Ch. 2. His dreams

For Adrien, real life was something that happened between dreams. He'd always felt more comfortable in his dreamscapes, where nothing could harm him as reality did. It was a sweet escape from all the cruelty and the stifling uptightness, which seemed to follow him constantly in real life.

It wasn't as bad as first, when he had his mother beside him, but when she disappeared, reality was becoming more and more hard to bear with. The real world was gloomy and cold and greyish, while his dreams were wild, colourful and full of joy.

It wasn't always like this, though. Sometimes those dreams became nightmares that got him waking in the middle of the night screaming, and that haunted him until dawn. However, it was a risk he was willing to pay.

One of the most recurrent nightmares were of that day. He remembered the bittersweet smile on his mother's face before the door closed behind her, and no matter how much he screamed, she wouldn't come back. Those were the worst ones, and left him trembling in his sheets for hours.

Despite his nightmares, though, he was growing more and more detached to the real world as time went by. His father was getting colder, Chloe, his only friend, went from being a slightly demanding girl to an utterly spoiled brat. And Nathalie did her best, but there was so much she could do. She only was his father's assistant, and she had to obey his every command. There was even a time where he'd spent all his free time closed up in his room, sleeping, and he'd only wake up when he was needed.

His routine changed slightly when he met Nino, his best friend. He'd been a contestant on a TV show, and he was challenged to make his father dance to the rhythm of his music. There's no need to say he failed, but he'd picked up Adrien's interest. His music was really good, after all, and he seemed like a nice guy, so, determined to know the guy, she stole his contact info from Nathalie's PDA, and called him once he got to his room.

What he didn't remember was that he was… socially unexperienced, to say the least, and when Nino picked up the phone, he'd been totally lost on what to say.

To say the call had been awkward was an understatement. Nino, upon learning exactly who was calling, immediately jumped to conclusions, and thought that Adrien was calling to mock him, something far from the truth. However, they got around in the end; Adrien managed to compliment his music, Nino managed to apologize, but instead of falling into uncomfortable silences then, the conversation flowed smoothly from there.

That was how Adrien made his first Genuine Best Friend™. He began spending less time sleeping, and more time enjoying the little freedom he got. Nevertheless, although it was nice having Nino as a friend in real life, there was so much he could do; and he still loved to return to his dreaming at night.

And then, he met her.

With hair as dark as midnight sky and her cheeks covered in soft brown constellations, she was the epitome of sweetness. It was the first time he bumped into someone in a dream (someone who wasn't his mother in his nightmares, of course), so to see the sleeping girl beside him had surprised him.

He looked at her closely, maybe too close to be polite, but the curiosity won over his chivalrous thoughts. That was a dream, after all.

When she opened her eyes, the wind was knocked out of his chest. He had never seen eyes so blue in his life. She looked down at him curiously – wait, why down? – and touched his ear, hesitant but curious.

"Are you… a cat?"

He looked down, dumbfounded, and god, he was! He had tiny paws, and a long tail and, wow, were those things he felt on his head cat ears? He tried to talk to her, but only mewing came out of his lips.

The girl, which he later learnt was named Marinette, gave him a name, and showed him her world. He had never seen anything like that. He would pinch himself to see if he was dreaming, but he already knew that answer. Marinette lead him on the way, and he was astounded with the amount of detail that dream had.

There was something in her, thought. Something behind her wide smile screamed loneliness at his face. It wasn't too noticeable, but sadly, he knew where to look. He'd seen that look millions of times in the mirror. So, he reached for her, trying to erase that ugly scorch in her heart, and she gave in return the warmth he'd been yearning for. Her soft hands were a balm for his tattered heart, and her smile did things to his insides.

It had only been one night, and he doubted he'd see her again, but he wanted to make her happy, somehow.

When he woke up, he felt tingly and warm all over. He stared dazedly at the ceiling for five minutes, going through the dream again and again. He was surprised he remembered every tiny detail, from the lake with dancing fireflies, to the floating platforms, to her. Oh god, her.

She had been beautiful, floating in the air, her loose hair behind her and a carefree smile on her face. She had been beautiful when she had reached down to him and grabbed him to dance with the fireflies, and although there wasn't any music, he swore he could hear it sometimes.

