Marinette pushed her hand through her hair again as she paced around the small hospital room. Her long, dark hair had come out of the messy braids hours ago, and now swirled around her shoulders in an ever tangling mess. It was dirty, and the more she ran her hands through it the more it tangled at the ends and frizzed around her face. It tickled her cheeks and the back of her arms. She was trying to stop, but her hands found their way back to her hair whenever she wasn't thinking about it. And she had plenty of other things to think about.

The blandly painted hospital room was slowly filling up with balloons, treats, cards, and wilting flowers from his friends that couldn't stay to see him wake. With training tomorrow and the sun long set, they couldn't afford to lose any more sleep. One by one they wished him well, gave Marinette their best, and then they left. However, Adrien's superior, Officer Bradley Antoni, had refused to go home and had fallen asleep long ago. Marinette glanced over to him, hoping his neck wouldn't hurt later. The tall, lanky officer was curled over in the chair that he had pulled as close as physically possible to Adrien's hospital bed. He claimed he didn't have work the next day, and that Adrien was his main concern. Marinette was too worried about the bloodied bandage stretched across Adrien's chest to care if Antoni was lying or not.

She circled around the room again, feeling very much like a vulture. She was making herself nervous just thinking about how she was pacing, but couldn't bring herself to stand still for very long. Besides Officer Antoni, she was alone in Adrien's hospital room. Her parents had gone home long ago. They had begged her to return home with them, to get some rest and come back in the morning. Marinette refused to leave the charming, sweet, injured Adrien by himself. Hours in the waiting room had turned into hours waiting in the family room on the floor where he would be admitted, had turned into waiting in his hospital room while the machines that monitored his life beeped and clicked. As the machines ticked and clicked and beeped, she paced. Every time she circled back, she paused, making sure that he was still breathing, watching as his chest slowly rose and fell again. Looking over him always soothed her and made her more worried. He was breathing now but what if he stopped breathing? Was he going to be okay? How badly injured was he? What if he never woke? Was he going to die?

She was desperate to think about something else, anything else. She shivered a little as she walked past the window, and the chill drifted into the room from the glass. She pulled the fleece cap from her pocket and put it on her head, and pulled the hood of her hoodie over it. Her long hair pooled in the hood and spilled out over her shoulders. She yanked down the sleeves of her jacked and shoved her hands in her pockets. She would get warm again in a minute and take the hat off again. She looked down at the floor and noted the horrible state of her fall boots. Her slip-on boots were soft on her feet and made very little sound on the hard floor. Which was good, if they had made any more sound than they did, she would have worried that she would disturb Adrien. Adrien. She looked up from her boots and looked at him his chest rising and falling slowly. She forced herself to look away and then continued to pace. She walked about three steps before she ran into something.

"La bonté, Marinette," Antoni was suddenly standing before her, his large hands gently holding her by the shoulders, forcing her to stop her vulture-like pathway around the room, "You should sit down. You're going to beat a ditch into the floor if you keep this up."

Marinette blinked, looking to the large chair that was now empty and then back to the kind-eyed officer. She raised on eyebrow. How had she missed him getting up from the chair? Normally her Ladybug instincts made her annoyingly aware of the movement of other people. Yet here Antoni was, taking her by surprise. She shook it off, blaming her obliviousness on the fact that her best friend was currently unconscious on a hospital bed. She looked at Antoni for a moment, and back to Adrien. He smiled at her softly.

She sighed, her shoulders drooping, "I'm so worried, I guess I just can't sit still."

Antoni raised an eyebrow, and gave Marinette a small smile, "I can see that, you have certainly got your steps in for the day, and probably more. You'd make an excellent racecar driver." he rubbed her shoulders, in a way that reminded Marinette of her father, "I'm going down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Hot Chocolate? Cookies? Cake?"

Marinette wilted a little more, feeling a little bit like the flowers in the vases she was surrounded by, and then looked up at Antoni with a sad smile, "You're very sweet, but I don't have an appetite. So, no, but thank you for offering. You're very kind."

Antoni put his hands in his pockets, "Suit yourself. I'll be back in a bit. Try not to get too worked up."

Marinette sighed again as Antoni disappeared out the door. Antoni was a good man, and from what she could tell he really cared about Adrien. Marinette felt herself smile. Adrien needed a few more people that really cared about him. She was suddenly extremely grateful to Officer Antoni, and made a note to ask him what his favorite baked snack might be. She imagined a cake in the shape of an officer's cap, or cookies frosted navy to match the uniforms. Or perhaps she could make him a small batch of cupcakes with his badge on them. She found herself thinking about all of the ways she could thank Antoni with specially decorated Dupain-Cheng treats. As she imagined all manner of sweets, the ever-present beeping of the machines found it's way back into her ears. Sugared candies and airbrushed frosting suddenly seemed frivolous.

All thoughts of baked goods slipped from her mind, and she was filled with dread and worry once again as she remembered why she was in this hospital room in the first place. She looked back to Adrien's still form, his chest moving slowly up and down as the machine that was strapped to his face pushed air into his lungs. He looked very pale, and his normally shining blonde hair was matted to his head, looking dull and dirty. His skin from his neck and across his shoulder and chest was slowly turning a sickeningly deep shade of purple. His eyes were sunken in, and he looked miserable. He was still asleep from the high level anesthetic he was given before his surgery. Marinette sat down in Antoni's chair and put her dirty boots up on the chair, hugging her knees. She leaned over her knees and looked at all of the beeping machines. Her eyes started to sting.

"Please be okay." She sniffled and brushed at her eyes with the cuff of her hoodie.

She looked at the monitors and at all the tubes and wires he was attached to. None of them were making scary sounds, as far as she could tell, so she was hopeful about that. There had been no doctors running in and out of the room. In fact, she hadn't seen a doctor or nurse at all since they had brought him in. She hoped that was a good sign. She relaxed a little, for now he was alive, and it was oddly calming to listen to the beeping that played back his slow, steady heartbeat. She looked over him again, noting how frail he seemed. He was bandaged and laying still under the thick hospital blanket. She was suddenly grateful for that too, since it was a little chilly here. Hopefully he was warm enough. With a start, she stood up again, unable to stay still in the comfortable chair. She circled around the room three and a half more times before there was a soft knock on the door.

