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p-artsypants · 4 years

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Longest Night (31)

Ao3 | FF.net

She awoke. The room was dim, and just the right amount of warm. Her throat felt dry and her limbs weak. She didn’t know if she had the energy to speak.

“Emilie?” A woman’s soft voice asked.

“Hmm?” She hummed back.

A hand fell on hers. “Good to see you awake. You’ve been asleep for a long time.”

“How…long?”

“Four years.”

She blinked more, trying to clear the haze on her mind.

“Shh, keep resting. You’re still very weak.”

“Where…?”

“We’re in Tibet, in the temple of the Guardians.”

“Temple…?”

The woman, now recognized as Gabriel’s secretary Nathalie, chuckled softly. “Go back to sleep. I’ll catch you up later.”

“Where’s…my husband? And Adrien?”

“Gabriel’s in Paris and…we’re not sure where Adrien is…that’s why Gabriel’s not here.”

Emilie pushed up on the mattress. “Adrien’s missing?! Why!?”

“Shh…” Nathalie pushed her back down by the shoulder. “Please Emilie, don’t strain yourself.”

“Well, I’m wide awake now, so you better get explaining!”

Nathalie rolled her eyes. “Will you relax if I do?”

“…Yes ma’am.��

“Alright…well. It started about a year after you fell asleep…”

—

Everything happened in a whirlwind of action. Everyone wanted to know what was happening, and wanted to be a part of helping. The Gorilla got a police escort to the hospital, driving Alya and Gabriel, while Nino volunteered to stay behind and lock up. News vans followed the ambulance and car. Traffic stopped and pulled over as the cars zoomed through the city.

At the hospital, Marinette and Adrien were unloaded and rushed into surgery. Sabine, still transformed, and Tom were escorted to a private waiting room.

And then, silence.

All the rushing and shouting, it stopped.

Sabine stood in the room, trembling.

“I believe the phrase was ‘spots off’, darling.” Tom said softly.

“Hm? Oh, Spots Off.” The whirlwind pink disappeared just as it came, and Tikki appeared in front of her, barely staying afloat.

“Madam Cheng?” She asked weakly.

“What is it, dear?”

“Um…I’m really hungry from the cure…do you have any cookies?”

Sabine gave her a sympathetic smile. “So you’re the little mouse that steals my cookies at night.”

Tikki smiled sheepishly.

“I don’t have any on me right now, but lets see what’s in this vending machine.”

Tikki settled for a bag of mini chocolate chip cookies and took her meal to eat on a chair.

Not much later, Gabriel, the Gorilla, and Alya were escorted into the room by a nurse.

“They got in alright?” Gabriel asked.

“Yes, they got right in. They didn’t even ask Tom and I for any medical information.”

“Ah, yes, that would be my doing.”

Tom and Sabine shared a look. “What do you mean?”

Gabriel thought for a second, then admitted, “I could have sworn I already told you, but perhaps in the rush of things, I forgot to mention it. I apologize. Do you remember a few weeks ago when I asked if you had packed up your medical files with your belongings?”

“Oh! Yes, you asked for Marinette’s!”

“Yes, this hospital has assembled a specific team of specialists to prepare for them. They studied the stream and have everything they need to get started right away.”

“Wow, that’s smart!” Commented Alya. “Was that your idea, Mr. Agreste?”

“I wish, but no. It was Dr. Ernest Boucher, an akuma victim who wanted to pay off his debt. We’ve taken care of everything. The bill is squared. You only have to worry about Marinette.”

Sabine let out a sob. “Thank you!”

Gabriel tried to smile, but it fell flat. “Don’t thank me yet. I’m not worthy of gratitude.”

At that, Tikki looked over to him, aware that she was exposed to the parents, but not really noticing it until now.

Alya knelt on the floor next to her chair. “Hi there, I’m Alya.” She introduced.

“Oh, I know.” Tikki said with a smile. “I’m well acquainted with you. So is Trixx.”

At the name, Trixx popped out of Alya’s shirt. “Heya Tik!”

“Hi Trixx!”

The fox floated down and joined Tikki on the chair. “Wayzz is with Nino and Pollen is with Chloe.”

“Nino should be here soon,” Alya provided. “He stayed behind to make sure everything was locked up at the bakery. Don’t want reporters getting in there after all.”

The door to the waiting room opened, a police officer entering. “Captain David Phillips,” he introduced with a bob of the head. “I’m in charge of security for your children during their stay here.”

Sabine breathed, another worry dissuaded. “Oh thank you!”

“Of course, Mrs. Cheng. There will be officers posted at each of their rooms. All staff working with them have already gone through background checks, and have been picked by Dr. Ernst Boucher to work on his team. If I may, I would like to write up a list of people with clearance to visit. My recommendation is that you keep the list short. It is likely the team won’t allow any guests besides immediate family in the beginning.”

“Right.”

He took out a notebook. “Of course, I have Sabine Cheng, Tom Dupain, and Gabriel Agreste on the list. Anyone else I should add?”

“Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe,” Sabine stated. “And Roland and Gina Dupain.”

“Arthur Chevalier and Chloe Bourgeois.” Added Gabriel. “But not the mayor. I’d rather he stay away.”

The chief nodded, noting this all down. “Anyone else?”

“Oh! And Wang Fu.” Said Sabine.

“Alright. Anyone else?”

“Not at this time.”

“Alright. Just let me know if you need to edit the list. My men have strict instructions not to allow anyone in who does not have clearance. We are also keeping an eye out on both of your homes.”

“Thank you, Captain Phillips.”

“My pleasure. I’ll leave you alone now.” And he left.

The Gorilla took a chair and gestured a thumb to the door, indicating he would wait outside.

“Thank you, Arthur.” Gabriel breathed.

Sabine collapsed into a chair next to Tikki, her hand resting on her face.

“Are you alright?” Tikki asked softly.

“I’m fine, dear. Just a little migraine.”

Tikki floated up and pressed her forehead to Sabine’s humming slightly. “Did that help?”

“Y-yes. It’s gone!”

Tikki smiled. “It’s not much, but I aid healing. You should give the earrings back to Marinette as soon as you can.”

“I was planning on it.”

Gabriel smirked at the conversation, and took a seat as well. There wasn’t much else to do but sit and wait. He took out his phone and checked his email. It wasn’t likely that he’d hear back from Nathalie on a constant basis. The Temple was out of cellular rage, and was still in the past as far as technology went. In order to send an email, she would have to hike down to the village. And that required her to be healed.

So it was to his great surprise that an email from Nathalie awaited him in his inbox.

Gabriel,

The Miraculous Guardians have been successful. I am writing this email on my first full hike down to the village with the monks. I’m feeling much better. Maybe the best I’ve felt in my life.

Emilie woke up yesterday evening. I told her a little bit of what’s happened while she’s been asleep. So far, she knows that you used the butterfly Miraculous to try to get a hold of the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous in order to wake her up. She fell back asleep after that. She doesn’t know Adrien was the Black Cat. She knows that Adrien is missing, but I didn’t get that far into the explanation. I also did not tell her that you are considered a villain in Paris.

She is very weak, but the guardians assure me that she’ll make a full recovery. It may be a few weeks still. I will stay with her until she is ready to go home.

On a more professional note, I would like to take some time off after this. Nothing against you or Emilie, but my heart is in a dangerous place in regards to you. I need some time to put aside my feelings. I will return to work with you eventually.

Please feel free to email me back. I will return to the village tomorrow, as I have been assured that it is good for my health.

I am eager to hear how things are going with the investigation of Marinette and Adrien.

Cordially,

Nathalie Sancoeur

A smile graced his face as relief flooded through him. Tears came to his eyes, but he blinked them away before anyone would notice.

Emilie was awake!

And Nathalie was better!

And now, just to wait for Adrien. And Marinette too, of course. But mostly Adrien.

Rereading the email, a sinking feeling settled on his stomach. How was he suppose to explain his actions to Emilie? He certainly couldn’t lie to make it seem less horrible than it was.

He was definitely regretting some of his desperation.

“Oh yes darling, I am a terrorist and our son was fighting day and night to defeat me. Because of my actions, Adrien was picked to be a hero, and subsequently got kidnapped and tortured. But he’s fine now.”

Yeah, that sounded like a sane man.

Dear Nathalie,

Thank you for emailing me so promptly. I’m overjoyed to hear that you are doing better and that Emilie is finally awake. Thank you for being brief with her about the situation. I would like to explain more of it to her in person. I believe she deserves to hear it from me at least.

I will approve your time off when the time comes. Take as long as you need, you’ve certainly earned it.

I must apologize, Nathalie. I know I took advantage of you. No other employee would have gone above and beyond the call of duty. You became ill because of my actions, and that’s something I can’t apologize enough for. Furthermore, I think it would be wise for us to part ways for a while. I know you have a special place in my heart as well, and that’s not fair to you with Emilie waking up. I desperately love my wife. And I love you too, but in a different way. As my colleague, my confident, my friend. Thank you for all you have done. For raising our son for us, for managing the company, for Mayura. All of it.

You are forever welcome in our home, whatever you choose to do.

What more, I know Adrien has high regards of you. And he will be missing you turning his recovery. That’s right, they’ve been found! Both Marinette and Adrien are in grave shape though. I’m writing this from the hospital. I’ll tell you everything later.

