I do not own Miraculous Ladybug

Chat stood there, stunned. His lady had never gotten that angry with him before. And she certainly never yelled at him before. Though he did remember how she usually got very short with him whenever he suggested sharing identities…. Though today… Well, she had said she had a bad day, maybe that's why she was more upset than usual. After all, Adrien himself got a bit snippy after a long photoshoot, or a bad day. Something had happened at her appointment, it must have gone bad. And something he said reminded her of it. He felt bad for making her so mad, and promised himself he would apologise to her the next time they saw each other.

Using his baton, he started heading back towards his house, knowing there was nothing he could do to fix his mistake, until the next day. He launched himself through the city, stopping abruptly on the roof of Francois Dupont High School, when he heard the sound of crying coming from the neighboring roof. Marinette's balcony.

He quickly launched himself from the roof of the high school, to her balcony. She didn't notice him, it seemed. She was laying face down on her lawn chair, sobbing.

Marinette hadn't wanted to fight with Chat. Hated to do it. But he thought she was a hero even without the mask, and that simply wasn't true. He would be disappointed to find that she couldn't even walk. That she was broken. And so she cried, sobbing away pain, hoping that it would ease.

Adrien quietly walked up to the girl on the lawn chair, kneeling down beside it, and placing his hand on her shoulder. "Princess?" he said softly, and she flipped over, to look at him. Her eyes were red rimmed, and tears flowed freely down her face. And it broke his heart.

He loved this girl. She was his friend. But not only that… She was so much more than that to him. And she was beautiful. At school, he could see glimpses of the girl she used to be. The brave, strong willed, confident Marinette that Nino said was lost in the accident. But Adrien knew she wasn't lost, only hiding. Only covered up by worry, and fear. But those times when Adrien could see the true Marinette seeping through the cracks, he thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He felt drawn to her, wanted to stay by her side, and felt like he needed to. He wanted to protect her, and wanted to prove to her how beautiful she was.

It was hard for him to see the most girl he had ever met, have zero self confidence. And he wanted to prove to her that she was worth so much more than she thought. She was so much more than her disability. But she seemed blinded by it, in a way. Believing that people only saw her for the chair. And every time Chloe talked to her, it seemed like it was the blonde's goal to break Marinette.

He knew Chloe was just jealous. After all, she was used to people fawning over her, loving her. But when people started fawning over Marinette, she hated it. He remembered what she had said to him when Marinette was first in her class, though he hadn't known Marinette at the time. Chloe hated that everyone loved Marinette more than her.

"Chat Noir?" Marinette said, slightly bewildered, breaking Chat out of his reverie. There was a flash of anger in her eyes, before it settled into resignation. Chat didn't know what to think of it, but quickly shook it off, in favor of figuring out what was wrong with his princess. He held her chin in his hand, using the thumb of his other hand to wipe away her tears.

"The one and only," he gave her a fake smile, hiding his concern. "What's wrong Princess?" He had to admit, that after the fight with Ladybug, he wanted to talk with…. someone. He hadn't exactly wanted to return to his empty house. And that is why he had been so quick to join her on her balcony. Who better to talk to than the girl he loved. Marinette always seemed to make his day better, brighter. And whenever he was around her, it felt like home. In a way his house never could. And for someone who was freezing from the cold in his own house, he welcomed Marinette's warmth.

"Today was rough," she answered. "Not only did my physical therapy appointment go poorly, but I got into a fight with my best friend, and he probably hates me now because of it," she admitted, with a small hiccup. "Okay, rough isn't really strong enough. This was one of the worst days I've had in a while,"

"That's awful, what started the fight?" he asked gently, not sure who this best friend, who was a guy, was. After all, he thought Alya was her best friend. But he didn't want to bring that up. Since there was no way Chat would know her so well. And he had to remind himself of that, he was Chat, and she was a civilian to him. He couldn't allow it to be more than that.

"My friend…. He…. he expects me to be someone I'm not, someone I can't be," she knew she shouldn't be talking about it with him, but she needed to talk, so…. "He was a member of my track team, before the accident…." she lied, so that she could keep her secret identity intacted. She hated doing it. First she fought with him, and now she was lying to him. Great, just great Marinette, she thought to herself, If he didn't hate you before, he will when he finds out. "We kept in touch after, but he never seemed to accept the accident. He seemed to think I could still walk…. I've tried talking to him about it, but he just keeps telling me that I can still do everything I used to. He just won't accept that I'm broken now. I'm not the Marinette he knew. He sees me as someone else, puts me on a pedestal. He wants me to be more than I am. And it hurts so much! Sometimes, when I'm with him, I forget that I'm in this chair, and I feel free, I feel like I can finally be myself again. He makes me feel whole, makes me feel like the accident didn't destroy my life, that there is still a life to keep living. He keeps me going, and I love him for it…."

"I love him for everything, actually. Maybe that's why it hurts so much. How do you tell the person you love that you'll never be who they want you to be? How can you deal with the person you love, your best friend, wanting you to be something you're not. He's kept me going, saved my life, and yet, what can I give back to him…. nothing. I can't even be who he thinks I am. No, I'm broken, and… And why would he ever care about someone like me, when he wants, and deserves someone better. Someone who can be who he wants them to be. Someone who can walk. Someone perfect. Someone who isn't broken," Marinette rambled on, breaking Chat's heart with every word she said.

"Princess…." Chat said, slightly in shock with all he heard. It had bruised and broken his heart. Marinette, his Princess, loved someone else. And apparently, that someone else made her feel like this. Would it be too much to claw that idiot's eyes out for doing this to his princess…. Probably. Did that mean he wasn't seriously considering it…. Definitely not. "Whoever this guy is… He shouldn't make you feel like this…. "

"He doesn't know…. I would never tell him…. I got in a fight with him today, and he probably hates me because of it. I want to apologise for all I've said…. But I'm not sure even an apology was enough. I hope he will still be my friend. Though I know I'll never be anything more…." she gave a watery, weary smile. "Nope, why would he want me, when he has that cute friend of his that he's in love with…." she gave her head a small shake. "Sorry about wasting your time with this, I know you probably need to go home…"

"It's alright," Chat's voice was sincere. "I'm always here to help out a princess in need."

"Why do you call me that?" She asked, her voice unsteady.

"Call you what?" Chat was genuinely confused.

"Princess."

"That's because you are one,"

"Am not,"

"Well, then, it's because I found you up here, in your tower, hidden away from the world. And I, your knight in shining armour, feel it is my duty to protect the princess, especially if her prince charming makes her cry,"

"You are so silly," Marinette let out a breathy laugh. "Thanks for cheering me up, Chaton."

"Any time, Princess," he said, giving her a smile. Feeling like his work was done, after saying farewell to her, he headed back home. Deciding to ask Nino about all the guys on Marinette's old track team, he was bound to know them, right? He needed to know for…. Reasons.

I want to apologize for the delay in posting, but I am currently on vacation, and am not paying much attention to fanfiction, or posting stories. That also means I will not update for a week, or more. Since I don't have the next chapter written, and am not going to write it this week. Thank you all for understanding. I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter, and as always, I would love to hear what you think! Love you all - Alice O'Flynn