All The Bright Places

Hold On

Chat Noir busted through the hospital doors. It was once empty and quiet, but now, people were shoulder to shoulder. He first went to the room that Marinette was in, but she was no longer there. So instead, he tried to push past everyone to get to the front desk.

"Excuse me, sorry." He cut in front of an older man that gave him a nasty look.

"Hello, I brung a friend here earlier, her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng? She has dark hair and bright blue eyes?" He leaned over the desk, waiting for the receptionist to give him a room number.

"Sir, only family members are allowed inside." She gave him a tired and annoyed expression as her nails tapped against the keys on the computer keyboard in front of her.

"But I really need to see her! I need to see if she's okay. I mean, come on! I'm Chat Noir for heavens sake!"

"I already told you, family members only. If you don't leave I'll have to call security to escort you out."

Chat Noir grumbled and turned back to leave. The man that he'd cut in front of laughed quietly.

"Loser." He mumbled under his breath as the hero walked past.

Chat Noir was too frustrated to care. But he had an idea. Maybe he couldn't see her as Chat Noir, but that didn't mean he couldn't see her as Adrien.

He quickly ran out the doors and behind an overly large billboard of himself that read, "Radiant. Carefree. Adrien, the Fragrance." He grimaced at the picture of him. He hated seeing himself everywhere.

"Plagg, claws in." He grabbed the kawami, stuffing him away as he retraced his steps back to the crowded hospital.
Once again, he pushed past people finally reaching the desk.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm here to see my uh... cousin!"

"Name?"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng"

The woman looked up at him before rolling her eyes and pushing her glasses up. Adrien just gave her a nervous toothy grin in return.

"Sign your name here, please. 5th floor, room 204. Visiting hours end at 7:00pm."

"Thank you!" Adrien signed his name on the paper and quickly and ran towards the packed elevators.

When he got to the 5th floor, he walked quietly and quickly to find her room number. This hall wasn't as crowded as the main floor was.

"200... 201... 202... 203..."

His breath caught in his throat as he saw the next door.
'204'

He grabbed the handle and squeezed it hard, making his knuckles turn white before pulling it down and opening it.
Seeing the girl hooked up to monitors, almost lifeless, killed him on the inside.

'Why did I let this happen to her?
I could've stopped it.
If I was just a little faster, I would've gotten there in time.'

The blonde haired boy sat in the chair that was beside her bed. He sat there nervously, picking at his finger nails. He finally reached over and grabbed her hand. Her hand wasn't hot, but it wasn't cold either.

He knew he'd be there for a while and he also knew he'd probably get in trouble for it but he was not going to leave his princess. He sat there silently with her hand in his. At some point, he ended up falling asleep because he awoke to a nurse telling him visitation hours were over.

He didn't want to leave, but knew he had to. Adrien softly planted a kiss on her hand and placed it down gently.

"I'll come back tomorrow, Princess. I promise."

He whispered quietly, taking one more glance back at her as the nurse pushed him out the door.

•

When Adrien reached the large gate that led to the Agreste Mansion, he was greeted with a very angry and upset Gabriel.

"Where have you been, Adrien?"

"To visit a friend. She was... in an accident."

"You didn't inform me about this."

Adrien looked at the floor in silence. He knew this was going to happen. He hated how strict his father was.

"Adrien, you are no longer allowed to leave this house unless you are going to fencing lessons or a photo shoot where Nathalie will accompany you. Do you understand?"

Adrien didn't say anything which caused his father to become more upset at him. Gabriel grabbed his son's chin, pulling it up so he'd have to look at him.

"You know I hate repeating myself. Do you understand?"

Adrien nodded hesitantly, pulling himself away from his father and running to his room. He shut the door and sat down at his desk. He knew his father could stop Adrien, but he couldn't stop Chat Noir from seeing her.

"Kid, whatever you're thinking, I don't think it's a good idea." Plagg whined, noticing how deep in thought the blonde was.

"It's a perfect idea, Plagg. He's too caught up in his work to notice anything so it'll be fine!"

Plagg rolled his eyes, shoving a piece of Camembert into his mouth.

"Still don't think it's a good idea."

"Don't talk with your mouth full. That's rude."

"Eh. Whatever."

Adrien laid his head down on his desk, looking at the time. The clock read 10:45pm.

"I guess I'd better try to sleep since I plan to visit her again."

Plagg just shook his head and curled up on Adrien's pillow.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." He sighed.

•

The next morning, Adrien awoke to the sun blinding him through the window. He sat up quickly, looking at the time. 1:25pm.

"I can't believe I slept this long!" Adrien said, jumping up from his desk and running to get ready.

He was supposed to have piano lessons today so instead of practicing, he locked his door and played piano music through his speakers. Then, he ran to the bathroom and started brushing his hair.

"Plagg, claws out!"

A bright green flash reflected off of his mirror as he transformed. He quickly jumped from his window and bounced on his baton from building to building until he reached the hospital. He de-transformed behind the same billboard as the day before and ran inside. He signed his name, jumped on the elevator, and found the room.

He opened the door and smiled sadly when he saw the still unconscious girl. Adrien sat down in the chair beside her bed, picking up her hand again.

He was starting to slowly fall asleep when a loud beeping made him jump. Nurses and doctors rushed in, pushing him away from the bed. He gripped her hand tighter but noticed how cold it was.

And then he realized what was happening.

It was the same thing that happened to his mom when she was in the hospital, before she disappeared.

"No! Wait! Marinette!"

He tried to forcefully push past the nurses that were blocking his way but one of them started to pull him towards the door.

"Marinette!"  He screamed loudly as the beeping stopped and the nurse turned to him, no longer trying to pull him away.

"I'm sorry, Adrien. She's gone."

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Oof.

Should I give this story a happy ending or sad ending?
I'm pretty sure there will be a sequel but I haven't made my mind up yet.

When I went back and re-read this chapter, I imagined the receptionist/ lady at the front desk to sound like Roz from Monsters Inc. :,)