Chapter Three

incipient (adjective)

1. in an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop.

The streets of Paris remained relatively quiet throughout the night, aside from the stirred winds and rustling of the trees. The occasional car whirred by on the side streets, but most of the activity was buzzing in central Paris - near the Eiffel Tower, as tourists usually stayed up later than local Parisians. Clouds blanketed the sky, preventing much moonlight from illuminating the city, so the only light was from the soft glow of street lamps and the occasional curtains-drawn window. It was a peaceful night.

At least, it gave the appearance of being so.

Ladybug sat atop a roof of one of the many edifices, staring at the yoyo she held loosely in her hand. The breeze sifted through her hair and ruffled her bangs, the biting cold tinting her cheeks a light pink, and her eyes reflected the brilliance of a busy city night. Her feet dangled lazily over the edge but she did not see any farther than the weapon of a toy she always counted on - about as much as she counted on her partner.

She had given Chat Noir the benefit of the doubt, even going so far as to wait an extra thirty minutes before setting off on their nightly patrol alone. Even then, she worked sluggishly, silently hoping that he had fallen behind and would catch up to her with ease.

The fact that his Miraculous had been stolen from him seemed truer with every passing hour, every passing minute without him by her side. Perhaps he would have been forced to miss the earlier battle, but he would have greeted her coquettishly under the mask of the night and eventually explained the reason for his absence. But he was not present for their patrol, either. What worried Ladybug the most was that had his ring actually been taken from him, it would have been taken by force; he could have gotten hurt - or worse - and she would have had no idea.

She was not there for him. She could not do anything to help him. Suddenly, something turned inside her stomach; perhaps, just maybe, revealing their identities was not such a terrible idea.

This is my fault. Her grip on her yoyo tightened, her hardened stare rising to focus on the Eiffel Tower in the distance. In the back of her mind, she knew that there was nothing she could have done, but it did not prevent the feelings of guilt and shame from prevailing. If Chat Noir is hurt, then… then…

I don't know what I would do with myself.

She wanted to go home. A shadow was cast across the rooftop when she stood: not the shadow of a hero, but the form of a lost and confused girl. Sometimes when she wore the mask, she forgot that she was just Marinette underneath, that Chat Noir was somebody.

As she prepared to launch herself off the edge, yoyo at the ready, the sound of swift footsteps could be heard approaching. Since it was so late and not a single person had been seen outside around those streets, it piqued her interest.

The person was running, she noticed as the wind wound through her hair. Even though it whistled in her ears, she could still detect the rapid, hurried movements and the heavy pitter-patter of sneakers. Doing the only rational thing of which she could think, she decided to meet the person halfway, standing directly under a street lamp. He would be able to see her immediately and if he decided to run away, that would definitely give away that something was going on.

Instead, the stranger came to a standstill. Ladybug tightened her grip on her yoyo, preparing to capture and interrogate him should he do anything suspicious. "I know you're there." Resting her free hand on her hip, she raised an eyebrow and her bottom lip jutted out the tiniest bit. Her concern for Chat Noir was put on the back burner, still flickering in the back of her mind but not her focus. "Come on."

"Ladybug?"

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard her name echo into the darkness and for a moment, she saw Chat Noir shuffling into the glow of light. Blinking again, though, she realized that it was not Chat; it was Adrien, huffing heavy breaths and a sheen of sweat glimmering on his face. His eyes were wide as he stared at her and his mouth was opened in silence. Ladybug's expression mirrored his.

"Adrien…?"

Neither of them dared to move. Their gazes were tightly locked and they were both utterly moonstruck at the sight of one another; they pined after each other like no tomorrow and neither of them even knew it.

Ladybug shook her head, releasing the breath she held along with a nervous giggle. "Are you okay? Why out you-I mean, why are you out so late?"

"I'm fine," he assured a bit too quickly, averting his gaze and rubbing the back of his neck. "I was just looking… for, uh… my friend's house. It's hard to see in the dark, you know? Heh…" Pink dusted his cheeks with both embarrassment and skittishness, but Ladybug seemed completely oblivious to it.

"Y-Yeah!" Another breathy laugh bubbled from her throat but there was a sadness about her. Seeing in the dark, she mused, recalling easily her feline friend that had no difficulty with such an issue.

