Butterfly Boy

Chapter 12

It wasn't until the next day when Alya showed her that Marinette found out what had Danny so devastated.

She watched with mouth open at the replay of the video. Her eyes shimmered. She needed to talk to Danny. Now!

Alya seemed equally sad but she scrolled down the phone. "But look at these comments. My fans really like him."

Marinette wore a small smile as she read them.

There were comments like:

'No. Garcon Papillon it's not your fault. Don't be like that!'

'Someone give this child a hug.'

'Danny (his name is danny guys. I did research) Don't listen to her. You cant be everywhere at once. You cant help everyone.'

'Chat, help my poor cinnamon roll.'

But there was one that made Marinette tense up.

'Finally someone tells him.'

Alya saw her friend's angry face and nodded. "Yeah I would have erased them but look at the replies they got."

'Who are you. How can you say something like that.'

'I will find you and I will hurt you.'

'Say that again. To my face.'

Marinette chuckled and gave Alya back her phone. "They love him, don't they."

The other nodded. "They're crazy about him. I've heard someone started a Papillon fandom. Maybe they'll join in the fandom war that's been going on awhile."

"Fandom war?"

"Yeah. Who's the best superhero."

Marinette frowned. "But they're all great. They all help in their own way. There is no better superhero."

Alya shrugged. "Tell the fangirls that."

They entered the classroom and the gloomy atmosphere hit them hard.

It wasn't long before they found out the cause of it. Or rather...the only thing from stopping it gone.

Danny lay with crossed arms hunched over the desk and face buried in them. A depressed aura radiated off of him. Even his butterflies weren't fluttering around him like usual. All clustered around him like a comfort blanket.

The rest of the students were shifting around nervously. No one dared approach him just yet.

Marinette met Adrien's eyes. He pursed his lips.

Suddenly someone burst through the door.

It was Rose.

She looked left and right and spotted Danny. She scrambled forward. Everyone made way for her and her wild run.

"Danny!" She cried as she flung herself at him. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. I'm so so so sorry."

Danny looked up in shock at the sudden hug and Marinette could see his face for the first time.

He looked terrible. As if instead of sleeping, he'd been crying all night long. But the worst thing were his eyes. So dull and blank. So not Danny.

He looked at Rose's blonde mop of hair squished against his chest. "Rose." He looked her over. "Are you ok? You aren't hurt, are you?"

Rose looked up with an open mouth. She shook her head quickly. "I'm sorry, Danny. You're the one hurt. I didn't mean what I said. I- I just."

"It's alright. That wasn't you. That was Hawkmoth trying to get under my skin." Danny hugged her tighter. "All that matters is that you're ok."

The class relaxed slightly and approached the hugging pair. Danny was smiling. He would get better. Everything would go back to normal and he would be his usual self.

Except that didn't happen exactly like that.

Sure Danny smiled and laughed.

But he was always tense. His eyes were as restless as his Papis, flitting around the room.

And no one was taking that so great.

"Guys," Alix said as she looked at Danny who was glancing around, watching over everyone like a hawk. "We gotta do something."

"I know," Kim whined. "Lunch is way too short. We gotta eat like the wind to finish it."

Alix sent him a scowl. "I'm talking about Danny. He's been tense ever since the thing with Rose."

"Oh yeah." Kim sighed. "I thought that, since he's from a ghost town, he wouldn't be afraid of akumas."

Max pushed his glasses up. "He isn't."

"What?" Alix glanced at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"He isn't scared of the akumas. He's scared of people turning into akumas."

"That's the same thing, Max." Kim frowned.

"No." Max pointed at himself. "He feels responsible for us. Danny is the only one who can cleanse akumas before they affect anyone so every time it does happen he feels like it's his fault."

"What." Alix narrowed her eyes at the tense black haired boy. "Is he stupid or what."

Max shrugged. "He's overprotective."

Alix rubbed her face. "Alright, how do we get it through Danny's stubborn head that he can't be everywhere and that his overprotective attitude is being more hurtful than helpful?"

Kim sighed and rested his head on his cheek. "I have no idea."

Danny.....your obsession is showing.