#He is shocked a child stabbed him which is a very normal civilian reaction

[twinkletoes-rp]

A Butterfly’s Heart

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff Pairings: Adrinette, Tikki/Plagg, background Nathalie/Emilie Relationships: Marinette & Nooroo Words: 4,085 Other Links: FFN | AO3

Dedication: Surprise gift fic for @belles-lettresdemoncoeur​ for being the best RP partner I could ask for and to cheer her up since she hasn’t been feeling well lately! (Credit to her for some of the ideas surrounding Emilie and Mari’s care and the ‘Tikki’s choice’ line (I reworked))

Summary: After the final battle for the Miraculous, Hawkmoth – A.K.A. Gabriel Agreste – is dead, Paris is safe, and its heroes are recovering.

In the midst of it all, one little butterfly has a lot of TLC coming his way.

Please note: This is definitely a canon divergent fic! Starting with "Guitar Villain" in season one, Marinette and Adrien get closer and closer (they're also older in this because fuck canon's logic - they're seventeen here, almost eighteen in Adrien's case). Because of this, Mari and Gabriel interact more, and despite being continuously impressed by her work, the two of them butt heads personality-wise, especially where Adrien and his happiness are concerned. Thus (fic spoilers starting here!), after kidnapping Ladybug and Chat and torturing LB, seeing her as the source of his problems since she's always foiling his plans, when he finds out Mari is Ladybug during the final battle, he flips out and kicks the crap out of her, so hard and so fast she doesn't have a hope of defending herself - before finally trying to take her out of the game entirely. Also, in this version of events, Nathalie has always been a very good mother figure for Adrien, loves him like her own, and does not join Gabriel. She and Emilie are also a thing. Chloe is also not a Miraculous holder here, and her and Lila's bullying is much more severe than canon would ever (be allowed) to portray.

---

Finally, the Battle for Paris is over.

Team Miraculous comes out on top, but it isn’t without fallout.

In the end, Adrien needs five days to heal from his broken nose, bloodied-raw wrists, fractured ankle, and split lip. His bruises and cuts are still healing when he refuses to sit around anymore. How can he when there’s so much going on? 

His mother is back, safe with Nathalie and Gorilla. She’s doing well, all things considered, awake and smiling and getting stronger every day with the help of the medical team, a fixed Peacock Miraculous and Duusu, and Tikki and Plagg’s combined magic. She’s walking on her own again by the end of the week.

It’s Marinette who isn’t nearly as lucky. It takes two weeks for her to wake from her medically-induced coma. From the extent of her laundry list of injuries—five broken ribs, a thrice-broken nose, finger-shaped bruises on her neck where Hawkmoth – Gabriel Agreste – tried to strangle her, the stab wound clean through her stomach, severe internal bleeding, gashes and bruises covering her body, and the fact that they lost her twice in surgery before getting her stable, just as a starting point—it’s no surprise. Adrien makes sure she gets the best care possible, calling the best nurses and doctors in all of France to come look after her (and his mother) around the clock. He’s thankful they’re professional enough not to press for more information after he claims she was just caught up in the final battle. (Nathalie checked them all out extensively before they were even contacted, and they still sign confidentiality wavers, just in case.)

Apart from Nathalie forcing him into the shower, Adrien never leaves her side.

When Marinette finally does wake up, she’s panicked and confused and in pain, but a tearfully overcome yet stubborn Adrien is there and does his best to take care of her. He calls her parents immediately, has the doctors examine her and give her something for the pain, and once they’re done and her parents have smothered her in crying-relieved hugs, he explains everything. He does it in pieces over the coming days, not wanting to overwhelm her too much at once, and with her pounding head and hazy memory of everything past being stabbed, she’s grateful. (She doesn’t remember he’s Chat Noir, for instance, that she knows that, but she knows that Chat Noir knows she’s Ladybug – Tikki had to choose between revealing her identity or saving her life, and Adrien’s tearfully thanked the little goddess a trillion and one times since that day for choosing the obvious. He will tell Marinette later, he swears, when things are…decidedly less complicated.)