Enjoy Tibet.

Sincerely,

Gabriel

And he sent it.

What came next, who could tell? His emotions straddled somewhere in limbo between anxious and optimistic. Looking around to the various states of worry in the room, he decided he didn’t belong with them. So he stood, and walked out, not offering a word to anyone as to where he was going.

He wasn’t quite sure where that was either.

He passed Nino in the hall, who gave him a questioning look.

“Coffee,” he responded automatically, giving himself an excuse.

“I’ll come along.” Said the teenager, squashing his hopes to be alone.

But he didn’t blame Nino. He wouldn’t trust himself alone either. For a while, they walked in silence, riding the elevator down to the first floor without a word.

It was evening now, dinner time for most folks. But neither Gabriel or Nino found themselves to be hungry in any capacity. There was a small cafe within the food court open, with a short line. The men stood next to each other, lost in their own thoughts.

“Your arm healed with the cure, right?” Nino suddenly asked, quiet so others wouldn’t overhear.

“Yes. The stitches are gone and everything.”

They stepped up and made their order. Gabriel ordered a black coffee for himself, while Nino ordered specific drinks for everyone else.

“That’ll be 24.86.” Said the cashier.

Gabriel handed over his card. “I’ll take care of it.”

Nino smirked as they went to sit at a nearby table to wait for their order.

“Sorry…” Nino began. “I didn’t mean to tag along if you needed a minute, I just…”

“It’s fine,” Gabriel stated, fiddling with a salt shaker on the table. “I’m the enemy after all, I should be watched at all times.”

“That’s not what I meant…your son is…he’s in the hospital and the future is uncertain. I’m just worried about you.”

“Thank you, but I don’t need your concern.” He said, a little harshly.

Nino sighed. “Adrien told me…after you lost your wife, you became a lot colder. No offense, but I’m worried for you for Adrien’s sake.”

Gabriel took a moment to relax his hunched shoulders and exhale slowly. He was way too tense, and that wasn’t good for anyone. “I’m sorry. I know it’s been a few years now, but I treated you unfairly the first time we met. I called you something unsavory, when all you were trying to do was make Adrien happy. That’s all you’ve ever tried to do. Thank you for ignoring my wishes and continuing to be his friend.”

Nino actually smiled at him. “Don’t worry about it dude—er, sir. Besides, you let me DJ that one fashion show. That was super cool!”

“You did a fine job. I’ll let you know if any more opportunities arise.”

“Thanks dude!”

Gabriel smirked. “You’re welcome…dude.”

Nino erupted in violent laughter, nearly falling out of his chair.

“Forget I said anything.” Gabriel said flatly.

“Agreste!” Called the Barista.

The boys gathered their drinks and returned to the waiting room, still in silence, but a lighter feeling than before.

In the waiting room, Nino set the drinks on the little table and confessed he just picked out six drinks that looked interesting. One for each person, and one for the kwami’s to share.

Gabriel sat against a wall, watching the exchange while sipping on his black coffee. It felt awkward, as the elephant in the room sat between him and all these kind people. He rubbed his thumb over his ring finger, a force of habit from when he wore a wedding ring. His had been taken by Felix, so he wore Emilie’s for a while. But when she was taken to Tibet, he gave it back. Now he longed to have something to fidget with.

He reached into his pocket, immediately feeling the cool metal of Adrien’s Miraculous.

He had forgotten he picked it up. He just assumed his pocket was a safer place for it than Marinette’s bedroom. He took it out, resting the ring on his palm. It looked and felt like any other ring. He turned it over with his fingers, studying the design before it flashed green.

Plagg rocketed out, awake. “Adrien!” He shouted.

Well, if anyone was unaware of Chat Noir’s identity, he just blew it. But luckily, that wasn’t a problem in this room.

Plagg spun around, his eyes frantic. This was not the last place he was awake. The last thing he saw was that woman and she took off the ring—

He turned around, facing Gabriel, and saw the ring in his hand.

“Why do you have that?” He asked darkly.

“I—…” Gabriel gaped.

“That doesn’t belong to you! Give it back! That’s my kitten’s!” He shouted.

“Plagg…” Tikki tried to calm him down.

“Where is he?! What did you do to him!?”

Gabriel raise his hands in a pacifying nature. “Adrien’s in surgery.”

“Surgery!?! What did you do to him?!”

“He didn’t do anything, Plagg!” Tikki shook him. “It was that woman! That woman that stole the Miraculous! She hurt Marinette too!”

And then Nooroo peeked ever so slightly out of Gabriel’s pocket.

All hell broke loose.

“You!” Plagg grabbed Gabriel’s shirt, and yanked him to stand. “You disgusting piece of filth! Give me one good reason not to kill you this second!”

“Plagg!” Tikki grabbed him and tried to force the fabric from his paws. “Let him go!”

“You monster! Do you know how many nights I had to comfort him because of your abuse!? How many times he cried because you neglected him!? You might be his father, but you aren’t his dad! You’re a walking shit stain! Scum of the earth! A selfish, evil, pathetic excuse for a man! I hate you! I hate what you did to him! I hate what you did to both of them! And now this!? How could you betray him!?”

Gabriel wasn’t able to fight back. He was too stunned to say anything. This tiny creature could destroy him with a single breath.

“Plagg, stop it. You’re not thinking clearly!”

“I’m not thinking clearly!? Tikki! He’s Hawkmoth!”

“What?!”

“Nooroo! Nooroo get your ass out here!”

Tikki gasped as the lilac butterfly came into view, looking completely ashamed.

Plagg continued his rant, oblivious to the slack jaws in the room. “Is there a single person in your life that you haven’t hurt?! Haven’t manipulated into doing your biding!?”

“I didn’t mean to—“

“I’ve seen centuries, you vile worm! I’ve lived among humans as long as they’ve existed! So you listen to me when I say you are nothing but evil, Gabriel Agreste! Your heart is full of hatred and you aren’t capable of love! Not towards your son! Not towards your wife! That’s why she left you!”

Gabriel ripped his shirt out of the kwami’s paws. “She didn’t leave me!”

Plagg let him go, curious, but still fuming, as to why that was the only thing he argued.

“You’re right. I’m vile, and cruel, and evil. But Emilie didn’t leave. She…” He swallowed.

Everyone was watching him carefully, partly in fear of his violence. Partly because they wanted to give him a chance to redeem himself.

“The Peacock Miraculous is broken.” He began. “It was broken when we got it, though I didn’t know at the time. Emilie and I…we bought them from a vender in Tibet. Along with a book. We used them as inspiration in our designs. And for a while, thats all we used them for. But…Emilie, she always wore the peacock because she loved her Kwami so dearly. But Dusuu…she stole Emilie’s energy. And eventually, she fell asleep and wouldn’t wake up.” Gabriel fell into his chair, his head in his hands. “I didn’t know what to do. The doctors had no answers. She wasn’t dead, but…” He shook his head. “Nooroo told me there was a chance to save her, if I could get the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous. I could unify their powers and make an ultimate wish.”

“So, you had to lure us out.” Said Tikki. “By akumatizing people.”

“Yes,” Gabriel breathed. “So many times, things went too far, and I told myself I’d quit. But then I’d get so close and…it just got worse and worse. I neglected everything. I was obsessed! And then—And then Salo captured them.” He hugged his arms around his waist, feeling sick. “I had a hunch once, that Adrien was Chat Noir. He always wore the same ring, and got defensive when I asked him about it. But he was too clever and diverted my attention from him. It came as a shock when I saw his costume come off. All this time, I was trying to protect him…trying to bring his mother back and make us a family again…but all I did was drive him away. This is all my fault. Not Master Fu’s, not even Salo’s…I’m responsible for this.”

Plagg said nothing, just glared and listened.

Gabriel raised his head to look into the kwami’s ancient green eyes. “So you’d be doing Adrien a favor by killing me.”

Plagg groaned at the sacrificial tone. Humans were just so stupid. “No, I wouldn’t. That kid loves you. I don’t know why, but he does. So, if you are really repentant, and whatever…then you better start acting like a father. Getting rid of you would just hurt him more…he doesn’t need any more loss.”

Gabriel smiled the tiniest bit. “There is something good that came out of this.”

Plagg looked at him skeptically.

“Master Fu revealed himself to us. In order to apologize. I took him aside and explained all of this. He arranged Emilie and Nathalie to go to Tibet and see the Guardian’s at the temple. Nathalie just emailed. Emilie…she’s awake. She’s alright. Adrien will have his mother back.”

Gabriel continued to smile as Plagg stared right back, something akin to pity on his face. “So what? You think this is happily ever after now?”

Gabriel’s smile fell.

“Adrien doesn’t need his mom anymore. He thought she was dead. He grieved. Alone. And then he healed and moved on. He found family in his friends. You’re the one that stayed behind in denial. Instead of dealing with the consequences of your actions, you brought everyone else down into madness with you. Do you know what seeing her alive again will do to him? Do you know how badly that will mess him up? Knowing that she was alive the whole time and she didn’t return? Or that you didn’t tell him!?”

Gabriel’s face paled. “I tried to tell him…but I didn’t think he’d understand.”

