Adrien

Her name left Adrien's mouth in an exhalation.

'Marinette?'

They were due to see each other later tonight. But she was here. Now. In his home, and he was just standing there like a fool.

'I'll leave you two to it,' Sophia said, picking Emily up and placing her on her hip. 'I'll give Emily her bath.'

'But I want to stay,' Emily said, bottom lip out in the way that always made Adrien cave to her needs.

'Not tonight, Emily,' Adrien said, his eyes never leaving Marinette's.

Emily pouted more, crossing her arms and elbowing Sophia in the face. 'I want to be friends with her.'

He saw Marinette's lip twitch and something shine in her eyes, his own lips twisting with the notion, his sister was truly throwing off his game.

'Next time,' he said, finally turning to look at his sister.

Emily turned to Marinette. 'We play tomorrow.' The sentence was more of a command than a statement.

Her gaze turned back to Adrien, and he could barely reply. From the smirk on Sophia's face, she knew exactly what she was doing. She'd been around the gang enough to know all about the famed Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl who had got away and the leader of their friendship group, well ex-leader. They were just a blob now controlled by the aggressive outbursts of a three-year-old.

Emily's smug grin never dropped as Sophia carried her out into the hallway, her fingers coming up to her eyes before aggressively pointing back at him. She was the cutest of demons.

As the door closed behind them, Marinette stepped in a little deeper.

'Sorry for just dropping by like this.' She had her hands grasped in front of her, messing them around each other like she used to when she was nervous, and oh goodness, his heart was betraying him big time. He placed the fork down when he suddenly remembered he was still holding it and clenched his hands to stop him from running over to her and sweeping her into his arms.

He knew Marinette's story. He had tracked everything about her (in a non stalker way, of course), so he knew she had a boyfriend, that she had this whole other life on the other side of the world. He didn't need to get lost in one of his many dreams where she'd come back because of him, to be with him. She was here because of Fu and nothing else, just another joke from their old mentor.

'I thought we were meeting later?' Adrien asked, turning back to the counter and picking up the plate and fork again. He needed to keep himself busy before he did something stupid. It had been four years, they weren't the same people, yet he knew their bond was still there, he felt it in their hug earlier, in the way her eyes lingered on him, and the way his hands itched to touch her. He'd wait forever just for another day to be hers, regardless of how whipped he sounded. An hour would be sufficient–just a chance to be hers again.

Without care, he used the fork to take a scoop of Emily's discarded mashed potatoes and place them in his mouth. Then...he did it again. He turned to find the bin to get rid of the rest, after taking another scoop, only to meet Marinette's judging eyes.

The fork was halfway to his mouth. There was no reason to stop now–he'd already had a fair share of the leftovers. He continued, placing the fork in his mouth and slowly sucking the mashed potato off it.

'Parenting bonus', he said, attempting to make a joke. He moved to the bin and scrapped in what was left, mourning the loss of such creamy, delicious mashed potatoes. Sophia did most of the cooking for them in the evenings, but the potatoes were his domain. A weird one to have but a fun one all in all. He liked his mash creamy—full of butter and milk—with an added dash of cheese. It even had Plagg's seal of approval.

He moved back to the dishwasher, slipping the cutlery and plate inside before shutting it and turning back to Marinette. She stood there in a thick coat, looking just as awkward as she had in those first, stumbling days of their friendship, when they'd been thrown together by chance. But this wasn't them. Not really. When they'd been together, they'd always felt so certain, so settled—just as Ladybug and Chat Noir had been a seamless team.

Now, the unfamiliar tension hung thick between them, and he felt a pang of frustration. He hated this—this uncomfortable distance—far more than he'd ever imagined he could.

'So, you weren't lying when you said you had a child?'

'I don't lie.' He winced as soon as the words left his mouth. She knew as much as he did, that they were both skilled liars. 'Would you like a drink?'

She looked around the kitchen, her cheeks flushing pink. 'I - um - I -'

'It's fine. After Emily's had her bath, it'll be bedtime. Stay a while and we can talk once she's down. It'll save me money on childcare too.' He smiled, hoping she would fall for his joke. She liked his jokes, didn't she? Wasn't his sense of humour something she used to admire? She seemed so nervous, so unsure of herself. Nothing like his memories of Marinette, or of Ladybug. He wasn't into all that spiritual stuff, but it was fair to say her aura was off.

She finally answered. 'If you're sure.'

He nodded. 'I'm sure.' He stepped forward, intending to help her take her coat off. He couldn't help lingering a little. A soft, sweet scent filled the air—strawberries. She still smelled the same. The subtle fragrance pulled him back in time, stirring memories he'd tried to keep buried, and suddenly every nerve in his body was buzzing with the past.