She also knows that Adrien knows she’s Ladybug, and that was…a thing that happened. It took her several minutes to come down from that particular panic, but once she did, they talked it out. After a day or two of adjustment, she’s…okay with it now. If any civilian were to know her secret, especially now that the danger’s passed…she’s so glad it’s him. 

It’s another week and two days of going in and out of consciousness and healing before Marinette is able to stay awake through the day. She still can’t move much, let alone get out of bed or walk yet, but she’s getting there, and that’s all any of them cares about. She laughs happily when Tikki snuggles into her cheek in congratulations, Plagg nuzzling into her hand and purring loudly—

—and that’s when something that’s been on the edges of her previously-foggy mind finally hurtles to the forefront with a sudden jolt of clarity. Marinette springs upright like she’s been shocked, breath hitching at the pain and realization both. At her side, Adrien is instantly on high alert, instinctively taking her hand while he looks and listens for anything that might be a threat. “Marinette? What is it?”

"W-what about Nooroo? Is he okay? Where is he?"

Adrien blinks for a long moment, and then he softens. Of course. Typical Marinette. Always thinking of other people even when she’s the one who almost died. He’d managed to get the Butterfly Miraculous off his father before it could be destroyed along with him, and he’d been keeping it with him for safekeeping. He figured she’d ask eventually, so it doesn’t take more than that for him to bring it out to show her. She immediately grabs it and puts it on.

“Marinette, wait! You might not be strong enough for—!” Tikki tries to warn, Adrien and Plagg just as worried, but it’s already too late. Even if it wasn’t, they know she would have done it anyway. It’s just how she is when she cares about someone. It’s why they love her.

For now, all they can do is wait on bated breath. Plagg reaches for Tikki’s paw, the show of support for her as much as him. It’s been centuries since they’ve seen their youngest…

There’s a flash of light, and the butterfly Kwami materializes before them. Opening his eyes, Nooroo looks around, confused and worried. "Where is—?" But then, he's hit with that feeling every Kwami gets when his holder, legitimate or not, dies, and he curls in on himself. "Oh, no... M-Master..."

Realizing he’s not alone, he cautiously takes in the others in the room. Seeing Marinette with the brooch, his little face fills with tentative hope. "M-Mistress...?"

Mari can only smile kindly, a bit sadly, and shake her head, gesturing to her earrings. “Sorry…”

He gasps instantly, a shocked, awed smile coming to his face, and he sweeps into a sort of bow. "Oh, Ladybug! Forgive me, I did not know it was you!"

Marinette flushes brightly at his reaction, sending a confused, alarmed glance the others’ way. Adrien seems to be in the same boat as her, but Plagg is as exasperatedly fond as either of the kids has ever seen him, and Tikki just stares at Nooroo like she’s finally gotten back something precious. Turning back to Nooroo, Mari waves her hands in front of her carefully, not wanting to scare him, a nervous smile on her lips. "Y-you don't have to bow, really! I'm not t-that important! And don't worry about it, i-it's okay! We've never met before, so how could you know, right?"

Nooroo comes out of the bow a bit sheepish, a slightly darker purple blush coming through, and Marinette just melts. She bows right back, as low as she can in her condition, just like her mother taught her, pain be damned. "I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It's very nice to finally meet you, Nooroo. Tikki’s told me so much about you."

He feels less silly at her bow, she sees, which was her goal, and she holds out a small, gentle hand – an invitation, not a command. "I'm sorry to wake you up like this. I know you need your rest, and you’ve more than earned it. But I just...” she softens further, “…I wanted to see how you were doing. I've been worried about you for a long time. We all have been. The other Kwamis, too.” Her smile gentles, becomes the tiniest bit sad again, while her empathy rises. “You've...you've been through a lot, haven't you?"

She wants to cry at all the awful things he must have suffered at Gabriel's hands. She doesn't realize a tear's actually slipped out until there's a soft fluttering at her cheek, catching and wiping the tear away. "Please do not cry on my behalf, Marinette. I will be fine,” Nooroo reassures, backing up an inch or two to give her some space. Normally, he wouldn’t dare get this close to anyone, never mind someone he just met, even Ladybug, after what he's just been through, but...he gets a very good vibe from this child. He feels...safe with her.

