Connected Skies

Part Twelve

I thought if I sat by the bridge you'd be here. But I have no way of contacting you. I don't know your phone number.

I... don't know anything about you do I?

Kagami ran over to him. "Adrien!" She called out as she sprinted over to him. "It's Marinette! She's in the hospital!" His eye widened as his body reacting without a thought going through his mind. He ran as fast as he could to the hospital. All the way to the room that read, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

He threw the door open and his eyes met his mom's staring back at him. He snapped out of it when Marinette's voice said, "Hey there! How'd it go yesterday?" Her head wrapped in gauze as she smiled sweetly at him and waved. "I was going to call you on the Ladybug phone, but I wasn't really feeling too good to transform. I thought you'd abandon the interview altogether. Sorry I couldn't make it." She crossed her hands on her lap and smiled.

Adrien stood in the doorway with a fear in his eyes, breathing heavily.

**

"Here we are!" Alya said while opening the door to Marinette's hospital room. "Welcome!" She smiled as Alya, Nino and Adrien walked in. "We brought you something!" Nino placed a box filled with croissants on the table near he bed. "Thank you so much!" "How are you feeling, dudette?" "Never better! I'm just here for tests!" Twice in such a short time, Adrien thought to himself.

"But you were in here for tests the other day, weren't you?" "This time it's new tests. It's my head. It's also so I can rest up and heal." She felt Adrien's eyes traveling every inch of her. "Hey! Stop lusting after me in a hospital room!" "No I didn't! I did not lust after you!" They both laughed.

"We were wondering why you weren't answering the phone. It's a big surprise to hear you're here." Alya said sitting down next to her bed. "It's a shock for me too! I stumbled and hit my head! I was so stunned. I lost consciousness and my parents freaked and took me to the hospital. I've always tired easily, but lately I've been expending a lot of energy. I guess, I pushed myself too hard." She says as she bit into the croissant with verbals sounds of enjoyment. "We brought you books to keep you busy and entertained!" Nino said pouring books out of the bag he had with him.

"Well, Marinette, you'll be coming back to school by the next term, right?" "Yeah, of course I will!" She said and smiled. I must be imaging things, that answer just then. It seemed rehearsed.

"It was nice to see all of you! Bye-bye!" She said as the all left her room. Her hands went to the books in front of her, "I don't have enough time to read all of these..."

The door opened as a nurse wheeled in her equipment, "Marinette?" "Yes." "Have your friends gone home?" "Yes." "Then can we..." "Yes... Please resume the IV drip."

**

Alya and Kagami were sitting together. "Luka texted me, he asked to hang out tonight." Kagami said. "What about Adrien?" Her face flushed, "What? Why are you bringing up Adrien? Th-that's ridiculous!" She said with a forced laugh, "Adrien is... I see him as a kid brother." "Kid brother again? Are you trying to repeat it until you believe it? You're too scared not to because the comfortable relationship you have right now would be destroyed." "I told you it's not like that!" "Someday, there will be no turning back, you know?"

**

"You look nice, Kagami." Luka said approaching her. She smiles and laughs. Adrien would never say that to me. Because he only sees me as a nagging big sister or something. I'm sure...

**

Adrien stood in Marinette's hospital room. "Isn't there some kind of carnival tonight?" She asked him. He nodded, "Yeah." "Don't stand there. Have a seat." "Uh... okay. On second thought, I'll stand." "You're being fidgety." "I don't like hospitals."

You're gonna be okay, right? You're not lying about being tested, right? You're not gonna tell me you're never coming back to school, right? You're gonna yell at me for the gum on your seat again, right? We can sit by the bridge together again, right?

"You..." Marinette interrupted him, "Alya was just here. She brought me some food. I had no idea. You did the interview alone? Alya showed me." "Uh... yeah." "The sidekick going solo. That's unheard of! You're some show-off!" She said through laughter. "Whose fault was it?" He laughed with her.

"Why did you do that? Anyone would've expected you to cancel." "I wanted you to know you believed in me for good reason. Then halfway through it felt like my mom was with me. Her words, her gestures, her smell... My memories of her were going through my mind and flew into the sky." "I see. You're inspiring, no matter what, huh Adrien?" He smiled at her.

"I wish I was there with you." Marinette said with tears in her eyes. You're okay, right?" "I wish I could've stood by your side." Her tears began to spill. You're gonna be fine, right? You're not lying about the tests, right? You're not gonna tell me you're never coming back to school, right? I can see you again, right? You... You won't leave me... Like my mom did, right?

**

Adrien walked into Marinette's hospital room before both of his friends. "You're still patrolling right?" "You don't have to tell me to patrol! Every single day!" "That's not nearly enough! Fight some akumas and amoks!" "Do you want me to create them on my own?!" She laughed at him. And he smiled.

**

Luka laughed at Kagami who had brought up Adrien for nearly the hundredth time tonight. "I understand he's like your kid brother." She shook her head, "No way! I'm not Adrien's babysitter."

Then what am I? Who is it that I like?

She was walking home alone when she saw Adrien running up to her. "Are you okay? Alya called me and said you were in trouble." He called out. Kagami tilted her head in confusion, "What?" He gasped, "She got me. Who knew Alya would pull a prank like that." She laughed. "This is no laughing matter. I was running around like crazy trying to find you."

They walked together. "The moon's so pretty, isn't it?" He said and started humming. She joined in humming with him. The same old banter. Joking around how we usually do, she thought. "Adrien, you've changed somehow." He turned his neck to look at her, "Oh, have I?" He smiled and turned back. Huh, weird. If our eyes meet, my heart flip flops. I'm sure. It's because summer is coming to an end. "Your eyes sparkle now. They light up, like the stars in the sky. Especially when... you're with Marinette. She brings out the best in you. You're inspiring, no matter what, huh Adrien?"

He stopped walking as he remembered Marinette saying those exact words.

Again here it is, Adrien is getting taken away from me. The boy who's always been by my side. The boy I took for granted. The boy I wanted to be by my side forever. Her eyes poured tears as she ran away from him as fast as she could. "I'm such an idiot..." She whispered to herself.