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Ariden remembered crystal clearly when his Father found out that he was Chat Noir. He broke down and started crying and admitted that he was Hawkmoth and didnt want to be the cause of losing his son admitting everything in the span of 10 minutes, it was a lot to take in. But he did keep his promise and then shut himself away like normal, looking back it was probably a crisis about all the things that he has done to keep Ariden safe and happy and how it all back fired so badly.
Even now they are not okay but they are getting better. When his Father gave him the Hawkmoth miraculous he did not know that Lila and broken in and taken, finding the information of its location when not in use or on Aridens Father.
And when she came out as the new Hawkmoth…that was the last time Chat Noir saw is lady . A new girl replaced her, obvious by the costume change and look of the girl and she is an amazing Ladybug but that first one was different for him. There was alsmost a grief for not having her around in the sense of he was in love with her and that he was there learning right besides him and now there is no more that.
Going through all the other victims of the crime was something that Ladybug talked about doing and what she usually did after everything but now—at the time—it was just him.
That is how he met Marinette. Now, Ariden met Marinette in school they were friends even. But that was rather how Chat Noir met Marinette. After the attack it left Marinettes legs in a bad state, it triggered a autoimmune condition causing her immune system to attack her joints which triggered so many more conditions. Now with a cane and not being able to really walk upstairs Ariden and Marinette dont have many classes that they share and that kinda made the friendship dwindle. He wasnt the only one who let that happen in the class.
He still cruses himself about letting that happen, Marinette to is going through a very hard time. But as Chat Noir he would still be able to help her. Which was why even after the standard vist he kept coming back and a friendship sparked and caused a forest fire of getting along. Watching her change was one the most amazing things he has been able to see, to see her grow and become more confident in herself.
In some ways it reminded him of Ladybug, the original Ladybug, but it showed him that even she who he fell in love with and the truth of how she actually was. Marinette was like the Ladybug that he thought he fell in love with.
Still with all this in mind he gave it time, not wanting to put himself or Marinette through something because he wasnt over his first love. It has been a year since he figured this out and now they have recently started dating.
Pulling away from the kiss that he had pulled her into they just stared at each other for a moment. This was great. She might not have been his first love but she is amazing next love.