He reached for his neck, subconsciously expecting to find her bell in there, but he found naked skin instead.

That day he hadn't been himself. His mind wandered repeatedly to his dream, and to her. Nino, the only one who noticed, decided it was best to wait for him to tell. Later that night, he looked at the bed, and for the first time, he was afraid of falling asleep. Because, if he didn't find her in the other side, it would be way too devastating, even worse if he had a nightmare. But at the same time, he was anxious to return there.

So, deciding to take the risk, he lied down and closed his eyes, trying to calm his thoughts and encompassing his breathing to the soft pattering of the rain outside. He felt his body drift off, a feeling of weightlessness overcoming him, and warmth spread around him, returning the tingling in the skin he'd felt all day.

A soft voice called for him then, and once he opened his eyes, he was met with her big blue eyes and bright smile. Her hand reached to pet his nape, and a purr came from his throat. She was there. Marinette was in his dream again.

Dreams became an important part of his routine again. However, he didn't hide from the real world as he did before. It was at night, when he would sometimes watch a film before going to sleep, he instead headed directly to his bed, going through the relaxation routine he'd invented himself years ago to fall asleep.

And Marinette was always at the other side. His nightmares disappeared, his dreams being full of her. His heart skipped a beat every time he saw her smile widen, his stomach erupted into thousands of butterflies when that sad gleam on her eyes disappeared, knowing that it was because of him.

Then, when he finally entered the dream as human (kind of), after hearing her saying he was his kitty, and finally feeling her hand on his, he knew he was in too deep. But he couldn't find himself to care.

She hadn't cared he was no longer a cat, and they returned to their usual routine, exploring all the worlds brought to life from her drawings. He was astounded to see just how talented she was, how she could think on every tiny detail so the picture in front of them felt real. It came to a point where he really doubted that was really a dream. It felt too real to be just a dream. He could see, smell, hear, taste, touch just like he could do in the real world. She was too real to be only a dream.

He told her about his life, how dull and grey it was compared to that. He even managed to draw how his room – his fancy prison – looked like, and she explored every corner of it, eager to know every tiny detail of what she called his world. When her eyes landed on the portrait of his mother, she asked about her. He tried his best to hide the pain that those words brought him, but she noticed. Of course she did.

And his nights went by like this. When he fell asleep in the real world, he would wake up on her world, and when it was time to go, they would lie on her bed, cuddled together, and the softening of her breathing was the only lullaby he needed to drift off.

Adrien had never been so happy.

But he should've learnt by now that his happiness didn't last long. Because one day, the world glitched around them, and suddenly they were in Paris. The tablet was useless, and Marinette was clearly distressed. He tried to cheer her up, and urged her to explore, just like it was any other day on their life.

They arrived at the bakery. It looked just like the other buildings around them, but Marinette hesitated when she saw it. They went inside, and Adrien was a bit surprised to find people in there. It was like a really good virtual reality animation – they didn't see them, even one of them walked through them, the action giving him goose bumps.

Then, the cutest little girl sporting a ladybug costume walked in, and a sudden wave of nostalgia filled him. She was utterly adorable, in the way she threw herself to her mother, the woman behind the cash desk, in the way she babbled about how her day had been. She was…

Oh, god, she was Marinette.

For some reason, they began watching her past. Every time they opened a door, the other Marinette grew more and more, nearing every time the age of the girl beside him. He met her parents, he met her best friend, he learnt so much about her...

"Chat… when has it been the last time we've eaten?"

That question had startled him. He thought about it, but he couldn't recall a time where both of them had eaten anything. It didn't matter so much, right? This was a dream after all. They weren't hungry in dreams.

She froze at his answer, but he couldn't understand why. He called for her, and her eyes snapped up at him. She softened upon seeing him, and put her hands behind his back, but it was useless; he had already seen them trembling. No matter that, she kept on her brave façade, trying to hide what was going in her mind, so who was he to push about the matter? He gave up trying to find an answer, but he kept an eye on her, just to be sure.

