Out of Darkness

The room in the hotel was dimly lit on a cold October evening. New York's lights were so bright; but that's something Adrien always had appreciated about this city. It reminded him of Paris back home – the city of lights. While the ones in New York were way more wild, it was still a comfort to be in a lit place. If there was anything Adrien hated the most, it was the dark.

Darkness didn't always scare him; he doesn't know when exactly it started. If he had to guess it was all the years of his father not letting him go out when it wasn't necessary. He was always required to do things locked up in his room, which is why being Cat Noir was so liberating. He could always do whatever he wanted. Get out of that room that tended to make him feel like a bird with clipped wings.

He was surprised that his father even let him go on this trip to NYC with Marinette Dupain-Cheng, though he supposed it was to get his name out to get more modeling opportunities. Adrien didn't really care much about getting attention, but a part of him was just glad to be there with Marinette. This gives her more opportunities to get designs out there and achieve her dream of being a real designer; Adrien couldn't be more happy for her. Marinette was his number one supporter, he was glad that now he could be the same.

What exactly did Adrien feel about Marinette? Sure she was a close friend, he never really considered her to be much more. But a part of him wished to be closer. He wasn't a greedy person whatsoever, but this was something that Adrien desired, yet he would never act upon it.

He glanced over at the girl sleeping across the room. She had some reservations about leaving Paris for the week, but her parents and Adrien's father convinced her it was okay to go and pursue her dreams. At least she looked peaceful now, in the dim hotel room.

There was a rumble of thunder in the distance. It seemed so far away Adrien wasn't worried. Thunder and lightning didn't bother him anyways, and the sound of rain was much more comforting than having no sound at all. The light rain turned into heavy drops outside the windows. Adrien started to drift off to sleep, his thoughts calm. This trip was going surprisingly well. Everything was good; until it wasn't.

The thunder grew louder. The lightning, brighter. Then everything went dark.

Normally this wouldn't bother him, but this time was not like normal. His eyes shot open to find that he was once again surrounded in darkness. Even though the room seemed familiar with a bit of light, in the dark it seemed strange. Even though Marinette was there, it just seemed lonely. It seemed as if the walls were closing in on him.

He tried his best to keep calm. Closing his eyes didn't work; neither did taking deep breaths. His panic was overwhelming, but Adrien didn't quite understand what was going on. His breathing went from stable to rapid; never could he remember a single time that this had happened before.

"Plagg?" He immediately mumbled out. If there was anyone there that he hoped would be by his side, it would be his small black cat kwami. Plagg may have a hard shell, but he had always been by Adrien's side. As much as he made Adrien a hero as Chat Noir, he was also a hero to the blonde boy; it was never lonely with his camembert loving companion by his side. But Plagg didn't answer.

"Plagg?" Adrien tried again before a loud crack of thunder. He jumped, trying to contain himself which obviously wasn't going quite as he planned. Again, there was no Plagg. Adrien figured he must be sleeping. It's been a long time since they got an actual break like this, he deserved a good rest.

Adrien curled up. He was getting more and more closed in by the second; he didn't like this feeling at all. This made him feel pathetic, he was Chat Noir, a hero. He's faced akumas and been though much more terrifying situations but yet the darkness creeping on him was unbearable. By this time he was hyperventilating, clutching his hair in his hands. Alone. He was alone. Completely alone, and that in itself made him scared.