The dark room was all too familiar to Adrien. He had been there more times than he would like to count. Had been staring at that ceiling for far too long and far too many times. Locked in a room with Plagg and strapped down to a bed that was not the most comfortable. He swallowed hard as he dropped his gaze to the bed; where Marinette was laying.
She was focused on the ceiling and holding absolutely still. The only thing that showed she was even alive was the movement of her gentle breathing.
"Marinette? I have someone to see you." Ms. Bustier walked up to the bed and undid the straps that laid across her body.
Marinette stared at her with a blank stare. She sat up and brought her knees to her chest, hiding in her arms that she had crossed over her knees.
Adrien stood with his hands in his pockets as he worried his bottom lip. He didn't know if he should approach her or not. He didn't know how she would react to seeing him. If she would believe that he was there or not. If the last time he had been taken from her was a look into how she would react? He could only imagine what this room had done to her.
"Adrien is here, sweetheart." Ms. Bustier peered over at Adrien and gestured for him to step closer.
"Marinette?" Adrien softly spoke as he stood in his spot. He didn't want to move too close or too quickly. "I'm here. Actually here."
Marinette slowly peered up through her dark hair and looked at him with tear filled eyes as her bottom lip quivered. Adrien took his hands from his pockets and held them up as he walked closer to her bed.
Nurse Bustier moved out of the way and stood by the door, getting out of his way.
"You're okay. It's okay. Promise." Adrien smiled for her as he gently sat on her bed.
Marinette suddenly lunged at him, shocking Nurse Bustier. She was ready to sedate the girl, when Adrien held up his hand for her to stop.
Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shirt. Adrien pulled her into his lap and held her as she fell apart. She clutched at his shirt with her nails and Adrien ran his fingers through her hair.
"It's okay." Adrien softly spoke as he held her closer.
Nurse Bustier relaxed once she realized that Marinette wasn't attacking him. That she was upset and seeking comfort. She sighed and slowly left them alone in the room.
Adrien pushed Marinette away and held her face in his hands, brushing her hair behind her ears. "I am so so sorry. I should have known that blade was bad. I should have known that it would get infected. I'm sorry that I supplied you with something to use. I'm sorry that I couldn't fix you." Adrien pulled her close again and held her head against his chest.
She closed her eyes and took in the scent of his soap and clothing. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him as close as possible to her, clinging to him like he'd disappear.
"I'm really here. Promise." Adrien pushed her away to touch her chin with his thumb. He dipped his head down to capture her lips and she gripped his shirt to pull him closer as she deepened the kiss. Adrien took his thumb from her chin and slipped his hand into her hair.
"Not- you- fault." Marinette tried to speak, but her throat was dry. "Mine. All mine." She cried with her forehead pressed against his. She gasped for air and hugged him tight again. "I want out. Please." Marinette curled more into his lap as she struggled to get closer to him. "Take me away from here. Please." Her voice was weak and muffled by tears. "I don't want Tikki anymore. I just want you. Only you."
"I know, baby. But there is something you need to know." Adrien wiped the tears from beneath her eyes. "I gave all of my stuff that I was hiding to Ms. Bustier. Including my sketches. She knows about Plagg and so does Dr. Fu." Adrien swallowed hard and waited for Marinette's reaction.
"Why would you do that?" Marinette held him away at arms length with a worried expression.
"I'm tired of hiding. They were going to search the room if I didn't. It's okay. I got another med to make Plagg disappear. You should tell Nurse Bustier about Tikki." Adrien searched her broken gaze as she became worried.
"No, they'll be angry with me. I'll be stuck here forever. They'll never let me out." Marinette became upset as Tikki swirled around her.
"I thought the same, but they weren't. Marinette. Do it if not for yourself, but for me too." Adrien touched her cheek with a soft hand and ran his thumb along her cheekbone. "Please."
Marinette worried her lip and hid in her hair as she nodded. "Okay."
"I can't say if they are letting you out of here today, but I'm glad that I know you're alright." Adrien smiled for her and she began to cry again as she realized that he wasn't there to free her. He wasn't going to save her like a knight in shining armor. "I wasn't told that you were being let go."
Marinette buried her face into his shirt and sobbed as she clutched onto it. "I don't want to be in here. I don't want it. I want out."
"I know, baby. I know. It's hard in here. Believe me." Adrien sighed as he looked over his shoulder to see Nurse Bustier peering through the window. "I'm running out of time."
"No! Don't leave. Please!" Marinette tugged on his shirt and sobbed harder, feeling her stomach twist and her heart catch fire. "PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE WITH- PLEASE!"