Marinette stopped abruptly and watched as the door swung open slowly, revealing a doctor in a long white coat. He had the lightest blonde hair Marinette had ever seen. In fact, as she looked at him a moment longer she wasn't entirely positive that it wasn't actually white. He had a clipboard in one hand, and he seemed quite stern. He looked at her, and Marinette held her was it. She quickly put the hood of her hoodie down and pulled the hat from her head.

The doctor looked at Marinette with unnaturally bright green eyes, "The staff have told me that you have been here since Mister Agreste was brought in this morning. That is quite a long time. Is there anything I can get for you? Would you like something to drink?"

"Uhm, I… no." Marinette shook her head. The very blonde doctor seemed strange to her. He had the appearance of being very serious, but seemed to be concerned for her. Of course he was concerned he was a doctor. He was kinda scary, but not so much that Marinette was worried. Marinette furrowed her eyebrows.

"Very well. My name is Dr. Lys. I am the head surgeon for this unit. I have seen the results from his x-rays and the preliminary surgical evaluation. Would some good news make you feel better?" The doctor raised an eyebrow, tilting his clipboard towards her with a smirk.

Marinette felt comforted by the doctor and his serious but friendly mannerisms. Her mind processed what he'd said, and she was suddenly very attentive, "It is good news then?"

He nodded once, "I will do my best to address all of your concerns. But," He looked at her with a stern frown, "First, I would like you to take a deep breath in and breathe all the way out and back in again. I want to hear you breathe. Then I will tell you about your boyfriend."

Marinette felt her face flush, and put her hands up defensively, "He's not… we're not…"

The doctor frowned at Marinette, "Breathe."

Marinette sucked in a breath and pushed it out slowly. The doctor nodded and pulled two of the wooden chairs to the side of the room, "Sit."

Marinette sat in the seat quickly, eager to hear good news.

The doctor pulled the clipboard from beneath his arm, and crossed one leg over the other in one smooth motion. He looked at the papers and then to Marinette, "The good news is that he is expected to make a full recovery. The bullet entered his arm just below his shoulder, and tore through the muscle and lodged itself near the nerves for his arm. However, his nerves are amazingly undamaged, and while his bones will be bruised, none of them were broken."

Marinette relaxed in the chair, leaning back into it with a sigh, "Thank goodness."

"All of his vitals are stable, and the bruising you will see up his neck and across his chest are common for a wound of this caliber. The impact of the bullet as well as the strain of the surgery to remove it will leave him bruised for awhile."

Marinette looked at the doctor, "Will he be able to use his arm again? Is it serious?"

"He will be able to use his arm again with time. For now, the damaged tissues and muscles need time to heal. He will be given medical leave from the training program, and he will have to take it easy for a few weeks. Then we will help him gain his muscle back with physical therapy. It will be a slow process, but we have no reason to believe he will have any complications.." The doctor flipped through his papers.

Marinette felt herself relax.

The doctor hummed, "We have received permission from the case manager to transfer his responsibility of care from his biological father to your family. Our staff tried multiple channels to attempt to contact Mr. Agreste. When the head of the entire patient care team finally got in contact, Mr. Agreste made it very clear that he no longer considered Adrien to be his family and surrendered any claim to him, good or bad. By our records, he has no other next of kin or family listed that can take him. So, with a lot of favors and luck, we have been able to sign your family as his main caretakers. Is this a responsibility that your family can handle?"

Marinette smiled, "Yes. Yes we can care for him."

The doctor flipped all the papers back over his clipboard, "Then we will take care of all the paperwork later. For now, relax, he is going to be fine. We will talk with the officers about having him work without too much strain. So long as he is careful, the wound will be inconvenient, but not permanent."

Marinette stood up with the doctor and beamed at him, "Thank you so much."

"Reporting the status of patients is my job." He replied flatly, turning to the door. Then he turned to her, "And, you are welcome. Rest, mademoiselle, it has been a long day for both of you." He smiled a small smile and closed the door behind him.

Marinette's stomach did a small flip. She had a strange sensation like she'd seen something rare, something special. She smiled to herself, and walked towards Adrien. She let her gaze fall on her sleeping friend, and felt her eyes start to sting. Whatever weight had been set on her when she came running through the doors of the emergency room this morning, was lifted away. She felt tears spill from her eyes, and she laughed to herself as she wiped them away with her hands. Adrien was going to be okay. It was going to be alright. She sat in the comfortable, soft chair that Officer Antoni had pulled up to the bed. She curled her legs up, and with her adrenaline low and her stresses eased, she started to drift. She had earned a moment to close her eyes. According to the doctor, Adrien was going to be alright, and if she just closed her eyes for a moment, surely Adrien wouldn't be any worse when she opened them again.

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Adrien woke up to a pain, dull and hot on his shoulder. He felt more tired than he remembered having a reason to be, and there was a ringing in his ears. He peeled his eyes open and looked up at an unfamiliar ceiling, and the sound of beeping called his attention to his right. On a tall, thin shelf was a heart monitor; and hanging from a pole was a bag of clear liquid. He blinked, and noticed that his eyes felt a little heavy. As he became more aware of his surroundings, his shoulder hurt more, and he could hear himself breathing. He moved to feel what was on his face. He hissed as a searing hot pain shot from his shoulder, across his chest and down his arm. That was new. He let it fall back to where it had been resting, and did his best not to move it again. With the arm that didn't hurt, he reached up to his face and felt the mask that covered his nose and mouth. Just as he was going to try to pull it off, a light above the door of the room he was in flashed from green to red, and a quiet alarm started to ring. Adrien put his hand back down.

