Miraculous Unoshots

He Knows Again

CW: Angst with comfort

TW: Panic attack / PTSD episode

Word count: 2,335

~

Chat Noir couldn't believe his eyes. He followed the red and black figure with his eyes as it flew across the Paris skyline. It landed on a rooftop and suddenly his staff began to ring. 

"Chat Noir, I'm ready for patrol! I'm on top of the library," Ladybug smiled into their call. Chat felt himself flush with panic and another feeling he couldn't quite describe. 

"Uh, yeah, of course! You're earlier than usual," he commented, trying to sound normal. 

"Yeah, sorry I've been so late lately. Ya know, guardian stuff."

"Right, I get it. I, ah, I just need to check up on something really quickly and I'll meet you over there," he promised, trying to hide his hurried breathing. 

"See you soon, kitty," she said before hanging up the call. She seemed happy and in a good mood and that didn't go unnoticed by Chat Noir. She'd been stressed out a lot lately so it was nice to see her smile. It was especially nice because... no, he couldn't think like that yet. Not until he was sure. He turned his eyes back to the window he had been approaching and took in a deep breath. 

Chat Noir vaulted over to the balcony and tapped on the window before he could change his mind. He thought he could see quick movement inside but couldn't quite be sure. However, nobody was in the room. After a minute or so of waiting, he decided to head back. He jumped his way to the library roof and landed next to his partner. 

"There you are, kitty. I was starting to worry you'd stood me up," Ladybug teased with a giggle. Listening to her laugh now, it all clicked together. "Is everything okay with what you had to check up on? You look worried about something," she asked, furrowing her brow. He shook his head. 

"Yeah, sorry. Everything's fine, I must just be a little out of it today." He held out his hand in a signature bow. "Shall we, M'Lady?" She laughed and pushed his hand away. With that, they went their separate directions to patrol the city. 

~

"I don't know, Als. He just seemed really off last night," Marinette worried in a hushed voice as she walked beside her best friend. 

"Being a hero is no easy job. We'd all been out two nights in a row fighting until dawn and then he had to patrol the night immediately after. He's probably just tired and sleep-deprived." Alya stretched her arms out and yawned as if her body was proving her point for her. "I know I sure am." This eased the girl's mind and she smiled, letting out a yawn in return. 

"You're probably right, thank you. I just got worked up over nothing." They walked up the steps to the school and changed the subject as they entered the crowded campus. 

"Marinette!" A voice called from behind them. Marinette flipped around to see who called her name and her face immediately lit up red. 

"Adrien! Funny seeing you here! I mean, of course, you're here, this is school. And you, uh, you go here." (A/N: If you get this reference, I love you) Alya elbowed her in the ribs, helping her out of her panicked stumbling. "I mean, good morning," she smiled, internally beating herself up for stammering so much. She'd gotten so much better at talking to her crush but sometimes, especially when she wasn't expecting to see him, she still made an absolute fool of herself. 

He returned her smile. "Good morning. I was wondering, do you think you could meet me after school? My father wants me to find someone to tutor me in physics since my grades are falling a little bit since the new clothing campaign and I know you're doing really well in that class," he asked. His question seemed normal enough for one classmate to another but Marinette couldn't help but notice him fidgeting with his fingers by his sides and his shaky voice. Plus, she knew he wasn't falling behind at all in Physics since she sat right behind him and always admired his perfect grades. However, she decided not to bring any of this up so as not to ruin her rare chance to spend time with Adrien one-on-one.