little me, little you, little us, big world

It's spring in Paris. There are tourists puddling around outside, but not as many as there would be in the summer. The skies are cloudy and the air has a bit of bite to it, but it's only April. The warmth will come with the later months. Winter hadn't been particularly cold either, so it isn't like there is much of a temperature change.

Marinette wipes down another table and carefully carries her bin of cups behind the counter. Mylène, one of her coworkers, relieves her of the dishes and lets Marinette go back to waitressing. There is an older couple sitting close to the window holding hands and Marinette smiles. They are regulars that have been coming for years. She takes their orders with a smile and relays them to Alix and Alya in the back brightly.

The bell above the door dings softly and a young man walks in. He looks uncomfortable, but Marinette's breath catches. He is gorgeous. He has softly tousled golden hair and bright green eyes. He slides into a table in the far corner of the café, away from most of the other guests.

Marinette cautiously approaches him. She smiles. "Welcome to the Kwami Café. What can I get for you today?"

The man looks surprised at their quick service, but he smiles warily. "A cappuccino please."

Marinette nods and turns to leave. She relays his order to Nino, the barista, and finds herself watching the guy. Alix practically punches her to get her attention and Marinette's cheeks flush. She takes the tray of pastries and tea to the older couple and escapes the weird looks from her coworkers.

Nino passes Marinette the mystery man's drink and she makes her way back to his table. Even though she's not trying to snoop, she sees that he is working hard at something. She clears her throat gently to get his attention and he looks at her. She hands him his cappuccino with her signature smile, but when his lips twist into one of his own, she melts a little.

Marinette practically flees into the back and Alya gives her a weird look. Marinette groans. "Al, he's gorgeous. I'm also making a fool of myself."

Her friend laughs. "Oh Marinette, I'm sure you're worrying over nothing."

She glares at the redhead. "Alya, what if I'm really screwing up something good here?"

Alya places a hand on Marinette's shoulder. "Look Mari, we all know you're a romantic, but honestly girl, don't stress too much. If it's supposed to happen, it will. Right now you should just focus on doing your job and paying your bills. Design school isn't cheap darling."

Marinette nods slowly. "Thanks Alya," she says softly.

"Now get out of the back! We've both got work to do," Alya reminds her, shooing her away.

The gorgeous guy is still there, but this time Marinette avoids him and focuses on the other customers. Her shift passes, slowly but surely, and he doesn't leave. He appears to have gotten more stressed in the time he's been sitting at his table in the corner. Marinette is worried. Her friends often make jokes about her being a mama bear, but she is a very compassionate person.

She approaches him with a small plate of macaroons. She brings green tea and chocolate flavoured ones because they are the most popular. When she sets the small plate down in front of him, his eyes dart to her in confusion. Before he can argue that he didn't order them, Marinette holds her hands up.

"Don't worry. This is on the house. Don't get down on yourself okay?"

Her words are pleasant and friendly, and the worry on his face eases. He thanks her and she walks away. When he leaves, thirty minutes later, the macaroons are gone, but he has placed a napkin on top of the empty plate. Marinette picks it up curiously and notices that there is something written on it.

He has drawn a tiny black cat and written, 'The macaroons were very good. I must say, I do purr-fer the chocolate though.' Marinette puts a hand over her lips to prevent the giggle from spilling out. The joke isn't anything major, but it brightens her day and she remembers his vivid green eyes.

The next time he visits is just two days later. He looks more comfortable, but not one hundred percent sure of himself. He orders a cappuccino and two chocolate macaroons. Marinette can't help but to smile. Nino asks her if she's been bit by the love-bug, and Marinette just rolls her eyes at him because the barista is so in love with Alya it's not even funny.

When she's cleaning his table after he left again, he's left her another napkin. There's another cat, this one is sleeping, and another cute message. This one reads: 'Whoever makes these macaroons has some serious tail-ent.' The joke falls flat of the last one, but it's still adorable.

