Summary: Miraculous Ladybug x Pacific Rim AU. What do you do when you have no where to go and everyone's gone? A story about coming home- Alya, Adrien, Nino, Marinette.

Miraculous Ladybug x Pacific Rim AU

A/N: I do not own any characters from Miraculous Ladybug nor Pacific Rim. There are inconsistencies with the Pacific Rim timeline and probably unlikely made-up scenarios but please bear with me!

Coming Home

It was a last minute call- which worried Alya; but as they landed in the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, the thought disappeared as the scent and the slightly familiar background welcomed her back home.

"Wow, a lot of things changed while we were gone" Nino huffed quietly, his smile contradicting his actions as he glanced around the familiar airport.

"Yeah, but some things didn't" Adrien's voice piped up, his luggage making small clicking noises as he walked to his friends. He gave a wry smile to his best friend who grinned. Alya sighed softly as she fixed her uniform, trying to ignore the looks they were all getting from the bystanders as they made their way to the arrival hall.

Probably half of the looks they were getting were due to the fact that she was hanging around with a boy like Adrien- who could probably pass off as a model with his looks. They were 22 now, as their physical appearance matured- Adrien growing almost a head taller than her own 5'6 frame, and Nino also stopping at a 6'2 height. His facial features were more defined and drool-worthy. Nino also grown to be quite handsome- although Alya would protest to that if you asked her. In the mirror, Alya didn't look much different than her 15-year-old self- although she did slim down and gained muscle- due to her profession, but hell- all of them did.

The other half of the looks they were getting was most likely due to their uniforms. The crest she hated stitched over her left breast like a brand- identical to Adrien's and Nino's as well spoke volumes of the single fact that tore her childhood away.

They were a part of the Jaeger Project.

The nightmare all started in her 2rd year of high school- the first Kaiju appearing in San Francisco, Alya could remember it with vivid clarity. She was in school, talking about the upcoming break when the news broke in. It was terrifying- her classmates screaming in fear as they learned that Chloe's father; the mayor was in San Francisco for a meeting- was caught up in the attack and was missing. Chloe- with all her self-righteous attitude froze in shock, as it was the first time Alya witnessed her break down in front of others- it had downright terrified her.

She remembered locking eyes with Nino, Adrien and her, but she had reassured Alya that everything will be all right.

It didn't. If anything, the situation worsened. News of the attacks were the only thing the radio station were talking about- it was a plague as they could remember the faces of their horror- struck classmates. It was even worse for Chloe- she stopped caring about her physical appearance, arriving to school with eye-bags and disheveled hair. It took a toll on Adrien- seeing his first friend withering away like that.

It scared everyone- even the victims of Chloe's bullying tactics when she finally broke down one day in class- collapsing and just never getting back up again.

They were in their fourth year of high school, preparing for their exams when Alya's life changed completely. She remembered her teacher Ms. Bustier walking in solemnly and quietly asked everyone to line up and get into the school bus waiting outside. Her classmates that refused to were knocked out by men wearing a dark blue/black uniform and consequently placed in the bus.

It'll be alright… She remembered her words as they all piled in. They were in the bus for 30 minutes, before they arrived at a facility- no one recognized it. This is the abandoned psychiatric facility that closed in 1997. She remembered Max stating- sprouting useful information (for once); it didn't calm anyone down really.

Each of them were placed in a white- disgustingly pure white room, a man sitting; as if waiting for them with a clipboard. She remembered the neutral monotone look on his face as he proceeded to ask her various questions about her life, personality, outlook, analytical questions, and other questions for the next 3 hours.

Alya remembered not being able to get out of the room for the entire 3 hours, terrified; but her rational mind telling her to calm down and get through this. At the end, he had smiled (she hated the smile- it was gentle but had an ominous feeling behind it that would plague her nightmares for the oncoming years)

"Alya, it seems that you are a very intelligent young woman. (I'm only 17 she had retorted in her mind) You have a sharp mind and a rational intellectual brain. You are also more than capable compared to others and you exceed all areas" he had stated happily. The Pan Pacific Defense Corps would be more than happy to accept you into our program" he ended off, a dread feeling pooling at the bottom of her stomach.

She realized she never had a choice once she stepped into the building- the mere fact that it was already decided for her promptly made her vomited.

Everything happened within months- no, weeks. After more series of tests that just left her exhausted, she was whisked away to the shatterdome located in Russia, only a bag filled with essential items was allowed with her, as she, Nino, and Adrien were whisked away.

Weeks went by- with the harsh tedious Jaegar program breaking her entire being- Alya wasn't allowed the time to weep for her lost childhood as every bone and muscle in her body was tested under harsh conditions just to last for what was coming nect. What made it worse was that she felt isolated.

Nino, with his strangely charming disposition and sly jokes managed to be the fun-guy /party-guy in the group, however he hadn't made it through the final testing stage-; as he failed to become a Jaeger Pilot- however the PPCD didn't waste his talents as he was promptly moved to the LOOCENT Mission Control, therefore losing one of her talking-buddies.

