*Author's Note*

I'm sure you wouldn't have guessed this since the chapter is about 3600 words long, but I really had a hard time getting this conclusion to form. Hence the late update one last time. I'm pretty content with how this ended up. Prepare for some more Adrigami feels before finishing up with a touch of our glorious Adrinette.

~LycoRogue~


Chapter 9


After Kagami received the necklace, she rested her head against the window, and watched the lights flicker against the Chunnel walls as they traveled through the English Channel. It had been a long day with a lot of walking, a lot of plotting, a lot of searching, and a lot of food. Adrien figured she was probably a bit worn out, so he let her rest as he put in his earbuds and started up his music.

This time, however, he couldn't distract himself with piano concertos, pop-rock, or acoustic guitars. He had wasted a lovely weekend with Kagami. A weekend where they reconnected. A weekend where they became better friends; trusted friends. He didn't want them to go back to how they were, only seeing each other at fancy events and fencing practice, and only discussing their hectic weeks as a form of small talk while they waited to be picked up. Kagami meant more to him than a simple acquaintance. He couldn't lose her friendship now. He needed to do something to make sure that didn't happen, and he knew it required more than gifting her a necklace with a pretty phrase about friendship.

"Kagami?" Adrien hoped he wasn't disturbing her. They were back out of the train tunnel built under The Channel, and Kagami was taking in the passing scenery, which was already draped in the purple hue of twilight.

"Yes, Adrien?" She turned from the window, her hands tightly holding the blue bag she had tucked her postcard and necklace box back into.

"I really did enjoy myself this weekend."

"I did too." She smiled at him, which solidified Adrien's resolve. He liked seeing her smile.

"I know we can't be what you want us to be. I'm- well, I'm still in love with someone else-"

Her smile fell, as did her shoulders. The rest of her body stiffened as her eyes hardened.

"But-" Adrien cut in before she could turn away from him, "but that doesn't mean we can't still hang out as friends, right? Like we did this weekend?"

Her body relaxed again. "You want to spend time with me outside of class?"

"Yeah! You're a really cool person, Kagami, and I really like that you're my friend. I know things always go wrong with us though, between Marinette mistakenly declaring me the winner of our match, hurting herself at the ice rink, and then those pills this weekend. But, what if we have a Marinette-free day? Just you and me. Promise." He pressed his hand against his chest and held the other up beside his head.

"That sounds lovely. Do you really want to do that though? A Marinette-free day, that is?"

Adrien blinked a few times as he tried to decipher her question. Women truly were puzzling people. He had no clue why she would ask that. Nino was his best friend, not Marinette. Why would a 'Marinette-free day' seem so weird to Kagami?

"Yeah-" He scratched the back of his head as he tried to ignore his confusion. He needed a game plan; an activity the two of them could do aside from fencing. Ice skating was probably out. Adrien was fairly certain Kagami wouldn't want to do that with him again after how poorly it went the first time.

"I know!" He smacked his fist onto his open palm to accentuate his excitement and certainty that he thought of the perfect outing. "You're still relatively new to Paris, and I really enjoyed the tour of London your mother gave us this afternoon. How about we do that? I could show you some of the sights. I'm sure you've been to the big ones like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, but what about walking the Champs-Elysées and checking out the Arc de Triomphe? While there, we have to visit the Grand Palais. It's beautiful there. Or, if you prefer, we could walk the Alpine Garden. Not many tourists know about it, so it's not nearly as busy."

"Adrien-"

"You haven't tried King Louis XIII's carousel in the Place des Vosges yet, have you? We need to do that, and then we could stop by the Notre-Dame, or the Centre Pompidou. I'm positive you'd love the Opéra Garnier! And we could finish at the Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur to get a nice evening view of Paris. It's like a carpet of lights. It's beautiful!"

"Adrien, my mother-"

"Oh! I know! The Japanese garden. It's part of the Buddhist Pantheon! Has your mother taken you there yet? You could maybe teach me more about Japan while we're there. What do you think?"

Kagami closed her eyes and slowly shook her head. "It does sound lovely, but my mother already-" Her voice caught as she looked at Adrien again. Her smile slowly grew back as she nodded. "I mean, my mother would probably like to come too. Either way, we'd have to get permission from her, of course."

"Done!"

"Adrien?"

