Marinette lifts Adrien's injured arm carefully and lays it in her lap and begins to unwrap the wound before asking, "How does it feel?"
He opens and closes his hand, "It doesn't feel great, but it's manageable. I'm sure it would feel much worse if you weren't here, though." He smirks at her as she removes the gauze, only to flinch when she starts cleaning it.
"I see you're okay enough to keep up your shameless flirting," she laughs. "It looks a lot better now that it isn't covered in blood."
Adrien looks down, "Well that's good at least." He pauses and studies the wound closer, "Are those stitches?"
Marinette cringes, "Kinda? I couldn't take you to a doctor and I didn't have much, so I had to use my sewing stuff to stitch it closed." She holds back a gag as she tries to shove away the memory of pushing needles through flesh.
"I'm sorry you had to do that." He laughs, "You really are amazing. I don't think I could ever do what you did." The look of genuine awe in his eyes sends a rush of blood to her cheeks.
She keeps her eyes fixated on the bandages as she begins rewrapping his wound, "I would do it a thousand times over if it meant you would be okay."
Adrien smiles, watching her work. They don't speak. The only sounds are soft breathing and the rustling of fabric until she finally unwraps his chest and stomach. "Oh my god. That is a lot worse than I thought it would be." He whispers.
She sighs, "Honestly this looks a ton better than it did last night." Her face falls further as she remembers how close she came to losing him.
"I could've died." He breathes.
It isn't a question but Marinette nods anyway, "You almost did."
"He could've killed me and he wouldn't have even cared," Tears fall down his face again. "The one person who was supposed to love me, tried to kill me and now I-" He sniffs, "I have no one."
She stands abruptly, and leans down, placing her hands on his cheeks, "That's not true Adrien, I love you so much and you will always have me. And Alya, Nino, my parents, you have them too. Your father is horrible, but that doesn't mean you aren't loved and wanted." She brushes away some of his tears, before resting her hands at her sides, and straightens as she realizes how intimate this feels. Tears continue to fall down his face as he looks at her in awe. After a moment, his face crumples and he pulls her back towards him before burying his face in her stomach. His tears soak the fabric covering her navel while she gently strokes his hair.
After his sobs die down, he continues to hold her tightly. Almost as if he's afraid she'll disappear if he lets go. Over the span of a few minutes, he gradually loosens his hold and eventually lets her sit down again, "Thank you, Mari." He smiles and kisses her hand gently. Her face turns red, but he doesn't let it go and instead lets their hands fall into his chest. "I love you guys, too, by the way."
Marinette smiles at him dreamily and he just smiles back. Suddenly, his eyes widen and he jolts, pulling their hands down. "Wait Marinette! What about school?"
She pulls her hand from his and places it on her chest before taking a deep breath, "Jesus Christ, Chat, you scared the shit out of me." She takes another calming breath before proceeding, "I told everyone I was sick and needed to stay home. My parents should be in the bakery all day so we don't need to worry about anyone coming into the house until this afternoon."
He relaxes, "Oh, that's good then."
"Don't you worry about me, Adrien, I've got everything taken care of." She playfully wags her finger at him and he chuckles softly.
A moment of comfortable silence falls between them as they smile at each other. After a few minutes, though, Adrien breaks it. "I know this is probably not a great time, but I kind of have to go to the bathroom." He scratches the back of his head awkwardly.
Her ears turn red, "You're not going to be able to get down the stairs on your own… I-I can help."
He looks down, "I'm sorry that you have to do this, Mari."
Her voice softens and she pushes away any lingering nerves, "You don't have to keep apologizing, kitty. Here, I'll help you up." She gently grabs his hand, placing his good arm over her shoulder. They creep ever so slowly down the stairs and make their way to the bathroom. The trip is silent, aside from the few pained grunts that Adrien isn't able to stifle and Marinette's muttered apologies. Finally, they reach their destination and she holds the door open for him.
"Thanks." He says as he walks inside.
Marinette steps away from the door, hoping to avoid overhearing him, but stops dead in her tracks when she sees her mother making her way up the stairs.
"Marinette, what are you doing out here? Were you coming downstairs?" Sabine tilts her head.
"N-no, Maman, I'm just waiting outside the bathroom." Marinette answers, shakily.
