
The two friends headed inside and straight to the bare room. Boxes were lining the walls and the only furniture left was the bed.
"Wow, I never thought I'd be living back at home," Marinette chuckled, opening a box full of her things.
"Yeah, when Luka proposed, I was sure that the two of you were going to get married," Alya chimed in, instantly regretting her comment.
"I did too... but then one day, it just didn't make any sense that we were together."
"I'm sorry... but hey, you're twenty five! There's still plenty of time to find somebody!"
"Easy for you, Mrs. Lahiffe!" she chuckled, throwing her oversized tiger plush at her as she pulled it out from the box.
"Cesaire-Lahiffe!" she corrected. "I had to make sure that my credibility wasn't fully diminished as I became a totally different person!"
"Still the best reporter I know."
"Yeah... about that... I have a scoop... kind of a big one too... "
Marinette's ears perked up. "Do I get an exclusive?"
"Yeah... There's been a new Ladybug in Paris, there has been for about a month now."
Marinette looked shocked. "Oh my gosh! That's so cool! I wonder what happened to the last one."
Alya blinked and stared at Marinette. "Yeah, I don't know what has happened in the last MONTH."
"Kind of weird that I didn't get to be around for the big reveal of a new hero, would of loved to talk to you about it... I know that Ladybug stuff means a lot to you."
"MARINETTE!"
"What? Alya you're screaming."
"YOU. YOU WERE THE OLD LADYBUG."
"You've officially lost it, I think that I would of remembered that."
