What on earth had just happened?! One minute she had been teasing Gabriel and the next she had given in to the urge to kiss him! His lips were warm and inviting and she found herself craving more, even after she had left him standing there under the tree.
"What's wrong with me?" she scolded herself. "I shouldn't have done that."
It had been all too easy to give in to her desires when she could hide behind the mask. Night Wing had no reason not to flirt with Gabriel, but Madeline did. She feared letting anyone get too close. It felt like setting herself up for heartbreak.
Shaking her head, she flopped on the couch, covering her eyes with her arm. If she was honest with herself, she liked Gabriel. A lot. He had awakened a part of her she had thought she had long since buried. A part that craved connection. She wanted to know more about him, but she was afraid of getting hurt. And what about her alter ego? She had sworn to take the secret to her grave. It hadn't seemed to matter. Until now.
"Are you okay, Madeline?" Duusu asked, landing on her upturned palm.
Madeline shrugged. "I'll be alright. I've just never met anyone like Gabriel. There's something about him. He's sweet and funny and cute. But it's more than that..."
"You know you can't tell anyone your secret," Duusu cautioned, and Madeline sighed, rolling her eyes.
"I know that. Whatever this is can't go anywhere anyway," she sighed, blinking back frustrated tears. "We come from two different worlds."
As Madeline thought about the kiss again, she suddenly remembered the box Gabriel had given her. She sat up and stared at it, wondering what could have been so important that Gabriel had carried it everywhere with him.
Pulling on the end of the ribbon, she tied it at the end of her braid before lifting the lid off the box. A little gasp escaped her as she pulled an exquisite blue and green gown out and held it up to her chest. It was absolutely stunning and Gabriel had matched the colors of her costume perfectly, even adding in hints of gold to match her hair.
"Wow," she breathed, examining herself in the full-length mirror on the back of her door. Imagining herself in the dress made her feel beautiful and glamorous.
"This is incredible," she gasped, picturing herself making a stunning grand entrance at a ball. Giving an impulsive little twirl, she smiled as the skirt fanned out smoothly around her, just like a peacock tail. Gabriel had truly captured her essence.
"How do I thank him for this?" she asked her kwami. "This is an incredible gift."
Duusu perched on the edge of the coffee table and watched Madeline with a small smile. "Well, you can start with a thank you. That seems like a good place to start."
Madeline nodded in agreement. She would go find Gabriel and thank him. As Night Wing, of course.
It took longer than Madeline wanted to meet up with Gabriel, much to her annoyance. The next night, La Panthère struck again, robbing a family of their priceless jewels and killing the maid in the process. But even with the grisly murder—done with something that resembled claws, much to Madeline's disgust—he had left no trace.
Madeline waited for Gabriel on the Louvre roof the night after that when she got off work. Sure enough, he appeared like clockwork, crossing the plaza toward the museum entrance. Silently, she leaped off the roof, her feet hitting the ground softly just behind him.
"Hello, sweet cakes," she grinned as he jumped, spinning around to face her. He clutched his heart, raising his eyebrows. She loved getting a reaction out of him, he was easy to tease. But that only made her like him more.
"H-hi," he said, a smile spreading across his face as he relaxed. "Are all our meetings going to be this, er, surprising?"
Grinning, Madeline nodded, "Well, I do have a reputation to maintain after all."
"So what's the occasion?" Gabriel bantered back. "Robbery? Mass attack of man eating rats?"
"Gross!" Madeline made a face, shaking her head. "No, this time I just wanted to say thank you for the dress. It's gorgeous, I love it."
Gabriel flushed scarlet to the roots of his blonde hair but looked pleased by her compliment all the same.
"Y-you're welcome," he managed. "I drew that the very first time we met."
Madeline laughed. "I know. I thought you were crazy for drawing right after being pulled from a fire."
"Well, what can I say?" Gabriel teased back. Madeline loved bantering with him. He was so funny when he overcame his shyness. "When inspiration strikes, you don't want to waste it."
Madeline tilted her head toward the front of the Louvre. "Is that why you come here all the time? Inspiration?"
"Partly," Gabriel flushed again, shuffling his feet. "But I'm also doing some research."
Raising her eyebrows, Madeline encouraged him to continue with a nod. Gabriel sighed and pulled a book out of his bag.
