CHAPTER TWELVE:

MENDING WOUNDS

It was well-past midnight, and the only lights in the castle that remained lit glimmered from the west wing.

The seven fairies loitered around Cat Noir's bedchamber, their jagged flight patterns proof of their anxiety. Wayzz was busy adding powders and liquids into a mortar to make a poultice, and Tikki and Trixx lifted the pestle together to crush it all up. Plagg and Nooroo hovered by the end of the master bed, the former nibbling on his paws and spitting out any nail shavings he bit off.

He was right to be nervous. They all were, considering how their beastly friend now lay in pain on the bed while their new human friend tended to his wounds.

Cat Noir lay on his right side, shirtless and moaning into his pillow. Marinette sat on a stool behind him, her sleeves raised to her elbows and her forehead creasing as she used a wet cloth to clean the wolf bite on her patient's shoulder. Pollen and Duusu gathered hot water into a bowl for her, and refilled it whenever it got too red.

Marinette rubbed over a particularly large hole, and Cat Noir jerked forward with a hiss.

"I need you to hold still," Marinette said firmly.

"It hurts!" he whimpered with a bit of bite.

She wished he could see the nonchalant look on her face. "And it will keep hurting until I clean the wound," she retorted in a very Tom-like fashion, "so try to hold still."

Cat Noir sighed and settled back down, albeit a little stiffly. Marinette took it as a compliance and went back to her work.

The wound was definitely ugly, even with all the blood gone. The alpha had bitten down an inch into the flesh, maybe more, but the shoulder was surprisingly still intact. On an ordinary human boy, the wolf would have taken a whole chunk out. But Marinette was finally starting to understand that Cat Noir was no ordinary boy… or beast. Even though it had only been a couple hours since they had left the forest, she felt as though she was lying back there in the snow watching Cat Noir fight off the entire pack with the strength of twenty men.

Still, it had been a close call. The wound could still reopen, and medicine alone wouldn't be enough to heal it. Hence the reason Marinette had asked Pollen to fetch some needles and string.

Once Marinette was done, she plopped the rag into the filthy basin and gently ran her fingers along the little holes to further assess the damage. His skin was abnormally hot, which meant a fever was already settling in.

Cat Noir shuddered at her touch. "How bad is it?" he asked.

"Pretty bad," she replied. "If I leave it alone, the bite will fill with infection. After I apply the medicine, I'm going to have to stitch them closed." She removed her hands and reached down into the small basket Pollen had brought her.

Cat Noir glanced over his shoulder at her, his ears going straight up. "Stitch them?" he repeated nervously. "I thought you were a baker's daughter."

Marinette shrugged and inspected one of the needles in the candlelight, making sure it was clean before placing it daintily back in the basket. "I'm also a seamstress," she explained. "Skin is just another kind of fabric that holds everything together." She heard the bedsheets rustle, and looked to see her patient sliding forward a bit. "What's wrong?"

He didn't look at her this time when he mumbled pathetically, "I don't like needles."

He's such a child! "Would you rather suffer through all that pain, or endure that fever?" Marinette asked him. "I'm only trying to help you, Cat."

He snorted. "Yeah. You've been a real big help so far."

Several of the fairies winced. Trixx muttered, "Uh-oh."

Only Marinette had the audacity to gape angrily at the insult. "Excuse me?"

Cat Noir rolled over as far as he could without disturbing his shoulder, and now Marinette could see the pained scowl on his face. "I warned you that leaving here would cause the binding spell to inflict punishment on you, didn't I? We could have avoided all this if you hadn't run away."

Marinette stared incredulously at him, completely ignoring the fact that he was the one who had gone after her rather than let her suffer her punishment at the hands (or claws) of the wolves. "Oh, so it's my fault. Is that what you're saying?"

"More or less."

"He's got a point," Plagg whispered to Nooroo, who shushed him right after.

