Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Adrien Agreste was on a mission: to be The Best Boyfriend™️ and be there for his girlfriend in her time of need. 

His only inhibitor? The big sign beside the nurse’s desk, its big, black letters taunting him. Those letters watched him closely, laughing at his every move. Adrien narrowed his eyes at it, rereading the words for the umpteenth time. 

Only family members are allowed inside the patients’ rooms.

What bullshit. 

When he’d gotten the message from Tom and Sabine that Marinette was injured, he dropped everything—literally, Kagami screamed at him for almost dropping his gym bag on her foot, telling him to be less absent-minded—and changed out of his fencing uniform as fast as he possibly could before making a mad dash to his car. 

His heart pounded as he tried to avoid the afternoon traffic, his fingers drumming impatiently against the steering wheel. At one point, Adrien considered ditching his car and making a run for it, but leaving it unattended in the middle of the road didn’t seem like the best idea. 

He passed the traffic in due time, one obstacle defeated in his quest to get to his lady, but now he had to conquer the true enemy at hand and show that stupid sign who was boss. 

He walked up to the reception desk confidently, cooly, popping the color of his jacket before he realized it looked stupid and flattened it again. He looked up at the receptionist, a tired, middle-aged lady who had her blonde hair thrown into a messy bun. She glanced up at him, her expression blank. 

“Hi,” Adrien said, waving awkwardly, his composure already slipping. What was he doing? He couldn’t possibly mess up this quickly. “I’m here to see a patient admitted today, Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” 

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she let out a disgruntled sigh. “Kid, read the sign. Family only.” 

“But I should be allowed to go in! I’m her fiancé, after all.” 

It was easy-peasy—all part of his plan to get past the sign. There was no way of proving that they were engaged other than a ring, and he could easily lie and say she took it off while dancing to not damage it, so it seemed like the perfect way to get inside Marinette’s hospital room. All he had to do was get past the receptionist, selling his lie as best as he could. 

“Well, that’s really strange considering her file says she’s still seventeen years old.” 

Oh, this lady was skeptical, but Adrien was still willing to hold his ground. “She wants a long engagement, of course. Getting married right now would be illegal.” 

The receptionist looked out, letting out a long breath. “Get lost, kid. You’re not family, so you’re not allowed inside. Your fiancée is perfectly fine, so leave, or I’m calling security.” 

Sighing, Adrien walked away, looking down. “Stupid signs,” he grumbled, sitting on the bench outside the hospital, too annoyed to care about the cold wind blowing past him. “Stupid rules. Stupid receptionist. Stupid French healthcare system.” 

He pulled his phone out of his back pocket, going back through his texts with Marinette’s mom. Marinette was in room 308, meaning she was on the third floor. There were no possible ways to get inside as a visitor other than going through the front door and up the steps. Yet, he couldn’t go that way, not as long as the reception lady was sitting there eyeing him. 

He had two options left: scale the wall, or punch himself in the face hard enough to get into the emergency room. 

The former sounded much more appealing. 

Adrien gulped, hoping his upper body strength would be enough to pull himself all the way up to the window on the third story. Then, he’d just have to walk through the hallways as nonchalantly as possible to not look suspicious, and finally, he could go see Marinette. That didn’t sound…entirely difficult. 

He stood up, walking toward the wall, hoping the divots in the brick would be enough for him to rest his feet on so he could climb up the wall. He looked up at it, taking in a deep gulp. Oh, the things he did for love. 

The theme music from Mission Impossible played on repeat in his head—Adrien even partially found himself humming along—using it as some sort of motivator to make his way up. After all, if he believed he was in an action movie, it would make this ten times less scary, right? 

“Adrien, son, what are you doing?” 

Adrien fell onto his back, landing on the grass. He looked up to see Marinette’s father standing there with a tray with four cups of coffee in his hands, a puzzled expression on his face. Adrien smiled sheepishly and let out a nervous laugh, not making any effort to get himself off the ground. “Trying to get to Marinette. They wouldn’t let me in.” 

