Monday

"Come on, Chat you know winning because you made a bad pun that threw me off is not fair and square."

Ladybug stood, still in her usual battle stance of the left hand on her hip and right hand swinging her yo-yo to the side. She glared at Chat through half-lidded eyes so he'd know she was serious about her disdain for bad puns

"But my lady! That pun was hiss-terical! And since when is that cheating? I mean really, these fighting rules are so flimsy"
Chat had his arms outstretched, his baton motionless as he spoke, not in favor of the constant battle readiness Ladybug was always in, which he learned the hard way was a bad idea. He had been standing under a streetlamp till he sorely learned that being off guard during a training session was a terrible idea. Before he could even realize she swung her arm, he was tied to the lamp post behind him. He laughed and did the most daring thing he could. Made another pun.

"Wow bugaboo, I knew you the light of my life but I never knew you were into this, I wish you had've told me, we could've agreed on a safe word"
She rolled her eyes and dropped her yo-yo, setting him free. He steadied himself and started swinging his baton once again, ready for her next move.

They went back and forth like this for another hour or so, fighting and tossing puns in between swings of weapons. Towards the end of the night, baton and yo-yo were forgotten and they focused on hand to hand. Ladybug left a few marks that were sure to bruise the next day but he equally retaliated them. After deciding they were worn out and they should meet up on Wednesday, they got close to parting ways, till Chat stopped her. He grabbed her arm right after she turned around, getting her attention before she could bound away.

"Hey- uh- Do you think when we train on Wednesday we could do it more seriously? Like without the puns and stuff? I just- the akuma's have been getting pretty serious lately and we need to get serious sometimes too, is all"

He fiddled with his thumbs and stared down to the ground while Ladybug mulled over what he had requested.

"Of course, that sounds like a great idea. I'm glad I'll have the night off from your terrible jokes"

He opened his mouth to retaliate some inevitably lame pickup line before she placed her hand on his shoulder and continued. She sounded much more sincere as she spoke this time

"I'm glad you wanna take this seriously, it's important to me too. You're right, they've been getting worse so we need to get better. That's a really good idea."

Before he could answer she had already bounded away onto the next roof.

Tuesday

Adrien's fencing lesson had been delayed due to some shouting match with a student in the hallway. The kids in the practice room couldn't hear every word but most of them were not clean enough to repeat. The instructor came storming in alone seconds later, they all assumed whoever the argue was with had left down the other end of the hallway and that he wasn't just yelling at himself. He muttered a few more curses behind him before he addressed the class

"Today I don't want any of you to mess around. No goofing off. Just fencing. Okay? I want everyone in here to be practicing."

He evil-eyed a couple students intensely to emphasize that he know who wouldn't be working to their fullest potential. As each kid paired off to practice, Mr.D'argencourt walked around shouting some more.

"What happens when you're in danger and need to fend for yourself! Fight for yourself! You will be alone someday and it will be up to you to keep yourself safe!"

A few students reacted poorly to his threats but most just mumbled about it's fencing, dude, it's not that serious and When are we ever gonna defend ourselves with fencing. Adrien reacted in a way he didn't expect. He gained control of his sabre unlike before and used his knowledge of being Chat Noir to maneuver around his opponent. He quickly dropped his body and used his arm to support him, stabbing his free arm upwards into his adversary like he had a few times when battling akumas

"Yes! Wonderful Passata Sotto, Mr. Agreste!"

Adrien kept adjusting the moves he used as Chat to fit the rules of fencing, finding ways to evade the blade of the other student. The more the instructor threatened, the more serious Adrien became.

"No one will be there to help you but you so learn how to take care of yourself now or pay the price later."

Wednesday

During the last class at school, Adrien focused mostly on what would happen with Ladybug later that afternoon. He had decided last night that he'd use the more abrasive approach that his fencing instructor had used the day before. He wanted them to be ready for anything Hawkmoth threw at them and if he improved his fencing strategy that much maybe it would help his lady too.

He was deep in thought, his head in his hands and staring off into space when his attention was pulled back to earth by Alya asking him something from behind him

"Hey, you and Mari wanna go catch a movie with me and Nino after school? That new horror flick that's out is supposed to be really good"

He and Marinette both quickly burst out startled excuses about having plans. He understood why he was talking quickly and shakily, he had been thinking about his lady, that always made him flustered. But he didn't know why Mari had acted like that too, obviously, Alya was confused too by the raised eyebrows and side eye to them both

"So you two wanna share what you're doing together to the class?"

Both sets of eyes widened at exchanged quick glances between each other and the accuser before launching into their own what no haha not together what are you talking about. The whole conversation was unnecessarily awkward thanks to him being previously distracted and Marinette being- whatever Marinette was.