Adrien, as obvious as it can get- was the center of attention upon their arrival to Russia. With his beautiful handsome features and kind nature- it wasn't a surprise that almost all the single ladies (and perhaps some ladies who were already taken) showed an interest. However, no matter who it was- he had rejected them all, excusing himself by declaring that he had a loved one already (If Alya knew anything, she hadn't commented)

It didn't help her as she was regarded as the weird chubby outcast that was friends with those two just because she knew them for a couple years. Her confidence waning as she wasn't able to find a partner- as her movements were rigid and awkward during the testing stage. Her movements were too slow as she often bear the brunt of the hits as she lost each round consecutively.

So, when she found out that the only person in the group of 30 plus so kids that was compatible and kept up to her was Adrien, to be shocked was a huge understatement.

He was the exact opposite of her- no matter who he had faced, with his athletic ability and flexibility; he defeated his opponents with moderate ease. However- when she was finally paired up with him during the testing phase- he couldn't find a way to beat her easily like his other opponents. Alya was beyond surprised as she kept up with his movements, even though her hits and dodges were not as graceful and slick like his, she managed to dodge and block every blow at her (it felt like she just knew where the next hit will be at), and likewise for him.

"It's because you've guys known each other so you guys can match each other" she heard girls grumble angrily as she was officially paired up with Adrien as they were deemed 'drift compatible'.

She was relieved, yet why did her heart sink at that?

The first time they had synced with each other was during a trial run- she could remember the frigid feeling of an electricity like current zapping through her brain, as she was frozen with unknown memories flooding into her. She wanted to cringe away but she couldn't as she was forced to live out the memories of her friend- all the feelings of loneliness and isolation he felt during his childhood imprinted on her mind.

She also hated the fact that he had access to her memories- as her own resurfaced- glimpses of the image of her father's back slowly walking away, her mother's cries and screams- the sharp contrast with images of broken furniture around.

That was the first time she cried in front of him. She shed tears for both her friend and herself; for two broken teenagers that had faced more than what a normal kid should have to bear.

Adrien just smiled softly, and thanked her for crying for him, his eyes slightly misty as well. His kindness and ability to thank someone after involuntarily giving up his sealed memories away and glimpsing into her own broken childhood was enough to make Alya cry even harder.

In all honesty- if Adrien weren't so much like a brother to her, she would've fell in love with him, just like Marinette.

Just the name of her best friend made Alya want to cry and break down- as she resorted to not think about her blue haired friend. Marinette had passed the initial testing (in that frightening disgusting white, white room) but shockingly failed the next series of tests.

You're too irrational Ms. Dupain-Cheng. You will be a distraction, an interference with the others! You tend to put yourself and others in danger and you do not make rational decisions! They had screamed at her- everyone witnessing the event. It didn't make any sense?! Marinette was the most logical person and even if her methods were irrational at times- she was probably the smartest and athletic person (even if poor, clumsy Marinette made small mistakes- there wasn't a doubt that this girl was indeed athletic at times, and with intelligence that rivaled Adrien- minus the incoherent stuttering at times) Alya could guarantee that somehow her parents got her out of the program- and it confounded her. How could she have connections to get out?

She was released the following day- sent back to her home, and away from the front-line danger.

Alya was upset- why was Marinette the lucky one and was allowed to leave? Hiding behind the front-lines and where it was safe while she had to fight when she wasn't athletic? Why couldn't Marinette take her place and fight-

Alya quickly buried the thoughts into the dark corners of her mind (you can never rid of your evil thoughts, they are always there- just hiding) as she banished them- horrified at herself for thinking that about her best friend nevertheless.

If Adrien was aware of her nasty thoughts- of course he will, he's in your mind- he hadn't shown any indication of knowing- and she was grateful for that as she wouldn't be able to bear it if he outright told her that she was disgusting.

48 hours later, a Kaiju Category I appeared and Alya was forced to remove any lingering thoughts of distractions away as she had a life-or-death battle to face. Pale face, sweaty hands, and age too young they were to be doing this- they both dove into first battle that was the beginning of what was more was about to come.

That was almost 4 years ago, and now- 22, things have changed- whether it was for good or not. During those years in Russia, Alya could've reminiscence about her ideal childhood, playing out to how her future would've gone. Perhaps a journalist or even a news reporter, married with 2 kids even- but playing the 'what if' game in the middle of the night was far too dangerous. Especially for someone like her.

She resorted to training her muscles and keeping her mind busy- up to her breaking point.

Obviously Adrien kept in check whether his partner was at the brink of exhaustion; making sure she didn't overdo it- however it didn't help Alya's situation; until one day during their training session, he was too slow to dodge in one of the blows- bearing the brunt of the hit to his left arm as she immediately froze. He had never failed to dodge such an easy attack before, so she knew something was wrong- she really squinted hard, observing him and finally noticing his deteriorating features- how the bags were darkening under his eyes, how his face was too pale, and figure too slender for an 18-year old. That was one of the rare times she was scared for her friend's life, outside of their battles- as if he could've been crushed easily with one hit.