Tom laughed slightly, but Adrien could see the way he fabricated his smile, masking the stress. He was worried about his daughter. “You do realize I could just let you in, right? It doesn’t matter if you’re family or not if I’m there with you.” 

“Oh.” Adrien blinked. “Right.” 

Tom offered his free hand, pulling Adrien up. “Surely your first alternative solution wasn’t scaling the wall, was it?” 

Adrien blushed and looked down. “There probably might’ve been better options.” 

Tom chuckled fondly and shook his head. “It’s sweet that you’re so concerned over her well-being. She was definitely wise to pick you as her boyfriend.” 

Adrien smiled. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be her boyfriend, Monsieur Dupain.” 

“Please, Adrien, you’ve been dating my daughter for two years. You can call me Tom. Now, come on.Let’s get you inside.” 

Marinette silently stared at the bandage around her knee, tears dried on her cheeks. 

Hospitals had never been her favorite. The blandness of the beige walls, the starkness of the white bedsheets, and the constant beeping of the monitors in the background of her thoughts. Thoughts like how could she let this happen and what was she going to do now? 

Don’t cry , she’d urged herself while the nurses examined her and her parents sat beside her hospital bed, wishing that nothing terrible had happened. She had to remain strong so it wouldn’t be as bad for her parents; they would hurt more if they saw that she was upset. Then, once she was alone, she finally let the tears flow. 

She wasn’t alone for very long. She looked up as she heard the door open, bracing herself for the sight of another doctor or her parents, but when she saw Adrien—hair disheveled, a worried look on his face, his clothes wrinkled—walk through the door, she relaxed, slouching against the headboard, shifting slightly so he could sit beside her. 

“Hey,” he said, rushing over to her. He looked utterly wrecked , and the sight of him made Marinette feel guilty and wonder how badly the news of her injury made him panic. “Sorry, it took so long for me to get here. They wouldn’t let me in because I wasn’t a family member.” He sat down beside her, letting out a huff of air. 

“Did you have to sneak in?” Marinette asked, feeling even more guilty. She didn’t want to be the reason for all his stress, even if that was hard to avoid considering she was currently sitting on a hospital bed with a bandage wrapped around her knee. 

He shook his head, looking away. “Um, that’s a long story that we probably shouldn’t discuss right now.” 

Marinette giggled at his awkwardness, wondering what exactly he’d done to try and get into her room in the first place. However, she wasn’t thinking about that much longer because he leaned back in, pressing a brief kiss to her cheek. “What happened to your knee, sweetheart?” 

Marinette sighed, her amusement quickly replaced by an overwhelming feeling of sadness and guilt. She messily wiped her eyes, trying not to let her tears flow again. “I was practicing my ballet routine for the competition I have next week, and I fell and my knee began to throb. It felt like… Like knives were stabbing into my skin or something like that. I don’t know. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t, so I ended up calling my instructor, and she called my parents, and…now, I’m here.” 

Adrien smiled sympathetically, but not the kind of pitiful smiles the nurses were giving her during her examinations. This one felt real, like it was wrapping her heart in a warm hug, lulling it gently, helping her calm down. He laid on the bed beside her, slinging an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. She laid her head on his shoulder, and tenderly, he petted her hair, detangling the strands that had been let down from the tight ponytail she wore while rehearsing. 

“So?” He continued, not pausing his ministrations. “What did the doctor say?” 

Marinette sighed, snuggling in closer to him, feeling the sweet aroma of his cologne—pinewood and rosewater—waft through her nose. In her mind, she replayed the doctor’s words, the worried faces of her parents taking center stage. She didn’t want to relive that again, so she squeezed her eyes shut, mumbling, “The doctor said I’m gonna need surgery.” Maybe, just maybe, if she didn’t say it loud enough, it wouldn’t be true. 

