Miraculous Endgame

Friday.

Adrien bounced his knee up and down with his head in his hands. His mind was fogged and couldn't focus. Why did hospitals smell so, clean? It put him off, a place full of blood, pain and death had no right being so squeaky clean and tidy. His hands ran through his hair and pulled it from his scalp. He wanted something to feel, something to focus on, because once he let it in her would feel the pain from almost 4 years ago all over again. The pain of his losing his mother.

He felt like he was about to explode in that waiting room chair when a dainty figure knelt down in front of him. He didn't move his gaze from the shiny floor. He knew who it was. He just couldn't let her see his pain, not again, not after court where he saw everything he had caused her. The stress, the guilt, the sadness, anger. Everything. He was the cause. And as long as she was supporting him, he felt like he was crushing her.

"you didn't have to come" he sighed, struggling to mask the quiver in his words.
"i did" she said simply. Placing one hand on either of his knees, steadying herself, and his knee.

A little black figure appeared from Adrien's shirt and for a minuet Marinette studied the Kwami's expression. His green eyes shon with sorrow and confusion. His grip onto Adrien's shirt showed Marinette he was scared to let go. To let go of Adrien, but he knew, he would be safer with Marinette right now. Adrien was vulnerable, and didn't want Plagg right now...

The night before Plagg had attempted to cheer him up, but it only ended in silence from Adrien. Plagg was helpless, and out of his depth, like Marinette had been so many times before. He released his grip on Adrien's shirt and flew towards Marinette, flying as fast as he could into her purse- unnoticed by the public.

"Plagg?" Adrien whispered, catching the Kwami dash past him in the corner of his eye.

This was enough to make him finally look up from the floor and at Marinette. Her eyes were soft and radiated a sense of comfort for Adrien. She couldn't understand how he's feeling, she's never dealt with death before- but she could be there for him. As much as she could.

"Amelie is waiting for you Adrien, Plagg is safer with me- he's not going anywhere okays?" She said, staring deep into his glossy eyes.

"Okay"

And with them words he grabbed her hands, stood up, pulling her up with him and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nestled his head into her shoulder and let out a deep, shaken breath.

"i'm ready"

"i'll be here with you, all the way"

She pulled away but didn't step back. She gazed deeply into his eyes, reading his emotions. He wasn't ready. But he had to be.

"kiss promise?" She asked, holding out her pinky at chest hight. Not for one moment did her eyes move from his. She was so focused on him and wanting to help him, she was sure that in this moment everything else melted away. After today, after the past four years- today he finally could be at peace.

Instinctively he reached out and interlocked his pinky with hers, they kissed their thumbs then bumped them together and leant in. He paced a tender kiss on her lips and the aroma of his skin on hers lingered on for a moment. She wanted to savour it, this moment- she wasn't sure how he was going to cope with the next half an hour and it could be days before he let her in again.
"let's go kitty" she said finally, taking his hand and leading him into his mother's room.

Inside Amelie stood on the far side of Emilie's bed and Felix was sat down on a chair in the far right corner of the room. The doctor was stood next to Amelie, she was waiting to do the inevitable. As they walked in, Felix gave a sympathetic smile and Amelie's eyes met Adrien's. They both showed a flicker of hope as their eyes met each other's. But that's all it was. A flicker. And then it faded...

He walked up to beside his mother's bed, still gripping tightly onto Marinette and took his mother's lifeless hand. It was cold, dry and limp- the very reflection of everything she was not. Before it was easier for Adrien. Before he didn't have to see her die. Before he still had a slither of hope. Before he had nothing but happy memories of her. This time was different, this time was real.

"are you ready miss?" the doctor asked.
Amelie looked up to Adrien, but he was fixated on his mother.

Images of her led with shards of glass over her complexion flooded his mind. He reminisced his memories with her. And he finally let go of the hope which held him together for almost four years.

"i love you mom" Adrien whimpered.

Then Amelie gave a nod to the doctor.

His chest felt like it was caving in, his eyes burned with tears and he let it all out. A final cry, dissipating the hope from his body into the air to be lost forever as he focused on the slowing beeping of her life support.

Beep. The grip from Marinette tightened. Beep. His limbs begin to shake.
Beep. His eyes search his Aunts.
Beep. His head fills with regrets.
Beep. His body weighs him down.
Beep.
Beep.
  -- 

And then she was gone.

In the flick of a switch she was gone.

Four years of worries, hopes, uncertainty, all left Adrien with that final beep. Her final breath. The end of her story.

And Adrien's tears seemed to stream down his face like a waterfall. The sounds of the room disappearing as he finds himself nestled into Marinette's shoulder once again. Muffling the tears, muffling the doctor, muffling the death. And his dead mother led less than 30cm to his left.

The thoughts encased his mind and suddenly he wanted to get away. To escape. He didn't want his last memory of  his bubbly mother to be her lead lifeless on a hospital bed.

"i can't look" he whispered into Marinette's ear, seeking an escape.

"it's okay, let's go home bubba" Marinette replied, a hint of sorrow in his voice.

"my aunt-"

"I got her" Felix spoke up before Adrien was taken away from the room by Marinette.

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