Marinette's gorgeous mystery guy soon becomes a frequent customer. He becomes friendly with Nino and Rose, the other waitress, and has tried many other types of macaroons, but he always comes back to the chocolate one. With each visit, he leaves a message behind for Marinette: a cat accompanied by a silly pun or joke.

Rose picked up one of the slips of paper and read it once. Marinette turned pink as her friend just smiled. The other waitress hasn't been anywhere near the guy's table since, always letting Marinette deal with him. The Chinese-French girl is secretly pleased with the fact, but she denies it to all her coworkers.

Two months after he started coming, and it is summer. There are more people now, but Marinette always spares him a smile and he continues to leave his little notes. She is serving the elderly couple by the window one day, when he arrives. She lifts her head and smiles at him and he gives her a little wave.

She is on her way to take his order, which she could probably guess at this point, when the café door bangs open aggressively. Marinette sighs. She knows who this is. Chloé Bourgeois, the mayor's daughter, storms in, followed by her lackey, Sabrina. Chloé is only in Paris in the summer so the rest of the year is a break for the café staff. But, it is June and Chloé is back.

Marinette flashes her blonde mystery guy an apologetic look as she changes course to Chloé and Sabrina's table. He just shrugs and smiles. Chloé orders some ridiculously expensive and complicated soy drink and claims it is for her diet. Sabrina just gets water. Nino nearly strangles Chloé for her order, but he makes it flawlessly.

After she serves the high-maintenance girl, she finally has the chance to serve the handsome man. He orders his usual cappuccino and gets a chocolate and a raspberry macaroon today. Marinette takes his order with a smile. Nino has already made his drink by the time Marinette goes to him and she is touched.

Chloé calls Marinette over, her voice obnoxiously loud and drawing the attention of several other customers. Marinette trudges over, dreading the complaints about how her drink isn't perfect. Instead, Chloé is watching Marinette's friend, a wicked smirk curving on her lips.

"What's his name? He's extraordinarily handsome. Someone like him belongs with someone like me." Chloé says.

Marinette wants to slap her. The young man is polite and friendly and deserves someone much, much better than Chloé Bourgeois. But, Tikki wouldn't be pleased at her for hitting a customer so Marinette simply replies that she doesn't know his name. Chloé is upset at this, but she gets up at saunters across the café towards him, swinging her hips in a ridiculous fashion.

She wipes a nearby table down as an excuse to try and listen in on their conversation, but truthfully, there isn't much of a conversation. He shuts her down politely and makes it very clear he's not interested in dating her, even though she is the mayor's daughter. Chloé huffs and storms back over to Sabrina and Marinette nearly loses herself giggling.

The note for that day reads: 'Not quite sure what you found so hiss-terical today. Going out with Chloé would be seriously claw-ful.'

Marinette gets a good laugh out of that one. She takes each of them home and puts them in a box full of his little notes. Since he always seems to make cat jokes and accompanies them with a picture of a black cat, Marinette has nicknamed him Chat Noir.

Somewhere along the way, he has started calling her Princess. She's not sure when it started, but the nickname is sweet and flattering and Marinette just smiles whenever he uses it. Marinette's coworkers say he's flirting, but she doesn't believe them. Alya, Nino and Rose are the only ones who know about the notes, but they're the three biggest supporters.

Tikki, the owner of the café stops in one day. Marinette is dealing with Chloé when she arrives, so she doesn't really notice. Chloé constantly tries to flirt with Chat Noir, but he always shuts her down. That day, Marinette is almost out of patience with Chloé, so when the opportunity to serve Chat Noir comes up, she takes it gladly. He orders his usual, cappuccino with two macaroons.

When Marinette goes on break, after Chat Noir has left, Tikki finds her.

"Marinette," her boss starts, "that boy is in love with you darling."

Marinette looks at Tikki. The older woman is pretty. Her age hasn't taken that from her, even though wrinkles are starting to appear around her eyes. They're smile lines though, and those are the best kind of wrinkles.