She breathes a laugh and smiles a little more. She wants to cuddle him, to promise him no one will ever mistreat or misuse him or his powers again while she’s around, but she doesn't want to scare him off. Soon, she hopes. "Thank you, Nooroo. I'm happy to hear that. But until then, if you’ll have me, I'll do anything I can to help you. I've...been through similar things, so I know at least some of what you're feeling." Adrien squeezes her hand. Nooroo looks a little confused, and she can’t blame him. If he wants, she’ll tell him all about Chloe’s bullying growing up and Lila’s lies and manipulation later. She glances at Adrien, warming. "I'm sure Adrien will want to help, too.”

The boy nods vehemently, more than once. “Of course! I—” He looks away, suddenly nervous, rubbing the back of his neck. What if…Nooroo doesn’t want his help? What if he blames him, is mad at him, for not suspecting and confronting his father to save him earlier, regardless of how dangerous that would have been? But…looking at the little guy, he doesn’t seem angry in the slightest. If anything, he seems delighted to be feeling happy and safe for the first time in forever and just as awed to be meeting him as he was Ladyb—er, Marinette. Taking a breath, Adrien steels himself and comes back, determined as ever. “I want to help undo what my father’s done to you. And if I can’t quite do that, then…” he smiles sweetly, “…if I can at least help the healing process in any way, please don’t hesitate to let me know. I’d be honored.” He follows Marinette’s earlier lead and bows as low as he can. “It’s great to meet you, Nooroo. I’m Adrien Ageste.”

Nooroo smiles shyly and returns the bow, more confident this time. He doesn’t miss the way Adrien is particular in using his real name with no hints toward his own Miraculous. He figures that’s on purpose. Perhaps Marinette doesn’t know...? How interesting… He’s sure Tikki and Plagg will fill him in later. “The pleasure is mine, Adrien.” That aside, he straightens and has this to say, looking the boy right in the eyes: “You are incredibly brave to stand against your father as you have. Countless others would have turned and run without hesitation. Regardless of his choices, you are worthy, indeed. Do not doubt yourself.”

Adrien’s eyes widen, his mouth forming a small ‘o,’ and for a moment, Nooroo wonders if he’s said too much, shrinking and an apology already on his lips. A glance Marinette’s way shows she’s confused, and he senses some puzzle pieces might be fitting into cracked memories, but he can tell she hasn’t figured it out, so he thinks he’s safe. He was careful to be cryptic, of course, but he knows firsthand (technically) just how clever this Ladybug is.

All the same, Nooroo is opening his mouth to apologize, almost reflexively, just in case, when Adrien’s eyes well up with tears and a touched smile forms as his heart swells with gratitude and intense affection for the Kwami. The boy breathes a shaky laugh, the hand in Marinette’s – the hand he’d used to Cataclysm his own father right in the face – trembles, but his smile holds, and he nods, swearing then and there that he’s going to be there for Nooroo every step of the way from now on. He owes him that much. Nooroo deserves that much. “R-right. I’ll do my best. We’ll—we can do it together, all of us.” Marinette nods and squeezes his hand. “Thank you, Nooroo.”

It’s Nooroo’s turn to be surprised, even shocked, a blush and small “Oh…!” leaving him, but he’s so happy, and it’s a wonderful feeling. He laughs, the sound like tinkling bells so foreign to him now that he startles himself at first, going with it at Plagg and Tikki’s delight. Adrien and Marinette immediately know they want to hear it as often as they can. “Of—of course, Mas—A-Adrien! I meant every word!”

