Man, it's been a while. Maybe I should check on them? Maybe Chloe got intense and Adrien needs someone to rescue him?

Ladybug shook the intrusive thoughts out of her head. Since school had let out, she hadn't been able to relax. Nino had told Alya, and by extension Marinette, about the plan he and Adrien had come up with. While it sounded forthright on the surface, Marinette had a bad feeling about it. Boys were so straightforward, but she didn't think Chloe would be swayed so easily.

Marinette had been impressed by Adrien's feeling for Chloe. It had been a surprise to her that anyone could see the blonde queen bee in such a positive light. But she knew that if anyone could see the good in others, it was her boyfriend to be- crush- friend! Just friends! He was amazing, in every way.

But that didn't mean that Chloe was actually that good. Whatever Adrien's experiences with Chloe, Marinette had seen the other, very real, very cruel side of her personality. And while Chloe usually treated Adrien differently, and marginally better than she did the rest of the class (and world), Marinette didn't trust that to last through a confrontation on the scale of what they had planned.

Whatever Adrien thought, Marinette could see through Chloe. That girl was thirsty! Always hanging over Marinette's man- uh, Adrien, as though she had no shame! "Ha!" Ladybug laughed. Shame…she doubted Chloe even knew the meaning of the word.

So here she was, patrolling the city of Paris, trying to let out her tensions. She didn't really want to deal with an Akuma right now, but if there was a run of the mill mugger or something, she could get out some frustrations.

She found herself circling back to the Le Grand. As she approached, Chloe's penthouse room was on the other side. If she made her way over, she could probably look in, and maybe even hear what they were talking about.

Ladybug shook her head. Ugh, I may be boy crazy for Adrien, but I've got standards! Besides, she couldn't trust herself not to hog tie Chloe, and that wasn't an impression she wanted to leave on either of them, especially as Ladybug.

Fine, she shrugged, swinging past the building. She needed to get home anyway. Staying here any longer wasn't going to do her any good.

As she passed the hotel, she spotted a flash of gold coming out the back service entrance. She instinctively did a double take, and amazingly, it was Adrien and Chloe!

Ladybug didn't remember how she got there, but she found herself on a nearby fire escape, hiding behind a potted plant. A voice in her mind berated her for such unseemly behavior, but the rest of her easily shouted that down. As she watched, she could see Adrien and Chloe walk out together, Chloe holding onto Adrien's gentlemanly arm. Ladybug felt her heart skip a beat.

What was going on here? This wasn't how they usually acted! Well, it was how Chloe usually acted, but this time, Adrien was…smiling? And it looked real, not like the mask he usually wore out in public. As Ladybug tried to hear what they were talking about, Chloe laid her head on Adrien's shoulder (!), and Adrien laughed (!).

"Gurk!"

Adrien and Chloe looked around. "Did you hear that?" Chloe asked. Ladybug had pulled back behind the potted plant she was using as cover.

"Yeah, I did," Adrien replied, getting in front of Chloe.

Chloe huffed. "Adrien! Don't get any weird ideas! If you think there's something there, I'll call security in an instant. Don't put yourself in danger!"

Adrien flinched. "Whoops, you're right. Sorry about that," he said, laughing bashfully, even as his eyes continued scanning the back alley. "Let's go, Chloe. Mr. Illa is bringing the limo around. We will drop you off at the front entrance."

"Okay- hey, look! It's Ladybug!" Adrien's serious reaction had prompted Chloe to look around as well. But while Adrien focused his sweep on the nearby area and potential threats, Chloe had looked up at the surrounding buildings. While that was a statistically unlikely place for a threat (although maybe not so much in a city with Superheroes and Akuma), in this case, it allowed her to spot Ladybug's spots and red outfit among the greenery. Adrien gasped and whirled to look where Chloe was pointing.

Ladybug groaned. How could this happen? She didn't want to be found out here, stalking, no, watching, no, patrolling randomly and randomly happening upon them. But if she tried to hide now, that would seem even weirder. She had to act.

Ladybug leaped out of hiding, striking a pose. Then she perched on the railing of the fire escape, peering off into the distance, which wasn't very distant, seeing as she was currently in the alley between the Le Grand and some ritzy boutiques. Then, she looked down, as if noticing Adrien and Chloe for the first time. "Oh, hello there, citizens! I didn't see you there. I was just on patrol."

Ladybug hoped they would buy that, but both Chloe and Adrien seemed to have stars in their eyes. Chloe grabbed Adrien's shoulder and shook him, while Adrien couldn't stop smiling. "This is so awesome!" Chloe squealed, to Adrien, to Ladybug, and to no one in particular.

