Chat Noir X Reader: The Muse

Chapter 48: Ch. 1: Return of Persephone (Chat's/Adrien's POV)

A/N: Wow, has it really been almost 2 months since I last posted? Yikes. Hello everyone! I'm back! How are you? And how are things where you live? I hope you and your loved ones are safe during this crisis and that you're healthy, both physically and mentally. I'm sorry for taking so long to post something. A lot of things happened during these past months and it was tough to get used to so many changes.

This chapter also took longer to be posted because I had to find a new beta reader, but the wonderful Natasha came to my rescue and helped me out! A huge thank you to her! Natasha's tumblr: atlantisnemesis.tumblr.com

This chapter is a little angsty, but I was going through a rough patch a few weeks ago and it helped me to kinda exorcise the pain a little. I'm better now though :) I hope it explains a bit more about Adrien's fears and traumas.

Enjoy!

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Adrien's eyes blinked open slowly. The insistent alarm of his phone came from the nightstand near the bed. He knew he had to get up and go on with life, but the void of sleep seemed much more alluring. He wouldn't have to think, he wouldn't have to worry about the world...

"Aren't you going to turn it off?" Plagg's groggy voice came from somewhere in the room.

With a sigh, Adrien reached for the phone and turned the alarm off. He sat up on the bed with slow movements and looked at the mess of blankets and pillows on top of the mattress. It still seemed inviting, but Adrien's slightly more alert brain knew better and told him as much. Sleep wasn't really a safe island, where Adrien could hide away. Sleep also meant being haunted by nightmares and snippets from his past, all of it being thrown at his face without him being able to do anything about it.

So he rolled his shoulders, hissing at the soreness, and got up.

People stared at him as he walked around the university campus. The stares were a common occurrence, especially at the beginning of the semester. Adrien glanced at a group of whispering girls when he passed by them and noticed their bright eyes, earnest expressions, and ironed clothes. They shrieked the moment his eyes met theirs. Adrien looked away. They were probably new. The other students already knew he wasn't interested, although that didn't stop them from staring sometimes. Adrien didn't mind the attention. He was a famous model after all, so it was obvious people would stare at him, but sometimes he wished he could walk by without anyone paying him any mind. He would be like a ghost, invisible and with no certain purpose, just like he felt inside.

The morning passed like a blur, and if someone asked, Adrien would barely be able to tell what he had just learned. He knew he had been in the classroom and the class was about Modern Sculpture, but that was it. Thankfully, no one asked. He made small talk with his classmates at the resto U, all the while wishing he could go home or roam the streets as Chat. But he couldn't, not yet. He still had more classes to attend.

Adrien felt a weird sensation on the back of his neck and he knew someone was staring at him. He looked around and his eyes met a girls' for a brief moment before she averted her gaze. Another new student? Adrien tilted his head a little to the side, waiting, but she didn't look back and kept staring at her plate. Or maybe she was just shy.

He averted his gaze from her to look at the people by her side and recognized Alya and Marinette. Oh, the shy girl was probably an exchange student then, since Mari was responsible for helping them out. Adrien shook his head. She was always helping someone.

"Hey Adrien, have you heard about this?" One of his classmates asked, forcing Adrien to pay attention to the conversation again. He made a mental note to say hi to Mari and Alya later.