Whew boy this is a long one. Like my usual length in LatS. So anyone who's read Life at the Shinozaki's will find this long of a chapter familiar. Anyways I hope you all enjoy this, not sure how long it'll be until the next update but I'll have it as soon as I can.
The White Cat
Part Four: Injury
The following akuma attack was a fairly simple affair, though it was different than usual. The akuma, Evillustrator had been caused by Chloe publically humiliating Nathaniel about his crush on Marinette. Nathaniel was a nice boy, if not a little shy. As far as akumas went he was much more quiet and wasn't going on a rampage. His initial attack on Chloe in the school library was the extent of his terror. That and convincing Marinette to come to his birthday dinner date.
Marinette nervously paced in her room as she spoke into her phone. "I don't know what to do Alya, I don't want to go tonight but I'm afraid of what'll happen if I don't show up." The dark haired girl admitted panic clear in her voice. Normally she wouldn't have a problem being around Nathaniel, while she didn't reciprocate his crush on her she did think him a sweet boy and good friend. However as an akuma who knew what he was capable of?
Alya sucked in a deep breath before exhaling. "That's not good girl, you shouldn't have agreed to go out with him. Akumas are unpredictable, if you don't show up you could become a target of his anger." The red head was worried for her best friend's safety and was already forming the beginnings of a plan to take down Evillustrator. 'I don't like the idea of having Mari too close to the action.' Nino's eyes followed her as she frantically walked back and forth in his room. 'But there's not much of a choice.'
"I know, I know. But I panicked, I was afraid of him going after Chloe again." Despite the antagonistic relationship between her and the spoiled girl, Marinette didn't want Chloe to be a victim of violence. "Also what if rejecting him had made him snap right then and there?" She asked before throwing her hands up in frustration. "Ugh I don't know what to do." The half Asian girl complained before flopping down on her bed.
The conversation carried on for a little bit longer before both girls hung up, citing that they each should be working on their group projects. Pressing the end call button on her phone Alya glanced to Nino. "You got a plan?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow as Plagg floated lazily next to him.
Nodding Alya frowned before explaining what she had decided. Marinette would go on her date, but all three of them, her, Nino, and Adrien would be hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike. "I'll handle restraining the akuma when the time comes, and you'll swoop in and break the item so I can purify the butterfly." Alya explained, the plan was simple but there was always the possibility of things going wrong. "Adrien will guaranteed Marinette's safety, the moment Evillustrator realizes that he's been had, he'll need to be the one to get her out."
That was really the most important part, ensuring Marinette's safety. The fact that a civilian, her best friend no less, was going to basically be used as bait made her dread the upcoming fight. Alya didn't care if the rest of her plan fell flat on its face, just as long as Marinette was able to get out of harms way. 'Chat Blanc is the quickest out of all of us, he'll have no trouble getting her out of there.' She assured herself.
From the rooftop over looking the back entrance of the bakery Adrien watched Marinette's exchange with Sabrina. After the orange haired girl had exploded at Marinette in unjustified fury, before stalking off he jumped down. Landing in front of her he released a sigh at the dark haired girl. "Wow, she certainly can be catty." He said with a joking wink. "I was afraid that I'd have to save you from her claws."
Marinette's initial wave of surprise was replaced with an eye roll. Crossing her arms she fixed her friend with a flat look. "Really minou, double pun? What did I do to deserve such punishment." Her eyes widened as she realized what she just said.
Chat paused before laughing. "Nice one, Purrincess. Before long you'll be punning just like me." The blonde said with a large grin, very much pleased with Marinette's unintentional pun.
Doing her best to keep from sharing Chat's large grin the dark haired girl crossed her arms before firing off her retort. "Let's hope I become mute before that day arrives." Marinette groaned dramatically yet her lips were set in a small smirk. Despite her worry over the upcoming events of tonight, seeing and joking with Chat was proving to be somewhat therapeutic.
Chat's joking expression was soon replaced with a more serious one. "Word from the grapevine is that you have a date with Papillon's latest villain of the week."
"Where did you hear that?" A dark eyebrow raised.
"I have good ears." The blonde casually informed her, pointing to the white ears resting on his head. "But no need to fear, tonight you'll have six pairs of eyes on you. Coccinelle, Black Cat, and I won't let anything happen to you. The moment we're able to, we'll purify the akuma and have you home before dinner." Adrien promised, determination swelling within him.
After being told by his future self about Marinette risking her life for him, especially after knowing who he was, Adrien was determined to return the favor and keep her safe. As a super hero he knew it was his responsibility to be that way with any civilian. However if it came down to it, even if he wasn't in suit Adrien knew that he would risk his life for this girl.
Unaware of just how far Chat Blanc was willing to go for her safety Marinette felt relief course though her. "Thanks minou, I was worried about tonight." She admitted, letting her previous anxiety fade away. "Knowing that you'll be watching actually makes me feel a lot better." She told him honestly, it was a relief to know that her heroic friend would be there, ready to save her.
Chat Blanc returned the smile before becoming serious again. "Coccinelle has a plan, if it works out we should be able to have him beat rather quickly. It relies on you though." At the slight furrow of her brow he quickly explained. "Don't worry your part is simple, all you have to do is separate him from his pen and we'll handle the rest." Marinette looked slightly uneasy at hearing that she'd have to participate in beating the akuma. She was by no means a coward, but when going against super powered villains without having powers of your own, her fear was to be expected.
Chat saw the worry on her face easily enough, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder he gave a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, Marinette. I won't let anything happen to you." He promised, his face becoming sympathetic. "If you don't think you can do it just signal me and I'll get you out." Technically this was not part of Coccinelle's plan but Chat wasn't about to let that stop him.
Marinette's safety would be his number one priority, if Coccinelle and Black Cat didn't agree with him then oh well. At his promise the blue eyed girl let out an appreciative noise before nodding. "Thank you." Chat nodded at her thankful response.
"Always happy to be of service, Princess." He said with an exaggerated bow. "If you want me to pull you out of there just say very clearly that you're getting tired and I'll swoop in no questions asked." Taking her hand he lifted it to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "Until tonight," And then he was off.
Marinette watched the white clad hero's retreating form until he was out of sight. A thankful content smile on her face. The dark haired girl flinched as she realized that she was standing there with a dreamy look on her face. Cheeks flaring in embarrassment she quickly chased away the butterflies in her stomach. In this day and age butterflies were not a good thing to be having, especially when it was the wrong boy giving them to you.
Closing the door behind her she went about mentally preparing for the upcoming night. 'Remember you like Adrien.' She told herself, doing the best to ignore the way her heart was beating after talking to her superhero friend.
