Work Text:
It was on a rainy day. And Marinette was in her room right now because she couldn't go out in this weather.
She left the window ajar. Cold air rushed into the warm room, sending a chill down her spine. In her hands was a black shawl - a project that took her three hours to come up with and create in a mood which was both uneasy and apprehensive about what had happened in the previous week.
Marinette had stopped talking about breaking her engagement with the prince. The unexpected out-turn was he seemed to be growing more attached to her, which was quite a disadvantage for her to escape quietly. She was unsure about why he didn’t want to break off, but all she had to do was try to come up with other plans to save herself from potential death. And recently, she quietly sent someone to find the female lead Lila Rossi, still for some reason, it had been almost a week, and there was no news about her. Had it because she was too impatient to find a way out of her death, or had the timeline not arrived yet?
Besides, Marinette sighed, her fingers stroking the soft wool she worked so hard to create, the other problem was Chloe. Despite reading the novel only once and she swore to never read it again, she was sure of one thing, Chloe Bourgeois was a character who had never appeared in this story. Since when did a character like her, once one of the girls capable of becoming the prince's fiancée, but because of family reasons, lost that opportunity and then came back and insulted her at the ball last week?
She set aside the piece of wool, then sipped the warm chamomile tea to ease the headache.
A strange noise mingled with the sound of the rain, loud enough for her to look out the window. From her room, she could immediately see the west side of the royal garden, where many brilliant red roses were planted. And at the path leading to the garden, Adrien appeared with his beloved horse. He quickly dismounted, the servant also promptly grabbed the reins, exchanged a few sentences, and then left, leaving him standing there. And then, he looked up.
"Is he looking for me?" - Marinette put her crafting tools on the table and made her way to the window.
Seeming to have found the person he was looking for, Adrien made a few hand gestures, then quickly entered the castle.
She watched the man come in, sighed, and then asked the maid to bring up a clean towel and a pot of hot tea. He came here in the rain and didn't have a coat on, most likely having something serious, and somewhat related to her.
Adrien immediately opened the door and entered after only a few minutes after the maid brought the items she had requested.
“Ah-Adrien.”
His whole body was wet from the rain. The blonde hair used to be so fluffy but now flattened like a pancake. Eyes like emeralds shone with relief, but somewhere there was a pain waiting to burst out.
“Mari. You…”
Marinette sensed that something was wrong, stood up, and immediately grabbed a clean towel that was placed on the table, worryingly walking to him.
"...What is going on? Are you ok?"
Adrien stared blankly at her for a few seconds, then his hand caressed her face. She could feel his hand was shaken. His other hand also pulled her into his embrace.
“It's ok, it’s fine. She is still here.”
He mumbled something that she couldn't hear clearly. What she heard now was the sound of his heart beating so fast in his chest, which made her think of him having a panic attack.
“Adrien. What happened? Why did you go out in the rain without bringing an entourage or at least a coat?”
She gently pushed it away, then didn't forget to use a towel to wipe away the raindrops that remained on his golden hair. He let her wipe away water drops on him like an obedient kitten, with his face still mixed with scared and hurt. Acknowledging his silent manner, Marinette decided not to question him more.
The rain was still falling outside, filling the silence in her room.
“I had a very bad nightmare.” - A deep, hoarse voice rang out. Marinette silently wiped the rain off him - "I saw myself holding a sword, with you in the jail…"
She paused when she heard that, and she nodded. "And…?"
“You were kneeling on the floor, crying and begging me 'don't do that' in your ragged dress. But I ignored it and swung my sword…”
Marinette knew this detail well. In the novel, the villainess Marinette was caught red-handed by Alya - the heroine's best friend, with the result that she was executed by the male lead Adrien Agreste. The image of the girl who used to be the male lead's childhood was very sketchy as if the character wasn’t deserved a detailed description, like a puppet used for the sole purpose and ditching afterward. A cheap three-cent novel.
She was shivering, a fear slowly rising in her chest. Will she be able to escape that death ending?
Still, she took a deep breath and exhaled. She couldn't let this weak side of her showing in front of the male lead. Marinette then hugged him, felt the stiffness of his body, patted gently on the back, and reassured him:
“Don't worry too much, my prince. It was just a nightmare.”
Adrien, as if comforted by her words, also slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, his handsome face pressed against her neck, searching for the familiar warmth he was longing for.
“As long as you’ll want, I will always be there for you."
That's right, as long as Adrien wished, she would show up and play a role as his friend. Taking care of him, showering him with affection that he deserved to have until the female lead finally made an appearance.
As the novel progressed, this character would be out of the story at one point, yet she still felt pain in her chest. If only this moment could last forever.