The group disbanded quickly after the bell rang seconds later, Mari and Adrien going the same way, much to the dismay of them both. Marinette hoped for once in her life that he wouldn't start a conversation so she could split away into an alley to transform. Before she could properly let herself worry about it, he was no longer in sight. She tried not to question it too much before she ducked into a nearby alley and quickly transformed herself. Once she let herself be consumed by the light, she saw Chat bounding towards where they always meet. She took this golden opportunity to do what she loved best and scare the shit out of him. Using her yo-yo to fling herself quietly behind where he had stopped, she slowly crept up towards his left side, but before she could get there to scare him, he whipped around and shouted a little Boo!, successfully scaring her instead. She used the blood suddenly flowing towards her ever-thumping heart to lunge in retaliation, effectively springing them both into training mode. His instincts were something she should probably fear but instead admired.

The usual banter between them during training was traded in for near dead silent, save for a few grunts and taunts. Chat's head was swarming with fencing moves and what his instructor had said to him the whole time he was fending Ladybug off. Finally, he found enough air in his lungs to shout over the whirling winds of their weapons

"Fight me like you mean it! What happens when you have to fight alone? You need to be better than ever if I'm not with you!"

That struck a painful chord in Marinette's heart. They inched closer to the ledge as every muscle in her face tensed. She was fuming. There was no stopping her now and it was only milliseconds before she had pushed him down, his head dangling off the edge. She placed her foot on his chest and leaned down to whisper to his face

"Don't you dare say that there will come a time you won't be here to fight with me."

Chat knew he had fucked up. She helped him up but as soon as he was on his feet again she was poking his chest and whisper-yelling again.

"Why would you say something like that? You know if anything happens to you I will bring you back from the dead and kill you again."

He held up his hands in defense but it seemed to only upset her more that he didn't know what he had done wrong. He tried to apologize but by the time he had found the words, his lady had tears in her eyes. Probably from anger, but tears none the less. Suddenly, the tears had made him find every word he needed

"Ohmygod, I am so sorry, please, I didn't mean it like that, I just wanted you to improve and I thought saying that might help. I'm so sorry"

He continued mumbling apologies while she collected herself and wiped away any remaining tear streaks. She straightened her back and nodded

"It's okay. I guess I overreacted. Just don't say anything like that next time you want to serious train okay?"

He nodded fervently and placed one hand on his chest and stuck the other up to show he swore he wouldn't.

"I'm just saying, the way I had you pinned over the edge tells me you're the one who needs to improve"

She laughed it off softly and took her stance again, expecting him to attack, but instead was met with him asking if they could wait until tomorrow to pick it back up. She thought it was odd but didn't fight him on it. He catapulted himself onto the next building, looking heavy and burdened.

Marinette laid in bed and mulled over what had happened before asking Tikki, even if just rhetorically

"I was the one crying, shouldn't I be the one sulking around after that?"

Thursday

Adrien came sulking into class and headed to his seat, not stopping for pleasantries from friends. His head immediately laying into his arms and not lifting till Nino forced it up, all 3 of his friends now staring at him suspiciously.

"Alright bro, what's wrong?"

He sighed and searched for words

"I upset my friend yesterday. Like made her cry. And I apologized and she accepted it but? I still feel really bad about hurting her like that."

He stared at his hands while they considered what he had said. Alya chimed in first

"When she accepted it, did she seem annoyed at all?"

He didn't need time to consider it before shaking his head and flop of hair no

"Then you're fiine. If she was actually accepting it and not just doing it to make it go away then you're okay."

He felt his hopes rise just a little, Marinette adding to it a little when she said

"Bonus points if she joked about it afterward. If she said it's chill, then it's probably actually chill."

She had made him laugh for the first time that day, which was an accomplishment seeings as he witnessed a kid bong himself on the door frame in the main hallway.

Later, on the patrol he had postponed from yesterday, he arrived a little early to make himself comfortable on the ledge he had almost been tossed off of. Ladybug followed soon after and sat with him, swinging her feet in the silence that engulfed them.

"I saw you sulk away like a little kid that was throwing a tantrum yesterday. You good now, though?"

A small smile came onto his face as he thought of what his friends had told him

"yeah, I'm good. I felt bad that I had pushed too far and made you cry. But a friend told me this morning that if you said its chill, then it's probably chill so I think I'm okay"

Ladybug's eyes widened as he heard him speak. The words replayed over in her mind, deciding to play it cool

"Pretty smart friend, huh?"

He just grinned wider

"Yeah. The smartest."

Before she could panic anymore, he was on his feet, offering a hand to help her up. She took it and steadied herself, still on the verge of panicking, quickly making an excuse to bolt.

"I can't stay for long, Chaton, I just came to tell you we can't train for a few days. Uh- I got- um- Grounded! And if my parents see I'm gone, it'd be hell. So- I guess I'll see you whenever I can! Bye!"

She swung herself away before he could get out any questions about the matter. She detransformed before she got home so she could use the walk to think.