After that- both of them made sure the other and even themselves stayed healthy, no matter what, even if it meant sleeping in the same quarters to make sure the other wouldn't stay up dreaming and playing the 'what-if' game.

Alya would've snickered at the sight of Marinette's face if she learned that her best friend was sleeping in the same room as her crush- but she shook her head. She had to keep her past out of her thoughts.

"Yo, are you listening?" Nino's hand waved in front of her as Alya blinked- out of her thoughts as she realized they were already on board the bus that took them to the shatterdome located in the heart of Paris. With a grimace, she remembered the reason of their transfer.

It was too sudden. The new shatterdome was just recently built and needed more manpower- as the three of them were re-located- thank god Nino is still with us she thought-. Even Adrien; who was the more composed of the three looked a bit on edge at the sudden transfer- but relieved that his best friend was able to transfer with him.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I was hungry" Alya lied, glancing away from Adrien; knowing that he had an eyebrow raised. With the amount of times they had drifted together- they knew each other like the back of their hand.

"Hmm, we can go get some bread at a bakery first? We aren't supposed to make pit-stops and we are supposed to arrive at the shatterdome…." He trailed off- his voice cracking and dying off as he realized what he said. Tension filled the air as Alya refused to acknowledge his words.

Adrien cleared his throat. "We'll just find something at the shatterdome to eat" he said quietly with a small wry smile as they sat in silence for the rest of the ride.

How Marinette was doing; no one knew. They lost all contact with her- no, you just didn't want to see her or hear from her after her 'betrayal'- Alya kicked that thought out of her head, and into the growing pile of dusty dark thoughts that she knew would never disappear. They only knew one fact; she was doing fine in Paris and her family is working together in a franchise in order to provide the wheat produce to the PPDC, and that was it- that was probably where she got her connections- Alya kicked herself harshly, ignoring the pain and the look of utter surprise on her friend's faces as they got off the bus, wheeling their luggage behind and entering the new shatterdome.

"Well then…. We're here" Nino coughed- choosing to ignore the sudden self-inflicted pain from his friend, as they looked around, gaping at the huge shatterdome. It wasn't as large as the other existing ones (since Paris isn't as large as the others) but it was sufficiently large enough to encompass around 5-8 Jaegars- not that there were as many pilots for these Jaegars….

"This is quite…"

"Magnificent?" Alya completed the blond's thoughts who merely nodded slightly as they slowly made their way- albeit lost.

"Ah, you three must be the transfers am I correct?" Alya froze in her spot, Adrien and Nino whipping around quickly as they recognized the voice. Alya recognized it as well- of course she did. She was the target of her dark thoughts- as she slowly turned around, the grip on the handle of the luggage dropping, clattering onto the floor as they stared wide-eye back to an equally wide-eyes dark haired faired lady.

"…Marinette?" Adrien voiced out- his voice almost a whisper as the lady in front of them, nearly dropped her clipboard as he arms lowered in shock; revealing the dark navy-grey uniform, the PPDC logo encrusted on her uniform.

"A-Adrien? Nino?…Al…ya?" she gasped quietly. This girl standing in front of them was and was not Marinette at the same time. She was Marinette in terms of Marinette Dupain-Cheng with the same exact dna as the Marinette 4 years ago, but she wasn't Marinette in terms of physical appearance. Her past pony-tailed hair was gone, leaving straight dark blue-black hair that ended to her shoulder blades. Her bangs were still swept to the familiar left side, and her baby blue eyes still bright blue like the free sky.

Before Alya knew it, a weight had suddenly crashed into her, almost bowling her down as she quickly regained her balance, dark hair blowing at her face suddenly as Marinette launched herself at her. Alya stiffened, unfamiliar with physical warmth after 4 years of no- or little to none physical contact other than a shake of hand or a reassuring pat on the shoulder by her other two friends. But as sudden as the physical contact was there- it was gone as Marinette pulled back quickly, her features that were shock-ridden quickly contouring into a mask with a smile plastered on.

"Pardon me Alya, Nino… Adrien. It's nice to see you all again" she had simply stated, she glanced at the boys before turning back to her as Alya stared at her friend.

It was alarming- how her emotions were quickly repressed as she had a blank slate on her face- with the exception of a smile she shivered- recognizing the smile; just like the man 4 years ago in that white disinfectant smelling room.

Alya… she locked eyes with Adrien and Nino who seemed to understood her dilemma, as they were watching their old friend like a hawk- noticing all the changes.

Oh sweet, clumsy Marinette. What had happened to you?

How is it? First time writing a short story, I was really interested in the idea of having a Pacific Rim AU, and tried to fit it with Miraculous Ladybug. Hopefully I can upload the next part soon

You can find a doodle of them on my profile!