I own nothing of the Miraculous Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir, this is just a fan work.

Sleep felt like an illusion at this point. Each time her mind got close, and her eyes began falling at the brick of no return, they'd snap right back open. An open guard left her vulnerable, susceptible to an attack. She wouldn't let that happen again, couldn't let that happen again. It was silly to be this on edge, but it didn't matter now. The fact was that she was this on edge and she didn't know if she should walk away or jump off.

She'd been fine at first, sleep coming easily even though it shouldn't have. In fact she didn't notice it should be hard for her to sleep, life felt normal. It wasn't until the bruises had started to disappear; weeks after her mental trauma should have come crashing down on her, did her mind take a 180 twist.

The realization of it all hit at the worst time she could have imagined. The Akuma they had been waiting weeks for had finally appeared, and at first he didn't seem that strong. When his hand grasped her arm though, everything came crashing down.

Her arm wasn't tender, hadn't been for over a week now, but her emotions were.

Chat must have been so confused. Where his strong Ladybug stood with her Lucky Charm in hand, ready to be used, quickly turned into a horrified little girl. She had shrieked loudly, pulling with all of her strength in desperation to free her arm. She could feel her mind clouding over, getting hazy by the second.

Her partner seemed to catch onto her distress quickly, not that it was hard to see. Black clawed hands had ripped the Akuma from her body. Everything had become a blur after that. It was her assumption that her kitty had destroyed the akumatized item, that she'd purified it, and that vanished seconds after her miraculous cure fixed the wreckage. That was what the Ladyblog told her anyway.

Marinette's own memory stopped when she couldn't get her arm free and returned hours later with her sitting motionless on her bed, trying in desperation to sleep. It must have been Tikki she realized. The little sprite now rested on her lap, snuggled in her hands as cookie crumples covered her mouth. It was a little weird to think about now, having her body controlled by her Kwami, but she was grateful for it.

Surely Chat was suspicious of her actions now, but his suspicions should at least be slightly lower with her technically carrying out her required Ladybug duties.

Tears rolled down from her eyes, and while her hands rose quickly to try and prevent them, they didn't stop. Tikki woke to them, her warm embrace of fingers leaving bringing her to the reality that she was needed. The sprite's head nuzzled Marinette's cheek, hoping that it might help her just a little bit.

It didn't do much, but it was another person Marinette could say grounded her. Her mind kept rolling back to that night, that man's hands so roughly grasping at her. This time she had her power though, a charged, caring Tikki there for her the second she'd need her. But would she be able to transform? Would there be enough time?

Her hands moved to cup her friend beside her chest, tears still flowing at each flash of that night. It was the first time she'd cried since then. Chat had been such a distraction for her. Each time over the weeks she'd only been able to think of him. The way he held her in his arms, assured her in such a soothing voice, kissed her forehead goodnight, and had even made the promise to break her from her "tower" once more. Now though, he hadn't been back. It was probably still too soon, she knew this, but her mind was processing further back, beyond her silly Kitty's comforting gestures. Sobs came from her more forcefully, fingers tightening a bit over Tikki as she doubled over into herself.

She'd been so lost, her crying so loud in her own ears that the sound of her skylight window opening had easily been missed, and so had the gentle calls of her name. Tikki was squirming in her hands now, trying her hardest not to be spotted herself.

A hand found its way on her shoulder, a new weight added to her bed, and it brought her back to reality. Blinking, clearing the tears away that stung her eyes, Marinette glanced up at her intruder with a terrified expression. It quickly changed though. A blond haired boy, sporting solid emerald eyes and a black mask swarmed her vision. The tension she'd built up released, the tears that had so abruptly stopped started again, and it was all she could do to lean her head into the young boy's chest and let her sobs take back over.

Adrien had caught on to how odd Marinette had been acting, or rather, the lack of her odd behavior. She seemed spunky, her old self never flickering at school for even a second. He'd made sure to watch her more, even if from afar. His interactions with the girl had always been brief and short, but he knew how she reacted around him and her friends and nothing had changed.

