"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" Ladybug murmured the words into the Parisian night as she sat next to Chat on the Eiffel tower. Earlier that day had been the first time Queen Bee and Vixen had fought with them. The whole fight dynamic had been different. It wasn't a bad fight by any means but, the change had been jarring.
Chat turned his head and looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean My Lady?" Ladybug was glad she'd suggested they give their new team members the night off from patrol so she could talk about this with Chat, her… teammate.
She huffed out a breath, eyes glued to the horizon. "I mean, we aren't really partners anymore, are we? Now that there's four of us, we're just part of a team now." Ladybug could hear the bitterness in her voice and she wished it wasn't there. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate having help from new Miraculous holders, she did. Ladybug didn't really know how to describe what she was feeling.
Chat gasped. "My Lady, what are you talking about?" Out of the corner of her eye, Ladybug could see the shock written on Chat Noir's face.
"We didn't even fist bump after the battle today Chat. That's kind of our ritual. I feel like it's stupid to be upset over something so small but I just am." There was a light pressure on Ladybug's chin as Chat turned her head to finally look at him. There was an emotion shining in his eyes that she'd always ignored. But, now, that clear love in his eyes was making something stir in her.
"Ladybug, let me be very clear. Yes, we are now part of a team but, we will always, always be partners." Chat smiled and Ladybug felt her heart flip. "We were partners long before this team was formed and we will be partners long after."
Letting go of her chin, Chat pulled back slightly, still looking at her. "Plus, we can still do partner-y things. Patrols can be split up into duos and easier akuma can just be handled by us, or we could even go on dates just to two of us." Chat wiggled his mask covered eyebrows suggestively.
"Okay." Ladybug realized why she was so upset about her and Chat's change in dynamic while they talked, she had feelings for Chat and the possibility that they'd drift apart because they were fighting along side more people had scared her. "We can go on dates just the two of us."
Ladybug giggled at Chat's awed expression. "R-really?" She nodded her head to Chat's question. His smile was so bright that it rivaled all the lights in Paris. It was drawing her in and before she could think about what she was doing, Ladybug was leaning forward and kissing him.
Chat's lips were soft as they moved against hers, she brought a hand up to cup his cheek. They leaned their foreheads together when they broke away, panting slightly. "I think I want to be more than just your partner in fighting crime Chat."
"I would love nothing more than to be your partner in more than just fighting crime, My Lady." Ladybug leaned in a captured Chat's lips once more.