Marinette softens. “I’m sure Tikki and Plagg will—” Glancing over at Tikki, she pauses. There are huge tears rolling down Tikki's face while Plagg does his best to comfort her, and she can tell she’s barely holding back sobs. "T-Tikki, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Tikki answers with a lurching sob and a cry of "My baby's home!" before surging forward to wrap Nooroo in what he’s pretty sure is the tightest hug he's ever gotten. He surprises himself by accepting it as easily as he does and hugging back just as tightly, letting her cry and crying a bit himself. He should have known he’d accept it from her, though, his mother in every sense, divine creation be damned. He was so alone and so scared for so long... But he's safe now, with her, with Plagg, with these wonderful, extraordinary children. He knows he is.

When they separate minutes later, Nooroo looks between Marinette and Adrien and once again bows as low as he can. This time, they don’t stop him. "Thank you for saving me, Lady—er, Marinette and Adrien. I cannot thank you enough. I am in your debt."

Marinette melts all the more. She’s still confused about the parts of the last battle she can’t remember, but for now, she’s almost certain she’s adopted the little sweetheart. "Of course, Nooroo. But there’s no need to thank us. We're just glad you're finally home safe. That's the important thing."

Adrien nods, threading his fingers through Marinette’s and squeezing. (He doesn’t notice how red she’s turning just from that, but she returns the gesture, a shy beam coming to her face, and that’s all he needs.) “Mari’s right. You and Duusu are home and fixed now, and everything can only get better from here. I’d say that’s a pretty good place to start, wouldn’t you?”

After being with Gabriel for so long, even if his service was unwilling and terrifying, Nooroo feels some parts of him are still loyal to the man, and despite being the youngest Kwami, Nooroo isn’t stupid. He knows he’ll probably need a lot of care and help and time to work through everything he’s been through, but...he also knows they're right. He knows what he went through was anything but good, knows that the loyalty he feels is from the abuse instead of anything remotely earned or deserved, and it feels…impossibly good to finally be able to admit that, even to himself, without fear of backlash. And here, with these people and his fellow Kwamis…he truly does feel like he’ll be okay.

So, he just smiles, perhaps tiny, but bigger than it’s been in so many years, and he nods. "I...I agree! I am happy, too, to be...a-away from...him..." He can't say his name, and he doesn't want to call him ‘Master’ because he—he wasn’t, not really, not by right or Choice, as it should be. So, he settles for that for now. He'll find something to call him in time. For now...

It's only then that he notices just where they are, in some kind of sterile human environment meant for healing, and he isn't sure how he didn't realize how...hurt Marinette is until now. There are still some ugly yellow bruises and scrapes on Adrien, too. Perhaps being awake and free fazed him too much.

"Oh, no...!" he says, so horrified and quiet it's barely a whisper, fluttering closer to look between them and take in their injuries as best he can. "You're hurt! You're—you're humans, human children! Why—? Your suits should have—?!" Then, his eyes widen and well with tears, going pale as memories flood back. "I...I helped him hurt you! I...I...!"

Marinette and Adrien trade a concerned glance, Tikki and Plagg, too. Is he only just now remembering more from the battle? Does he—did he maybe block out all Miraculous battles for his own sanity? Mari makes to reach out to him carefully, but she stops barely halfway, unable to bring herself to get any closer. The last thing she wants to do is scare the poor babe. “N-Nooroo? Are you okay?”

He snaps to look at Marinette, wide, haunted eyes moving from her face to her heart and back like he's frantically checking something, looking more heartbroken by the second, a few tears rolling down. "Ladyb—M-Marinette, you—you died...! Y-your human body gave out, m-more than once, you...! Y-you're lucky to be here at all! And yet, you still...!" He sobs outright and flies toward her faster than he can remember in all his years, nuzzling into a tiny, unmarred section of her cheek. "I-I'm so sorry...! Y-you didn't deserve that...a-any of it...! A-Adrien either! I...p-please...c-can you e-ever forgive me...?"

Marinette's heart automatically goes out to the poor thing, and this time, she reaches up to almost hold him, but leaves more than enough room for him to tell her no or shy away or get away, if he needs it, just in case. She doesn't want to make him feel afraid or trapped. He's felt both for far too long. She'd rather die (maybe not the best choice of words right now, but too bad) than add to that.