“He wouldn’t’ve. I barely understand it myself, and only because it’s over now.”

Tikki floated a few inches away from Plagg, as he continued to crackle with energy.

“This is stupid. I’ve wasted enough time here listening to your pathetic excuses. I have to see him! I promised I’d never leave him alone again!” He darted through the nearest door in frantic energy.

“Plagg!” Tikki shouted, flying after. Trixx and Wayzz hurried to catch up as well.

In the hall, Plagg rushed around, peeking in every room he came into, and stopping every time he saw a blond head.

When it became clear that Adrien wasn’t on the floor, he darted through the floor and went on his search.

“Adrien! Adrien!” He cried, startling nurses and patients alike.

Plagg pulled up short in front of a man in full scrubs, mask and gloves. “Where’s Adrien!?” He asked.

The man blinked. “I—What?”

“Adrien! Adrien Agreste! Where is he!? I need to see him!”

“I believe he’s in surgery…what are you?”

“Where!?” Plagg just screamed louder. Then he caught sight of the white board on the wall. A quick glance showed the name Agreste in room OR4.

He was off again, without a look back.

Frantic, he flitted from room to room, tracking the numbers.

Then finally, he found it. OR4.

He burst in the doors, startling those inside. “Adrien!”

A nurse looked at him, tilted her head, and said, “I’m sorry, you can’t be in here…”

“He needs me! Please!” But as he came closer, dread wrapped around him. It had to be Adrien. There was a young man on the operating table, laying on his stomach. The height was the same, the hair was still that golden wheat color. But he was so skinny and pale...

But the worst part was that from the base of his neck to his lower calves, deep gashes cut into his skin and muscle. The worst was around his shoulder blades, which were visible through the gore.

“What are you doing to him?” Plagg’s voice came out hollow, and afraid.

The head surgeon looked up at him, his eyes narrowing. “I’m Dr. Ernst Boucher, in charge of Adrien and Marinette’s surgeries and recoveries. Who…and what, are you?”

“I’m Plagg.”

“Ah, I see,” said he and then gestured him forward with a bloody finger.

The team watched him as he floated closer, and hovered over Adrien’s heart.

“We’ve studied the footage very carefully. He called for you, asking where you were.”

“Footage? What are you talking about?”

The doctor pointed to the table, right beside Adrien’s neck. “You can sit here.”

Plagg floated down and nuzzled against his chosen.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir were kidnapped and their identities were revealed on camera.”

“So everyone knows?”

“The whole world knows. They’ve been broadcasting them for about a month and a half now. Live torture at any hour of the day.”

“A month…?” Plagg’s voice was gravelly and weak. “They were tortured?”

“Yes.” Said the doctor, as he continued the surgery. “Adrien has a some pretty severe tissue damage all through here.”

“How did this happen?”

The doctor was quiet for a moment, giving instructions to his team members, before answering, “Several hours of flogging with a cat-o-nine tails.”

Plagg didn’t say anything after that, just let out a quiet sob and snuggled closer to Adrien’s neck.

—

Hours later, the group in the waiting room were high with anxiety. Gabriel continued to sit in the corner with his head in his hands. Light conversation had flittered around the room, but no one dared bring up Hawkmoth’s sad origin.

Tikki, Trixx, and Wayzz had returned after about a half hour, when they concluded Plagg was nowhere to be found, and he likely wanted to be left alone.

Alya rested her head on Nino’s shoulder while she napped. Tom and Sabine played cards at the table.

Then the door opened. There stood a doctor in still bloody scrubs, with a black blob in his hand.

“Are you Dr. Boucher?” Gabriel asked, at attention.

“That’s right. Mr. Agreste?” He held out his free hand for a hand shake. “Nice to meet you in person. Glad we were able to get on this as soon as possible.” He turned to Tom and Sabine. “Mr. Dupain? Mrs. Cheng? Marinette’s all stitched up. She has received a blood transfusion and a whooping 19 stitches on her back. Right now, we’re monitoring a pretty severe case of pneumonia, as well as an infection in her hand and her feet. We have her on an IV with antibiotics to help with this. She’s also on a ventilator to help with her breathing. She has some scarring on her neck from strangulation, but as that happened a while ago, I think any damage has healed. Examining the footage, we’ve deduced that the food they were giving them is what’s known as ‘food loaf’ a old prison practice. Leftover meals are blended and then cooked into a flavorless loaf. But most of the nutrients are there. While they aren’t completely starved, we still will have to ease them into a regular diet to avoid refeeding syndrome. They will both be drinking a lot of water and juice high in electrolytes.” He noticed the other kwamis sitting on a chair, watching them, and brought Plagg over to join them. He was asleep and curled up into a ball. “Marinette will be extremely tired because of the infections. She’s not likely to wake up for several days. And when she does, I’m not certain about her mental state. She will be confused, but that’s understandable.”

“What about Adrien?” Gabriel asked, once the man seemed finished.

Dr. Boucher sighed. “Adrien is still in surgery, or…more precisely, he’s back in surgery. His flogging wounds were much more severe since he was whipped for a longer period of time. He is being stitched where he can, but we had to do a split-depth skin graft over his shoulder blades. The whip went deep into his muscles and tore out his flesh right down to the bone. We were able to suture the muscles back together, but the skin was too far apart to stitch back together. We took a sample from his inner thigh that was wide enough to cover his wound.”

“So what’s happening to him now?”

“Now the team is preparing to examine his sternum. In the early part of their stay, he sustained a wound from a crowbar to the chest. During the wedding, the bruising was visible and I can already tell he has a few broken ribs. He may even have flail chest, where the ribs float in the plural cavity and can damage other organs.” He frowned, his lip pulling further on one side. “This is a very difficult case. In order to do either surgery, Adrien had to risk the other wound. Obviously, the back was the most pressing, even with the pressure his akuma suit put on the wound, it was still bleeding fiercely. In order to get it properly cared for, he would have to lay on his front, risking the broken rib. It’s a tricky situation.”

Gabriel didn’t say anything, just closed his eyes in defeat.

“Besides those wounds, I’m assuming Adrien also has pneumonia, as he was exposed to the same conditions as Marinette. Because of the blood loss, he entered Hypovolemic shock, and achieved stage 4, which resulted in kidney and heart failure. With a blood transfusion, he should be on the mend, as his heart rate has steadily decreased and his hyperpnea has slowed. His breathing still doesn’t sound good, but it’s a lot slower and stable. That leads me to believe that he’s come out of shock. We will have to monitor his kidney output.”

Gabriel collapsed in a chair, his head in his hands.

“He also has infection in his hand where he was branded. And unfortunately, the upper part of his left ear will have to be removed. The infection has turned gangrenous and could infect the bloodstream.”

“Please tell me that’s all…” Gabriel whispered.

“Once he has stabilized, we will operate on his arm. The dislocation of his shoulder has likely stretched his tendons, and his arm will not be usable until that is fixed. And, I have no proof of this, but I think he may have vocal nodules, little growths on his vocal chords that prevent him from speaking. This is usually caused by excessive screaming.”

“Can I see him?”

Dr. Boucher sighed again, and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Mr. Agreste, I can’t let you see your son right now. And it’s with a heavy heart I tell you…he may not survive the night. He lost a lot of blood.”

A sob broke out of the man. “But you gave him a transfusion! He has enough blood now!”

“Yes, but he’s not getting enough oxygen to his body! We’ve introduced a ventilator, but there’s not much else we can do with the pneumonia and nodules.” He swallowed. “It’s up to Adrien now.”

The room was silent as Nino embraced Alya, Tom held his wife, and misery choked Gabriel.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t give you more good news, but I wanted to provide an update as soon as I could. I have to go back now. We’re beginning Adrien’s rib fixation.”

No one tried to stop him.

He nodded once, and left the room.

Gabriel didn’t move, couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. He was suffocating. And he was all alone. This was when he really needed his wife. She deserved to know what was happening. But there was no way, in good conscience he could tell her. Not after all he did to her.

“Mr. Agreste?” A tiny voice spoke up.

Gabriel raised his eyes to a little red kwami, looking at him with so much pity he could drown in it.

“I’m Tikki, Marinette’s kwami.” She introduced, pleasantly.

He looked away from her.

“You know, Adrien’s really strong. And he really loves Marinette, so I don’t think he’d give up on her.”

“Why are you talking to me?” It was just a curious question, but came out so harshly in his voice. “Don’t you know who I am?”

She blinked. “You’re Hawkmoth.”

His lip twitched in disgust.

“But you’re also Adrien’s father, and Marinette’s favorite fashion designer.”

“I’m also responsible for this.” He spat. “If not for me, then they wouldn’t—“

“Perhaps not.” Said Tikki, wisely. “But it could have been someone else. Someone who would have been tortured and killed. They wouldn’t have been rescued, and the woman wouldn’t have been caught. She would keep on hurting people. No matter what you’ve told yourself, or what others may have said…this isn’t your fault. It’s Salo’s.”

He shook his head. “Regardless, I’ve still hurt so many people. I’ve hurt my son! Everything would have been better without me.”

“Really? Because…without you, I would have never met Marinette. And Plagg would have never met Adrien. And he’ll never admit it, but Adrien’s his favorite wielder.”