That night Marinette preformed marvelously well. Despite her nervousness she managed to lull Evillustrator into a false sense of ease, and even succeeded in separating him from his pen by asking to draw something. The moment Evillustrator looked away was when she made her move, throwing the pen as far away as she could Marinette jumped to her feet about to call for Chat Blanc when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and whisk her away. "Have I ever told you how drawn I feel towards you?" The white cat asked before leaping off of the boat proper and onto a nearby building. Keeping his hold on Marinette, whose expression was a mixture of surprise and exasperated, he broke into a run.
Chat didn't need to look behind him to know that Coccinelle had already restrained the akuma while Black Cat destroyed the stylus. He just kept moving, leaping and bounding until he could see the familiar sight of the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Landing at the side entrance he lowered Marinette to her feet, brushing off some imaginary dust from her shoulder he smiled. "See Princess, home early. Aren't I such a gentleman?" He asked with a cheeky grin.
Having been removed from the stressful situation of dealing with an akuma Marinette allowed her tense muscles to relax before her cheeks tinted pink. Putting some much needed distance from the blond hero she did her best to appear casual. "Yeah, I bet my parents would approve, even if you are a mangy alley cat." She told him with a teasing smile.
The blond scoffed in mock offense. "I'll have you know I am anything but mangy. I'm actually one of the cleanest cats you'll ever meet." He made sure to point out.
Marinette giggled slightly, despite the affection she shouldn't be feeling she did enjoy bantering with him. "Whatever you say, minou." She jested lightly before ruffling his messy hair.
Chat chuckled in response before giving an exaggerated bow. "Well I've returned you from the ball, safe and sound. Does the dashing knight get a kiss?" He joked while mentally hitting himself. 'What are you doing?' He asked himself as Marinette raised an eyebrow.
Marinette knew her face had to have become an interesting shade of red. Even if he was joking it was still a bit much for an admittedly cute boy to ask for a kiss. Swallowing she did her best to stay in control. "Y-you wish," Damn it, she stuttered. Adrien Agreste was supposed to be the only one who could make her stutter.
Not being deterred Chat pressed on, speaking in a low tone. "Oh, but I do." The white feline inched closer while mentally flinching as he realized that he in fact did want her to. 'Seriously what are you doing? Cut this out, abort, abort.' Adrien chastised himself. What was wrong with him tonight? He knew that Marinette liked his civilian persona, why was he flirting with her like this? 'I don't think of Marinette like that...do I?' He was having trouble answering that to himself.
The long pause he had after his latest remark gave the blue haired girl ample time to recover. Marinette crossed her arms before fixing him with a teasing smile. "I guess my white knight would deserve some sort of reward." She said appearing to be thoughtful. Chat mouth dried as he wondered if she might actually go through with his stupid request.
Before he could tell her that he was joking, which was an internal battle as a part of him did want her to go through with it, she leaned forward. Just before her lips could touch his cheek she backed off and offered a grin. "You'll just have to settle for some fresh baked goods next time you come over." The dark haired girl told him before giving the blond a small wink.
The blue haired girl was quite surprised to see the flush in his cheeks, it was actually cute to see him react that way to her teasing. Swallowing Chat recovered. "We-well nowhere near as go-good, but that'll have to do." He quickly said before turning to leave. "Ha-have a good night, Marinette!" He said before leaping into the night time sky.
Marinette watched him leave, her surprised expression still in place. 'Huh, so he can flirt no problem. But he can't handle it when someone else dishes it out...' That was so cute and also funny. Marinette's lips turned into a large grin, she couldn't wait for his next visit.
Double checking with Coccinelle and Black Cat that the akuma had indeed been dealt with the white feline decided to head home. Sneaking past the security cameras Adrien entered his bedroom his transformation dropping. "Ugh..." He groaned while flopping onto his bed.
Tonight hadn't been bad, but that parting conversation with his friend had been weird. Of course he had no one to blame for the weirdness save for himself. 'Sheesh...' He sighed as Tigga floated over to him.
"Something you want to talk about, kit?" The white feline asked before landing next to his face.
Adrien was silent for a moment before sighing again. "It's just...I don't understand." He confided to his kwami his confusion. A part of him had wanted that kiss from Marinette but another part of him didn't. He felt guilt for even asking of that from her, even if she had taken it in jest.
Tigga poked his nose slightly. "Maybe you just like her. There's nothing wrong with that, she's a cute girl and Chat Blanc's only friend."
Adrien rolled over. "Yeah she is, but it's...not right. I don't feel the same way she does, I don't even know why I keep flirting as Chat. At first it was because that was kind of our thing but now...maybe I should stop visiting her as Chat." That idea made the blonde model pause as he did not like it.
Tigga frowned at her charge's expression. "Is that what you want?" She didn't wait for Adrien to answer as she already knew what he felt. "You've tried not to let the fact that Marinette likes you be a problem, and you have managed. But I think you need to start accepting the fact that you are feeling more than just friendly feelings for her. There's no reason to lie to me, I can read your emotions better than you can."
Adrien sighed as he found that he couldn't deny it to himself. He was starting to like Marinette as more than just a friend, it was surprising just how quickly you could develop feelings for someone. "Let's say I concede to that I'm developing feelings for her, one problem." He said while lifting his head to look at Tigga. "She can't talk to Adrien. Even though I've been trying to talk to her during the day, she just clams up and gets flustered." Sure they had made progress, they could talk in a group regarding things like school work, but any personal subjects were impossible.
"I've tried all week to get her to be comfortable around me as Adrien, and so far..." The blond sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. 'At the very least Marinette's word jumble was getting less painful, but at the rate they were going they wouldn't be able to have a full blown conversation until graduation.
"Maybe try asking to hang out after school?" Tigga suggested. "More exposure to your true self wouldn't hurt her."
Adrien sighed tiredly as he considered Tigga's words. "I just don't know how to make her comfortable around me, it's like there's no proper answer." He told her before lying back down. His brow was furrowed in frustration.
Tigga frowned at his words, he was right. "There really isn't an answer, because her becoming comfortable is on her. You can keep trying to be friends with her as Adrien, but ultimately it boils down to her getting accustomed. Marinette is slowly getting use to you, just give it time."
Adrien's lips curved into a frown but he nodded in response as he knew his kwami was right. Time was all he could really give Marinette, he just wished there was something to do to make it easier for her. Closing his eyes he slowly drifted to sleep.
It was Friday evening roughly a week before winter break, exams were coming up and if the students of Francoise Dupont College knew that if they wanted to strive they would have to buckle down and crack open the books. Nino however was finding himself distracted.
"Stop it." HIs girlfriend hissed as he lightly tapped her foot.
Adrien and Marinette glanced up from their books but did not comment on the couple. Nino's lips were set into a teasing grin while Alya's eyes were narrowed. Deciding not to comment the couple's antics the two best friends returned their attention to their books.
