"… and as of yet, no new information has come to light regarding Ladybug's predicament. The people of Paris are hopeful for a speedy recovery, displaying vigils and shrines in the heroine's honour, but considering the uncharacteristic silence from both superheroes, we may have to prepare for the worst-"

Nino shut off the news report with a disgusted "Ugh."

Adrien was glad- practically every news channel in Paris was talking about the afternoon's events non-stop, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take. There were only so many angles from which he could watch Ladybug get shot before he went mad- seriously, how did so many people manage to film it?

"Thanks." He muttered now, passing a hand over his face to scrub away his exhaustion and frustration. "That was driving me crazy."

Nino shrugged understandingly. It was now around nine in the morning the day after the bank explosion. Alya and Marinette's parents had dropped off a while back, but Adrien was in no mood to sleep, and Nino wasn't sure he wanted to leave him on his own. The doctors still maintained that Marinette wasn't allowed visitors, but had conceded that they may be allowed in at some point that morning. Miraculously, no-one's parents had arrived and forced them to come home, so everyone had spent the night worrying in the uncomfortable, orange, plastic chairs provided. The waiting room's TV had been turned on by some other waiting families during the night, but now they'd been allowed back to see their respective patients, control fell to the two boys.

"No problem. It was making me anxious, too." The boys stretched, Nino yawning as he placed the TV remote on the coffee table to his left. "It's just… all of Paris is worried about Ladybug, but it seems, like, crazy that hardly anyone's concerned about Mari herself. I mean, she's the one who did all that stuff, she's the actual heroine, but everyone's all scared for the superhero they don't know the real name of. I dunno… doesn't it ever make you angry that the real you never gets recognition or praise? Does that make any sense?"

"Yeah, that makes sense." The blond sighed, rubbing his hand through his hair, his body weighed down by exhaustion. "But we don't do it for recognition or whatever. We do it 'cause we were chosen to, we have a duty to honour our kwamis and do the right thing."

Nino mulled that over for a moment, the waiting room becoming busier around them as more Parisians woke up- and therefore got injured. He dropped his voice so their odd conversation would go un-eavesdropped-upon.

"I get that. I don't know if I could ever do it, though… all that running around after the Hawkmoth dude, and all those heroics and stuff would just freak me out. I'm not so good under pressure, I'd probably just bail or trip over in front of everyone."

Adrien chuckled, his stomach rumbling. He hadn't eaten in around a day, as they'd never had the chance to order at the pizzeria.

"Well as long as you trip over and push the akuma into the Seine or something, it should be fine."

His friend grinned back at him, their conventional banter masking their fatigue and fear. Adrien leaned back in his chair, resting his head on the back of his chair to look up at the ceiling as he spoke.

"Do you think she's awake yet?"

Obviously, Nino didn't need clarification to understand who the boy was talking about. He shook his head ruefully. "Nah, the doctors said she'd be out for hours at minimum. Plus, I reckon they'd have come to get us- or her parents at least. She'd have made 'em."

Adrien sighed, his insides twisting in loneliness and longing.

"You're probably right. I… I just miss her. I want to see her. Like, I know she's alive and I'm so relieved, but it's like the nurse said- it's still too early to really tell. She's- she's alive, for now. We don't know how this is going to pan out and… I really don't like not knowing."

Nino could hear the tears gathering in his friend's voice and made a face. He hated waiting, too.

"Look, dude- it's like literally everyone has been saying. Marinette's one hell of a fighter, okay? She'll be fine."

Adrien groaned, leaning forwards to bury his face in his hands, frustration nearly overwhelming him.

"Ugh, I know, I know. I'm… so anxious… and tired and crabby and scared and guilty and all this other crap. I'm sorry, dude. I'm just worried, I need to see her. I feel like I have to check with my own eyes that she's still here. Even if she's unconscious."

Nino nodded his understanding just as another nurse walked into the waiting room, clipboard in hand. The boys' eyes flickered to her automatically, waiting eagerly. The nurse scanned the clipboard, then looked up to raise his voice to call out the name they'd been longing to hear.

"Dupain-Cheng?"

Adrien reacted first, scrambling out of his seat to dart over to the man while Nino followed at a more sedated pace, stopping to shake awake Alya and the actual Dupain-Chengs first. Adrien hopped on the spot impatiently as they made their way over, too anxious to wait much longer.

Come on come on come on come on.

"Can we see her? Is she awake?" Were the sleep- thickened words forced out of Sabine's mouth as she rubbed the doze out of her eyes to look expectantly at the nurse.

