"Five minutes until you're on."

"Thank you, Luc." Chat Noir said.

Luc bobbed his head in acknowledgement and shut the door of the greenroom.

"Only five minutes?" Ladybug whined. "I do not need this right now. Why did we agree to do this interview?"

"Because Nadja asked us so nicely."

The greenroom wasn't very large, and Ladybug had been pacing from one end to the other for the past fifteen minutes. There were only three cushioned chairs, a loveseat, a square wooden table, and an empty bowl. (He'd eaten all the candy by himself when Ladybug said she felt too sick to have any.)

"I hate these things! I'm going to stutter and trip and everyone will think they can't trust us because how could someone so dumb protect them from evil?" She undid a pigtail, tied it again, and marched back over to the full-length mirror on the back wall.

"First off, they've seen us protecting them for years. We've done a good job, and they know it. That's not all going to be erased if you fall over one time." Chat Noir came over to stand behind her. "Second of all, you look fine, LB. Don't worry about it."

"Easy for you to say." She patted the top of her head to smooth out invisible stray hairs. "You always look amazing."

He opened his mouth and closed it again slowly, unsure how to respond to the compliment. It didn't look like she noticed his reaction or even what she'd said. She was checking out her hair from all angles and growing steadily paler.

"You're right." Playing it off as a joke was probably the best idea. And as a bonus, maybe he could help put her at ease. "Did you know that I was adopted?"

"What?" she asked, turning to him.

"Yeah, my parents paid the doctor to steal the most beautiful baby in the hospital for them."

She snorted and turned back to the mirror. "Did they? That explains a lot about you."

Wait. Was she still agreeing that he was good looking? If she kept that up, she wouldn't be the only one tripping their way onto the stage. He felt like he could float away he was so happy. "Yeah, my face is literally worth a fortune now."

"I'll bet," she said.

"Paris is lucky to have us," he said.

"Yeah, I guess." She picked up the tips of her pigtails and let them fall again. They felt limply to her shoulders.

Chat Noir swallowed. This was probably not a good idea, but he couldn't resist throwing in a compliment. "Lucky to have the two hottest people in this city for heroes."

Ladybug jumped forward and toppled into the mirror. He snatched it before it hit the ground and shattered. She wasn't so fortunate. She landed hard on her elbow with a yelp.

"Sorry! Sorry!" That had gone worse than he'd anticipated. He was expecting a blush or stutter at worst, and a playful shove at best. "I, uh– I shouldn't have–"

She rubbed her elbow and pushed herself to her knees. "R-Right, Nadja likes interviewing us so often because we're both so pretty. Sure."

"Attractive people are good for ratings," he said, trying to steer the conversation back in the right direction. "It's a proven fact."

She marched over to the table and picked up the bowl, then put it back down again in a slightly different spot, then went around and fluffed all the pillows on each chair. Anything to keep from looking at him and his dumb face.

Why was he so stupid? He should have just kept his mouth shut. Now she was more flustered. He was supposed to be helping her. But no, he had to make it worse for her. And she was already going through so much, even without the added stress of interviews and fame. She still hadn't been able to share what had been bothering her so much since the gala, and he knew that was still weighing on her, too.

Before he could think of a way to make her laugh or distract her again, Luc opened the door and poked his head in. "Time." He left, leaving the door open after him so they would follow.

Time. Chat Noir had run out of it.

"Sorry," he said again. He grabbed the door handle and held it open wider. "After you?"

"Let's just get this over with so I can go home and scream into my pillow and never see another human being ever again."

They walked silently down the short hallway to the wings of the stage. Nadja introduced her guests. The live audience roared applause. Ladybug squared her shoulders and set a wide smile on her face, leading the way into the blinding stage lights.

Two days later, the interview aired. Within minutes, it was the highlight of every Ladybug blog and chat room and tabloid in the city. A few details in particular had caught everyone's attention. Ladybug's persistent blush, how her eyes flicked to her partner every time he spoke, how mixed up her words seemed to be.

Instead of condemning her for her stuttering, the media found it endearing and were delighted. Headlines like "Ladybug in Love!" and "Has the Savior of Paris Finally Fallen for Her Feline Friend?" were all over the internet.

"I wish," Adrien said out loud. He was slumped in front of his computer, chin in his hands.

"You talking to me?" Plagg called.

"She was blushing during the interview and people are misinterpreting it, when it was really my fault because I made her uncomfortable."

Plagg shook his head. "You're right, kid. It really is all your fault."

Adrien didn't know what he meant. He just continued scrolling.