Within moments, a woman wearing scrubs decorated with a Ladybug and Chat Noir pattern opened the door quietly, and shut it behind her. Adrien opened his mouth to ask her something. She set a finger to her lips, and pointed to a chair next to him.

He glanced to the chair, and felt his face flush. The machine that monitored his heartbeat sped up just a little. Marinette was curled up in her old t-shirt and baking jeans in the hard leather chair. Her trashed jeans were tucked into large slip-on boots and her hoodie was up over her head. Her blue raven hair spilling out of the hoodie. Adrien looked back to the woman, more confused that he had been earlier.

She smiled, and spoke softly, "She's been here since you came in. Poor thing, she must be exhausted. Dr. Lys must have told her to sleep." The nurse made a knowing face, "He can be very… persuasive."

Adrien looked again at Marinette. She seemed to be more tired than normal. He noticed groggily that her hair was out of its normal ponytail or braids; twisting and tangling around her face and over the edge of the chair. She had been crying. Why would she have been crying? He started to feel a little dizzy, it was hard to think about too much. He frowned and scrunched his eyebrows together. How frustrating.

The woman put her hand on her chest, "My name is Stacy. I am a nurse here in the acute care unit. You have been in surgery for a few hours, and the alert system on your bed," she pointed to the light above the door, that was once again green, "told me that you were awake. We set it to go off if you raised your arm."

Adrien looked down at his arm to see that it was indeed attached to the bed by a small cord that must have triggered the alarm he had heard earlier.

She walked around to the side of his bed and gently removed the mask from his face, "I'll just put this away for you. You only needed it while you were asleep from the numbing medication. You should be able to breathe fine from here on out." She hung the mask on a hook behind him, and he watched as she turned a knob on the machine, and a quiet hissing sound he hadn't noticed, stopped.

She also detached the cord from his arm, and tucked it away in a small compartment on the bed.

"Now," she put her hands in her scrub pockets, "How are you feeling?"

Adrien groaned a little, and winced as he tried to move, "My shoulder hurts. Like, a lot. What happened? I don't even know how I got here."

Stacy smiled, as she pressed a button that tilted his bed up a little bit, "I'll fill you in, right after I ask you a few questions. Just need to see if you're firing on all cylinders, alright?"

Adrien sighed, and relaxed back onto the bed, finding it was easier to breath with the bed sitting up a little. He let his eyes slowly open and close, "Okay."

Stacy pulled a notebook from her pocket, "Can you tell me your name?"

"Adrien Agreste."

"And do you know where you are?"

"The hospital."

"Very good." she scribbled in her book, "Do you know what month it is?

"October."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-four."

"Very good." She scribbled in her notebook again, "And last one. Can you remember at all what happened before you were here? Don't think too hard. Just think about what you can remember."

Adrien frowned again. He didn't want to think about that. He hummed, "I was going to the precinct. I was going for my firearm certification test. I remember talking with the instructor about safety and handling, and taking the test. I don't remember leaving, though." He scowled down at the blanket he was under.

"That's very good. You did much better than I expected." She tucked the notebook back into her pocket, "You were barely conscious when they brought you in. Most likely, the shock of your injury inhibited your memory. Which is completely normal, just so you know."

Adrien's mind started to foggily put the pieces back together. He looked up at the nurse, a little horrified, "I got shot. Oh my…" He gasped, "I got shot. I'm dying aren't I?"

The nurse chuckled, and set her finger to her lips once again, "Quiet, she just barely stopped fussing." She pointed to Marinette. She shook her head with a smile, "And, no. You aren't dying. Very much the opposite. You were extremely lucky. You were rushed here with a police escort, and we had to surgically remove the bullet from your shoulder."

Adrien sighed, "That explains the pain then."

Stacy looked a little surprised, "Is the pain tolerable? You can have more painkillers if you need them. Right now you are on the lowest possible dose."

Adrien smiled, and for the first time in a long time, caved to pain, "Maybe something a little stronger wouldn't be too bad?"

Stacy nodded, "It would be my pleasure. I'll go tell the doctor right away and we'll come hook it up for you. After that, you will have a button that you can press to administer the medication up to every four hours. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great."

Stacy smiled, "Wonderful. I'll get that set up for you. Until then, don't move your arm too much and press this button," she pointed to a small red button next to his left hand, "if you need anything and I'll be here soon as I can. You'll probably still feel drowsy for a few hours, so go ahead and sleep. That should be a little easier once we get your pain under control."

Adrien closed his eyes, "Okay."

"Is there anything else I can get you Monsieur Agreste?"

"Please," Adrien smiled, "call me Adrien."

"You got it. I'll be back with your updated meds in a bit, alright? Call me if you need me." She smiled and walked quietly back out the door.

As the door closed, Adrien hissed and looked at his arm, which was tightly wrapped in what he assumed was just gauze. There were bandages wrapped around his shoulder and chest and it was very uncomfortable to breathe. He decided without much difficulty that he was going to only move when it was crucial. Otherwise, he was happy not to move. He grimaced, of course he got shot. How unlucky could he be?

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Adrien didn't wake again until he felt himself being gently prodded and turned in the hard hospital bed. He looked over to see Stacy with a bag of clear liquid, that she hung from the pole next to his bed. She smiled.

"Still breathing alright?"

Adrien nodded, "It just hurts to breathe. Is that normal?"

Stacy snickered, "Yes. Your upper body as taken on a lot of strain. You'll probably be sore for a few weeks. Sorry about that." She quickly tore tubes and caps from plastic wrapping, "But I have some stronger painkillers for you, so it should be more tolerable in a little bit here."

Adrien watched as she hooked up the painkillers to his already existing IV tube. He felt it the moment that the medication started working. He relaxed and closed his eyes, "That's a lot better. Thanks."

Stacy adjusted some of the knobs on the machine, "You're welcome. Now get some rest. It's been a long night for both of you."