To say that he was worried was an understatement. Marinette was a strong girl, but the way she'd looked that night he'd come to her rescue, the way she cried the night he'd carried her home; some type of breakdown should have occurred by now. But it hadn't. Her eyes were never red when she came into school, and she was so chipper with Alya for weeks!

Now though, he could see why. Marinette was almost too strong for her own good. All these times she must have simply been thinking about when he'd been with her, when he'd saved her. Now though, after weeks of her memories of him finally running dry, her mind worked its way farther back in time. She'd been strong and held on till she couldn't any longer.

Chat wrapped harms around her, pulling her body tight against his chest. Just like the night before his fingers played out their small circles on her back and his voice cooed soft sounds. There wasn't much he could do, and he felt helpless knowing this. Such a sweet, kind girl who'd become such a dear friend in his civil life was suffering. She'd gotten by till she couldn't anymore, and she should have never had to just get by from the start.

He waited patiently. He'd let her emotions drip onto his suit until she could no longer produce water, and he was left with her untamed breaths.

Marinette had let it all out, and before she could lift her face to glance at her cat, she'd moved her hands closer to her body, slipping her small Ladybug Sprite inside a pocket of her blazer. When she was sure Tikki was hidden, she let her sapphire eyes glance up, meeting with the worried ones of her feline partner.

She laughed then, harsh and loud; and it left the Kitty Cat with en even more perplexed expression. "I'm a mess." She confessed. Saying sorry would have been awkward. Sorry would have meant that she wasn't as grateful for his presence, but the truth was just as grateful for him to be here now as she was the night he'd come to her aid.

The super cat gave her a smile then, a clawed hand reaching out to cup her cheek, dashing over her skin before connecting with her hair, and shimmering through it. "If this is you as a mess Princess, then I can't image what you'd look like as a wreak. Though your hair could use a bit of brushing, it's rather knotted in those pigtails of yours."

A smile was on her face the instant he complemented her, small hands pushing at his chest in embarrassment, and a giddy laugh rose from his lips before he could stop it.

Moving to stand on his feet, Chat extended a paw out to her, the other grasping at her window latch. "It was upon your request in our last meeting that you would wait for me to free you from this Purr-etty pink tower of yours, and now that I've returned, I feel that time has come."

The blush on her face made him wish he had a camera, or really anything he could use to try and capture her expression. She was beyond embarrassed. His lines were way over the top then he'd ever been with another person, or even with his partner in crime. But goodness did it feel right to say them.

"Won't your Lady be jealous of me? You are sneaking off so late at night just to free a captive Princess?" She retorted back, her hand falling gently into the one he offered as her legs pushed her up till she was almost at ceiling height.

"My Lady needs a break tonight, so her eyes won't catch me if I slip from them for a few hours. Besides, I know my Lady is free from her tower, but you my Princess are still trapped inside. Now hold on tight."

She simply gave him a quick nod, her arms wrapping around his neck, while Chat's arm held tight to her waist. With a click to his baton, they were extended high into the air, before it retracted and extended at a farther distance. The cat moved them through Paris like this, retracting and extending over and over until they came into contact with the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Their landing had been soft, and as soon as his baton had retracted, Chat made sure to keep a strong hold to Marinette as he guided her over by the building's edge. They both took silent seats, deep breaths flowing in and out as Paris stretched out before them.

Adrien finally turned his head towards his classmate, a gloved hand gently resting over one of her own. "My Lady seemed a bit off today, she didn't stay to carry out our usual goodbye routine after the Akuma attack. In fact, her voice to me before she left didn't sound like her at all. It was high pitched and scared. She's strong though, and I'm sure it was from nothing more than something in her civilian life crossing over near the tail end of our fight. Maybe the akuma victim said something that gave her a bit of a scare." He let out a sigh, leaning back to look more directly at the sky. "I'm sure I'll see her soon, but her in distress like that worries me, just like seeing you in distress today."

Her hand twisted a bit in his, finger moving to connect with Chat's as a way to comfort him. He was trying to distract her, get her thinking on a different path. She didn't need to talk out her feeling to him, he'd been there when the event happened, and he seemed to understand why she was still so upset over her whole ordeal. Of course he didn't know he was talking to Marinette about herself, but it was thoughtful, and she hoped her response would be more than enough to sooth his mind.