They followed Other Marinette to the street. She seemed to flow around the people, her movements rushed but graceful at the same time. Marinette seemed to quicken her pace, a strange look on her face. He followed her, and the more they got closer to Other Marinette, the strangest Marinette behaved.

And then he saw the child, and the car coming right at him. And of course, Other Marinette had noticed too.

"No, no, no, NO, NO!" Marinette screamed beside him, and he finally understood. Because those were her memories, and if Marinette was reacting like this…

Other Marinette jumped in the way between the child and the car, and Adrien's eyes widened. Her arms draped around the child and she closed her eyes, readying herself for the impact. His eyes darted to his side, and saw Marinette's eyes glued to the pair, hazy with tears. He turned her around and tried to block her from everything around them, because, even though those were her memories, she didn't need to see it again.

The car finally ran into Marinette, and he had to close his eyes in horror. He felt Marinette flinch in his arms, and he was so sorry he couldn't protect her of that. He opened his eyes again, and the image of her slumped on the floor, the child bawling on her arms, chilled his blood. A pool of blood grew under them, and he had to force himself to look away.

People rushed to aid the girl and the child, but the voices muffled after a while. Reality began disappearing around them, and he couldn't help but feel glad that he didn't have to see her sprawled on the floor like that.

(It didn't matter anyway, because the image had been imprinted on his eyelids, and he doubted he could ever forget it.)

Marinette kept on crying against his shoulder, shaking violently, and he didn't know how he was holding on.

"Chat…" she muttered against his shoulder, "I finally remembered. I remembered what happened that day. I-I'm-"

He stopped her, because he couldn't believe that had been true, because he needed her to be okay. She was okay.

She raised her head looked around, an almost defeated look on her face. He'd never seen her like this, and he hated it. "My world doesn't exist anymore. I don't even have my tablet with me. Where will I go now?"

"We'll find a place."

"Chat-"

"We'll find a place."

She shook her head. "There's no place for me anymore, and you and me both know that. You've seen what happened to me, and we both know it's time to go. But-" her voice wavered, "I-I don't want to go. I don't want to lose you."

He cradled her face in his hands, drying the tears that kept on falling from her eyes. He wanted to let go, to let the tears his body begged him to spill fall from his eyes, but he held on. She looked so lost… she needed him to stay strong. He placed his forehead in hers, trying to convey everything he felt to her, and he saw her close her eyes at the touch.

"You won't lose me, you hear me?" He cleared her bangs from her eyes. "I will find you. I don't care if it takes me days, months or years. I don't care where or when, in this life or another, but I will find you. I promise."

And he would. Nothing would stop him from find her.

"Chat… come find me. I-I need you with me."

The wind around them picked up, seemingly alive. Blasts of air tugged them back, trying to separate them. His hold on her tightened, and she chocked on a sob. He felt their time running out, but there were still so many things he wanted to tell her… it hadn't been enough, the time they'd spent together. He needed so much more.

"You're the best thing that has happened to me, Marinette. No matter how hard my life was, seeing your smiling face every day made it worth it. Your kindness, your softness, your courage… everything about you has enchanted me since the first day I met you. Every day I felt myself falling for you deeper and deeper, to a point of no return. I love you."

At that, Marinette buried her head in his chest, her hands fisting his shirt and pulling him closer. Her tears dampened his T-shirt, but he didn't care.

"I love you too," she said against him. his breath caught in his throat, because she loved him. when had it been the last time someone had told him they loved him?

She raised her head to look at him, and he felt himself crumble at her warm yet sad gaze. "How couldn't I? I didn't know how alone I was until you came. You made me laugh, you made me want to be a better person, you made my days unique and full of life. I cherish every single memory of us two, and I'm glad you're the last person I see before I'm gone."

He shook his head, and buried his head softly on her shoulder. "Don't- don't say that. Don't say it like it's the last time we'll see each other."

The wind blew stronger between them. It was hard to hold onto each other now.

"I'm really glad we met, Chat."

He began crying at that. "Don't you dare give up, Marinette. Please."

"Can I ask you something?"

He raised his head from her shoulder, not caring that his eyes were red. "What is it?"

"What's your name?"

