A/N: i am listening to crybaby by the nbhd on repeat, someone help.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

xiv.
la pleurnicharde

Je passe trop de temps à m'expliquer.

The initial feeling had been awful. Marinette was thankful for the healing abilities that came with her Miraculous; as opposed to suspending her arm for four to twelve weeks in a sling like the doctor had stated, she estimated about half that time. An anterior dislocation, very common—the humeral head of the bone had moved to a position in front of her joint, causing her to feel immense pain every time she raised her arm. So, she was careful, avoiding awkward movements.

Things appeared to work out for the most part. Expectedly, her parents had been far more concerned with treatment than how Marinette had managed to get herself injured. Something as vague as 'tripping' seemed to do the trick.

It came as no surprise when they didn't let her go to school for a little while.

And in that time, the span of three days now, she was a mess.

Dizzy, sleepy, moody, constantly taking medication and forced to sit in her room or the parlor for hours. Alya brought her homework. At first, she was determined not to let her best friend find out about the injury in fear of worrying her, but there was no stopping the junior reporter from scooping out the truth. Then her chastises came, but Marinette braced herself and was actually relieved that the other female would go through the trouble of seeing to her needs.

She truly was the best friend one could ask for. Thankfully, Ladybug and Chat Noir hadn't been required to meet often this week. Paris was quiet, no talk of strange villains or massive destruction on the news—and she certainly wasn't upset about that. Of course, she assumed Chat Noir noticed Ladybug's absence these last few nightly patrols but she could pass it off as a family emergency the next time she saw him.

Friday evening. Almost half past ten.

At the moment, there was just one thing pressing on her mind as she sat at her desk, twirling a pencil between her fingers and staring at the sewing machine in the corner of her room. This creeping realization that there was no way she could work on Adrien's commission… finally, an opportunity to become close had been given to her—and had been promptly discarded on the same day.

To her own surprise, tears began to form in her eyes. She pursed her lips, quickly brushing the back of her right arm over her face and sniffling. It was hardly the first time she'd cried in the last couple days, but somehow, this kind of childish self-pity made her feel better. At least she was alone. She wouldn't dare make this face in front of her parents or even Alya.

For all they knew, she was just tired and grumpy.

Chat Noir tried to not worry when Ladybug didn't appear for their patrols. He had seen Ladybug leave after the fight with the Lutteurdor.

She was fine. She was in one piece. She didn't move like she had internal bleeding, so he was sure it was nothing physical.

Maybe, she just needed a break. Sometimes disappearing for a bit helped clear the mind—usually only a few days. Yes, he had to remember that the odd part of his disappearance was not showing himself for the Akuma attacks. If she didn't appear by the time it happened, then he would worry. For… quite a few reasons, but that was a bridge to cross when it came up.

And if that wasn't enough, Adrien was concerned, too, because Marinette didn't show up for school! Being late was common, but it was rare for her to be completely absent. After the third day, he convinced Nino to ask Alya what was up. And by evening, he finally had an answer.

Apparently she'd been hurt. Some part of him worried if his bad luck was contagious. The day he asked her for a commission, she got hurt? And only a short while after she helped Chat Noir's injury… What were the odds? Of course, then came the question of what to do. He longed to visit her, to see how bad it is, to help, but, no, he couldn't possibly do that.

If he visited alone, it would seem like a truly invested attention on Marinette. Something she might take as romantic interest, and then he was leading her on, and ugh. No, now way, he couldn't do that to her.

He decided to shoot a text to Nino on how they should see her together tomorrow. That would work, right? If he was with Nino, and probably Ayla, then that was a 'friendship level' of concern. It'd help them bond, in the very least.

Ah, but, Chat Noir? Chat Noir could do whatever he wanted. Really, it'd just be returning the favor. So with the setting sun, he was out on the rooftops. He attempted to call Ladybug, though found no signal. It appeared that she wasn't transformed tonight either. He buried his worry and continued his path to the bakery.

It didn't take long to get there, and thankfully there was no sign of a crime on the way. He reminded himself that Alya may be present. It was a calm Friday night and he wouldn't put it past Marinette's best friend to sleep over and help out.

Chat Noir leaned over the edge of the roof, peeking in through the window.

There she was, sitting at her desk with a sling. Well… she wasn't bedridden. And he didn't see Alya in the room either. He was about to knock on the window when he finally noticed how she was rubbing her eyes.

Marinette was crying.

Could it just be from pain? Or was it something else? Should he knock? He wavered between his options for a few seconds and before he could properly think it over, he had begun to rap his knuckles against the glass. The sound drew her attention. Marinette straightened up, eyes wide and heart pounding, shifting to glance at the window just in front of her.

Chat Noir.

He grinned and waved as she noticed him.