The playful cat within Nino grinned excitedly before he tapped her foot again. "Nino, I'm warning you, stop distracting me." She threatened, though there was no real malice in her words.
It was after school just before the weekend, the four teens had decided that they would host a study session in preparation for next week. Marinette had suggested using her home for their group, the added bonus of having sweets at their disposal had been more than enough for them all to agree to come.
Nino knew it was important to study for the upcoming test. If he wanted to get into the same school as his friends he'd have to do well on test. A part of him didn't really care for the academics of school. While he did well enough he didn't excel like his best friend did, he didn't have to. His dream career didn't require he do well in school, the only thing that made all the test worth it was hanging out with his friends.
He was bored, he couldn't help but want to pass the time by teasing Alya. As he moved to tap her foot again he frowned as his toes met air, looking up at his girlfriend he saw her challenging smirk. 'So it's going to be like that, huh?' Well he wouldn't take that laying down, unless it was with her. Smirking he jutted his foot again aiming for where he was sure she had moved her foot.
The game went on, Nino would strike only for Alya to sense the movement and dodge just in time. Soon the game of cat and...bug became apparent to the other two in the room. Adrien frowned as the table would occasionally rumble at the latest blow. Sighing he looked up at his best friend. "Should we give you two some privacy?" He asked pointedly.
"No."
"If you wouldn't mind?" Nino said with a chuckle much to his girlfriend's amused annoyance. "Gah!" He grunted as Alya smacked his leg. "Babe, I like it when you're feisty." He whispered to her. Alya smirked in response before kicking him again.
After that little incident the study session continued on, Marinette inwardly praised her luck that her crush was so good at physics. And that it was slowly becoming easier to talk to him, at least when she kept her words simple and on the topic of school work. She didn't feel that she was quite prepared for casual conversation.
She still felt that casual conversation between them was too far out of her reach, so if she wanted to keep things from being awkward she'd keep the subjects on school work.
"If you just plug this number into the equation then you should get the answer." Adrien explained to his pig tailed classmate.
"I see." Marinette said as she followed his instruction, at the answer she got she quickly wrote it down while glancing at him to gauge his reaction. "I-I think I'm act-actually starting to get this." The dark haired girl mentally congratulated herself for not stuttering too badly.
Over the last few weeks it seemed that Adrien had started going out of his way to talk to her. At first she had panicked horribly, squeaking and jumbling her words even worse than ever. To her immense relief Adrien hadn't let it outwardly bothered him and had been patient, and she was actually finally able to hold something akin to a conversation with him. 'Slowly but surely...' Marinette thought to herself as she started working on the next problem.
In the back of her mind however there was a bit of a mess, a mess started by Chat Blanc. While Marinette had yet to admit to herself that she was developing an affection for the other blond in her life she couldn't help but feel conflicted. While she enjoyed the slow burn friendship she was developing with Adrien, she could admit that it didn't quite hold a candle to the moments she had shared with Chat Blanc.
With Adrien she was almost always a nervous wreck, but with Chat everything was so easy and comfortable. Sighing under her breath Marinette mentally flied thoughts of the white clad hero away for later, right now she had work to do.
Adrien sneaked a peek at the girl across from him, hiding a little smile he allowed himself to feel some joy at her progress. Ever since the Timebreaker incident he had made the effort as his normal self to talk to her. At first she had acted about as horribly as he figured she would, if not worse. But he was determined, his end goal was to get her as comfortable around him as she was with Chat.
That was still ways away off, his occasional night time visits as Chat Blanc still continued and they were able to talk about everything and nothing. Yet as Adrien they had only just barely graduated to being able to communicate about school work in the presence of friends. 'Maybe I should try punning?' He had considered before hesitating at the thought. While it could work if he tried acting like Chat it could also majorly backfire. While Marinette did get unbelievably flustered and shy around him she was a very smart girl and would have zero problems putting pieces together.
'Baby steps...' Adrien reminded himself of Tigga's words. In the weeks since she helped Chat Blanc they had already made more progress than he had thought they would, they'd get there eventually.
Sadly today's study session had to be cut short at by Adrien's cell phone, he had a Chinese lesson scheduled for this evening that was mandatory. He said goodbye to his friends and headed out to meet his driver. Not much later Nino had also left to go home for dinner while Alya stayed at Marinette's, the girls had decided to have a sleepover.
The trio of heroes didn't patrol every night, though Chat Blanc usually tried. The only time he didn't come out was if he had something scheduled late at night. Which wasn't too common, so after his evening lessons he found himself bounding from rooftop to rooftop. He knew that his crime fighting partners were not active that night. According to Coccinelle she would be staying at a friend's house, and could not risk transforming for fear of her friend finding out. And tonight wasn't Black Cat's night to patrol, so Chat was on his own.
Which was fine, as much as Adrien did like the superhero duo, he usually felt like a bit of a third wheel to them. He knew they appreciated his assistance but they didn't really talk a whole lot so he didn't really feel their absence. Besides on nights like this Adrien could get lost in his own thoughts as he ran at top speeds, maybe he'd stop by Marinette's on his way home. It had been a couple of days since he last saw her as his superhero self.
Adrien allowed himself to smile as he thought of the feisty dark haired girl. It was always nice to drop by as his alter ego, she'd fix him with a warm smile, and a snarky remark about strays frequenting her balcony. Sometimes she'd hand him a croissant as she made her quip. Then he'd grin and flirt, kiss her hand, and she would fight the pinkness in her cheeks before playfully brushing off his advances. 'If only she knew.' He could only wonder, how she'd feel if she knew the person flirting with her was her crush.
'What am I doing with this girl?' He asked himself not for the first time. A part of him still felt horrible at knowing her feelings for him, yet he still came back. 'We're friends.' He argued with himself. Yet why did he flirt so shamelessly with her as Chat? Initially it had just been good fun, flirting with a pretty girl not having to worry about it since he could hide behind a mask. But even knowing that she was smitten with his other self he still did it. Why?
It had taken much self debate but Adrien had finally been able to accept the truth. He liked her, maybe not to the extent that she liked him, but he did like her. If she did work up the courage to ask him out, he would be more than happy to date her. Or if she could get to a point where they could talk comfortably to each other as his civilian self, then he would probably ask her out himself.
As Chat Blanc he had tried to avoid talking to her about her crush, but after awhile it became unavoidable. She did consider Chat a friend, a really good friend, almost as good a friend as Alya. And she wanted to talk about the object of her affections from time to time. As his pigtailed classmate spoke about her progress or set backs regarding him, Adrien found himself smiling and laughing at her theatrics. It was kind of adorable to see someone get so excited over just being able to talk to the person they liked. Even if it was about him.