He was caught off-guard at the question, and chuckles burst from his lips without meaning it. He looked at her in the eye, a bitter smile on his lips. "My name is-"

A strong gust of wind swallowed his words. Marinette's eyes widened as she felt the strong tug, and grabbed at him desperately. He tried to hold on as strong as her, but the force pulling them apart was stronger than them. It wasn't enough. He didn't want to let go. He wanted to return to her world, where they could run wild without a care in the world.

Where she was still alive.

She screamed in desperation, and he felt it like a punch in the gut. Their fingers began slipping from their grasp, no matter how much they tried to hold on. He could hear her muttering the name she gave him like a broken record.

His eyes scanned her face, trying to convey in his mind every detail of the girl in front of her. Because this was likely to be the last time they saw each other. Her beautiful face contorted in desperation, and he was sure his face mirrored that expression. However, no matter what expression she wore, he couldn't help but think she was beautiful.

Her hand slipped from his. He tried to lunge forward to grab her again, but only their fingertips touched. She was quickly falling, as there was nothing keeping her from doing it. His eyes widened as he saw her body quickly falling to the void, the wind tugging him to the opposite direction.

"MARINETTE!" he called for her. He couldn't see her. The darkness was surrounding him, and he couldn't spot her.

Just when his vision blackened out, he heard her voice calling for him.

Adrien woke up with a start. He clung to the sheets of his bed as he panted, beads of sweat rolling down his face. He blinked, and memories of last night's dream, if he could call it that way, came to his mind. He clenched his fists and put his head against his knees. Keeping his eyes shut, he screamed against the sheets, not minding the itch in his throat.

That wasn't- She couldn't- He refused to believe she was dead. She wasn't dead. He needed to see her. Needed to see her smile, to hear her laugh, to feel her touch in his head, petting his cat ears. He needed her in his life, and he absolutely refused to think they wouldn't meet again.

And so he began to cry. He let himself sob like he hadn't been able to whilst he was with her. She'd needed him to be strong for her, but now that she… now that she… he let his desperation run wild, not strong enough to control his bawls, screams, and his shaking. He felt his throat go sore, and his eyes puff out, but he didn't care. Why would he?

The bell of the flat startled him. He stared at the stained sheets, pondering if it was worth it to get up at all, when whoever was outside rung the bell again. He tried to control his breathing, dried his tears with a still dry spot, and stood up in wobbly legs. He stared at the door, not really sure if he wanted to open, and the person outside knocked at the door.

"Dude, you in there?"

It was Nino. Breathing deeply, he reached for the handle and opened, at the same time the other man rung the bell again. Adrien winced at the shrill sound. Great, now he had a headache.

"Hi- dude. What the hell happened?" he asked, his eyes going up and down his body, clearly noticing his distress.

Where did he start? With 'I started dreaming of a girl every night and I fell in love with her although I was pretty sure she was a figment of my imagination'? Or maybe he could start with 'I just found out the girl I loved loves me back seconds before she disappeared'. How about 'I'm 99% sure the girl I love is dead'?

"Bad dream," he muttered instead, and those words felt like poison in his tongue, because it was so much more than that.

"Again? I thought you stopped having those months ago."

… When I started dreaming of her.

"Again."

"Wanna talk about it?"

Adrien just shook his head in answer. Talking about it would be like acknowledging that what happened was true. Talking about it was the last thing on his mind right now. He was barely holding on as it is, and if he talked about her…

Nino looked at him worriedly. "We can call it over, you know? I can call my girlfriend and tell her you're not feeling well, and we can stay here and watch some movies."

Her? Oh, her. Nino's girlfriend, the mysterious girl whose name he didn't know, the girl Nino'd been dating for months. He'd completely forgot about it. According to Nino, they'd stayed low because of her, because some family issues, or something like that. Adrien didn't think it was his place to ask.

He finally decided to tell him he'd been going out with a girl some weeks ago, and he'd wanted them to meet. However, between his modelling gigs, university and him moving out of his father's home, it had been impossible find a free spot in his crazy schedule, being his first free day this one.

He felt like shit, but he felt he owed Nino that, so he shook his head and threw in the most reassuring smile he could manage at the moment. It felt wonky and crooked.