Adrien's eyes popped back open. Both of them? He looked at Stacy, confused. She smiled and pointed to the chair next to the hospital bed. His eyes snapped to the large chair where Marinette was still sound asleep. Only now she had a blanket and a small pillow. His heart hammered. She was still here?

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Marinette woke up, feeling immediately the ache that came with falling asleep somewhere you weren't supposed to. She also instantly regretted falling asleep in a ball on the chair. That was followed quickly, by the sensation that she had slept at the wrong time. She hummed, and rubbed her eyes, sitting up straight in the large chair. She could feel her hair brushing against her skin, and her muscles straining to stay in the cramped position she was in. She looked around sleepily and remembered that she was sleeping in Adrien's hospital room. She was suddenly very awake. She miscalculated the effort needed to swing her legs out of the chair, and toppled to the ground. She groaned. Someday she would learn her own strength. Someday maybe she wouldn't be a klutz. Someday. Maybe. As she rubbed her sore hip, she heard a wonderful noise tickle her ears. Adrien was laughing quietly at her.

Forgetting about everything else, she jumped up and leaned on the edge of the bed. Everything moved a little slower as she came up over the edge, looking at Adrien's shining green eyes and perfect smile. He was still badly bruised and his arm was now bent and wrapped in a cast, but he was awake and he was smiling at her. She noticed as something inside her clicked into place. She wasn't sure what it was, but something about his smile, and the way he seemed to be mostly unphased by things, it was comforting.

"Rough morning?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

Marinette's eyes stung a little and her voice cracked as she smiled, "You're awake."

Adrien's smile softened and he relaxed a little, "So are you."

She felt her cheeks flush, "How long was I asleep for? You didn't need anything did you?"

He laughed quietly again, "I'm okay. Ya know, considering. You were asleep for as long as you needed to be. The staff told me that you have been here since they brought me in. You didn't have to do that."

Marinette sat back down in the chair, looking at Adrien with a smile, "I probably didn't have to, but I couldn't imagine how terrified I would be to wake up in a hospital with no one I knew around. Most of your training group couldn't stay very long, and all of the other officers went home too. After a few hours, there was just me and my parents, and not very long after that it was just me. So I stayed. And after I'd been here long enough, I couldn't bring myself to leave you here." She sighed, "I'm glad you're awake and breathing on your own."

Adrien snickered, "I'm not sure I am. Breathing, while necessary, hurts more that I ever thought it would."

Marinette stood up again, and leaned over him; gentle and careful not to jostle him, she set her hand on his shoulder, but not putting any weight on it. She frowned a little, "I'm so sorry. It's not my fault. It's not your fault. It's not really the fault of anyone, but I'm still sorry. Is there anything I can do to help you be more comfortable? Do you want me to go get the nurse?"

Adrien winced as he adjusted himself, "Besides my upper body feeling like it might turn to stone, I'm actually pretty good." He smiled up at her, "Thanks for waiting."

She leaned away from him, and sat down in the chair again, "You're welcome."

Adrien sat in silence for a few seconds before he couldn't wait any longer, "Did they say anything about my recovery? Am I going to be able to go back to training?"

Marinette felt her heart warm, of course that's what he was worried about. She smiled and pushed her hair back, "The doctors told me that your recovery will be long, and it will be slow but that they don't see any reason why you won't make a full recovery."

"That's good to know." Adrien hummed. He looked to the girl sitting next to him, and his heart fluttered. The machine echoed the change in heartbeat. He felt his cheeks heat up, that was embarrassing. He watched Marinette, and relaxed a little. She didn't seem to notice. He made a mental note that he would have to be a little more careful.

Marinette looked at him with a sly smile, "So here's what I want to know. How did you get shot? I mean weren't you inside the precinct? Don't you have to wear like layers and layers of safety gear?"

Adrien laughed a little, and put his good hand on his chest with a wince, "Yes I was inside the precinct. And, I was wearing a lot of safety equipment. But, I have bad luck." He paused, "Very bad luck, and there must have been a small spot on my shoulder where the bullet could get through."

Marinette sighed, "That doesn't really make any sense."

Adrien smiled, "I told you, bad luck. Though I guess it could have been worse."

Marinette hummed, and smiled at him, "Maybe you have someone out there, someone who's looking out for you. And maybe their good luck saved you."

Adrien closed his eyes, thinking immediately of his heroic partner, clad in red and spots, and how it must have been his beautiful Ladybug that blessed him with luck. He was grateful, even if it was just this once, it was enough.

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"Adrien?" Marinette poked her head through the door, "Are you awake?"

Adrien smiled, "Yeah I am."

"Wonderful," she beamed, "because I brought a surprise for you."

He looked at her suspiciously.

She laughed, and from behind her a familiar and friendly face appeared.

Adrien smiled wide, "Nino!"

Nino laughed and put his hands in his pockets, "Hey man, long time no see."

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The clock on the wall didn't tick, the second hand just spun smoothly around the clock face, making it really hard to know exactly when one incredibly long second ticked over to the next. Over the past few days he had watched all of the news he could handle and all of the trashy television that he would allow himself to watch. At first it had been a novelty, and then with every passing episode, he felt himself more and more disgusted with humanity in general. He hadn't watched much more TV after that. With painkillers and some gentle exercise, he was feeling better. He was no longer tired or feeling sluggish. The nurse had explained that was probably from the anesthesia they used in surgery. Now that it had worn off, he would feel much better. And, to his surprise he really did. His wound was still healing, but for the most part it was just a little bleeding, and restricted movement. His arm had been unwrapped and his bandages upgraded to cover only what needed to be covered, and his arm was hanging from his neck, resting in a sling. He was grateful for the sling, it eased the pain that shot through his body when he tried to support the weight of his arm on his own.

