Miraculous LadyBug & Chat Noir Random Shots

Adrien's Competition Part 9

         Marinette sat with her legs pulled up to her chest in the chair on her balcony. The air felt nice and it made her feel like she wasn't so trapped. While it helped to tell her parents, it had yet to change anything, although they told her Gabriel Agreste had called them personally and told them he was handling it at Adrien's request and because the whole thing started during one of his photo shoots. Marinette still felt trapped.

Tikki nuzzled her cheek trying to offer some comfort but she hadn't needed to be Ladybug for a few days now and with Chat's frequent visits and Ethan, she didn't know when she would transform. She didn't really have the heart to be Ladybug right now anyway.

"Princess..." Chat's striking green eyes were weighted with concern as he perched on the edge of her balcony. For just the smallest fraction of a second, fear that it was Ethan and not Chat froze her. it was just the tiniest of seconds because of course this was her Chat.

Tikki took cover in Marinette's bag and hoped that Chat would be able to help her. As much as the little Kwami wanted to help, this was a human problem.

"Marinette..." Chat slid off the edge of the balcony and stood there, waiting for her to call him over.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"What do you mean, Princess?" He asked her.

"You're just standing there. Why?" She demanded. Chat sighed and straightened up.

"May I sit with you?" He asked her.

"Of course!" She exclaimed, surprised. Chat didn't ask permission to sit with her. He knocked on her door if she was inside but he'd never asked to sit with her before.

"Why would you have to ask me?" she asks as he makes his way over and sits in the chair she'd brought out for him.

"You've been crying." He noted wiping a lingering tear from her cheek.

"No...I just..." she shook herself "why did you ask to sit with me?"

"because I don't want you to feel like you have deal with me." he said seriously.

"Deal with you?" she gaped at him "you're my best friend, I love having you around."

"Really?" he asked her "and you wouldn't just say that because you feel bad for me or because you didn't want to hurt my feelings?" he scrutinized her face, watched for a reaction. It wasn't the one he was expecting. Her usual smile turned into a scowl, a fresh wave of tears spilled over her cheeks.

"No." She snapped at him shaking her head "Ethan is affecting everything else right now." She suppressed a sob "I can't even help in the bakery because he just shows up and I can't walk to school alone because I'm afraid he'll see me... I can't even enjoy time with this guy I have the biggest crush on because he thinks this is his fault!" Marinette ranted. "but this..." she gestured to herself and Chat "this is not going to change." Her shoulders trembled and she shook her head "it can't change." She whimpered "we can't change, not now."

Chat's heart broke. Marinette was so strong and kind and loving and had comforted him the days his father wasn't there to. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her with all the strength Plagg gave him.

"We won't." Chat said, "we won't change." He let her cry, although he could tell by the way she sobbed in bursts that she was trying really hard not to. He pretended he didn't know.

"I'm never going to leave you, Marinette." He promised her. She would never know but, it was a promise as both Adrien and Chat Noir.

After several moments, Marinette calmed down and Chat sank into the other chair and he watched her. He tried to put on his usual persona but he didn't want to overwhelm her.