"I'm sure Ladybug will be fine. If it's as you expect, and is something from her civil life bothering her, she won't let it bother her for long. She seems strong, but I'm sure she's ever grateful for your worry over her. I know I'm grateful for your worry over me, my dear Prince."

A smirk was on his face by then, hand gripping hers back to show his thanks for her gratitude. His other hand left the ground, slipping deep into his pocket before pulling out a slip of paper and handing it to her with a deep red blush on his face. "This is probably awkward, but today seemed to be a hard day for you. I don't know how many other hard days you've had since the incident, but I'd like to help as much as I can. If you ever need to get ahold of me, this is my private number."

She was doubling over in laughter before she could stop, and the scowl on his face only had her laughing even harder. "I'm sorry." She replied, speaking in gasped breaths and trying desperately to slow them down. His offer meant a lot to her, it meant more than she could describe. But it was the actual way he'd presented it. That awkward stare and fumbling of fingers with the piece of paper as he gave a long winded speech; he'd probably planned this all out. It was sweet, and more than she'd ever expected from him. Marinette gave him as little hesitation as possible; her free hand quickly grasping the piece of paper and placing it within the same pocket Tikki was hiding inside of.

He was confused still, but he looked relieved. The acceptance of his number seemed to be what had him so nervous from the start. When Marinette final had control of her giggles, she let out a relieved sigh. "I'm sorry again; I just didn't expect to be getting the personal phone number of one of Paris' own superheroes. I-It means a lot thought that you'd offer it to me. I promise I'll use it when I'm in need of your assistance again."

Now his smile reached ear to ear, two hands cupping the one he held before of hers. Boy was this cat hopeless. "I try to keep that phone on me as much as possible. You don't have to just use it for when you're distressed. I'm here to listen to you whenever you just want to chat with someone. I'll be that friend you can Cat Call."

The sky was darkening now, and it quickly brought the black cat up to his feet. "I took you without the permission of the King and Queen, and now my Princess I believe I better return you before they notice."

"They may behead you if they find out. Prince Chat you must be more careful when you sneak away with a Princess." Her hands found their way around his neck, and they left the Cathedral the same way they had arrived, landing in her bedroom with only the thud of his baton.

As they stepped away, Adrien let his fingers move to Marinette's cheek, his head leaning down and letting his lips ghost upon her cheek. "A kiss to break tonight's spell." He whispered, fingers flowing back through her hair and pulling loose one of her pigtails.

Taking the tie in his hands, he looped it over his wrist with a light grin. "You have to keep your hair down for the next time I come though, otherwise I don't be able to climb up it to get inside, especially if the Lord and Lady of your kingdom lock that skylight of yours."

Her face was as read as she was sure it could ever get, but she could feel a boast of confidence running through her, a pressure of Tikki in her pocket urging her to banter back. Her other hand worked at her remaining tied up pigtail, removing it and letting her hair fall upon her back. "If that's so, then I'll make sure they keep my room windows unlocked."

She leaned up herself then, placing a small peck to the cat's cheek. "A kiss as payment for the spell." Chat gave her a last wink in return, baton extending and sending him up and out of her room, disappearing into the night once more.

It was hard work being Marinette sometimes. Life found a way to be quite demanding on her, but since she'd found this Prince of hers, the harsh realities seemed to dissipate. While he may be a handful, she could only find herself grateful to have him involved in her life; both as a Heroic Duo, or as a waiting Princess.

Author's Notes:

Happy Valentines Day for those who celebrate it! I'm not sure if this is a series I'll continue to keep working on, but I've written another story to add to it.

If you haven't read "I'll Return you to the Tower, Princess.: this story kinda revolves a bit heavily around it. ( On here it's liked as a chapter, so it's my assumption that you've read it previously.)

Again, this was a simple edit story and I plan to make another edit of it in a day or so, I'll add a note to the bottom of the story once that edit is pushed though.

I hope you all enjoy this installment though, and if you have any ideas you'd like to see me write or add, please feel free to message me!

-Edokinz