Chapter III

Marinette wakes up the next morning to her phone ringing. She reluctantly gets up and finds her bearings before falling down the stairs of her loft on the way to her phone; it's Alya.

Marinette: Hello?

Alya: Girl, you are going to freak! Guess who I just got off the phone with.

Marinette: Umm…

Alya: Adrien! He said that he has a lead on Ladybug's identity, and since I'm the expert with my Ladyblog and all, he called me. Do you know what this means?

Marinette: Adrien is looking for Ladybug!

Marinette fails to suppress her panic.

Alya: Yeah, I know! Isn't it great?

Marinette: NO! I mean… yeah, this is, err, awesome.

Alya: We're meeting in the park in twenty minutes. He said that he thinks Ladybug lives in your neighborhood. Can you believe that?

Marinette: WHAT?

Alya: Yeah, I'll see you soon! *beep*

Marinette: Adrien knows where Ladybug lives! Oh no! This cannot be happening! Tikki, what…

Marinette stops herself when she remembers that Tikki is still unconscious.

Marinette: I have to make sure that Adrien and Alya don't find out I'm Ladybug.


Twenty minutes later…

Alya: Marinette, over here!

Marinette is the last one to arrive at the park.

Nino: Thanks for asking me to tag along, I was hoping to find something cool to do today.

Adrien: Hey Marinette, I'm glad you could make it.

Marinette: Yeah…

Marinette looks back at Adrien with a dreamy gaze.

Alya snaps her fingers in front of Marinette's face to get her back into focus.

Alya: Now, tell me again, Adrien, how did you manage to figure out that Ladybug lives in this neighborhood?

Adrien: Oh yeah, about that… I placed tacks on a map of locations where Ladybug and Cat Noir defeated akumas, then used the general direction that Ladybug would leave the scene, and traced them all to this area of Paris. It's not very precise, but hey it's something.

Marinette: Wow, that's so smart of you…

Marinette loses focus again.

Alya: What I wanna know is how you got this information. I mean, in order to know what direction Ladybug left, you would have had to have been there. And what about Cat Noir, did you do the same for him?

Adrien: Uh, I ummm, err…

Nino: Yo, we haven't got all day. The sooner we start looking, the better.

Adrien: Nino's right, we'd better get going.

Alya: Alright, we'll talk more later. We'll cover more ground if we split up. Nino, you're with me on the West side of the neighborhood. Adrien, Marinette, you cover the East side. If you find anything, call, and we'll rendez-vous back here.

Alya gives Marinette a wink that says, you're welcome. Then she drags Nino off by the hand.

Nino: Later, duuuuuudes.

Adrien and Marinette blink at each other awkwardly for a moment until Adrien breaks the silence.

Adrien: Shall we, little lady?

Marinette finds something familiar in the way that Adrien calls her little lady, but she can't quite put her finger on it. They stroll down the street together, and Adrien tries to make some conversation.

Adrien: Don't you also live around here, Marinette?

Marinette: Yeah, I street just down the live. I mean, I live just over there.

She points to the bakery, embarrassed at her lack of conviction.

Adrien: Do you think it's odd that there haven't been any akumas lately?

Marinette: What do you mean?

Adrien: Well, ever since your dad was akumatized, there hasn't been a single akuma. Haven't you noticed?

Marinette: Yeah, I guess you're right. That must be why no one has seen Cat Noir around.

Adrien: Ladybug too. There haven't been any akumas, so that must be why they've disappeared.

Marinette: Yeah… disappeared. I guess you could say that…

They both fall silent for a few moments.

Adrien: I wonder who Ladybug really is behind her mask.

Marinette: Wouldn't you like to know who Cat Noir is too?

They both fall silent again. The pair continues down the street, close enough to be associated, but not quite close enough to be mistaken for a couple. The summer sun pours down on them. It's another hot day for Paris.

Adrien: We're getting close to the center of the district. Keep your eyes peeled for a girl with blue eyes and pigtails.

Marinette instinctively covers up her pigtails, then becomes self-conscious and tries to act naturally.

Adrien: Are you okay, Marinette? You're acting kind of… odd.