"Rose and Alya told me about the notes. It reminds me a lot of Plagg and I when we were younger, you know." Tikki sits next to Marinette at a table in the back corner. "He used to leave me flowers in places where he knew I would find them along with sweet little messages. You know where that led us, darling."

Marinette blushes. Tikki and Plagg, her husband, have been married a long time. The café is their pride and joy and they treat each of their employees like family. "Tikki, I don't even know his real name."

Her boss clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth. "Do you work Tuesday darling?" Marinette thinks briefly. It is Sunday. She doesn't work this Monday or Tuesday so she shakes her head. Tikki smiles widely. "Come in on Tuesday. Sit with him. Hold a real conversation. I think you'll see that you two will have a lot in common."

Marinette gives her boss a funny look. "Tikki, how could you possibly know that?"

The older woman just smiles and winks.

Marinette does come in on Tuesday at around the time that Chat Noir usually comes in. He's sitting at his usual table, holding a pleasant conversation with Rose. Marinette approaches and he notices her. He smiles brightly and suddenly she feels self-conscious. She's no longer in her work uniform, rather in a sundress that she designed herself for school.

"Marinette!" Rose greets warmly. "What are you doing here? You don't work today."

Marinette glances past her friend at Chat Noir. "I guess I just couldn't stay away. I had some time and this place is very fur-miliar and cozy."

The cat pun comes off a little hesitantly, but he catches it. His smile widens and Marinette suddenly feels less self-conscious. Rose looks between the two with a sparkle in her eye and darts away. Chat invites her to sit down and she does. Marinette knits her fingers together almost nervously. The beautiful boy just winks at her, green eyes twinkling.

"How are you today?"

"Me? I'm absolutely purr-fect. How about you Princess?"

When he makes a pun in person, Marinette giggles. He grins. "I'm doing well."

His eyebrows knit unexpectedly. "Oh my god, I just realized I have literally never introduced myself to you. I'm Adrien, Adrien Agreste."

He extends a hand across the table for her to shake. She finally has a real name to put to Chat Noir's face. Adrien. It suits him, she decides. She takes his hand and smiles shyly. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng, though you already knew that."

They talk about the café for a while and Marinette explains the dynamic between her coworkers. Juleka and Rose are a couple, Nino and Alya are crushing mutually, Kim and Alix and Nathanaël are in some weird love triangle thing, Mylène's boyfriend Ivan is a regular customer, and Tikki and Plagg are married and treat everyone like family. Adrien listens attentively and laughs in all the right places. Marinette decides that she likes his laugh.

They talk about school. Marinette tells him about her designing and the work she does. Adrien is impressed and compliments the design and style of her dress. He explains that he is in Applied Sciences because he likes Physics, but his courses are incredibly stressful and difficult. Marinette frowns at that.

Adrien waves off her concern and tells her that the day she first brought him macaroons he had been studying for his exams. He had been super stressed, but her smile and her kindness really helped him relax. He ended up doing extremely well on that final in the end too.

That is not the last time Marinette sits with Adrien Agreste. She continues to serve him when she's on shift and makes time in her day to visit him when she's not. He continues to leave her notes through the summer and eventually Marinette's box is almost overflowing. They exchange cellphone numbers along the way and his name gets the cat emoji in her phone, which Adrien finds endlessly amusing.

It is a day in September when everything starts to go wrong. Marinette is working. The café is far less crowded than in the summer and Chloé is gone; that in itself is a huge relief. She doesn't think any different of the day as it goes on, but she slowly realizes that something is wrong.

Adrien has not texted her today announcing his intentions to come to the café like he usually does. In fact, he has not texted or replied to any of her texts in almost a week. Marinette worries, but she tries to hide it. When Nino and Alya ask, she claims that it must be because classes are starting up. He's in his last year this year so everything will be hard.

Marinette tells herself that he'll be there tomorrow and that she has nothing to worry about.