She blinked, heart racing and clearly puzzled by his appearance. Why was he here? Hastily sucking in the rest of her tears and sincerely hoping she hadn't just been caught in the middle of brooding, she jumped from her seat and hurried over to open the window.

With one hand, she was a bit clumsy and the frustration was evident on her features as she finally managed to push the glass and greet him. "Chat Noir," the bluenette started, feeling rather awkward. There was no hiding the sling on her left shoulder, even if she tried to shy away from his line of sight. She just hoped he wouldn't prod now that he found out.

"What are you doing here?"

Worst-case scenarios came to mind, per usual. What if he was hurt again? [Did she really have the audacity to think only of herself after abandoning her partner these last couple days?] Then again, no major Akuma had shown up so she could hopefully be reassured that he was doing fine in that regard. "Is everything, euh, okay?"

He was able to confirm it now. She had definitely been crying; her eyes were red and puffy ad her cheeks were slightly flushed. But her arm wasn't still hurting that badly, was it? So, why was she upset?

"On my end, everything is purrfectly feline," Chat Noir answered, lifting his fingers in a dismissive wave. "But, I heard it might not be so on your end. I like to keep tabs on your class, the high Akuma rate and all."

Because seriously, he wasn't even sure he could be Akumatized and that left only, who? A handful of students and Marinette unaffected. It was oddly concentrated, so it wasn't unreasonable to pay attention to it. "You've been missing a few days and I wanted to check on my favorite princess."

Marinette sighed and stepped aside from the window, gesturing him to come inside. Standing on the ledge outside her bedroom was dangerous, even for a superhero. She'd learned this the hard way—witnessing the cat injured and eventually injuring herself, as well.

"Your favorite princess?" she teased, a smile quirking her lips. "How many do you have?"

Anything to distract from her disheveled state, her reddened eyes and face, the lazy pink pajamas and loose pigtails. But this was Chat Noir, someone she was comfortable around. [Had this been Adrien, she would have sooner scrambled for a brush and a change of clothes, than answer the door.]

"Only one, but that doesn't change the fact you're my favorite." He flashed her a cheeky smile as he climbed in through the window. He wasn't too worried about the ledge. Even if he had slipped, he knew how to take falls greater than the small building. But he would certainly prefer to be inside.

"In any case, I'm alright! Thank you. Had an, um—" She licked her lips, wracking her head for the right words. "Accident. Wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. You know."

He moved around Marinette, looking her over. Chat Noir grew quiet until finishing his visual inspection. "I suppose I can understand not paying attention," the cat hummed. It had been what gotten him. Now he knew just how much kinetic force it actually took to get him through the suit.

Glancing away a bit awkwardly and pursing her lips, she waited as he spoke up again. Given the serious manner in which he produced the words, she could tell that he had been genuinely worried… fearful?

"I must admit, a hurt arm is a relief to what I was imagining." He gestured to the sling with a frown.

Raising her good arm as blue eyes regarded the cat with curiosity, she placed her palm to her nape.

"What were you imagining?"

"Oh, all sorts of horrors!" He pressed the back of his hand against his forehead, the other over his chest. "What if my princess had been kidnapped and was waiting for her knight to save her? Or, perhaps, she had been in a car accident and fell into a coma from which she would never wake? Or, even worse…"

Chat Noir leaned forward, looking down at her with wide, terrified eyes. "She developed a cat allergy and was bedridden at the thought I could never visit her safely again?"

She should have expected this. With another deep sigh, shoulders slumped, and Marinette moved to sit on the edge of the daybed while shaking her head. "Chat Noir, your imagination is—!… Very lively?"

"Indeed. I'm a very lively person. I do have nine of them," he responded with a wink, moving over to settle down on the floor nearby. He wasn't sure if they were at the point he could perch on her bed beside her, but he didn't want to be too far.

She may not have been terribly hurt, but she was hurt enough, and there was still the fact that he had seen her crying.

Amusement curved her mouth and she added in a fond voice, "Even if I had developed an allergy for cats, I doubt that would've stopped you from visiting anyway."

Not that she was complaining. Somehow, another presence brought her comfort and she found herself thinking about the irony of this situation—he'd been hurt recently and she'd told him he needed to pay attention—and yet, Marinette couldn't even follow her own advice.

"Though, it's true. I'm an expurrt with allergy medicines. You might have to take a cat nap afterward, but you wouldn't be mewserable."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks again for the concern, Chat Noir. I'm fine."

He paused, studying her arm, and then glancing up at her face. He stared, just a few beats too long, before finally asking, "Are you fine? It's… alright if you're not."

The hero's brief spiel of puns had already brightened her mood and she couldn't help but reach down with her uninjured arm to gently prod the tip of the kitty cat's nose after he posed the quiet question. Hadn't she just said she was fine?

