Five years had gone by since Marinette had last seen Chat Noir, the one she believed had been the love of her life. But five years can also change a person, along with their beliefs or faiths, and Marinette had long ago given up on ever seeing him again. Instead, she tried her best to focus on raising their daughter, Emma, who was just as ambitious as her father. With sparkling green eyes and a head full of blonde, the free-spirited, four-year-old had become Marinette's purpose in life. Her reason to continue moving forward.

Of course, a lot of people questioned Emma's existence. With a father not in the picture, her parents were mostly worried about how the little girl had came to be. But Marinette never told them the truth about her relationship with Chat Noir, and she never told Chat Noir that he was a father. Instead, she claimed that Emma had been the result of an one-night stand. And although she had convinced her parents and friends that her story was true, it didn't mean that they were any less disappointed in her.

But despite their disappointment in her careless actions, everyone loved and adored Emma. Marinette's parents had a habit of spoiling their granddaughter rotten, although that didn't ruin her daughter's naturally kind and generous heart. Alya, thrilled at the idea of becoming an aunt, was ecstatic when Emma was born, and from that day forward, loved the little girl as if she were her own. Nino, now Alya's husband of two years, was wrapped around Emma's finger as well.

But despite the happiness that surrounded her life, Marinette still sometimes found herself feeling unhappy.

She figured it had to do with not having Emma's father to help her, to be a part of their family. Marinette had always dreamed of Chat Noir being a part of her life. She had once hoped for him to one day reveal himself to her, so that they could be a couple out in public too, without having to hide under her duvet.

But then Chat Noir just... left. He dropped everything. And although she was proud of him nonetheless for chasing after his dreams, somewhere deep down, she had always thought that she was a part of his dream.

But apparently she'd been wrong.

And after five years, Chat Noir still had no idea that he was a father. That he had a little girl who needed him. And there was no way for her to tell him now either.

So now, she tried her best to fill in that void of an absent father.

But that was hard to do considering she was a woman, and had no idea how to be even remotely close to a father, so Nino helped the best he could.

"And what exactly did you draw?" Nino held up a sheet of paper which had scribble upon scribbles of different colored crayon, and Marinette watched from her spot on the couch as Emma began to explain how her drawing was clearly a unicorn-griffin-fairy mutant who could travel in time to grant wishes to every kid that ever existed. Obviously Nino struggled to see it; anyone who understood that unicorn-griffin-fairy mutants weren't real would. But Nino praised her nonetheless for her exquisite art skills, and Marinette found herself smiling fondly as she watched her daughter interact with her uncle.

Sometimes, she wondered what it would had been like had Chat Noir been here in Nino's place.

But dwelling over those thoughts would get her no where. Chat Noir had a chance to keep her in his life and he chose... a different path. For now, an uncle like Nino was the best thing for her daughter.

"I'm homeeee~" Alya singsonged as she opened and closed the door behind her, holding a bag of groceries on her arm. Almost instantly, Emma jumped up from Nino's lap and rushed to greet her aunt in a bone-crushing hug around her leg. 

"Hey Alya." Marinette stood up from the couch to greet her best friend, and to help her with the groceries. "You know, I could've gone shopping today."

Alya waved her off with a genuine smile. "Oh, it was no big deal. It was on my way home from the office anyway. And speaking of offices.." the brunette reached into her purse, which was also slung on her arm, pulling out a rolled tube. "...they've finally approved your blueprints!"

"Really?!" Marinette snatched the tube out of her best friend's hand, overwhelmed with excitement. "How were you able to convince them?"

"It was pretty easy. Though, a bit of journalistic-integrating was required."

"However you managed to convince them, you're truly a miracle worker, Al." Marinette said, smiling brightly. "Thank you."

"Anything for my best friend." Alya reciprocated her smile, and then leaned down to ruffle little Emma's hair, who was still clutched onto her leg. "And for my favorite little girl."

Emma giggled, "Is mama gonna build her studio?"

"More like make it bigger." Alya wiggled a playful brow. "An expansion was wayyy overdue. With all your talent, Marinette, you couldn't be confined to that tiny little room anymore."

Marinette chuckled as she laid the tube down across the bar stool chairs. She placed her hands on her hips and smiled softly at the idea of finally building the studio she had always dreamed of building. A workspace that wasn't confined in a tiny room in the back of her apartment. "It'll be nice to not be so crammed when taking in another order. Hitting your elbow against the wall every two seconds while sewing a dress is not fun. I wouldn't recommend it."

