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 It didn't matter much whether the boy liked you or hated you. All you truly cared about in that moment was the freedom your miraculous blessed you with, a world where the pain of everyday life evaporated into nothing. With the use of your miraculous came wonderful side effects, a temporary relief to the chronic pain within your knee and sudden bursts of energy that battled the chronic fatigue you felt due to the mental exhaustion of your own pain. However, it wasn't until recently that you'd felt the more painful side affects. Each time you used the miraculous, your body ached afterwards, exhaustion plaguing you.

You sat on the edge of a building; a cool breeze surrounded you as your feet swung over the side of the tiled roof. When Ladybug had requested for you to cover the patrol with Chat Noir that night you accepted with a grateful smile. Any chance to escape from the exhaustion and constant pain was a good one, whether it meant simply patrolling or actually saving the citizens of Paris. The soft jingle of a bell brought a smile to your face, the corners of your lips turning up in a content way. "Funny running into you here." You joked softly, just loud enough for the feline heroine to hear as you angled your face towards the setting sun. Hues of orange and salmon illuminated off the pale blues and browns of your suit, as if you were the sky they belonged in. 

You turned to face him, finally opening your eyes fast enough to catch the blonde boy leaning on his staff. While he had a slight smile on his face himself, there was still that look of envy within his eyes. He shrugged, not taking your words as a very friendly invitation. "Yeah, I guess so," He huffed through his nostrils, studying each movement you made as you stood up from your placement on the edge of the roof, "Ladybug's idea of patrolling with the new kid so you don't get into any trouble." 

Your eyes widened, almost taking his words as insult before simply shaking your head. Soft brown ears flopped into your eyes before framing your face as you made eye contact with him. Chat avoided your gaze. "You don't have to do this, Chat Noir," you began with a hum, "Ladybug needs us to get along, you know that, but you don't want to try." Your words were full of sincerity and comfort, emphasising the reason you were gifted with the second bunny miraculous. You always had what seemed to be a never-ending amount of empathy and compassion to give, perhaps leftovers from the overwhelming amount you received from your parents and close friends. 

He grumbled slightly at your words, understanding that you were right. He didn't want to try, he knew how this would end. Ladybug would forget him once again as she dealt with another new miraculous holder. Fiddling with his staff, he spoke up, "That's not true. I just-" He lied, grumbling again as he let out another frustrated huff. His hair fell in front of his eyes, another refusal to even look in your general direction. 

You shrugged. "It's okay if you don't like me, I never said we have to be friends. All I am saying is that maybe you should take the chance you have to work with me tonight," You looked up at him, taking note of the few inches taller he was, "We might have better chemistry than you believe." Standing a few steps apart you held out your hand for him to take. "A truce." You offered. He squinted at your hand before looking back up at you, studying the playful glint to in your eyes. "Fine, a truce... but just for tonight." He agreed, looking down at his own hand, holding your somewhat smaller one. He had never noticed just how frail they seemed to be. The blonde retracted his hand quickly, placing it by his side as he avoided your gaze once again. Something about those gentle eyes had his skin prickling. 

A small smirk flickered across your face as you watched the way his hand retracted back to his staff. You had expected it, much like anyone would with the way the young man avoided her like the plague. "Don't worry kitty, I don't bite." You teased in a playful manner, watching his eyes widen momentarily. You studied the stern look on his face, watching as his scowl slowly turned into that iconic feline grin of his. He leaned his hands on the top of his staff, his ears flopping with his head as he moved to rest it on top of his palms. "I can't promise the same." He stood up straight and began to walk backwards, letting his staff extend before using it as leverage to launch to the next rooftop.