"Oh… Are you doing something in there? I was hoping to use this one. Your father's using ours." She walks up the last step, now standing in front of her.
"Yes! I'm filling up the tub- I'm about to take a bath! Do you think you can wait?" Marinette clasps her hands together and looks up at her, pleading as if she were asking for an extra macaron.
"I don't hear the water running." She glances from the bathroom door to her daughter, quizzically.
The water suddenly turns on and Sabine's gaze snaps to the bathroom door.
"There's a delay! I've been meaning to tell you about that- haha. I think we need to call a plumber." She laughs nervously.
"Okay… Is everything alright, Marinette?" Her mother raises an eyebrow at her.
Marinette nods her head vigorously. "Yeah, of course it is, but I was just about to go back in there, so you should probably go back downstairs!"
Sabine appears unconvinced, but doesn't question it. She presses her lips together, gives Marinette a single nod, and walks back down the stairs without a word.
Marinette hunches over and gives a dramatic sigh of relief before turning around and making her way back to the bathroom door. After a few moments, Adrien opens it. "So… Does this mean we need to hide in here for a while? In case she comes back to check that you're 'taking a bath' ?"
Marinette groans, "Uuugh, I didn't even think about that, but yeah, we probably should. At least this way you can take a break before you have to tackle the stairs again."
They walk inside the bathroom together and he takes a seat on the toilet lid. She opts to sit on the side of the tub.
"So…" She starts, unsure what to say, but uncomfortable with the silence.
"Wanna play truth or dare?" He suggests.
She frowns. "There aren't a lot of dares that we can do in here… plus, that's not really a two person game."
"Okay… How about word association?" He offers.
"That works!" She beams, "You can start."
He smirks at her. "Black."
She rolls her eyes. "Cat." She thinks for a moment before saying, "Lucky."
"Charm," he answers with a dopey grin, "Green."
"Eyes. Are you only going to give me colors?" She laughs and reaches her hand over to turn off the faucet.
"Fine, I'll switch it up next time." He squints his eyes at her and she shakes her head, smiling.
She rests her head on her hand, "Cat."
"Pun." He beams.
She rolls her eyes. "I should've guessed."
He does his best to speak in cursive, "Radiant."
She covers her mouth, stifling the eruption of giggles that phrase brings on. After a few moments, she's calm enough to reply, "Carefree, dreamy."
"Ladybug." He sighs.
"Oh, come on. You're not gonna finish the quote?" She untucks a piece of hair from behind her ear, as if that will hide the growing blush on her features.
He shrugs. "Well, I'm not going to say my own name."
"Fine, fine." She rolls her eyes again.
Adrien taps his chin, trying to think of another word. Finally he decides on, "Hero."
Marinette perks up and answers immediately. "Multimouse!" She straightens, hands now on her hips, as she flashes him a proud grin.
Suddenly his pale skin is a bright red. She's adorable. He laughs and desperately avoids eye contact.
They continue their game for about 20 minutes before Marinette stands and begins draining the water. "Alright, I think it's been long enough that my mom won't be suspicious."
Adrien stands, too, blocking Marinette's path to the door and grabs a paper cup off of the sink, before filling it up.
"Thirsty?" She asks, confused.
"No, just cautious." He answers. She watches him with furrowed brows until his hand is over her head and her eyes widen in understanding.
"No, don't!" She calls, but it's too late. He dumps the water on her head.
"Hmm, that's not enough. You don't look like you just got out of the bath." He turns and begins to fill the cup again.
She grabs it from his hand, careful not to hurt him in the process. "You're lucky you're injured or I would hit you right now. Hard."
"C'mon, Princess, you know it's a good idea. What if your mom comes up and knocks on your door and your hair is dry?" He leans down, his face inches from hers. Droplets of water rush down cherry cheeks.
"Sh-she probably come back- won't come back, anyway. Like I s-said, mom dad bakery bus. Busy! Mom and dad are busy in the bakery. Wow, that's a tongue twister, haha."
He tilts his head, affectionately. "If you say so." He reaches over and grabs the hand towel hanging by the sink. He begins dabbing it on her hair and face, soaking up the water he poured on her. Her cheeks maintain their red hue.
