Marinette groaned as she slowly rolled her head towards Adrien's side of the room. She slowly opened her eyes and caught his gaze.
"Hi." Adrien swallowed hard as he searched her saddened expression with his own. "I'm sorry that I freaked out."
"Don't apologize. It's understandable." Marinette cleared her throat, feeling how scratchy and irritated it felt to swallow.
"No. I was a dick. Look I want kids. I want to spoil them with love and play with them, but also I'm twenty. Twenty and in this place and I can't really wrap my head around getting out of here and having a family. A real family. I'm so used to just walking through my life without actually living it." Adrien sighed as he pulled at his restraints.
"I get that." Marinette sighed as she peered up at the ceiling. "I can't really see myself getting out of here either, but I would love to get married and have kids. I want that fairytale ending that you read about in books. It's not realistic, but it's been my dream since I was five."
Adrien softly chuckled and licked his lips. "I always dreamed about some girl coming in and saving me from my life."
"Well, I can't say this is saving you." Marinette pulled at her restraints as a knock on the door sounded and Nurse Bustier walked in.
"You just being here is saving me, Marinette." Adrien smiled at her and watched her blush.
"Morning. Are you two ready to be free and join the other guests at breakfast?" Ms. Bustier smiled at them as she began to undo Marinette first.
Marinette sat up and rubbed her wrists as she watched Nurse Bustier set Adrien free.
"Are we allowed to?" Marinette raised an eyebrow at her.
"You will be sitting at your own table, as usual." Ms. Bustier smiled for them as she thought about her upcoming vacation.
"Right, because Adrien can't really talk to anyone." Marinette sighed and Adrien's head shot up to look at her as he rubbed his wrists.
"Well, he is talking to people in group therapy and he did save Sabrina. We just don't know if…" Ms. Bustier didn't want to upset Adrien.
Adrien sighed and filled Marinette in. "They want to make sure I'm stable and not going to attack anyone else. They're not worried about you because they know by experience… that I would not go after you. Easier to observe me if I'm at a table with just you."
"I'm sorry, Adrien. It's only for now." Ms. Bustier sighed and Adrien shrugged.
"Hasn't it always been that way?" Adrien scoffed as he crossed his arms. "You guys have always been posted near my tables. Even when I sat with Nino."
"We watch everyone, Adrien. Not just you." Ms. Bustier sighed as she tried to reason with him. "Anyway, after that you will take your medication. Then you have group therapy. Then Adrien, you have a-"
"Snack. Look, I got it at this point. Meal, snack, meal, snack, and meal with some therapy sprinkled in." Adrien rolled his eyes as he stood up from the bed.
"I just have to inform you. I know you guys get stuck in this routine." Ms. Bustier gave up fighting him or explaining. "I will also be going on vacation starting tomorrow. Ms. Medeleiev will be taking my spot."
Adrien froze up and clenched his hands into fists. "Why her?"
"There is no one else that can take my place at the moment and I really need a vacation." Ms. Bustier didn't want to lie to him. Their staff wasn't the fullest. Their facility wasn't the biggest one and Dr. Fu was very particular about who he hired. They had just enough staff to fill the needs of Miraculous Healing, but they would have benefited from more staff.
"Why? What's wrong with Ms. Medeleiev?" Marinette looked at Adrien with a confused expression.
"She's the worst." Adrien became irritated. He crossed his arms as his anger rose.
"Don't be that way. She cares about you all as much as I do." Ms. Bustier smiled and Adrien burst out in a short laugh.
"You have no… idea. She may have been supplying my cigarettes and matches? But she lacks in human compassion." Adrien rolled his eyes.
Marinette stared at him with a confused expression. She couldn't understand why he was so upset over the nurse that usually was sitting at the front desk. She never had an issue with her, but she rarely talked to the older woman.
"How about we go eat?" Ms. Bustier opened their door and led them out of the bedroom.