You watched as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop, never looking back once to see if you followed. Sighing, you shook your head. He was a naïve boy, troubled even. While you understood the reasoning for his distaste, you found it somewhat childish, not recognising the true story behind his longing to be needed by Ladybug. In fact, you had no idea on who this boy could be, whether he was bound to end up in your life outside of the masks or if he would remain a mystery for the rest of your life. Either way, you would take life as it came at you, counting each day as a blessing considering the detrimental damage your body was receiving from itself. 

~~~

Two weeks had passed, and it was now just another Monday morning. You felt better than usual, your constant fatigue diminished from the restful sleep you obtained that night. With no recent akumas to deal with, you felt rather at peace with yourself and everyone else. To clarify, almost everyone else.  Chat Noir was still on your radar of people to be aware of, even if he was a hero. While you knew his intentions were just to become the main figure in Ladybug's attention, it bugged you that he wouldn't let you prove yourself. Constantly dismissed as the 'new girl' with 'zero experience in crime fighting' had your opinion of the feline heroine slowly turning negative.  

You found that your mind was often caught on Chat Noir as you continued to dress yourself for school, shaking them away each time they arrived. You slid the tan knee brace up your calf, letting it tightly embrace your right knee to hold it together just that little bit better. While your chronic fatigue had lessened with the help of Cece's magic, it was evident that the overexertion of the miraculous had your limbs feeling weaker after every de-transformation. Attempting not to worry your parents any more than they already were, and friends who were now across the other side of the world due to you moving, you kept your pain and weakness a complete secret. There would be signs, the way that your head was constantly resting against your desk, the clicking noises from each step you took and the actual use of pain management even when you were always so adamant that you could tough it out. 

It wasn't long until you finally made it to College Francoise Dupont. Most students assumed you were a part of an exchange program, when in reality there was simply better healthcare and accessible opportunities for you in Paris. Although you missed your home country and the friends you used to have, you were beginning to find this school becoming more like a home. However, the front steps of the school would never feel that  comforting. With each step you took, you heard and felt the rough click of your right knee. It was overwhelming enough that you didn't notice the soft hum of your name coming from behind you. 

A warm palm brushed over your shoulder, causing you to flinch out of fright. The blonde boy held his hands up, stopping just behind you, watching as you turned to look down at him. "It's just me, don't worry." Adrien spoke gently, looking worried by your reaction. He'd always been rather worried for his friends, and considering you were his newest of the bunch you were his main concern. 

You and Adrien had grown rather close since you started class with him. Bonding over your sheltered lives, although his was much more sheltered, it made you both feel less lonely than you usually would. He had even introduced you to a few of the other students in your class, such as the ones who made up the band 'Kitty Section'. You were still yet to see them play, but you were sure they would be wonderful. 

A sigh slipped past your lips before they turned up in a small smile. "Sorry, I was lost in my head." You were completely honest, although the wavering tone in your voice left some underlying feeling of exhaustion seeping through. Your morning had been doing so well before it came to battling these stairs. 

Adrien was an observant boy. He had watched you when you arrived most days, taking clear note of the way you struggled with those stairs. He extended his hand, offering his palm facing upward as a chance for you to gain that little bit of ease in leaning your weight on him. You were tentative and hesitant as you stared at his soft, yet strong palm. Help wasn't something you were used to, not without the words of, 'don't worry, this will get better'. While those words used to be a symbol of hope, they had slowly turned into the sour realisation that nothing was going to change for the better. At first you went to decline before glancing up at the soft expression on his face. Those emerald eyes stared up at you with nothing but concern and compassion. There was absolutely no pity behind them.

"Thank you," You flashed a gentle smile, placing your hand in his. You didn't accept help often, but when you did it was simply because you knew there was no point in suffering any longer. He pulled your arm across his shoulders, letting you bear your weight into him as you climbed to the stop of the steps together in silence. Your friendship was built off of the mutual respect you had for each other. The two of you were much more similar than you would ever choose to believe. 

