With A Pen To My Arm || Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir

Facing Fear and A Heartfelt Chloe || Chapter 38 ||

I was woken up to someone lightly shaking me. I jumped up, scurrying away from them with my hands up in a defensive way. I had been having a horrible nightmare and sadly, at the moment, waking up wasn't much better.

"Riva?" I heard my father ask. I lowered my arms and looked up at him, tears gathering in my eyes. I blinked them away and forced a smile onto my face, picking myself up off the floor. I adjusted the jumper that had wrapped around me while I moved in my sleep.

He watched me quietly but decided against saying anything, he just pulled me to his chest and rested his chin on top of my head. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his, inhaling his calming scent.

"I'm okay papa. Just a bad dream" I said softly, trying to make him worry less. I didn't want to worry him. A gentle kiss was placed to my hair and we pulled away from each other. It was still light outside, so I must not have slept for all that long.

With a kiss to my forehead, he left my room and I finally looked at my phone. 7:30am?! I slept way longer than I thought. I changed into a pair of jeans and a new jumper, enjoying the comfort I got from the item of clothing.

I hate feeling like this, I don't want to be scared to go outside. I furrowed my eyebrows and thought for a moment. I don't have to be scared to go outside. I grabbed my phone and quickly left my home behind. I wasn't heading to school like I should've been, I was looking for the one person who could make me stop feeling so scared, Mon Papillon.

Finding her wasn't going to be easy and listening to her talk was going to be a challenge in itself. Someone said it was good to face your fears, so why is my stomach tied in knots? I started walking towards a sketchier part of town, thinking that if I was looking for trouble, I'd find it here. Although, I don't know if I could rightfully label Mon Papillon as 'trouble'. It just didn't seem to fit her.

"Now, now little bird. Are you looking for me?" I heard from my right. I held in my sigh and turned to face her. Her red hair was bright compared to my auburn, she was probably a foot taller than myself and the stance she was in screamed confidence. I swallowed nervously but remembered why I came here in the first place.

"You need to leave me alone. You want to go after and hurt Chat Noir and Ladybug? Find another way. I will no longer put up with you following me around and making me paranoid. You need to disappear" I said through clenched teeth, stepping forward and getting in her face.

Mon Papillon seemed surprised by my actions but grinned when gaining back her confidence. I stepped back into my own space, watching her carefully. I didn't want to end up with a split on my other lip. I really didn't need to be matching. Her eyes stared at me with interest and a spark that suggested she had a wicked idea, one that I wanted no part of.

"You are right. I have to go about this a different way" she agreed and took off, making her way to the rooftops, and disappearing out of sight. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. That was not how I was expected this visit to go.

I started walking towards school, confusion still clogging my mind Why would she agree so quickly? Was tormenting me not getting her the results she wanted? I walked into class late and sat next to Nathanael, who looked at me worriedly. I smiled genuinely, putting him at ease. I tried my best to focus on class but it was hard when I have an incredibly beautiful boyfriend who kept glancing back up at me and a sort of new blonde friend keeping an eye on me.

When class was over, I was scooped up by Chloe and dragged out of the classroom, leaving my friends behind confused. We sat on a bench and she turned to me, looking unsure.

"I'm not really good at this," she started, still looking unsure before she gave me the smallest of smiles and continued, "I know something was bugging you yesterday and then you came in late today, so I just want to make sure you are all right."

It was so unlike Chloe that it surprised me. Perhaps it isn't just Adrien she trying to turn over a new leaf with. I smiled brightly at her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry I worried you, I had a bad day and didn't get much sleep so I overslept today. But thank you, for caring. It means a lot, Chloe" I said, playing around with the truth a little. It honestly did mean something to me that Chloe cared. And I'm glad to see her trying her best.

She gave me a small smile before excusing herself to find Sabrina. I spotted my group of friends sitting at a table and made my way over, plopping down next to Adrien. He smiled softly at me and fondly placed his hand on my leg before turning back to the conversation. Nino was explaining some of his DJ things to Adrien who seemed to understand.

Alya watched her boyfriend with a loving smile on her face while Marinette looked kind of down. I frowned and reached over, grabbing her hand.

"You okay?" I asked softly, not drawing the others attention. Which she seemed grateful for. She shrugged her shoulders gently before looking at all of us.

"You guys have each other and I don't really fit anymore" she said, sounding heartbroken. My mouth hung open and I frowned deeply. I never ever wanted her to feel this way. Marinette was the glue to this group, she was the mom friend, the one that watched over us and made sure we were happy.

"God, I'm so sorry if we made you feel that way Mari. But we love you and just because you haven't found your perfect someone doesn't mean you don't fit. Just because we have soulmates doesn't mean we don't have a Marinette sized space in our heart" I explained quietly, squeezing her hand. She smiled at me with tears in her eyes before blinking them back, not wanting to alert the others to our heartfelt conversation.

"Thank you, Riva."