"All better! Now you can't be mad at me because I cleaned up my mess." He says after inspecting her hair and face closely.
"L-let's just g-get you back up the stairs." She stutters.
Going up the stairs is much harder than going down them but eventually, they make it back to her room. Once again, she opens the door for him. "I don't like you doing that. A princess should have the door held open for her, not the other way around." The blond frowns.
"Oh hush." She ushers him into the room.
He breathes a sigh of relief, thankful to be off the stairs, and glances up at the chaise before freezing. "Oh my god, I ruined it. I'm so sorry."
"What?" She follows his gaze as she trails behind him, "Oh, don't worry about it! I was planning to replace the fabric anyway." She smiles and points to the wad of cloth laying beside her desk. "I already have the pattern cut out and everything." She begins helping him towards the bed again, "I'm just going to cover it with a blanket while I clean everything else and then we'll be set."
This causes him to look around the rest of the room. There is a trail of dried blood from the trap door to the chaise and the carpet beside it holds a dark, red puddle. "Ladybug never should have brought me here. I've already caused her so much pain, I'm just going to get in the way."
Marinette doesn't answer at first as they slowly try to maneuver him onto her bed. Luckily, other than a few bruises, his legs aren't injured and with support, he can walk. Climbing up ladders however, is much more difficult. He can only hold on to the rails with one of his arms so she has to push him towards them as he climbs. Pushing off of the ladder and onto the bed is the hardest because Marinette can't help. Once he's finally sitting on the bed correctly, she responds, "Are you upset that I'm the one taking care of you?"
Adrien's eyes shoot to hers, "God, no! I don't trust anyone like I trust you and even if I did, I would still choose you over everyone else." He raises his shoulders in a weak shrug, "I just don't want to be a burden."
"I want you here, Adrien." She reaches out to grab his hand and the corners of her mouth turn up in reassurance, "Most of what has blood on it can be cleaned and even if the entire room was completely ruined, I would still want you here."
He looks thoughtful before he squeezes her hand and looks up with a determined gleam in his eyes, "Okay, but let me help you."
"Help me to do what?" Marinette says slowly, "You can't help with anything other than getting some rest."
"You need rest too!" He sits up with a grimace, "Just let me help."
She frowns and pushes him down so he's laying on his back. "I swear to god Adrien, if you move an inch when I don't tell you to, I'll call Ladybug."
He huffs and snaps his head to the side to glare at her, "No one can contact Ladybug when she isn't transformed. Not even me."
Marinette raises her eyebrow, "Wanna try me?" She smirks, "She was so worried about you that she left me a way to do it."
His eyes widen, "She was actually worried?"
"Of course she was you stupid cat." She slaps her hand onto the railing, rather than him, playfully, worried that the slightest gesture could hurt him. Yet he still flinches at the sound of the clang.
"How did that hurt you?" She asks, incredulously.
"It didn't," he admits, "I just wanted to make you feel bad for not letting me help you. Did it work?"
She smirks. "Not even a little."
Marinette scrubs at the blood stains on her floors until she's cleaned enough away that it wasn't visible unless you're looking for it. Any items that can't be cleaned are shoved in a bag in her closet so she can wash them when her parents aren't home. She dusts off her hands and looks around to make sure she hasn't missed anything.
Everything besides the chaise seems to be clean. She smiles, satisfied with her work, and walks to her desk. After rummaging through her sewing supplies, she takes what she needs and sits beside her chaise so she can start reupholstering it. She moves to turn it over when she hears footsteps coming up the stairs. She looks around frantically and finds a large blanket.
Marinette throws the blanket over the chaise and hisses, "Hide Adrien!" She doesn't check to make sure he's actually listening before she sprints to her desk chair and flips open a sketch book. The trap door opens a second later.
"Girl seriously?" A familiar voice calls.
Marinette looks over to see Alya standing at the top of the stairs with her hand on her hip, "Alya? What are you doing here?"
"I brought you some food because I heard you were sick," she holds up the thermos in her hand, "I had to call your mom when you didn't show up because I was worried. Why didn't you text me?"
"I don't really know, Alya. I've been nauseous and super out of it all day so I guess I just forgot." She shrugs apologetically, "I'm feeling better now though."