Adrien Agreste does not come back to the café for nearly three weeks. He has stopped replying to messages on his phone and his voicemail box is full. Marinette feels a little ridiculous. She is acting like a clingy girlfriend, but they're only friends. Her only comfort is that Nino has called him several times too.

She continues working and going to classes, but she is worried. She loves being friends with him and she hopes she has done nothing to dissuade their friendship. Marinette cannot remember saying anything insulting or weird. Everything had been normal.

It is exactly three weeks after his mysterious disappearance that he texts her back. He explained that he was out of the country for family business and profusely apologizes for not letting her know before hand and letting her worry. He also says that he won't be back to the café for at least another week because he has so much work to catch up on.

Marinette sends him a friendly text in return, accompanied by a cat emoji and a silly pun. She is relieved. Adrien is okay and they are still friends.

When he comes back to the café, Marinette almost doesn't recognize him. He has lost weight and he looks very tired. His hair appears thinner too and his green eyes are not as vibrant as usual. Marinette waves to Rose to ask her to cover for her as she pulls out the chair across from her friend. Despite his exhausted appearance, his smile is the same: wide and bright.

Marinette attributes his change to stress. She and the others chip in that day to pay for his bill and Adrien seems a little taken aback. Marinette just winks at him and walks away to wait on another table. When he leaves, there is a napkin with a pun and cat drawing left behind for her. Marinette slides it into the pocket of her apron with a smile.

The smile doesn't disappear for the rest of the day.

Adrien continues to come to Kwami Café, but he always appears exhausted. One time he nearly falls asleep while working on some Calculus. Another time, his hand shakes and he breaks a cup. He is horrified and Marinette rushes over to clean it up, waving off his concern.

Marinette has seen other strange signs too. His appetite has changed: he eats only one macaroon these days and usually won't even finish it. He sometimes uses the restroom and comes back wearing more cologne than he was before.

The day she finds out is horrible. It is pouring rain out and it is October. Adrien ducks inside the café at usual time, umbrella in hand. Marinette only glimpses him briefly from the back when he arrives, so she does not notice right away. It is only when she is bringing him his cappuccino and macaroon does she notice the hat.

He is wearing a knit beanie. It is grey and stylish, but Marinette has never seen Adrien cover up his hair. She sets the coffee down in front of him and smiles. Adrien's smile for once is less than full. He looks more exhausted than she has ever seen him. Marinette pulls out a chair without another word and sits down.

"Adrien, are you alright? You look downright exhausted." She asks carefully, concern evident in her tone.

He gives her another weak smile, but she is not buying it. "There are some things I need to talk to you about Marinette."

The way he says it makes her nervous and she bites her tongue. "What's with the hat?" she asks suddenly, unable to suppress her curiosity.

Adrien's hand touches the beanie lightly and his brow furrows. "That's part of what I want to explain." He slowly pulls it off and Marinette has to inhale.

His hair is gone. The beautiful golden hair that Marinette always associated with him is completely gone. He has shaven his head and Marinette wants to cry. He is still Adrien, but she can tell by his expression that he is uncomfortable and she knows.

"Adrien, why?" she asks in genuine shock.

He gently leans across the table and takes her hand. His grip is not strong. His skin is pale and not for the first time, Marinette notices how thin he is. "I don't really know how to explain this." His voice is tight and she knows he is struggling.

But then, everything clicks. Hair thinning to baldness, weight loss, pale skin, a decrease or change in appetite, constant exhaustion; Adrien has cancer.

She feels tears prick at her eyes. She swipes at them desperately. Adrien is tracing her face with his own green eyes. She squeezes his hand softly and he glances down. Marinette notices Nino and Alya having a hushed conversation at the counter, glancing in their direction every once in a while. They're as surprised at Adrien's baldness as Marinette was.

She musters a smile for Adrien before she dashes over to her friend, thrusting her apron into Alya's hands. Her friend doesn't even complain and Nino just nods. They know what needs to be done and they're willing to cover for her. Marinette's heart swells for her friends and she glances back towards Adrien. Alya quietly passed Marinette her coat.