He was still hooked up to some machines, mostly just to monitor his heart and to administer fluids as he needed them. He was able to eat and drink and take medications on his own, and he had even been given permission to wear his own clothes in his hospital bed. Marinette had been sweet enough to bring him some comfortable clothes. She had been back and forth from the hospital to his apartment and back a few times now, and she was starting to make jokes about the small empty space. He smiled to himself as he played another round of this new mind-numbing game on his phone with his left hand. Marinette had left the hospital after he had begged her to go home and get some sleep. She had come back every day. She always brought something to cheer him up. Muffins, coffee, funny movies and treats. She played games with him and ate with him and talked to him. Even though it had only been a few days, he would have died of boredom without her.

There was a knock on the door, and Adrien immediately perked up, hoping that it was Marinette. The door swung open and his heart fell, it was just Stacy. Stacy laughed, and turned back, talking to whoever was behind her.

"Well," she smiled, "You have good timing."

"I guess I do," Marinette's voice floated into his ears, and his heart swelled again, "I'm happy that I can be here for him. And today most of all." She laughed, "This is very exciting."

Adrien crossed his ankles, and slid his phone into his pocket, "Good morning, Ladies."

Stacy smiled, "Good morning, Adrien. I have some wonderful news. You don't have to be in the hospital anymore. You're recovered enough that so long as someone will watch over you, you should be able to manage the pain and recovery on your own. You're going home."

Adrien beamed, "Really?" then he frowned, "Are you sure?"

Stacy laughed, "You'll be alright. You shouldn't have too much pain and we're going to send you home with some painkillers. You'll be able to manage, and if anything goes wrong, I promise you can come right back and I'll take care of you."

Adrien let out a breath dramatically, "Thank goodness."

Marinette laughed, "And I just got here. Just in time to pack you up and take you home. I guess our ongoing game of Go Fish will have to wait."

"Don't think that I'll forget. I still have to beat you." He snickered.

Marionette made a playful face, "Challenge accepted. But for now let's get out of here."

"Easy there, kiddos." Stacy smiled, "There's a bit of paperwork ahead of us, and I want to go over with you what to expect from recovery and what's okay and what's not. Think you can manage that?"

"I'll do my best." Adrien smiled.

Stacy rolled her eyes and pulled up a chair, "I'm going to send Marinette to get your medications, is that okay?" She asked both of them. Adrien blinked.

Marinette smiled, "I'd be happy to, it'll give me something to do since Go Fish is off the table."

Stacy smiled, "Besides, we're just going to talk about boring legal stuff anyway."

"Glad I'm missing that." Marinette pretended to be relieved.

"Here's the prescriptions, the pharmacy is in the next building." Stacy handed Marinette the paperwork and Marinette saluted her sweetly.

"Be back in a bit." She turned and walked down the hallway.

Stay looked at Adrien, "She's awfully sweet."

"Yeah, she is." Adrien sighed.

"You're a lucky guy. She obviously likes you." Stacy flipped a few of her papers over.

Adrien scoffed, "No. I mean, of course she likes me but maybe not as much as I like her. To be honest, I don't think that we're much more than friends."

Stacy gave him a look. He didn't see it as he watched Marinette step onto the elevator. Stacy rolled her eyes, and hoped that they would figure it out eventually.

"First things first," Stacy sighed, "I'm sorry about your father."

Adrien smiled at Stacy, "Don't worry about that. My father hasn't considered me a part of his family since I left his modeling company months ago to become an officer." He put on a mocking face, "I disgraced his name and threw away the empire he built for me."

Stacy frowned, "He disowned you over something like that?"

Adrien shrugged with his good shoulder, "I guess so. I would be lying to you if I said that I knew how my father's mind worked. As sad as it sounds, it's probably better this way. His life is no longer tied down by a son that doesn't follow the life his father wants. And I am free to be who I want to be. He is my father, but he's never really felt like my family."

Stacy hummed, "I'm sad to hear that."

"It's really okay," Adrien laughed lightly, "I promise."

"If you say so, then I will believe you." Stacy raised an eyebrow at him. She looked down at her papers, "So, with your father out of the picture, the Dupain-Chengs have been assigned as your official medical guardians. Should something happen to you, they will be the first people to be notified. Is that alright with you?"

"Absolutely." Adrien beamed.

"Wonderful," she scribbled on the paper, and handed it to Adrien. She frowned, "I'm sorry you'll have to sign with the wrong hand."

"Actually," Adrien grabbed the pen with a sly grin, and twirled it between his fingers, "I'm ambidextrous." He signed his name perfectly on the line.

Stacy blinked, "Well. There you have it."

"It took a lot of practice."

"Well honestly, I'm kinda jealous." she snickered, "Now, you'll have to come back in six weeks or so to have the stitches removed. Right now they're a few layers deep in your body. The stitches in the deep muscle of your shoulder will be broken down by your body as it heals, but the big ugly black ones have to be clipped away once you're all healed. You can make that appointment on your way out. You'll also have to come straight back if you do anything that pops those stitches open." She pointed at his shoulder with her pen.

"Cross my heart I won't do anything stupid."

She glared at him, "I hope not. Popping your stitches open means that you'll basically have to start recovery all over again. You'll bleed a lot and it will hurt like hell. So," She flipped her paper again, "No lifting more than five pounds. No strenuous exercise, and no raising your arm above your head too quickly. Try to move the muscle normally within a small range. Don't take your arm out of the sling. Be careful when you get dressed. Basically, if it hurts, don't do it." She looked at him, "You can have more of a free range of movement after your stitches are removed. Until then, you're under the watchful eye of the Dupain-Cheng family."

Adrien smiled, "Then I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Wonderful. All of your discharge paperwork is done and the precinct and their insurance are paying for your stay with us, so you don't have any accounts to balance. I'll put all of the papers with all kinds of exercises and warning signs and phone numbers in this folder. I'll send this with you and you're good to go." She handed him the folder.

He set it on his lap, "That's really all?"

Stacy smiled, "One more signature. Marinette will be back with your medications soon, and that's really all there is. You get to go home."

Adrien clicked the pen, "I'm ready."