Gabriel just stared at her and listened.

“Without you, people would have never gotten to experience the thrill of superheroes. Adrien and Marinette wouldn’t have gotten to be superheroes. We keep focusing on the trials they had to endure, but not the joys they felt. Marinette’s boost in confidence, Adrien’s freedom to let loose. Paris wouldn’t have a reason to fight for positivity…And Ladybug and Chat Noir would have never become friends.”

“Marinette and Adrien know each other from school.” He argued.

“But the unwavering trust, the absolute devotion, that came from their bond as heroes. Not from being classmates.”

Gabriel hugged his stomach with one arm, as a hand ran through his already wild hair. He chanced a glance to the other side of the room, to see everyone staring at him.

He swallowed. “I have to turn myself in. I have to go to prison.”

“No, don’t.” Said Sabine, standing to walk over to him. “Hawkmoth is retired. He saved them, and that’s enough for me.”

His eyebrows raised. “Are you sure?”

“I know you want to do the right thing, Gabriel. But think of Adrien. He’ll need all the love and support he can get. I know Tom loves him like a son, but there’s no replacement for a father.”

Gabriel hunched his shoulders.

“And besides, do you really want him dealing with the press of that discovery? Do you think that’s fair in the wake of what’s happened?”

He scowled. “No. That’s not fair to him at all.”

“Then, here’s the deal.” She sat in the chair next to him, and made herself look professional. “You are going to get your act together. You’re going to be better. You’re going to be a dad for that boy. You’re going to get therapy and leave the past in the dust. Do we have an agreement?” She held out her hand.

Gabriel inhaled deeply, sitting up. He combed his hair back. “It won’t be easy. But I’ll do my best. In return, I ask that you call me out if you see me slipping into previous behaviors.”

“Oh, I promise I will.”

“Then we have a deal.”

And they shook on it.

#longest night #ml #miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #adrinette #ladynoir #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #gabriel agreste redemption

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nct-jungjaehyun · 5 years

Text

miracles pt.1

[9:51am] doyoung took the bowl out of jaehyun's hand and threw it to the ground, causing the cake batter to splatter all over the floor.

jaehyun simply sighed and walked over to clean up the mess doyoung just made.

doyoung marched over to jaehyun's kneeled body and yanked him up by his collar.

doyoung harshly pushed jaehyun against the wall and shouted in his face, "would you wake up? it's been two years! you have to get over her! why are you locking yourself in this bakery and making stupid cakes? it's your birthday today! you should celebrate,"

doyoung expected jaehyun to forcefully push back, but jaehyun doesn't.

for once, jaehyun did not fight back. it was as if jaehyun was lifeless.

jaehyun pulled doyoung's hands off of him and muttered, "let me be,"

jaehyun carried on with what he was doing, cleaning up and baking. he's been baking for two years now.

doyoung watched his fellow brother sadly. he could not believe his own eyes. doyoung had hoped that he could help jaehyun, that he could make those pretty dimples appear again, but the scene before him just shattered his heart.

jaehyun, on the other hand, did not even care if doyoung was watching him or not. it would be the last thing that bothered him.

jaehyun just focused on his baking. as he mixed the ingredients, the memories of you and him floated back into his mind, like always.

it was well known to everybody that you loved baking. he even brought you to a bakery to make a cake for your birthday. you were ecstatic to make a cake that will fit your own taste buds. it was going well until he began drawing on your face with flour. he said you looked cute with whiskers. you retaliated by cracking an egg on his head.

his heart warmed as he remembered that you had to tippy toe to do that.

at first he was a bit angry, thinking you went too far, but when you laughed, he completely forgot about being mad. he was just happy that you were happy.

the food fight carried on with laughter and yelps of happiness. eggs were cracked everywhere. flour rained all over the room. colored icing colored the walls. it was a mess, but in the end, the two of you still made a cake.

jaehyun held the sides of his face, "oh my god, my cheeks hurt from laughing so much,"

you were no different as you massaged your cheeks.

he inspected the cake placed between the two of you and then playfully crossed his arms, "well, happy birthday, there you go, your cake,"

you laughed in amusement and smelled the cake, "it looks ugly, but it smells pretty nice, though,"

he released his arms and relaxed into his chair, "i am so sorry," he laughed, thinking about the cake-making process.

the two of you did not even follow the cook book. you two just put random amounts of ingredients and mixed.

he continued, "this was probably not the birthday you wanted. this cake probably tastes like something mark would make,"

you looked on the positive side of things, "hey, it looks ugly, but maybe it tastes good,"

jaehyun grinned, "alright, let's give it a taste then,"

he cut a small slice from the cake and then used a spoon to scoop up a small piece. he fed it to you and was prepared for you to spit it out.

but you didn't. instead, your smile only grew brighter as you beamed with excitement.

"it tastes so good!" you exclaimed.

jaehyun couldn't believe it. he went over to your side to take a bite from your plate.

"wow," was all that escaped jaehyun's mouth.

the rest of it was you two fighting over the delicious cake and wanting every last bit of it. him playfully elbowing you away to get to the cake and you shoving the most cake as possible into your mouth.

the cake was miraculous, because it was made spontaneously. to this day, both you and jaehyun never knew what the recipe was for it. remembering what was added into the cake was the last thing on your minds when trying to cover the other person with cake ingredients.

the cake was a miracle. what came next was the opposite, a tragedy.

a few weeks past your birthday, the day that the best cake was made, jaehyun and you were supposed to meet up again at the bakery to make another cake.

jaehyun stared at the ring he placed in front of him while waiting for you. three hours past and there was still no sign of you. he checked his phone multiple times and there were not any messages or calls from you. soon enough his phone was spammed with phone calls. they were all saesangs. annoyed, he figured you probably won't show up as well. just as he was about to leave, he heard footsteps in the hallway. you were here! he hurriedly picked up the ring. he wanted the ring to be a surprise for you. but he was in such a rush to hide the ring that he accidentally dropped it. the ring rolled off from the cute heart shaped box and disappeared. when he looked back up though, he was not met with your pretty face, but with doyoung's.

at first he felt a sense of relief that it was not you. he can find the ring and hide it before you get there.

but doyoung proceeds to tell him that you won't be there. you got in a car accident.

it turned out that while you were on your way, there were saesangs on your tail. you did not want others interrupting your date with jaehyun. you were in the middle of texting jaehyun to cancel the date. you were not watching the road and before you knew it, you crashed against another car.

despite his manager telling him not to, jaehyun still rushed to the hospital with doyoung as fast as he can.

but when he got there, there was nothing he could do to help except wait for the surgery on you to finish. he prayed and prayed that you would be fine. he repeatedly told himself that you will walk out of this hospital safe and sound, you will be in his arms again, he will hear your beautiful laugh again and again, you will be okay again.

the surgery was finally finished but the news were not so great. the doctors said you were in a coma. you may wake up in a week, a month, a year, or even never.

jaehyun could not believe his ears. how could this happen? this just all came out of nowhere.

the doctor comforted jaehyun and then handed him something that you refused to let go of when they rescued you.

it was your phone.

jaehyun opened your phone through the plastic bag. he was faced with the messaging screen. your message was never sent, but he was reading it then.

it read, 'i can't make it :( we'll make my birthday cake next time! i'll be there and we can enjoy our delicious cake together!'

things only got worse. the next few days were more painful than the last. he watched as you laid lifelessly on that hospital bed and there was still nothing he can do. he wished he was in your spot instead. it hurts his heart to see you like this. at the same time, he cannot stop hearing your text message in his head. the last phrase kept repeating in his ears. he can imagine your voice saying that.

'i'll be there and we can enjoy our delicious cake together!'

for the first few weeks, the hospital became his home. he stayed at the hospital more than he did at the dorm or practice room. he stayed right beside you. he wanted to be there the moment that you wake up. because you will wake up. you have to wake up. you have to be okay again.

as he fell asleep beside you one night, he had a dream. he saw that you had woken up and you were happily eating the cake with him. you were laughing with him just like old times. everything was okay. and then he woke up.

it was so real. he thought you had actually woken up. but when he looked up, you were still laying there like how you've always had.

then it hit him. the cake! the cake was a miracle. he has to make the cake.

he will make your cake and you will wake up and enjoy it with him.

that's what he's been doing for two years.

instead of promoting nct, he's been trying to make your cake.

doctors said that tingling your senses may wake you up. the other members tried it all: singing, dancing, acting, cracking your favorite jokes, asmr, mukbang, and even more. but you're still not awake. this only made jaehyun believe even more that the cake will do the trick. if nothing else will, the cake definitely will.

beep beep!

the oven's beeping pulled jaehyun away from his thoughts. he put on his oven mitts and pulled his precious cakes out of the oven.

the other members came at doyoung's call to celebrate jaehyun's birthday but ended up joining doyoung on the couch. they watched as jaehyun taste tested every single cake. it was honestly amusing when they do not know jaehyun's purpose and watch jaehyun either spit out the cake, or gag and then spit out the cake. jaehyun crossed off on his notebook the list of ingredients for each of the cakes that failed to avoid making the same ones in the future.

like how it's been for the past two years, none of the cakes even came similar to the one that he and you made.

jaehyun does not give up though. he makes a new set, write down the ingredients for each cake, and then puts them into the oven. this cycle repeated everyday.

the nct members sighed and turned around to look outside the window instead. they were tired of watching jaehyun try again and again.

