"But…" Marinette placed her finger on his lips and pushed him back from her. "You only talked about me, as Ladybug. Not as Marinette." She left him in the bedroom to get bandages for his second degree burns and to get distance between them.
She clutched her head, realizing that his words were probably more due to him being injured than truth. He was stuck in her being Ladybug, not Marinette. She wasn't Ladybug. She always separated the two. She wanted to hear him spill his adoration for her not just her alter ego.
Marinette cleared her throat and walked into the bedroom and placed bandages on his burns. "You should get some rest. I'll sleep somewhere else."
"Hey, Marinette? Are you still awake?" Alya knocked on her bedroom door.
"Shit." She threw a pillow at Adrien and he cringed at the pain of it hitting him in the head. She covered her mouth and mouthed sorry.
Adrien got up and weakly slipped onto the floor, behind the bed. She cringed and opened her door.
"Yes?" Marinette fixed her hair.
"Did I just hear Adrien?" Alya looked around her bedroom.
"Um… no." Marinette cleared her throat and rocked back and forth on her heels.
"I swear I heard him." Alya pouted and looked behind Marinette.
"Oh, right. I was watching an interview of his." Marinette smiled.
Adrien listened and rolled his eyes with a scoff. He winced and touched his forehead. His head was still spinning.
"Oh. Well, I couldn't sleep, so I was going to go watch another movie. Wanna join me?" Alya pointed to the living room with her thumb.
Marinette fake yawned. "No thank you… I'm really tired after everything that happened today."
"I'm so sorry, Mari. It'll get better. You'll figure it out, eventually." Alya smiled at her best friend and left her in her room alone.
Adrien pulled himself up and rested his folded arms on the bed, as soon as, the door shut. "An interview?" He raised an eyebrow at her and winced with one eye closed. His knuckles turned white from making fists with his hands.
"What else am I supposed to say?" Marinette glared at him.
Adrien sat back on her bed with a sigh. He leaned back on his hands. "What's wrong?"
"Want the honest answer?" Marinette bit her bottom lip.
"You know I always want an honest answer, Mari." Adrien was unamused.
Marinette sighed and rubbed one of her temples.
"Would it help if I was someone else?" He held up his finger with his silver ring.
Marinette rolled her eyes. "It's still you."
"Fair point." Adrien smirked at her and tapped his foot.
"I just-" Marinette didn't know how to say what she wanted to say.
"You still have feelings for Luka." Adrien sighed and picked at her bed spread.
"It's not just that… You say you love me… and I believe you, but all you did was gush about Ladybug…" Marinette sat on the bed with a sigh. "I know your heads not in the best shape right now, but…"
"Look, Mari." Adrien groaned and positioned himself in front of her and took her hands in his. "Marinette is not a separate person. Much like Chat isn't a separate person. YOU make the hero, not the other way around. If you want to know when I fell in love with you? As in, Mari? It was in the rain when my umbrella collapsed on you. It was the cutest thing, ever. Ever since you got mad at me and blamed me for the gum incident… It ate at me." Adrien chuckled. "I actually went to Nino for advice, right before I followed you outside."
Marinette looked at him in shock. "You did what?"
"I kind of couldn't really handle you mad at me. You were different than the other girls. I knew I had to have you." Adrien blushed and looked her in the eyes. "Understand? Marinette is just as beautiful, as Ladybug. If not, more attractive." He brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "She's also super talented, funny, caring, and will do anything to help someone out. I admire that about you." He smiled warmly at her.
"What about Kagami? You seemed to be enjoying her." Marinette pouted her lips and looked down at her lap.
Adrien smirked and touched her chin with his finger and thumb and brought her face up, so that her blue bell eyes were at the same level as his emerald ones. "Bugaboo… I was watching you the whole time. All of that panting, moaning, and all of my expressions were caused by you and directed at you. I stopped her from touching me. She just wanted to get a rise out of you."
"That's still not nice." Marinette gave him a disapproving look and he laughed.
"Even when you're angry, you're cute." Adrien chuckled with a blush.
"Besides… did I make her a candlelit dinner with roses on a rooftop overlooking Paris?" Adrien winked at her with a Chat-like grin and Marinette smirked at him. "Because… when I took Mari there… it was to impress her too."
Marinette's lips parted and her eyes went wide. "You mean because your dinner plans fell through with Ladybug." She tried to correct him.
"No, no… it was definitely to impress you too." Adrien chuckled and looked at her ceiling with a smile.
"Did you want to go to a hospital?" Marinette cleared her throat and changed the subject. She really didn't want to think about Kagami, at the moment.
Adrien touched his head and felt the back of his neck and winced. "I probably should. It would make it easier to explain what happened to my father."
Marinette nodded. "I'll take you there, via Ladybug."
"Don't you mean, you'll take me by Ladybug Express?" Adrien smiled at her and leaned into her and she groaned.
"Not helping…" Marinette groaned. "Tikki, spots on."
The doctor walked into the hospital room with a tablet.
"You're very lucky." He sat in a chair in front of the hospital bed. "You only got 2nd degree burns from that akuma attack. They should heal with some time. Just make sure you change the bandages and clean them gently. Don't let the bandages get wet and watch for infection." The doctor looked over Adrien's neck.
