Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

And not only did it scare him that he could feel this almost as if it were his own emotion, but it scared him because he didn't want to lose her. He didn't want to lose Madeline.

Gabriel kicked himself as he walked side by side with Madeline through Tahrir Square, noticing that she put a little distance between them and if she ever accidentally brushed against him, she'd crawl back into whatever shell she came from. Had he done something wrong? Maybe things between them went too fast. It wasn't like him to move fast, not at all. It was just that when the two of them were together, something between them ignited and each of them were powerless to stop it. But now…

He frowned as he glanced over at Madeline out of the corner of his eye. But now she hardly even spoke to him, let alone looked at him. There had to be something he could do to fix this… But what?

Not able to stand the tension in the air any longer, Gabriel stopped in his tracks and forced Madeline to look at him. The pain in her eyes showed him the truth.

"What have I done?" Gabriel asked huskily. "Why are you upset?"

"I'm not upset," she defended, but even then, tears started forming in her eyes. For someone who said that she wasn't normally emotional, Gabriel didn't believe an ounce of it.

"But you are! I can…" He didn't know how to even explain how he could feel what she was feeling right now. It didn't make sense to him either. But he assumed that it had something to do with the butterfly brooch he wore underneath his shirt, hidden so it didn't clash with the outfit he wore today. "I can feel it. You seemed fine yesterday. But today…" He took a deep breath. "What have I done, Madeline?"

Madeline shook her head and wiped away the tears that started falling down her cheeks. "Nothing. Gabe, you've done nothing wrong. I just… It's me. I can't do this. I've been alone all my life. I can't...I can't be with you."

Gabriel swallowed hard as the truth came out. He was going to lose her…

"D-D-Don't say that," he whispered huskily, reaching out to soothe her hair down, but she dodged out of reach. "Mads… You don't have to be alone all your life."

"I come from nothing, Gabe!" Madeline cried, furiously swiping at the tears that cascaded from her eyes like a mini waterfall. "You're rich and I'm poor. You have a name in society and people have no idea who I am. We're from completely different worlds. I can't...I can't do this. I'm sorry."

She started to turn away from him but he caught onto her wrist, not willing to let her go so easily, especially now that he found something good.

His stammer broke out as he tried to convey his feelings to her, at least once. She had to know, even if it didn't change anything. "I-I-I don't c-care about any of that. I-I-I love y-you."

Madeline froze as if she were a statue, but then all of a sudden, the waterworks came faster and harder as she sobbed, wrenching her wrist out of his grip and darting away from him. More than anything, he wanted to chase after her, to hold her and tell her everything would be okay, but he just didn't know how.

So he watched her go with a heavy heart and stood there like an idiot long after she had disappeared. He didn't know why he ever got his hopes up. After all, Madeline was incredible, and he felt as if he just didn't measure up. Just the thought made his heart ache.

Gabriel headed back to the hotel as the sun started setting, casting a warm glow against the large pyramids in the distance. The sight was beautiful, but he just couldn't appreciate it. Not this time.

"Mr. Agreste," the person at the front desk said with a smile as Gabriel approached. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to check to see if any spare rooms have opened up since I asked last time."

Smiling, the man clicked a few times on his computer and turned back to Gabriel. "You're in luck. Several people left the conference early, so we have an open room. It's down the hallway from your old room." Several more moments passed as he clicked a few more times before handing him another room key. "If you need anything else, Mr. Agreste, don't hesitate to ask."

When Gabriel started to turn away, the man at the front desk called out to him, "Oh! I almost forgot. We're hosting a masquerade ball tonight and I don't mean to brag… But it really is the social event of the season. I wouldn't miss it if I were you."

Gabriel smiled kindly as he continued to his new room. Somehow, the room felt so much emptier without Madeline, but there wasn't much he could really do.

"I'm sorry about Madeline," Nooroo said softly as she appeared out of what seemed like thin air. "She's a great girl."

"Yeah…" he agreed quietly. Although he wished he could express himself, he and the kwami weren't close. "Nooroo, transform me."

The kwami nodded silently and in a sudden burst, he was Hawk Moth. The rush of power followed him as he leaped off his balcony and into the city. He didn't know where he was going or why, only that he wanted to get away for a little while. As Hawk Moth, he could leave Gabriel Agreste behind for a little while.

A surge of emotion hit him like a brick wall, except it wasn't his own emotion. It was the type of strong emotion that made him feel as if he could akumatize a person for days on end without them even trying to fight back against his power. Unfortunately, as he reached out with his power to see what was going on, he withdrew his power just as fast as if the invisible contact had burned him. He recognized this person…

Very quietly, Hawk Moth crept forward until he could see the person with his own eyes, a pit forming in his stomach at the sight.