He is watching her almost curiously. She makes her way back over to him and gestures for the door with her head. Adrien slides his hat back on and follows her to the door of the café. She grabs his umbrella and they step outside. It's still raining and Marinette slides the umbrella open.

They step under it and walk quietly along the street. The Seine is just to their left and Adrien guides her towards it. Even with the rain falling around them, Marinette finds walking with him peaceful. She only wishes that it came under better circumstances.

"I found out in August," Adrien murmurs. His eyes are fixed in the river and Marinette's lock onto his face. "I wasn't really out of the country, I was receiving chemo. It makes me weak and sick and I barely have any energy." He tilts his chin up a little. "I didn't want you to see me like that."

"Adrien," Marinette's voice is soft. She slides her fingers into his reassuringly. He recuperates her grip thankfully. "Where is it?" She forces out quietly.

"Brain," he spits out bitterly. "It's too close to the brain stem to operate. They hoped chemo would help, but it's not."

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

He sighs. "I know."

They walk in silence for another couple minutes before Marinette thinks of something. "Adrien, how can you afford this?"

"My father pays for it. As much as we didn't get along when I was younger, he's my father." He explains.

Chemotherapy is expensive. His father would only be able to afford it if he had money. Marinette suddenly feels like she's been hit in the head with a sledgehammer. Adrien's last name is Agreste. Gabriel Agreste is one of the most popular fashion designers in the industry. Adrien has grown up, but Marinette can clearly see that he is still the same boy who modeled for his father when he was young.

"Your father is Gabriel Agreste isn't it?" She asks quietly.

Adrien scratches the back of his neck. "Yes. Please don't be upset, I just wanted to be seen as my own person not a product of my father."

Marinette giggles. "I'm not mad. I am a little embarrassed that you let me prattle on about my designs when you have definitely seen better."

Adrien squeezes her hand reassuringly. Marinette's cheeks flush when she realizes that he hasn't let go. "Princess, I wasn't lying when I said that your designs were incredible. Accept the compliment, okay? Cat's honour."

Marinette giggles. "What is it with you and cats anyways?"

Adrien shrugs, a small smile tilting the corners of his mouth. "I didn't have many friends as a kid, but I had this super lazy black cat. He was a glutton, but I loved him a lot."

Marinette smiles. Her smile wavers when she remembers the seriousness of their previous discussion. "Are you going to be okay?"

Adrien's eyes click away from her face to the Seine. "Life expectancy gets lower each time I visit the doctor."

"Is there nothing you can do?" Marinette's chest aches. He doesn't deserve this. Adrien pauses and Marinette almost stumbles. "Adrien?" She prods gently.

"There's a drug trial," he admits. "I've been accepted into it."

Marinette frowns. "There's always a but, isn't there?"

"It's extremely high risk. I don't know if it's worth it."

Marinette stops walking and leans against the damp stone railing. "What does it entail?"

Adrien leans next to her. He looks tired, but his eyes are brighter than they were. "No more chemo, which is nice, but there's another drug. I don't know all the details. Apparently it's painful, but it doesn't drain me like chemo does. It's probably the only shot I've got."

"Take it," Marinette says firmly. "Your life, your future, is worth fighting for. Don't give up and resign yourself to this. You mean something to people, Adrien. You mean something to me."

He looks at her and there's an almost a moment where she thinks he might kiss her, but instead he just wraps his arms around her and hugs her. She almost drops the umbrella that is over them, but managed to adjust her arms so she can hug him back.

"Be a fighter Adrien," she whispers in his ear. He squeezes her a little tighter.

Adrien bursts into the café three days later. Marinette is wiping down a table and she drops the cloth in surprise. He looks the same, but happier. He walks over to Marinette and grins. She straightens up and smiles at him. Before either of them can say anything, Alya clears her throat.

The entire staff is standing there, Alya and Nino up front. Marinette is not the only one who got close to Adrien. Most of her coworkers have also become friends with him. Alya steps forward and hands Adrien a card. He blinks in surprise, but accepts it.