"H-hello, Ladybug," Adrien said, stammering cutely. Ladybug felt a pang in her heart. She resisted the urge to leap down and cover him in red and black spotted kisses. It wasn't the first time she had wanted to use her secret identity to make a move on the boy she liked. After all, Ladybug was the hero of Paris (along with Cat Noir), and everyone loved her. It stood to reason that Ladybug's chances were much higher than Marinette's. But Ladybug shook her head in resolve. She couldn't do that. Ladybug needed to be a pure hero. Love and lust could not be involved. It just wasn't heroic.

It was kind of awkward to talk down to them from the balcony, when all Ladybug wanted to do was scream at Chloe to know what she thought she was doing. But that was the exact reason. If she got closer, they might see how she was trembling. And she needed to be able to make her escape if necessary. Dealing with personal friends and acquaintances was a fine line if you were a hero, especially one with a secret identity. While she wouldn't let that get in the way of doing her job, it didn't pay to take unnecessary risks.

"Ladybug, Ladybug," Chloe called, "come up to my penthouse! We can relax and order room service! And take selfies together!" Ladybug groaned. That sounded almost as fun as a visit to the dentist. "And we can take some with Adrien too!"

Adrien blushed, and Ladybug felt her heart skip a beat. She coughed and pounded her chest.

Adrien and Chloe looked concerned. "Are you all right, Ladybug?" Adrien asked.

Ladybug held up her hand as she cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm fine. I just had some water go down the wrong pipe." What was she saying?

Chloe nodded. "Ooo, I hate it when that happens! It usually happens when I'm really mad at someone or when I'm…" Ladybug let Chloe's blathering fade into white noise.

"Chloe, be more polite!" Adrien admonished, placing his hand on the small of Chloe's back. It had a magnetic effect on Ladybug's pupils, as she couldn't help focusing on the sight. "Ladybug probably has something very important that she's doing right now." He turned to her, and Ladybug had to school her expression to avoid gawking. "Right, Ladybug? Is there an akuma? Or some other crime?"

As Adrien questioned her, his eyes swept back and forth, looking for threats. Ladybug wanted to giggle. It was cute that he thought he could help, but most civilians just needed to cover in place, if there really was a threat like that. Not that she counted it against him. It was proof that he was a gentleman worthy of admiration.

Still, it was a bit of a let down to just say, "No, I'm just ending my patrol." She shrugged anticlimactically. "Getting ready to call it a night."

"Oh," Adrien said, and Ladybug wondered if she should have pretended that she had something interesting going on. But then Adrien blushed and smiled. "If that's the case, maybe it would be fun to…hang out for a little?" His face was turning cherry.

Chloe gaped at Adrien, and then beamed. "YES! Ladybug, you have to come up! We'll have cake, maybe get a pedicure, talk superhero shop, and of course, take lots of pictures to commemorate the occasion!"

Ladybug had to turn away to hide the tears that sprung to her eyes. Must…resist! Chloe was making it easier, but it was almost worth it to put up with her odious personality if she could bask in the presence of her prince- uh, friend, Adrien.

"I'm…sorry," Ladybug said, and it was oh so true. "It sounds fun," now for an excuse, never mind that Ladybug didn't really need an excuse. Marinette did. Then she had a great idea. Two birds with one stone! "But wouldn't that be intruding on your…date?" Ladybug thought she did a good job at feigning ignorance and affecting nonchalance. In truth, her world shrunk to the size of this moment in time.

Chloe and Adrien looked at each, and blushed. Ladybug felt her heart crush to the size of a grape. Time seemed to slow. Then Chloe and Adrien both burst into laughter. Ladybug felt all of her tension wash away, to be replaced with confusion. There were a lot of ways she could have imagined this going, but this wasn't one of them.

"I'm-I'm sorry, Ladybug!" Adrien sputtered, as tears of mirth sprang to his eyes.

"Y-yeah, this isn't us laughing at you!" Chloe added, resting her arm on Adrien's back as he bent over, hands on knees, both of them still laughing.

Ladybug stiffened. This was so strange. She couldn't help feeling she was missing out on crucial information.

Adrien stood back up, wiping the tears from his eyes as he still chuckled. Chloe was pressing her face into Adrien's back as she laughed, holding onto him from behind. Ladybug felt the normal twinge, but it was overcome by her confusion. Were they an item or not? They were acting very different from how they had, even this morning. But something still didn't add up.

"No, no, it's nothing like that," Adrien said. Chloe finally trusted herself to come out of hiding from behind Adrien. "We're just very, very, very good friends." Adrien looked at Chloe and smiled. And she smiled back.