"Hey... Hey, Nooroo... It's okay, minou..." She makes sure her voice is light, calm, and gentle like a warm summer breeze. "Can you...can you look at me? And I mean, really look at me?" It takes a few tries, but he does look her in the eyes eventually, and she melts a bit more. She doesn’t understand how anyone could be so terrible to a being so inherently good. She wishes she could do more for him. She will, somehow. "What wielders do with Kwamis’ powers...it's not the Kwamis’ fault. Some people, like Gabriel, only see you as tools. They want to use your power and abuse it for their own gain, no matter what it does to them or the Kwamis or anyone else. That is never the Kwamis' fault. What Gabriel did to me, to us, using your power…it was not your fault. It will never be your fault."

He still looks unconvinced, so very guilty, so she purses her lips tightly before trying another way. "Let me ask you something…" She takes a slow, deep breath. This might be hard for him (and Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg) to hear, but it's necessary. This is where her own painful memories of the final battle, what she has so far anyway, will come in handy, she supposes. "When...when Gabriel was Hawkmoth and he...he was beating me, when he...stabbed me," Nooroo flinches at the reminders, tearing up all the more, but she just smiles gently in kind, hoping to reassure him, "you didn't want to do it, right? You...I'm sure you asked him to stop, told him to, begged him, did your best to resist and fight back. Am I right?"

Nooroo nods immediately, so frantic that she's afraid he might give himself whiplash. His eyes are wide and shell-shocked and somewhat far away, he looks even paler all of a sudden, and he squeezes his eyes shut as the tears become too much. "Of course I did!” His little voice is still quiet, but it’s louder than it’s been yet, shaken and pained. “I asked him what he was doing, why he was hurting you, begged him to stop, tried to tell him you didn't do anything wrong—a-and when that didn't work, I-I said I wouldn't let him hurt you, ordered him to stop! I-I fought him as hard as I could! It's—it's why I lost energy and dropped his—his transformation before Chat Noir could—!"

Mari holds up a hand to stop him, still smiling, though the memories have made her pale as well. Her hand shakes the slightest bit, the one in Adrien’s, too, making him hold on tighter. Nooroo goes silent immediately, grateful for the reprieve, tiny chest heaving with emotion as he watches her confusedly. Adrien and the other two Kwamis are doing the same, not sure what she’s cooking up, but trusting her implicitly. "See?" she entreats, her voice falling tender and soft like the morning sunrise, shaky undercurrent be damned. "You wanted to know why, and you wanted to help me. You fought him every step of the way and did your best to stop him. I might be hurt, sure, and I...I might have lost the fight a few times and been in a coma for a while, but...I'm still here. I'm alive, and I'm sure that is because of you, Nooroo.”

Marinette is pretty sure she’s turning his entire view of the situation on its head. Good. “You dropping the transformation when you did gave Chat Noir the time and opening he needed to step in and take Gabriel down. Without that, he might have kept beating me, and Chat might not have been able to stop him. He might have killed me for real." His eyes are glued on hers, wide and shocked and awed once again, but for entirely different reasons this time, better ones than the mantle she holds, and it’s her heart’s turn to swell. "I wouldn't be here, alive, right now without you, Nooroo." Tears gather in her eyes, too, and she can't help but smile softly, lightly, like sunlight through clouds. "So, thank you so much. Thank you for everything."

Adrien is tearing up himself at the display and revelations here, and he has his own thanks to give for saving his best friend, partner, and the love of his life, but he can do that later. For now, he’s going to let them have their moment. They’ve earned it, and he can’t deny how cute they are together.

Nooroo is so happy and relieved and already loves her so much that he sobs with it, his tears overjoyed and touched now, and he zooms in to nuzzle into her, hug her cheek, wipe away her tears that fall. “Th-thank you, Marinette!”

