Please read Bug Buddies first before this one!

Summary: In which Chloe finds that her and Marinette aren't that different.

Part 2 of Buggy Tendencies series

Chloe grumbled as she shivered in the godforsaken cold. A couple gave her a smile and she gave them a waspish glare in return, scaring them off. Everyone around her was so cheerful and she wanted it all to crash and burn with her bad mood.

Due to the holiday season, Madame Bustier took the class to the ice rink on the Mayor's treat to present to his precious princess. Of course, Chloe couldn't inform her father that she now despised the winter season without having to go into being a bug themed superhero, so she held her tongue and hoped the day would end soon.

She cranked up the heater inside her coat, reaching for her coffee and taking large gulps out of it. Her icy eyes narrowed when she caught sight of Lila Rossi trying to get cozy with Adrien but found she couldn't do anything due to shivering violently and being so tired she felt she could fall asleep standing up. Probably wasn't a good idea to risk ice skating over to ruin the Italian girl's day when she was in such a state.

Sabrina offered to stay with Chloe, but the girl waved her off, too cranky to deal with someone who didn't understand her plight, and the orange haired girl was off socializing with the rest of her classmates leaving Chloe to simmer in her bad mood.

A figure approached her at her left side, leaning against her and offering another steaming cup of coffee, and Chloe resisted the urge to smile in gratitude, knowing exactly who it was. Nonetheless, she didn't push off Marinette either as she accepted the coffee and gulped it down—desperate to stay awake.

"Looks like fun out there." Marinette commented. She snuggled into her head scarf to stay warm, and Chloe absentmindedly scooted closer so Marinette could receive more heat. Ever since they started needing to share warmth to stay awake, the two have entered a sort of unspoken stalemate of some kind. Sans Alya and Adrien, no one else was brave enough to ask them about the nature of their current relationship, and when Alya prodded Marinette and Adrien approached Chloe about it, the both of them found themselves shrugging and not really able to supply an answer themselves. Were they acquaintances now? Friends? It seemed like there wasn't really a word to describe your once-enemy-turned-heat-buddy. They didn't discuss it and didn't really think about how things would be when spring came, but neither of them fretted about it, too concerned with the present and staying warm.

"Hmph, yes, falling on your ass onto the ice sure is fun for some people I suppose." Chloe answered. Marinette gave off a laugh. She gave a wave to Alya and Nino who gave her waves in return before returning to skating together.

"As I seem to recall, last year you were one of those people." Marinette pointed out with a teasing lift in her lips. Chloe snorted.

"Things change, Marinette. You of course should know since last year was when you had hard times in the cold."

If Chloe was pettier, she would've accused Marinette of passing on some kind of virus to her for being unable to tolerate the cold, but Chloe knew it was because of her Miraculous that she was having such problems. She felt envy bubbling in her—only insect Miraculous were affected like this it seemed. The others were more of personality quirks. Pollen did explain the turtle is averse to cold but said that he liked to keep himself hidden. When Ladybug presented her with her Miraculous, she didn't regret taking it, but she wished that she had someone to talk to about this. Someone who could understand her plight. Although, she was curious what was the reason Marinette, who she knew never seemed to have problems with the cold, suddenly couldn't stand upright without falling asleep against someone warm.

"As you said, things change." Marinette replied cryptically. She got like that sometimes. As Chloe spent more time with her, she found that Marinette sometimes would say some things like there was some kind of inside joke Chloe wasn't apart of, but she never prodded her. Marinette could be as weird as she wanted as long as she didn't bring Chloe down with her.

"Ugh, doesn't Rossi have any class? She's throwing herself at Adrien like a harlot." Chloe sneered while she watched the girl flirt heavily with an uncomfortable Adrien. Marinette barked a laugh, her shoulders shaking from mirth.

"I guess she does resemble that at times with how thick she lays on the flirting, but Adrien is a big boy. If he doesn't like it, he should say so."