Her love really was pure, Adrien knew when someone was just interested in him for his fame. He had been approached by many girls since becoming a model. They all acted the same, like they had some claim on him yet when he didn't respond they way they wanted they became angry. If he didn't already know why Marinette liked him he'd be able to see that she wasn't like them.
Sure she was shy and got flustered like some of them, but that was about the only comparison he could draw. Marinette had made something with her own two hands for him, she always tried to include him, and in another time she had even risked her life for him. Adrien couldn't help but feel that if there was any girl worth his affection that it could be her. If only she could over come her shyness, really that was one thing he couldn't understand. Sure he was basically the poster child for perfect golden boy, but outside of the suit he wasn't anything amazing.
Tigga had told him that if he wanted to get anywhere with Marinette outside of the suit he should act more like himself. But that was difficult, because when he paid her attention Marinette would panic. The first time he invited her and Alya to have lunch with him and Nino she had loudly proclaimed "YES!" Before awkwardly fumbling with her words and shying away.
The lunch that had followed was painful as she was only able to muster ten whole words through the hour. Future attempts saw her being able to speak a little more with each outing. She was getting better, but it was a slow process, and he didn't want to risk ruining things by letting too much of his Chat show.
A cry for help broke him out of his musings. Chat frowned at realizing that he had allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts instead of patrolling. Jumping up he followed the terrified shrieks, below on the streets he saw a couple struggling with three muggers. One of them had a baseball bat, one had a metal pole in his hand, and the one holding the woman hostage had a knife to her throat.
Easy enough, he landed nearby but kept out of sight. Silently creeping up on the group he listened to the shouts and struggle. "Let her go! You can have our money!" The woman's husband/boyfriend/fiancé shouted hopelessly as one of the other's held him in place.
"Shut up!" One of the thugs shouted before smacking one of his legs with the bat. "We're going to have a little fun." The mugger said as the man cried out in pain. "So if you don't want her pretty face to be too messed up I'd suggest you keep quiet!"
Having heard enough Chat made his attack. Jumping in he kicked the guy who had been holding the woman. As the thug stepped back the blond hero lashed out, taking and throwing the knife away before landing a solid stomach punch. It was fairly satisfying to watch him drop like a sack of rocks.
"What the fu-!" The second guy was cut off as Chat roundhouse kicked him.
"You're going to pay for that!" The guy with the bat screamed as he rushed Chat wildly swing.
Letting a cocky grin slip the blond hero began taunting the mugger. "And it's Casey up to bat, strike one!" Chat shouted excitedly as he avoided the first swing. "Strike two, oh this is it folks can Casey hit it or will he strike out?"
"Piss off!" Strike three.
"And Casey has struck out!" Chat claimed before ramming his knee into the thug's groin. "Too bad."
Turning to the haggard couple Adrien assessed their appearances, the man had a bruise forming on the side of his face while the woman's blouse was ripped. Thankfully that coupled with the man's limp, seemed to be the extent of their injuries. "You two okay?" He asked them just to make sure.
After a moment of hesitance the man limped forward, a thankful smile appeared. "Yes, thank you Chat Blanc, I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't shown-." Just then his eyes widened. "Look out!"
Chat had heard the movement behind him halfway through the man's panicked shout, turning he felt surprise to see the man with the knife now holding a gun. Before anything could be said he had squeezed the trigger and the bullet was flying. Adrenalin filled him as he rushed forward, weaving to the side to land a bone crushing punch to the man's ribs. As the rush left him his left side exploded in white hot pain.
Thankfully the bullet only grazed him, though it still hurt like hell. Pain flared in his left side but the blonde ignored it before turning back to the two bystandards. "Get out of here and call the police!" He ordered harshly as his right hand went to his bleeding wound.
Biting the inside of his cheek Adrien hesitantly removed his hand from his side. White was marred by blood. This wasn't good he needed to get out of here, get home, and do something about this. Putting pressure back on the wound the blond took a deep breath before taking his hand off the wound and wincing before placing the pressure back on. "Definitely going to need stitches..." Adrien whispered to himself as he continued to keep pressure against the wound. Frowning he recalled an incident from a couple weeks ago where a late night street thug with a knife had managed to land a cut on his arm, though that hadn't been nearly as bad as this.
Thankfully the civilian didn't hesitate at Chat's shout, grasping his significant other's hand he quickly led her away. Chat waited until they were good distance away before jumping back to the rooftops. Admittedly, preforming parkour was not the brightest thing to do after getting shot, but it was the fastest way to get home. Once he got home he could tend to this injury. Even though the bullet had only nicked him, this was still not something to ignore.
He was nearly home when the pain became unbearable and his body refused to jump again. Collapsing into a heap on the roof his feet had landed on Adrien groaned while keeping pressure on his side. It was one thing to get smacked around by an akuma the suit offered amazing protection against that, but it was another to get shot. Breathing rough Chat tried to pick himself up only to find that he didn't have the strength to do so. At least not on his own and not without taking pressure off the wound. 'Damn it...' He uttered in thought, realizing that he was in a bind.
If it were under any other circumstance he would have recognized the smell of baked bread in the air. He would have realized who's rooftop he was currently on, it was his favorite place to visit in all of Paris after all. But for now Chat would have to be content to close his eyes and mentally prepare himself to stand back up.
Marinette and Alya had been in her room, they were currently playing a round of Super Smash Bros. Usually Marinette dominated at games, but Alya was skilled enough at this one to keep up with her best friend. Also, much to her surprise, being a superhero had improved her reflexes so that was a plus.
"Falcon Punch!" Alya's character shouted as Marinette's Link rolled out of the way, grabbed Captain Falcon with his hook shot, and kicked him off the stage. Alya was determined however, when her character didn't die right away she quickly jumped her way back to the stage, and timed it so that when Marinette went to push her away Captain Falcon had grabbed Link, and in a burst of flames sent him flying.
"Someone's been practicing." Marinette commented as she threw a bomb at Alya's character. The red head's response was cut off as a loud thump from up above sounded. "What in the?" The dark haired girl muttered as she looked at her rooftop. 'Was that Chat?' She wondered with a nervous frown as Alya paused the game and glanced up as well. 'Why did he have to come tonight?' She asked worried for the inevitable teasing that would come from her best friend.
After a few seconds of mental debate, and no usual tapping on glass, the two girls headed up to investigate. They saw him immediately. The dark haired girl felt her heart leap into her throat at the sight of him collapsed. "Oh my god, Chat!" Marinette cried out as she ran over to him. Now that she was closer she could see blood pooling on her rooftop.
Alya's face paled as she took in her teammate's pained expression. Looking him over she quickly located the source of his pain. 'What happened?! Why didn't he call me or Nino?!' Tikki had not informed her of any incoming calls, so she knew for sure that he hadn't tried to contact her. "Ad-Chat, Chat Blanc are you okay?" She asked trying to keep a level head.