He doubted her.

Chat Noir straightened up, blinking as she poked his nose as though surprised by the action. Only Ladybug had ever done that before. Then again, Ladybug was the only one close enough to offer those casual touches. …Right, he supposed Marinette was also close now.

"Mmh? Yes…! Yes, of cou—" Somehow, it was much harder to say the words aloud than when she had rehearsed them in her head. Marinette struggled to keep the lump in her throat from growing. "Aha… um. You could say I'm in a bit of a slump right now, I guess."

She didn't want to appear so pitiful. It was childish and silly, but in all honesty, Marinette's character had its fair share of inadequacies and this occasional lack of confidence, this sensitivity was only to name a few.

When she spoke again, he could hear the tightness in her voice. She was very upset. He listened carefully, trying to come up with the best way to comfort her and—

"I just hate being stuck and… unable to do anything."

—Oh. "It can be very frustrating," Chat Noir agreed. The week spent under house arrest had been hellish. To be frank, it was a good thing that Plagg had hidden himself. Ranting about how annoying the kwami was being was enough of a release to stave off the worst of the worry and feelings of uselessness.

His tail wrapped around her ankle and he leaned the back of his head against the bed, looking up at her.

"Is it… Is it in general or was there something you were really looking forward to?" He had a suspicion it might be the latter, but that might have been kind of arrogant.

She met his eyes and parted her lips to speak. Hesitating. Should she tell him? They had talked about many things in their interactions. Surprisingly, Marinette felt that Chat Noir was someone she could confide in. He'd never seemed to judge her and in fact, opened up far more easily around her than around the superheroine.

"Generally…" She decided and she was careful not to shrug for fear of putting pressure on her shoulder. "Mais, oui—I was also looking forward to something."

Chat Noir had noticed the same thing, how much easier it was to speak his mind around Marinette. It was just… it was so easy to talk to her. She just had this warmth and kindness about her that made him feel oddly at ease when he wasn't confused by her.

Which would be a lot less now that he knew what was going on. She was so earnest and threw herself into everything, it was hard to not want to do the same. Adrien still had to hold back, for a lot of reasons, but with Chat Noir, the words came smoothly. He could only hope to offer her consolation.

A sheepish laugh escaped the girl, though it didn't sound particularly happy. "Euh, I've already mentioned Adrien to you… He commissioned a piece from me and I—I actually have the design done! But, I can't work on it until my shoulder heals."

Marinette was rambling, sentences quick and choppy while trailing off nervously in some places. She didn't seem to care for the most part, focused on spilling the feelings from their temporary place in her heart. The bluenette furrowed her brow, pouting as she exclaimed, "It is frustrating! Here, I thought I could finally impress him and then this happens—!" Gesturing to the injured arm with her good one before huffing, reddened cheeks puffed up and blue eyes glassy with newly forming tears. "Some rotten luck I have, huh?"

When she mentioned the piece, he appeared astonished. He had forgotten about it almost completely in the face of the fact Marinette was injured, but he supposed that it made sense. He knew he'd feel equally shitty if he promised to do something for Ladybug and an injury kept him from doing it.

Even if it was just temporary.

"…Well, that depends," Chat Noir muttered in a thoughtful manner, tilting his head. "The thing about bad luck is that you can use it for good luck if you know how to spin it. Trust me, I'm a purrfessional at it." He briefly placed his hand against his chest before it drifted up, rubbing his chin as he looked at the pictures on her wall.

"The way I see it… This is Adrien Agreste. He could go to any designer in the world and they would make something for him. There is probably only a handful who he'd have to pay; there are plenty who would simply take the exposure of Gabriel Agreste's poster boy wearing their clothes," he explained as he returned to face Marinette with a grin. "That means you've already done something to intrigue him. If he wanted clothes, he'd get clothes. It sounds like he wants something you made, non?"

Marinette had grown silent, curling her toes, fiddling with the hem of her shirt and glaring sulkily at the ground. However, there was no denying that Chat Noir's words made her feel a little better and she lifted her gaze to watch him as she absently wiped her eyes.

He was right. [Again, again—how many times did this make? She'd stopped keeping count.] Adrien had the ability to go anywhere he pleased for clothing. But he'd asked her. He wouldn't be disappointed with the amount of time it took.

"Now, if he's impatient and flighty, this could be a problem. He could lose interest. But if he's not, if you have his attention this much, he would be willing to wait. Or, even better, you could probably work out the finer detail of the designs together since you have so much extra time to work on it while you heal. It could just be me, but it's fascinating to watch you work. Mewbe he'd like to see it, too."

