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The day had come. Well, not really. It was dark outside but it was officially the day when Marinette was going to leave. Not forever, Adrien reminded her all the time. It was just a short trip abroad, nothing final. But it was still scary.
She remembered getting the letter that she was accepted for the exchange programme. She wanted this trip to Italy, the opportunity to immerse herself in the world of fashion. And Adrien had fully supported her about applying and celebrated together with her when they got the confirmation.
But shortly after that, fear had kicked in. What if something happened while she was away? What if Adrien couldn’t handle it on his own? What if something happened to her and she never got to see him again? The possibilities were endless and never gave a break to her troubled mind.
He reassured her that they had gone through much worse, a few weeks apart wouldn’t be so bad. She would be a phone call away and she’d even have Plagg with her so if it was really necessary she could always fly back to Paris in the blink of an eye. It all made sense, she agreed, but this somehow never fully quietened her worries.
With how busy she was with the preparations and the day of her departure approaching, she had thought that she was doing better. She was scared, yes, but mainly excited.
It wasn’t until the night before when she stood in the middle of her room, her packed suitcase ready and her going through her papers to make sure everything was there, that she realised that something was wrong.
It was Adrien who realised it first, actually. Sometimes she thought that her boyfriend knew her better than she knew herself. Because it was him that took the papers away and squeezed her hands in his and it was only then that she realised that they were shaking and she was close to tears.
“M’lady, it’s going to be alright,” he’d said gently. He understood her tendency to overthink things, to catastrophise and imagine the worst outcome. He knew when to try talking sense into her and when to just hold her until she calmed down.
She had been beyond making sense of this. This had been panic, pure and uncontrollable, and she would have broken down if he hadn’t been there for her. But he walked her through it, never leaving her side, and eventually her hands in his had stopped shaking and she had been able to take a deep breath without feeling as if the world was ending.
After that, he’d put an end to all preparations, saying that she’d gone through everything enough times already. He’d put some music on and while she had felt weird at first, dancing with him in her room as if they were at some fancy event, she had gradually relaxed and realised that this was what she needed.
Just him and her and his gentle jokes that coaxed the laughter out of her and made her forget why she’d freaked out in the first place. After the dancing, they had played games and then watched a movie.
She had made the mistake of telling him to go home then.
“I’m not leaving you,” he’d said, hurt in his eyes as if the suggestion offended him. “I don’t need sleep and I don’t want to waste any minute I could have spent with you.”
This had moved her tears. He was right of course. She could sleep in the plane on the way to Italy. She would have all the time without him afterwards. Spending her last night at home with him was the thing she needed the most.
They had talked a lot, remembering funny moments from the past. She’d even told him some embarrassing stories she had saved before. They had laughed and it had felt good. A reminder that they had so much behind them. That they were strong together. That what they had was solid and couldn’t be shaken so easily.
Part of the night they spent kissing, making up for the time apart in advance. Because she knew with all her being that she’d miss kissing him terribly. Just the promise of a single kiss was enough for her to consider flying back to Paris or convincing him to come visit her more often.
Then he held her, both of them tired and fighting off sleep, but never fully succumbing to it. She was content to feel him there, to hear his strong heartbeat in her ear, to feel the occasional kiss and to hear the murmured affectionate words.
It was this, spending the last hours feeling loved up and secure in his arms that gave her the strength she needed. She would go to Italy, enjoy her time there and she would be back with Adrien in no time at all.
“I love you too, kitty,” she said, as she fought off another yawn. The sky was already growing lighter, she could see it through her skylight, so she knew that their time was almost up.
“I didn’t say a thing,” she heard Adrien’s amused response.
“But you showed me enough,” she smiled at him as she looked up, feeling her heart fill with love like never before.
Then she kissed him and somehow it was the perfect way to meet the new day.