Yellow eyes slowly opened to see who had spoken. 'Of course I'd end up on your roof.' Adrien didn't even have the luxury of wanting to keep from burdening Marinette with his problems. Seeing Marinette's bright blue eyes become filled with unshed tears Adrien tried to give a comforting smile. "H-hey Princess." He bit his lip to keep from groaning in pain.
Concern filled her as she brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Oh god Chat, what happened?" Marinette asked as she helped him sit up. Looking down at his side she saw the source of his pain, his hand was covering the wound and there was a lot of blood. "What happened?" Her voice cracked slightly as she repeated her question.
Chat knew that he was still in trouble, and he needed help. It seemed that help had come in the form of Marinette. "Co-couple of muggers. One of them had a g-gun." He explained his breathing still a little shallow.
"Oh my god." Adrien finally noticed Alya's presence as she spoke up.
Adrien forced a weak smile. "So-sorry Marinette...Didn't realize you had company..." He was breathing pretty heavily right now, trying to ignore the pain in his side.
Marinette's worried face remained as she assured him. "Don't even worry about it, minou." She told him with a shaky breath while running a hand through his hair. Now was not the time to be hesitating, her friend was hurt, and right now she needed to help him. Standing up her decision was made. "Just wait here, I'm going to get some towels." She informed him before turning to Alya. "Alya, call an ambulance." She ordered, causing the glasses wearing girl's eyes to widened. .
Adrien's muddled mind took a moment to process Marinette's soft words before he realized what she had just said. "No!" He cried out before flinching in pain. He didn't mean to snap so harshly, but there was a reason he couldn't go to the hospital. "No ho-hospital...Se-secret...will ge-get out." He managed to get out. His breaths coming out in panic heaves as he tried to stop Marinette.
Alya had to hold herself back from telling Marinette to listen to Chat. While she knew that Adrien had to keep his identity a secret she was more concerned with the fact that he was suffering from a gunshot wound and was bleeding. While the holder of the Ladybug miraculous felt that keeping their identities a secret was of the utmost importance she knew that Adrien's life should not be thrown away.
At his shout Marinette stopped and took in his pleading eyes. She felt conflicted, logically she knew that she needed to call paramedics. This was not an incident that a couple of teenage girls should be dealing with. "Chat! You need to let us call them, you're hurt!" She argued, hoping that he'd see reason.
Chat gritted his teeth as he realized that he'd have argue his point. He knew that his transformation wouldn't hold long enough for the doctors to tend to him, and his identity would be known. He didn't even want to imagine his father's reaction at learning he was Chat Blanc, he'd never have freedom again.
Steadying his breathing he spoke calmly. "No...it's not that bad..." The blond hero tried to tell her causing both girls to frown.
Marinette looked appalled by his statement. "Not that bad! You were shot!" The girl with pigtails screamed. "Wait here, I'm going to get some towels, Alya call the paramedics!" She ordered, keeping to her original plan, before standing back up.
Adrien mentally screamed in pain as his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Pr-Princess, the bullet just grazed me." He tried explaining. "All I need is someone to stitch me up. Plea-please if you have the supplies I might be able to do it myself." He told her, his tone a mixture of pleading and desperate. Despite his current state he did not want his father to learn of this.
Every instinct in her was screaming at her to ignore Chat's plea. However one look into his hopeful yellow eyes and Marinette knew she couldn't refuse him, not when he so openly trusted her. 'This is a horrible idea.' But Chat Blanc was begging for her help. Nodding she agreed. "Okay then, let's get you inside."
Not wanting to waste time she grasped his arm gently before bringing it over her shoulder as Alya looked at her in surprise. Seeing her best friend's hesitance the dark haired teenager scowled. "Help me Alya." She commanded, prompting the redhead to accept Chat Blanc's other arm and placed it over her shoulder. The two girls simultaneously lifted him to his feet and led him to the trap door. .
"Alya get the towels from the hallway closet!" Taking charge Marinette dolled out her order while leading Chat into her bathroom. The dark haired girl could tell that her heroic friend was holding back whimpers of pain as she sat him down on the edge of the tub. "Let me see." Facing him she placed one of her hands on the wrist that was holding his side as Alya followed Marinette's orders.
Chat complied with her, pulling his hand away Marinette assessed the damaged skin, it was still bleeding pretty badly, he needed to get stitched up now. 'Oh god, I don't know what I'm doing...' The dark haired girl thought grimly. "I've only ever sewn clothes, I don't know if I can do this..." She muttered to herself as she tried to keep a level head. One look at Chat's trembling hands and she knew there was no way that he'd be able to do it himself. 'I'm going to have to do this.' Were her panicked thoughts as she went to work.
Marinette pulled out the suture kit from below the sink. A quick couple reads of the instructions and a moment to mentally prepare herself she was as ready as she could ever be. Which meant that she wasn't ready. Quickly washing off the tools she would need she left them to the side to dry before going over to Chat.
It was at that point that Alya came in with the towels. Marinette carefully began cleaning the wound, wiping away some of the blood as Alya watched quietly, feeling guilty that she and Nino had left their friend on his own. "Can you remove the suit?" Marinette asked as on the outside she was calm but inwardly she was still in panic mode.
Nodding the blond used his free hand to remove the bell form his collar and zip down the suit. Marinette had to help him get his left side out, because once that was done it would be a lot easier to finish cleaning the wound. Chat gave a slight wince as she removed the left side of his suit from his body.
Once she could clearly see the wound Marinette irrigated it with the cold solution as Chat Blanc prepared himself for the unavoidable pain. Luckily it didn't sting nearly as bad as he had anticipated. The pigtailed girl was very careful as she continued clearing away the blood, dead skin, and pieces of white leather from the surrounding area.
Reaching for his tail Marinette offered it to him to bite down on, last thing she wanted was for him to bite down on his tongue while stitching him up. "I'm going to prepare the wound for stitches ok?" A simple nod was her answer as he bit down. "Try to remain still." She reminded him. Marinette knew she was asking a lot of him to keep unmoving, but she didn't want to mess up.
Alya watched on from the side as Marinette proved to be amazing under pressure. 'I'm not sure if I could remain this calm if it were me and Nino...' She and her boyfriend had never been shot during their superhero careers. Considering how much pain the blond was in she knew that she never wanted to be in that situation. 'Adrien...' She turned her attention to him as he tried to remain still throughout the whole ordeal.
Tomorrow she and Nino would have to have a talk. It wasn't good that Adrien had gotten hurt like this, and they needed to put in precautions to avoid this situation again. Especially when it could lead to one of their identities getting out or worse. 'It might be time Nino and I reveal ourselves to him.' If Adrien had known who they were he could have gone to Nino for help, maybe even Master Fu could have done something.