"Don't worry about it," Alya sighs before giving her a once over, "but you look like a zombie Marinette. Did you even sleep last night?"
She flinches, "I slept some."
"Okay great," Alya stares at her, unimpressed. "Bed, now."
Marinette furrows her brow, "What but I-"
Alya raises her hand and cuts her off, "Nope, bedtime." She forces her to stand and pushes her towards the bed.
Marinette stops moving and turns to her, "But you said you brought food?"
"Are you hungry?" Alya asks, crossing her arms.
"...no"
Alya stares at her, wordlessly.
Marinette admits defeat. "Okay, fine." She walks to her bed slowly, hoping against hope that Alya might change her mind. However, it doesn't happen.
Alya just stands in the middle of the room and watches her as she climbs the ladder. Marinette turns around and gives her a sheepish smile as she makes her way onto the bed. She is careful to not get too close to Adrien, who she's thankful that Alya hasn't spotted, but she still accidentally bumps into him. After a whispered apology and a bit of maneuvering, she finally settles herself under the covers. "Okay, I'm going to sleep now," she turns her head, giving her most convincing smile, "You can go home."
"Ha ha very funny," Alya rolls her eyes, "You forget how well I know you. If I leave, you won't sleep. You'll just come back down here and keep doing," she gestures towards the desk, "Whatever you were doing before. So, I'm just going to sit here for a while." She moves to sit down on the chaise.
"No!" Marinette blurts out.
Alya peers up at her warily, "No?"
She points toward the pile of supplies laying on the ground and Alya turns to look, "I'm working on the chaise and there are pins and needles in it. Don't take the blanket off either, I want it to be a surprise."
"Okay… I'll just sit at your desk then." Alya strides over to her desk chair and makes herself comfortable.
Marinette sighs, relieved. "Okay, perfect." She turns away from Alya and towards Adrien, carefully pulling the blankets over her head. When she looks up she notices that he's already watching her. "I'm sorry about this," She whispers, "She's going to be here for a while."
"I win!" He cheers quietly, "Now you have to rest."
She smiles and rolls her eyes. "Fine, you win."
They watch each other for a moment. Marinette's eyes flutter closed first and Adrien gives her a loving look before closing his eyes as well. They're both asleep within minutes, but Alya doesn't leave until an hour has passed. She casts a questioning glance towards the chaise before finally leaving the room.
When Marinette wakes up, her head is foggy and it's dark outside. A quiet whimpering reaches her ears and she looks around. "Alya?" She calls softly, but she gets no answer. Where is that coming from? When she realizes that the sound is coming from the blanket beside her, she pulls it down carefully to reveal Adrien. His whole body is shaking and when she gently brushes the hair out of his face, she sees that he's crying. He must be dreaming. She reaches out and strokes his hair. "Adrien, it's okay. I'm here."
Suddenly, his eyes snap open and he looks around frantically. When his eyes finally land on her, he pulls her into his side with his good arm and buries his face in her neck. Marinette squeeks in surprise, but recovers quickly and holds him back. She murmurs to him comfortingly and continues to run her fingers through his hair while he cries.
It takes a while, but eventually his breathing settles. "Do you want to talk about it?" He turns his face up and she leans back and rests her head on her hand so she can see him better, her other hand still absentmindedly playing with his hair.
"It was good at first, I heard someone tell me that they loved me. It sounded kinda like Ladybug, but I'm not sure. But then I started reliving what happened with my father except time was... strange?" He trails off, searching for the right words,"backwards, I guess, is the easiest way to put it"
She furrows her eyebrows, "Backwards?"
"Yeah," he nods, "It was like I was moving through time in the wrong direction. I'm not sure exactly where I was going but my vision was blurry and I nearly fell off a roof. Then I saw my fa-" He sniffs and looks away from her, "Hawkmoth chasing after me… It felt so real but it couldn't have been because time was… It was awful." He looks up at the ceiling, trying to keep the tears from flowing again.
Marinette lays her head on her pillow and cradles his head, pulling it into her chest. "Oh kitty, I'm so sorry." She kisses the top of his head, "You didn't deserve that, but just remember that I will always be here for you."
He continues to sniffle, but it's nothing compared to the sobs that had escaped him moments earlier. They stay like that until they both drift off to sleep.