One Miraculous Circus

Chapter 4

After nights of crying, partying with friends and finding things to distract herself, Mari was eventually over Luka. She was finally back to her normal self again but there was one small thought that was stuck in the back of her mind, did she like Adrien again? Even if she did, she was determined to ignore that feeling.

After school in that meeting with his father, Adrien was asked if he could start working alongside his father at the Agreste circus. He wasn't exactly interested in taking it as it meant less time with his friends and more time with her crapbag of a dad but he took it anyway to please his parents - maybe this would get him on his dad's good side for once. After Adrien took the job, he told his friends and decided to move the meet up place to the park in front of the circus so they could spend every second together before their shift started. Although Luka was missing, life finally felt like a new type of normal again and as long as nothing else happened, Mari was happy about this.

Before school started, Mari stood outside of the Library waiting for her friends as she normally did but this time something felt a little different. The group had finally gotten back to normal again but today the light hit the ground differently and the air was thicker than normal. The day seemed darker and the deep inkling that something was going to happen stuck at the back of her head. She was stuck in her own head only to get knocked out of thought when she heard someone screaming her name from across the campus.

"Mari!" Marinette spun around and brought her attention to the girl running towards her at full speed. 

"Hey Alya, what's got you so excited?" Marinette laughed as the girl double over in front of her, taking heaving breaths after a long sprint. 

"Everything is just great Mari! I'm having my first proper dinner with Nino's parents! They didn't want him dating before so we've had to keep our relationship under wraps to them until now!" Alya squealed at her in excitement.

 "Omg Alya! That's amazing! I'm guessing that means you and Nino won't be coming to the park after school today?" 

"Yeh, I'm sorry Marinette but we're going straight to his house after school. Is Kagami going?" Alya questioned, feeling bad that she was leaving Mari behind. 

"No, she's not, I guess it'll just be me and Adrien today," Marinette gave a half-smile. 

Although she's happy she can see Adrien, she's also sad no one else can make it. Adrien's job was getting stricter over time the more and more his dad asked them to show up. He had fewer free hours so the park after school was the little time they had free before their job started. One fear that also creeped up inside her was this feeling something was going to happen. Being without a majority of her friends already seemed like a bad sign.

"Well, don't fall for him all over again Marinette," Alya responded, winking and giggling, "Okay but we have class, come on we can't be late." 

Alya grabbed Marinette's hand and dragged her through the school running towards their classroom. The two girls entered the classroom laughing and panting from the sprint they just made across the school. 

"Are you girls okay?" Miss Bustier asked the bumbling gaggle of girls who stood at the front of the classroom. 

"Yes, Miss. Sorry," they quickly responded before running to their seats. When Marinette sat down she tapped Adrien on the shoulder. 

"Hey, it's just me and you for the park today if that's okay," she whispered to him and smiled hoping he would be okay with it.

 She and Adrien didn't spend much time together alone since the night she felt those feeling again. She wanted to gain the close friendship they used to have, back again. She missed him and he missed her too.

 "Yeah, that's okay," he responded before being interrupted by a not so happy teacher.

Once school was over,  Adrien and Marinette made their way to the park, an awkward silence lingering in the air, creating an imaginary barrier between them. Nothing was said at all, the only noises around were the chirping of the birds and the noise of their shoes tapping on the concrete path.

 "Hey, so, I wanted to talk to you about what happened the night you came over after Luka. I'm sorry I pushed you away that day, I was really upset and couldn't process anything properly. I want to be close friends again, like before," Marinette ranted. 

She was scared to lose him, and they were drifting away slowly the more he worked and the more she avoided the confrontation.

"Marinette, I didn't think you were pushing me away because you didn't like me. I knew what you were going through, and I also want that friendship back. Work has been getting in the way of things, I wish it could be different." 

Marinette smiled brightly and the feelings she felt before returned for a split second; a light glowing inside her.

They walked a little while more, keeping a steady conversation as they made their way to the bench they always sat at. Everything was back to normal, but they were interrupted by the obnoxious ringing of Mari's phone. They came to a stop and while shooting Adrien a sorry look she answered the phone.

"Is this Marinette Dupain-Cheng?" the person on the phone said.

"Yes, it is," she responded, giving a concerned look to Adrien to show her how the conversation was going - Adrien just shot a silly face back causing Ember to have to hold back laughter.

"It's your parents and your grandma. They've been in an accident. Your mother and father passed away on impact and your grandma passed later on in the hospital after a really bad head injury. They were going over a bridge when a speeding car clipped them and they lost control and swerved off the bridge. I'm so sorry for your loss."

 Marinette was shocked. Her phone fell from her hand and hit the concrete, smashing at the impact. 

"Marinette, are you okay!?" Adrien shouted trying to catch her attention. She collapsed to the floor, not doing anything. 

She just stared at Adrien and muttered, "They're dead Adrien. All of them," before bursting into tears on the concrete, placing her head on the floor and yelling.

Her cries were desperate, more like screams of pain instead of sadness. They were both sat on the ground, Adrien had his arms wrapped around her trying to comfort the hurt girl. Marinette grabbed Adrien's shirt, holding bundles of the fabric in her hands as she screamed into his shoulder. The pain Marinette was in was indescribable and Adrien wished he could take it away. 

The pain of losing the people you love is nothing compared to normal sadness. It doesn't just feel like a broken heart, it feels like your heart has been ripped out of you're chest and is being torn apart in front of your very eyes. It's a pain that can only be released by crying screams, desperate to have them back, distraught they're gone, the original moment of shock where you can't even move and the regret when you realise you didn't have the chance to say goodbye.

After a while, her cries began to calm down and went from desperate screams to sobs. She loosened her grip on his shirt and snuggled into his chest, taking deep breathes of his scent. Tears poured down her face still and they would for a while but right then, she felt safe wrapped in Adrien's arms and he was prepared to hold her close forever.