Chapter 16 – Words of Wisdom

Chat Noir would always be envious of the Dupain-Cheng family. They welcomed him into their home openly. Sabine had wrapped a blanket around his shoulders when Marinette told her he was deeply upset. Tom made the hot chocolate and provided an assortment of yummy treats to eat as they sat in the family room together. It was what a home was meant to be, warm and loving. Adrien Agreste would have traded his entire trust fund for this feeling of belonging in a heartbeat.

Instead the blonde boy soaked up the atmosphere and some of the tension left his body. The lingering pain in his chest was still there, searing beneath his ribcage, but he didn't want to cry anymore. The four of them chatted for a while. Eventually Tom had left, needing to get to bed early as bakers always did. Marinette had gone to have a shower which left Chat Noir sitting with Sabine.

The empty space left in his heart by his mother's disappearance would never be filled but having a maternal figure to speak to helped narrow that void. Somehow Sabine was able to extract what was bothering him with her gentle words. Chat Noir explained himself, of how much in love he had been with Ladybug and of how desolate he felt now.

"I understand how much it hurts," Sabine stated. "Everyone has their heart broken during their lifetime. It's part of growing as a person. You may believe you'll never feel as deeply about another person as with Ladybug but life has a funny way of working out when you least expect it. You're not alone, Chat Noir, but only you understand how you feel. If the person you love doesn't love you back you need to move on. You cannot change how another person feels about you, no matter what you do. Find someone worthy of your love, someone who cares about you equally. Only then will you truly find happiness."

The wisdom in Sabine's words continued to roll around his head as he sat contemplating. For four years he'd hoped to win over his lady's heart. The romantic in him had been willing to wait, believing that time was all he needed. He shuffled up the stairs to Marinette's room, holding the sleeping bag and pillow within his arms which Sabine had given him. They were allowing him to stay the night, in Marinette's room of all places. It was nice to be trusted.

A smile touched Chat Noir's lips as he spotted the air mattress on the floor, something Tom must have set up on his way to bed. Tossing down the pillow, Chat unfurled the sleeping bag and knelt down to unzip it. Settling in, Sabine turned out the lights and wished both him and Marinette sweet dreams.

Lying on his back, Chat attempted to get comfortable. But as he reached behind his head to adjust his pillow the claw on his thumb pricked the air mattress beneath him. "Dammit," he hissed in the dark.

"Something wrong?" Marinette asked from her loft bed.

"I just punctured the mattress with a claw. I promise I'll pay your parents back."

An amused snort sounded from Marinette. "I wouldn't worry about it. That thing is older than I am."

Chat Noir sighed as the air seeped out of the mattress and his butt touched the hard floor below. "Maybe I should go home." Then he could at least drop his transformation and sleep without his shoes on.

"You can sleep with me." Marinette's suggestion had his pulse increasing. Feline eyes and ears were suddenly honed in on her loft bed. She spluttered as she realised what she said. "As in sleeping, next to me, not with me. You know what I mean!"

A chuckle escaped him. "It's okay, Marinette, I know you didn't mean it that way."

Crawling out of the sleeping bag, Chat carried his pillow under his arm and joined Marinette on her bed. She'd made room for him to sleep on her left and he dropped down beside her. With a smirk he looked at her. "I'm trusting that you'll keep your hands to yourself. Being that I'm so handsome and all."

He wasn't surprised when she whacked him with her pillow in response, in turn giving him the good laugh he'd been needing all night.

Sabine and Tom are awfully trusting, aren't they XD

Until next chapter - thanks for reading!