"what is he even doing? why is he making cakes?" haechan asked the group.

nobody replied to haechan. haechan himself did not even know why he asked such a dumb question. he knew, they all knew, that the answer to that question is only known by jaehyun and you. you were in a coma. jaehyun is in pretty much in a coma as well since he stopped paying attention to the outside world.

the question is left unanswered.

"hey, where'd he go?" chenle chirped.

"maybe he got a stomachache from all the cakes," mark said.

haechan suddenly jumped up in enthusiasm, "birthday prank! let's mess with his cakes!"

taeil pulled haechan back down, "jaehyun is serious about his cakes, leave him alone,"

doyoung stood up, "haechan is right, he's been ignoring us for these stupid cakes! i'm done with him. let's mess with his cakes!"

doyoung headed over to the kitchen and pulled out the cakes that jaehyun just put into the oven.

haechan and the other members bounced over to join doyoung. they grabbed random ingredients and mixed it in with jaehyun's cakes.

"guys, stop!" taeil warned.

"jaehyun is gonna come back soon," taeyong added.

the members do not care. they wanted the old jaehyun back and maybe this will make jaehyun pay attention to them again.

"he's coming, he's coming," taeyong whispered as he slaps the boy's' backs to let them know.

doyoung quickly put the cakes back into the oven and then joined the rest of the members who already rushed back to the couch.

they waited in anticipation with jaehyun for the oven to beep.

when it finally beeped, not only jaehyun, but all the boys stood up excitedly.

jaehyun, of course, did not notice the boys acting different. all he cared about were the cakes.

jaehyun sighed as he took a bite out of the first cake. he almost choked as he tasted it. he wondered why it was so sour. he did not remember adding so many lemons to the first one.

hushed laughter echoed among the boys' area. each member whispered what they added into each cake. lemons was apparently lucas' doing.

jaehyun tasted the second cake. his eyebrows furrowed together as he wondered why he tasted watermelon in this cake. he admitted, it tasted alright, but it was not the cake he was looking for.

the rest just tasted plain awful and the boys' laughter only grew louder and louder.

jaehyun was still oblivious until he tasted the last cake. he took a bite and tasted it thoroughly. he was stunned and frozen. nct couldn't hold it in anymore and finally bursted out laughing.

jaehyun finally noticed their odd behavior and pretty much put the pieces together: they messed with his cakes.

the members ran over and danced around him as if they just won an award.

when they noticed jaehyun was not smiling a bit, they immediately calmed down and felt bad.

some of them were afraid, mostly doyoung and haechan, who hid behind the tall members, johnny and lucas.

"jaehyun-ah, we're sorry, we just wanted to have a little fun for your birthday," taeyong explained.

"what did you guys do to my cake?" jaehyun asked.

jeno decided to answer when no one else stepped up, "we, uh, kinda added a little bit of everything and mixed it all in?"

jaehyun stepped towards jeno and raised the last cake in his hand to ask, "what did you guys put in the last one?"

they were all confused. jaehyun did not seem mad. he seemed almost like he actually wanted to find out what they put into the cakes, specifically the last one.

"please tell me," jaehyun begged, "i've been wanting to make this cake for two years,"

nct did not hesitate to help him. none of them asked any more questions and all told him what they each added.

although they cannot recall completely, jaemin said he put a lot of sugar, johnny remembering that he cracked a few more eggs, yuta claiming he poured more milk, jungwoo saying he added some chocolate, and haechan saying he put a few strawberries. it was the weirdest list of ingredients but jaehyun still combined the members' addition of ingredients to the previous ingredients he already added and made a new cake.

he took a deep breath before taking a small bite.

this was it!

the rest of nct watched in silence as jaehyun tasted the cake. to jaehyun, it was like he can hear your laughter again as the sweetness dissolved in his mouth. he had to hurry. with a huge smile on his face, he quickly got frosting and decorated the cake. he had to bring it to you so you can wake up.

ding!

just as jaehyun was about to leave with the boys, an ear piercing 'ding' sound stopped him in his tracks.

taeyong picked up the ring that fell from his finger, "hm, i forgot to return the ring to our stylist,"

"is the ring too big?" chenle asked out of curiosity.

jaehyun shouted before taeyong can answer, "the ring!"

"what ring?" everyone asked.

jaehyun put the cake on the counter and ran around frantically, eyes on the floor, looking for the ring he was supposed to give you two years ago.

"guys, help me look for a ring! i lost her ring here!" jaehyun orders.

the boys obliged and helped him look. it was the least they could do.

jaehyun cannot believe that he forgot the ring. he had always meant to find the ring but whenever he got to the bakery, making the cake got the best of his mind and the ring eventually slipped out of his head.

everyone searched. drawers opened and closed. tables and chairs were lifted up at down. plates and bowls were moved left and right. but they still cannot find the ring.

jaehyun was starting to feel anxious. could it be that someone came by, saw the ring, and stole it?

it was one of a kind. he had his and your initials carved on the inside of it.

his eyes glanced over the wall in front of him and that's when he noticed. to the left of the clock displayed a reflection of a rainbow.

it was the ring! the ring reflected off the sun onto the wall creating a rainbow!

according to the angle, the ring should be hidden under the counter. jaehyun immediately ran to the counter and looked under it.

there it was!

"guys, i found it," jaehyun declared.

"then let's go! she's waiting for us!" johnny shouted.

the boys were hollering and pushing jaehyun out of the bakery. they all packed into the cars and taxis and made their way to the hospital.

while sitting in the passenger seat, jaehyun closed his eyes and prayed to himself.

you have to wake up. you promised me you would enjoy this cake with me. i finally made our cake again. you have to keep your promise.

#jung jaehyun #NCT 127 #NCT #nct angst #nct fluff #nct jaehyun #jung yoonoh

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serenitysilverfantasyworld · 5 years

Text

The PenPal

Sorry it’s been so long since the last chapter. Here is the next chapter of The PenPal!

New beginnings

A few days later

*back to Ikuto

“Iku! Letter!” Shigure said excitedly running from the mailbox outside and into the bed and breakfast.

“Thanks buddy.” Ikuto said scratching his mess of blonde hair before he bounded off to play with Akane. After Ikuto finished what he was doing he took a small break and rested on a lawn chair outside. “I hope she’s feeling better today.” He muttered to himself as he opened the envelope.

Dear Ikuto,

I took a tumble down the side of a mountain is all, the doctors just want to make sure that I am perfectly healthy before they let me go. My eyes were severely damaged… so time will tell if I get my sight back. If my sight doesn’t return my dream will remain a dream…

Ikuto wiped the tears that were streaming down his face as he heard Tsuki’s voice in the distance.

“Ikuto-kun, you okay?” Tsuki asked her head poking out of a nearby window in the bed and breakfast.

“I’m fine Tsuki.” He smiled wiping his tears quickly. “What do you need?” He asked.

“You just look like you need a hug, so,” She grunted climbing over the windowsill and jumping onto the grass before bounding over to where he sat, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. “Feel better?” She asked her bright blue eyes gazing up at him.

“Much better.” He smiled touching her nose playfully. “Now run off and play cutie.” He chuckled as she bounded off into the distance. Once she was gone he read the rest of the letter.

It sounds like your parents have their hands full, and I’m sure your siblings like having you around. When I was Shigure’s age I ran around the yard looking for all the bugs and critters I could find to show my dad. He was never happy to see me on those days, but I guess all I wanted him to notice me. That’s another story all together, I don’t want to bore you with that story.

That’s a smart idea, you taking online classes especially if you work a lot. I have been so busy with high school and my college courses that I haven’t gotten myself a part time job.

You write music, that’s really cool I’m kind of jealous I can sing well enough, but can’t write a single cord without it sounding like a dying whale. What genre of music do you write, I’d love to hear it sometime. I don’t doubt that you will be an amazing musician. When you make it big I’ll be sure to buy your first album alright? I’m finally feeling better; the flu has finally bit the dust and I’m on the road to full recover and hopefully out of this sanitary prison they call a hospital. I look forward to hearing from you again soon.

~Kyoko

“Ikuto!” His dad shouted from the back door. “Can you cover the front desk while your mom and I go shopping?”

“Sure thing dad.” Ikuto said as he slid the letter into his back pocket. “I’ll reply when I have some spare time.”

A few weeks go by and Kyoko’s letter was still on his desk, waiting a reply. His parents surprised him that night when they came home from their shopping trip. Telling him that they were going to go on a vacation to Kyoto for their twenty-fifth anniversary, so that left Ikuto to take care of his siblings and run the bed and breakfast by himself. Luckily they did have several part time employees that helped take care of the patron’s needs and meals, but they were all still pretty new to the job so Ikuto was there most of the day supervising when he wasn’t otherwise chasing his siblings. With his finals coming up in online school courses he spent most every night after closing up the bed and breakfast studying and waking up to Akame’s nightmares.

Every morning started with a large cup of coffee just to wake himself up before the chaos of the day. The moment his parents returned from their trip he went to his room for a much-needed nap. After waking up the next morning he finally replied to Kyoko’s letter she sent three weeks ago. “I’m so sorry Kyoko, please forgive me.”