"I'm sorry. I have no say." Adrien clung to her harder and rocked her as he tried to calm her down. "I can't save you. You have to be strong and save yourself. I'll be waiting for you."
"No! Don't! Please!" Marinette clutched at him as he grabbed her hands to pull her away from himself as Nurse Bustier walked back into the room.
"Alright, pills then back to bed with you." Ms. Bustier smiled as she helped to keep her from clinging to Adrien. Marinette fought against her as she passed Marinette the cup of pills and a cup of water.
Marinette knocked them from Nurse Bustier's hands and Adrien sighed as he shook his head. He quickly moved behind Marinette and sat against the wall pulling her into his lap, facing away from him. She fought against him and he held her still as Nurse Bustier poured new pills into his hand. She carried extras just in case a guest dropped them.
"You have to take these to get better. To be with me. You don't want to be stuck here, do you?" Adrien softly spoke in Marinette's ear and watched her pant as she calmed slightly. He pressed a pill to Marinette's mouth and watched her part her lips enough for him to shove a pill in, as she cried. Adrien nodded to Nurse Bustier and she gave him the water.
Marinette grabbed the cup from him and reluctantly swallowed the pill. She took the pills from Adrien's palm and continued to take them until they were gone.
"Good girl." Adrien pressed a kiss to her cheek and felt her relax against his body after she opened her mouth and showed that she had taken them to Nurse Bustier.
Nurse Bustier took the cup from her hand and threw it into a trashcan on her cart.
Marinette grabbed his hand and turned it over, looking at the bandage across his knuckles. She grabbed his other hand to do the same. She peered over her shoulder at him with a curious expression.
"Kind of gave Lila probably more than she deserved." Adrien softly chuckled with a smirk as Marinette pressed soft kisses to his knuckles.
"Thank you." Marinette softly spoke loud enough for only him to hear.
"You're welcome, baby." Adrien ran his fingers through her hair.
"Would you like to eat dinner with her?" Ms. Bustier smiled as she offered for them to spend some more time together.
"Please." Adrien smiled up at Nurse Bustier and watched her nod.
"I'll be back." Ms. Bustier left to get them food.
"I'm scared." Marinette shivered in his arms and he scooped her up.
Adrien laid her down on the bed and got comfortable beside her. She moved against the wall to make more room for him, but he grabbed her hips to pull her closer.
"Don't be scared. I'm here." Adrien pressed a kiss to her soft lips and she pulled him closer to herself.
She felt like she couldn't get close enough. "It's so lonely in here. I'm losing my mind. Slowly."
"When I was in here… I felt the same. Solitary doesn't really help. Just makes you deal with your demons in the worst way possible. Brings more out of you. Your mind has no choice but to torture you with thoughts that you didn't want to have. Things that you were in denial about." Adrien sighed as he thought about it. "Lose track of days and the only way to keep track is by meals."
Nurse Bustier walked back into the room and Adrien pulled away from Marinette to sit up. Marinette scrambled to sit up beside him as she passed them trays of food.
"I'll just organize my cart a bit while you two eat." Ms. Bustier tried to give them some privacy.
Adrien set the tray on his lap and picked up the spork. He poked at the mashed potatoes on his tray. Marinette stared at him and waited for him to lift the food to his mouth. His hand trembled as he brought the bite to his lips. He closed his mouth around it and covered his mouth as he chewed.
Marinette took some of her own onto her spork and closed her mouth around the bite. Nurse Bustier watched over her shoulder as the two ate their food in silence. She took note of how Adrien didn't hide any of his food. How he took small shakey bites of the potatoes.
Adrien stared at Marinette for a moment and watched her stab a piece of her chicken. She was beautiful and he got lost in her. How she held her spork between her thumb and index finger. How she slowly chewed her food in bliss with her eyes closed. How her hair caught the light and reflected like the night sky. She brought her spork up to her lips and caught his gaze.
"Are you going to eat too?" Marinette whispered at him and he smirked at her.
"Yeah. Sorry. I got distracted." Adrien blushed as he thought about how pretty she was, even with her dark rings from a lack of sleep. He cleared his throat and stabbed his own piece of chicken with his spork.
"Will you stay with me while I talk to Ms. Bustier?" Marinette whispered and Adrien nodded as he hid behind his hand to chew his food.
"Of course." Adrien softly spoke and smiled at her.
They continued to eat until their trays were mostly empty. Adrien passed his tray to Nurse Bustier. She put the trays on her cart and wiped her hands on her uniform.
"Ready?" Ms. Bustier smiled at Marinette and peered over at Adrien.