Marinette: Me? Oh, I'm just, just, err, really hot. Yeah, what a hot day today.

She wipes the sweat from her brow and fans herself with her hand.

Adrien: Hey, why don't we stop for some ice cream?

Marinette shimmers.

Marinette: That sounds great! Oh no wait, I forgot to bring my money pouch.

Adrien: Don't worry, it's my treat.

He smiles at her, and Marinette melts.


Adrien: … and that's when I said, "en garde."

Marinette laughs at the punchline. She's never had this much fun with anyone. They shared a chocolate mint sundae in the air-conditioned ice cream parlour, and within ten minutes of each other's company, they had both forgotten their quest to unmask Paris's superheroes. They talked and laughed, and before long, all of the awkwardness between them had dissolved.

Marinette: So how did you convince your father to let you go out today?

Adrien: Oh, well actually, I kind of snuck out.

Marinette: What? Won't your bodyguard be looking for you?

Adrien: Yeah, but he thinks that I'm practicing my Chinese in my room.

Adrien leans over the table and whispers.

Adrien: He's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

Marinette laughs, and leans forward too. Adrien doesn't sit back in the booth. Their eyes lock, and Marinette leans in a little more, begging him to kiss her. Adrien's eyes dart down to her lips, then back to her eyes. Marinette notices his posture change and his shoulders tense. Adrien sees her eyes start to dilate as he leans closer. Marinette stops breathing. Her heart pounds in her chest, and shivers go down her spine. This is it. This is the moment. Here it comes.

Adrien's mouth parts. She closes her eyes and lifts her chin. Her chest starts to swell with anticipation, and she can feel his breath on her lips.

Angry Voice: Adrien!

Marinette and Adrien jump back. Their eyes fly open, and they see Nathalie and the Gorilla tramping towards them.

Adrien: Quick! Run!

Adrien grabs Marinette by the hand, and they scurry out the back door of the ice cream parlour. The Gorilla clambers after them, while Nathalie swings around the block with the car. Adrien and Marinette burst into the street with the Gorilla hot on their heels.

Marinette: Quick, this way!

Marinette leads Adrien, still connected by the hand, into a nearby alley. Marinette vaults over a low fence with a single bound, and Adrien scurries after her.

Marinette: We can hideout at my house, it's just across the street and around the corner.

Adrien: Lead the way.

They duck into another alley and manage to lose the Gorilla, but they emerge into the street as Nathalie barrels towards them in the car. They turn the corner and slip into the bakery. By the time Nathalie pulls the car around, the pair is safely out of sight.

Adrien and Marinette catch their breath for a moment in the bakery.

Sabine: Marinette, what's gotten you all worked up like that, and who is this young man?

Marinette: Oh hey mom, don't you remember Adrien from school?

Sabine: Oh yes, you came over when Marinette was doing that thing from school with the video games. Come in, come in, Tom just pulled a fresh batch of cookies out of the oven.

Adrien gasps.

Adrien: Cookies!?

Marinette: Mom!

Sabine: Alright sweetie, but if you two get hungry, you just come on downstairs whenever, okay?

Marinette makes her way up to her room, and Adrien downheartedly follows. Just before Marinette reaches the stairs, she stops and turns to Adrien.

Marinette: Oh, umm, I just remembered that err, I need to tidy up a few things. Would you mind waiting downstairs?

She smiles uncomfortably.

Adrien: Oh I'm sure it's not that bad.

Adrien chuckles, remembering seeing all the photos of him posted on the walls of her room.

Marinette: It'll just take a sec. I promise.

Adrien leans in towards her, and she leans her upper body back against the wall as he looks expectantly into her eyes with eyebrows raised.

Adrien: You aren't hiding anything from me, are you..? Hmm?

Marinette: I… I…

Adrien: But if you insist, I can wait downstairs while you tidy up.

He gives her a wink and steps back. Marinette remains where she is and blinks twice, bringing herself back to the room. Then she scurries up the stairs and rapidly starts pulling her Adrien photos and posters off the walls.