Marinette ignored them, too. "Well, I wouldn't have run away if you hadn't gone all territorial on me. You can't blame me for being scared." She held up the bare arm which bore the faint red scratches. Cat Noir flinched at the sight of them, as she expected, so she went on. "Not to mention you were keeping secrets from me about the curse…"

Cat Noir drew himself up and pointed at her accusingly. "Hey, I'm not the one who snuck into the western courtyard!"

"Well, I'm not the one who lost his temper!" Marinette shouted back.

"Well, I –! Err, you…!" Cat Noir stammered, his face red. But then his eyes widened and he was at a loss for words. Finally, he let out a feline snarl and fell back onto his side with a huff. "Fine, you win. Happy now?" he grumbled between his teeth.

"Yes, actually." Marinette stated, her mouth curling up a bit. This was the first time anyone ever admitted to her that they were wrong, at least to her face. "So, will you let me stitch your wound back together… or are you going to keep whining like a big hairy baby?"

Throaty snickering sounded off to the side, followed by more shushing.

Cat Noir sighed again in defeat, though it sounded more like a moan. "Are all girls in your village as stubborn as you?" he asked.

Marinette chuckled softly as Wayzz and Tikki flew over with the mortar. "Nope," she said with a shred of sadness. "I'm the only one of my kind." She nodded a thanks to the fairies and took the mortar in both hands. The poultice looked like thick ochre mud, and it smelled like wet leaves and something spicy Marinette couldn't name. She wrinkled her nose as she repositioned herself. "Now, hold still," she told Cat Noir. "This might sting a little."

She dabbed two fingers into the cold, squishy medicine and applied it as gently as she could onto the bitemarks. Cat Noir hissed again and his back tensed, but he kept his word and didn't squirm away this time. All the while, Marinette tried not to glance too often at the strips of black fur wrapping around his torso, or the way the fur along his arms extended past his elbows. It intrigued her so much, she had half a mind to touch it.

"Keep talking," Cat Noir muttered.

Marinette straightened. "Hmm?"

"You're very distracting." He winced again before taking a small breath. "And this stuff stings worse than it smells. So… just talk. Say whatever you'd like. Make me think about something else for a while."

Marinette took a moment to process his words. Distracting? That was definitely a new one. Surprisingly, the word actually pleased her. Not even that starry-eyed Theo Barbot had ever called her that. And Cat Noir asking her to talk to him, just to take his mind off the pain…

He's not as bad as he appears.

So, while she smeared poultice onto his wound, Marinette told him a story: "My mother used to be a merchant's daughter. She wanted to be a doctor, but girls in Villeneuve aren't allowed to go to school. So, she practiced in secret, learning from books and practicing stitches on stuffed mannequins. Even after she left home and became a baker's wife, she never stopped learning. She showed me how to do my very first stitches, but I was always so queasy around blood, so I decided to make dresses instead."

Marinette finished applying the medicine and accepted a cloth from Duusu to wipe her hands. Then, she picked up her needle and tied the end of her thread to it.

"You like… making dresses?" Cat Noir asked, his dreary voice peeking with interest.

Marinette nodded, but then she remembered that he couldn't see her. "Yes." She wiped the needle clean one more time and then said, "I'm going to use the needle now. Promise you won't scratch me this time?"

She meant it as a joke, but the way he stiffened made her remember that dismayed look he had given her back in the courtyard. The way he had behaved then… It bothered him something fierce.

Thankfully, Cat Noir replied with a soft shrug before saying, "Just be careful. I'm very ticklish."

Marinette let out a single laugh before stopping herself. Then, pressing her lips together, she proceeded to work on the first bitemark. Cat Noir groaned the first time, but after a few seconds he stopped and focused on his breathing.

"What kind of dresses do you like to make?" he asked her mid-way through the first stitch.

Marinette knew the real reason why he was asking, so she decided to indulge him. "Ballgowns, wedding gowns, party dresses… They were never my own, but just making them made me feel like they were. My parents saved up most of their earnings just so I could get an apprenticeship at the local dress shop." Her heart ached at the mention of Tom and Sabine. "I would spend all day pressing hemps and crocheting designs, and I would never get tired of it. It just feels… It felt good, doing something I wanted to do rather than something I was expected to do."

