Numb

by thepeacockandthebutterfly

He couldn't stop staring at her. Eyes that were as large as the sky and just as blue. Beautiful. Fathomless. A pure blue that was almost jewel-like in its radiance. It brought to his mind blue zircon and blue topaz. They were truly perfection.

Her hair was black, so dark that when the light bounced off of it, it shone blue. Sleek and shiny. He remembered when she had always pulled it into little pigtails, but right now it was a thick curtain, falling in waves over her slim shoulders.

Speaking of those absolutely bite-able shoulders, he found himself noticing the little sprinkle of freckles on them.

How many were there?

1...

2...

3...

4,5,6...

7,8...

-Flashback-

Tears were a glossy sheen over her green eyes. And although they were bright with the salty liquid brimming in them, the eyes somehow seemed defeated, tired, ready to give up.

"Mama..." Adrien whimpered, reaching a hand out to touch her silky golden hair. The hair that matched his.

She shook slightly, struggling to move her muscles. But she smiled shakily, finally able to lift a hand to touch his cheek gently. He leaned into her touch, craving the last moments he had with his mother. "Shhhh my darling, Adrien, everything will be okay."

He wanted to believe her, he really did. But the slowing beeps of her heart moniter told otherwise. They spoke of the rapidly nearing days where his mother would no longer be able to comfort him.

A salty tear dripped down his own cheek as he closed his eyes, the hot liquid making its way down his cheek. He didn't want to think about it.

"Adrien," she whispered, even the single word that she had said for 10 years a struggle to get out.

He opened his eyes, blinking away the haze of water that coated his eyes and eyelashes. "Yes, Mama?"

"S-some day, there...w-will be a girl. T-this girl...s-she will be a...ray of l-light for you. P-please promise me...that y-you will ch-cherish her. For me...Adri." Every few words was punctuated with a stutter or a tired pause. As her body failed, so did her strength.

He could only give his mother his promise and watch as she smiled.

"I..l-love you..A-adri...en," she whispered, choking out the words with the last of her strength.

Another beep on the heart moniter.

1...

2...

3...

4...

And then a droning tone sounded as the heart moniter drew a straight line. Adrien, eyes full of tears, leaned and kissed his mother's cheek. But he had known that this would happen. And yet that knowledge didn't make this any easier.

She was gone.

Chat blinked his way out of the flashback, holding back his tears. It was like a fresh stab wound to see his mother's beautiful face, even in his memories.

Marinette reached up a hand to touch his cheek, concern swimming in her eyes.

But Chat, unseeing, still trapped in his memory, struck at her hand. The slap of skin on skin echoed throughout the room when Chat hit her.

"W-what?!" Marinette yelped when he smacked away her hand. The concern in her eyes quickly turned to anger. She knew what it was like to be pushed away like this. It wasn't the first time.

-Flashback-

She placed a gentle hand on Adrien's shoulder, noticing his shaking body. "Are you okay, Adrien?" she asked quietly, not wanting to startle him.

But he turned and slapped her, hand making contact with her cheek. "How dare you touch me, you monster!" he hissed, eyes unfocused, not seeing her.

Marinette gasped, stepping back, her own hand reaching up to soothe the angry red mark on her cheek that radiated pain. "Adrien, please!"

But he turned and ran away from her, his eyes only seeing her as the image that haunted his nightmares. A black butterfly, purple streaking its wings. A haunting laugh. A masked man.

Marinette sank to her knees, beginning to cry. She kept trying and trying to comfort him, but all he did was push her farther away.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Marinette yelled, suddenly thankful that her parents were not home.

Chat snapped out of his memory induced trance at her cry, horrified by the appearance of tears in her eyes. "Princess, Mari, I'm so sorry. I didn't-"

Marinette turned away from him, falling onto her bed and curling into herself. "Just-just save it. I don't want to see you right now." She looked up, meeting his shocked green eyes with her own teary blue orbs. "Please go."

Chat clenched his jaw, but knew that he had overstepped something. But he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, whispering, "I am sorry, Princess."

She only looked away from him, refusing to acknowledge his words.

And so Chat climbed out her window and fled the warmth of Marinette's room. He cast one last glance back at the light pouring from her room, longing to be back with her. But he knew he had hurt her...again.

A/N: The ones closest to us are the ones that hurt us the most, even if they don't intend to. It's a bitter truth of life, for we, in turn hurt them as well.