Adrien handed his boss her morning expresso as she begrudgingly left her bedroom.

"What would I do with out you?" She asked before taking a sip. It was hard to believe that Adrien Agreste volunteered to be her assistant.

It was supposed to be a temporary but no one knew her schedule or could keep up better then him. He started her mornings off with Espressos. He became such an important asset that she gave him a key to her apartment.

Adrien wanted to finally confess why he volunteered but Luka Couffaine, the famous guitarist dressed in nothing but boxers exited Marinette's bedroom and head to the kitchen. He opened a container of orange juice and chugged it straight from the carton.

"Morning, Beautiful." He said looking at Marinette who was slipping on her red heels using Adrien as a balancer.

"Morning." Marinette smiled. Herself confidence was at an all time high as she got to discover all of Luka's tattoos and piercings.

Adrien knew that they probably did something but his mind refused to admit it. "You have a consult at 9 with Bob Roth and XY, at 11 both you and I have an interview with Nadia. I made a reservation a Le George at 1, from 2 to 12 is the charity event. I think it would be best for you to arrive at 4. I have a photoshoot at 3 so I'll arrive later."

Marinette sighed at Adrien's list. She hoped Hawkmoth would akumatize someone so she could avoid her busy schedule. "Thanks, for starting my day off with the Roths."

"Bob Roth, although his methods are questionable he is valuable."

"I can deal with XY just fine its Bob Roth that gives me the creeps." She shuttered at idea of spending time with a guy that assumed he could have do anything he wanted.

Luka interjected. "You want me to go with? I can be quite intimidating."

"I don't think I want you to fight my battles. Since you lost last night's." She teased talking a sip of her delicious espresso.

"My opponent cheated."

"You have no proof."

Adrien quickly grabbed her a jacket before Luka and his boss got down to the details. He paired her red heels with her red trench coat. This coat was a personal favorite of his. It made her look like the up incoming threat she was. Red was definitely her color. He knew she liked pink and white but red alerted everyone to her unstoppable presence.

Marinette blew a kiss to Luka as Adrien rushed her out of the apartment. "You jealous?" Marinette teased as they headed to the elevators.

His face began to pinken. He hoped that Marinette didn't notice but she could tell if two black satins were dyed in different batches. "Me? Jealous?"

"I thought you were a fan of his?"

"OH... I thought you meant- nevermind."

"Nervous about the something?" She asked as he rubbed the back of his neck. A tic that he always had but Marinette had picked up on. "Is it the elevator?" She knew he was claustrophobic and feared a myriad of things. One of them was being stuck in a elevator. These fears of small spaces were unintentally caused by her.

Ladybug had locked Adrien in a sarcophagus, buried him alive, locked him in a custodial closet, one time in a locker, another time in a horse trailer dressing room. These were the things she did to Adrien skipping pass the things she did to him as ChatNoir. No wonder he had trauma. Marinette had saved him from a few panic attacks and she was so careful and gentle quite different from Ladybug who treated ChatNoir like a dog's chewtoy.

"Yah."

"You poor thing, how do you even get up to the penthouse? Maybe it's best if I meet you in the lobby. I don't want you to suffer everyday because of me."

Adrien couldn't confess his secret as he used he transformed into ChatNoir and snuck into the top floor bypassing the elevators. "Its fine. I can handle it. What did Alya say the other day? Exposer therapy would be good to try."
He said referencing a video call Marinette had with Alya and Nino.

"That wasn't for you! That was for me."

"Your afraid of something?"

"Of course I am. You wouldn't be human if you didn't have at least one fear."

"Tell me them when your ready." He said gently intertwining his hand with  her's. She acted as his anchor when they were in the elevator but they were only half way to the goal before he took the initiative to hold her hand.

She smiled slightly a bit flattered that Adrien felt that he needed to hold her hand. As a reward she told him one of her fears. "I fear a few things. One of them is drowning."

"But your an amazing swimmer!"

"I know that but its just something I can't shake. I nearly drown a few months back and I'm afraid it'll happen again."

Adrien embraced her into a hug nearly spilling her half empty espresso. He knew in was unprofessional but he had no idea that he could of lost her.

He had almost lost Ladybug due to a drowning accident that was his fault as forgot to pack the camberet that bestow water powers onto his kwami so Ladybug kindly gave hers up saying that she'd be fine with her yo-yo. But her yo-yo was set up for a trap.

ChatNoir had found Ladybug passed out and had to resuscitate her. He was glad he had been train otherwise he could of lost her. He keep on doing CPR and mouth to mouth. Not caring if Paris went to ruins. He knew that if any of the medical training didn't work he'd combine the Miraculouses. He would trade his life for hers.

"I do the same for you." He said reminiscing about that decision that would mark him as public enemy number one.

"What are you going on about? Adrien, I'm fine. My friend saved my life."

"I should thank them."

"I mean that much to you?"

He nodded in confirmation afraid that he'd confess if he verbally agreed.

"I love you too."

Adrien took a step back needing a moment to process her statement.

"What I say I love you to Alya and Nino all the time? Thought it's about time I say it to you."

"Yah, of course. Love you too." He said sounding a bit irritated that she meant as a friend.

He couldn't remember when he first fell for her. Prehaps it was back when they went to Francis Dupont together, her being one year his senior. Or maybe it was when she  decided to launch her own brand since the Gabriel brand was going a different direction then she wanted.

