"I'm happy that it's you. I just wish…"

And the darkness swallows him then.

I just wish we'd had one more moment.

~.~.~.~.~

Adrien can almost feel his body buoy up from the dream, slowly opening his eyes. Small droplets continue to tink softly against the glass of the windows, lulling in the dark. Glancing at the rain now, his wound aches and he can feel the rain on his face again.

Plagg is curled up into a small spot on his pillow, eyes closed and letting out the softest of purrs. With a smile, Adrien scratches at his ears with a finger.

He'd been dreaming of that moment for the past couple of nights now and couldn't stop thinking of how it had almost been his last. Slipping his hand under the blankets, his fingers gingerly slide over the bandages around his stomach. He was well on his way to healing but if he moved too quickly or sneezed wrong, spikes of pain still managed to make him double over or seize up. He was under severe house arrest, from his father and from his Lady.

Tink tink. Tink. The soft off-rhythmic sound made his heart swell a little and he eagerly looked to his window. Just as he'd hoped, framed in a halo of rain, his Lady was gently wrapping on the glass.

Gingerly, but quickly, Adrien shuffled out of his bed and reached for the latch. Unfortunately, that was the extent of his physical capabilities— the last thing he wanted was to rip any stitches. Ladybug was able to do the rest and pushed the window open the rest of the way, briefly letting in a cool gust of air and the sound of the rain.

"Hold on," Adrien smiled warmly and went to fetch a towel. When he came back to the room, the rain was muffled once more and Marinette was pulling out the bands in her hair to brush out the wet strands with her fingers. He noticed Tikki quietly drifting to join Plagg who'd barely moved, but he could see scooting over to snuggle properly.

"Here," With a cheeky grin, he looped the towel over her head, burying her. With a ruffle, she poked her face out but returned a soft smile and gently pat her hair dry.

"Thanks. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No, the rain woke me up. Or maybe I just knew you were coming." He teased at her bashful smile. After all, she'd visited around this time every night since he'd been home for the last couple of days.

Adrien sank back down onto his bed, trying to suppress the flinch as he bent, and gingerly stretched himself out again. He patted the spot beside him and only after a moment's hesitation did Marinette set down the towel and quietly join his side.

For a couple of minutes, only the sound of the rain hitting glass filled the air. Adrien felt a ghostly touch at his bandages.

"How are you feeling?" Marinette said quietly.

"Better. Just a little sore." Adrien reached down the grab her hand, bringing it up to rest his lips against the knuckle. In the dim light, Adrien could still see the red dusting her face.

"Still not moving around too much right?" She said. "Everyone misses you at school. Chloe won't stop crying about it."

"She's just being dramatic." Adrien chuckled. But his heart warmed at the thought of his classmates. After he'd woken up in the hospital, they'd visited him regularly and Marinette was keeping him up-to-date in the meantime. "I'm seriously ready to go back to school. Or really just to get out of the house. Maybe for a stroll. Or we could even do a quick patrol if we're slow about it…?"

He side-eyed her, hopeful, but Marinette's face had gone deadpan.

"Absolutely not." She said, propping herself up with her arms. "You're barely fit for walking around, let alone jumping across roofs in the rain no less. Plus, I've told you that there's been no activity— Hawkmoth's been really quiet for the past two weeks."

"But I'm going stir crazy!" Adrien groaned, flipping around to face-plant into his pillow miserably. It had been a long shot anyways. "My father's barely even let me leave the room. If I try, Natalie or my bodyguard is always there to stop me."

"I am sorry about that. Has your father been any better?" She said, beginning to gently card her fingers through his hair.

Adrien shook his head, enjoying the feeling. "No. He seems really shaken, even though he won't say anything. I haven't even seen much of him. He's come to visit me a couple of times, but every time he sees the bandages he just gets this… look on his face. I can't really describe it. It's like," He struggles for words. "This weird pained look. Like guilt. I don't know."

"Well that makes sense. He's your father. He loves you."

"Yeah I guess," Adrien mumbles. "But I just want to go outside."

"He just wants to protect you from getting hurt anymore. And maybe… maybe he blames himself."