He hopped out of his seat, and rounded the one in front of him. His father was in a casual conversation with Kagami's mother, so Adrien bowed to them.

"Sumimasen, Tsurugi-san, Father. Might I have a quick moment of both your time?"

The conversation died. Gabriel turned to his son with his typical stolid expression. Mrs. Tsurugi kept her hands resting atop the hilt of her Kendo sword, and her head facing the seat in front of her. Something about her posture let Adrien know she was listening, though.

"I was thinking about the London tour Tsurugi-san guided for us this afternoon. I was wondering if I could do the same for Kagami, showing her the sites of Paris. Tsurugi-san, you're more than welcome to come along, of course. I just hoped I could spend more time with Kagami is all."

"Adrien, I'm sure Kagami's mother has already-"

Mrs. Tsurugi placed a hand on Gabriel's arm, stopping him instantly.

"It is a common, but unfortunate, practice for ones who live in a city to not visit nor appreciate the history around them. People tend to have faith that they have time to enjoy these landmarks, and so they go unexplored. It is very kind of you, Adrien-kun, to offer this tour of the city. Gabriel-san, we can set up a good time for the children to meet up for this trip, can we not?"

"Right away, Tsurugi-san." A second later, Gabriel was on the phone with Nathalie in order to coordinate Adrien's schedule with Kagami's.

Beaming, Adrien plopped back into his seat. "All set. Once Nathalie has my schedule figured out we can meet up for that tour."

"I can't wait, Adrien." Kagami grabbed his hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze before quickly retreating it to her gift bag on her lap.

The two talked a bit more about their plans, and then they spent the rest of their train ride discussing their weekend in London. Adrien truly did have a great time, even if he was mentally somewhere else for half the trip. Kagami too seemed to have enjoyed herself. She even spoke fondly – albeit a bit teasingly – about Adrien's quest to find constipation medicine for his friend.

The train pulled into the station a little past ten. Adrien had just gotten used to the hour time difference between the two cities, and he had to re-acclimate himself with his native time. In London, it was only nine at night, and yet seeing ten-seventeen on all of the station clocks instantly tired Adrien out.

Gabriel said his farewells to Kagami's mother, after making sure she had her overnight bag and that her driver was there to pick the women up. Adrien did a similar kindness for Kagami, making sure she was set with both her gift bag and her luggage.

"Adrien?" Kagami shifted the weight of her overnight bag so she could snuggle fairly close to Adrien; keeping their conversation secret from their parents. "Are you going to try to deliver the medicine to Marinette tonight? You were quite worried about her."

Adrien glanced at one of the clocks hanging above a ticket booth, and he shook his head. "First of all, it's late, and my father is tired from all of his meetings. I doubt he'd let us do anything other than go straight home. Secondly, it's clearly too late for me to visit Marinette. If she's not feeling well she may even already be asleep." He tapped the side of his bag, where he had hidden the pills from his father. "I'm sure if she survived without them for this long, she can wait one more night. Thanks for reminding me of that. I'll just have to give them to her at school tomorrow is all, and then hope she didn't need them before then."

Kagami hung her head, shook it back and forth slightly, and let out a laugh so quietly violent her shoulders shook. "She really is lucky to have you in her life. I hope she knows that, because I know I do." She then rocked onto her tip-toes as she gave Adrien a quick peck on his left cheek.

She had done so before, after their failed date at the skating rink. It had surprised him when she did it. He knew that, with her, it wasn't a traditional la bise to say goodbye, and it was the first time someone kissed him romantically, even if it was on his cheek.

This time, however, when Kagami gave him a kiss goodbye on his left cheek, her romantic meaning much more evident to Adrien, his mind flashed to Marinette. Marinette, and her soft eyes and light blush as she gave him a grateful kiss on his left cheek after he called her an "everyday Ladybug." Marinette, and her crush on Chat Noir. Marinette, and her plea for him to fetch her medicine.

"Kagami, it's time to leave."

As Kagami's mother called for her, Adrien snapped back to the present, and wished his companion goodnight. Kagami rested her hand about a third of the way down her tie; where the charm of her necklace would be. She then bowed her head before jogging to her mother's side.