Cat Noir nodded a bit, as though in agreement. "I know the feeling," he said. "Did everyone like the dresses you made?"

"Some did. There was this one time I did a peacock-themed gown for a client. We ran out of blue silk, so I substituted it for viscose and added some sparkly thread for the designs, which made the whole piece shimmer every time it moved. At first, the customer was livid, but when she saw the way it danced in the light… Well, let's just say we got so many customers after that, we had to work overtime for a week. I literally worked in my sleep."

Cat Noir chuckled.

"You're moving again."

"Sorry." He cleared his throat. "What kind of colours do you like?"

The one-sided conversation went on through the whole procedure. By the time Marinette finished tutoring her furry patient on the difference between chiffon and gossamer, she realized that the candle on the bedside table was halfway gone. With the stitches done, Marinette wrapped Cat Noir's shoulder with a white bandage, just in case the fresh stitches would tear open and bleed again.

Once she was finished, Marinette stretched her back with a groan and rubbed her eyes. Then, she leaned back to observe her handiwork. "There," she said tiresomely. "All finished. Try to get some rest now, okay?"

To her surprise, Cat Noir was already snoozing peacefully into dreamland. The medicine must have really run its course. Either that, or Marinette was a really droll storyteller.

After washing her hands in the basin, Marinette saw the fairies passed out on the bedroom furniture and tables. Tikki and Plagg were curled up together while Pollen used Trixx's tail as a pillow. Nooroo slept underneath a spare cloth, and Duusu was blanketed by her feathers near one of the candlesticks.

Only Wayzz remained awake, yawning softly as he flew over to check on Cat Noir. Smiling, he turned to Marinette and bowed. "Thank you, my dear. We owe you a great debt."

Marinette glanced over at her sleeping patient. The boy's brow still glistened with sweat in the fire light. "I… I think I should stay here in case he gets worse." She turned back to Wayzz for approval. "Is it all right if I sleep on the couch?"

"Couch, floor, roof… wherever you'd like. Heck, if you were five feet shorter, I'd offer you my own bed." Wayzz chuckled and bowed again. "I'll fetch you a blanket." He then took off out of the room in a streak of green light.

Marinette rubbed her arms, realizing only now how cold it was despite the roaring fireplace. Was there a draft in here? She looked around the bedchamber to see if there were any open windows so that she could close them.

That's when she saw something glowing red coming from the tiny antechamber ahead, which revealed a glass balcony. The red light was small but illuminating as the moon. Curious, Marinette walked over to inspect it. Upon entering the balcony, she was baffled to see that the light wasn't a flame or even a fairy.

It was a rose.

A single, red rose hovered inside a little bell dome of glass, unplanted and looking like it was half-dead. But no one could deny its celestial beauty. Against the backdrop of frozen glass and dark walls, it looked like a red star in a night sky devoid of life and light.

Marinette was so mesmerized by the radiant flower that she pressed her fingertips to the dome. It was warm to the touch.

The door clicked open, and Marinette wrenched her hand away in panic. What am I doing? she thought. This is exactly how I almost got killed in the first place! She turned and hastened back into the warm-lit bedchamber just as Wayzz came floating in carrying a heavy grey blanket on his shell.

"Here," the turtle fairy said with another yawn, plunking the heavy fabric onto the couch. "It's not exactly cashmere, but it'll keep you warm."

"Wayzz," Marinette said, pointing towards the little table on the balcony, "what is that?"

The turtle blinked and turned to stare at the glowing flower. His eyes twinkled. "Ah, saw that, did you? Is that why you were over there a few seconds before I came in?"

Marinette's heart skipped a beat, but she really shouldn't have been surprised that he noticed her sneaking around.

Wayzz chuckled a bit before sighing. "That rose is the source of the spell – the one that has imprisoned Cat Noir in his animalistic form."

The way he had spoken, so dismal and heartbroken, made Marinette realize that his words were true. She gazed at Cat Noir once again, her face etched with soft surprise. "He wasn't always… like this?" she asked.

