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Bunnyx sighed as she lost another round of table tennis to Chat Noir. She doesn't know why she even bothered accepting his challenges any more; he was frustratingly good at everything he did.
But that was not Bunnyx’s style.
She was competitive by nature and attempted to tackle any challenge thrown her way… which Chat Noir knew so he continued to challenge her whenever they were both free from their superhero duties.
“Surprise, surprise. You win again.” She huffed.
Chat leaned against the table, flipping the paddle in his hand. “You should know better than to challenge this champ. Meow you have to pay up.”
Bunnyx rolled her eyes. "Now, will that be cash, credit, or memories?"
Chat grinned. “You know my answer already.”
She did. He always chose memories because he knew that she was broke but he also had this longing to see a very specific set of memories she had on standby.
Putting down her paddle, she nodded. “Let’s go then. Burrow!” The burrow opened and they stepped inside together.
Bunnyx, thankfully, didn’t have to put a bowl on his head like she had to do with Bug. Chat only had eyes for the open circle directly across from them, the one he knew she kept separate just for him.
As they kneeled in front of it, she took a peek at his face. Some of his cockiness had faded and was now replaced with a quiet calmness.
“Do you have a specific date?”
Chat nodded. “August 28th, back when I was six.”
Bunnyx nodded and quickly rewound the screen. This was a new date and she wondered what was so special about this day. It became apparent as Adrien’ mother, Emilie, appeared alongside a tiny Adrien, holding his hand and leading him down a path next to a stream.
“Mommy!” Little Adrien giggled as she poked his cheek. “Why do you keep poking me?”
“Sorry, my little angel. I just need to make sure that you’re real.”
Adrien rolled his eyes. “Of course I’m real, Mommy. I’m holding your hand and everything.”
Emilie squeezed the little boy’s hand and smiled. “You’re right! How did I not notice!” They chuckled before Adrien turned and poked her side. “What was that for?”
“To see if you’re real!” He giggled.
Her smile softened. “Of course I’m real, darling. Can’t you see me?”
Adrien nodded before frowning. “But sometimes it’s possible to see something that’s not there. Felix told me the other day that he saw a ghost in his house! But then it disappeared! Like one moment it was there and the next it was gone! So we can’t always trust our eyes. That’s why I had to make sure that you are really beside me.”
Emilie’s smile dropped. She pulled him to a stop and knelt in front of him on the path. “You’re absolutely right. Sometimes our eyes play tricks on us, but I want you to know. No matter where I am or where you are, I will always be next to you. Even when I’m far away or we are separated, I’m always beside you, holding your hand and loving you, okay?”
Little Adrien nodded. “Yes, Mommy. And I’ll always be next to you too! No matter what.”
Emilie hugged him to her chest and sprinkled kisses all over his face causing him to break out into giggles again. “Now let's head home. Your father will be back any moment and we want to be able to greet him after he’s had a hard and busy day at work, right?”
“Right!” Little Adrien cheered and the pair continued down the path until they disappeared.
Turning back to Chat, Bunnyx noticed the tears on his cheeks. This is how he normally got after seeing a memory of his mother, but she still wanted to check in. “Are you okay?”
Wiping his face, he nodded. “Yeah. I just… I miss her a lot and…” Shaking his head, he laughed. “I’m sure you don’t want to hear me cry about my mom for the fiftieth time.”
Bunnyx shook her head. “You know that’s not true, Kitten Noir. We’re friends and I’m always down to listen to a friend in need.”
Nodding, he took a deep breath. “I just… don’t understand what happened. My family was together. We were all living under one room, happy and loved. It’s obvious in every single memory you’ve shown me. So I just don’t understand what happened. Why did my mom leave us? Why did she leave me after promising she’d always be by my side?”
Bunnyx moved closer to his side and rubbed his back. “I don’t think she had much of a choice, Adrien. It looked like she wanted to stay by your side no matter what. But things happen. People go away or they… die. That’s just how it works.”
“And I know that! But it doesn’t feel right to brush it off as just a death or going away. She was literally there one day and gone the next. It’s been two years now and my father still won’t address it. All he says is that he’s trying to return her to us.”
“He’s probably in denial as well. She was his wife so he must’ve loved her very much. Just like you.”
Chat started to cry and Bunnyx quickly pulled him into her arms as she’d done many times before this.
If there was one reason she’d ever turn down his challenges it would be because of this: Chat always broke down after the memories and it hurt to see him in so much pain. He was one of the kindest souls she knew, in and out of the suit
But…
For the same reason, she’d continue taking his challenges because he needed to get all those pent up emotions out. He’d been bottling them up for so long that he was a volcano just ready to explode- or get akumatized- at any moment.
It really put Bunnyx between a rock and a hard place.
Soon, Chat was calming down and standing up. She took his offered hand and they exited the burrow back into Adrien’s room.
“So…” He scratched the back of his neck. “Same time Friday after next?”
Laughing, she nodded. “Sure. What’s the game?”
“Air hockey. Be ready to lose.”
Bunnyx rolled her eyes. “In your dreams, Kitten Noir.”
His chuckles followed her back in the burrow. Shaking her head, she sighed as she looked around the stark white space.
She really needed to brush up on her air hockey skills so he wouldn’t wipe the floor with her.