ChatNoir handed his Lady a rose. He had been pacing back and forth. He hadn't seen her in awhile and that was due to losing fights in his civilian life. He thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest when she smiled and accepted his gift. She gently sniffed the red flower. "And here I thought you were mad at me."

"What made you think that?"

"Well, somedays you bring me roses and somedays you don't. I just assume you're upset with me."

ChatNoir laughed knowing that he couldn't share the truth that two people shared the Cat Miraculous. Felix Agreste brought her roses while Adrien Agreste didn't unless it was a holiday.
"Do you prehaps enjoy the roses?" He smirked leaning into her. Thinking that his chances were higher then his brother's.

She had never admitted nor would start now but she quite liked being fancied over. "They're far more superior then those cat mugs."

"Oh how you wound me, M'Lady." He dramatized his words by clutching his chest. Quite contrary to his brother for holidays he gave her cat mugs that he hand picked. Most possessed puns and some were one of a set. Him keeping the other so when he married her they could have a set as complete as them.

"You want me to kiss it and make it better?" She teased only to turn ChatNoir a color of red that would put her costume to shame. He could not collect his thoughts when Ladybug flirted back only inaudible noises exited his mouth. Ladybug tapped his bell in a flirtatious way. "If you can't dish don't serve."

She put the rose in her hair hoping that it won't fall out since she would like to add it to her ever growing collection. As she used them as book marks for her fashion books. So each time she opened one she was reminded of her charming feline and how she wished to give her future clients the same feeling. That they are special and they deserve the best.

She patrolled a few roof tops on the the east side of Paris while her partner patrolled the west. She noticed Adrien on the hotel's balcony and couldn't resist but to say hello. After all a Prince couldn't resist a Princess on a balcony and who's to say that Goldilocks wasn't her Princess.

"Ladybug!" Adrien yelled. He was startled since she hung herself upside.
"What are doing here? Not that I don't mind a vist from you."

"Just thought you looked lonely." She winced at her very own comment. ChatNoir had used that terrible line on her as Marinette many times before.

"I'm not lonely but I wouldn't say no if you stayed."

"Maybe I will." She said as she put her feet on the floor tripping into Adrien's arms. She usually cursed herself for being clumsy even as a hero but today it was a blessing. "Sorry." She blushed.

"You... have nothing... to be sorry for." He wanted to wrap his hands around her but that was to much wishful thinking. "Would you like to come in?"

"I would like to but I have an appointment to attend to."

"Is it with ChatNoir?" Adrien asked he knew they had patrol tonight but was willing to tempt her to stay with anything.

"Of course. He's the only one I can tolerate out of the five besides Viperon." She leaned against the railing that look out upon Paris. "Nice view you have here."

He stared at her slender yet fit body as if she was a marble statue carved by the hands of Michelangelo himself. All she needed was a sign that said: "Please don't touch." It was obvious to him that he shouldn't but he wondered if it was obvious to everyone else?

"Yah, your beautiful. I mean she's beautiful-- it's beautiful-- the veiw. I clearly ment the view is beautiful. I'm not werid I swear. I'm just stupid okay."

Ladybug giggled as she was so use to being a stuttering mess around him as Marinette she enjoyed a little revenge. "I guess the rumors are true."

"Please be specific because there's a lot and I'm pretty sure most of them aren't true."

"The one about you having a itty bitty tiny crush on me. I don't blame you. I'm hot as hell." She confessed even if she was a little intimidating as the railing came right underneath her setrum but hit Adrien right at the waist.

"NO! I mean I'm not arguing that your hot-- gorgeous. Its just that I like what you stand for. You stand up for what's right and you laughter is quite contagious. When your happy in seems like the world smiles along with you. It sounds pretty sappy when I say it out loud, doesn't it."

He wished that he was ChatNoir at this moment as when he said something similar so she could brush it off as ChatNoir being ChatNoir. He could handle rejection as ChatNoir but as Adrien?

"A little sap makes all the difference when trying to make the perfect pancakes." She smiled.

Adrien smiled back. He knew exactly what that saying meant as Carapace and Rena Rouge were using a metaphor involving pancakes to describe their relationship. "If you add too much mix your pancakes will be dry, add too much water and they'll be runny. But if your not careful at some point you'll end up with enough to feed a hundred people so its best to take your time and read the instructions. Don't forget to add a little sap. As a little sap makes all the difference when trying to make the perfect pancakes."

Rena Rouge was trying to explain that a bit of give and take was okay if they communicated but make sure not to take too much or give too much as that can lead to a disaster. If they're not careful in setting boundaries then there will be consequences and prehaps one of them will finding comfort in someone else. And the vital part of the ingredients to a good relationship is humor. Not to much just enough to go back for seconds.

"Sorry, thats a little inside joke." Ladybug added tempted into bring Adrien in on the joke.

"Its kinda nice to know that your a normal person that has inside jokes."

"Did you think I lacked a funny bone?"

"Well, with the interviews I've seen, you avoid taking about anything that doesn't involve your job. Which I can understand but sometimes its good to know that you're human like the rest of us."

"I don't share often because I don't want to over shadow, ChatNoir anymore then I already do. He deserves the spotlight as much as I do. The reporters' treat him like a punch line but he's my partner and I don't want to engage with people that don't understand that we're equals. We've always been. I know I don't help his situation by mocking him and calling him names. Its just I take my frustrations out on him and it's probably not the healthiest thing for either of us. I know I'm hurting him and I need to stop." She fiddled with the flower in her hair. "Look at me rambling on like your my therapist or something."

"You know maybe you show tell him specifically, tomorrow. He'd probably appreciate your honesty." Adrien said not wanting Felix to here a word of anything she might say. As Adrien wanted to be the ChatNoir, she confided in.