When Marinette finally makes her way back downstairs, she finds Adrien stuffing his face with cookies while Tom enters the room with a platter of fresh éclairs. At the sight of the éclairs, Adrien's eyes widen. His jaw drops, and his mouth starts to water profusely.

Marinette: Dad!

Tom: Oh hello, Marinette. Adrien was just telling me about when your derby hat won the school competition, and he got to wear it for the photoshoot.

Adrien: And I couldn't stop sneezing from the feathers.

Tom and Adrien laugh and Adrien reaches greedily for a pastry from the tray, but Marinette grabs him by the arm and drags him to her room. Adrien whimpers as the éclairs are denied to him.

Marinette emerges from the trapdoor and leads Adrien inside. Marinette sits down on her lounge chair, and before she can take another breath, she gets a phone call from Alya.

Marinette: Hello?

Alya: Hey, you two need to come here ASAP. We just found another lead on Ladybug!

Marinette: But, but… *beep*

Marinette gets a text message from Alya, which says nothing but an address.

Adrien: Was that Alya?

Marinette: Yeah, she says that she found another lead.

Adrien: Well then let's go!

Marinette: But what if your bodyguard tracks us down again?

Adrien: Then we'll give 'em the slip, just like last time.

He smiles and holds out his hand to help her up. She takes it and feels her cheeks get hot.


Marinette and Adrien rejoin Alya and Nino at the specified address.

Alya: Sorry about the false alarm. I really thought that guy knew something useful. It turns out, the only thing he knew was that Ladybug swings by his house frequently, and that it's usually before and after an akuma attack.

Marinette (whispering to Alya): I was this close to being alone with Adrien, this close!

Adrien: That's a real shame, Alya. I guess we'll have to meet up again soon and keep looking.

Nino: Yeah, I'd totally be down for doing this again.

He looks at Alya with a grin.

Alya: What about you, Marinette?

Marinette: Yeah, sure, that sounds great!

The group disperses, and Adrien makes his way home.


Nathalie: Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you. Your father is furious, and he won't have you running amok through the city anymore.

Adrien: He never lets me do anything! It's not fair.

Adrien goes to his room and slides down to the floor with his back against the door. He exhales a long breath, and closes his eyes for a moment. He opens them again and looks down at his ring.

Adrien: I guess you're just no good anymore.

He turns his hand around, looking the ring over.

Adrien: You were a crack from a window, a ladder from a pit, a vent from a room, a bed sheet rope from a tower. You were my spoonful of sugar. You were my sweet release. You were my ticket. You were my portal from here to somewhere better. You lifted me up. You gave me strength when I was weakest. You delivered me from solitude, and bridged my life with another's: Ladybug. With you, she is there. Without you, she is not. I derive my drive from our times together, and it drives me further until our next encounter.

Adrien gets up and walks to the window.

Adrien: Ladybug is my beacon, a pillar, a guide, a resplendent column, and now she is gone like a fleeting memory, distant, dissolving. I try to hang on to the hope that I can one day find her and rejoice in our reunion, for she's somewhere out there; I don't know where. Yet, I cannot help but feel as though Ladybug shrinks from my reaches. Days, it's been, and there seems no progress towards finding her, no respite from my self-induced longing in her absence, no assurance that I will ever see her again. My spotted heroine has disappeared.

Adrien rests his elbows on the window sill and hangs his head in his hands.

Adrien: My friends, they help me, and I am ever grateful. Alya is determined to find out the truth, bless her. Nino always has my back; I know I can count on him. Then Marinette, the shy, clumsy, awkward Marinette, she's cute. It's no secret that she fancies me, and I'm glad for her companionship. She's funny, and I've always enjoyed our little time together. Yet, there's something about her; I don't know what. There's something there to which I can't help but feel attracted. There's something familiar about her. When we're together I sometimes feel like we know each other so much better than we should. It's pleasant, comforting. I can't begin to explain it. She's charming. She's enigmatic. She's alluring. She's perplexing. She's beautiful. She's… Miraculous.


Author's Note:

Thank you all for the support! I'll try to get a new chapter written and uploaded every 2-6 days. Let me know what you think in the comments. I love reading what you guys have to say! Stay tuned for more! :)