Stacy snickered and held out the clipboard for him to sign. He signed another perfect signature.

"Once Marinette comes back you're free to go." She walked towards the door and stopped in the frame, she turned around, "Get well soon, Adrien."

"I will." He waved to her.

Marinette bounced through the door less than a minute later with a small blue bag in her hands. She smiled at him with her hair a little tousled, "Ready?"

"Ready." He beamed, "We just have to make an appointment to get my stitches removed."

Marinette teased him, "But they're so attractive. Think of all the girls you can impress with that battle wound. I say you should leave them in."

Adrien huffed, "They are itchy. The girls can deal with it." he tried very hard to hide the fact that he was flustered over the fact that Marinette had called him and his stitches attractive.

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"We can't let this happen." Sabine frowned.

Tom put a hand over his face, "I understand what you're trying to say, but I just don't know how comfortable I am with this whole idea."

Sabine sighed, "If something is going to happen then it's going to happen either way. Something may have already happened. There's no way to really know that for sure."

Tom groaned, "I don't want to think about that."

"Please let him stay with us. You've seen that terrible apartment he's living in. It's far to expensive for how run down it is. We have a bedroom that we aren't using for anything but storing junk. It's on the main floor so he won't have to go too far to get anywhere. It will be good for him so have a place where he can feel safe. Please mon amor?" Sabine batted her eyelashes.

"I understand your worries, but he and Marinette are already fairly close. I wouldn't want something to happen and then it not work out and him be stuck here. That wouldn't be fair to either of them. I know you want to help him, but I don't want it to be awkward for Marinette." Tom huffed, "And I don't know how comfortable I am with a man being in the same house as my young daughter."

Sabine laughed, "It was Marinette's idea. And you worry too much about her. She is a smart girl. She can make her own choices."

Tom deflated, "I'm not going to convince you otherwise, am I?"

Sabine placed a small kiss on his cheek, "No, love, you aren't."

"Well," He stood tall, "Then I'll embrace it! Adrien is a good kid, and we have an extra bedroom. He spends most of his time here anyway. The only difference now is that he can sleep here too." Tom paused, "Come to think of it, he spends a lot of nights on the couch, doesn't he?"

Sabine laughed again, "That's the spirit. Now, Marinette let me have the key to his apartment. Let's get this done quick and then it'll be all set up when he's ready to come back."

Tom put his hands on his hips, "My bread-making muscles are ready!"

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Marinette looked over to Adrien in the passenger seat of the monstrosity that Adrien had pilfered from his father. She had been driving it since the accident, running errands back and forth from the hospital to the apartment and back. She also took it on deliveries and shopping trips. She was nervous about controlling such a large and ferocious thing, but found that she kind of liked the large, loud beast of a vehicle. The loud roar of the engine made her feel safe, and high seats made her feel powerful. She wasn't complaining about the storage space either. She had plenty of runs to the baking goods store now, and had more than enough room for all the supplies she could ever dream of. To be honest, Adrien probably wouldn't have cared if she'd taken him in a taxi. He was happy to be out of the cramped hospital room and back out in the fresh fall air. Marinette was happy to drive. He was content, and while he was still a bit bruised, he was clearly enjoying not being in the hospital room.

She built up her courage and said it before she could stop herself, "I hope you weren't too attached to that tiny, horrible apartment of yours."

Adrien's eyes flew open and he looked at Marinette, "What happened?"

Marinette shot him a look, "Hold your horses, nothing happened to the apartment complex. But you don't live there anymore. You need constant care, at least for a little bit, and our house is so close to where you were living that it won't even feel like a change."

Adrien blinked, "I don't understand."

"It's not like you didn't live there already." Marinette giggled.

"What?"

Marinette looked at him with eyes the color of the sky, and he felt his knees turn to jelly. Her pink lips parted to show her adorably large teeth, "Adrien, you're going to live with me and my family."

It took him a moment to process what she'd said to him. He hadn't asked them to move him out of his apartment. Surely they hadn't actually let him move in with them. The Dupain-Chengs didn't have space for him in their house. He wouldn't even know what to do living with other people, let alone people as kind and caring as the Dupain-Chengs. He looked at Marinette again. He felt his face warm, she was beaming at him. He held out his hand, "I can't possibly accept that."

Marinette shook her head, "It's too late. I'm sorry, but we didn't ask for your permission. We took care of your lease and we moved all of your stuff out almost a week ago. My parents were all about it."

Adrien sat stiffly in his chair, "But," he looked a little confused, "Why?"

Marinette skillfully parked the large car on the curb behind the bakery, and pulled the keys from the engine, "Because we care about you. I care about you, and after learning that you lived by yourself in that trash heap, my mother couldn't be convinced to let you stay. Once I told her that I didn't mind at all, and that you were living alone, she couldn't be stopped. She stormed over to your apartment that very hour and packed up your meager belongings. The spare bedroom on the main floor is now yours. Complete with bathroom and storage space for all two boxes of your stuff." Marinette smiled at him.

"I don't know what to say. This is," he breathed, "I mean…"

Marinette hopped out of the car, and came around to open Adrien's door. She held out her hand towards the door to her home, "You don't have to say anything. I'll say it." She smiled, "Welcome home, Adrien. Your family awaits."

Adrien swung his feet out of the car in a daze and looked at the bakery for what seemed like the first time. Before his accident, he had spent most of his waking days at the bakery. Both in the cafe and in the home above the shop. He had slept on the couches and done his academy classwork at the tables in the shop. This place was so familiar to him, and yet it was strange to think of it as his home.

Marinette lifted his bag from the seat behind him and twirled her keys around her finger, "You ready?"

Adrien looked back to the car and didn't see anything he needed to take with him, and then he looked to Marinette who was still swirling her keys around her slender finger. He smiled, "As ready as I'll ever be."

Marinette unlocked the side door and swung the door open for him. He walked past her timidly, and walked up the stairs slowly. He heard the door close behind him, and then heard Marinette's soft footsteps follow him up the stairs. He put his hand on the handle of the door, and pushed it open.