Despite the cat's advice, she didn't think her classmate was the type of person to be impatient and flighty. From what little she knew about him, anyway. Calming down, Marinette sat up and released a deep sigh to expel the remainder of her frustration. She sniffled once, feeling mildly embarrassed about her current state now that she was no longer hung up on the commission.

"I… I'm sorry. You have a point, Chat Noir. I guess I'm the one being impatient. There isn't a reason to stress out so much." The thought of working with Adrien, finishing the piece in his presence made her stomach do flips. It would be nerve-wracking to the core, but at the same time, it would be fun and a better option for both of them.

"It's not unreasonable, Princess. You like him, and I believe we talked about how hard it is to not want to impress the people we like," he offered, shrugging. He highly doubted he wouldn't be impressed. Especially to see her work.

After all, he wasn't lying about his fascination.

"Yeah, that's… that's true."

A brief silence passed in which Marinette had reached over to scratch one of his cat ears. "How is it that you always know what to say?" And she'd never admit it, but she was kind of flustered as she confessed, "I feel better whenever I talk to you. You're such a good judge of character. The things you say about Adrien—c'est bizarre—it's almost as though you know him very well!"

He immediately leaned into the touch, relaxing as a purr escaped him. Ugh, it was so unfair how good that always felt. He could melt like this. And it was okay that he was enjoying the sensation of her fingers because it was an excuse to delay his answer.

He had been talking too much about Adrien. "Ah, well… due to a combination of things! When you deal with Akumatized villains, it's worth it to pay attention. If you know why they're upset, they're easier to provoke, manipulate, and to find their object. Plus, I pay attention to your class." That 'high Akuma rate' and all.

He paused.

"And… And I know what it's like to wear a mask like he does. If not for the Bubbler incident, I may not have realized he wore it. I couldn't tell you how extensive it is, I imagine only Nino could. But, once you know what you're looking for, it's not hard to see the evidence."

Marinette did not seem to be suspicious of the somewhat hurried way in which he spoke. "I see!" She supposed it made sense. She could only imagine how observant the other was of her class. Almost possible that he was a classmate or at least someone who attended the same school. [For some reason, that idea still felt a bit far-fetched.]

Chat Noir was beyond relieved to find that she believed him. So, he gave in to his curiosity. It was dangerous, probably some kind of breach of her trust, but he had wanted to know since the day she had told him about her crush.

"Still, I'm sure you know him better than me. I could be wrong on many points. What about you? What have you noticed? What about our dear prince has charmed your heart?"

The question was fairly embarrassing but with her secret already out in the open, she wouldn't mind expressing her feelings to the other. "For starters, he's really nice. Not just to me, but to everyone. And he's smart! Talented, neat, with a quiet sense of humor and these really green eyes," she spoke without shame, heart fluttering in her chest and wearing a goofy little smile.

It was a pleasant surprise, when the first word out of her mouth wasn't some variation of attractive. And at no point did she list it, except for one feature. What an incredibly nice change of pace; when most people looked at him, all they see was a pretty boy. Then it was the rest that made him the 'perfect' son of Gabriel Agreste.

The fact she had noticed his sense of humor was a first and he wondered what she'd think if she ever discovered his affinity for cat puns like Chat Noir. It was pretty funny to imagine.

"I know that a lot of girls and boys like him, so in that sense, I'm not much different. But I want to learn more about him. And if given the chance, I'll gladly take it."

She'd brought up getting to know him—something he found absolutely adorable. He knew how much she wanted to. And… God. He really wanted to get to know her, too. To be her friend, to understand her.

[Even if it met she figured him out. Really, would it be so bad?]

In the past, she would have been far more hesitant but with Alya's encouragement and her own boost in confidence, she felt like she had the ability to at least become much better friends with Adrien. "He's kind of out of my league, though." Marinette laughed. She wasn't dumb—as blinded with love she could get. There were prominent differences between the two.

"So… I don't expect him to like me back or anything. Even if our relationship is one-sided, that's alright with me."

Because then there was Chat Noir. And as much as Marinette pretended it was nothing, this fondness for the kitty cat was growing with every interaction.

It was strange.

His ears had shot up when she claimed he was out of her league, tail tightening around her ankle. "Our of your… I'm pretty sure you meant to say you're out of his league!" Chat Noir didn't even know why, but the thought that this amazing, beautiful girl thought she wasn't good enough was too much to bear. "Any guy would be lucky to have you. Surely, any who took the chance to know you would see the lovely princess that I see. Someone kind, caring, brave, exceptionally talented."

Her cheeks were burning. Even hearing him say such sweet things, she wasn't particularly convinced. He could tell that this was the case and continued speaking without taking a moment to consider his next sentence.

"I bet the only chance someone has to keep from falling for you, is if they're already in love with another."

He tensed. His eyes widened and he quickly glanced at the window behind her head as he realized that he had meant it.