Marinette's voice cracks and her fingers still. Adrien feels his heart clench and peeks at her in concern.

"I just… we just don't want to see you get hurt again." The words were thick with emotion. He could hear the tears she was trying to hold back.

"Hey… come here." He said gently and welcomed her into his arms. Her hair was still a little damp, but it felt cool and smelled like the rain as he rested his cheek on her head. He could feel her trembling a little and pulled up the covers around them.

"It's okay. I'm okay. This wasn't your fault. I'm okay." He cooed over her, stroking her head. They rested like that for a while and he held her until most of the trembling had stopped. But she didn't pull away, only readjusting so she could look at him properly. With a delicate, wavering touch, she cupped his face, searching his eyes with fervor. Her eyes swam.

"I can't stop seeing you in that moment– there was so much blood. And then the colors…it was like the color of the world was bleeding away too and I was helpless. I couldn't do anything."

She buried her head against him, and his shirt became damp. "I had always hoped… but to know. And then to lose the colors. I can't do that again. Never again."

He didn't know what the right words to say were, so he just held her.

"You know, green was the first color I ever saw," She said abruptly. "In my Moment."

He remained quiet, but searched her eyes curiously.

"I was really young, but I can still see it so vividly. It had been such a normal day, until it wasn't." She took a shaky breath. "I remember the way the sun caught your eyes— and my world was changed. You were with your parents and I hadn't realized what happened. You were gone before you could see me." She trailed off quietly. Adrien barely breathed, chest tight. "And for a long time, I thought I would never find you. And then I saw you in class and something inside me recognized you and I hoped so badly… but I overheard your conversation with Nino."

The memory came to Adrien sharply. "I… I told him that I started seeing color the day before." And that you had already seen color for years. "That was the day when I ran into Ladybug."

"Yeah. What a pair we make. But you know," She chuckled wetly and here her eyes shone with a sparkle that took his breath away. "That day… I fell in love with you anyways."

He could see her again, a different memory in the rain. She was staring at him with wide eyes… she was peeking at him from under his umbrella. She had laughed and smiled.

He felt his own eyes shimmer and squeezed her tight despite the protest of pain.

"Marinette, I thought I was broken." Adrien whispered. "When I found out that you already saw color, I thought I was supposed to be alone. That I had no one. After losing my mom, and, then because of that, even my dad… it felt like I was destined to lose everything. But I remember that day in the rain… I was able to smile because of you. You made me happy. And now I realize that something inside me must've known because I loved you anyways. Nothing could stop me from loving you."

She clutched on to him as if to keep him from slipping away. "After… after everything had gone black and white again, I thought you were gone. Really gone. And I was left behind. But I remember looking around, feeling lost and hopeless until I saw something. It was tiny… so tiny, I probably would've missed it except that it was like a beacon in the dark. There was a tiny crack across the street and it, I could see a little plant. And it was green. I remember holding you, but staring at it so hard, waiting for the color to go away. It flickered, but it didn't. It stayed. And I had hope again."

"I'm sorry. I never wanted you to through that."

"Yes." Marinette said. "And it won't happen again because I'll protect you. I swear."

"And I, you." He said softly.

"You're not allowed to do anything like that ever again. Promise me."

"I can't promise something that you wouldn't either." He said. She couldn't respond to that.

"Then at least, promise me this Adrien." She said and looked at him once more. "No matter what happens… don't leave me behind. We're partners. What we do, we do together."

Adrien smiled. "I can promise that. As long as we're together, we'll always win. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah." She smiled back then and it touched her eyes. Then she leaned closer and he closed his eyes. When her lips reached his, he melted against her and held her. It was chaste and sweet and when she drew back, he knocked his forehead gently against hers. This was their promise to each other.

And then he kissed her again. And again.

He knew she couldn't stay for much longer— she'd have to go back home soon, but for now he would hold on tight. As long as they were together… everything would be okay. They weren't alone. And this wasn't the end. She would come the night after and after that. And then when he recovered, she'd be there and they'd be together leaping through the Parisian sky once more.

She would be there for him… now, and every moment after.