Adrien, too, looked upset. Her smile fell as she analyzed him, eyebrows knitting together the tiniest bit with worry. His gaze was downcast and a frown seemed to be tugging his mouth downwards no matter how much he tried to suppress it, and the sparkle in his eyes she always saw at school was no longer there. He was definitely not himself.

"So," they both began at the same time, pausing abruptly and then erupting into awkward chuckles. "You talk-okay, I-"

"Adrien, you should go home," Ladybug broke their synchronization, glancing into the darkness. The only thing that would be lurking in the dark is Hawk Moth, and he was enough cause for concern; she did not need someone for whom she cared wandering around at night and possibly ending up in some sort of danger - or perhaps she was overreacting after losing her partner. "It's… getting late!"

She looked at him again to flash a grin, but her composure crumbled when she saw him. His eyes were wide and they were not meeting hers; no, they were trained on her cheek, and she knew exactly why. The makeup must've worn off. Heat rushing to her face, she angled her head slightly away in order to obscure his view of it.

However, it was already too late; he had seen it.

"Are you okay?" he questioned after a few moments, taking a step towards her.

Instinctively, she took a step backwards to level with him, her heart thudding twice as fast in her chest. "Oh, this?! Haha, it's fin-it's nothing. Just a bruise. I'm fine!" She practically stumbled over her own words in an attempt to assure him that she was, in fact, perfectly okay (physically, at least).

Adrien did not seem to buy it. Whether it was as his civilian self or as Chat Noir, not once had Ladybug sported an injury so visible as the one she did at the moment. She never got hurt, but that time… she did. He was not there to stop it from happening.

"What happened?" he interrogated further, his voice surprisingly smooth considering that the girl that he loved had gotten hurt because of him and his failures.

"Nothing happened, really!" she insisted, shaking her head. "Stuff like this happens all the time! You should see Chat Noir and I after the tougher battles! We're covered in bruises. It's part of being a superhero."

She was lying through her dazzling smile, all in order to lessen his worry. He knew, though - he knew that it was not normal for them. Their suits usually protected them to a great extent, so Ladybug would have had to have suffered a blow of great impact for it to leave a bruise so dark while she was transformed. She was lying about being hurt to make him feel better when it was his fault in the first place.

Pathetic.

"Chat Noir… He wasn't there," he stated bluntly. He was not asking because he already knew; everybody knew.

Ladybug's eyes widened slightly and she swallowed a lump that suddenly formed in her throat. Her gaze darted to the ground before she shook her head. "No…"

"He… If he had been there, you wouldn't have been hurt," he pointed out harshly, making her flinch. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "What kind of hero just leaves his partner alone like that? He's so-"

"No!" Ladybug stepped towards him once, twice, three times, and even though his height trumped hers, it felt like she was towering over him.

Her eyes flickered in between his, searching for something, anything, but all she found was bitterness and sadness. Never before had Adrien expressed distaste for Chat Noir; actually, he had always shown quite the opposite throughout the many occasions that the two heroes had brought up in a class conversation.

She startled him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Chat Noir… It's not his fault that he can't fight with me right now. I know he's out there right now, wishing that he could, but that would probably put a lot of people in danger." Woe reflected on her face but she still put on a smile for him, her cheeks flushed.

"I don't care about this. It doesn't hurt at all," she explained, gesturing to the splotch of purple on her face. "Even if Chat Noir had been there with me, I still would have gotten this one way or another. I just… I just want him to be okay. We're a team, you know?"

Again, the smile shone so brightly on her face that he forced himself to look away. He did not feel worthy of basking in her rays.

"Please don't blame Chat," she requested quietly, stepping away from Adrien and pivoting on her heel. "He wouldn't blame me if I were in his shoes."

Adrien knew it to be the truth. Had he heard that Ladybug's Miraculous taken, he would only be sick with worry. Not an ounce of resentment would ever taint his mind and he would probably spend a majority of his free time searching for Ladybug to ensure that she was okay. Slowly, he nodded, understanding from where she had been coming. "Okay."

It would be hard, but he would try.

He saw it one last time: her smile. "Goodnight, Adrien," she murmured over her shoulder before taking off into the sky, looking like she was flying.

Adrien watched her figure disappear above the rooftops, a vivid flash of red against the dark night sky, and he was absolutely mesmerized. It was not wonder to him why he was so head over heels for her; it was barely a mystery to anybody. So, a ghost of a smile on his lips, he continued on his path - this time, heading home.

At least his lady would be okay.