A/N: Well hello my lovelies :D I hope you're all having a good new year so far! I certainly am and am not considering that there's some more weird ghost shit happening in my house but oh well. It is what it is. This country is haunted as fuck anyways. I wrote this drabble soooooo long ago and it was meant to be a stand-alone oneshot but I just couldn't be bothered to write more and extend it, letting the doc collect dust as time went by. So I'm posting it here as it is. ENJOY.

"Alone, tomorrow, let's secretly meet
Up on the hill where small birds are buried
Some day, when I hold your hand in the cold morning mist
And the seal of the shining road will be broken
Forever"

光る道 (The Shining Road) - Aya Hiroshige

Pairing - Adrinette

Prompt - 'Hands'

~(x)~

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Every single hair on the back of his neck stood up with backhanded pain from the sight of his beloved good friend's face grimacing in agony, the girl twisting her wrists and making them crack each time she twirled the appendages. Instead of receiving at least a semblance of relief, she only seemed to have fuelled the aching fire that spread through her fingers and arms, her digits continuing to cramp and her thumbs refusing to move on their own accord. Adrien was already aware of the constant pain she was in, often having Alya on her case to rest her hands or gritting her teeth in discomfort when she thought no one was looking.

But little did she know that he was always watching, always worried and always so concerned for her. He knows that when Marinette gets into the zone, especially when designing or working on projects or even class president stuff, she always forgets about the state of her hands and has learned to ignore the pain for a good while.

However, this kind of mindset will only damage her hands permanently in the future and that's the last thing his talented, wonderful, amazing friend deserved after everything she's done for everyone else (especially when she's never asked for anything in return). He's even witnessed his acquaintances in both piano and fencing lessons learning the brutal consequences the hard way and the horrific injuries they sustained because of the lack of self-care.

He never wants Marinette to experience those kinds of things, ever.

So Adrien didn't think twice when he strode across the courtyard (with a curious Nino hot on his heels) and then gently grasped one of Marinette's sore hands with his own. All patience was thrown out of the window and the blond refused to let her run away from him or even let her go through her standardised, flustered word soup, eyeing her with tight lips and furrowed brows throughout the whole time.

"I'm sorry, but I can't bear to see you in so much pain right now. Come with me and let me help with that." He requested firmly (though he really wasn't going to take a no for an answer; her health and future were at stake here after all). Beckoning her to follow him, Adrien led Marinette to a nearby bench, paying no mind to the inquisitive Alya and Nino who tagged along and stood behind the bench when their best friends took a seat. "You've been spending hours and hours on a daily basis using your hands for all sorts of things and I assume you don't regularly do any hand stretches or exercises, correct?" Her sheepish expression was all the answer he needed and he couldn't stop the anxious sigh he let out. "Marinette...you need to learn to look after yourself properly...or at least let your friends help you out,"

"I didn't mean to...you know? I often just forget..." She looked like an adorable pouty kitten but then her hands began to throb and burn anew, her eyes now closed tight and her lips a thin line of pain. He didn't waste any more time, bringing both of her hands to him and then he began to massage the base of her wrists using the pads of his thumbs in small circles. His heart broke from the quiet whimpers and hisses of distress that escaped her mouth, her shoulders hunched tight and her lips wobbling. "It'll hurt a lot at first but then it'll feel much better, I promise," He added gently, shuffling closer towards her, hoping their proximity would soothe her nerves too (just like how her presence never fails to keep his heart light and make everything around them seem a little more colourful).

"It's fine...it's fine...you're good." Marinette managed to offer a small smile but he wasn't blind to how wet her baby blue eyes were and how rouge her face was becoming. He hoped he hadn't aggravated her soreness but it was near impossible considering that he performs these exercises on his own hands every day, practically making him a professional even if Plagg were to argue otherwise.

"Let me know if it gets any worse and I'll try a different technique," He smiled warmly and then requested for Alya and Nino to grab some ice bags from the nurse's office (and hopefully give them some privacy too because the cheeky smiles they were trying to hide was way too obvious). "Okay, can you stretch your fingers? Wiggle your thumb?"

