Ever since his mom died, Cat Noir has been struggling. He's so good at hiding it that no one knows. Not even his closest friends or his father. But then unforeseen events lead his condition to worsen drastically, and it's only a matter of time befor...
"Oh, Kitty, I'm sorry. You know they're wrong, don't you? They have no idea what's going on, and besides... people like that... they can't be reasoned with. They look for problems so they can hurt others, it makes them feel better about themselves. It's sick but true."
"I know, and thank you." He gave her a warm smile, and for a moment they stood there, happy with each other's presence. Then they heard voices downstairs and Marinette remembered to panic.
"Shoot, go! Go! Go! Oh, Alya's gonna kill me..."
They hurried up to the balcony. Marinette was about to rush back down, but Cat Noir caught her wrist. She turned to see him grin and give her a quick hug.
"I'll be staying close," he whispered, brushing her hair out of her face. The girl shivered, trying not to let her face heat up, and then he was gone. She blinked a few times.
"Stupid Cat!" She groaned, burying her face and mentally slapping herself. "You know exactly what you're doing! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!"
Fuming and muttering to herself, Marinette rushed downstairs, where her Parents and Alya were doing an amazing job of entertaining the girls.
After pulling them away, (with some difficulty,) they went up to Marinette's room to do the photoshoot. Then they sat and talked, sharing stories and laughing together. They even went up to the balcony for a bit. While they were there, Mylene squinted over the rooftops.
"Is that... Cat Noir???" Marinette froze. She and Alya exchanged anxious looks. Everyone followed where Mylene was pointing. It was Cat Noir, sitting on a roof a block away or so. He waved to them before getting up and vaulting away.
Marinette didn't know whether it was because his recklessness pissed her off, or if it had something to do with that wink she swore he'd just given her, but her face was heating up again. She scowled at the retreating form of her Kitty. Quit messing with me, It's getting on my nerves!
But of course, that's what he wanted.
"Whatever," the girl huffed, turning around. "Let's go back inside."
Several hours later and most of the girls were gone. Alya decided to stay for lunch, and even offered to help prepare it, since Marinette had to edit the pictures from the photoshoot and she didn't feel like dealing with Cat Noir when he returned.
Why? Who knew.
She heard the back door open, followed by the sound of happy chatter. Marinette was done with her pictures, so she set everything aside and headed down.
Lunch was ready. Everyone was in a good mood, so the conversation was cheery and light, which helped them to relax and push anything negative to the back of their mind.
Afterwards, the three teens offered to clean up. They brought in the dishes together. Marinette washed, Cat Noir dried, and Alya put the dishes away.
"We're the same age, right?" Alya asked. The hero nodded, concentrating on a particularly stubborn container, which he couldn't seem to grip properly due to his claws. That was one of several questions the reporter had tossed at him so far.
"Hm, okay. Here's one for you. Are you in love with Ladybug?"
Marinette jumped, spilling soapy water over her hands. Her head whipped towards Cat Noir, expecting him to be at least a little flustered. She was surprised to see him completely calm.
He set down the container, which he'd finally conquered, and looked up. A faint smile played at his mouth.
"Yes, I am."
Alya squealed. "Well, does she like you back?"
Marinette turned to the sink again, guilty, because she knew the answer to that. She could still feel his saddened gaze on her back.
"... no. She loves someone else."
"Aw, that's a shame." Alya walked over to pat his shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sure everything will work out for the best. Maybe she'll fall for you eventually. Or maybe you'll find someone else." The raven-haired girl glanced over in time to see him smile at the young reporter gratefully. Marinette sighed, happy that he wasn't too upset, and started a conversation with Alya. Soon enough the three of them were happily chatting away once more.
They were wrapping up when Marinette noticed that Cat Noir had fallen silent.
She turned to him. The boy was looking down, tense. Marinette couldn't see his face. Alya trailed off mid-sentence, realizing something was wrong.
"...Kitty?"
That's when she noticed the trembling in his hands. It's happening again. Rushing to his side, she wrapped her arm over his shoulders, helping support him. "Hey, breath. You're safe. It's not real, I'm here..."
Cat Noir was visibly shaking now, breathing in strangled gasps. His eyes were wild with terror. Marinette wanted to help, but there was only so much she could do. It hurt to see him like this.
They sank to the ground, the boy buried his face in his hands. She held him tightly and waited for it to pass.
Marinette was on the verge of tears when finally, a small eternity later, the panic attack began to die down. His breathing evened out, save for a hiccup here and there. He didn't move, even after it was completely gone, possibly ashamed that he'd lost himself in front of someone new again. Or maybe he'd cried and was hiding it for a similar reason. She'd only seen him cry once.
Alya looked on, frozen with shock at what she'd just witnessed-- it was the first time she'd seen him like this. Their eyes met, laced with concern.
"Alya, he's getting worse..."
AN: Just to warn you, I'm going to be insanely busy for the next while, so I might not write as much. Sorry in advance, I'll do my best. Now, on a happier note--
This is the first time I've gotten a vote, never mind thirteen of them! I know it isn't much in comparison to other writers, but it's so amazing to me, I've never really been seen online. If you're reading this, thank you so much, and I hope you like the story so far! ❤
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