Once they’ve both calmed down, he still has one more thing. "You've been...having nightmares, I expect." Nooroo glances over at Adrien, Tikki, and Plagg to confirm, and it's a silent, unanimous yes. Vivid memories of her heart rate monitor spiking in the dark of night, shaking, hyperventilating, tears, broken cries of Chat or Adrien’s name, whispered pleas and apologies. He moves to nuzzle into her a little more, voice lowering. "I can help with that. Let me guard your dreams, Marinette. Let me do that much, if not for your sake, then for mine. Please."

Mari swallows the lump that forms at how...sweet he is. Tikki was so, so right to have spoken so highly of him. Someday, she’ll find a way to tell him just how amazing he is—and have him believe it. "If that’s something you feel you need to do, if you're sure...I'd really like that. I trust you, Nooroo. Thank you, little friend."

A small gasp leaves him, and she draws back, worried she said something wrong. But as luck would have it, the little butterfly is positively beaming, not so much tentative anymore as glowing. "A...a friend? Really? I've—I've never had one of those before!" Then, remembering himself, a faint blushing coloring his cheeks, "Ah! A human one, that is!"

Marinette laughs, softening. "I know exactly how that feels.” She glances over to meet Adrien’s eyes, warming. She's sure the two of them can bond over that later, once they open up about their similar experiences. She’d love that. "And now you do. You have me now." Nooroo cheers and flutters up to press his forehead to the star of her face. Happily pressing back, she motions to Adrien, too. "I'm sure Adrien will be, too.”

He nods without hesitation. “Absolutely!”

Marinette grins brightly. “Emilie, Nathalie, Gorilla, my parents...the rest of Team Miraculous. You'll have lots of friends soon enough, Nooroo. If you want them, of course."

Nooroo is crying again, but he's hugging Mari's cheek as she’s found only a Kwami can, and this time, he gladly lets her touch him, her fingers stroking his back below his wings with the gentlest of caresses. He snuggles in more, as much as he possibly can. "M-more than anything...!"

Then it's settled.

“Welcome home, Nooroo.”

[dgmagines]

I can ask for a scenario of tyki and wisely knowing his girlfriend for the first time, being that this was a common human but the exorcists used it as guinea pigs? I LOVE YOUR BLOG

Woah hell- this came out way longer than min expected but!!! I hope you enjoy non!! ;; v ;; - Min

There used to be a rumour going around when children withinnocence were discovered; random disappearances happened when finders orexorcists passed through cities- the young, the elderly- it didn’t matter whatage you were. Sometimes, they took people who lived alone- ones who didn’t haverelatives or who had already been secluded from society for being – well –themselves.

That was a hundred years ago though.

And though the rumour still floated around, no one couldactually tell if it was real or not.

Well.

No one from the common family of course.

The higher ups of the hideous organization and certain membersof the Noah family knew where the truth lies; and survivors of the cruelexperiments conducted by the Order – though scarce – didn’t have anyonethey could turn to. Who could you talk to about your experiences when the veryorganization that you were talking about was protecting the innocent?

That was how ______ had lived their life.

In hiding.

In secrecy.

In fear of that one day, the Order would drag them back into thecursed place and perform more experiments on them.

All in the name of the greater good.

So when Tyki accidentally walked into their room while they weredeep in thought, his first order of business was to scare them half to death-in which he’d succeeded. ______ screamed as if their life depended on it,bolted halfway across the room, and curled up into a ball screaming at him to leaveme alone, I’m not going in there, or some other unintelligiblephrases that Tyki’s ears couldn’t pick up on.

He was dumbstruck, staring at his partner who had always beencomposed- he never could get a reaction out of them and he didn’t think thefirst time they’d react, it would be this bad. So he sat down with them,approaching them gently and sitting a little ways off from the sobbing messthat was his partner.

Slowly, he drew nearer - his hand on their back and his voicelow as he called their name. He can feel them visibly flinching under histouch, the shaking showing no signs of stopping. He gently took hold of theirhands, slowly prying them away from where they were digging into their skin,and told them to follow his lead and breathe deeply- and they did. Slowly, hisvoice penetrated the fog that surrounded their mind and they did as they weretold. When their breathing was back to normal, they swallowed thickly; afraidof what Tyki’s reactions would be from what he had just witnessed.