Before she knew it, she was crying again. She’d been so excited for this competition—a competition she’d been working toward for nearly a year—and it was only a week away. There was no way she’d recover from a surgery that quickly, not when she had to undergo physical therapy and ease herself back into ballet after the operation was completed. 

“What does he mean by surgery ? When I hurt my knee during my fencing tournament, I just needed some rest, and I was ready in, like, three days. Unless…” He sighed, his hand stilling in her hair. “Marinette, has your knee been bugging you at all lately? Not just today, but before that.” 

Marinette meekly opened her eyes, lips twisting into a shy, apologetic smile. Adrien understood what she was implying almost immediately as he furrowed his eyebrows and let out a groan. “ Mari …” 

“Look, I’m sorry for not saying anything before, but it never hurt this bad, and I thought it would go away after the competition. That’s when I’d stop exerting it, anyway.” 

“You know, that’s why this happened. Marinette, you’ve been working too hard trying to get your routine ready for the competition. Whenever you’re not at school or going out with me, you’re always in the studio, practicing.” He sighed, looking back down at her, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Whatever. There’s not much we can do about it, now.” 

A single tear rolled down Marinette’s cheek. “I’m so sorry.” 

He shushed her, rocking her in his arms to calm her down. “No, darling, you don’t need to be sorry at all. Just tell someone next time if something hurts, okay?” 

“Okay,” she whispered, her voice weak from unshed tears. She reached up, hastily wiping her eyes before the tears could fall. “I don’t want to miss the competition.” 

“I know, my love. I know how excited you were to perform, and I’m positive you would’ve done fantastically.” 

Marinette groaned. “How do you know for sure ?” 

He gave her a deadpan look, with one eyebrow raised and his lips pursed into a thin, straight line. “I’ve seen you rehearse enough times to know that you would’ve crushed the competition, but, if I’m being completely honest with you, I get why you practiced so much. I have to prepare a lot before a tournament.” 

“Yeah, except you never fuck up your knee and have to get surgery to fix it.” 

He frowned. “I hate to admit that you’re right.” 

“I do get what you’re trying to say, though, and you’re unbearably sweet, you know that?”

Adrien laughed. “I don’t know, I’d say you’re pretty sweet yourself. Here, I can taste test for myself just to prove it.” 

Before Marinette could figure out what he meant, he leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a chaste kiss that was much too short for her liking. They’d been together for two years, but he still somehow managed to leave her dazed with every kiss, even though he kissed her practically all the time. 

He pulled away with a cheeky grin.“See? You’re the sweetest.” 

“Well, I can’t argue with that logic.” She giggled, burying her face into the crook of his shoulder. For a moment, she wanted to curl into a ball on his lap, but the doctor had strictly advised her against bending her knee, meaning she was stuck cuddling into his side, her injured leg elevated on a pillow. Regardless, Marinette appreciated what she got, happy that she got to snuggle the pain away with the love of her life.

Most people thought it was insane that she considered her high school boyfriend the love of her life, but she knew that she and Adrien were forever and ever. Not every seventeen-year-old got to call their partner a soulmate, but then again, not every seventeen-year-old couple discussed marriage and futures together. The fact that Adrien came running—quite literally, she assumed—when he’d gotten the news of her injury only further solidified that thought in her mind. 

“Thank you for coming here to check on me.”

He chuckled, and Marinette felt his shoulders rise slightly against her head. “Come on, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t come?” he asked casually as if the simple notion wasn’t making Marinette’s heart do happy little backflips in her chest. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you more.” She tilted her head up slightly to press a kiss just below his jaw, where the stubbly remains of a neckbeard still scratched her lips as she kissed his skin. It was slightly irritating, but a price well worth paying as long as it was Adrien she was kissing. 

They stayed silent for a while, but for the first time since she’d checked in, Marinette didn’t mind the white noise of the hospital. Not when she was in Adrien’s arms, safe and sound, warm and loved. His presence didn’t heal her knee, but it most definitely put her heart at rest and assured her that everything was going to be okay. 