He draped her coat over his arm, taking it to the cupboard to hang up. He used the brief moment away from her to steady his breathing, to calm the nerves firing through him. This was too much—having her here, before he'd had any chance to prepare himself. Emotionally, he wasn't ready for this.

He slipped her coat onto the hanger beside Sophia's, which hung next to his own. For a split second, seeing all three there together felt... right.

He closed the cupboard door slowly, letting the reminder settle in his mind: she has a boyfriend. She'd moved on, found someone else—someone who fit into her life now. He was only part of her past, a chapter she'd left behind.

No matter how right it felt to have her here, he couldn't let himself forget that he was just a memory to her, a piece of a life she'd chosen to leave behind.

'Emily seems sweet,' her voice jolted him back into reality and out of the depths of what could have been.

He noticed there was a break in her voice, and he wasn't surprised! He knew if they had made it together and had a daughter, she wanted to call her Emma, so Adrien having a child pretty much the same name must look bad on his part.

'She definitely adds an edge to the normal everyday life of a twenty-one-year-old. Great for female attention, though.' Well hello verbal diarrhoea. If he had even the slightest chance of getting her back, he'd just about shredded that and thrown it out the window.

She chuckled, but there was certainly no humour in it. 'Well, that's what happens if you don't cover up!'

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him and slammed her hands over her mouth. He laughed. Really laughed. He loved the uncensored version of Marinette. One which spoke without thinking. But what he liked most was the tiny hint of jealousy he'd detect. He'd need to find the tape and start sticking his hope (and heart) back together, or at least find one fragment and cling onto it.

'That's not exactly how it all went down.'

Hands remaining over her mouth, she nodded. Adrien strolled to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water, a small smile still on his face as he offered it to her.

'Thank you,' she said, taking the bottle and uncapping the lid.

'I would have offered you a hot chocolate or tea, but I'll need to put Emily to bed in a minute. Maybe I could make us something more substantial when I come back down?'

She raised the water bottle to her lips and nodded as she drank, a small trickle escaping and sliding down her chin. Instinctively, he wanted to reach out, to brush it away, but it wasn't his place any more. He kept his hands firmly clenched at his sides as she set the bottle down, and shifted slightly into a seat using her sleeve to wipe away the stray water. That subtle, restless movement was all too familiar—a reminder of the day she'd sat him down, eyes averted, and told him it was over.

'Sophia seems nice too.' Was Marinette trying to talk about everything apart from them?

'She is. She's blended in well with the group too, especially Luka,' he snorted to himself at his own inside joke.

'Well, you both like the same type of girl. Hopefully she won't make the same mistakes as me.'

He wasn't sure how to take that comment, but he wasn't happy with the way this had changed so drastically. Why was she so self-deprecating? 'Can we be civil tonight? Please? It's been years, and we're still...you know...as well as being... you know...'

God, he hoped she could still understand his code. She nodded again. 'Sure. We'll just be...you know...'

A tug pulled at one side of his mouth. 'Yes, just...them.'

A sudden squeal could be heard from the hallway, the kitchen door opening and Sophia appearing with a giggling Emily on her hip. 'We are all clean and in our pyjamas. Aren't we, Isabela?'

'Isabela?' Marinette asked, looking curiously at him only for him to shake his head.

'And he's Bruno,' Emily stated as though it was common knowledge.

'Bruno?' Marinette asked with her eyebrows raised.

'We don't talk about Bruno.' He moved forward, taking Emily from Sophia's arms and walking over to a tin on the kitchen counter. 'Okay, sweet pea. Biscuit and bed.'

Emily's head shot up, a small chubby finger almost taking his eye out as she placed all attention onto Marinette. 'What about her?'

Adrien and Sophia laughed.

'I don't think Marinette wants to go to bed yet. She's a grown-up.' Sophia took the Oreo Emily had selected from her hands, twisting it before giving it back.

Something in Marinette's eyes caught his attention. She looked so sad, almost as though she shouldn't be there. He still remembered that look from the day she—as Ladybug—had told him his father had died. Only now did he realise how hard that would have been for her and the outcome of the whole situation. Just one painful blow after another.

Emily looked between all three of them before throwing herself forward and taking another biscuit from the tin, holding it out to Marinette. 'She can have a bikkit.'

He loved the way Emily talked, and he was sad to think it would all be changing soon. She was such a cutie pie—when she didn't want to scream murder over having to wear underwear.