"I've been trying to piece together what's in here," he said, opening the book to a marked page. Madeline stared. The figure drawn on the heavy linen paper was another peacock Miraculous holder.
"Where did you get this?"
"I found it in a secret part of our library at home," Gabriel replied, lowering his voice. "I would have thought they were fairy tales except I had just met you."
Madeline swallowed hard. Gabriel was dangerously close to unraveling a lot of secrets he shouldn't know. Especially her own.
"Maybe we can talk about it sometime?" he asked tentatively. Madeline closed the book with a sharp snap and handed it back to him.
"No," she said with definite finality. Gabriel looked so disappointed that she immediately softened her tone. "Gabriel, Miraculous powers are a sacred secret. We don't talk about them in order to protect them from being abused by evil men."
"Okay."
Madeline gazed at him for a long moment before smiling mischievously. "You want to see where I go for inspiration?"
"I'm intrigued," Gabriel grinned as she snaked an arm around his waist.
"Hold on, cupcake," she replied with a wink. "This will feel weird."
Pushing off the ground, she heard Gabriel suck in a breath as they shot gracefully into the air. She glanced at him, half expecting that he would have his eyes shut, but he didn't. He gazed down at the city with awe in his eyes. Before she knew it, he let out a whoop of laughter. Madeline couldn't help it when she joined in, grinning from ear to ear.
"Wow!" Gabriel exclaimed, craning around to take in all the city lights. "This is incredible!"
Madeline chuckled as he had to quickly catch his glasses before they slipped off his face.
"Just wait. It gets better."
She flew over the Seine and up to the top of one of the bell towers at Notre Dame. Below, the rose window glowed softly in the darkness. It was so peaceful up here, so serene.
"I'd love to paint this view sometime," she laughed, gesturing at the twinkling city lights as Gabriel let out a soft exclamation at the sight. "I like to come here and think sometimes."
Gabriel nodded, leaning against one of the stone pillars. "I can see why. It's beautiful."
"Plus, I can see nearly every point in the city from here," Madeline replied, touching her fans thoughtfully. "That helps with the crime fighting."
They sat in companionable silence for several long moments, enjoying the cool night air. Madeline sighed, she loved spending time with Gabriel. Their friendship was so effortless and sweet, even when he thought he was talking to Night Wing.
"Can I ask you something?" Gabriel asked after a few moments.
Madeline nodded. "Sure."
"Why did you kiss me?" Gabriel asked hesitantly, staring at his hands so she wouldn't see the heat creeping into his cheeks.
"I wanted to," she smiled, with a little laugh. "I guess I keep surprising you, huh?"
Gabriel nodded a wry smile playing across his lips. "Yeah, but in a good way."
Madeline tucked back a smile, gazing down at the bridge just across from them. Her heart leaped into her throat as she saw the man with the black ponytail and amber eyes, leaning against the railing, staring up at them.
"I should get you back to the Louvre," Madeline said hastily, putting her arm around him once again. Gabriel nodded as Madeline took off, gliding back to the plaza where they had met. She set Gabriel down on the pavement, taking in his windswept hair and wide smile. He looked so handsome, she was tempted to kiss him again, but refrained.
"Thanks for showing me your spot," Gabriel said, trying to flatten his hair but Madeline stopped him.
"Don't. I like it this way," she smiled, leaning in and giving him a peck on the cheek. "See you later, Gabe."
With that, she took to the sky once again, her heart racing. Gabriel seemed to have that effect on her. But there was another reason that her heart hammered in her chest. La Panthère seemed to know everything about her. But how?
Transforming in mid-air, she landed gracefully on her balcony and darted inside. What did La Panthère want? So far, he seemed content just to scare her, but deep down she knew there was more to it than that.
She caught a glimpse of Gabriel's dress in the box on her coffee table. Seeing it comforted her somehow. She felt safe with him, she realized. Somehow, he had bridged her defenses and was already in the process of stealing her heart.
Before she could give herself time to overanalyze her decision, she ran into the bedroom and pulled out her battered backpack. It was the biggest thing she had that could carry enough essentials for a trip.
"What are you doing?" Duusu asked as Madeline continued to shove clothes into the bag. She didn't look up for fear of seeing disapproval in her kwami's eyes. She knew she was being impulsive, but she didn't care. She wanted to be with Gabriel and get away from here until she could figure out what La Panthère wanted from her.
"Something stupid."