Finished with cleaning the wound, the half Asian girl gently peeled the edges apart to even them for the stitches. The whole time she was working Chat did his best to keep from flinching at every jolt of pain he felt from the open wound, it didn't matter how careful she was it still hurt. He was thankful for Tigga's help, he knew that she was doing her best to absorb as much of the pain as she could. Thanks to the white kwami's persistence he was able to remain relatively still.
With the wound ready to be stitched Marinette slipped the non-absorbable suture material into the provided needle. Taking a steady breath she began to stitch the edges of his skin together the same way she might have sewn a dress or a scarf. Her first lesson, skin was not nearly as easy to puncture as fabric.
Marinette frowned after a short while. "I'm not doing this right, am I?" She questioned hoping he would answer.
Chat groaned as the tail fell out of his mouth. "Yo-you need to make it deep enough so the skin wo-won't tear. But as close to the edge as possible." Taking a deep breath he continued. "I've given myself stitches once before." Admittedly he hadn't been in nearly as much pain as he was in now. "It was somewhat sloppy, but it did get the job done. if you give me a moment to calm down I can at least show you what it's supposed to look like..." He breathed out.
Marinette watched her friend with worried eyes, he was obviously doing his best to keep a strong front. Fighting back tears Marinette nodded, an apology on the tip of her tongue that she kept to herself. There wasn't much else she could do for him.
And she hated it. Chat Blanc had saved her numerous times, who cares if an alternate version of herself had saved an alternate version of him? She hadn't done anything to repay him, why couldn't she do that for him? Marinette blinked away tears as she tried to keep her emotions from showing on her face. Chat was already in enough pain as it was, there was no need to bother him with her own inward issues.
After a few minutes of deep calming breaths Adrien slowly grasped her wrist. "Do-don't be crying for me, Princess...You've been very helpful tonight." He assured her, trying to make her feel better. The blond could easily see Marinette's stress and he knew that she was overwhelmed by all of this. Really he was asking a lot of her to do this for him, and the fact that she was willing to go to all this trouble did much to raise the affection he felt for her.
At his thankful words Marinette felt fresh tears well up. "Stu-stupid cat...You-I want you to promise me that you'll b-be more careful from now on." A few stray tears streamed down her cheeks.
Adrien smiled weakly as white cat ears flattened. "Of course Princess..." He gave a pained smile as his hand slowly stopped shaking.
Alya frowned as she pushed herself off the wall. "Coccinelle and Black Cat should have been watching your back." She grumbled out, mostly angry at herself. If she or Nino had been with him this would not have happened, she and Nino always went out together, why couldn't one of them elect to go out on one of the nights Adrien did? Of course though she and Nino didn't patrol every day, only Adrien did that. Adrien took whatever chance he could to get out of that lonely mansion.
Adrien frowned at his classmate's harsh statement, while he knew that having one of them could have prevented this he didn't want them to be blamed. "It's no-not their fault, they each had prior engagements tonight. We don't patrol every night...I'm the only one who does that, I should have been more vigilant." He said, making sure they knew that he was also at fault.
Alya's frown deepened at the blond's desire to take the blame. She and Nino didn't patrol every single night because they didn't want to lose too much sleep. Yet Adrien, who's every single day was jam packed full almost always went out to patrol. "That may be, but still. If one of them had been there this might not have happened." Alya clenched her fist. She and Nino would tell him as soon as they could, probably on Monday at school. By then, with the accelerated healing of being a miraculous holder, he should be a lot better.
Deciding to take her two friends off topic of Paris' other heroes Marinette addressed Chat. "How do you feel right now?" She asked noticing that he seemed to be fairly more relaxed than when he first arrived. Looking down at the wound it appeared that the bleeding had lessen somewhat. Maybe the miraculous had some hidden healing properties? She had no idea how it worked.
Taking a deep breath Adrien nodded, feeling confident that he could start. "I...I feel as good as I can feel, giving the current situation. I think I should be able to at least start it." He said before putting the end of his tail back in his mouth. Taking the offered needle he waited for confirmation for Marinette that she was paying attention.
"Go ahead." She urged him in a gentle tone while refusing to take her eyes off him as he made the first stitch. Marinette made sure to imprint the image of the needle piercing his skin and the tread going through. When it was her time to take over she did not want to mess this up.
Adrien sighed in relief as Marinette finished the last stitch, knotting up the suture and cutting the excess. "Done." The dark haired girl whispered breathlessly, as she finally allowed her beating heart to calm. She was mentally exhausted.
The blond hero slumped tiredly before sliding down to the floor. 'I'm so glad that's over...' He mentally sighed. "Remind me to never get shot again." He said to the two girls, his voice a mixture of joking and exhaustion.
Marinette offered him an unamused glare. "Not funny..." She muttered before she went about putting away the supplies.
At hearing his friend's grumbled response Chat sighed knowing that his quip was in poor taste. Just as he was about to apologize, he was cut off by a loud shrill beep coming from his ring. "Ah...my transformation's going to drop." He said slightly worried. Adrien knew that even though he hadn't used his power, Tigga was most likely pretty spent keeping him from feeling too much pain. Looking down at his ring revealed that he was already down to a single paw print.
Marinette and Alya shared a look before moving to gather up the towels. They, or at least Marinette, had no intention of learning Chat Blanc's identity like this. "Okay, we'll give you some privacy." The dark haired girl told him as she and Alya made for the door. "If you need anything don't hesitate to call for us." She told him before closing the door.
As soon as the door clicked shut Adrien finally allowed his transformation to drop. He groaned in pain as the magic of the suit was no longer absorbing the worst of it. "Shit..." He cursed in a soft voice while trying to push through the pain. Thankfully his wound was finally stitched up, but his body was in a perpetual state of agony. When he got home he'd have to rifle through his medicine cabinet for some ibuprofen.
Tigga sighed tiredly, mirroring his exhaustion. "Sorry, kit. I held as long as I could, but keeping you as numb as I did took just about everything I had." The white cat kwami explained apologetically before landing on her charge's shoulder.
Shaking his head the exhausted Adrien placed all of his weight against the tub. He gently patted her head, eliciting a purr out of her. "Don't worry about it, Tigga." Out of breath he said before closing his eyes, he'd just rest for a moment.
The white kwami smiled gently at her charge before settling against him, maybe a little cat nap would do her some good.
"So you and Chat Blanc are...friends?" Alya questioned in a tone begging to know more as she and Marinette threw the bloody towels into the wash. "How did that happen?" The red haired girl asked her friend. Now that the earlier stressful event had passed she was able to relax, and ask some of the questions that had been bouncing in the back of her mind.
Alya knew that if it were under better circumstances she'd be laughing her head off at Marinette being able to talk normally to Adrien in a cat suit. 'She even calls him kitty.' But this was unfortunately not the best time.