"Adrien, Luka got me an exclusive collab with Jagged Stone."

"Really!" Adrien said as he grew up listening to Jagged Stone, the rock legend. "He's cool like super cool! Can I go with you meet him?"

Marinette laughed as she knew how much of big fan he was. "Of course! Jagged is available Friday next week."

"Next Friday? I have a Runway show that day."

"Oops.... its okay, I can attend the appointment by myself. Although it won't be by myself technically. Luka's going to be there. He walks Jagged's crocodile every Friday."

"Are you sure? I can call in sick."

"Yes, Gabriel is already upset I steal you on a day to day basis, I don't think he'll appreciate that."

"But I don't want to miss out. You, Jagged Stone, and Luka Couffaine all in a room? That's a one in a lifetime opportunity. I can't miss that."

"Are you okay with facing the concenquences Gabriel will have in store with you?"

"The worst he can do is repeat the Honey commercial." Adrien shivered at the mere thought of such commercial. It was messy, sticky, sweaty and he smelled like burnt sugar for weeks. He did admit that it was far better then camembert.

Gabriel was old fashion thinking that special could not achieve the effect of the real thing. Even if it subjected his employees to such werid torment. Adrien had to reshoot the scene as the honey was cooling down to fast.

It was a simple concept. Man in suit (designed by Gabriel of course)gets pushed back into bathtub of honey and emerges shirtless, pulling back his hair. He says one line in a smoldering voice and direct eye contact with the camera. "Honey, you know best." Honey was a unisex perfume brand of Chloe Bourgeois. A high status Parisian who was all to excited to be in her own commercial. She had the role of the Misteress, who was the one who got to push Adrien in the bathtub.

Marinette was just starting as Gabriel's assistant at the time. She had to make sure there was copies of the suit for retakes. She also had to make sure Chloé's outfit was moving effortlessly. A silk robe paired with a black laced, a plunging v-neck lingerie bodysuit, garters, nylon stockings, and black stilettos. Chloe wanted a "Charlie Chaplin meets with a Dominatrix." Type vibe. Which sounded like a crazy, our of the box idea at the time but Gabriel's mind worked a miracle.

Marinette helped Adrien clean up between retakes as getting honey out of every crevice seemed impossible with out a helping hand.  He had to quietly suffer the torture that was brought upon him. The way his heart thumped louder each time her hand glided across him. She was just following orders. Orders that put him in so much agony; heart tearing agnoy.

The warmth of the cloth causing his temperature arise or was that the proximity of him and her? She felt his forehead each time they had to renew his cleansing ritual. She was the only one worried about the heat effecting him. As Gabriel's team had to reheat the tub over and over until Gabriel was satisfied with the shots.

"I don't agree on what he put you through but DAMN. That's still one of the hottest commercials to date." Marinette mimicked Adrien's iconic moment by pushing back her hair. She stared into his gorgeous green eyes and grinned. "Honey, you know best."

Adrien gulped. 'Okay, I see why my commercial was so popular. If she was the main focus, I'd play that line for hours and hours.'

"Cat got your tongue?" She whispered.

He shook his head side to side. He was lying and she knew it as he couldn't speak.

"I am surprised you even get through commercials like that as evertime I rile you up, you end up a blushing school boy. Or I could just be over confident. I just bagged the hottest Rockstar." She made a fist and pumped the air. Super proud of herself.

Adrien harnessed a fake smile as she walked out the lobby doors. He could not confess. She was only beginning to be Marinette Dupain-Cheng and he was helping her. Yes, she was his father's competitor but, he wanted to be by her side, to grow closer. Yet, somehow he felt the closer they got, the farther they were from the outcome he wanted. He wanted her.

The last girl he put his emotions on the line for, disregarded them. He could not face that type of rejection again, if he had to secretly love her then so be it. Marinette could never know that her assistant was absolutely infatuated with her.

"Adrien? We're going to be late." She said as he had paused at the stairs resisting the urge to scream that he loved her.

"Maybe, we'll be fashionably late." He teased before entering the back passenger side of the car. He hand rented her a personal driver, as it made her day to day life less chaotic. That was the excuse he told her as the really reason was her to give up her motorcycle was because he deemed it a death trap. Or was it because Marinette was a terrible driver?

"That will so go down well with my clients."

"If Roth gets made, I'll just make mention of the many appointments XY didn't bother showing up for."

Adrien handed Marinette her profolio so she could reread her notes and make sure everything was organized.

"I'm kinda hoping that he likes the puffer jacket pattern. I know it's a little much but it's something that I think would be marketable."

"Your use of textiles is really impressive. The navy blue looks alot better then the black."

"I thought so to! I didn't want to wash out the other colors. He's a really hard kid to impress so I added a few different combos. As he wants the fashion line to go for both girls and boys. So I'm walking a fine line."

Adrien enjoyed listening Marinette rattle off about her designs. She valued his opinion unlike Gabriel who dismissed them. Marinette wanted to know if it was uncomfortable or wasn't up to par.
If she had to start over she did.

"You're amazing."

"For doing my job?" She laughed.

"For just doing what makes you happy and sticking with it."

Marinette raised a brow confused on what was getting into him all of the sudden. "Are you not happy?"

"I only know that when I'm happiest it's with you."