Adrien sighed and followed Marinette to the cafeteria. They got in line and grabbed the food that they were given. Adrien led her over to an empty table and they sat down. Marinette touched her fruit with her spork as she stared at Adrien. He poked at his yogurt with his spork and watched it move as he leaned onto his elbow.
"What happened between you and Ms. Madeleiev?" Marinette put a piece of fruit into her mouth and waited for him to explain.
Adrien set his spork down and saw a nurse stare at him. He picked it back up with a groan and stuck it into his yogurt, bringing it to his lips. Adrien's hand trembled as he placed it into his mouth. His stomach rolled as he tried to remember the calories in it.
"Adrien?" Marinette watched him dart his eyes around the room to calculate his way out and where to find a secluded trash can between there and the common room. "Hey." She touched his hand and he jumped as he flashed a glance at her.
He caught her gaze and stared at her for a moment. Adrien turned his attention back to his yogurt and dipped his spork into it again. He shrugged for her and stuck another bite into his mouth.
Marinette leaned across the table and searched his face. "If you are calculating how to get to the nearest out of sight trash can? I will stop you." Her voice was quiet and she watched him swallow his food.
"I'm not." Adrien picked up his toast and inspected it. He knew the calories in that and he also knew that it was all carbs. His stomach protested as he placed the corner between his lips.
"Will you please tell me what happened?" Marinette begged him with her broken gaze as she forgot about her food for a moment, until she noticed how Nurse Bustier stared at her. She sighed and picked up her toast to encourage him.
Adrien set the toast down and sighed as he hid in his hair. "She hates me."
"I doubt it." Marinette took a bite of her toast and watched him pick his back up to take a small bite.
"She once locked me up for… who knows how long. I only got let out to go to the bathroom. Eat. For days… weeks maybe? I have no idea." Adrien rolled his eyes as he chewed behind his hand.
"But Ms. Bustier did the same to you." Marinette pointed out to him as she took a bite of her omelet.
"Not like that bitch. Even when I grab cigarettes and matches from her, she looks at me with this sick expression. Like I'm the worst thing on this planet. She judges me off what she has heard from the staff. Nothing about her wants to actually see me for me." Adrien stabbed his omelet and reluctantly brought a piece of it to his lips.
"You don't know that she is really thinking that you're a terrible person. Not just with the expression that she gave you." Marinette ate some of her yogurt.
"Oh, if you could see how she looks at me… you'd agree with me." Adrien sighed as he stabbed a piece of fruit with his spork and got ready to eat it.
"I have seen her look at you." Marinette took another bite of her yogurt.
"I mean really look at me." Adrien sighed as he threw his spork onto his tray. He was over eating and all he wanted to do was go back to their room. He really had no motivation to do anything now that he knew who the new main nurse would be.
"How about when she starts being our main nurse, I pay more attention to how she treats you. Maybe I'll even act up to distract her from you." Marinette smiled as she watched him shake his head.
"Don't. Seriously. I don't wish her wrath on you or anyone." Adrien slammed his elbow onto the table and rested his cheek on his fist as he picked his spork back up to play around with his omelet.
Marinette didn't understand what his issue was with Nurse Medeleiev. She wanted to know and the unknown was quickly becoming an obsession. Marinette would have gotten on her knees and begged for him to tell her, but it seemed like he wasn't going to open up about it to her.
Their conversation slowly faded as they both focused on their food. Adrien stood up and took his tray over to get checked. Marinette followed him and they both walked out of the cafeteria.
She sighed and laced her fingers with his as she watched him dart his gaze around to find a fairly secluded hallway. "I know what you're doing and I won't let you."
Adrien jumped and peered at her with an anxious expression. He reminded her of a deer when headlights flashed in front of its face on a dark road. He shook his head as he looked around them when he spotted a trash can. His worried and saddened expression was enough to make her heart ache for him. She gave in and stood in the way so that no one would see him duck down to empty his stomach into the bin. Marinette pretended to cough as a couple patients walked past, trying to shield Adrien from their prying gaze. She peered over her shoulder once they were out of sight and Adrien stood up.
"I'm sorry." Adrien's voice came out weak and Marinette grabbed his hand and rubbed her thumb along his knuckles.
