The rain fell heavily over Paris, ominous clouds looming in the night sky. Thunder and lightning echoed through the city along with a familiar, and well-respected name.
"Emilie!" They shouted. "Emilie Agreste!"
Several search parties were arranged, yet there was no luck in finding the missing woman. A twelve-year-old boy of her green eyes and golden hair sat impatiently by the windowsill, watching the raindrops race each other down the glass. He heard his father talking to officer Roger in the foyer.
"We've searched the entire city, high and low, sir," the officer spoke. "It's been so long, I'm sorry to say, wherever Emilie's gone, she's been taken out of Paris, or she may not be alive."
Adrien perked up off of the bay window. No way he heard that correctly. His ears must be failing him. He ran into the foyer and stared up at the two men.
"That's not true!" He shouted. "Mom only went on a trip for a few months! She'll be back soon, right father?"
Gabriel blinked, frowning at his now motherless son. He bent down to him, holding his shoulders. "Adrien, listen..."
Tears filled the blond's eyes. "N-No..." He sniffled, pushing his father's hands off of him. "No way! It's not true! She can't be gone!" The tearful boy ran out of the mansion in the pouring rain.
"Adrien, wait!" Gabriel called out to his son.
"Mom!" Adrien cried out into the darkness. "Mother!"
Upon hearing no response, Adrien allowed tears to leave his eyes, cursing the stars that marked the day he'd lost his mother. A loud clap of thunder startled the boy to ground, sobbing hysterically as he was now holding his knees to his chest in the fetal position.
"M-Mom..."
Gabriel rushed out and scooped his son into his arms, holding him closely. "Adrien..."
"W-Why..." Adrien sobbed, "Why didn't you tell me that mom was dead?"
"We don't know that, son." Gabriel brought him inside and wrapped him in a towel, drying him from the rain. "She's just... disappeared."
"Mom!" Adrien woke up in a state of panic, looking around for Plagg.
"I'm here, Adrien," Plagg told him. "Are you okay? Was it your mother again?"
Adrien nodded, tears threatening to fall. Thunder once again scared the quivering boy further under his covers as he helplessly screamed bloody murder.
Plagg purred softly, getting Adrien's attention. "Kid, you'll wake up the whole house."
Adrien nodded, covering his mouth.
Plagg sighed, patting Adrien's head. Plagg wasn't particularly an affectionate kwami like his counterpart, Tikki. In fact, love and romance made him feel a bit nauseous. Nonetheless, Plagg cared unconditionally for Adrien. He was like his kitten. Plagg didn't strive to show his affection, however, seeing his chosen so frightened and upset, softened him up. Plagg knew purring kept him calm and that staying close to him made him feel secure. Plagg was a lazy cat, but he'd sacrifice his sleep for Adrien if he had to.
A twist to the doorknob was heard and Plagg went into hiding beneath the bed. Marinette rushed in, fatigue in her eyes, as she held a concerned expression. "Did... you scream?"
A deep blush was drawn over Adrien's cheeks as he hid his face in the blanket. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean to disturb you..."
Marinette's eyes had just readjusted to the darkness of Adrien's room. She frowned to see him wrapped in blankets, quivering and whimpering like a frightened child.
"What happened, chéri?"
Thunder arrived once again as Adrien jolted back, shaking violently.
"Oh," Marinette realized, joining him on the bed, "you're frightened by the storm, aren't you, Adrien?"
The blond boy nodded, his eyes shut tightly as thunder struck again. "Y-Yeah. I-I told you I d-didn't like thunder. And... And I had a nightmare about my mom."
The poor boy's lip wobbled uncontrollably as he forced back tears, covering his face with his hands. Marinette removed the blanket from over his head to which he gasped, pulling it back over him. Marinette shook her head at the emerald-eyed boy giving her an angry pout. She took him into her arms, holding his head securely.
"Tell me about your nightmare?"
Adrien sniffled. "It was more of a memory. Of the day I found out she was gone. We don't know the exact day something happened to her, but I was told she was on a long trip. It turns out, she'd been missing for months. I didn't know until I overheard officer Roger say she was nowhere to be found. I wasn't even thirteen yet. I-I ran into the storm, calling for her. I don't know what I expected, but she obviously didn't respond. My father took me back inside and stayed with me until the storm passed. But he became cold and distant after that."