"The sad truth is that cat would appreciate anything I'd say. But no matter what it would never be enough. The mental torment and the physical torment I've put that poor man through. I've thrown him off buildings for the hell of it, I've sacrificed him to villians, I've kissed him against his will, I've stepped on his tail, and I've seen him cataclysm himself on several different occasions." She groaned hitting her forehead into the railing.

Adrien realized that maybe sharing a Miraculous wasn't the worst idea as he only experienced half those things she listed. And he wouldn't of exactly put a forced kiss on the list of physical torment since he was luckily the ChatNoir when Dark Cupid striked.
"I'd take those over being locked in a sarcophagus any day."

"I really do apologize for that."

"No big deal. Its not like got claustrophobia from that or anything."

"Are you messing with me or did I genuinely give you a phobia?"

"I thought I'd be fine but I couldn't see anything and then I couldn't remember if sarcophagui were air tight or not. Then I panicked. Its no big deal just no small spaces next time your trying to save my life."

"How are you so casual about this?"

"It happened a few years ago. Its just part of my life now."

"Thats just so.. between you and ChatNoir I've got a lot of making up to do." She sighed not knowing how she would earn their forgiveness but had to think of something for ChatNoir that he couldn't misinterpret as a romantic gesture.

"Don't worry I forgave you a long time ago. As it's a habit of mine to overthink. It was bound to backfire eventually."

"I should have never shut the lid. You had the right to panic. You didn't know if I was coming back or not."

"Ladybug, listen to me. Not for one second did I doubt that you wouldn't comeback for me. I just had-- have that much faith in you."

Ladybug refrained herself from offering him a spot on the team. As it was already complicated enough with Zoe and Chloe splitting the bee Miraculous, ChatNoir having gaps in his memories, Rena Rouge and Carapace dating, and Viperon collecting secret identities like they're Pokémon cards. Then there's the occasional visit from Bunnix. Not only that but the one time she offered him a Miraculous he failed miserably.

"You have such away with words you know that."

"I know otherwise you won't of replied to my poem in high school. Although I'm still wondering... thats it! If you really what to do something for me then answer this question: "Where did you find my poem when I distinctively remember throwing it away?"

"Umm... well... in a classroom of course."

"You were one of Miss Bustier's students weren't you?"

"Thats a personal question that I can neither confirm or deny."

"Did I tell you because of my phobia, I take stairs instead of the lift? Do you know what a hassle it is to walk up to this penthouse?"

"Your just pulling my leg since you don't really walk up all those stairs. Right?"

He looked away as if he was ashamed of the turth. "Am I Right, Adrien?" She asked again. "Yes! I was one of her students now please tell me, that you really aren't afraid of lifts."

"I'm absolutely terrified of lifts. But I usually use breathing exercises to get through it and I also use this little thing." He pulled a beaded charm out of his pocket. "I know it's tacky and dumb but its my good luck charm. It feels like I have a friend with me all the time even when I'm alone. I just imagine I'm holding her hand and it calms me down. I know it was kind of mean to pry information out of you like that but I just want to know if I was right and we went to school together at some point."

"Go back to the part of where you imagine holding her hand. Who is this her you speak of?" Ladybug asked knowing very well who he was talking about but wanted him to admit it.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Shes one of my best friends. I'm kinda sad that we're oppents now because she's obviously going to win. I do hope she rubs it in the other contestants' faces when she does."

"You think she's going to win?"

"You should see her designs! You'd be surprised knowing she hasn't had any training when looking at her designs. Even my father is impressed with her skill set. Don't tell her I said that. I'm not supposed to reveal insider secrets."

"No... problem." Ladybug stated not knowing if this was a guarantee or not but she did a little jig inside her head at the possibility.

"You should meet her sometime. I think you'd guys would really hit it off." Adrien then thought of the 'what ifs' and immediately regerted suggesting that Ladybug and Marinette meet. "Nevermind. Bad idea. You'd be Paris's number one power couple and.. I don't want to be responsible for that. But you and her would be so cute together and that would solve some problems. Wait,  are you even into girls? Nevermind its Marinette of course you'd fall for her who wouldn't. Is she even? I never asked. She did say Kagami was hot but was it a platonic compliment?"

Ladybug laughed at Adrien's ramblings. "No, I like boys. Dumb boys specifically. Although, the occasionally leather bound bad boys do cross my mind every once and awhile."

"How are you not attached to ChatNoir? He's both of those combined." It didn't matter if he was talking about himself or his brother either way the statement held true.

"Because there's a bigger dumbass that I have a thing for."

"He's lucky."

"I don't mean to pry but do you prehaps like Marinette. Romantically?" She asked knowing it was a cheating way to get Adrien to confess to her but they were already opening up so much to each it seemed like a shame to let the opportunity to pass her by.

"I do like her but I don't know if I like her romantically. I did invite her to spend the night. OH. NO. FELIX'S WAS RIGHT! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?!   I mean I don't have my feelings sorted. She's my best friend what if I screw it up? Screw it all, I can't tell her any of this until after the competition, anyway."

Ladybug gently padded Adrien on the the back trying to calm him down. "You're still young, if you're not sure then don't feel pressured to do anything your not ready for. And its okay to like more then one person. You don't owe anything to anyone."

Ladybug smiled awkwardly realising she just probably ruin her chances as Marinette and Ladybug. But she wanted support him as thats what she should do as friend should do in and out of costume.

"I love you too. I MEAN- NO! THAT'S NOT WHAT I- I AM SO SORRY. IT JUST SLIPPED I SWEAR!"

"Nothing wrong with saying I love you between to paltonic friends." She teased to get him back for all the times he labeled her as "Just A Friend." Only for her to find out that maybe that isn't one hundered percently accurate.