"Don't be. It's okay." Marinette warmly smiled at him and pulled him back towards their room before Nurse Bustier found them.
Adrien followed her as he caught sight of his father standing at the front desk with Nathalie. He froze and suddenly yanked Marinette towards their room, faster than she was moving.
"What is it?" Marinette jogged to keep up with him.
"My father." Adrien spoke between his clenched teeth as he pulled her inside of their room.
"He hasn't been around in a while." Marinette swallowed hard as she watched Adrien rummage through his shelf of books.
"Yeah. Probably because Dr. Fu was keeping him from me." Adrien grabbed a book and opened it.
"What are you doing?" Marinette raised an eyebrow as she watched him pull a book open and go through it.
"Looking for something." Adrien flipped to a specific page and pulled out a thin metal piece.
"You didn't start a new collection." Marinette sighed as watched him lean back and undo his jeans.
"Does it matter?" Adrien felt around the waistband area of his boxers to look for a spot that he wanted to pick.
"No matter where you pick? They'll probably find it. You know that." Marinette watched him pull his skin tight along his left hip bone and press the sharp edge against his skin. She cringed as he made quick movements along his skin. She watched as red thin lines appeared along the tears of skin. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes as he relaxed his hand at his side. She watched his body become relaxed and his breathing slow down.
A knock sounded on the door and she watched as he quickly redid his pants and jumped up to hide the metal piece back inside the book. He slipped the book back onto the shelf.
"I have your medications. Then your father is here with his assistant." Ms. Bustier passed them each a cup of pills and a cup of water.
Adrien and Marinette knocked back the pills and took the water. They both passed her the cups after showing that their mouths were empty of pills.
"Can I go with him?" Marinette stared at Nurse Bustier with a hopeful expression.
"Not today. I'm sorry. You have to go to group therapy. He will join you there shortly." Ms. Bustier smiled as Adrien stood up.
"I'll be okay. I'll see you after. Promise." Adrien touched Marinette's upper arm and kissed her cheek.
Marinette nodded and watched him leave. She worried her bottom lip and kept her gaze on the door, waiting until it was shut and they were gone. She swallowed hard and shoved her hand between the bed and the wall. Marinette pulled out a journal and a pen, that she had stashed. She opened the journal and began to write the date down. Marinette closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she began to write a poem.
She put herself in the shoes of someone else with an abusive parent and began to write a poem about it. She finished writing it and shut her journal. Marinette fiddled with the pen and pulled the cap off of it. She rested her arm on her thigh with her palm up. Marinette made a fist and began to rub the sharp edge against her skin, causing her soft skin to tear beneath it.
She winced as it began to burn more and more the deeper she got. Once it was half an inch wide and two inches long, she stopped and put the cap back on her pen. Marinette hid the items behind her bed and closed her eyes as she laid back. The cut oozed and she ran her finger across it. She hissed in pain and stopped touching it.
000
Adrien sat at the table with his hands in his lap. Gabriel stared at him with his tablet in his hands. Nathalie sat beside him and stared at Adrien with a blank expression. Her hair was as neatly done as ever and he always liked to think of how it matched her stressed interior. She seemed to always be uptight, but he assumed that was due to his father. Working for that man did not produce healthy people to say the least.
"Stand up for me. I need to take note of your measurements." Gabriel gestured towards Adrien with his stylus.
"No." Adrien put his foot down until his father's grip tightened on the stylus. He swallowed hard and stood up, walking over to his father.
"Nathalie?" Gabriel held his hand out for her to set the measuring tape in his hand.
He began to measure around Adrien's waist, finding it to be smaller than last time. Adrien stared at his father's stoic expression, hoping to see a smile.
"Is everything okay, father?" Adrien fidgeted his fingers and waited for some sort of response.
"You've lost weight, but you could stand to lose a bit more." Gabriel rolled the tape measure up and gestured for Adrien to sit back down.
"Yes, father." Adrien nodded as he looked down at the table.