Marinette sighed, holding back her own tears. She'd never really heard the story before. And it broke her heart to hear that Adrien had to go through that. She would be traumatized, too. Marinette rubbed his back as he continued to shake. Then, he let out a sob, causing him to freeze for a moment. He was holding back again.
"Do you want to cry?" Marinette asked him.
Adrien seemed petrified of the question. He furiously shook his head. "I-I'm not going to c-cry."
"You know," Marinette stroked his head, "crying is good for you sometimes. It'll make you feel better if you did."
Adrien whimpered. "I-I know."
"Adrien, stop holding it back. It's not healthy. Every time I've actually seen you cry, you're still trying not to. Just let it go."
Adrien frowned. "But father says..."
Marinette clicked her tongue. "Adrien, your father cries too."
Adrien seemed surprised. "Yeah? How would you know?"
Marinette's pupils shrank in regret. She didn't intend to expose Gabriel. "Because he's human. A human with feelings that carries sorrows just like you. You lost your mother; he lost the love of his life. You really believe he's never broken down before?"
Adrien felt a pang of guilt. He'd been so preoccupied, feeling neglected and yearning for his father's attention, he'd never stop to think how his father was feeling. He's been hurting too this whole time, and Adrien couldn't pay enough attention to notice. Adrien would be completely torn apart if he had lost his lady. Or Marinette. He may not be in love with her, but he still loved her deeply.
"I-I'm a horrible son!" Adrien released more hesitant sobs. "I should have been more considerate."
"Oh, Adrien, that isn't what I meant! It's not your fault!" She rubbed his back. "It's not your fault."
Adrien jolted in her embrace as the storm only seemed to worsen. She hushed his whimpers and shrieks. He let out another sob to which he once again froze.
"Adrien, I won't ask you to if you are uncomfortable with me," Marinette told the quivering boy, "but you are allowed to let it all go. I don't want you to think that crying is a bad thing, or that it makes you weak, because it's not, and you aren't. Adrien, you are one of the strongest boys I've ever known."
The blond sniffled. "Am I really?"
Marinette nodded, patting his head. "To survive the pain you've endured and still manage to put a smile on your face, yes, Adrien, you really are. Listen to me, you don't always have to be strong, or smile, or hide how you really feel. Not with me at least. This is a safe space. No judgement. No rules. Just you and me."
"It's not that I'm uncomfortable with you, Marinette." He chuckled sadly, sitting up to look at her, tugging the blanket around him tightly. "I'm actually very comfortable with you, more so than anyone. It's just..." He looked away. "... I just didn't want to drive you away with all my baggage. I wanted you to think I was perfect like everyone else. Knowing that you didn't made me a bit insecure, because I thought you wouldn't like me if you saw me... like I am right now."
Marinette blinked. "Oh, Adrien..." She rubbed the blanket that separated her hand from his hair. "Chéri, you can't drive me away. That's just not possible." She held his chin with her index and placed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "When I say that I love you, Adrien, I really mean it. I love every part of you; the good and the bad. It means that I'm never going leave you or give up on you. I'll be there when you need me."
"W-What if..." Adrien hesitated. "...What if I always need you?"
Marinette blushed slightly, melting at those words. "Then, I'll always be there for you. I'll never leave your side."
Adrien smiled softly. "Thanks, Mari..."
He then jumped at the sound of thunder as he threw himself into Marinette. "H-Help!"
Marinette held the boy closely, hushing him until his shaking came to a minimum and he pulled away again. Adrien let out a shaky breath, fresh tears in his eyes.
"Adrien, I'm going to ask you again." Marinette held his face. "Do you want to cry?"
Adrien looked down and nodded, shutting his eyes tightly. "Y-Yes..."
He was hardly able to choke out that response before completely bursting into tears, covering his face to hide his broken sobs. Marinette, at first, could only watch in shock. If this is what it looked like to see Adrien Agreste truly cry, she absolutely hated it. He just looked so sad and hurt and scared. She almost couldn't bare it. It made her want to cry, too. But she knew that if she did, Adrien would force himself to stop for her sake, and she didn't want that.