And that was all she needed.

Chapter Text

Adrien couldn’t focus on his homework. 

Marinette’s surgery was scheduled for later that day, and he’d asked Tom and Sabine for frequent updates as it was happening. He knew that there wouldn’t be anyone informing them about Marinette’s condition every few minutes, but, goddamnit , was it wrong for him to feel this anxious? 

When his mother was sick, she’d been in and out of operating rooms during his father’s desperate attempts to prolong her inevitable demise. Adrien had sat on countless uncomfortable waiting room chairs for hours on end, Nathalie and his father sitting anxiously beside him, their bodies stiff with worry and fear as they waited for the surgeon to come out with the news. Usually, the doctors were quite vague. 

“She’s stable,” they would say, “but only time will tell the effects of the surgery.” 

Time had told them. Time had practically screamed it to them. 

He knew Marinette wouldn’t meet the same fate. It was knee surgery ; logically, the worst thing that could happen was that she’d have to have assistance with walking for the rest of her life. Adrien didn’t let that comfort him by any means. He researched for hours about any possible complication that could occur during an operation, and practically bugged Tom and Sabine—they wouldn't admit it, but Adrien suspected they were at least a little bit annoyed with him—with his persistent questions. 

He was also never one to play into superstitions, but every night since Marinette first got admitted to the hospital, he sat in front of his mother’s picture, hoping Marinette would emerge in good condition and be back on her feet in no time. 

Seeing her the day she’d first gotten injured shattered him. He didn’t like seeing her so hopeless and upset because that wasn’t the Marinette who brightened his every day and night, the Marinette who made him feel happier than anyone ever had. If he could, he would’ve transferred all her pain to himself, knowing that it would be easier to carry the burdens than watching Marinette do so. Was he being overdramatic? Probably, but he also knew he’d do anything to make Marinette happy again. 

Adrien kept his eyes focused on his phone as he did his homework. Every time he heard it vibrate, he dropped his pencil, picking his phone up in hopes that it was a message from Tom or Sabine. Every time it wasn’t, Adrien’s shoulders would slump, and he’d return to his calculus homework, and after a few minutes of forgetting how to solve equations, he slammed his textbook shut, deciding to pace around his room instead.

Finally, after what felt like days of waiting, he got a short message from Sabine saying the surgery had gone well, Marinette would be held in the hospital overnight, and he was more than welcome to visit the bakery whenever he wanted once she was discharged. 

Adrien felt that slightest bit of tension ease in his back at the news, and he urged his racing heart to calm down. Marinette was fine. He was fine. He didn’t have to worry anymore. 

That was what kept him going until two days later when he was finally able to see her again. 

Marinette sighed as she sat on the chaise lounge in her bedroom, staring at her phone. There were photos all over her friends’ Instagram showing they attended the competition, holding flowers and bouquets with bright smiles on their makeup-lathered faces. She reached up, drying her tears for the umpteenth time that day, trying to figure out how to take her mind off the thing that seemed to be front and center, blocking everything else from view. 

She thought about it frequently. All the time, really. She couldn’t escape it no matter how hard she tried. She could’ve received newer, better opportunities as a result of this competition—she was currently in the midst of applying to universities, so an extra thing to add to her application certainly wouldn’t hurt. There were also scholarship opportunities she was missing out on, but above all, she was missing her chance to do something she loved most, and the bandages strapped around her knee were a constant reminder of that. 

Luckily, the surgery went smoothly, and the doctor said that, if she followed her physical therapy practices with discipline, she could be dancing again in a month or so. That was a lot of time to miss out on but had she waited any longer to address her injury, there was a possibility she might’ve never been able to dance again. Marinette would take that as a win, no matter how much it tore her apart inside. 

“Marinette?” A voice asked from the other side of her bedroom door— Adrien’s —followed by a brief, soft knock. The actions startled Marinette; she sat up the tiniest bit straighter and dried her tears with the heel of her palm, hoping her eyes weren’t noticeably red. “Can I come in?” 