It was a part of them that they never wanted anyone to see- muchless him.

“I-“

“Calm down,” Tyki touched his forehead with theirs, forcefullymaking them focus on him and him alone.

“Breathe. Get your head in order first. If you don’t want totell me, it’s fine. I just want to know that you’re okay,” tears welled up intheir eyes and they nodded meekly, closing their eyes and focusing on pushingthe memories back.

It wasn’t until an hour later- when Tyki had them lay on his lapand they were almost falling to sleep- did they finally tell Tyki about theirpast; the one that they had tried so hard to suppress.

And Tyki wouldn’t say it- lord knows he’s too sweet of a man forthat – but _______ could feel the anger radiating off of him in waves. Theycould feel it in the way he started shaking and the way his hands stoppedrunning themselves through their hair- instead choosing to run through his ownmessy locks. They could feel it in the shaky sigh that Tyki tried to silence.

Tyki was already plotting revenge over the idiots that daredtouch his beloved.

If he had to tear the whole Order apart, then so be it.

He’d ripped them apart- no matter the consequences.

Wisely stared into the crowd in boredom, loosening the tie ofhis suit so that he could breathe better now that the party was finally dwindling down. He knewthe Earl had invited everyone in town- nobles and high rankings and well offfamilies alike. He also knew that because of the latest strange occurrencesthat had happened in the area, it was the only reason why the Earl would host aparty, why the people were filled with unrest, and why some of his brotherswere missing.

And even though half the city was in the huge ballroom owned bythe Noah family, the streets outside were crowded with party-goers andcivilians and the occasional akumas in disguise. His eyes roamed the many facesof the crowd, searching for one in particular out of habit. He’d learn a neattrick to block other people’s thoughts out of his head, especially when lookingfor that special someone who he could only seemingly catch while they were in acrowd like this.

No sooner had he stepped out onto the balcony did he see afamiliar face slipping into an alley, resting against the wall to regain theirsense of balance and self. The corners of his lips turned into a smile, contentwith having seen them from afar but his feelings bloomed and blossomed when the(h/c) turned their head up, meeting his gaze with their brilliant (e/c) orbs.He grinned, waving at them from the balcony of the Noah family’s mansion andthe girl did the same, excitement glimmering in their eyes.

“Ah- he’s busy tonight. I should get going then,” he heard thethoughts swimming in her head, resting his chin in the palm of his hand as hecontinued to stare at her in complete adoration and affection; he knew he wassmitten with her the moment he had laid eyes on her all those weeks ago, but hedidn’t think it would get to a point where they were always in his mind. Healmost wanted to shout for them to stay, that no he wasn’t busy, andthat he wouldn’t mind having their company for the rest of the night but heknew that his voice would only get lost in the murmur of the crowd.

“Stay with me?” his mouth formed the words, syllable by syllableto make sure that she would understand what it was that he was trying to conveybut the (h/c) simply shook her head, holding a hand up in apology as well asmouthing the words he was disappointed to hear.

“Maybe next time?” his lips turned into a visible pout, eyes narrowingas he watched the girl chuckle quietly at his antics. He sighed, shruggingslightly as her thoughts intruded in his headspace yet again.

“I hope he’s not mad at me,” how could he? How could he ever bemad at her when he was so infatuated with her? What a ridiculous question thishuman has, he thought to himself as he tried to suppress the laughter bubblingup his throat. He waved goodbye to her, wishing her a good night and her doingthe same, turning her head from side to side to look for an opening for a wayout.

When, on the third try, she turned her head to the side, shevisibly froze- eyes widening at something she had spotted. Wisely was woken bythe sudden pain in his head and he stiffened as well, straightening his postureas he frantically wondered what was wrong with his partner. Their mind hadsuddenly gone blank, the white noise that had replaced their thoughts akin tothe cold stabbing pain he felt on his temples.

He didn’t need to be a mind-reader to know that something hadshook her; he could see her hands clenching into fists on the fabric of hercloak, her chest rising and falling in labored breaths, and her eyes as glassy and unfocused. He could feel the intensity of her feelings even as he pulled himselfaway from the railing and out the ballroom doors, the terror from her jumbledthoughts scaring even him.

