Discordant Sonata

Chapter 15: Bravura (Part 1 of 5)

"Really??" Chat's head shot up and he chirped excitedly, accidentally dropping his pen in the process. "Th-that would be great! I'll work really hard, promise! Are you sure it would be okay?"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll say yes! My mom's already taken quite a liking to you; she's always talking about how polite and sweet you are." Chat's ears perked up and his cheeks reddened upon hearing this, which she found much too adorable. "And I'm sure my dad's slowly coming around; I can tell, even though he's stubborn." She reached over and squeezed his hands. "I'll put in a good word for you," she said with a wink.

"You will?!" he replied with a laugh. "Best job reference ever!!" He hopped out of his chair, then bent over and wrapped her up into a tight hug. "You're the best, Marinette. Seriously." 

She shook off her initial surprise and squeezed back, smiling wide.

"Anything for a friend."

Dinnertime went over even better than Marinette had hoped. When the subject of a job was broached, Marinette's mother took to the idea immediately and, citing the need for some extra muscle, eventually managed to win over her father.

Thus, they hired Chat Noir on the spot for part-time work, adding a few extra household chores in lieu of charging him rent. Marinette could hardly contain herself when she saw Chat's face as he heard that; he looked like he'd won the lottery. And if anyone else had noticed how his eyes got misty and his voice began to quiver as he thanked them, nobody had mentioned it.

After dinner, Marinette invited Chat Noir upstairs to her bedroom, saying she needed help picking out the perfect outfit for her first day back to school. Truth be told, she really did need to choose an outfit; but it was mostly an excuse to hang out with him and serve as a distraction from his stressful circumstances.

Behind his cheerful smile and never ending stream of jokes, he always carried such a lonesome air about him. She'd never noticed it until that first night; the night they danced during the ballroom akuma attack. Or rather, she'd never allowed herself to open up to the possibility that he might be suffering. It would have made fighting him much more difficult had she known.

But as they swayed to the music that night, she could feel the melancholy in his voice, how it seemed to be yearning for more, and she couldn't ignore it anymore.

It was shocking to her; mind-blowing, even. Not the same shock as one might get from a slap in the face, but rather like she'd woken up from a deep sleep. And yet, even then, she never could have anticipated how things would've unraveled from that day forward. They had come a long way, and there was still much more ahead of them.

In any case, he was sure to appreciate an evening goofing around with his new roommate, to get his mind off of both his superhero problems and his civilian worries.

"So, what do you think?" she asked as she peered into her closet. "Classy? Trendy? Girly? Vintage? Boho chic?"

Chat furrowed his brows, cocking his head in uncertainty. "I dunno... You'd look great in anything! Just close your eyes and grab something, and voila!"

She wrinkled her nose at him. "What if I grab my fuzzy, pink bathrobe?"

"You'd look great in that too! 'Comfy chic', the newest trend on all the cat-walks!" he grinned cheekily.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, you dork, be serious! I wanna look good!"

"But you already look good!" he said, lifting his arms and motioning up and down her entire length for emphasis. "You'd even look good in a burlap sack. I mean it! You're really cute, Marinette! Besides, it's not like you need to impress anybody. Everyone already loves you."