The nurse smiled, amused by the eagerness clearly displayed by the little group in front of him.

"Sadly, no- Marinette's not awake yet, but the doctors have said she's stable enough to be allowed visitors. I'm afraid it's limited to three at a time, so maybe the parents first and the friends after? They'll have to be quite short visits, too. My colleague's just over there, she'll show you to your daughter's ward."

Adrien felt like screaming, but managed to nod his head in consent as the Dupain-Chengs rushed off after the redhead the nurse had pointed out. He, Alya and Nino hung back, impatiently anticipating the moment they were finally allowed to see their friend. The nurse waited for a moment too, until all the other staff members were out of earshot. He beckoned to the three conspiratorially, and they leaned in, intrigued.

"And technically it's strictly relatives-only." The nurse whispered with a slight grin. "So I suggest that the three of you present yourselves as either extraordinarily diverse-looking siblings, or very intimate cousins, okay?" With a wink, the nurse straightened up and left.

Alya took a nearby seat, her recent doze still slurring her words.

"Well, at least she's stable, if not awake." She yawned, rubbing at her eyes. "I hope the doctors let us see her."

"We'll just have to be sneaky." Nino suggested.

Adrien sank into the chair next to her.

"It sounds awful, but I hope Tom and Sabine are quick. Like, I get that they're her parents and they've spent all night agonizing over her, too, but I can't wait."

"I know what you mean," Nino sighed, rubbing his stomach. "I just want to get it over with. I feel like I can't eat anything until I've seen her. And that's a big deal, because I haven't skipped a meal in decades."

"Dude, you're sixteen. Just how many decades do you think you've lived for?"

"Enough to know that skipping a meal isn't something to be taken lightly, okay Cat Boy?"

The light-hearted teasing continued for about half an hour as the teens tried to distract themselves from their nerves and impatience. Finally, the redhead that the Dupain-Chengs had followed earlier reappeared, and beckoned them with a smile.

"Your turn, guys. Monsieur and Madame Dupain-Cheng have finished their visit and decided to go straight home, so Marinette's all yours, okay?"

They didn't need much prompting, leaping after her as she turned back the way she'd came. She could clearly sense their anxiety to see their friend, as she practically power-walked through the corridors to the side of the hospital that housed Marinette's ward.

"Alright, she's in here. She's in a single ward, so you guys have got some privacy, but you can only stay for about… thirty minutes, okay? I'll be back to fetch you then. If she wakes up or you need anything, there's a call button on her headrest." Giving them an encouraging smile, the nurse turned and walked away.

Adrien rested his hand on the door handle, but didn't open it. He suddenly felt a bizarre onset of trepidation. His body stiffened, and he felt a coldness drip down his spine.

How was he supposed to do this? He didn't know if he could actually stand to see her lying there, machines keeping her alive, her body covered in a white sheet. He didn't understand how he was supposed to bear not seeing her eyes open, or hearing her voice. Dread curdled in his stomach, a great pressure forcing itself on his body.

After a moment of stillness and silence, Alya spoke up.

"Uh, Adrien?" She said nervously, placing a hand gingerly on his shoulder.

"Uh-huh?" He choked out, feeling like a giant hand was crushing down on his windpipe.

"You doing okay?"

The concern in his friend's voice alleviated the pressure, knowing that he wasn't alone. He swallowed, but his voice was still hoarse.

"I'm just scared." Adrien whispered, his hand still clenched on the handle. What was he doing? He was wasting valuable Marinette-visiting time, he'd been anticipating this for hours. And now he'd decided to go all scaredy-cat. "Of… what it'll be like. What- what if she doesn't look like Marinette? What if she doesn't smell like Marinette? What if she doesn't wake up? What if she does? I don't know how to handle this, I- I feel so guilty, and scared, and nervous, and then guilty for feeling scared, I- um, just- ugh…"

Alya squeezed his shoulder. Nino spoke next, his voice soft.

"It's okay, bro. Take all the time you need. This is a bigger deal to you than us," Alya shot him a frown, which he silenced with a glare, "this isn't just Marinette for you, dude- this is Ladybug, too. I get it, it's like there's two girls in there. You've got double the emotions, and that can't be cool."

Understanding now what Nino meant, Alya nodded.

"Just know, Adrien, that it is Marinette in there. It is our friend, however she may look, or- or smell, not that I'm all too familiar with that particular aspect of her."

Adrien choked out a dry chuckle, and he could feel himself un-tensing.

"You can do this."

"Okay." He took a deep breath, squaring himself. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go see Marinette."

He pulled open the door.