He moved forward, Emily offering the chocolate covered treat out to Marinette. 'What do you say, LB? Do you want a bikkie?' He had no idea why he used that nickname, but it just rolled off his tongue without consideration, and by the look on her face, she was just as shocked.

His voice softened as he moved closer. 'What do you say?'

He leaned a little, so Emily could offer her the treat. He watched as his sister pouted her lips and pulled out the wide cat eyes that no one could resist. Sometimes he could be so proud of her.

'Pweaseeee!' Emily placed her hands together, and he could see Marinette's resolve crumble right before his eyes.

She giggled and took the biscuit. 'Okay then, but only because you asked so nicely.'

'Yes!' Emily said, holding a fist out to him. As he tapped his own against hers he couldn't help glancing at Marinette. 'Pound it!' he said.

He saw Marinette inhale, and his heart sank. Had he made a mistake sharing this with Emily? It had always been his and Ladybug's thing, a small piece of the bond they'd shared. Introducing it to Emily had seemed sweet, something meaningful to pass on—but now, seeing Marinette's reaction, he wasn't so sure. She placed a hand to her chest, her gaze shifting between him and Emily, her mouth slightly parted in silent surprise.

Clearing his throat, Adrien turned to Sophia. 'Sophia, I won't need you to stay late, if that's okay. I'll still pay you though.'

Her face lit up brighter than the Christmas tree behind her, already moving to the cupboard and grabbing her coat. 'Sounds good to me.' She looked at her watch then grabbed her phone from her pocket, tapping away quickly.

She stepped over to Emily, pressing a gentle kiss to her head before turning to Marinette with a warm smile. 'It was lovely to finally meet you. Your name's rather famous around here.' She laughed, and Adrien felt a slight flush rise to his cheeks. 'Hopefully, we'll see you around more often.' She threw Adrien a quick wink.

With a flick, she swung her jacket up onto her shoulders and pulled her hair from underneath giving them all a quick wave and exiting the house like it was on fire. There was no doubt in Adrien's mind that she was heading off to see a particular someone—hope in his heart that it was Luka.

'Mind if I put Emily to bed?' Adrien asked. 'I'll show you to the main lounge—you can make yourself comfortable, and I'll be back in about twenty minutes.' He looked at his wide-eyed sister. 'Give, or take.'

He guided Marinette out of the room, Emily squirming in his arms until he set her down. Instantly, she trotted over to Marinette's side, her small hand slipping into Marinette's with an excited smile lighting up her face as she walked alongside her.

'You're a girl,' she said, a smile brightening her face. 'Are you Adrien's best friend? Victor is my best friend and he's a boy. Boys and girls can be best friends.'

He could see Marinette's cheeks tinge an even deeper pink. 'Well, yes. He's - we've been through a lot.'

He's? Adrien couldn't deny that he wanted to know what she was going to say.

'I'm going to marry Victor. Are you going to marry Adrien?'

He almost gave himself whiplash as he turned his head to look at Marinette. Her face had flushed to a colour matching her super suit—if possible, a little darker.

Fortunately, Emily didn't give her chance to respond. 'Boys are the most stinky. Not Adrien and Victor. Uncle Félix is super stinky and Uncle Nino. Princess Sophia thinks Uncle Luka smells the nicest.'

'Princess Sophia?' Marinette asked, a hint of amusement in her tone. Her eyes met Adrien's, and he cherished the brief time he had to see them glisten before they dimmed.

'We watch far too much Disney plus in this house,' he cringed, praying that Marinette didn't judge him.

Sometimes there were things that needed to be done, and Disney princesses, plus her dolls, were the easiest way to keep her calm. He'd never go in the direction of tablets or electronic devices to keep her entertained, not when she was so creative with her toys. But he couldn't ignore the effects of Rapunzel and Moana on an enhanced stroppy day.

She stopped, crouching down to Emily's height. 'Who's your favourite Disney princess, Emily?'

Sparkles burst like fireworks in Emily's eyes. Her life revolved around Disney. They were proud owners of annual passes to Disneyland Paris and made sure they got their money's worth.

She tapped her chin dramatically. 'Hum...my favourite is Baroura.'

Marinette smiled and nodded, before glancing at him. Adrien perched on one knee beside them and filled Marinette in. 'Aurora.'

'Oh!' Marinette said, her lips forming the perfect shape to be kissed. Merde. 'She is awesome! I like Mulan and Snow White.'

'You can kiss Adrien!' Emily suddenly seemed so hopeful, Adrien hated crushing her dreams.

'You can't make people kiss each other, Em.'