"Pfft, yeah right. He's too nice—he's the type of guy to give his lunch money to his bullies when they demand it because he thinks they're stealing from him cause they're hungry and might share a meal with him and they'll all become best friends." Chloe remarked fondly but raised an eyebrow at her companion. "I'm surprised you're not seething in jealousy at her attentions to Adrien."

Marinette's eyes widened, a blush coating her cheeks, and she gave off a small embarrassed giggle.

"Yeah well, I learned that jealousy gets you nowhere, and Adrien is his own person. I can't treat him like a possession like his father does. That's not right and that's not a way to show you love someone." Marinette confessed, and Chloe studied her in curiosity. "Love is accepting all of them, even their flaws. If I put him on a pedestal, then I'm not loving him, but an illusion of him." She explained to the blonde-haired girl. Chloe watched the soft smile on Marinette's face, as the girl watched Adrien, contemplating.

"Huh, guess you're not that dense after all." Chloe admitted. Marinette turned to her questioningly.

"Hm?"

"Nothing." Chloe dismissed it. "Besides, Adrikins belongs to me, you hear? You're not going to take him away from me that easily." Marinette laughed.

"Wouldn't dream of it. You're not as bad as you try to be anyway."

"What? I'll have you know everyone adores me!"

"Right right. You're Paris' princess." Marinette rolled her eyes, but her grin was still in place. Chloe blushed.

"You bet I am! Don't you dare forget that, Marinette." Chloe huffed. Marinette laughed loudly. Chloe blushed deeper, not wanting to admit that she liked the sound of Marinette's laughter.

"Sorry, should I treat her highness to another coffee?" Marinette offered, and Chloe blinked in shock. Marinette seemed to have realized what she said and also stared. This was the first time one of them offered to hang out with the other. This was new to their arrangement and neither of them knew how to proceed with it. Was it going beyond boundaries?

"Marinette! Chloe!" Adrien, having lost Lila, skated to them with a happy smile. "Do you guys want to skate with us? Everyone is here having a good time—it wouldn't be the same without you guys." Adrien explained, and Chloe noticed his lingering glance on Marinette, and she felt something stir in her at his attention towards Marinette. She felt like he was intruding on something that was between the blue haired girl and her, and she didn't like it. Before Marinette could answer, Chloe wrapped an arm around Marinette arm. The blue haired girl blinked at her curiously, wondering why she wasn't accepting Adrien's invite.

"Sorry, Adrikins." Chloe said, but for some reason Adrien felt she wasn't sorry at all. "Marinette offered me to go back to her place for some hot chocolate. As you can see we both hate the cold, and ice skating will only make us worse. Wouldn't you say, Marinette?"

"Uh yeah, it's kinda too cold for me, Adrien." Marinette gave Adrien an apologetic smile. She then turned to Chloe, "I did offer her a warm drink first, so it's not good to go back on my promises."

"Oh… okay." Adrien said sadly, but perked up, giving Marinette a welcoming smile. "Maybe someday I can join you?" Marinette smiled, a giddy sparkle in her eyes.

"I'd like that. Right Chloe?"

"Yeah yeah. Just don't bring your fangirls." Chloe eyed Lila approaching as Adrien laughed loudly. She wanted to get away from the ice rink as fast as possible, the way Adrien paying special attention to Marinette making her wanna throw a snowball at her childhood best friend. Before Adrien could say anything, Chloe pulled Marinette along towards the bakery. Marinette gave her a confused look. Chloe sighed.

"He… Adrien doesn't understand what it is to feel like this during winter. To have your body shut down on you… I just don't like other people right now, okay?" Chloe growled, growing frustrated. Marinette gazed at her silently, before smiling and grasping her hand.

"It's okay…" Marinette said. "I understand. Maman can give us a fresh made batch of hot cocoa."

And for the first time since her Miraculous side effects started, Chloe found someone who made her feel understood.