"No," Wayzz replied, clasping his small hands in front of him. "He was once just a boy. A happy, wonderful little boy who loved his mother and his people very much."

Marinette recalled all the statues in the western courtyard, particularly the woman with the crown. She had the same shaped eyes as Cat Noir; the same face. And there were garlands of roses at her feet. Is she… Was she… Cat Noir's mother? "So… the curse that turned all those people to stone… is the same one that turned Cat Noir into what he is now?"

Wayzz nodded.

All of a sudden, Marinette felt an overwhelming wave of pity for Cat Noir. To lose the people he loved, and be forced to live as a beast… "Who would do something like that to him?" Marinette breathed.

"Someone very powerful," the turtle fairy replied with a twinge of abhorrence, indicating he knew the culprit all too well. "Someone who wanted everything he had, and when he wouldn't give it to her, she decided to take it all away from him." He beckoned towards the little table. "She was the one who gave him that rose. Now, every time a petal falls, Cat Noir becomes less human."

Marinette swallowed and stared once more at the wilting rose. "So then… when the last petal falls… he'll stay like this forever?"

Wayzz nodded again, more sadly this time.

Marinette felt her legs wobble, and she went over to the couch to sit down. This was overwhelming news to her. Back in the courtyard, Cat Noir had told her that he was the reason the curse had been cast in the first place… because he was the object of the curser's vengeance. And all this time, Marinette had misjudged him so harshly. It made her sick to her stomach. "Isn't there a way to undo the curse?" she asked Wayzz.

He smiled at her. "It's nothing you need to worry yourself over, dear. You've done more than enough for him already." The green fairy yawned. "Right, then. No more snooping around, at least for tonight. Get some sleep."

For once, Marinette was happy to obey a command. She slipped off her shoes and curled under the blanket, shivering from the cold. She watched wordlessly as Wayzz used his magic to strengthen the fire before settling down onto a nearby chair. Then, with another yawn, he tucked his whole body into his tiny little shell. How his big head managed to fit inside was beyond Marinette.

As exhaustion finally crept in and Marinette closed her eyes, she believed she had found an answer as to why Cat Noir had rescued her in the woods.

Maybe by saving her, he was also saving some of his fading humanity.


His head was hurting again, and he couldn't sleep.

"Mama…" he whimpered, shaking from the hot flashes. "Mama…"

"Shh…" Gentle fingers, cool as a freshwater spring, stroked his scorching cheek. "Rest now, my love. I'm here. You'll be all right in the morning."

He smiled and closed his eyes as her soothing, angelic voice filled the darkness:

"Days in the sun,

When your life has barely begun.

Not until my own life is done,

Will I ever leave you.

Don't you tremble again.

Listen to my loving refrain.

And you will forever remain

Safe and sound in my arms."

Suddenly, the song faded away, and the darkness grew cold and malicious.

Then, he was standing back in the ballroom, watching the attendees dance and laugh and talk like there wasn't a care in the world.

"No!" he screamed at them, begging them to pay attention. "Get out of here! Run!"

"They can't hear you, little prince," purred a familiar voice that was thick as honey but poisonous as a snake. "No matter what you do or say, you cannot change their fate."

"No…!"

He turned, and suddenly he was in the western courtyard. But every inch of it was buried under a deep mountain of snow. All those faces; all those people wiped clean off the earth, as if they had never existed.

He clawed feverishly into the snow. Even in his dreams, his hands were the same: monstrous and deadly. "No… Please, no…!" He stopped, gasping for breath. Suddenly, his legs sank into the snow. The mound was swallowing him whole. The sun was fading, and the cold seeped into his blood. "Please, just get it over with," he begged.

Someone called his name.

It was only a glimpse of a sound, but he heard it nonetheless. "Mother!" he cried. He reached out, knowing she was there, looking for him, trying to save him.

Something grasped his hand, and for a brief moment, he saw her: beautiful and golden and radiant amongst the tendrils of shadow. She was singing again, calling her back to him.

"Not until my own life is done

Will I ever leave you… ever leave you… leave you…"

Her face melted away into mist, and the shadows laughed.