"No, no! let's meet this mysterious girl. God knows when I'll have another free day."

Nino looked at him dubious. "You know we can meet any other time, right? Just say the word."

"No. We're meeting her today. Just… let me…?" He waved a hand at himself sheepishly.

"Go on, we have some time left."

He nodded and opened the door wider, letting Nino in. He closed the door behind them, and only when Nino was facing the other way, he dropped his smile with a wince. He rushed to the room, swallowing down the knot in his throat, leaving Nino at the living room.

"Whoa, dude. This flat's huge! And in the middle of Paris, too. How the hell do you manage to pay the rent?"

Adrien opened the faucet at the bathroom and cleaned his face. His eyes were still blood-shot and puffy. He went to his room and grabbed the first shit he found, and put it on.

"Modellin'," he said against the cotton fabric, "my father let me touch the money I made to pay the rent and food. I guess he doesn't want me to starve to death. A corpse doesn't look pretty with fancy clothing."

"… Maybe if you put enough makeup…"

That brought a small smile to his lips. "That, too."

"It's strange to see your father so accommodating, though. It's sad to say, but this is nothing like the Gabriel that kicked me out from your house just because I asked him to throw a party for your birthday."

He picked up some jeans lying around and put them on. "You and I know it was the way you asked, not the party what concerned him."

"I did nothing wrong."

"You made finger guns."

"There's nothing bad about finger guns!"

Adrien chuckled softly. He grabbed the jacket hanging on his desk chair, but hesitated before stepping out. It still was there, that desire to slump down and just cry until he felt numb, until there were no more tears in his body to spill, but that had to wait. Nino was first, then he could drop the façade and let himself feel. He was used to conceal his feelings, after all.

Taking two deep breaths, he stepped out to meet Nino.

"Ready?" he asked, but Adrien knew he was asking much more with that.

"Ready."

They walked out the apartment, and got to the nearest metro station. Adrien had no idea where they were going, so he let Nino guide him. They caught the metro, and chose to stay standing. And in all the way, Nino hadn't said a thing about their destination. That picked up Adrien's curiosity.

"So… where are we going?"

"Hôtel-Dieu de Paris."

That stopped him in his tracks. He looked at Nino with wide eyes, trying to make sense of what he'd told him, but no matter how many times he thought about it, he couldn't make heads nor tails of it.

"Hôtel-Dieu de Paris!?"

"That's what I said."

"Nino… why are we going to a hospital?"

He scratched his neck, uncomfortable. "My babe told me she was running a bit late, and she's asked me to meet her there."

"Is she okay?" he asked in concern

Nino's eyes widened. "Oh, yes! She's there for her best friend." He averted his eyes. "That was the reason why she wanted to stay low for a while. You see, her best friend has been in coma for a year and a half."

He whistled softly. "That's a lot of time."

"Yes, it is. She had an awful accident, you see? And she's been like this since then. She had surgery when she arrived to the hospital to relieve the swelling, but she hasn't been responsive. Even though she doesn't need life support, something that exceeded any doctor's expectations, she hasn't waken up yet."

"She's been in coma for one and a half years and she doesn't need life support?"

"Yeah, isn't it weird? She breathes on her own, she doesn't have any swelling nor brain damage, and her brainwaves are normal. She just doesn't wake up, and no one knows why. It's like she was sleeping, only for a really long period of time."

Huh, that sounded too much like a Disney story to be true.

They arrived at their stop, and both of them climbed down the metro, the hospital already in sight. Nino walked forward, and Adrien followed him absentmindedly.

He was thinking about that girl's story. Some years ago, he would've done anything to be like this, sleeping without stopping and not having to return to his everyday obligations, but he guessed he wasn't being fair thinking like this. Clearly, that girl had people who cared about her dearly, her parents and best friend, for starters. He was sure they were worried sick about her.

They reached the main hall of the hospital, and Nino stopped him. He looked down at his phone and scrolled down. "She's meeting us here in a tick."

They both looked around the busy hall, Adrien not really sure who he was looking for, to be honest.

"How does she look like?"

"Oh, I haven't told you? Well, she's shorter than me. She has brown wavy hair and tanned skin, and she usually wears dark glasses." He shrugs. "She also- oh, here she is. Hey babe!"