"Eh?!" Ladybug squawked. Then she covered her mouth, mortified at the noise she had just made.

Adrien and Chloe looked at her, but didn't comment. "Yep, Ladybug, that's how it is," Chloe said. "Adrien is…" she looked at him, "family."

Adrien smiled back at her. "Yeah…family."

Ladybug cocked her head in confusion. Family? The obvious answer was that they were like family, but the way they said it left room for doubt. Had they found out that they shared a parent?! Maybe Chloe's mom had left her dad, the mayor, for Adrien's dad, or maybe she had two secret families and was found out and had to flee the country? Or maybe it was Adrien's dad who had an affair with Chloe's mom, and the mayor had her arrested, and Adrien's mom had died of grief?

Ladybug shook her head. 'Get a hold of yourself,' she growled internally. All of those ideas were…improbable?

Chloe giggled. "Why do you ask, Ladybug? Are you jealous of moi?" She covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed coyly. Ladybug felt the dagger go through her heart. "Or perhaps you are jealous of Adrien?" Chloe laughed again, a bit higher pitched. Ladybug groaned internally. Chloe was going to wear her out at this rate.

Adrien blushed and patted Chloe on the shoulder. "Stop teasing Ladybug! She doesn't have time for your games."

Chloe blushed too, but laughed it off. "Nonsense, Ladybug and I are good friends, right Ladybug?"

Ladybug groaned. A part of her wanted to take Chloe down a peg or two, but just like she couldn't agree with the idea of using her pseudo-celebrity status to woo Adrien, it would be a grave misuse of her powers and identity as Ladybug to pursue petty grudges. She might not like Chloe, but she could at least be the bigger person.

"Right…" Ladybug mumbled. Then she perked up. "In the way that I am friend to all citizens of Paris!"

Adrien lit up. "Ladybug, you are the best!"

Chloe's own smile fell into a scoff. "Right, but you and I have a special relationship. You personally rescue me from Akumas, and in turn, I am your biggest, highest profile fan." She smiled sweetly.

Before Ladybug could reply, Adrien cut in. "I don't know about that," he mumbled.

"Adrien!" Chloe whined, pummeling him playfully on the back. "Don't tease me in front of Ladybug!" Adrien laughed.

Ladybug could only watch, wondering what was going on. They were so playful and close, in a way she had never seen them act. If they were thinking of each other as siblings, then it would make sense. But she would have to see about that later. Right now, she had gotten her answer, and she had covered her own tracks. Now she needed to make her escape before anything else could blow her cover.

Ladybug cleared her throat. "Well, it was nice talking with you," she said. Adrien and Chloe straightened up and smiled at her. Ladybug was momentarily taken aback by the amount of pretty blonde smiling at her. "It's nice to see evidence of why I fight." She smiled, nodding to each of them, and swung off.

"Farewell, Ladybug!" Adrien called out, and his voice, directed at her so earnestly, sent a shiver down her spine.

"Did you hear that, Adrien?" Ladybug heard Chloe say. "Ladybug said that she'll fight for me!" Ladybug groaned as she heard Adrien start to question Chloe's interpretation. But she perked up again, as the cool night wind blew past her body, cooling her off and making her feel alive, as she left the presence of her crush.

Hmmm, so it looks like Adrien was right after all, Ladybug thought. He and Chloe do think of each other as family. Well, something changed, that's for sure, since I can't remember Adrien acting so comfortable around Chloe before. If they had said they were going to start dating, I wouldn't have been surprised. Devastated, yes, but not surprised.

I wonder…she hesitated to put it into words. Maybe now is the time for Marinette to make her feelings for Adrien known? If Chloe is no longer a romantic rival, if she ever was, could there be a better time to take that leap? Ladybug blushed, and squealed into the night wind. It was only her cool Ladybug persona that stopped her from spazzing out. I've got to try! I can't just fawn over him forever.

Ladybug nodded to herself. Yes, I will watch Chloe and Adrien at school to make sure of their relationship, but I'll need to look for an opportunity to get Adrien alone and tell him…how I feel. Aside from Chloe, Ladybug didn't know of any significant women in Adrien's life that could derail her. So it would be a fair playing field. Unless…that woman, his father's PA…

Ladybug felt an involuntary twinge. No, that was silly. She was old enough to be his mother. It would be more likely that Adrien's father was having a bit of hanky panky with the help. Ladybug giggled at the naughty thought. Now that was something she could never share, not even with Cat Noir. No one would respect her again. Ladybug laughed out loud, enjoying the thrill of swinging through the night air effortlessly, and planned her approach to Adrien.