Marinette removed his hands from his face and held them in her own. Adrien opened one eye to look at her through his blurry vision, his cheeks quickly reddening as he felt so vulnerable letting himself go like that. But he couldn't stop himself anymore. Marinette had broken the wall that kept his emotions at bay. He held one of Marinette's hands tightly and let go of the other to attempt in wiping tears that only replaced themselves.
(Pretend the blanket is still over him)
"Don't be embarrassed, mon chéri," Marinette chuckled softly. "And stop trying to wipe them away so much. They're just gonna keep coming until you run out."
Until he ran out? Adrien had no idea how long that would be. He had been holding tears for so long he felt that releasing them all could take forever. He wanted to be finished, but he just couldn't stop for the life of him. Adrien nodded as he removed his hand from his face and his cheeks slowly returned to their natural color.
When thunder struck again, Marinette didn't have to be told that Adrien needed to be held; she knew as his sobbing grew harsher. The pigtailed girl enveloped Adrien in her arms, protectively holding his head to her chest as she traced circles on his back.
"You're safe, Adrien," she spoke softly, swaying him gently. "The storm can't harm you. Nothing can harm you while I'm with you, okay?"
Adrien listened to her words and her gentle heartbeat as he was rocked in a motion that soothed him. His uncontrollable crying continued for about ten minutes. But Marinette didn't complain. She only held and comforted him as if he was just a small, frightened child.
Adrien pulled away, his sobbing finally at its end, and chuckled timidly. "I-I'm so sorry..."
Marinette shook her head. "Don't apologize." She grabbed the tissue box and held his wet cheek to wipe his tears away. "Do you feel better, chéri?"
Adrien leaned into her hand, giving her a gentle nod. "Y-Yeah..."
Marinette smiled as she finished cleaning his tears as well as his runny nose. "See? I know you try really hard to conceal it, but sometimes, you just have to let it out, you know?"
Adrien nodded, now smiling as well. "Thank you for helping me do that."
"Anytime," Marinette told him, putting the tissues on the nightstand. She turned back to a once again quivering Adrien. "You okay?"
Adrien jumped at the thunder. "S-Still scared..."
Marinette thought for a minute. Then she removed the blanket from over his head, making him gasp and whimper. She place a hand on his head. "It's okay. It's okay, Adrien. Trust me?"
After gaining a hesitant nod from a very nervous Adrien, Marinette went searching through her purse. In the meantime, Adrien shut his eyes tightly, resisting the urge to pull the blanket back over his head when thunder was heard. Then, he couldn't hear anything. He opened his eyes to realize Marinette had placed ear buds in his ears. Adrien's favorite songs began to play.
"This should help with your astraphobia, okay?" Marinette told him. She placed the blanket back over his head, and peck his nose. "There you go."
Adrien couldn't hear what Marinette was saying very well, but he caught enough to understand. He smiled sheepishly. "Thank you, ma chou..."
"You're welcome."
Marinette got under the blankets and laid down, surprising Adrien.
He took one of the buds out. "But I-I thought..."
Marinette smiled at him. "Maybe you didn't hear me clearly before, chéri. I'm never leaving your side."
Upon hearing more thunder as lighting blinded him, Adrien quickly shoved the bud back in his ear and laid down, pulling the covers over his body as he huddled closely to Marinette. The pigtailed girl pulled him closer and stroked his cheek until he stopped shaking and his breathing slowed. He was finally asleep.
Marinette came to the realization that she was, at night, sharing a bed with Adrien, who was sleeping soundly, his body against hers, his face so close that their noses nearly touched. She was wearing his shirt too! She blushed wildly. He was a really cute sleeper. He looked so peaceful and angelic. Wait... was he drooling? Marinette was sure she might have another cuteness overload. It was in that moment, Marinette was sure of two things; she was completely and utterly in love with Adrien Agreste, and she was going to do everything she possibly could to keep him as happy and peaceful as he looked now.
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So Adrien finally broke huh? Honestly, writing this chapter just made my heart happy. It's really cute. Also kind of got inspiration from that Haruhi x Hikaru scene in rain from Ouran Host Club. Comment if you know what I mean. I high-key love you.
And thank you for 4K views! Guys, that's absolutely insane! My first ML fanfic is ridiculously popular. All thanks to you!