Adrien did the same; trotting over to his father's side while they waited for Nathalie and the Gorilla to pull up. It didn't take long, and soon enough their bags were in the trunk and they were on their way home. The sky was black, with only the faintest of white specks scattered across it, but the streets were well-lit, casting a cadence of shadows across Adrien's face as he got reacquainted with his city. A city that appeared to be whole, safe, and untouched while he was gone.

He scanned the rooftops for Ladybug possibly being on patrol, but no crimson and black caught his eye. Adrien debated if he should suit up once he got home, and do a quick patrol of the city himself. He missed his lady, and part of him wondered if he could track her down as Chat Noir. Another part of him wondered if he should use his superhero persona to stop by Marinette's balcony to leave her pills behind. It would be nearly impossible, though, to explain away how Chat Noir had the medicine when Adrien was the one given the prescription. Besides, he was getting more exhausted as they traveled the few blocks home. The blurred passing of the historical buildings intermixed with newer ones lulled Adrien, and all he wanted was to snuggle into his bed.

Marinette would understand why he had to wait to give her the medicine. Ladybug wouldn't notice his return, if she even noted his disappearance in the first place. It would be fine. His bed was beckoning him like a siren call, and he wanted to relent to it.

"Ah! Finally! I'm free!" Plagg dashed out of Adrien's shirt the moment he stepped inside his room. Plagg then bee-lined to the mini-fridge by Adrien's bed, kicking the door back open as he carried three wheels of Camembert piled on top of each other. Dumping the containers on top of the desk, Plagg dove into the packaging; gorging himself on the cheese.

Adrien unzipped his bag, and pulled out the small, white paper bag with a green medical-cross logo. Dropping the rest of the luggage to the floor, he walked the bag over to his desk, and placed it beside Plagg; propping it against his keyboard. Marinette's request was almost done. Kagami had helped him make sure his friend would get what she wanted. Adrien wondered how he managed to find so many amazing women within his short lifetime.

Glancing up at his computer monitor, he saw a picture of his mother nuzzling him in a tight hug. He had always been surrounded by amazing women. Maybe he was luckier than he thought. He ran his fingers across the pharmacy bag, patted Plagg on the head, and stripped for bed before passing out. It had been a long weekend.

~o~o~o~

The next morning Adrien woke up before his alarm, antsy to get to school. On his way to the shower he scooped the pills off his desk and placed them on top of his books in his messenger bag. He couldn't afford to forget them, not after Marinette had waited so long already.

On the drive to school, Adrien again scanned the city for any damage, and was relieved that it truly did seem unscathed. Perhaps Hawk Moth actually did take a day off. Adrien sighed with relief, and switched gears to the medicine in his bag.

"Marinette has been fine," he muttered to himself, a bit too loudly as the Gorilla grunted back a questioning note. Adrien quickly waved for his bodyguard to ignore him as he got out of the car. Looking up at his school, Adrien once more patted his bag to confirm, for the third time, that the medicine was there.

He walked up the entrance steps, keeping his eyes peeled for Marinette. He hoped this wasn't one of the days she would be late.

What if she stays home sick? Adrien glanced over at the Tom and Sabine Bakery across the street, and debated running the pills over there instead, just in case.

The cheer of most of his female classmates broke Adrien from his reverie, pulling his attention to their huddle to the left of the entrance. There among them was Marinette, and she seemed to be the center of their conversation.

"It's not really important, is it?" Marinette was meekly saying, and was instantly cut off by her best friend.

"What?" Alya nearly shouted. "How could you say that, girl?"

The girls all seemed to be having an important discussion, and Adrien hated to interrupt. He debated ignoring the pow-wow and just giving Marinette her pills inside, but he also didn't want her to wait any longer than she already had. The girls wouldn't be too mad at him, right?

"Uh?" he ventured, unsure if he chose the correct option. "Hey, Marinette."

All eyes darted to him. Maybe he shouldn't have interrupted after all.

No. Marinette had asked for the medicine. She had told him it was what she wanted most in the world, and only he could give them to her. She had trusted him with something most might find embarrassing. He was making the right choice by not waiting. He put on a smile as he walked over to the group.

Why were the girls all grinning at him like that? They looked like the kwami who found the hidden stash of Camembert. What was going on? And why was Marinette the only one who looked terrified?

