Always, Marinette • adrienette au

23 || eyes

Dear Ladybug,

I wish things would have ended differently.

Always,
Marinette.

There were a million small entries like it. Adrien sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair. He needed a haircut.

Dear Ladybug,

Why me?

Always,
Marinette.

Her handwriting was getting worse. Marinette couldn't hide the obvious shake anymore. He remembered the way his own mother's shook.

Dear Ladybug,

I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to die I don't want to

Adrien couldn't bring himself to finish the entry. Some twisted part of him knew it would be the same five words over and over again. He closed her journal and pushed himself away from his desk. He stared at his ceiling unsure of what to do with himself.

The black cat he had taken home stretched from its place on his bed. Adrien turned to look at him. "Hey Plagg... What would you do if you were me?" He asked meekly and the cat responded with a small meow. Adrien sighed and grabbed his umbrella in case it rained and started for the door. "Are you at least coming?" Plagg hopped off the bed and followed him all the way to the Dupain-Cheng's house.

He knocked once then twice. Adrien waited and wondered if his cat would wander off. Plagg had curled up on the pavement in front of the bakery while Adrien went inside. He had spent the next week getting supplies for his new companion, it was a small but good distraction.

Tom opened the door for him. He had a slight smile as he welcomed the boy in. Adrien could hear Sabine chatting away with someone and when he turned the corner he could have sworn it was Marinette.

Except it wasn't.

Her hair was the exact black. Her skin not quite the right pale. Her voice not as sweet as Marinette. The girl stopped to look at him but quickly turned her head wiping her at her cheeks. She wore sunglasses even though she was inside. "Hello." She called and Adrien stepped forward to shake her hand. "I'm Bridgette and you must be Adrien." He nodded because he couldn't find his words in the moment.

Sabine took his hand in her own and sort of smiled at him. "She's the girl Marinette donated her eyes to." She squeezed his hand. "Corneas to." She corrected before Bridgette could. Bridgette smiled.

"I can see now thanks to your daughter." A few stray tears fell down Sabine's cheeks but Adrien was too numb to wipe them. Marinette did help people. She did what she wanted. "I know I'm not technically supposed to be here but I just wanted to thank and express my sorrows with you." She said remorsefully.

"I'm glad you found us." Tom let out what sounded like a chuckle but his voice was tearful. "It means the world to us that we see you in person." Adrien couldn't agree more.

"How are your eyes?" Adrien asked. His voice didn't quite sound like his own.

"I'm still a bit sensitive to light but that was expected..." She avoided looking at him. "I'm sorry it's just everytime I try to look at you my eyes just fill with tears and I don't know why." She sort of laughed but he watched as a few tears wound their way down her cheeks and splashed to the back of her hand which sat on her lap. His throat threatened to close. His sadness was unbearable. "Excuse me," her chest shook as a quiet sob took over her whole body. "I'm sorry." She added as she fanned at her eyes.

Sabine gripped his hand tighter and he did back. "Could we see your eyes?" Her voice was small and Adrien could barely hear it over the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. "I know they aren't her eyes. I just want to see that a part of my daughter is still living. I just want to know that she's still seeing the world." Her words broke his heart.

Bridgette nodded and took in a few deep breaths before pulling her glasses down. Adrien searched the blue but it really wasn't Marinette's. He wasn't sure what he was expecting. Corneas weren't irises. He leaned away after a few seconds of looking. Sabine let go of his hand to grab onto Bridgette's. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. They mourned Marinette together.

After a lengthy visit, Adrien walked Bridgette out. She almost stepped on Plagg who awaited his new companion by the bakery door. He let out a loud protest before nuzzling up to Adrien's leg. "It was nice meeting you." She stuck out her hand again and he shook it. "We should do this again. Hang out I mean. The world looks a little nicer when you're around." She pointed to her eyes and he nodded. They exchanged numbers.

"Are you walking to your house?" He asked but she shook her head. Plagg demanded to be picked up so he bent down to pick up his cat. The green-eyed creature purred loudly as Adrien pet him.

"No. My boyfriend Félix is picking me up... I still can't drive for another week or two." She sounded embarrassed. Adrien nodded at her words.

"Well, I'm going to head home. Text me when you want to see the nice looking world." Adrien almost laughed and it looked like she did too.

"Will do," she paused. "Adrien?" Bridgette called back to him and he rose an eyebrow at her. "The world is nice. Even when the people we love aren't there. Even when we can't see at all. It's nice," she promised. "Or it will get nicer."

Marinette gave Bridgette her sight. He wondered what else she saw.