Night Wing sat on the edge of the building with her legs dangling over the side, her head in her hands as she sobbed. Gabriel almost expected her tears to turn into diamonds—after all, her tears were more precious than these priceless gems.

"Hey," he said softly as he approached, and although Night Wing's sobbing stopped, her tears didn't.

"How did you find me?" Night Wing choked, wiping her eyes again and again but thankfully, she didn't move as he came to sit beside her on the ledge.

Gabriel shrugged and glanced over at her with concern. Pointing at his heart, he replied, "I could feel your pain. Hawk Moth takes empathy to a whole new level."

She nodded as if this information didn't even phase her. "It's strange what becoming a Miraculous holder will do to you."

Night Wing dabbed at the tears that looked as if they just wouldn't stop coming. Two crying women in the same hour? Gabriel didn't even know how to handle this type of thing. Growing up, his father always told him to suck it up and be a man. But it was completely different with women. It was as if they needed constant emotional release otherwise they'd implode.

"Will you tell me why you're crying?" Hawk Moth asked, and he almost didn't expect her to answer. To his surprise, she opened up to him as if they were long lost friends.

"I'm a stupid idiot, that's why. I'm so afraid to let people in that I push them away. I'm very good at pushing people away. Besides, he could never find out that I'm Night Wing. Our relationship could never be real."

The blood drained out of Gabriel's face as he realized what he just walked in on—relationship issues. He definitely wasn't qualified to handle this type of problem. Besides, he didn't even realize that Night Wing was dating anyone. It made him feel a little more awkward about her kissing him in Paris. Then again, she didn't know that Gabriel was Hawk Moth and although it wouldn't be the worst thing if she found out, he'd probably feel a little embarrassed…

"Why can't you tell him?" Gabriel asked. "If you love him, I'm sure he'd take the news just fine."

"I didn't say I loved him!" Night Wing snapped.

Gabriel couldn't stop the smirk that pulled up on the corners of his mouth. "No, of course you don't love him. You just feel an undying passion and warmth for him along with a lack of trust and uncertainty to follow."

"I hate you. Stop reading my emotions."

"It's part of my charm," he joked, but then he became serious. "Night Wing isn't the only thing you are. Whoever you are behind the mask… She deserves a happy life too."

She hid her face in her hands once more, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. Hesitantly, Gabriel put his hand on top of her back to comfort her and to his surprise, she leaned into him until he held her awkwardly against his chest as she cried.

"How do you do it?" Night Wing sniffed after a few minutes. "How do you balance your personal life with your Miraculous life?"

Would she believe him if he told her that he had literally only been Hawk Moth for less than a week?

"I guess it's hard…" he replied hesitantly, thinking of the times he had to keep what he was doing from Madeline. "For me, I don't want the people I'm close to to think I'm crazy…" He just couldn't relate enough to give her good advice, until he thought about how he was Gawain Papillion, the designer, in secret while he was Gabriel Agreste in real life. "And I know that if people found out who I really am, life would never be the same. I'd officially be known as my secret identity and for me, that's a little scary."

Night Wing chuckled and nodded. "I agree completely. I'm glad there's someone out there who understands me. You see why I can't let him in. My life as Night Wing is crazy and dangerous, and I don't want him to get caught up in that. It's better if I just leave that all behind me."

Wait… That's not what he said. Was it?

Gabriel frowned as he realized that was exactly what he said. He was so afraid of people finding out that he was Gawain Papillion and he wasn't planning on letting anyone know. What would they think if they found out that the designer everyone was drooling over was actually a stuttering geek? He almost liked himself better as the designer rather than Gabriel. It was…a happier life.

The next piece of advice he gave to her was something he needed to take for himself, but she didn't need to know that. Not yet.

"You have a secret identity for a reason. It gives you the chance to be human behind the mask. Don't waste that chance."

Now that he felt that she was calmer, he decided that it was time to go so he could deal with his own problems. After all, he was worried about Madeline. He didn't want her to get hurt.

But before he could stand up to leave, Night Wing gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "You're not so bad, Hawk Moth."

Gabriel's face flushed with heat and he had to turn away from her so she couldn't see the fluster she somehow always managed to pull to the surface when he was around her. To be honest, he felt guilty for loving Madeline and liking Night Wing at the same time. But they just had so many of the same qualities that he couldn't help it.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Do you want to go to a masquerade ball with me tonight? It might be a good escape for you, plus you don't need to take off your mask."

Why was his heart beating so loudly in his chest? After all, he was still aching over Madeline not wanting him anymore, but the prospect of spending more time with Night Wing thrilled him. He felt as if he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Surprisingly, Night Wing winked and smiled coyly. "I'll consider it."

He gave her one last smile before leaping out of there. Hopefully he helped make her feel better. However, he wasn't so sure what he could do for Madeline. Perhaps giving her some space was what she needed right now.