Behind the door were Tom and Sabine with a cake and streamers all over the living room with a large banner that said "Welcome Home" on it. Adrien felt his chest tighten.

Sabine walked up to him and looked up at him, beaming, "Oh Adrien, you look wonderful. I'm so glad that you're well enough to leave the hospital."

Tom clapped his hand down on Adrien's good shoulder, "Fine work, my boy. Welcome to the family.

Adrien began to doubt that he was really wanted here. He didn't want their pity. Though he didn't feel like they pitied him. But he needed to make sure he wasn't a bother, or a project. He smiled sheepishly, "Now you're really sure about this?" Adrien felt his face flush as he looked at the smiling faces of Tom and Sabine, "I don't want to be a burden or a bother."

Sabine grabbed his hand, "Oh, you're not a burden. You've been through so much. It's our pleasure to put you up for a little bit." She smiled up at him, "And you've been so good to my precious Marinette. It's all I can do to repay you for all you've done."

Adrien's heart skipped and he turned to look at Marinette who was conveniently looking away from him. He smiled back at Sabine, "Well, I won't tell you that I'm not glad. It was lonely in my apartment, and you guys are so kind. It will be nice to have more than just the walls to talk to."

Tom laughed, and winked at Adrien, "You basically lived here anyway. We just made it official. You even have your own key! It's waiting for you in your room."

"I'll show Adrien to his room now." Marinette turned Adrien away and pulled him towards the door. She looked up at him with a shy smile, "Sorry about them. They're just really excited to have you here."

Adrien beamed, "I'm really excited to be here."

Marinette rolled her eyes, and pushed the door open to show him the room. All of the junk that had been in this room for so long had been moved out. There was a bed in the corner and a desk with a chair and a computer on the wall. There were a few decorations on the walls and new sheets and blankets on the bed. Adrien looked at Marinette.

Before he could protest she held out her hand, "The computer is old, it used to be in my room, but I have upgraded. You don't even have to use it. The bed has been in here forever, and you deserved new sheets."

Adrien sat down on the bed, and looked at Marinette, "I don't know what to say."

Marinette smiled, "Get some rest Adrien. You can set up the room later." She walked to the door, and set her hand on the handle. She turned and winked at him, "Just call if you need anything. Also, do you know your measurements?"

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Adrien swatted at Marinette's hands with his good hand, "Stop fussing with it, it's fine." he grumbled as he tried to ignore how close Marinette was standing to him, and how wonderful she smelled. He looked away from her, feeling his cheeks heat up. If he could just back up a few steps, maybe he could think clearly.

"I just want it to look nice." Marinette leaned forward, and pinched the bow tie between her slender fingers. Adrien was starting to feel a little dizzy.

He sighed and turned away from her, sufficiently getting the bowtie out of her reach, "It's bad enough that it took way too long to get into this suit, don't make a big deal about my tie. I'm feeling good about even feeling well enough to go to this thing."

Marinette sighed and put her hands in the pockets of her dress, "Sorry. I just want everything to be perfect."

"Once we eat dinner, have some sparkling drinks and embarrass our friends, I'm sure you'll be in the mood to dance and have fun." Adrien smiled, and turned back to her. His jacket slipped from his shoulder, and he caught it with his other hand. He grumbled, "This jacket is going to fall off my shoulder all night long."

Her eyes brightened, and she stepped down off the stool she was using to be tall enough to help him. She disappeared up the stairs, the hem of the dress brushing against the floor. Adrien sighed, and felt his heart contract in his chest. How was he supposed to keep his cool around Marinette when she looked so beautiful and elegant in that dress. The dress was a deep wine color with a geometric pattern spread across the front in low-contrasting colors. The romantic shade of purple make her lips more pink and her eyes more blue. She smelled like sweets and flowers and it was driving him absolutely mad. The smell of her hair filled his nose and clouded his vision and made concentrating almost impossible. He was already feeling a little light-headed from his aching shoulder, and foggy from the painkillers. Marinette in an evening gown wasn't helping.

It was impossible at this point for him to deny his feelings for her. After learning that she had stayed with him at the hospital far longer than she should have, and making his life easier in any way she could, he was beyond being able to tell himself to let her be. He couldn't know for sure if she liked him as much as he liked her, but she did like him, and that set his head spinning. He'd spent the last few days watching Alya and Marinette run in and out of the house. There was cookies and boxes and fabric and decorations everywhere. Somehow in the last two hours, they had pulled everything together, and all that was left was to get it done and celebrate.

Marinette appeared from the stairwell triumphantly holding a safety pin above her head, "Eureka! I shall save the day!"

Adrien sighed, annoyed again at his useless arm, "My hero."

Marinette laughed and stepped up onto the stool again, and reached up to pin the lapel of his suit jacket to his shirt. She patted it down to make sure it looked right, "Perfect. Now you won't have to worry about it."

Adrien turned slowly back and forth, testing the strength of the pin, "If I just had a working arm I wouldn't have to attach my clothing to my body with hardware."

"Alas," Marinette hummed as the stuck a set of pearlized straight pins in her mouth, "You'll just have to deal with it." She mused through gritted teeth as she set the large daisy boutonniere in place and stuck the pins through it.

He looked down at the small bunch of flowers, "Thank you."

She flipped her long, curled hair, "That's what friends are for. To dress you when you injure your arm because you can't avoid getting shot while wearing a bullet vest."

"I get the point. Now, let's get going, we don't want to be late." Adrien smiled at her, offering her his arm. She took it with a smile and lifted the hem of her dress.

"I'll drive." She smirked.