When she showed some struggle trying to move her digits, Adrien began to massage the lower corners of her palms, where the base of her thumb bone was and his fingers would move up one joint at a time before moving to the next finger. He was relieved to see her shoulders loosening and the alleviation becoming more and more prominent on her features. Her lashes were fluttered shut and her perfect rosy lips were slightly parted, making his throat dry up and his heart hasten up its pace. It's not like he's never noticed that she's beautiful...but seeing her like this? So at peace and so zen because of his ministrations? It made his chest swell with an indescribable emotion and he wanted to just lean in even closer so that he could indulge himself with the sweet, warm scent of the spiced vanilla that always lingered in her pretty hair and on her cute clothes—

He shouldn't let himself get too distracted.

She was putting all of her trust in him and he is determined to give her the best results possible. Yet, every delighted sigh and pleased breath she let out continued to stir his heart and make his own hands tremble. Though his hands were much larger and longer and calloused, her smaller, softer and pinpricked pair remained steady in his grip, as if they were a perfect match.

Adrien hoped that he could do this more often.

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"How do you feel now?" The 'ma Princesse' went unsaid on his tongue but the mischievousness and amused twinkle in his eyes remained, his smile widening when she flexed her hands in his with awe and her lips parting in a kissable 'o'. "Is there any more pain? Or any other parts that are sore? I have plenty of ways to make them feel better." (Like keeping her hands entwined with his own for the rest of the day, until they part for home-time.)

"This feels so much better now...you're a lifesaver, Adrien!" She was all pink bubbles and excitement, all the energy back to her tiny body where it belongs and her eyes full of glitter and life. "Thank you so much! I don't know how to repay you for this! You're literally so...so magical!" The way she breathed out her last sentence and looked at him with that...that look? It took all of Adrien's restraints to stop himself from lunging forward and finally, finally gain another kiss from Marinette Dupain-Cheng where no wax statues were involved or any cameras for a school film. To get a bite of that sweet macaron flavour and the taste of her lips branded to his own once more in a manner where he could savour it for much longer and in better spirits too.

'I'd love a kiss on the lips or two if you want to repay me. Maybe go to that new café that had just opened across the road with me for some coffee and hold my hand forever.' Adrien almost blurted out but thankfully, he had some control over his mouth.

"You can start by wearing your wrist braces more often and doing the hand stretches and exercises you're meant to do, Marinette. But if not, I'm more than happy to do this for you every day. Whenever you want me to." He felt his bashfulness creep up inside him and seep out, his thumbs sweetly rubbing comforting circles in her palms and before he knew it, his heart acted on its own accord. "I forgot one last thing."

Just as Marinette was about to question what he meant, Adrien brought her hands to his mouth and his lips puckered against the inside of her wrists with soft, soft butterfly kisses. His emerald greens watched her intensely as his lips continued to trail all over her hands until they reached the tips of her fingers, letting his warm, dewy lips linger on her sweet skin. He hoped, hoped that he didn't freak her out too much, that she relished and savoured the intimate touches just as he did. That she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

Luck was on his side today because not only did Marinette snap out of her entranced stupor, but she also took a leap of faith and loosely tangled her fingers with his, averting her brilliant blues for a second before meeting his gaze once more with courage and bravery.

"I'd...I'd love it if you were to do this more often..." Though she stammered a little, her quiet, shy voice was easily picked up by the eager boy and he couldn't help but smile so wonderfully at her. He pressed another kiss to their entangled fingers, his face and cheeks just as red as hers throughout and the glee he felt in his tight chest was so unreal.

"The hand massages? Or the hand kisses?" He couldn't help but tease, heartily laughing when she squealed in protest and tried to hide her face with her hands, forgetting that they were currently interlocked with his own. The force caused him to propel forward even closer, their faces a mere breath apart. Adrien couldn't register anything else that happened around them, hyper-focused on the girl before him and the way her pretty pink lips looked more appetising than ever, testing his will. Marinette peered at him under her long lashes, unable to take another breath and trapped under his worshipping gaze. Taking another dose of courage, she brought their entwined hands to her mouth and brushed his fingers with the softness of her lips, all whilst watching him with those hypnotic blue eyes of hers. Adrien could have sworn that he died right there and then and was currently residing in one of the seven heavens.

"Both...both would be nice,"

And he was a goner.

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~(x)~

A/N: if u don't comment I will send my ghost at ur house.