Nino began waving, and Adrien turned around to see her. A girl was coming closer, a big smile on her face. As Nino had said, her wavy hair was loose, the ends looking more reddish than brown. She was wearing a plaid shirt that matched her hair colour, and average denim jeans. She had a mole above her right eyebrow, but it fitted her.

Nino stepped forward and enveloped her in a hug, which she returned with a smile.

"Hi babe, I'm glad you made it. Everything okay up there?" Nino asked.

The girl shrugged. "Same as always. But hey, let's not be rude." She turned around to face Adrien, a big smile on her face. "Hi Adrien. I'm glad we finally got to meet. My name is-"

"Alya," the boy muttered, his eyes wide as saucers.

Neither Nino nor Alya had noticed that, when the blond boy's eyes had landed on Alya, he'd frozen. Because he had recognised the girl coming towards them. He'd seen her once, in a dream. A shallow breath escaped from his mouth when Nino and her hugged, because that meant that Nino's mysterious girlfriend was Alya.

Alya, who had wanted their relationship to stay low because of personal reasons. Alya, who had a best friend who had been in coma for a year and a half. Alya, who had just visited said friend.

Alya, whose best friend was Marinette.

Alya, who was looking at him with a frown, clearly confused. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

He grabbed her from the shoulders, ignoring her squeak in surprise and Nino's protests. He looked at her dead in the eyes, more serious that he'd ever felt in his life. Because he'd never faced such a serious event in his life. Not his mother going away, not watching her slipping through his fingers. It was here, right at this moment, when he needed answers. And he needed them now.

"Alya! Where's Marinette!"

Her eyes widened. "Wha-?"

"You're Marinette's best friend. She's here. Where is she!?"

Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. "How do you know Marinette?"

"Does it really matter that much? Where is she!?" hurt sipped in his voice, and Alya's eyes widened again, not prepared.

"T-third floor, room 314."

"Thank you."

He let her go and ran to the stairs, ignoring Nino's and Alya's cries. She was there. She was there. He'd never climbed up stairs as fast as he'd done it in that hospital. He ignored again the reproachful stares of the nurses, and the people he almost ran into. He crashed into a wall in a closed turn, but he just pushed his body forward and kept on running.

He could see it. Room 314. His strides quickened, and avoided the arms of a nurse trying to stop him. No one would stop him, not now. He reached for the door handle and opened it with a loud bang, not caring about the loud sound. He panted, trying to breathe in, but his eyes locked in her.

There she was. Her midnight hair was free from her usual twin pigtails, and it was a bit longer. Her face was peaceful, a soft blush dusting her freckled cheeks, and her plump lips curving in a little smile. Her hands, resting on her belly, looked as soft as he remembered. She looked as lovely as the first time he saw her, and his heart soared in happiness.

He'd found her.

He didn't dare to move. He didn't dare to take one step, afraid that his imagination was playing tricks with him. He closed his fists tightly, digging his nails to the flesh of his hands, and he was glad to feel the sting of new wounds. Tears of relief started falling down his face. This was real, this was real, she was in front of him, it was real.

Rushed steps stopped outside the room, and Alya and Nino joined to his panting.

"What the hell, dude. What's gotten into you?" Adrien ignored him. Nino grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Adrien-"

A loud gasp interrupted him. The threesome turned to the bed, only to see Marinette, wild awake, panting. Her fists were closed on the thin fabric of her sheet, and she was looking down. She raised her eyes, and panic left her gaze once her eyes landed on Adrien. First, it was confusion, then realisation, then warmth what filled those deep blue orbs he loved so much, at the same time her mouth formed a full grin.

"I didn't get your name in the end, Chaton."

He launched forward, shaking Nino's loose hold in his elbow, and tackled Marinette to the bed. His mouth was a broken record of her name, and tears flowed freely from his eyes. She accepted all of it, caressing his nape like she knew he loved, and humming in reassurance, trying to calm him down.

He put some distance between them, and caressed her cheek. He captured some loose tears with his thumbs, and let all the happiness, and relief, and pure love show in his expression.

"Marinette, you're okay. You're here."