The gesture is very sweet. It wishes him luck with his treatment and tells him to keep fighting. Each worker had signed it, including Marinette. She smiles brightly at Adrien. He has on the largest smile she's seen on his face since he was diagnosed. He thanks them and the sincerity is his voice is almost palpable.

The staff then rushes off back to work, leaving the waitress alone with the son of the fashion designer. Adrien's smile doesn't waver. "I'm off chemo. First treatment is tomorrow."

Marinette's own smile widens.

Adrien gets better. Through the fall, his hair grows back and his strength returns. His hair isn't as long as it used to be, but it's getting there. He makes time every day for conditioning to try and improve his stamina, but he still gets tired occasionally. Marinette cuts more time out of her schedule to spend with him and they grow even closer.

The treatment is working. The tumor has shrunk and it looks like it's going to disappear. Everyone is ecstatic. The new drugs cause pain when he takes them and for a little while after that, but Adrien is willing to do it. He's fighting for himself, for his future, for his friends and for Marinette.

Marinette doesn't know when exactly, but she's started to feel more fidgety and nervous around Adrien. Part of the reason comes from the fact that his green eyes have regained their spark and he's almost back to being the person he was when he walked through the café in April.

It is December now and things are starting to look up. Adrien finds himself dragged by Marinette to the staff Christmas party. Nino and Alya have finally started dating and Marinette won't stop teasing them. Alya turns it around and teases her and Adrien, but the remarks go right over both of their heads.

The café is closed, but the staff is gathered around, eating and drinking and laughing. Marinette does her very best to make Adrien feel at home, but it's really not that hard. He's made friends with most of them already and Tikki and Plagg officially dub him part of the family.

Marinette and Nino get challenged to see who can make more drinks faster and make them look better. Even though she's not a barista, Marinette knows what she's doing. As they work, she keeps getting distracted by Adrien and the sparkle in his eyes and the fact he's cheering for her. In the end, Nino wins, but they attribute that to him getting more practice.

As the party is wrapping up, Marinette hugs Alya and Rose good-bye. Alix and Kim wave and leave together, but they both avoid hugs. Nino, Alya, Rose, and Juleka all depart around the same time. Nathanaël ducks out quietly and Tikki and Plagg retreat into the back room. Marinette and Adrien are left alone and they find a seat at one of the tables.

Marinette finds them a small plate of macaroons: chocolate for him and the fruity ones for her. They eat and laugh and talk about holiday traditions. Marinette eventually pulls the gift she made for him out of her bag. Adrien is touched and opens it with haste. He puts on her scarf made from soft blue wool as soon as he can and thanks her profusely.

When he passes Marinette her gift, she is suspicious. She opens it and burst out laughing. It's a cheap t-shirt that says, 'Cat jokes are purr-fectly acceptable around here. Check meow-t!' Marinette balls it up and chucks it at his face. Adrien just laughs and hands it back. He then passes her a small box with her real gift. It is a pair of tiny black earrings, but the studs are white gold and the gems shine. They are gorgeous.

Marinette thanks him. Adrien simply offers her his arm as they get up and asks if she'd like to go for a walk along the Seine. She smiles and as they're about to leave, Tikki clears her throat. Marinette's boss is standing just behind the counter looking at the two expectantly. They both look up and see the mistletoe.

Marinette rolls her eyes and pecks Adrien's cheek. They both flush, but Marinette pulls him out the door before Tikki can argue that a kiss on the cheek doesn't count.

Another few months pass and Adrien is really getting better. One day in April, Adrien doesn't come to the café, but he texts Marinette an address. Curiosity gets the better of her and she ventures out to find it during her break. To her surprise, the address is for a tattoo parlor. Adrien is standing outside and the grin on his face is enough to make her wonder.

"Adrien, what are you doing here? And why did you text me this address?"

"Because," he says dramatically, "I'm getting a tattoo today and I think you should to."