Three days later

*back to Kyoko

After her confrontation with her father Misaki demanded over and over for Kyoko to be released from the hospital to avoid further injury from him. The staff declined, because they didn’t want to get fired for disobeying Dr. Ootori’s direct orders to keep his daughter here until she is ‘fully recovered’ after a thorough examination by himself. Which everyone knew that he had some really high standards, so Misaki resigned herself to getting the permission to stay the night every night until Kyoko was recovered enough for a release.

For the past few weeks every day that Misaki came back from the store with no letter Kyoko’s spirits dropped. Every day was a rollercoaster of emotions when she heard Misaki come in her hopes would rise and then quickly plummet, until at long last Misaki rushed in excitedly. “Ikuto finally replied Kyoko!”

“Great.” Kyoko said gloomily with a hint of sarcasm.

“Don’t you want to hear what he wrote?” She asked as she set the groceries she bought into the mini-fridge they had in the hospital room.

“Whatever.” She said.

“Just give him a chance, I’m sure he has a good reason for not writing you for so long.” Misaki said sitting in the chair on the balcony next to Kyoko.

“Doesn’t matter.” Kyoko shrugged as Misaki ripped open the envelope.

Dear Kyoko,

I’m so sorry it took me so long to respond to your letter, my parents went on a surprise vacation for three weeks, so I had to hold down the fort at home and the bed and breakfast while they were away. It was quite tiring.

I’m so sorry to hear about your accident, I hope you can recover fully soon. Especially your eyes, those are needed to do most everything.

I’m flattered to hear that you want to hear my music, but I have to say I’m not that good. My mom may call me her little superstar, but I still have a long way to go before I’m star material. I can play any genre on the piano and guitar. With my original songs I tend to lean towards calm and soothing melodies, my teacher calls it smooth pop. Sometimes I use my guitar and sing some big country hits just to mix things up at the bed and breakfast. If you want to hear my music maybe we could video chat sometime, but wait do they allow laptops in the hospital? Or when you are released you can always come over to the bed and breakfast, but we can figure that out later I guess.

I’m sorry again that it took so long to write back to you, I was just so busy lately, please forgive me.

~Ikuto

After Misaki read the letter Kyoko sat their silently, sighing heavily.

“You know we could go…” Misaki started.

“No.” Kyoko argued. “I can’t….” She said pointing at her face, the scars across her eyes that she’s felt so many times she knew there is no way that the whole world wouldn’t notice them the second she stepped outside.

“You look beautiful as always, and your dad will understand or at least accept your condition one day… we hope.” Misaki said as she walked to the microwave, placing some instant noodles inside. “On another note, I got a call from the service dog agency like you asked me to do, they have a dog that is ready for you to start going through the training with.”

“Great.” Kyoko said, knowing at least in her situation having a new set of eyes to help her avoid obstacles would be helpful. “When?”

“I told them to bring the dog here tomorrow as soon as they can.” Misaki said as she grabbed her noodles from the microwave. “This should hopefully help you get some of your independence back.”

“Yea...” Kyoko sighed heavily. “Dad’s not going to like this.”

“We can only hope he’ll come to his senses.” Misaki replied. “Hopefully before school starts.”

“Yea.” Kyoko sighed, desperate to change the topic from her overbearing father.

“Let’s eat, then we’ll write the letter.” Misaki said as she handed Kyoko her cup of noodles.

“Ok.” Kyoko replied as Misaki placed a cup of noodles into her hands, handing her a fork since chopsticks are difficult for her.

After the garbage was thrown away, Misaki pulled out her notepad and pen. “Ready when you are.”

Once the letter was written Misaki was so happy to hear from Kyoko’s tone of voice that she was starting to feel just a little bit cheerful. Since finding out what the accident did to her eyesight she barely spoke a word for that whole three weeks. She was still not her normal perky self but she’s at least been less snippy than she was when she first got the news from the doctors. Misaki was filled with hope for the future that Kyoko could have with her new friend that she couldn’t keep tears from flowing.

“What’s wrong?” Kyoko asked, hearing Misaki sniffle a couple of times.

“I’m just happy Kyoko.” Misaki said as she slid the notebook and letter into her bag. “Your mom would be so happy for you.” Misaki said.

“I hope...” Kyoko smiled gazing softly towards Misaki.

A week later

*back to Ikuto

He had finally finished off his online classes for the summer semester and was ready to enjoy the rest of the summer writing songs and working when he was needed at the bed and breakfast. He went back to the song he wrote a few weeks ago that was inspired by Kyoko, trying to put lyrics to the tune. He racked his brain for several days whenever he had free time, but no lyrics came to him. As he scrubbed the dishes from dinner one day the mail carrier walked in and set the mail on the bar, seeing Ikuto at the sink behind it.

“Thank you very much.” Ikuto said drying his hands off as the mail carrier walked back outside. He flipped through the pile of letters until he found one from Kyoko. He smiled as he slid the letter into his pocket, going back to his chores. “I’m hope she isn’t mad at my late response.” He sighed in relief.

That night after closing up the bed and breakfast he went to his room to read Kyoko’s letter.

Dear Ikuto,

I was so happy to get your letter, I was worried that you forgot about me…. My friends haven’t visited me this whole two months I’ve been here. On top of that my boyfriend dumped me before I was even out of surgery shortly after my accident, and now he’s married to my best friend. He’s the heir to a large company so the marriage was all over the news so if you have a television you probably saw it…. They both graduated at the end of this school year in May and now… I thought what we had was something special, he told me he would wait until I graduated to propose so my studies wouldn’t be hindered. I guess he only really loved me for my family’s money after all.

My family’s business is Ootori Medical Inc. My father is the CEO of the whole company, which is I guess one reason I’m stuck in this hospital, even though all my injuries have healed.

I’m sorry, didn’t mean to rant about something so trivial, but it’s nice to get it off my chest… I…haven’t really spoken much to anyone lately… The only one that I’ve really spoken to has been Misaki, she’s been like a mother to me since I was born. She’s been my scribe for my letters until my eyes heal.

Misaki has told me time and again that singing was one of my mom’s favorite things to do. There was a rumor of my mom getting a record deal but was forced to give it up when she married my dad. When I would walk to school I would often sing to my favorite songs, I guess in a way it made me feel closer to the mother I never knew….

I’m sorry, this ended up being a letter of venting, I’ll try to avoid that next time it’s just been a rough three weeks…

Were you able to get any sleep while holding the fort down? If not you should take all the time you need to sleep, I’m sure you’ve earned it. You mother should be giving birth soon shouldn’t she?

I would love to visit the bed and breakfast sometime, I’m sick of this prison of a hospital my dad has forced me to stay in.

~Kyoko

After reading Kyoko’s letter he sat there, unsure what to think or how to respond. He looked over at the clock by his bed and saw it was already midnight. When did it get so late? He thought to himself as he quickly undressed and went to bed, leaving the letter on his nightstand.

A few days go by and Ikuto finally had a few minutes to sit down to respond to Kyoko’s letter.

“You writing to Kyoko?” His mother asked as Ikuto sealed the envelope, she sat down slowly on the couch next to Ikuto.

“Yea,” Ikuto smiled as he set the envelope on the table. “Do you think it’s too early to ask her to meet in person?” He asked looking over at his mother.

“Well you have only known her a couple of months so it’s hard to say, does she want to meet you?” she asked.

“I’m not sure, she mentioned that it would be nice to get out of the hospital so maybe…?”

“What is she in the hospital for?” She asked.

“Well, I don’t know the details, but she was in an accident of some sort and her eyes were severely damaged, they aren’t sure if she’ll see once her eyes are recovered. I should ask her if her eyes are better.” He said as he jotted that down on his notepad.

“Oh the poor thing…” She sighed.

“Yea… she seems to be dealing with it in her own way, but I can imagine it’s really hard for her, she wants to be a doctor so she needs to be able to see.”

“Yea she certainly does, I hope all is well. Any sort of serious injury is hard to deal with at first. Especially if you were in perfect health before.”

“What should I do?” Ikuto asked.

“Let me read.” She replied as Ikuto handed her the letter. After reading it she set it down, her hand rubbing the end of her chin in thought. “It sounds like she is in need of a friend Ikuto, her life has just been flipped upside down.”

“Alright, thanks mom.” Ikuto smiled.

“Maybe you should wait to ask her to visit till she’s able to.”

“Alright.” He sighed. “I just don’t want to hurt her, it sounds like she’s been through a lot.”

“You’re so cute when you worry Ikuto.” His mother chuckled.

Ikuto’s cheeks flushed red in embarrassment, she was only partially right. He was worried about her, but it felt different than anything he had ever felt before. From his previous rejection he wasn’t ready to admit that this could be the beginnings of love that he was feeling. “I just care for her as a friend.” His blush deepened.

“Whatever you say Ikuto.” She winked as he left to put the letter in the mailbox.

#thepenpal #romance #serenitysilverfantasyworld #lovestory

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sally-the-pack-leader · 5 years

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A’ight, peeps, it’s story time.