"Can- can I talk to you?" Marinette barely got the words out loud enough for Nurse Bustier to hear her.
"Of course." Ms. Bustier stood and stared at her with a warm smile.
Adrien took Marinette's hand as it trembled. "It's okay." Adrien mouthed to Marinette and watched her nod and take a deep breath.
"I wanted to talk to you about- about something. Um…" Marinette worried her bottom lip and Nurse Bustier waited patiently.
"Take your time." Ms. Bustier warmly smiled at her.
"I um… I have stuff hiding in my room too." Marinette hid in her hair and Adrien wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I wouldn't doubt that. Adrien had quite a bit hiding. Would you like to show me?" Ms. Bustier held her hand out. "We can stop by on the way to the restroom."
Marinette stood up with Adrien and Nurse Bustier led them out of the room. They walked down the dark hallway where screams and crying echoed around them. Marinette held onto his bicep as she flinched at each pounding fist and each blood curdling scream.
"It's not pretty. I wish I could say that I wasn't like one of those people, but I was." Adrien softly spoke to Marinette as they walked. "Screamed, cried, begged for freedom… It wasn't pretty."
Marinette nodded as she focused on the tile as they walked. She counted each grey one among the white ones as she walked. One. Two. Three. Grey. One. Two. Three. Grey. One. Two. Three… Bang! One. Two. Three... Scream! One. Two. Three... Cry. One. Two. Three. Grey. One. Two. Three...
"Alright, here we are." Ms. Bustier opened their door for them and Adrien led her inside of their room.
Marinette pulled away from Adrien and climbed onto her bed. She missed how it felt. Missed being free to lay on it and peer over to see Adrien in his. Missed the feeling of being with someone. She shook off the thought and grabbed a sketchbook from the shelf. Inside of it was a red notebook. It was thin and small.
Marinette swallowed hard as Tikki swirled around her.
"What are you doing, girl?" Tikki clung to her shoulders as she tried to pull her away from doing it. "Why?"
I'm sorry, Tikki. I can't anymore. Adrien is trying so hard to get better and I need to too.
"You'll be stuck here. Forever." Tikki hissed as she spiraled around Marinette's neck. "They'll never set you free. No movie dates… no dinner dates… no secret rendezvous. Nothing."
If Adrien is stuck here then I won't mind it. All that matters is that I have him. Marinette passed the notebook to Nurse Bustier.
"Is that all?" Ms. Bustier raised an eyebrow at Marinette and waited for a response.
"Top shelf, beneath her other sketchbooks." Adrien ratted Marinette out and she quickly turned to flash him a horrified look. "You can't hide stuff anymore. I want to leave here with you, baby."
Nurse Bustier set the small notebook on the bed and reached up beneath the sketchbooks to find a metal piece. It was less rusted than Adrien's stash had been, but still was unsafe. She pocketed it and then picked up the notebook. Nurse Bustier stared at her as she opened the front cover.
She found sketches upon sketches of a red creature with sharp teeth and claws. Most cases she was slender and like a veil of smoke with black sharp eyes and a wide mouth.
"So, you have a friend too. Does it have a name?" Ms. Bustier smiled at Marinette.
Marinette clutched onto Adrien, who nudged her gently with his shoulder to make her talk. "It's alright. Tell her."
She took a deep breath as her voice shook, tears fell from her eyes as she relied on Adrien to keep her on her feet. "Tikki." Marinette whispered the name past her lips and Nurse Bustier nodded.
Nurse Bustier took out a pen from her pocket and wrote her creature's name across the cover of the notebook. "Is there anything else that you might be hiding from me?"
Marinette let go of Adrien and crawled under her bed to take out a sewing kit. She passed it over to Nurse Bustier and she took it from her.
"What is this used for? I mean, besides the obvious." Ms. Bustier peered at Marinette and waited.
"Can I show her? Is it still there?" Adrien touched Marinette's cheek and brushed her hair out of her face.
Marinette nodded and waited for him to show Nurse Bustier what she did with it. Adrien touched the skirt of her dress and Nurse Bustier immediately didn't know if she wanted to know about it.
Adrien shook his head at her to tell her to calm down. He pulled her dress up her thigh, right above her left hip. Adrien pushed the side of her panties down slightly and revealed a small letter 'A' drawn with thread. It was embroidered in navy thread and was red around the areas that weaved into her skin due to irritation.
"She sews into her skin with thread." Adrien explained and Nurse Bustier nodded as he dropped her dress back down.