He can't be Adrien. No, that's silly to even consider. It had to be a coincidence that he has a friend that told him that exact thing this morning? Right? Maybe not.

She devised a plan of action in the back of her head. She'd text him and see if maybe he'd give himself away by saying something about Ladybug only Chat would know. It sounded good enough for her to impulsively text him before taking the time to plan any further or think of an escape plan. Too late now. Oops

M: Hey! I saw you leaving an alleyway Chat Noir had just gone into yesterday, are you 2 friends?

If he was Chat, that was a pretty safe bet. If he acted like he had no idea what she meant, then she'd readjust her attack but for now, this seemed to be working

A: Uh, not friends, just saw him and said hi

Him being Chat could go either way with that answer, so she'd have to figure out something a little better

M: Ohh. Are you a fan?

She was asking questions she already knew his answer to test the waters before jumping on him

A: Yeah, I mean they save Paris every day, how could I not be? I love Ladybug more though

Yeah, that fit. She tapped the edge of her phone considering her options from there

M: She's cool, I guess. Chat's so handsome though

Feeding his ego a little should work, it always does when Ladybug needs to weasel answers out of Chat

A: Is he? Hm, I've never noticed… Ladybug is the one I focus on. She's beautiful

The message ended in a few cat heart eye emoji's and suddenly there was no doubt in her mind that she had found her Chat Noir.

Chat Noir used his baton to fling himself through his mansion window and onto his bed before his transformation gave out and Plagg started begging for cheese. As he fed the hungry, tiny, beast, his phone buzzed on his desk.

M: Hey! I saw you leaving an alleyway Chat Noir had just gone into yesterday, are you 2 friends?

His heart almost fell out of his chest as he read it. Luckily, she suspected friends and not being the same person. He quickly fumbled a lie and hoped for the best. While they texted back and forth his mind wandered to if she was a fan of him and his lady. Alya had just uploaded a new section to her Ladyblog with photos fans had taken with her and Chat. Every kid from their school had taken a photo with the pair. Except for himself and Marinette. He flicked through the gallery about 4 times before he slumped back into his desk chair and gave up. Shy Marinette from his class that just months before couldn't even speak to him without stuttering just a few months ago was his lady? No, that couldn't be right, right? He asked Plagg what he thought but the only response gained was a comment about how much cheese was better than girls. He made a list on the notes on his phone, one split down the middle of traits belonging to his lady and ones to his princess.

Mari was independent and fierce. She stood up for what was good. She had blue hair and blue eyes. She was a couple inches shorter than him. She didn't like Chloe, much.

He took a look at the 2 lists. They were the exact same. He didn't sleep that much that night.

Friday

Adrien woke up early before school and convinced his driver to drop him off in front of a cafe not far from Marinette's bakery. He bought a normal coffee for himself and a caramel macchiato with 2 extra shots of espresso. Ladybug's favorite. He walked over to the bakery and greeted Mari's parents cheerfully as he waited for her. He handed her the warm cup once she came down the stairs with a confused look. She could smell the caffeine and caramel before it even switched hands.

"Uh, hey Adrien. Thanks for the coffee! How'd you know this was my favorite?"
He struggled for an answer, not thinking this far ahead.

"Oh, I texted Alya while I was in the shop!"

Luckily, she didn't question it too much. They walked to school together in quiet, Adrien examining her every move and comparing it to his Lady's. Marinette didn't need to watch Adrien to know he was Chat because she knew Chat was the only one who knows her favorite coffee. She also knows the coffee Chat bought was Ladybug's favorite, so he must know she's Ladybug by now. She wanted to freak out and panic that she was talking to her crush or that her biggest secret was out but she couldn't. Not when Chat was Adrien. Not when her partner was also her close friend.

Most of the day went by normally, the teachers left little time to focus on anything other than work. Until PE came by. The coach had come in and told them to run laps while he called his daughter about something or another. The field was about a fourth of a mile long, so it wasn't hard to run multiple laps around. Not for Adrien and Marinette, anyway. During the first 2 laps, the duo smack talked while trying to get ahead of each other but stopped for a break right after. They stretched and drank some water but the taunts didn't end. If anything, they got worse. The whole class had overheard them and were starting to encourage it.

"Why don't you two just race for real and get it over with?"

They glanced at each other and shrugged. Why not right? They got up and established a starting and finish line. Max collected money from bets while Alix and Kim pumped everyone up and made rules. It'd be 2 laps and whoever finished first was the clear winner. They got in place and started the race.

Marinette was in the lead for most of the first lap but Adrien eventually caught up. They sprinted together for a while until Adrien started the banter they usual tossed around during training

"C'mon my lady, let me win just once!"

She smirked and shook her head, not dropped speed at all

"In your dreams, Chaton!"

Marinette passed the winning line as she shouted 'Chaton'