Her heart skipped a beat at his question. Of course, Adrien had come to visit her because he was just that kind of boyfriend. He came over every night after school, bringing her homework and making sure she was feeling okay. He was doing so much for her since she got injured, and Marinette felt slightly guilty for it; she didn’t like it when people did so much for her while she was unable to do anything in return. 

“Yeah, sure,” she said, her voice coming out weak, making her cringe. Helplessness was such a strange feeling. It left her weak, and she hated that. There was always something to be done, a solution to any problem, but this time, she couldn’t find any solutions. Maybe she’d consult Adrien; after all, he had a knack for these kinds of things. 

Adrien opened the door, walking in with a plate of freshly-cut apples her mother had most definitely shoved into his hands. He looked the slightest bit more haggard than usual, with dark circles underneath his eyes and his hair slightly messy. He smiled as he sat down next to her, the kind of smile that didn’t make his eyes sparkle in utter delight, and immediately, the slight feeling of guilt that was already brewing in the pit of Marinette’s stomach grew slightly, making her feel a bit more sick. 

“Hey, Mari,” he said, giving her the plate of apple slices and leaning forward just enough to brush her hair back and press a kiss to her forehead. “How’re you feeling?” 

She groaned, picking up one of the slices and taking a bite out of it. She didn’t usually like talking with her mouth half full, but she was hungry and positive that Adrien wouldn’t mind. “Like shit.” 

He grimaced slightly. “Yeah, I saw Juleka and Rose’s posts about the competition. I’m sorry you couldn’t join them, Princess.” 

She simply shrugged and ate another piece. 

“How was physical therapy this morning?” 

She tilted her head. “Alright. What bugged me more was the chemistry homework you gave me today.” 

Adrien laughed, reaching up and rubbing his eyes. He gave her this tired, sleepy smile, something that simultaneously made her heart melt and break. “I can help you with that if you’d like.” 

“No, it’s okay. I’ll probably be able to focus better tomorrow.” She reached out, cupping his cheek and rubbing her thumb underneath his eye. “Why haven’t you been sleeping?” 

He poorly feigned a look of confusion, but Marinette had known him long enough to see right through his filter. When Adrien noticed she wasn’t convinced, he grimaced, slouching his shoulders and letting out a long, frustrated sigh. “That obvious?” 

“Adrien, we’ve known each other for years. If I wasn’t able to catch it instantly, I’d be disappointed in myself.” 

“Let’s ignore it for now, okay? Right now, I just want to make my Princess feel better.” 

Marinette didn’t want to ignore it. She knew Adrien often put the needs of others before his own, and often, it took endless nagging and badgering for him to focus on himself. Over the period they’d been dating, he’d become better at opening up, and Marinette was proud of him for that. Now, however, it seemed like it was falling back to his old patterns. Once he had his mind set on something, there would be no turning back, meaning Adrien wouldn’t focus on himself until he knew she was happy.

So, despite her better instincts, she nodded. He smiled, the dull twinkle in his eye, not doing much to ease her nerves. 

“Here, how about you go get ready, and I can take you out tonight?” He asked, getting up from his spot on the chaise beside her, picking up her crutches from where they were propped against the backrest. “We can go somewhere special together.” 

“Are you sure?” Marinette sat up straighter, taking the crutches from him, using them to help her stand up and rest all her weight on her good leg. “I don’t want you to—” 

He pressed a finger to her lips. “I’m not stretching myself, Marinette. I want to do this for you. I love you; you know that, right?” 

Marinette nodded, and he pulled away from her, helping her up. When her room was empty again, she let out a lovesick squeal, wondering how on Earth she’d been granted a boyfriend as amazing as him. 

“You must really like that ramen,” Adrien commented, laughing at how loudly Marinette slurped her soup at the opposite end of the table. He’d known that she would appreciate going to a ramen place for their date because after the last time they’d gone a few months prior, she wouldn’t stop raving about how much she loved it and wanted to return someday. He was glad the food seemed to make her just as happy the second time around. 