It pains me to write the first part of it, but when I was just an infant, my mom accidentally jabbed the end tip of my left eyebrow, leaving me with a small, unnoticeable permanent scar. I never knew about it until when I was either in high school or middle school. Maybe mostly high school. Seeing infants get hurt or killed on tv hit me hard, and the story of my mysterious scar made my memories of seeing those god-awful scenes came to haunt me, and so I was very mad at her for that.

But years have passed, and I still love her no matter what.

But let's just skip to what's recently been happening; My grandmother is currently 80+ years old, and she was healthy and active(She's not an athlete, just so you know what I meant), until news came that she's suffering from heart problems, and was put on oxygen, and had to be cared for by my aunt and uncle(Who, about a year ago, had came from Texas, where they're currently living in for about a year). That made me, and my mother upset to hear about that.

Later, we learned that there is no choice but for my grandmother to move to Texas. That upsets me, but upsets my mother the most.

Weeks have passed, and my hormones got the best of me these recent two weeks when I looked at my scar once again, and remembered the story she told me, and that opened my eyes to see how I've pretty much been 'put under a spell' for loving her unconditionally.

As I tried talking it out to her, she wasn't tolerating it, which pisses me off.

Then came the event that Tumblr is changing for the worst, and I unknowingly had no choice but to save my own skin and blogs rather than thinking of others in my family who are also suffering problems(For instance, one of my cousin's teeth are suffering from the lack of vitamin deficiency, and had to go through surgery to get new teeth, and one of my other uncles had to get his shoulder through surgery, too), and about how willing my grandmother is to give me the bed, dresser, and some other things before she moves out next week.

The problems me an my mom are having went sky high when she lost all of her patience and yells at me over how fed up she, along with my family, tried very hard to help, but it wouldn't lead my expectations for me to be able to forgive and forget about that accident that happened 23(Soon to be 24) years ago. I tried tolerating her screams, but even I'm not having any of it soon after. Later, after some thinking, I decided to write her a letter from my notebook that is god knows how many pages there are(It's less than 10 pages, that's all I know).

I was planning to leave it on the table, but my mom so happened to come to my room, still pissed, to tell me that she's going to bed. After I'm done with the writing, as I was making my way to the kitchen to staple them, that didn't happen. She said she's gonna read this in front of me, and points out some things I wrote in it angrily. She kept repeating 'it's up to you this time' to force me to give in and completely stop talking about this small thing.

Now, some people know that when they admit their faults, they lost their pride. I couldn't come to terms of having ANY of that, until recently, I had to give in and admit that I shouldn't let the smallest of things get the best of me.

((Are you still sticking around? Because here comes a happy ending, folks.))

The next day, I was too tired to get out of bed because of how many milligrams my night meds I shall not accurately name for personal reasons, but I had to try and get up anyway, and I forgot the reason why(lol). That's when I saw a small sheet of notes that had been slid under my door. I thought 'Oh, what, is this a negative letter, because I'm not gonna tolerate her behavior this time(...Okay, maybe that part was a bit overexaggerated),' but as I picked it up and read it, it turned out to be an apology letter from my mom about how very sorry she was for yelling at me like that, and she promises to never do something like that again. That touched my heart, and I currently cherished this letter forever. I was heading out of my room to search for something when I saw her. She and I have a talk, and we completely made up our quarrel, and all is forgiven, and we became whole again.

What made this unexpectedly interesting is that, even though I don't lean towards being religious, I had no choice but to vent by praying in my head that she would realize her mistake of yelling like that, and it had been answered quickly. Seems like prayers do work afterall.

So, whenever I get stressed about last night, I'll be reading what she wrote to me to make myself feel better and have a good reason to think about 'unconditional love' once again.

So... uhh... that's pretty much it. That's the whole story.

I just sure hope that this 'quarrel' between and my mom will never happen again.

(Holy crap, long post is long. Just take this)

THIS POST IS NOT MEANT FOR REBLOGGING.

#puppy thoughts #Story Time #swearing #long post #And I'm also getting a christmas tree in my room once my room's rearranged :D #Just like in my dream...#wow o.o #also #SPACE POTATOOOOOOOOOOO

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theinvisibletree · 3 years

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The Performance

The day her grandmother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Judith lost her journal. It was a black notebook with a soft cover and ivory-colored pages. After Judith searched in every place – her grandmother’s house, the drawers next to the hospital bed, the practice room at her college, and the cashier counter from the restaurant where she worked part time – she eventually accepted the fact that the notebook is nowhere to be found. When she told that to her grandmother, she saw a smile on her grandmother’s face: “Don’t worry, Jude. I will get you another one.”

It all started two months ago when Judith received a call from grandmother. She hung up the phone and arrived home overnight. “Jude,” said her grandmother on the phone, “I can’t get off from the bed.” They went to the hospital. It hurts Judith to watch her grandmother being surrounded by different medical appliances. She was told that at this stage surgery is not an option, and chemotherapy will be needed. The night after Judith took her grandmother home, she figured out what she needs to do. The next day she did not return to college. Instead, she applied for a full-time job at the grocery store nearby. She was told that she can start as soon as possible. In the afternoon she sat with her grandmother, posting pictures of the family piano online, selling it for five thousand dollars. In the evening she sent emails to all the instructors who taught her this semester. It was not before long that she received a message from Professor Lebedinsky, scheduling an in-person meeting in his dean’s office. Judith went in the second day. Before she sat down, she received this straightforward question from him:

“Give me one reason that you want to drop out of college.”

“I cannot afford studying music anymore.” She replied. Professor Lebedinsky then asked, if this is about paying for her tuition, and there will be an on-campus audition for piano department next week, a full scholarship.

“It is not about scholarship, Professor.” Judith said. “I don’t see another way around this. I need the money from my tuition for some urgent use.”

“Which is more important than your degree?”

“Yes.”

Professor Lebedinsky stopped asking more questions. Judith remained seated and looked away, waiting for him to approve. On the office table next to the laptop there was a miniature bust of Schubert. The miniature was nicely sculpted that Judith could see the wrinkles flowing on the cravat. Soon she would be working at the grocery store, stocking inventories and checking out customer purchases, and no one would be talking about Schubert anymore.

“Alright.” He spoke finally, “Talk to the counselor. The procedure usually takes about a month.” While exiting the office, Judith saw him taking off his glasses, looking tired.

The whole process was easier than what Judith had imagined. Very soon she will have her tuition refunded to her to cover the cost of chemotherapy for now. But she can’t take any rest. Once she starts working full time she will not be able to take care of her grandmother during the day. She needs to consider the expenses of a nursing home. Working at the restaurant on weekends would help, but she needs more. Judith realized she needs to keep this one job that she was about to turn down.

It was the first on-campus recital Judith performed as a sophomore. Normally students would apply in their junior years, but Professor Lebedinsky was sure that Judith is ready. Before the recital starts, Judith saw an old man sitting in the first row of the audience, arriving much earlier than faculties. “That is Mr. Henderson. He has sponsored a few scholarships.” A senior student told her. Judith had heard of him. In fact, all her classmates are overawed by Mr. Henderson due to his austere disposition. There was this hearsay about him that when he used to teach at the Juilliard, he would interrupt the performance of any students in the middle of their exam and leave the room, should they have not practiced well. Therefore, it was quite out of Judith’s expectation when she saw Mr. Henderson slowly walking towards her after the recital, asking her if she would like to play for him some time in his house. “Don’t go, Jude. You don’t want to be sad on a Friday evening.” Her dormmate said half-jokingly, but Judith went regardless. It’s a part-time job well paid. Plus, she got to play the grand Steinway, a truly beautiful instrument. Judith went, and she kept going. Now she has been playing for Mr. Henderson for an entire year. But today she was afraid to play for him. She has not been practicing at all these days. It would be better if she turned down his generous offer, instead of the other way around. Yet she wanted to give it a try, to see if she could keep the job. While still struggling, Judith found herself on the subway heading to Mr. Henderson’s place.

The commute is about 30 mins. Judith sat down at the window seat. She failed to stay alert but fell asleep. She had a dream about meeting her mother: She was seven, in her grandmother’s house, holding in her arm a hedgehog plush. There was a beautiful lady dressed in red standing in the hallway, talking to her grandmother. In the realm of Judith’s dream the lady was wearing a white draped cloth covering her face, like the female lover in René Magritte’s painting. The lady finished talking, turned to Judith for a second, then opened the front door and left the house. Judith discovered that her grandmother was crying. “Go back to your room, Jude.” She smiled at Judith, “Under your bed there is something for you. I hope you like it.” Judith unwrapped the gift. It was a small black notebook. On the first page it says: “Happy Birthday Jude. With Love, Grandma.” Then Judith woke up. She checked her surroundings and realized that she had missed her station – She was supposed to get off 20 minutes ago. She grabbed her score book and quickly rushed off at the next stop. By the time she reached Mr. Henderson’s house, she was late for an hour.

“You were not on time. Not even close.” Said Mr. Henderson sternly, “I hope you are aware of that.”

“I am very sorry.” Judith followed Mr. Henderson into the house, biting her lips a little.

