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Part 15: Still Smiling

Reading Note: Rating Pg-13 to T, please proceed carefully my smol ones.

Adrien led Marinette into her bathroom and turned on the water in the sink. He finally let go of her to grab a washcloth and wet it under the water. He turned back to his girlfriend and began to wipe her tear stained face. He jerked back when he saw her flinch, pain making its way across her features. He tried again, trying to make his approach lighter, more gentle. He wiped her face, clearing it of saltwater and dirt. He set a light kiss to her brow as he moved his hands to tug her cardigan down.

Marinette immediately became defensive. Shrugging her shoulders upwards, arms coming to cross her body, tugging her cardigan tighter in front of her body. Her eyes turning downwards, avoiding his gaze.

"Marinette..." He began, a balmy warning held in his voice, "I need to see, we need to see how bad it is.", he finished softly, "I swear, I'll try my best not to hurt you. I'll be as gentle as I can."

"I know." Marinette said as she swallowed hard, "I'm not worried about that, but Chaton, you're not going to be happy." She whispered while looking up from her eyelashes. Adrien frowned at that, obviously he wasn't going to be happy. He tucked a loose hair behind her hair and blew out his breath.

"I'm already not happy, bugaboo, but that's not the issue right now. We need to get these wounds taken care of."

Adrien's frown deepened as Marinette's eyes strained to the floor again. Her arms fell to the side as she gave a little nod, but her stance was still the same. Defensive and...guilty. His eyes widened as he made the realization.

"Mari...", he started softly, taking her hands in his, "you can't possible think that I'm mad at you for getting hurt?"

He saw her shift, her eyes still trained on the floor.

"Marinette, I'm not mad at you. True, I'm upset that you're hurt, but I'm not mad at you."

He heard her sigh again, and finally saw her look up.

"Chat, I know...I just...I don't like making you worry. I don't like seeing how you look at the cuts and bruises. I hate how I'm the cause of your unhappiness!" Marinette's volume changed drastaically from a zero to a ten in the span of three sentences. She yanked her hands out of his and turned away from him. His eyes widened as his hands reached out to her instinctively. They stopped in midair as his hypersensitive hearing, picked up the barely whispered phrase that left her lips next.

"Especially, when you are my happiness."

He felt like his world collapsed. In the best way. In the most amazing way possible. I'm her happiness, he felt the phrase pulse through his veins before sealing it away in his heart. He deflated a bit, when he saw Marinette's back, seeming impossibly small.

"Marinette, turn around and look at me...please."

Marinette turned around with her head down, bangs shading her eyes. Adrien sighed, and hooked his fingers under her chin, moving his fingers slowly to ascertain no accidental pressing on bruises, and lifted it lightly. Marinette allowed her face to be lifted but defiantly, refused to meet his eyes. He sighed again.

He pressed the pads of his fingers to her hips, trying to bring her closer as gently as possible. Marinette understood his intentions and after hesitating for a second, moved to comply with his unspoken request. Her eyes still determinedly down. Adrien leaned down, put his forehead on hers and nuzzled her slightly.

"Now where did you get the idea that you were the cause of my unhappiness?"

"BECAUSE I KNOW I AM, Chat!" Adrien jerked back at the fire burning in her voice. Meeting her eyes for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he remembered another memory of blue, one that he hoped he never had to see again; he saw the inky blue of the sky, sparkling with stars. But this sky was a bit different from the one he remembered. The inky blue was definitely the same, but the stars in her eyes burned with guilt and self-loathing; connecting to make constellations of pain and self-hatred induced delusions. He opened his mouth to begin a counter-argument when she interrupted.