Alya giggled at that. "I'll take your word for it, girl."

Nino stood from his spot on the floor, moving to help the girls put away the groceries. As he opened the fridge, he asked, "So the room will just be storage now?"

"Well, it's always been storage." Marinette said matter-of-factly, placing a few canned soups in the pantry before she turned around to shoot Nino a smile. "But it'll be nice to just call it that from now on."

Nino hummed idly at that, his smile slightly faltering as he turned his attention back towards the open fridge to continue putting away their cold groceries. Marinette, of course, didn't notice the slight change in his behavior... but his wife of two years did.

"Alright, spit it out, babe." Alya said, which ultimately broke the comforting silence that had fallen amongst them as they worked to put everything away. When Marinette turned to look at her best friend in confusion, she was surprised to find Alya had her arms folded over her chest, a slight frown on her lips as her phrase was obviously directed at Nino. Nino, on the other hand, already had a sheepish smile on his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"What are you talking about?" Of course, his first tact was the innocent act.

Alya didn't buy it for a second. "Don't play coy. What do you want the room for?"

Marinette raised a surprised brow at that, and turned to look at Nino. "You want the room?"

Nino chucked nervously, his eyes darting between his wife and her best friend. "Well... not exactly—"

Alya shook her head at him. "You are not using it as a DJ studio—"

Nino laughed lightly at that, copying her motion as he shook his head as well. "Don't worry, babe. That idea never crossed my mind."

"Then what exactly do you want it for?" Marinette interjected confusingly.

"Well..." Nino began to wring his hands together nervously, turning his attention away from the fridge as he softly closed it to preserve the food already inside. When his eyes met Marinette's, she was almost certain there was a pleading look in them. As if he already assumed she wouldn't approve of what he was about to say. "The room wouldn't be for me. I was thinking... maybe you could rent it out to Adrien?"

"Adrien?" Now that name took Marinette by surprise. The last she heard from Adrien was five years ago, when he told them all after graduation over the phone in a group chat facetime call that he would be leaving the country. She assumed it was because of his father, and she'd stood corrected after Nino had explained later on to her and Alya both that Adrien was only allowed to do what he wanted as a career choice... if he left Paris.

Ironically enough, that situation was very similar to Chat Noir's.

She was proud of him nonetheless for going against his father and chasing his dreams... but that didn't mean she wouldn't miss him. After all, Adrien had been one of her really good friends, and had once had a piece of her heart. And... it wasn't as if he had properly said goodbye either.

He just left.

He left just like Chat Noir had.

"Adrien's back in town?" Alya's voice interjected Marinette's thoughts, forcing her to snap out of whatever trance she was in. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just did...?" Nino supplied sheepishly.

Emma, who had been hardly listening to the adult conversation, pulled on her mother's sleeve. "Mama, who is Adrien?"

"No one, mon chéri." Marinette caressed her daughter's head. "No one important."

"You want Adrien to stay here?" Alya's voice was beginning to rise as she focused all of her building rage on her husband. "Why would you even suggest that?"

Nino frowned at his wife. "Because he's our friend? And he doesn't have a place to stay?"

"Ha! Sucks to be him, doesn't it?"

"C'mon, Alya. Don't be like that. Being sour doesn't suit you."

"Sour? SOUR?! You're joking, right? I have every right to be sour—"

"Um... guys?" Marinette interjected the moment she realized that whatever Alya had against Adrien, she didn't know about it. But Nino did. And they were about to divulge a conversation that she was not a part of. "I'm not sure what's going on... but maybe we could take this to the bedroom and not do it in front of Emma?"

The arguing couple quickly shut their mouths, but not before they both glanced down at the little girl who was intensely watching them both.

"How about I put on some cartoons for you, Em?" Marinette suggested as she took her daughter's hand and led her back into the living room. As the little girl settled herself on the floor, Marinette tuned on the tv and skipped through a few pre-recorded programs before she picked the one she knew was her daughter's favorite. Little Emma grinned from ear-to-ear the moment she realized what was playing, and it was the perfect distraction to keep her occupied while the adults continued their conversation in the back room.

By the time Marinette had set all of that up and had made her way down the hall, Nino and Alya were already waiting for her in their shared bedroom.

"Okay." Marinette said as she slowly shut the door behind her. "So what's going on? You want me to rent out the storage room to Adrien?"