Marinette spared her friend a glance as she started up the machine. "Chat and I are friends...somehow." Even to this day, after weeks upon weeks of his frequent visits, it was still hard to believe that she was friends with one of Paris' heroes.
At this point she might as well consider herself Chat's closest confidant. "Shortly after he started fighting alongside Coccinelle and Black Cat he showed up on my balcony. He was very apologetic about kidnapping me as an akuma, and we just started talking." The dark haired girl explained as she recalled their first conversation on her roof with a fond smile.
Alya raised an eyebrow at the light expression plastered on Marinette's face. "Talking, huh?" She asked in a suggestive tone.
Marinette narrowed her eyes at Alya's knowing look. "Don't even start, Chat and I are friends. Besides he already knows I'm in love with Adrien."
Alya's jaw dropped at that bit of news. "Yo-you told him that!?" The red whispered screamed as her eyes widened. On one hand she was happy that Marinette had managed to become good enough friends with Chat that she'd confide to him about something big like her crush, on the other hand Adrien now knew about Marinette's crush without her even realizing it.
Marinette didn't see Alya's expression become sympathetic as she turned to look at the bathroom door where Chat was on the other side of. "I couldn't really keep it from him, since he saw that wall." The pigtailed girl explained hesitantly. At least he hadn't seen the schedule...on another note perhaps it was time for Marinette to throw that out.
'Oh yeah, the wall...' Alya thought to herself as she remembered the shrine Marinette had kept up of her crush. "I bet that was embarrassing." She weakly said trying to keep from informing her best friend of Chat's identity. If Marinette found out Adrien had learned of her crush in such a horrible way she'd have a massive freak out session.
Marinette's cheeks tinted ever so slightly. "It was, but Chat was surprisingly nice about it..." The blue haired girl had honestly been surprised, considering his joking nature.
'Not too surprising.' Alya decided as she sometimes wondered if Adrien had been a saint in a past life. 'Anyone who can put up with Chloe, without snapping has gotta be.' Hell even after getting akumatized because of his dad Adrien was still willing to forgive the man. She didn't think that there was a mean bone in his body.
"He even joked with me by telling me something embarrassing about himself." Marinette said with a light giggle as she remembered the jokes and witty comments that had followed her embarrassing reveal.
Alya couldn't help but snicker at that. "Really? That's funny." The red haired teen said once she calmed down. "You've become pretty good friends with each other haven't you?" Alya asked giving her friend a secretive look.
Marinette nodded "Chat doesn't like to talk very much about himself. But I get the impression that he's very lonely. From what I've learned he doesn't even spend much time with Coccinelle or Black Cat outside of akuma attacks. I get the impression that he feels like a third wheel whenever he's around them." The blue haired girl couldn't help but feel sad for the white feline hero apparently not having many to turn to.
At hearing that Alya couldn't ignore the large amount of guilt that she felt. In a way she knew that Nino and her kept Chat Blanc at a distance, it wasn't on purpose. They had been doing this longer so they had an established dynamic. 'I guess we should have done a better job to reach out to him more.' The redhead thought regrettably. Alya knew that Nino hung out with him often during the day, but that obviously wasn't enough. "Well at least he has you, right Marinette?"
If Alya's tone hadn't been so genuine Marinette probably would have deflected the remark due to her embarrassment. But at her best friend's earnest expression Marinette felt her self smiling softly. "Yeah, he does." He had saved her so many times before, he always knew how to cheer her up with a stupid joke or pun at the tip of his tongue.
And it didn't hurt that he could be very sweet too...if it weren't for her feelings for Adrien she could easily see... 'No! No! No! Don't even go there, especially not right now...' She ventured another glance at the bathroom door. Now was not the time to consider the budding affection that she felt for her feline friend.
Alya smiled at seeing her best friend's expression, she was grateful that Marinette had unknowingly managed to become close to Adrien. 'Maybe there's hope for you yet, Mari.' When she and Nino revealed themselves to Adrien she would definitely grill him about Marinette. If there was something on Adrien's side than she would be more than happy to help him get with her friend.
Alya looked up as Marinette glanced at the door for the eleventh time in the last twenty minutes. She decided to voice her thoughts. "He's been in there for quite a while." The red head commented. It had been nearly an hour since the pair had left Chat to his own devices. In that time they had yet to hear a peep from the bathroom.
Marinette bit her lip before standing up and walking over to the bathroom. Knocking on it she softly called out to him. "Chat? Chat? You okay in there?" Alya followed her best friend over to the door, her own features becoming a mask of apprehension.
One of Tigga's ears twitched at the muted sound of someone knocking. Opening one eye she looked at the door, waiting for more sound. Another knock and inquiry later she started tapping Adrien's face. "Pst, Adrien. Wake up, Marinette is calling for you." Tigga whispered to the snoozing blonde.
Thankfully the blond was a relatively light sleeper, the sound of someone knocking and the sensation of something poking him was enough to rouse him. Opening his green eyes he groaned at the dull yet throbbing pain in his side. Breathing out a shaky breath he turned to look at his kwami who was still trying to get his attention.
Tigga directed her eyes to the door as another knock sounded out. "Chat? Please tell me you're okay?" Marinette's worried voice sounded out.
Eyes widened as he became more alert. "Ye-yeah. I'm okay! I just kind of fell asleep." He admitted with a sheepish chuckle.
"Oh." Marinette said as she put a hand on the knob. "Is it okay to come in?" She asked before turning the knob.
Green eyes became panicked as Adrien tried to stand up. "N-No I'm not transformed." He quickly got out, actually managing to get to his feet by putting his weight on the tub. "Ju-just let me feed my kwami and I'll be right out." He told her as he reached into his pocket for the can of tuna he'd brought.
"Kwami?" Marinette tested the unfamiliar word on her tongue.
The blond frowned as he realized how easily he had just let slip something important regarding his powers. Though he wasn't too worried, he knew he could trust Marinette. "I-it's what allows me to transform. I'll explain another time." He promised as Tigga inhaled her meal.
Back in costume Adrien breathed easy as the pain in his side became much less noticeable. 'At least the suit's repaired.' He thought looking down at his covered side.
Opening the door he exited the bathroom and met the worried stares of Marinette and Alya. Blue eyes blinked as she spoke. "Ho-how are you feeling?" She asked tentatively.
Adrien gave her a reassuring smile. "Much better, thanks to you Princess." Marinette smiled as Alya fought the urge to snicker upon hearing the boy she knew as Adrien refer to her best friend as princess. "Seriously, you guys thank you."