Marinette stared at his burns. She finally was able to focus on them. It was a thin line that ran right below his hairline and it was raised and red. His flesh peeled away from it and it was bubbled up in a series of blisters. The one on his cheek was small and red. She took in how the back of his hair was slightly singed and burnt at the edges with hints of black peppered through it.
"What about scarring because my work doesn't allow for that?" Adrien leaned his head down more, while the doctor placed bandages over the burns because some of the blisters had burst.
"Scarring should be minimal. Nothing a little makeup can't fix." The doctor finished placing the bandages on him and sat back down. "Now, let's talk about your concussion."
Adrien sighed and Marinette took his hand and rubbed the back of his knuckles with her thumb.
He shined a light in his eyes, made him follow his finger with just his eyes, had him stand up and walk in a straight line. "Hold your arms straight out and don't let me push your arms down." He pushed on each one and Adrien was able to stand his ground. "Good, stand on one foot."
Adrien slightly fell over and Marinette caught him by his arm.
"Hm..." The doctor tapped on the tablet to add information. "Alright, What's your last name?"
"Agreste." Adrien answered easily.
"What's your job?" The doctor looked at him with his leg crossed over the other in his chair.
"I model for the fashion brand, Gabriel." Adrien sighed. He hated saying that.
"What's your mother's name?" The doctor asked and Adrien's chest tightened.
Marinette looked at him and worried her bottom lip.
"We can move on.." The doctor noticed how uncomfortable the two got.
"No, no." Adrien cleared his throat. "It's Emilie. Emilie Agreste."
Marinette touched his back and he tried to not think about her.
"Well, other than your balance being off… you seem to be okay, but we're gonna go ahead and order a CT scan. So, hang tight." The doctor nodded and left out of the room.
Adrien sighed and leaned back on his hands in his hospital gown. "I hate this."
A knock came to the door.
"May I come in?" Gabriel's voice came through the door.
"Yes, father." Adrien spoke and adjusted his gown.
Gabriel rushed in and wrapped his arms around him. He touched his jaw and looked his son over. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, father." Adrien slumped, clearly irritated by his father babying him.
"What about the scarring?" Gabriel looked into his son's eyes.
"They say it'll be minimal." Adrien rolled his eyes.
Marinette watched his father look him over like any worried father would.
"Hello, Monsieur Agreste." Marinette waved at him with an awkward smile.
"How did the cafe job go?" Gabriel smiled at her and winked.
Adrien looked between them and his mouth fell open. "You- What?!"
"Did Madame Bellamy treat you well?" Gabriel wanted to hear all of the details from Marinette.
"She was… interesting." Marinette smiled and brushed hair behind her ear.
Adrien was still in shock. "Wait! Someone explain this to me!"
"Well… when Marinette said you were going out to dinner with Kagami, which I do approve of… She comes from a famous, well known, strong family, but… I had to do something to help Marinette, here." Gabriel smiled warmly at her and Adrien looked over at her.
"I thought you planned it all out." Adrien was still in shock.
"I did. But when I found out your father owned the cafe and I brought it up… he kind of decided to help out." Marinette shrugged and smiled at Adrien.
"I don't like that Luka guy touching my son's things." Gabriel suddenly had a darker expression. "Much like I don't like other women touching my son."
Adrien sighed. "I know… only the best woman will do for the Agrestes…" He rolled his eyes at his father.
"No. Only ONE will do for you. And she's my star designer." Gabriel flashed a smile at Marinette. "Although, I can't see why you haven't chosen my son yet. You two have been going in circles since you were both thirteen. Don't deny it. I've seen it on both of your faces. It should be easy with how perfect Adrien is. He really is something to behold."
Adrien looked away and clenched his teeth in anger.
"He is something." Marinette agreed with a smile.
"I guess I find it a little irritating that he isn't enough for you, when he is for so many other women in the world. My son could grab any woman he chooses… yet he seems stuck on you. Yet you aren't on him. I have a hard time understanding that." Gabriel held his hands behind his back.
"It's... complicated." Marinette sighed and her phone buzzed.
She looked at her phone to see it was Luka.
Luka: Hey, where have you guys been? I hope you two are okay after the akuma attack.
Marinette looked it over and worried her bottom lip, before responding.
Marinette: Adrien got caught in the crossfire and we're at the hospital right now. He is about to get a CT scan, but they're pretty sure he is okay.
Luka: Which hospital? I'm getting my shoes on.
Marinette rubbed her temples and told him where he could find them.
"Care to explain?" Gabriel looked the two over.
"Not really… Is that an option here?" Marinette cringed up at Adrien's father.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow at her.
"Look, I love my job. I love your son. More than you both know. I just- I'm confused. I don't want to ruin the friendship we have, while I know it could get stronger through being with him fully." Marinette admitted. "But a part of me is still attached to Luka. I want to be able to give all of my attention to Adrien, because he deserves it more than anyone. But I can't do that when Luka is still a part of me too."
Adrien looked over at her in shock and then at his father, who was taken aback. Part of Gabriel knew she had directed that hit at him.
"Monsieur Agreste? We're ready to wheel you back." A nurse came in to take him to the CT Scan. "I'll bring him back shortly."
"Merci." Gabriel and Marinette spoke in unison.