"No!" he tugged on her invisible hand desperately. "Don't leave me! Hold on! Please!"

But she was gone. He was all alone, and nothing would ever bring her back.

Then…

"How does a moment last forever?

How can a story never die?

It is love we must hold onto.

Never easy, but we try."

Wait… He knew that voice. But that song… it was new to him.

"Sometimes a happiness is captured,

Somehow a time and place stand still.

Love lives on inside our hearts,

And always will."

It sounded so beautiful, so peaceful.

The shadows hissed and slithered away from him. But whatever was holding his hand held tight and firm. He gripped it tightly in return, using the song to hoist himself out of the suffocating blackness.

"Minutes turn to hours,

Days to years, then gone.

But when all else has been forgotten,

Still our song lives on."

He smiled and closed his eyes, his heart filled with ease and security. He was still lost, but he was no longer alone. He was warm and safe in the arms of this new angel who had come to pull him back to the light.


He felt a slight falling sensation, followed by a jolt down his spine.

Cat Noir stiffened as he blinked awake, wincing from the bright sunlight. Delirious and sweating, he couldn't figure out where he was or what was happening to him. But when he finally looked around, he recognized the banister of his bed, and the golden laurels surrounding the beautiful chandelier above him.

Marinette's face appeared in his field of vision, looking surprised and remarkably calm at the same time. "It's okay," she assured him. "You were dreaming. It's okay."

Cat Noir blinked again, thinking he must still be dreaming. He was about to ask her if she was real… when he noticed something still held his hand. Looking down, Cat Noir gaped at Marinette's slender fingers encompassing his humanoid claws, giving them a gentle squeeze.

His throat went dry, and a small squeak escaped his lips.

She was holding his hand.

Not too long ago, Marinette had screamed at him not to touch her; had recoiled from his presence like he were a disease. Now, here she was, grasping his hand in hers… like his mother used to whenever he was scared or sick.

That's when Cat Noir noticed where his other hand was. Looking the other way, he found it fisted into his bedsheets. When he pulled it out, his claws had torn through the fabric. He let out a mournful sigh. Not again.

"Are you all right?" Marinette's voice made him turn to look at her. She still held his hand, not looking the least bit fazed by the notion.

Once he was convinced that the girl before him was real, Cat Noir suddenly realized she had seen him thrashing about like a trout being reeled out of a river. He groaned and ran his free hand over his face. "How much of that did you hear?" he asked.

Marinette's mouth went all curvy-like, as though trying to hide a mischievous grin behind a sad smile. That face was answer enough. "You were out for two days," she explained. "Once in a while, you would cry out and move around in your sleep. I had to calm you down each time so you wouldn't tear up those neat little stitches I made for you." She lifted one shoulder up. "So… yeah, I heard a lot."

Cat Noir squeezed his eyes shut in shame. Stitches. The woods. The wolves. Everything was coming back to him now. "I'm… sorry you had to listen to all that," he said. He was just thankful that none of the fairies were here to see it. No doubt they were busy maintaining the castle in his absence.

Just then, cool fingers pressed against his forehead, and he sighed. "That feels nice," he found himself saying.

"Your fever broke," Marinette said as she removed her hand. "That's a good sign. But you should still get lots of bedrest before you get back on your feet."

Cat Noir opened his eyes, and he caught speckles of sunlight in her bluebell eyes. Not to mention the way her freckles seemed to brighten now that he could see them up close. But then, he caught sight of the scratch on her arm, and his ears drooped. "Listen…" he said, biting his lip. "About that night…" He trembled and looked away. "I… I didn't mean to… I never should've…"

Her hand squeezed his again. "It's okay," she said with a knowing gaze. "I think I understand. And… I'm sorry, too." She pulled away and retrieved a small tray of food from one of the dressers.

Cat Noir immediately caught a whiff of hot porridge and lemon cakes, making his mouth water. Without thinking, he lifted himself up to reach for a cake… and then hissed from a sudden stab in his shoulder that ran through his entire arm, making him fall right back down onto his pillow.