"I got that; however, I'm wondering how we didn't catch that while we were working on you after your incident." Ms. Bustier was confused by the whole ordeal. She should have seen it, but she could have also just glossed over it. She could have been too distracted by her arm wounds to take note of it. The hospital was a hectic place and she often lost track of things.
"I usually take it out shortly after I do it." Marinette spoke in a broken voice as she held her hand out for the sewing kit.
Nurse Bustier kept it in her hand and refused to give it back. "I'll get proper scissors to remove them from your skin."
Marinette nodded as she dropped her hand to her side. Adrien grabbed her waist and pulled her close to himself.
"It's okay." He whispered against her shoulder and Marinette nodded, burying her face into his shoulder.
"I love you." Marinette faintly spoke against his shirt; before, Nurse Bustier led them out of the room and to a medical supply cart. She grabbed a pair of scissors that were used to remove sutures and took them back to their room.
"Alright. I'd say you may feel a bit of pressure, but you are probably used to it." Ms. Bustier smiled as Marinette slowly lifted her dress up and pushed the side of her panties down for her to cut the threads. She used tweezers to pull the stitches from her skin. "Last one." She pulled the last thread, disinfected the area, and Marinette dropped her dress back down. "How about we go clean up now?"
Marinette nodded and walked over to grab a pair of pink pajama pants and black lace panties with a matching bralette. Adrien stopped her from grabbing a white shirt from her drawer that had flowers on it.
"Here." Adrien walked over to his drawer and pulled out a black deep v-neck shirt. He passed her it and she took it from him. "So, you have something of mine with you in there. And… hang on."
Marinette watched him grab the back of his shirt and pull it over his head. He tossed it at her and took a clean white shirt from his drawer to replace it with. She watched him pull the hem down around his hips. "So, you can pretend I'm in there with you too." Adrien kissed her cheek and she blushed.
"Ready?" Ms. Bustier smiled at her and held out her hand.
Marinette began to tremble as she realized that it was good-bye. She didn't want to leave Adrien. She didn't want to be apart any longer. She ran and wrapped her arms around his neck and clutched at his clothing.
Adrien wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "You have to go clean up. I'll be waiting right here." Adrien peered over her shoulder at Nurse Bustier.
Nurse Bustier nodded at him. "I'll have you back to say goodnight and goodbye for now. Not forever."
Adrien nodded and pried Marinette from his body. "I'll see you in a bit."
Marinette went to grab onto him again and he pushed her towards Nurse Bustier.
"C'mon, sweetheart." Ms. Bustier smiled and took her hand to lead her to the bathroom. "Leave his green shirt with him and we can grab it when we get back."
Marinette passed Adrien his shirt and he smiled as he waved at her. She reluctantly followed Nurse Bustier down the hall towards the bathroom. Nurse Bustier opened the door and let her inside. She waited for Marinette to strip down and shave. She then stepped into the showers and slowly cleaned her body and hair. The water felt good on her skin. She ran her fingers along the holes where the thread had been laced through. Marinette took all of the time that was allowed for her to get clean.
She walked out to dry off and get dressed before she stood in front of a mirror to brush her hair and teeth.
"Ready?" Ms. Bustier smiled at her and held out her hand for her.
Marinette nodded and didn't take her hand. Nurse Bustier dropped her hand and opened the door to lead her back to Adrien's room. She walked slowly behind Nurse Bustier, wanting to prolong her time to get to solitary. She sighed, as they reached the door and Nurse Bustier opened it.
Adrien suddenly wrapped his arms around her and her eyes widened as he burst into tears.
Nurse Bustier became alarmed as she watched him embrace her like his life depended on it. Like if he let her go then she would be gone.
Her damp hair felt wet against his cheek and irritated him, but he didn't care. He didn't want to let her go. Didn't want her to go away. His heart pounded in his chest and felt like it was up in his throat. Marinette blinked, as she raised her hands to grip onto his shirt. He trembled and his knees nearly buckled. Marinette pushed him towards his bed and fell with him onto it.
Nurse Bustier covered her mouth as she watched Adrien fall apart and hide his face into her shirt. How his fingers gripped onto her shirt as he trembled and gasped for air. Marinette suddenly burst into tears of her own as she wrapped her thigh over his hips and hugged him closer.
"I don't want to let you go. I don't want you back in that room. You don't deserve that room. I do. If I could take your place I would." Adrien burst out the words in between tears.
Marinette shook her head. "No. Don't say that." She gasped the words out as she clung to him. She brushed his hair from his eyes and kissed his lips with gentle pecks. She kissed along his cheeks and then his forehead. Marinette sniffed and quietly cried as she ran her fingers through his soft hair. "I'd rather be in there than you."