“_______!” He yelled out of instinct, the grand doors of themansion thrown open by sheer force as he ran outside, stopping to catch hisbreath as he tried to recall where the position of the balcony to her locationwas situated. When he finally saw her standing out from the crowd, he forcedhis way through; pushing past people to get to her to calm her down.

He called for her and, when no response came, he pulled on herarm to snap her out of it; but to no avail. Her mind was far away from wherethey were and her eyes were trained on the pair of people she had seen wadingthrough the crowd.

He turned his gaze towards where he thought her gaze was andimmediately he could see two exorcists of the Order standing out from the crowdlike sore thumbs, their black uniforms contrasting with the vibrant, and plainclothing of the civilians around them. His eyes narrowed and his hold on hertightened and, only then, could he hear the thoughts whirring in her mind oncemore.

“Stop struggling child,”

No.

“Let go of me!”

Stop.

“Do it!!”

Please!

“Father!”

_____ gasped after Wisely heard the hoarse male voice yelling inher mind, her breathing irregular and her whole person shaking from fear. Tearsfell from her eyes in a constant stream and she took a step back, shaking herhead as the two uniformed exorcists drew nearer. Wisely reached out for herhand, taking them in his hand gently as he called her name, hoping to calm herdown some but all he did was make her yell out of shock- frantic (e/c) eyesturning to stare at him with mixtures of emotions that he couldn’t pinpoint.

“Wi….. wi… wise….ly….?” her lips trembled and her voice crackedand her eyes stared at him but it was like she was far far away and Wisely wasnothing short of scared because he didn’t know what was going on and hecouldn’t catch glimpses of her memory to know what was going on but it wasclear to him that something about the Black Order had traumatized her so he didthe only thing he thought to have been reasonable at the time.

“_______..? Can you walk?” he held her at arm’s length, movingin front of her to obscure her vision of the uniformed men. She wasn’t lookingat him anymore- she was looking everywhere but him- and her mind was so jumbledand noisy that it caused Wisely great pain in his head but he couldn’t affordto stop reading her mind lest she reverted back to the blank state he hadcaught her in. She shook her head, hesitantly, as if unsure of her ownabilities.

“We need to get you out of here, yeah? The Earl is looking forme, probably, so I need you to come with me, yeah?” ____ nodded, her movementsshaky and jumpy as he moved closer to her. He wound his arm around her waist,feeling her jump under his touch before he whispered for her to relax.

“I can’t go back,”

“I don’t want to go back,”

“I can’t go back,”

He could feel her breathing stuttering and he stared at her inmild concern, pushing open the gate to the property and up the staircase andinto his room. Wisely sat her down on his bed, still staring at her in concernas he took his place besides hers. He called for her gently, carefully placinghis hand over hers in an attempt to comfort her only to have her flinchviolently, her head whipping around so fast to stare at him that he was takenaback himself.

They stared at each other for what seemed like the longest oftime; (e/c) orbs softened and tears starting cascading down her cheeks inwaterfalls, shaky words of gratitude falling from her lips as she pulled herfriend into an embrace- grateful for his existence and presence at the time.Wisely patted her back, closing his eyes to hear her thoughts better.

Fragmented they were, but unintelligible, they were not.

His hands clenched into fists when he found the reason for herbreakdown- cursing himself for not acting sooner and cursing her memories formaking her relive such painful experiences at the mere sight of the bloodyorganization she was fortunate enough to escape from. As her shaking subsidedand her breathing slowed, Wisely gently laid the girl down on his bed,discarding her of her outer wear and covering her with the duvet to make sureshe was as comfortable as can be.

He gave a pained smile towards the sleeping (h/c) murmuring agood night under his breath as he closed the door of the room, engulfing theoccupant in total darkness. The night was still young, he insisted, as he toldthe servant nearby that no one was to enter his room unless he was in beforewalking towards the ballroom where his family resided.