“I do!” She looked up with a wide grin, a noodle of ramen hanging from her bottom lip. Adrien couldn’t find it in himself to restrain a smile. Even though her cheeks were still slightly red and puffy from all the crying she’d done, her eyeliner was a little wobbly, and her hair kept falling onto her face despite how many times she’d pushed it back, Adrien couldn’t help but admit Marinette looked incredible. She looked happy—truly happy—for the first time since her injury, and Adrien felt glad he’d had a part in making that happen. 

She didn’t look as hopeless or upset anymore, and that was all that mattered. 

“I’m glad.” Adrien looked back at his own soup, using his chopsticks just the way Sabine had taught him to pick up the noodles. He couldn’t even lie if he wanted to; it was some of the best ramen he’d ever tasted. “Thank you for agreeing to come with me. I know you didn’t want to get out of your pajamas.” 

Marinette giggled slightly. “Thank you for asking me out. And honestly, I’d been meaning to wear this new dress for a while, and this gave me the perfect reason. Plus, it doesn’t bug my cast like the rest of my clothes.” She reached out across the table, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. Adrien’s heart swelled with joy, the sensation overtaking any sort of tiredness he’d felt before. He felt wide awake because of the jolts of electricity Marinette sent through him. 

Adrien stood from his chair, shifting it so he was sitting beside her instead of across. “There we go,” he said contentedly, moving his bowl closer to him. “So, what do you want to do after we’re done here? Dessert?” 

Marinette thought for a moment, swishing her spoon in her bowl. Then, she looked back up at Adrien with a radiant smile that made her heart melt. “Can we get Starbucks?” 

Adrien laughed a little bit. “Princess, you, when caffeinated after six p.m., is a dangerous thing. You’re going to be up all night, and you need to rest sufficiently in order for your injury to heal.” 

She groaned, playfully elbowing him in the ribs. “Ugh, Adrien, you’re my boyfriend, not my mom.” 

Adrien’s laughter only intensified. “I love you, I really do, but please, the last thing I want to deal with is a high Marinette.” 

“Hey, caffeine doesn’t make me high, just hyper. There’s a difference.” 

“Both are terrifying to deal with.” 

Marinette elbowed him again, but Adrien just pulled her closer, slinging his arm around her shoulders. She instantly relaxed under his touch, resting her head on his shoulder and hugging his arm. “Now that I’ve loosened you up,  tell me why you haven’t been sleeping.” 

Adrien stiffened, remembering all the nights he’d lie awake, thinking about his mom and Marinette. He’d go to her place after school, and he’d always be a wreck afterward because he hated seeing Marinette with the bandages on her knee, the expression of utter pain etched into her beautiful features. He’d cry, and he’d wonder why something like that would happen to her, and he’d wish that he could take away all her pain in a heartbeat. That wasn’t something he wanted to relive, not when he was feeling somewhat content for the shortest while. “Come on, I told you—” 

“You said to ignore it until I feel better, and now, I feel much better. What’s going on with you?” 

He averted her gaze, not wanting to see the worried look on her face. “Marinette, it’s no big deal. I promise. You’re coming back to school on Monday; let’s focus on that, okay?”

“Adrien—” 

“Please, Marinette.” He felt her grip on his arm slacken. “Can we drop this? I’m taking care of myself, promise.” 

“Okay,” she said quietly. “We can drop this.” 

Afraid he messed up their date, he looked back down at her, tipping her chin up. “I love you, you know that?” 

She was helpless to the small smile that spread across her lips. “I love you, too.” 

Adrien smiled back and kissed her forehead. Marinette continued finishing her food, and despite him wrapping up their conversation, his mind lingered on it unbidden. If he told Marinette the truth, she wouldn’t understand, he knew she wouldn’t. 

