My Kitty

29| Isolations

After he'd gotten back from his magical night with Marinette, his curiosity got the best of him and he'd rushed to watch the news. Among the never-ending streamings, he stumbled upon the truth. Truth that left him bruised in its wake.

His father's name and his own were all over the screen. And it felt as if a dagger had torn through him, twisting and turning very deep beneath the surface his skin.

It's been a few days since he'd found out about everything. And he's been isolating himself from the world. Something within him suspected everyone would blame him.

He couldn't bear the consequences.

Nothing has ever made him feel so devastated. Having to be ashamed of your own father's mistakes, with no where to run from all the accusations and disgusted stares.

Adrien wasn't just afraid of being locked up and left to struggle all alone. He also feared being outcasted and neglected; unaccepted. And now that the first was no longer an issue, the latter reserved its place.

Too many thoughts overcrowded his head, that he couldn't think clearly. He didn't even know how he was feeling. The one thing he was sure of, was he needed someone by his side during such a tough time. And he already had an idea of who that person may be.

From then on, there would be no reason for him to transform into Chat Noir just to escape his home. There was nobody. His father was undoubtedly going to be jailed, while Natalie and Gorilla were under questioning. He, for once, had the ability to act on his own accord. And that included leaving the house at free will, and walking all the way to Marinette's.

People among the streets avoided him like the plague, and as he stood in front of the bakery, he'd only just realized... what if Marinette too couldn't look him in the eyes? The thought alone arose the worst of feelings within him, and wreaked havoc through his very being.

His heart halted for a short second, so harsh and so violent, it had him clutch his chest. Adrien whimpered, in attempt to force down the sobs that threatened to escape him. He'd been trying to remain collected, and in one piece for his own benefit, but if Marinette did so much as to fake a smile upon seeing him, he knew he'd break.

Absent-mindedly, he pushed open the door to the bakery, the bells chiming as he strolled in. Her parents' gazes burned through him, and the customers hanging around began slipping away. Shrinking into himself, he gave Sabine a soft smile, which she gladly returned, to his surprise.

Tom made his way around the counter and walked over to him, placing a hand upon his shoulder. "How are you holding up?" For a minute, Adrien thought he was taunting him, rubbing grains of salt into his freshly opened wounds. But when his eyes searched his face, looking for any signs of mockery, all he could make out was raw sympathy.

"Barely."

"We're so sorry you had to go through that," Sabine said. After a slight pause, she tilted her head. "You came here for Marinette, didn't you?"

"Uh, yeah actually." A shy smile decorated his lips, and he felt himself heating up beneath their stares. "Can I..? See her, I mean."

"Of course, you can!" Tom answered, roughly patting him against the back. "She's in her room upstairs, make yourself at home."

"Thank you, sir." Adrien began towards the first step at the bottom of the staircase when Sabine called out to him. He turned halfway to face her.

"You know you're always welcome here, sweetheart."

Tears welled up in his eyes at her kind words, and it took all of his make-believe strength not to snap in two right then and there. Marinette's family were so nice, it warmed his heart. He felt like he could easily belong. They were accepting of him, receiving him with open arms even when nobody else would. "I appreciate it, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng. Really."

Climbing up to Marinette's bedroom, before he raised his hand to knock, he could hear faint laughter and unstoppable talking. So many different voices too. He braced himself, sucked in a deep breath, and knocked a few times. All chattering disappeared. Everything seemed to fall into a sudden pit of silence, and the sound of her footsteps matched the drum of his heart.

The trap-door was pulled open, and her eyes went round at the sight of him. "Oh my God, Adrien, what are you doing here?"

It wasn't the reaction he expected, but it would do for now. "May I come in, please?"

"Uh, yeah! Of course." She stepped aside, making room for him, and he wasted no time to walk into the comfort of her place. He never once turned to her, afraid that she'll see him be so weak. But his eyes had wandered down her pajamas, and he squeezed them shut. Blocking out his disorganized emotions, which ran haywire and entrapped every crevice of his mind.

"I..." She fiddled with her fingers, staring down at them as if they interested her most. "I've heard."

His hands balled into fists, limp by each side of him. Marinette noticed such a small action, yet it troubled her. She bit into the bottom of her lips. For a while, all there stood between them was their soundless breaths, and the pressure of not knowing what to say. But as Adrien slowly came to face her, she saw her own figure reflected within his emerald eyes. Which glimmered with the presence of suppressed tears. Tears that made her ache for him.