Adrien threw an apologetic look at Marinette, yet the look in her eyes wasn't at all what he was expecting. She looked lost. Broken. Was this something to do with the whole finding herself thing?

'I'm surprised you let her call you Adrien,' Marinette said.

Adrien laughed in response. 'What else would she call me?'

'I don't know? Maybe dad? I never saw you as a 'father', not after...you know.'

Emily burst out laughing, coming closer to Marinette and placing her hands sassily on her hips. 'He's not my daddy, silly, he's my brother.'

'Brother?' she asked curious, Adrien raising his eyebrow as he shrugged. She didn't know what had happened. That was abundantly clear, and right now, in front of Emily, was not time to open that can of worms.

Standing up, and trying not to dwell on the look in her eyes, he nudged open the door to the main living space, instantly enveloped by a warm, familiar cosiness. The room had a slightly tidier look than usual, a blessing of Emily's time in École maternelle today, but a few toys—a doll in a soft cotton dress, a teddy bear with one ear a little flattened—still lay across the floor, as if mid-play had simply been paused. A tall, real Christmas tree stood proudly near the window, draped in soft, glowing lights and mismatched ornaments—some delicate, others clearly homemade with bright-coloured felt and glitter. A strand of tinsel hung loosely from one branch where little hands had excitedly placed it.

On the large, slightly worn sectional couch, a couple of well-loved throw blankets and squishy pillows lay in a homey disarray, as if someone had only just been curled up there. The coffee table held traces of a recent family moment—a mug with a thin ring of cocoa left at the bottom, a few cookie crumbs, and a crumpled napkin that hadn't quite made it to the rubbish yet. Beneath the tree, presents were stacked with a mix of careful alignment and chaotic piling, a few leaning against one another as though they'd been added in haste.

The fireplace mantle bore more signs of family life: two stockings hung, not perfectly, but with a sort of charm, some slightly askew from curious little fingers. A couple of hand-drawn holiday cards, each a unique splash of colour and love, were tucked in among framed family photos, a tiny Santa figurine, and a pine-scented candle burned halfway down. The room had the unmistakable warmth of being lived in, with little hints of laughter and togetherness in every corner, underlined by the faint aroma of cinnamon and fresh pine. And he loved it.

'Sorry about the mess,' he whispered, inviting her in. 'Sometimes it's just easier to leave it that way.' To his astonishment, Marinette looked...amazed? He'd seen that face before, and it always came with good things. She edged forward, away from him and Emily and crossed the room to the Christmas tree before turning back to him.

'It's so homey here.' The tones of her voice struck a cord deep inside him, something he'd spent years on burying, and in a few moments she'd already begun to dig it back out. Every inch of his body wanted to make her happy, to put the smile on her face and keep it there forever. He wanted to keep her here, to bring her into his little family, yet he knew that wasn't possible. Things were too different now, too complicated.

'I guess.' He grabbed Emily by the waist and hoisted her up and into his arms. 'Right, Em, say goodnight to Marinette.'

'Wait, wait!' Emily screeched, kicking Adrien hard until he put her down. As soon as her feet hit the floor she bolted towards the other side of the room, grabbing something before running back, stopping quickly at Marinette to hug her legs. 'Goodnight, Nettie.'

'Who you got there?' she asked crouching down to give his sister a hug, melting his heart into a pile of adorable goo in the process. She pointed to the small red and black polka-dotted comforter in Emily's hands and his blood turned ice-cold.

'It's my bugaboo.' Emily walked back to Adrien with no clue to the bomb she'd just dropped. But when he looked at Marinette all he could see was her beautiful smile. Her eyes glistened under the tree lights, a slight chuckle escaping her lips and stirring feelings in his gut. This was dangerous. Being near her was dangerous.

'Make yourself at home. I'll be back soon.' He gave her one last smile as he lifted Emily into his arms, tearing his eyes away from her as he turned and exited the room.

His heart longed to ask her to go with him, that they should be doing this together, not with his sister though, with a child of their own. The thought caused a lump to lodge in his throat, the sheer emotion of what could have been and never will be choking him. As he stepped into Emily's room and lay her in her bed, the small girl's words continued to strike him whilst in his emotional turbulence.

'Is she the one?' Emily said, softly. She took her ladybug comforter and placed it in its usual position over her shoulder, before reaching for her favourite book and handing it over to him.

'The one? What do you mean, sweet pea?'

'Your princess,' she smiled. 'Your happily never after.'

Though he was sure his sister meant happily ever after, his stomach flipped at the irony, because as much as he wanted a future with Marinette, his sister's mistaken words were right. There was only one way this was going to end, and happily, most certainly, was not on the cards.