In the middle of the living room lies the grand piano. Judith put up her score book on the music shelf and adjusted her stool. She is playing Beethoven tonight. The first note she played she sensed something different. She is losing her dexterity with the keyboard. The touch of her fingers felt sloppy no matter how much she tried, and she forgot how she used to apply her fingerings. The way she used the extension petal sounded muddy, and she started hitting the wrong note, one after another. The piano became a wuthering monster tonight, and the sonata she is playing turned into an unwinding labyrinth from which she couldn’t escape. In the end Judith stopped playing, without finishing the third movement. Sitting in a complete silence, she wished she had never come here tonight.

Mr. Henderson sat still. Behind his glasses Judith saw his expression, so austere that she couldn’t take it but look away. The silence lasted for 30 seconds, or maybe longer. Judith couldn’t tell. Eventually Mr. Henderson spoke:

“Tell me, what happened exactly?”

“I…… I have not been practicing lately. I am very sorry, Mr. Henderson.”

“That is not what I meant,” He leaned forward, putting the weight of his hands on his legs, fixing his eyes on Judith. Judith felt cold as if she was walking barefoot in the snow. “I mean, what happened to you?”

Judith could not move. She did not know how to reply without embarrassing herself. What was she thinking, really, coming here tonight? This is not a job that she qualifies anymore. She opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word. Mr. Henderson continued:

“The performance. We both know that it was not the best you can do tonight, and I want to know why. I use to like your performances. All of them. You were very talented, and hardworking. But tonight I saw a talented student losing it, and I could not pretend that I didn’t see it. I want to know what happened to you, and why you are giving up.”

Judith felt frozen as if she was thrown into a river in early January. She sat in silence, while Mr. Henderson staring at her with a strict look. She heard her own voice from a distance:

“I…… I don’t want to play music anymore.”

Suddenly she started talking nonstop.

“I am sorry, Mr. Henderson. I should have talked to you. I can’t play for you anymore. I can’t afford studying music. I need to start making a living right now. I must. I am not good enough for a concert for now. I must figure out something else. I sold my grandmother’s piano, I am going to be working at a grocery store, and I am going to drop out of college. The tuition refund will cover for some medical bills, otherwise I cannot afford chemotherapy for my grandmother. My grandmother,” Judith took a deep breath, “She is not doing well. She is dying, I can feel it. She raised me up and she is all I’ve got.” Judith found herself impossible to go on. Tears fell on her hands. She covered her face and cried silently.

Mr. Henderson listened quietly without saying a word. When Judith stopped talking, he stood up from his chair. “Stay here.” He told Judith. Then he turned around and walked to his study. When he returned he brought a soft towel, a black pen, and a file folder. He gave the towel to Judith and asked her:

“How much do you need for chemotherapy?”

“Ten grand.”

Mr. Henderson took out the checkbook from his folder. After he finished writing, he gave Judith the check:

“Here is twenty grand.”

Judith couldn’t believe what had just happened.

“I don’t know what to say, Mr. Henderson. That is too much.” She paused, “Thank you. But I can’t take it. I don’t see a way that I can pay you back.”

Mr. Henderson gazed at Judith with a serious look.

“I want you to take it, young lady.” He continued, “And reconsider your decision. I have sponsored a lot of talented students, and I will do the same for you now. I hope you will decide to finish your school. And I hope you will buy the piano back.” He paused, looking at Judith’s score book, “And remember, no matter what,” He sounds firm, “Never stop playing.”

With Mr. Henderson’s support, Judith continued her school. Ten months later, she arrived at Professor Lebedinsky’s office, discussing details about her first concert, and asking him if she could reserve two seats. When she was about to leave, Professor Lebedinsky called her. “Almost forgot. I think this is yours.” He took out a notebook from his top drawer. Judith recognized it immediately. The black journal she lost is returning to her. She opened it and saw the familiar signature: “With Love, Grandma.” On her way to the subway station she stopped shortly at the graveyard. She put down a dozen of white roses on her grandmother’s tombstone, together with one of the tickets she just reserved from Professor Lebedinsky. The other seat is saved for Mr. Henderson. She wanted to deliver the ticket to him by herself. The sun shines upon the grass. The winter has passed, and spring is here.

1.24.2021 – 1.27.2021

#shortstory

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tou89lou · 7 years

Text

I can remember the day so clearly. I came home from work as normal at 6pm but my mums car was on the drive. Now, my mum lives 70 miles away so she doesn’t just pop in after work for a cup of tea. I instantly knew that this was bad news and I couldn’t help but think of the worst. The walk from my car to the door felt like a mile rather than just a few steps. I opened the door to see my Mum, boyfriend, stepdad, and two sisters sitting in my lounge with hot drinks. I smiled and asked what they were doing here but I already knew the answer. I knew that my mum had been at hospital to find out the results of her tonsillectomy and biopsy. The news was not good and Mum, being mum, needed to get to everyone fast. See even though she was just dealt the shittest of hands, she was thinking of everyone else as usual. My smallest sister didn’t want to be here to hear my mum deliver the news to me so Dave took her upstairs to try and find the cats instead. She was only 8 at the time and hearing the words “Mummy has cancer” once was enough for one day.

So there it was the big C… sitting in my lounge staring me straight in the face. I had to be strong now because my mum was going to need us in good form so I didn’t cry much that day but it did catch up with me in the end. It’s ok to have a good cry, I like to believe it clenses the soul. I couldn’t take the Cancer away like I wanted to, but I remember thinking that there must be something I can do to help or to make this whole process easier for her. She is the nicest person I know, so I just kept thinking what would she do if it was the other way round? So here is a little bit of advice, from me to anyone who is facing the same journey or for anyone who just needs some reasurrance. You will feel useless and you will feel like what you are doing is insignificant but please be aware that actually what you are doing is probably helping way more than you realise.

Attend appointments ♥ My mum struggled to take in all the information at her initial appointments. Shock and stress took over and there really was a lot to take in and remember. So my step dad and I went along to her appointments and asked lots of questions too, we listened and took it all in for her and made notes of all her up coming appointments. It was peace of mind for us aswell as for mum. This way we had it covered and between us we managed to get it right most of the time.

Talk & Listen ♥ It was really important to talk about the treatment and the concerns that my mum had. Sometimes I wrote them down and made a list of questions for the doctors just in case she forgot them. Other times she just wasn’t able to talk at all so instead we communicated via text message and every day I would text to see how she is doing and we would talk about the good and bad. I also kept her up to date on what was going on in my life just to try and keep some normality.

Stay Positive ♥ The effects of the treatment for my mum were horrific and at times she got really upset and would say that she can’t do it anymore. I felt it was important to remind her of why she was going through the pain. Whilst it was awful, the treatment was better than the alternative. I tried really hard to remain upbeat and remind her how well she was doing. Not in a patronising way but just a “hey you have totally got this and your kicking cancers butt” kind of way. I also posted her positive Disney quotes and things to keep her busy when I couldnt be there as a surprise to lift her spirits.

Be patient ♥ Emotions were running high for the whole family so it was important to be patient with eachother. Team work was more important than ever.

Do more around the house ♥ Getting organised really helps too, doing the washing up, changing the bedding or offering to make a cup of tea can really make someones day. During treatment my mum was so tired and helping out around the house when I visited was a big help to her and my dad. I also made chore charts for my little sisters so they would help out and get involved too. Any job that I could do meant I was taking a load off of someone else. It’s also pretty important to make sure the house is clean during treatment anyway because of the effects of the Chemo.

Make a therapy survival kit ♥ I included the small things that would help make life easier, safer and more comfortable for her. Items that I included were: A book to read during treatment, bottled water to ease her dry mouth, hand sanitizer to keep the germs away, a soft scarf to cover her neck, a blender/juicer to make smoothies and soups for the days she would be to sore to swallow whole foods, a pretty notebook to document her journey and write down any questions or concerns she has, and also a gratitude diary to make a note everyday of the positives because even on the darkest days we can all find one thing to be grateful for.

Be strong and brave but make sure you have support too ♥ Cancer takes it toll on the whole family and that includes everyone involved directly or indirectly. Make sure that you look after yourself and you have someone to talk to and lean on a little bit. My other half was really good support for me which in turn meant I was better support for mum.

Cancer is one of those things that we take for granted because while we know it is a horrible thing to have, we also think that it just wouldn’t effect us. We have all said or heard it”I’ll give up smoking another time I’m not quite ready yet, there is no rush” It’s something I always put off and I have always believed I had plenty of time to do it when I was good a bloody ready! Well time is not promised to us and there is no time like the present.

My mum had a T2 tumour in her tonsils and after surgery, six long weeks of daily radiotherapy and two high doses of chemo she has now finished her main treatment plan. We are hopeful that the treatment will have worked and that will be the end of that. No doubt they will keep a close eye on her for a long time but for now we can relax a little and support her during the healing process. The treatment really has taken its toll on her in more ways than we could have imagined so we will take it one day at a time. Gone are the days of taking life for granted because this was a huge wake up call for all of us ♥.

If you are going through a similar situation then you should know that Macmillan have been amazing throughout and their website is full of information and advice. I wish you all best on your Cancer journey whether you are the patient or the support ♥

7 small ways that you can help someone dealing with a Cancer Diagnosis. I can remember the day so clearly. I came home from work as normal at 6pm but my mums car was on the drive.

#cancer #cancer dianosis #cancer journey #cancer survival pack #cancer treatment #health #helpful advice #inspiration #Life #living

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