Nino shrugged sheepishly as he nodded, his smile nervous. "I've talked to him recently and he mentioned that he really needed a place to stay. I just figured—"

Marinette sighed deeply, which ultimately cut her friend off—despite not meaning to, because she knew where this was going. "Look, I understand Adrien might be in some kind of a bind... but that's not really my problem? I mean, I haven't seen him in years. Plus, this place is already crowded." She turned to look at her best friend with an apologetic look. "No offense."

"None taken." Alya waved off her concerns before turning her gaze back to her husband. "But Marinette's right, you know. We do take up a lot of her space already as much as it is. Adding an extra person would be a little bit overwhelming for Marinette, don't you think?"

"But it's Adrien!" Nino exclaimed with a pout. "He's our best friend. He's like family."

"You mean he's your best friend." Marinette pointed out with a single raised brow.

"Semantics." Nino deadpanned. "The point is... he's your friend too."

"He was my friend." Marinette said with little-to-no emotion in her voice. The truth was, Adrien no longer held much importance when it came to her priorities simply because she lost contact with him, and despite trying to keep in touch, he hadn't been that enthusiastic to reciprocate. It made sense considering he had more important things to do than waste his time texting her... and she came to that conclusion the moment she stopped reaching out. It was then when she realized she'd merely been watering a dead plant the entire time.

But she couldn't even be mad at him. He was living his life and so was she.

Sometimes people parted ways for the better anyway.

"C'mon, Marinette." Nino groaned in frustration, throwing the palm of his hand over his eyes as he rubbed his face. "I know Adrien might have distanced himself a little bit—"

"A little bit wouldn't even be close to milking it—"

"But he really needs our help." Nino ignored her rebuttal, instead his frown deepening. He stood up from his spot on the bed which was beside Alya, moving to open the bedroom door before he looked over his shoulder at her and added sternly, "And you know what? I already told him he could stay here. He'll be here by six tonight. So... there."

And then he left the room.

It took both her and Alya quite a bit of time to fully process those words. Alya was on her feet first, muttering an 'unbelievable' underneath her breath before she hastily moved to follow her husband. But those words took a little longer to register in Marinette's mind than they did Alya's.

And when they finally clicked, Marinette was beyond livid.

"You did what?" And suddenly, Marinette was more angry than she could have possibly imagined. She marched out of the bedroom right on his tail. She supposed Nino hadn't been expecting her outburst when he suddenly whipped around to face her with wide eyes. "So help me Nino, I will literally ring your neck! What in the bloody blazes gave you the fantastic idea to do something like that without my permission?!"

"I-I can explain!" Nino pleaded with raised hands. "I meant to ask you first... but I just figured you wouldn't mind!"

Frustrated, Marinette covered her face with her hands. "Just because you're eating the food out of my fridge doesn't mean I want others to do the same!"

Nino offered her a sheepish grin, which didn't exactly win him any peace when Alya took it upon herself to whack her husband upside the head. "Nino, as your wife, even I have to say... that was a pretty stupid move."

"OW!" Nino frowned at her as to mask the pain etched in his features, all the while trying to soothe the sore spot where she'd hit him by gently rubbing the soon-to-be bruised area. "I just figured it would be cool for all of us to be reunited, y'know? The four amigos back at it again."

Marinette sighed deeply through her nose, forcing herself to calm down just a bit in order to keep her rising emotions from getting the best of her. Instead, she leaned down to pick up Nino's red cap—which had fallen off his head when Alya had whacked him—and slapped it back onto his head without warning. Nino muttered another pitiful OW at the action, shooting her a very unamused frown which she returned with a satisfied smile.

"Look, I'm all up for reuniting with Adrien." Marinette admitted with a wistful smile. After all, as much as she wished it wasn't true, she couldn't deny that it would be nice to see him again and to reconnect. She couldn't deny that she missed him. "But what I'm not okay with is you doing things behind my back. Plus, reuniting and living here are two completely different things. My last guest bedroom isn't even prepared for anyone to stay in!" She raised a finger when Nino opened his mouth to interject. "And if you think I'm cleaning it to make it livable in by six pm tonight when he's supposed to get here, then you've got another thing coming."

"I'll clean it!" Nino volunteered eagerly, "You won't have to strain a muscle!"

Too late for that, she thought as her temple started to throb uncomfortably. "A little too late for that, Nino. My brain already hurts like hell."

To that, her good friend chuckled softly, and Marinette found herself slowly matching his smile.