She laughed watery. "I'm here." She leaned on his hand. "You found me, huh? Just like you said you would."

"What can I say; I'm a cat of honour."

"You are. You really are…" She rested her forehead on his, and closed her eyes. She whined. "I'm so glad to be here. I really thought…"

"Shush. It's okay. It doesn't matter now."

She nodded and raised her head. Her eyes landed on Alya, who had her mouth covered with both of her hands, and she could see her trembling from head to toe. She threw her the biggest grin she could muster up, and raised an arm at her direction, her hand open and inviting.

"You're not going to hug your best friend, Alya?"

Alya's face contorted before she threw herself to her best friend, sobbing on her shoulder. She laughed in her tears, and Alya babbled gibberish anyone could understand on her shoulder. Adrien never let her go, only made some space in the bed so Alya could fit in the cramped space.

Nino looked at the threesome hesitant, not really sure what to do. Marinette looked at him.

"I don't think I know you."

"O-oh. I'm Nino. Alya's boyfriend, and Adrien's best friend." He nodded at the still crying boy on the bed. "Uh… the blond mass attached to you."

"Nice to meet you, Nino. I'm Marinette. Why don't you join the human pile?"

"S-sure."

Nino walked towards them, clearly lost on what the hell was going on exactly, but threw his arms around all of them all the same, joining the human pile. They stayed like this for minutes, until a nurse came to their room and, upon seeing Marinette wide awake, the metallic tray she was holding fell to the floor.

She called for the doctor, and the three young adults were ushered out of the room, claiming they had to do some tests. They also called for Marinette's parents, and Adrien saw the couple he'd got to know in dreams rush to the room. Half an hour later, they came out, telling them the good news; apparently, Marinette was healthy and ready to be discharged.

Adrien was buzzling with repressed energy while he waited for Marinette to come out of the room, and ignored the curious glances Alya threw his way. She'd already given up on asking him questions, seeing as he hadn't answered a single one of them since they'd been there.

The door opened, and Adrien's eyes perked up. Marinette was standing at the doorway, her grin widening upon spotting him at the waiting room. He stood up at the same time she rushed to meet him, throwing her arms around him. He laughed and spun her around, too giddy to care about what anyone else would be thinking, and she giggled at the action.

He placed her on the floor, but didn't let her go. "Hello."

"Hi," she answered with a smile.

"Well," Tom started beside them, his loud voice echoing in the room, "I was going to tell you we needed to go, but it seems you have… matters to take care of." He eyed the blond boy. "I don't think I know you, son."

Adrien eyes widened. Now that he thought about it, wasn't it strange that a stranger hugged their daughter that way? He dropped his hands from her waist, feeling heat rush to his cheeks. He opened his mouth, but what at a loss of what to say.

"Yes, we do, Tom," Sabine interjected beside him, looking closely at the boy, "You're the son of Gabriel Agreste, right? He was Marinette's best friend in kindergarten." She looked him up and down. "You've grown so much…"

They both turned to each other, contemplative. Now that she said it… That's why she looked so familiar when they'd seen her with the ladybug costume!

"You were kitty…"

He nodded, a grin on his lips. "It seems we've known each other all this time, my Lady."

"Yeah…" she said breathless. Then something came to mind, and her eyes widened. "Wait. She said Gabriel Agreste. You're Gabriel Agreste's son?"

"Yes…?"

She unexpectedly punched him on the arm. Man, she punched hard. "Why didn't you tell me!? I've been a fan of his work since I started wanting to be a designer!"

"It just didn't come to my mind?"

She punched him again. He was going to sport a bruise the next day, he was sure of it.

"Sweety?" Sabine called for her, torn between amusement and confusion. Marinette turned her head to look at her, and quickly dropped her fist, her cheeks aflame.

"Guys?" Alya interrupted, "as much as I'd love to see you two talking and… stuff, I'm starving. I think we should leave the hospital and grab some food. Then we can talk. And yes, I'm looking at you two," Alya huffed at the sheepish-looking pair, "I swear to god, I haven't understood a single thing of what has happened since I picked you up at the hall."