Alya grinned. "It was our pleasure, though I think all the credit should go to Marinette. She's the one who's handy with a needle and thread. I just stood back and tried not to get in the way." Despite her lighthearted tone Alya couldn't help but feel somewhat inadequate at not being able to help her teammate. Though that shouldn't matter, what was important was that Adrien would be okay.
"You probably shouldn't be jumping around too much." Alya said as Marinette closed the door to her room. "We thought it might be a good idea for you to sleep here for the rest of the night, and head out early in the morning."
While a part of Adrien didn't want to inconvenience them any further, he knew that it probably was a good idea to get some rest before trying to head home. Especially after losing as much blood as he did. Even Tigga had told him he shouldn't be doing anything too strenuous for the foreseeable future. 'Which means no fighting akumas.' At least until he healed enough that he could take the stitches out. "Yeah." He agreed without argument.
The two girls visibly relaxed at Chat agreeing to rest before heading out. Marinette pointed up to her bed. "Since you're hurt you can take my bed. And I won't take no for an answer." She firmly said the moment Chat opened his mouth.
"Geeze, already getting him in your bed, at least take him to dinner first." Alya couldn't help but crack. The glasses wearing girl laughed at seeing Marinette's face to flush in embarrassment.
"Al-Alya!" The twin tailed girl sputtered, scandalized at her friend's suggestive remark.
Chat picked his jaw back up at the red head's remark before softly snickering. "Your friend is right, I don't feel right going to bed before the first date." At him continuing the joke Alya broke into laughter.
Marinette, doing her best not to let their off color joking get to her, fixed Chat with a glare. "The moment you've recovered, you are so dead." She promised him in a tone that actually did send shivers down his spine.
Chat chuckled while doing his best to pretend that he didn't fear Marinette's wrath. "Haha, please don't kill me." He said before accepting Marinette's bed. Marinette gave him a flat look before sighing and leading him up to her bed. When he winced in pain as she helped him lay down she turned to her best friend who had been watching the two. "Alya, can you get me some painkillers from my medicine cabinet?" The red haired girl nodded and went to preform the task her best friend had asked of her.
"Are you still awake?" Marinette asked from her place on the floor.
After having agreed on bedding arrangements the three teenagers had turned off the lights. Marinette had given Alya the chaise to sleep on, while Chat took her bed. Marinette had grabbed some extra blankets and pillows and made herself a fairly comfortable makeshift bed near the ladder of her loft bed.
After a moment of silence Chat spoke up. "Yeah," Marinette hummed in response. "You can't sleep either?" He asked.
The dark haired girl nodded, even though he couldn't see her. "I guess I'm just still wound up from earlier. You understand?" She laughed softly.
The feline hero chuckled weakly. "Yeah, even though I'm tired I guess I can't relax enough to go to sleep." Chat sighed. "Sucks, because in a few hours I'll have to sneak out and head home. I'm sure my father has a lot planned for me." He muttered the last part, his tone bitter.
"Your father?" The blue eyed girl asked, curious about his tone. In the time she had known Chat he rarely, almost never, mentioned his family. From the way he spoke it felt like he held a healthy amount of repressed resentment against his dad.
Chat paused as he contemplated continuing the subject or shutting it down. He knew that if he said too much he could tip off Marinette as to who he was, but at the time a part of him didn't care. Marinette was his closest friend, next to Nino, and he wanted to talk to her about it.
"My father is very strict. More strict than most parents. Before I became Chat Blanc he dictated literally every single aspect of my life. What and when I eat, to who I do and don't socialize with, even the clothes I'm allowed to wear is decided by him." Adrien could feel his pent up frustration finally being allowed some release. "Becoming Chat Blanc was the best thing that ever happened to me, it meant freedom to me. Even if the cost was hurting you and others."
Marinette had been silent during his rant, she was surprised to hear that Chat's home life was so unhappy. 'He's always smiling and joking.' She thought to herself sad for her friend's home life. She would have never guess that her superhero friend lead such an oppressive life.
Marinette knew what it was like to complain about parents, hers were nosy sure, but they were not that overbearing. Marinette was sure that if her parent's controlled every single aspect of her life she'd pull her hair out. "Chat, you know I don't blame you for what you did that day."
The blond frowned. "I...I would. If I had better control-."
Marinette cut him off with a harsh hush. "We've talked about this, minou. You can't always have a handle on your emotions. Humans are emotional creatures. Even I could give way to uncontrollable anger and go on a rampage. These days anyone can."
Chat Blanc was silent for a moment, so silent that Marinette wondered if he had drifted off during her speech. Sitting up she looked up at the figure on her bed, his yellow eyes had been pointing in her direction. Locking eyes they were silent for a moment until he spoke. "My father was the reason I got akumatized." He told her.
"What?" She was surprised at that admission. What could his dad have done that would have set him off like that. The dark haired girl could definitely feel the shift in the air between them, they were really nearing some very personal matters. She didn't have the heart to stop him though, if he wanted to share his burden with her she'd indulge him.
Adrien took a deep breath to compose his thoughts. He hadn't told anyone the reason why he'd been akumatised, but he knew if there was anyone he'd want to confide to it'd be the blue eyed girl looking at him right now. "It was actually my birthday that day. My best friend tried to convince my dad to let me have a party but he didn't go for that." He looked away, his face scrounging up in annoyance. "My father actually told me I wasn't allowed to hang out with him anymore, said he was a bad influence. So I ran, I ran and I exploded. I was so angry, I do everything he asks yet he's never even-!" Adrien felt himself choking up as he realized he was saying more than he wanted to.
Out of nowhere delicate yet firm arms wrapped around him. Tear filled glowing yellow eyes looked up at her, he hadn't heard her climb on the bed. "It's okay, Chaton." Was all she said as she tightened her hold on him. Chat swallowed before pressing up against her and returning the hug.
Marinette closed her eyes as she rubbed Chat's back soothingly, comforting her friend. She didn't know everything about his situation. But she knew that it couldn't be a very good one if he had a reaction like this. It's funny, if she wasn't comforting a crying cat she might have been able to have taken the time to realize that Chat had the same birthday as Adrien. Thankfully for the blonde in question she didn't care to make the connection. All that mattered right now was comforting her friend.
Tomorrow Marinette would wake up to the grinning face of her best friend, questioning what it was like to share a bed with a superhero.
Okay this was a long one. So some of you might have noticed some similarities between the events of the later half of this chapter and another story titled Double Jeu by Kurohaha. Well that's because I needed an event where Adrien, as Chat Blanc gets hurt and Marinette helps him. Now I tried to change it around enough to put my own spin on it. I also asked Kurohaha for permission and he was okay with me using similar events. The only thing I would say that I drew direct reference from was the method Marinette used to patch Chat up. Because I don't know how to give stitches to someone, I figured that was as good as a reference as any.
Anyways I hope you all enjoyed this lengthy chapter, I know I did. Until the next installment.