"Mama!" Her attention was averted from Nino when her daughter called her, and as Marinette turned her gaze towards the little girl, she found Emma standing on the couch with a wide smile on her lips—and she was about to scold her daughter too for standing on the furniture... until she saw another head of blonde poking up, and when a pair of green eyes peered over as well, Marinette found herself freezing in her tracks at the familiarity she found in that gaze.

"This man Adrien came to visit, and he fixed the tv for me!"

She knew it. She knew she recognized those eyes.

"Adrien?" She almost took a step back at the sight of him. A million thoughts crossed through Marinette's mind in that moment. As Adrien raised his head, leaning his chin on the couch as he offered her a sheepish smile, she found it entirely impossible to look away from him. He hadn't changed a bit since she last saw him. Despite maturing and look older like they all had, Adrien's disheveled blonde hair and emerald green eyes hadn't changed. Not even his smile looked any different. He was just as handsome, if not more handsome, since she'd last seen him.

Marinette forced herself not to dare let her rising blush be visibly known.

There was no way Adrien could still have that effect on her.

Adrien's smile only tightened, and she could tell he was nervous... if the shy wave and unsure smile he had to offer her was any indication. "Uhh... hi."

"Adrien?" Nino spoke up before she could say anything else. "What are you doing here?"

"You're early." Alya remarked plainly, tapping her bare wrist.

"Uh yeah." Adrien stood up from the couch, coming around to properly greet his friends. Marinette watched him unsurely as the blonde embraced Nino first, and Nino returned the hug rather eagerly. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to show up unannounced. But my flight ended up leaving earlier than planned... so here I am."

Marinette folded her arms over her chest, not out of irritation, really, but as a way to guard herself. In a way, it was a form of comfort. Perhaps she wasn't really ready to reunite with Adrien as much as she thought she was.

Because she was incredibly nervous.

"How did you get in?"

That was the first thing she decided to ask, and her voice remained entirely emotionless as she did so. Not a hello, not a welcome back, not even a its good to see you again remark that would probably be more of a lie for her to say than a truth. Adrien slowly turned to face her as soon as he heard her voice, and as he released Nino from their embrace, his eyes softened in a way that looked all-too-strangely familiar. And that look had never come from Adrien before.

No... she recognized that look from someone else.

Chat Noir used to look at her like that a lot.

He reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Um... well, Emma opened the door—"

"What?!" Marinette's gaze then snapped over towards her daughter, who instantly ducked behind the couch out of sight from her mother's scrutinizing gaze. "Emma, what have I told you about opening the door to strangers?"

"Sorry..." Was the little girl's sheepish response as she remained hidden.

"Oh, don't be too hard on her." Adrien chuckled softly, and she noticed the way he slightly flinched back when her hard gaze snapped back to his. She chose not to point it out for the sake of not embarrassing him. "It's my fault for showing up so unannounced and I'm sorry by the way because I had no idea that this was your place. I wouldn't have bothered to impose if I would've known. You see, Nino offered me a place to stay at his place so I just assumed that this was his apartment—"

"At his place, huh?" Marinette turned her head slightly to glare at Nino, who only had a sheepish grin and a nervous chuckle to offer her in return.

Adrien nodded, "Yes... I'm starting to understand that you all live together?"

"Yeah." She nodded to confirm that he was right. "Well, this is my apartment. Alya and Nino rent out a room which means you would be doing the same for as long as you need to stay here—"

"Of course!" Adrien nodded eagerly, his smile broad. "No questions asked!"

"Right..." Her brows furrowed unsurely, her hand coming down to caress the top of her daughter's head when she felt Emma come around to hug her side. She hadn't even seen the little girl move from the couch, but she supposed Adrien was just that much of a distraction. And that in itself was dangerous. She needed to be careful about that. "And it seems you've already met my sneaky little four-year-old, Emilie." The little blonde-headed girl giggled, which tugged a smile at Marinette's lips despite the emotionless act she'd been trying to keep up. "But I'm sure she's already told you everyone calls her Emma."

"Haha yes, she has." Adrien smiled fondly down at her. "She's a beautiful little girl."

Marinette's smile had yet to vanish as her eyes remained focused on Adrien's, and his on hers. And in that moment, it wasn't Adrien's presence which scared her the most, or that there was a familiar flutter in her chest that only he was able to cause before she had fallen in love with Chat Noir and had moved on.

Oh no, what scared her the most wasn't either of those things.

It was his smile. Because his smile looked exactly like Chat Noir's.

_______________________________

I hope you enjoyed chapter four of He Can't Forget! See you in the next chapter where we'll jump back into Adrien's POV hopefully soon! :)

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