My Kitty

7| Chat Noir's Visit

Marinette leaned against the railing of her balcony, watching over Paris. Today was a calm day, unlike all the hectic previous ones. No akumas, no chaos, no homeworks even. Nighttime has never felt so peaceful.

Tikki hovered atop her owner's shoulder. "Chat Noir has every right to be upset. Give it time."

She sighed, her chest heavy. "I know, Tikki." She knew he'd come around and would soon forgive her. She trusted him. But being so far out of her reach, even if for a short while, completely and utterly tore her apart. "I just wish things weren't like this."

"Forget about Chat Noir, think of Adrien instead." The kwami directed the conversation to a topic less depressing, wanting to distract Marinette. "He's been approaching you a lot lately."

"Eee! You think so?" The girl jumped to come face to face with Tikki. Suddenly, all her burdens were wiped away, and her entire demeanor changed. Her expression turned skeptical. "Hm... why is that?"

"Maybe he loves you, Marinette."

She erupted with laughter as if she'd heard the funniest joke of the century. But, she didn't know if her uncontrollable laughing fit was because she didn't believe Tikki, or because she was absolutely nervous and couldn't bear the possible idea that her beloved returned her feelings. "No way, you cute thing." Tikki's eyes widened at the sight of someone nearing the balcony, and she flew through her holder's purse, shielding herself from view. The unbeknownst girl kept blabbing, "Adrien can't love me. He's too good. Besides, what if he still likes Kagami?"

"Kagami?"

She let out a short scream, turning to the source of the voice. "Chat Noir? What are you doing here?"

"Marinette, right?" He asked, his tone soft. Gracefully, he pounced onto the railing, and fixed himself to sit in a proper manner by the edge. "What's all this talk about Kagami?"

This Kagami! Both, Adrien and Chat, liked her? It pissed her off to no end. But it hurt her to think that way towards her friend. "You know... Kagami?"

Realization dawned upon him, and slapped him harsh across the face. He was Chat not Adrien! "Uh," he panicked, "No, no. Of course I don't. I just thought it was a weird name, that's all."

"It's pretty common in Japan so..." She positioned herself by his side, still rooted in place behind the railing. She wasn't in her superhero form, she couldn't mimick him. If she were to fall, she'd cause a lot of damage. To the bakery probably.

Chat Noir laughed it off, the awkward atmosphere choking him. He came here to make her feel less alone, not uncomfortable. The silence had him squirm. This wasn't his intention at all. She was an important person in his life, he didn't want her to be so hurt.

For a while, Marinette couldn't believe Chat was spending time with her. But then again, it took her a minute to understand that she was next to him as Marinette Dupain-Cheng, not Ladybug. "What brought you here?" She quietly asked.

"You seemed pretty upset. All alone on the rooftop."

"How did you know?"

"I have something of a past with isolation myself." He shrugged, belittling his problems. Maybe he's gotten so used to them that he became immune. Or maybe it was just Marinette, whom he found comfort in. Adrien was lonely. Nino was too preoccupied with Alya. Kagami completely shut him out, even refused to remain friends. His father couldn't care less about his feelings. Ladybug never trusted him. Plagg wasn't that helpful either. He blamed him most of the time, and ranted about his love for cheese.

Both sides of him, be it Chat Noir or the well-known Adrien Agreste, went by neglected.

He really was so lonely.

And there was no one left but Marinette.

He hoped she too didn't slip away from between his fingers. That's why he'd devoted himself to doing anything, just to keep her by him.

"Can I ask you something, Marinette?" He glanced at her with a saddened look, tears shimmering in his eyes.

"Anything, Chat."

"Will you please hold me? Just for a bit?" His voice quivered, as meek as a feather touch. He knew he was asking too much of her, but he was drowning in despair and no one was doing anything to pull him out.

She was taken aback, her eyebrows raised in shock. His request seemed odd, and it jumped at her out of nowhere. Why would he come to her, of all people, seeking a hug? Not that she was against it. All she cared about, was taking the pain off his shoulders. Especially with the knowledge that the other part of her was the one who put it there. She'd do whatever it took to get closer to him and make it better. Either as Ladybug, or Marinette.

"I'm sorry." He slouched. "I probably shouldn't have asked..." A few seconds ticked by before her lack of answer became too much for him to bear. He twisted himself around, and hopped into the balcony.

"No, Chat Noir." Her hand rested upon his bicep. "You can. You definitely can." Flashing him a reassuring smile, her kitty didn't take long. He gave in, and dived into her embrace.

His arms wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her body closer and closer till no space remained between the two. She buried her head into his neck, squeezing him tight. As the gaps of their bodies molded together, Chat only hoped it'd do so much to fill the gaps of his heart. Just then, a tear rolled down his cheek, and he found himself loathing the idea of letting go.

"Marinette..." He muttered. "Please don't be the one to leave me."