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Marinette watched from her spot at the table while Adrien danced with more gusto than she thought someone with a recent injury should have. Marinette's mouth quirked up to one side as she watched Adrien enjoy the company of people who didn't care where he came from or what he was doing. Even more than that, he and Nino had found each other again. It was like no time had gone by at all, and they were back to their mischievous bromantic ways within a few hours. It was refreshing to see both of them in their comfort zones. Nino had been able to let the hired DJ run the party for about twenty minutes before he had unbuttoned his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and and plugged his headphones into the mix table. Adrien on the other hand had asked every girl under the age of sixteen and over the age of sixty to dance.

Marinette had been put on cake and cookie duty. A job she was happy to have. One, because if she worried about it, then Alya didn't have to. And two, because it gave her a good place to watch the party from. Nino was happily mixing music and tracks and sound bytes from behind the DJ's table. Adrien was dancing his heart out. Alya was going around with her camcorder, and talking to all of the kids at her wedding, asking them what they thought about the food and the party. Someone who didn't know them might think that they didn't want to be together, or that it was inappropriate for the bride and groom to be so involved in their own wedding. But for Marinette, it was heartwarming. On their big day, they wouldn't want to be doing anything else than what they were doing. Anyone who knew them, happily went along with it, and enjoyed the party all the same.

Marinette watched as Alya swirled around the dessert table, and over to Marinette. She turned her phone around, and smiled at the screen while smashing her face against Marinette's.

"And here," She smiled, "We have my best friend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her world famous Chocolate Chip cookies, which she has so kindly turned into every kind of delicious confection that you could dream of. She is the most adorable person on this planet and the most talented girl I know. Marinette," Alya looked at her, and beamed, "Tell our audience all about your decadent treats."

Marinette put on her game face, "Well Alya, the bride requested cookies but as her best friend I couldn't let her have just cookies. So here we have ice cream cookie sandwiches, cookie cake, and a cookie crust cheesecake. All made with love for the beautiful Alya." Marinette winked at the camera.

Alya flashed a smile and waved at the camera, "That's all from the dessert table! We'll see you in a little bit for the inside scoop on Mr. La Hiffe's favorite flower!" She pressed the record button and the filming stopped. She slid the phone into her pocket, and hung her arms around Marinette.

Marinette kissed her cheek, "Is today everything you wanted it to be?"

Alya sighed, "Everything I wanted and a little more." she stuck her finger in the frosting of her cake, and licked the frosting off, "And this cake is amazing, Nette. I seriously only asked for cookies you didn't have to do this."

"Oh, yes I did." Marinette laughed, "There is only so much room in my heart for my love for you, Alya, and if I didn't put some of it into these baked goods I would have exploded."

Alya laughed a rich, bright laugh, "I love you, Nette."

"I'm so happy for you, Alya." Marinette grinned.

Alya sighed, "I'm happy that this day is closer to over than beginning. I'm so tired."

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After the initial shock, it was just like everything was back to normal. It wasn't strange to be sleeping in the Dupain-Chengs spare bedroom. They took care of him and treated him well. He spent the first few days in his room trying to rest, but found it very difficult to sit on the bed or to lay flat on the bed. So, it wasn't long before Adrien found his way out to the couch, and made himself more comfortable there. On the couch, there was more room, and more of a chance that someone would walk past and keep him company. The Dupain-Chengs spent most of their time in the bakery downstairs, but Marinette came up more often than she probably should and checked on him. He tried to put on a brave face for her. He smiled at her and joked with her, but he had a sneaking suspicion that she was onto him.

Despite his best efforts to hide it, the pain was just barely tolerable. He hadn't realized how much he used all of the muscles in his arm and chest until he couldn't use them properly. Standing up and sitting down was a chore, since he couldn't use his arm to push his tall frame from the couch, but if he tried to stand up using just his core, the muscles surrounding his wound throbbed. Once he was either sitting or standing, he would trade one pain for another. If he was standing, the strain of his body holding the weight of his arm made the stitches pull uncomfortably, But, if he sat down, leaning on his back put a strange pressure on his torso that made him feel a bit queasy.

He was getting better at getting dressed around the cast, though. He no longer needed help from someone to get the shirt around his head or to get his belt through the loops of his jeans. He still needed them to help him prepare food and put his shoes on though. He also needed help when he wanted to go somewhere or if he needed to move something. He had tried to lift something that was more than his allotted weight and had nearly passed out from effort and strain. Not to mention the blinding pain that shot through his body from his shoulder to his fingertips and knees. That was the first and last time he tried to lift something like that.

Although he was extremely grateful for the kindness of the Dupain-Chengs, and he tried his best not to complain, he was never comfortable and moving required a lot of concentration and commitment. So he mostly called for help and prayed that they wouldn't tire of his neediness.

The room they'd let him have was quite amazing. Marinette had explained to him that after a baking accident, they had decided to remodel the entire inside of their house. So what had previously been unused space was now a guest room with a fully functioning bathroom and plenty of storage. They had made it so they could let someone stay there without them needing to share a restroom or storage space with anyone. He had been surprised to learn that the famous chef and former akuma "Kung Food" had stayed here. Adrien, his bed, and his meager belongings fit perfectly. It was smaller than his apartment but a thousand times nicer. Plus, living with the Dupain-Chengs had opened his eyes to how truly lonely his childhood had been. They were loving and devoted to each other. They cared about the little things and paid attention to each other. They exchanged gifts simply because they wanted to and quickly added Adrien to their list of recipients.

Adrien had been worried that after he moved in that things would change between him and Marinette. He worried that their friendship might change or that their flirting might stop since they lived together. To his pleasant surprise, nothing really changed. Marinette was still her spunky, silly self and he was still falling for her. She brought him muffins and coffee and ruffled his hair when she left. She helped him fluff his pillows and refilled his water glass for him. He hadn't expected her to be so devoted to his recovery. She helped him with his exercises and changed his bandages when they needed to be changed. She brought him things so he wouldn't have to move and even turned the couch and TV so he could watch without strain on his neck.

What he'd ever done to deserve a friend like Marinette he wasn't sure, but he was sure that he never wanted to be without her again. And, not just because she made him cute little cat shaped cookies.