But he couldn’t let her get hurt. He couldn’t lose her like he lost his mother because she was the most important thing that had ever happened to him. And he’d do anything to protect her.

Chapter Text

“Careful there. Don’t want you getting hurt, now,” Adrien said, standing behind her as she used her crutches to walk through the crowded hallways. 

“Adrien, I’m fine, trust me.” Marinette huffed. Most of the time, she found it endearing that he was so protective—he was even holding her bag for her—but it started to get a bit annoying after countless inquiries of if she was okay or needed any help. She couldn’t really blame him, she supposed; he was just being an attentive, kind boyfriend, after all. “Besides, why are you here? Isn’t your class on the other side of the school?” 

He shrugged, smiling a bit. He still looked tired, his dark circles were even darker than the last time she’d seen him, which was the day before at school. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days, and Marinette was sure it wasn’t just because of his piling schoolwork. She was also sure that he hadn’t been taking care of himself the way he promised he was during their dinner date the Saturday prior. If she knew anyone, she knew her boyfriend; she could see right through his lies, even if she didn’t always tell him that. 

“Go to class, Adrien,” she said sternly, hating that she had to talk to him that way but knowing it was the only way he’d listen. “Look, my class is right there. I can manage the rest of the way on my own.” 

“Oh, okay.” He looked down, his face downcast, but she could see the subtle sadness in his expression. Feeling slightly guilty, she rested her crutches against the wall, balancing her weight on her uninjured leg so she could wrap him in a right hug. He wrapped his arms around her instantaneously, and she grinned, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, breathing in his pinewood cologne she loved so much. To everyone else, Marinette figured they looked like some annoying couple that couldn’t take their hands off one another, but she didn’t mind. It was important for Adrien to know how much she appreciated him, even if it did get slightly overbearing at times. 

She pulled back, grabbing her crutches again. “Thank you for everything, Adrien. You really are my knight in shining armor.” 

His frown turned into a smile that shined brighter than a thousand suns. “I’ll see you after class, okay?” 

“See you.” 

He handed her back her bag and dashed through the hallways to get to his class before the bell rang. Marinette giggled at his antics, but she did hope he wouldn’t have a tardy mark on his record—Adrien had perfect attendance, something he took great pride in, and she wouldn’t want that to be messed up on her account. 

Once he disappeared, Marinette crutched into class. 

Adrien ran into the classroom a moment after the bell rang, quickly sitting down in his chair. The teacher narrowed her eyes at him, and Adrien chuckled sheepishly, keeping his head down as he got out his books and the teacher started her lesson. He’d just barely made it, and truth be told, escorting Marinette to all her classes and carrying her books for her was a lot harder than he thought. Not when he was running faster than the entire track team in order to get to his classes on time and stay on his teachers’ good sides. Normally, he’d been running on a thin line of luck.

He barely paid attention during class, his attention turned to Marinette. Was she okay? Was he knee bugging her? Was she able to focus properly? 

Adrien shook his head, waving out the negative thoughts. It had been two weeks since her surgery. Her recovery was going well because she ate all her medication and did all the physical therapy she needed to. She wouldn’t end up the same way his mother did, regardless of how much he worried about that. He needed to calm down. 

Besides, the exhaustion was beginning to wear on him. Normally, he got a full eight hours of sleep while Marinette would only survive off of five or six, but now, the tables had turned. He was up, giving in to his anxious thoughts while Marinette was sleeping extra to let her leg heal. That was ironic, he thought. 

Soon enough, the class passed and he dashed back through the halls, finding Marinette crutching out of the hallway her class was in so she could go down to the library during her free period. When they’d found out they had the same free period, it was a dream come true, mostly because Adrien loved spending that hour with her every day—it helped for when their schedules were particularly overloaded and they couldn’t see each other outside of school. As far as Adrien knew, he’d never seen Marinette as constantly as he had since she got injured—even if they were simply getting their work done in complete silence. Call him clingy, but he simply just loved spending time with his girlfriend. 