"That seems like a good idea! Let's celebrate that Marinette has finally waken up! Adrien, Nino, you're free to come too."

"Thank you, Mme Cheng," Nino said.

"Yes, let's go all out! Adrien, we would love to know how have you been all these years."

He nodded. "Sure."

"Then let's go! The faster we get out of here, the sooner I'll get answers. And don't look at me like that, pretty boy. I'll get my answers. You owe me."

Everyone but Adrien laughed at Alya's antics, and one by one, they began leaving the waiting room. He was about to follow them, but a soft hand in his stopped him. He looked back to see Marinette fidgeting on her feet.

"What's wrong?"

Her eyes widened. "Nothing! It's just…" She waved a hand around the room. "This isn't my world anymore. It's strange to be somewhere and not being able to change my surroundings like I did before. I know it's stupid, but… I feel really weird."

"It's normal to feel this way. You've been in your world a lot of time, you'll need some time to get used to reality again."

She scrunched her noise. "Reality is boring."

He laughed at that. "I know that feeling. I used to prefer my dreams to reality when I was younger. Reality was stifling while in my dreams I could be whoever I wanted, but now?" He raised her hand, turning it carefully and placing a soft kiss on her knuckles. His gaze was intense, like a feline watching his prey. "Now I prefer reality over my dreams, more so if I can have you here with me."

"You can have me at both, Adrien. In dreams and in the real world," she answered passionately and he shuddered. He loved how his name sounded on her lips.

However, when she realized just what she'd implied, her eyes widened, an explosion of colour blooming at her face. He could see her physically retracting to herself in embarrassment, and he couldn't help but think how cute she was being.

"Well, I mean, if you want me to be. I'm fine. I mean, I would love to, but it's okay if you don't want to, but I'd still love to stay friends?" she frowned and looked to the side. "No, that's not coming out like I want. What I meant to say is-"

He placed a hand on her cheek, silencing her. She looked up at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to say something. He grinned at the doe-eyed look she was throwing at him, and he thanked his stars for his luck.

"I already told you, didn't I? I love you, Marinette. In there and in here. I'm in love with you, and I'd love you to have you by my side. I'd love to meet your parents properly, I'd love to get to know Alya. I'd love to have dates with you and explore Paris like we explored your world. And I'd love to be able to talk to you, hug you, and kiss you whenever I please. Is that okay?"

She nodded, her eyes watering. "Y-yes. Yes to all. Yes, please. In fact, do it right now. Please."

He smirked, and placed his other hand on her cheek, cradling her face in his hands. She closed her eyes and leaned on them, a soft smile on her face.

"Whatever my Lady desires."

When he leaned down and captured Marinette's lips on his, time stood still. The noise around them quietened down, almost as if there was a bubble around them. There was anything else around them, just Marinette and Adrien. When their lips parted, time started again, and the world came back around them. He rested his forehead on hers.

"Marinette,"

"Hm?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

"You rock my world."

She groaned and got out of his embrace. "No, not the puns. Everything but the puns."

"Come on, you loved it."

Her eyes returned to him, a smile on her lips. "Yes, yes I did." She grabbed his hand. "Shall we go? I know for a fact that Alya is dying to know just how we met."

"Well, you can tell her that you walked with me once upon a dream."

"Now you'll start with the Disney references?"

He shrugged. "What can I say? You're a real Princess, Marinette."

"Which one of us is the princess here, chaton?"

He pouted. "I take offense to that."

She giggled as she tugged at his hand, urging him to get out of the room and follow the others. He looked at her parents, who threw them a warm yet knowing gaze at them. Then he looked at Nino, who had his arm around an impatient looking Alya, eager to get her answers.

His gaze returned to the girl holding his hand, who was looking at him expectantly in return. He felt a smile come to his face as they joined them, ready to leave the hospital.

Reality had never looked so good.

So the door Marinette heard before waking up was Adrien barging in her room at the hospital. Tsk, tsk, have some manners, chaton.

Leisey is witness of how emotional I was when I was writing the part of Adrien meeting Alya, and him running to Marinette's room. My hands were shaking the entire time, I kid you not.

Aww, I feel kinda sad to see this over. Now I want to write the sappiest epilogue for those two.