She blinks in surprise and Adrien drags her inside. The tattoo artist is a sassy young lady, but her sample work is elegant and everything is very clean. Adrien explains that he wants a small black circle with a green pawprint inside of it on his right wrist. Marinette giggles and knows it is because of the cats.

When he glances at her, she knows that she does want one too. She decides on a red circle with five black dots like a ladybug in the same spot. They get them done rather quickly and get a lecture on how to treat them. Adrien drags them out of there with a smirk on his face.

He explains that his father hates tattoos, but since he has cancer, he's pulling a fast one to get one. Marinette rolls her eyes, but she accepts the stupidity of her friend and punches him in the arm. Adrien just grins.

"Why today?" Marinette asks as they stroll back towards Kwami Café.

"Come on Princess, did you forget? Exactly one year ago was the first time I went to the café and left you your first cat joke. Pretty claw-some huh?"

She punches him again, but a smile slides onto her face.

In May, Adrien is stressed again. His finals are just around the corner and Marinette knows he's been working very hard. He's started skipping out on coming to see her in order to study and she doesn't blame him. Lately he's been bringing a file folder to his table and whenever she approaches him, he tucks it out of view. She's suspicious, but says nothing.

In June, he comes around even less. Part of it is due to the fact that Chloé is back again and still trying to flirt with him. But, on Marinette's birthday, he doesn't come and she is hurt. He sends her a funny message, but she's still disappointed. He says he has a doctor's appointment. Marinette asks if everything is okay and Adrien just replies with a smiley face.

As she's nearing the end of her shift, Adrien arrives. He has a large bouquet of flowers for her and they are orchids, her favourite. He apologizes for his lateness and blames his indecisiveness between orchids and carnations for it. Marinette just laughs and pulls him in for a hug.

They go out for dinner and end up walking side-by-side along the Seine again, Marinette still holding onto her flowers. She tells him that it is one of her favourite birthdays ever. Adrien asks if he can make it even better.

When he kisses her on the bridge she can almost feel herself melting through her shoes.

Despite pestering from Alya and Rose and Nino, they don't enter a relationship. They barely talk about the kiss, but Marinette treasures the memory. They do spend more and more time together outside of café and maybe they really should put a label on their relationship, but they're happy with what they have, so it's not that important.

On July 14th, Adrien takes her to the park under the Eiffel Tower and they celebrate Bastille Day together. He buys her a ridiculous looking stuffed animal. Of all things, it is a ladybug. He says it's because of her tattoo. Marinette buys him a pair of cat ears for payback and he wears them for the rest of the evening.

As the fireworks light up the sky above the Seine again, Marinette smiles brightly. She catches Adrien staring at her with reverence, but he also looks sad. As soon as he sees that she has caught him staring, his expression changes as a mischievous smile crosses his face.

July twenty-ninth is the day that Marinette's world falls apart. Adrien is in the café again and she is working. She is serving the same elderly couple she was when he first came in and she catches his eye. He winks and she smiles. Then she turns back to her table and keeps working.

A crash from behind her has her spinning around in a panic. Adrien has fallen out of his chair and his cup has shattered. Marinette drops her notebook and sprints to his side, eyes wide in panic. He is unconscious and she lifts his head gently into her lap, brushing away shattered ceramics. She presses shaking fingers into his neck to feel for a pulse and finds a weak one.

"Alya!" Marinette screams in a panic.

Nino touches her shoulder and she looks. Alya is already on the phone with the emergency line and help is on the way. They hear sirens out front, and Adrien stirs. He weakly finds Marinette's hand and takes it in his own. She squeezes it tightly, confused and worried.

The ambulance is there and Adrien is being taken away. When his fingers are pried from hers, she sees him struggle against the EMR. Marinette cannot bring herself to move from her spot on the floor. Rose and Alya help her up and sit her down in a chair. They ask if she knew what happened and all Marinette can do is shake her head mutely.