“Hi,” she said, looking up to see him. 

“Hey.” He smiled, his heart warming merely by the sight of her. “We’re going to the library today?” 

She nodded. “Yep. I’ve knocked out my makeup tests earlier this week, but I do have a test in math later today, so I gotta study for that.” 

He grabbed her hand, running his thumb over his knuckles. “Sounds good. Let’s go.” 

One thing he hated about Marinette’s crutches was that he couldn’t hold her hand while walking down the hallways. It was a small action, but one he missed, along with the way she’d lean on his shoulder whenever she was tired. 

They walked to the library, finding a table far away from all the others, so they would be undisturbed. Marinette pulled out her math textbook and notebook and immediately began trying out practice problems, while Adrien got out his physics homework for the night. 

After doing a couple problems, his eyes fluttered short on their own accord, and his head lolled to the side, landing on Marinette’s shoulder. He yawned, pressing his hand over his lips as he straightened himself again, his vision turning fuzzy and his mind muddled, moving at the pace of a snail. 

“Okay, that’s the third time you’ve yawned in the last ten minutes,” Marinette said, setting down her pencil. “Are you okay? Legitimately? Because you’ve looked tired all week, and you refuse to tell me what’s been happening.” Adrien opened his mouth to speak, but Marinette cut him off, scowling. “You keep telling me you’re fine and I shouldn’t worry, but I am worried. You don’t have to tell me everything if you don’t want to. I just need to know if you’re really okay.” 

Adrien looked down, picking up his pencil, but Marinette grabbed it from him. He continued to stare down at the paper, thoughts rushing through his muddled mind. She was right, after all. He was her boyfriend; he couldn’t keep hiding things from her. He took a deep breath, whispering, “I’ve been worried. About you.” 

She put a hand on his shoulder. “Oh, Adrien, I’m okay now. I’ll be around and moving again without my crutches in a couple of weeks, and I feel better about missing the dance tournament now. There’ll be others I can dance in once the doctor says I can dance again.” 

“No, I know, but like…when you told me you were hurt, I was worried. I knew I had to be by your side. I didn’t tell you this, but I literally had to lie about being your fiancé to get in when they wouldn’t let me. And they didn’t believe that, I literally tried to scale a wall .” 

Marinette giggled, and Adrien smiled too, finding the memory equal parts embarrassing and amusing. 

“I was so focused on getting to you that I completely forgot I could’ve just texted your parents and had them let me in. Thank goodness your dad was there, or I would’ve actually climbed up to your room. The point is, I panicked, catastrophizing the degree of an injury I’d heard nothing about because I was scared . And then when I found out you needed surgery… Mari, I didn’t sleep that night, or the night after, or the night of your surgery, and the days I did sleep, it was restless.” 

“Why, Adrien?” 

Adrien looked up at Marinette, sighing. “Mother went through surgeries to cure her disease, so many of them that I eventually lost count, and they still couldn’t save her. It was disproportionate and severely stretched, but I…” 

Marinette cupped his cheek, pressing a soothing kiss to the tip of his nose since she was too short to reach his forehead. Warm fuzzies spread through Adrien’s chest, easing some of the tension out of his shoulders. 

“You did everything to take care of me, Adrien, and I love that about you. I appreciate how much you did to make me feel better, but you should’ve said something earlier. I could’ve helped you .” Marinette glanced behind herself, smiling. “Okay, get up.” 

Adrien blinked twice, watching Marinette gather her belongings. “Where are we going?” 

She winked. “Just follow me.” 

Marinette crutched over to a couch with a table in front of it, sitting herself down. Adrien sat beside her, but when he tried to pull out his things again, Marinette grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled his head into her lap. Adrien nearly purred as she ran her fingers through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp, making his eyes flutter shut. “You get to spend free period taking a nap.” She leaned forward, pressing a kiss to his hair. “You deserve it.” 

Adrien smiled, slowly falling asleep, warm in Marinette’s arms.