Nathalie cleared her throat and kicked Adrien's shin beneath the table. He looked up at her and watched her pick up her purse. She discreetly put it into her lap and pulled something out of it. Adrien watched her arm slightly move and she nudged his shin again. He held his hand out, beneath the table, and felt around until his fingertips landed on a smooth rounded surface. He nodded to Nathalie as he wrapped his fingers around the bottle, trying to keep them from rattling. Adrien quickly slipped the bottle into his pocket with ease and swallowed hard.
"I'm trying everything in my power to get you out of this place." Gabriel tapped on his tablet and ignored Adrien's existence. "However, it seems to be hard to pull you out of this establishment. Dr. Fu is very persuasive and stubborn. It seems that I can't pull you out with money. I'm used to money solving everything, but it seems to fail me here. So, I want you to do something on your end."
Adrien's eyes grew wide as he heard his father's words. "What?"
"I want you to pretend to get better. Try harder than you did before. Your mother didn't pay for acting lessons for nothing. Lie. Do it. I have fashion week coming up and I need you there. And I don't want a broken son at that fashion event. Do you understand me?" Gabriel searched his son's gaze.
"Yes, father." Adrien nodded and hid in his hair.
"Alright, I have a show to get ready for. You do as I say. End this little stunt." Gabriel stood up and Nathalie followed him.
Nurse Bustier walked into the room once they left and found Adrien staring down at his hands in his lap. She walked up and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Are you ready? We have a new guest in group today. I was hoping that you could meet her."
Adrien nodded, but he didn't care about anyone else. This new girl meant nothing and the pills were burning in his pocket. They set his skin aflame and all he wanted to do was go to his room to hide them. His fingers itched to see what they were. His body longed to take them. To see the results faster than not eating or throwing up. Nurse Bustier stared at him and waited for him to get up.
"Are you okay? I know seeing your father is tough." Ms. Bustier tried to coax him to stand. "Marinette is waiting."
Adrien took a deep breath and nodded as he stood up. He wasn't even angry at his father anymore. He was just disappointed and depressed. He was past the anger and now he had moved on to pure sadness.
He stood up and pulled the hem of his shirt down to hide the bottle shape in his pocket. Nurse Bustier nodded and led him out of the visitation area. Adrien put his hands into his pockets and kept his head down. Each person around them, patient or nurse, felt like they were listening in on his thoughts. Each glance made him feel like they knew what was in his mind. Like he was broadcasting his ideas to the world. He felt like everyone knew that he had pills in his pocket. Everyone knew that he was about to fake his way to freedom. Each expression made him feel like the whole world knew everything about him. Like he was broadcasting himself to the world and it unsettled him. Paranoia crept up his throat and he swallowed hard to try and hold it back.
Adrien stepped into the room full of patients and watched as everyone turned to look at him. The sounds of whispers from still lips echoed around him as Plagg appeared with a snicker, swirling around his throat.
"Adrien. Nice of you to join us. Please sit." Adrien peered around the chairs and swallowed hard as he saw a seat open beside Marinette. Her expression seemed worried as she nibbled on her bottom lip. He nodded and walked to pull the chair out from beside her. He sat down and smiled for her, taking her hand in his. He gently squeezed it and she rested her head against his shoulder.
The girl on the other side of him nudged his arm as Dr. Fu began to speak. "Psst. Hey." Her voice came out in a stern whisper.
Adrien peered over at her and took in her short black bob cut and warm brown eyes. He looked at her baggy red shirt and plaid skirt. Her clothes looked too big for her and gave her away with ease. "Hey." Adrien whispered back and Marinette peered up at him.
"My name's Kagami. I'm new here." Kagami smiled at him and then glared at Marinette, who was busy cuddling his arm.
"And I care because?" Adrien raised an eyebrow at her.
Kagami shrugged and was interrupted by Dr. Fu calling on her.
"Why don't you take a turn telling us about what you would do to help this friend?" Dr. Fu held the situational card in his hand and waited for an answer.
Song I wrote to:
Taking You There by Broods