"Ah-ah-ah, none of that," Marinette cautioned as she set the tray on the bedside table. "First things first, I'm going to check the stitches and put a new ointment on them to speed the healing. Then, I need to bind your arm into a sling so that you don't do anything stupid."

Cat Noir couldn't find it in himself to complain this time, especially after his caretaker had gone through all that trouble to pull him back together. Literally. "As Milady wishes," he said, waving his good hand idly in the air.

Marinette sat down on the bed and rolled up her sleeves again. Then, she motioned with her finger for him to roll over. Very carefully, Cat Noir did as he was bid. He felt his clammy skin turn cold as she removed the bandage, and he tried not to shudder as her fingers patted the sore spots on his shoulder.

"Not bad," she muttered. "Still ugly, but they're holding."

Cat Noir heard the sounds of bottles being opened and cloth being unfolded. Then, he smelled something sweet and fragrant before Marinette's slick fingers patted his shoulder again. He winced, but after a few seconds, the motion was more relaxing than painful, so he closed his eyes and let her do her job.

Then, she asked out of the blue, "Why do you call me that?"

He opened one eye. "Call you what?" he asked.

"Milady. I'm not a lady. I'm just a peasant girl."

Cat Noir shrugged. "I guess… old habits?" he suggested.

Truthfully, the name "Milady" had come out as a flamboyant gesture of respect. But now that he thought about it, Cat Noir realized he had rarely ever called a girl "Milady", whether she was of noble birth or not. Seeing Marinette for the first time – her spunk, her courage, her beautiful face – had made him imagine her as a princess commanding her own castle. Since he figured Marinette wouldn't take to being called "princess" very well, he had decided on a more appropriate title, and it had stuck.

Marinette let out a small sigh behind him as she finished lubricating his stitched-up wound. "By the way…" She paused, and Cat Noir's sensitive hearing picked up her pulse quickening inside her chest. "I… um… wanted to say… thank you."

Now, both of Cat Noir's eyes were open, and his mouth parted slightly in wonder.

"For saving my life, I mean," Marinette added, her voice shaking a bit. "If I hadn't… I mean, if you hadn't been there, I…" She took a deep breath and let it out. "Thank you, Cat Noir."

Something fluttered inside his own chest, and he turned his head towards her. He wanted to say so many things, like how he couldn't just let her die such a horrible death, or how it was his fault she had fled in the first place, or that he should have told her the truth from the start. But for now, he settled with the shortened version. "You're welcome… Milady."

She had to help him sit up in order to get the sling in place. While she tied it up, Cat Noir slowly lifted his good hand towards hers. She saw it, but made no move to wrench her hand away this time. He took it as a good sign and gently patted her fingers. They were so soft and smooth… so human. He had almost forgotten what that felt like.

He didn't realize she was staring at his hands until he looked up at her eyes. When she looked into his, he no longer saw the frightened, aggravated girl from the western courtyard. Instead, he saw a bold young woman who had selflessly and single-handedly carried an injured beast back home. A stubborn seamstress who treated his wounds like a dedicated nurse. A spirited angel who pulled him out that nightmare with her lullaby. This baker's daughter really was full of surprises.

So, Cat Noir said to her with an apologetic gaze, "Thank you for not letting me freeze to death."

Then, something miraculous happened: Marinette smiled at him.

Wow. That was the first time he had ever seen her to do that: smile at him so thoughtfully and so genuinely, without any effort. Coupled together with the sunlight reflecting off her blue eyes, it made her more beautiful than ever.

That fluttery feeling returned, and Cat Noir couldn't help but smile back at her, fangs and all.

She broke their interlocked gaze and went back to wrapping his arm, but her smile remained.

And for the first time in over a year, Cat Noir felt hopeful again. It was warm and radiant as the sun shining on this girl's face.


LXP: Something miraculous happened... haha, see what I did there?

Anyhoo, yes, I altered the lyrics to "Days in the Sun" to fit the story. Once again, I DO NOT own any of the songs, movies and characters.

Now, at long last, we can actually get to the romantic stuff. Stay tuned!