Tikki comes out from the back, brow creased and lips pursed. She pulls Marinette to her feet and guides her to her car. Tikki drives them to the hospital. Marinette regains feeling partway there and her hands nervously knit in her lap. She has no idea what happened with Adrien and her worry threatens to overwhelm her.

They arrive at the hospital and Marinette practically sprints inside. At first, the desk clerk is reluctant to tell her where Adrien is, but Marinette calls herself his girlfriend and then she is told that he is the east wing, room 32. She hurries there and sees him lying blankly on the sheets.

She burst inside and he looks at her. He looks sad and Marinette feels a sadness in her chest at his expression. The nurse in the room glances between the two of them before she leaves quietly. Marinette approaches his bed and sinks into the chair on his right. The heart monitor beeps quietly and steadily, but Marinette feels anything but steady.

"What happened?" She demands. Her voice is clearly worried and she nearly chokes on the words. Adrien looks away and says nothing. "Adrien!" She almost shouts. Tears prick in the corners of her eyes. "Adrien, what happened?"

"May," he mumbles. "It came back in May. That's why I stopped coming for a while in May and June. They told me it came back more aggressively that before. There was nothing that chemo or my drug trial could do to help me. They said one month in May and two weeks in June. I got almost three months because of you. I fought it for you."

Now there is nothing Marinette can do but cry. Adrien looks up at her sadly and she feels her heart break. This boy captured her heart somewhere along the way and she took his in return. Marinette reaches for his hand and he entwines their fingers.

"I'm so sorry Marinette. I should have told you the moment I found out. I shouldn't have kissed you. It only made everything harder."

"Please, shut up." She snaps. "It did make things harder, but that doesn't matter because they would have been hard anyways. You're my friend Adrien, and I, I-"

"Don't!" He cuts her off sharply. His eyes are closed and he looks upset. "Don't say it. Don't make me feel worse than I already do. I love you Marinette, please don't say it back. That only makes everything hurt more."

"Not fair," she whispers. "Why can you say it to me? Do you have any idea how much that hurts?"

"I know."

His voice is so broken and her heart breaks even more. She rests her head down on the bed by their joined hands and Adrien brushes his other hand through her hair. Marinette brings her right hand up to brush his tattoo against her own. What they have is beautiful and bright and wonderful and someone is now coming along to rip him away.

She lifts her head, but leaves her hands with his. "How long?"

He doesn't answer, but he doesn't need to. His expression is pained and she knows they have only days. A tear slides down his cheek and she brushes it away. His free hand catches hers and they hold both their hands together.

"The world is a very big place, isn't it Princess?" Adrien murmurs softly.

"We're very little," she agrees sadly.

"Don't let your world get smaller okay Princess? You and I may be little, what we have may be as tiny as a grain of sand, but your smile makes miracles happen. It's meow-raculous." Adrien looks her right in the eyes.

Marinette hiccups sadly and pulls a hand out of his to wipe at her eyes. "You stupid, stupid cat."

Adrien Agreste dies on August 5th. Marinette is with him everyday until the day he leaves.

Three days after he dies, Marinette gets another tattoo. This one is on her left wrist. It reads: 'The world is as infinite as you believe it can be'.

At his funeral, she cries. She is not alone. Alya and Rose and Nino and Nathanaël and Tikki cry too. People come and go up to the headstone, but Marinette stands unmoving. Friends touch her shoulder or her, but she doesn't move. She waits until everyone has left before she places her flowers. They are not lilies like many have left, but variegated carnations. She also leaves a single red rose.

Lastly, before she walks away, she pulls out the box. She has made a copy of each and every note, but she leaves the originals in the black shoebox on the earth in front of his grave.

Scrawled on the top in white cursive is her last message for him. "Rest peacefully in this big, big world mon chaton."

Author's Note: So I don't really know where this came from. It's a café AU with a cancer AU and it's fluffy and angsty. Listened to Meghan Trainor's "Like I'm Gonna Lose You" almost the entire time writing it. It's also long. Oops.

-Nicole