Adrien shook his head and touched her face to capture her lips over and over again. "No. You're wrong."
"I'm never wrong." Marinette gave him a stubborn expression that caused Adrien to chuckle.
"You win. You're always right." Adrien smirked and pressed his forehead to hers as she softly giggled.
"I don't want to go." Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck again and held him closer with her leg.
Nurse Bustier tapped her chin as she thought about what to do. She knew that she had to separate them. She worked for Dr. Fu. This wasn't her hospital to run. She watched them continue to comfort one another until it got to where she needed to walk away. She walked outside of the room as Marinette grabbed onto Adrien and pulled him on top of her in a passionate kiss.
Nurse Bustier walked down the hall and towards Dr. Fu's office. His door was closed and she knew that he must have been with a patient inside. She heard crying and anger filled talking through the door. She worried her bottom lip as she thought about what she was going to say for a moment.
The door opened and Ivan walked out with another nurse. Dr. Fu stared at Nurse Bustier when she slipped in after they had left.
"I need to speak with you." Ms. Bustier sighed as she watched him place the file away in the bookshelf behind him.
"Alright. What about?" Dr. Fu searched her eyes as she nervously played with her hands.
"It's about Marinette. She was also hiding a few items. I confiscated them." Ms. Bustier set the blade, sewing kit, and notebook down.
Dr. Fu reached across to grab the items. He looked over the cover of the red notebook with a raised eyebrow. "Tikki?" He opened it and saw the drawings of the red creature. "So, she has one too."
"She does. Yes." Ms. Bustier admitted to him as he opened the sewing case. "Also, she sews into her skin."
"I figured. Alright, I'll see her in the morning. Is she back in the far wing?" Dr. Fu set the items off to the side.
"No. That was another thing I wanted to discuss with you." Ms. Bustier swallowed hard as she waited for him to listen to her.
"Then where is she?" Dr. Fu rested his arms on the top of his desk and waited.
"With Adrien in their room. They are right now crying and are inseparable. I fear splitting them apart again." Ms. Bustier swallowed hard as she waited to be scolded. To be told off for not keeping her in the far wing and for leaving her alone with Adrien. "I don't know if my heart can handle it."
"Show me." Dr. Fu stood up from his desk and Nurse Bustier got in the way of the door with her arms spread out.
"Give them some time." Ms. Bustier begged him with her gaze and he raised an eyebrow at her. "Trust me."
"Very well." Dr. Fu sat back down to go over charts again.
000
Adrien gripped Marinette's thigh with his hand as he pumped in and out of her. He panted against her shoulder as he kissed along her damp skin, trailing kisses up her neck. Adrien smirked and captured her lips with his in a heated kiss that left her breathless and wanting more.
She wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled him closer by his thigh and the middle of his back as she dug her nails into his soft skin. Adrien moaned and buried his face into her neck. She clung to him and he felt her whole body tense up as she raised her hips to meet his movements with her own.
"Don't stop." Marinette's voice came out in a quiet moan and Adrien groaned in response.
He felt her walls caress and coax him towards the edge and he let out a deep moan. "Ah, shit." He gripped the sheets as he continued to move within her in the same rhythm.
Marinette panted in short bursts of moans as she got close until she stopped breathing for a moment. A shiver ran through her whole body as she continued to press herself against his body.
He bent down to capture one of her peaked nipples into his mouth and she burst out, clutching at his back and thigh with her nails as she came hard.
Adrien panted and moaned as he waited for her to come down. She relaxed and he lifted her ankles onto his shoulders to pump into her deeper and harder. She peered at him through her lashes and suddenly grabbed his thighs as she parted her lips and got lost in his lust filled gaze. She took in how his cheeks were flushed and how his damp hair fell in front of his emerald eyes.
"I'm gonna cum." He dropped her legs and fell into his forearms, thrusting into her harder. She slammed a hand above her head and braced against the wall as he pumped into her harder. Adrien buried his face into her neck and moaned as he came. She gripped his ass in her other hand, feeling his muscles move beneath his skin as he moved within her. He slowed his pace as Marinette caught her breath.
A knock sounded on the door and he quickly jumped off of her and pulled his pants up. He fastened them and zipped them up as he tugged his shirt down. Marinette quickly shoved on her pajama pants and pulled her shirt down. Adrien saw her panties on the floor. He quickly snatched them up and pocketed them before Dr. Fu walked in with a very apologetic looking Nurse Bustier.
Adrien combed his fingers through his messy hair as Marinette did the same to her own.
"Good evening." Dr. Fu smiled at the two of them as he watched them get situated on the bed like they were innocent.