Adrien held you close to his side, not minding the intimacy of the quiet moment as he helped you up the stairs. He wasn't one to typically be this quiet, but he knew you well enough by now to understand that you weren't necessarily up to talking when your body felt like it was eating away at its own muscle tissue. "You really need to take better care of yourself," the way he hummed your name made your knees feel the slightest bit weaker although you would never properly admit it. You could easily remove the connection of him being a model, however you could never deny that the sweet upturn of his lips made your stomach flutter. You believed it was nothing, taking it as a reaction to how he was naturally attractive compared to the average seventeen-year-old. Shaking away those silly thoughts your mind went back to his words. Your brows furrowed and you paused in your spot, coming to a standstill. "Excuse me?" You turned to face him, "I take care of myself plenty. This school is hardly accessible. Despite all the money it hoards for sports and the arts, there are no means to add elevators or ramps. There isn't even a disabled bathroom!" You couldn't help the frustrated ramble, taking offense from his innocent words. 

Immediately Adrien raised his hands in mock surrender, once again taking note of how his sheltered life had let him down once again. "I didn't mean it like that, I swear." He admitted, his emerald eyes revealing a sorry look as he brought his hands back to clutch the strap of his duffel bag. He cleared his throat under your stern gaze, "I just mean... You look tired. More than usual." His attempt at rescuing his words failed as he watched your frown deepen. He silently cursed, wanting to reach out for your hand as you began to walk away, shaking your head in frustration. Patience was a virtue, and sometimes you needed a reminder of it. However, that reminder didn't seem to be coming anytime soon as you forgot just how sheltered your friend had been up until the start of this year. With no friends and hardly any outside interactions unless it was with a private tutor or photographer, Adrien stood rather new to friendship. Yet, his willingness to learn was what set him apart from everyone else. He took note to attempt to discuss with his father the lack of accessibility within the school, hoping that maybe it would spark his attention. If he could gain the influence of his father on the principal, then he could relieve some of your everyday struggles. 

It was a quick walk to the classroom. Once you were inside you made your way towards a desk at the front. It was originally assigned to Nino, but after the teachers were informed of the damage within your limbs, they insisted that you were seated at the front no matter how much you objected to the suggestion. Your eyes flickered up at the sound of the door opening and closing behind someone. Multiple footsteps could be heard as students began to pile into their seats, the most noticeable being the blonde boy making his way to sit beside you and the bluenette and her brunette best friend that sat directly behind you. You flashed the two girls a friendly smile, while you weren't close you still cherished the small friendship you shared. 

You mumbled your good mornings to each other before finally turning your attention to Miss Bustier, one of the sweetest teachers you had ever had. There was never a moment where she wasn't willing to give her all for her students. Anyone could see just how much the woman loved her job and her students. Listening to the history lesson had your head aching. French wasn't your first language, and it took some time for you to process what people were saying.  So, instead of paying attention, you gently nudged the blonde boy beside you. His brows lifted and he turned to face you with a look of slight shock. "Yes?" he hummed quietly, trying to avoid being caught whispering during class. 

"Could I copy your notes later?" You asked, "Please." The tired look on your face was enough to convince him already. Not waiting for his answer, you simply rested your head against the cool wood of the desk. There was a note in your student file that stated you were to be left alone if you fell asleep. Your parents cared greatly for you, so there was no surprise that they were willing to advocate for your rest to become priority over your education. 

Adrien nodded, taking a glance at his own paper to see nothing but small notes of the lesson and scribbles of who the new heroine could be. They weren't necessarily new anymore. It had been just over a month since their first public appearance with the miraculous duo, yet he still couldn't wrap his mind around it. He'd worked with plenty of other people who had access to a miraculous such as Rena Rouge and Carapace, but their positions were always temporary. However, Clementine wasn't temporary. Ladybug never gifted them their miraculous. He groaned at the thought and scribbled out his words, turning his focus back to the lesson. 

What neither of them noticed was the two girls glaring at you. Their eyes pierced holes through your back as you rested. While the bluenette was simply jealous, wishing she could talk to Adrien in the same carefree way that you could, the blonde sitting across the room was fuming. In her mind, this was some act to steal her childhood friend from her. She sat their silently, scrolling through her phone to devise a plan of revenge upon you.