Adrien hesitated again. She probably knew he was going to give her the pills, and was afraid her friends would find out about her problem. But, they were her friends. She talked to them all the time. If she trusted him with this information, surely they all knew about her condition as well, right? Besides, it wasn't like the pharmacy bag itself was labeled.

Alya pushed against Marinette's back, shoving her towards Adrien as he closed the gap between them. Once they were within arms length, Alya abruptly halted her charge, causing Marinette to wobble and nearly collide her head with Adrien's. She quickly recovered, and smiled up at Adrien. It didn't match the knowing smiles her friends wore, though. Instead, Marinette seemed nervous; her eyebrows slightly arched in a plea.

She's probably just uncomfortable, Adrien reassured himself. After all, she did go the whole weekend without any assistance.

All he had to do was give her the pills, then she could sneak to the locker room or bathroom to take them, and she'd start to feel better again. He hadn't failed her. He hadn't let her down. He helped her, just like any true friend would. Adrien softly smiled as he mentally noted how much closer this would make them.

"Hey," Marinette squeaked in a voice almost too high pitched for Adrien to understand.

"I was very surprised when I read your letter," Adrien confessed, although he made sure to down play exactly how confused he was that whole weekend. He didn't want her to feel guilty about it. "But since it seemed to be so important," Adrien unlatched his bag so he could pull the medicine out for her, "I spent the whole weekend walking around London looking for it."

Adrien held out the bag, the pharmacy stamp facing him for at least the illusion of privacy and secrecy over what was inside the white packaging. It clearly didn't help, either that, or the girls already knew about Marinette's condition, because they all delightfully gasped at the gesture.

Marinette, on the other hand, seemed shocked. Had she not expected him to actually follow through with her request? Granted, it was strange, and maybe other people would be mortified with the idea of picking up constipation capsules, but he didn't think she'd be this surprised. Did she not understand how much her friendship meant to him?

"For you." Adrien attempted to emphasize the fact that he had specifically tracked the pills down because he honestly cared. He wanted her to know that she could rely on him.

When Marinette still didn't move to take the medicine, Alya grabbed her arms, and directed them to the bag. As her hands flopped against the paper packaging, Marinette's fingers instinctively curled to grab the pills. Adrien let go at the same time Alya did, and Marinette pulled the bag to her chest.

"Thank you." Marinette sheepishly peeked over the top of the bag, her whole body curling around it. Her voice was also coated in a hint of pain.

Wow, thought Adrien, She must actually be really really uncomfortable. Listen to her. Look at her. I hope those pills are just what she needs.

"I'm glad I could help." He was. He was delighted that Kagami found the pharmacy, and that he pushed to make sure he wasn't leaving England without those pills. It was obvious that Marinette needed them, and he couldn't stand the idea of her being uncomfortable, or possibility in pain, all school day. Especially when he had a way to help her.

His task finally complete, Adrien walked to their classroom. He still didn't quite understand why he was the one chosen to fetch the medicine for Marinette, but he was a little proud of himself that he managed to fulfill her request.

First, he translated Mandarin for her so she could communicate with her great-uncle. Then they gifted charm bracelets to each other. Next, they danced together. After that, she hid him from his crazed fans so he could try to watch the movie his mother starred in, and she assisted with his love troubles when he was unsure what to do with Kagami. Finally, he helped thank her with a class-organized picnic. Perhaps trusting each other with important errands, or finding ways to nurse each other back to health, was the next logical stage in their friendship. Perhaps getting the pills for her was some sort of test.

He was glad he passed. He wanted Marinette to trust him with anything. He wanted her to know she could rely on him, no matter what the request or need. He wanted her to have as much faith in him as he had in her. He wanted Marinette to not fear coming to him whenever she needed.

They were closer now. He knew that much, and he quietly thanked Marinette's courage to come to him in the first place. That sprint to the train before he left for London had forever changed their relationship, and he couldn't be happier.


The End


*Author's End Notes*

Thank you all so much for reading this story. Thank you for the faves. Thank you for the reviews. Thank you for the follows. Just... thank you so much for showing me how much you enjoyed this tale. It means a lot. You are all beautiful people.

This was a fun distraction project, and, ironically, part of the reason I was late with this week's post was because I was distracted by ANOTHER story idea. But I'm determined to spend April working on my sequel to "Peeping Tomcat." I hope that means I'll see you guys with that story in May.

Until then, stay miraculous!