It was pouring.
Rain pattered upon the rooftops of Paris, pounding against the concrete of sidewalks, soddening clothes and running off umbrellas.
The classes of Collegé Francoise DuPont have just been dismissed. The groaning of unprepared children followed, as the distant rumblings in the sky grew louder.

Adrien was one of them. He didn't have an umbrella on him (he thought he had a black one somewhere in his shoulder bag, but he didn't seem to be able to find it) and his chauffeur and just phoned him that he'd be late, as he was stuck in traffic.

So he was leaning against the outside of the school, trying to stay as casual-looking as he could, being occasionally jostled by a kid who thought running through the rain was a good idea.
To pass the time, he tried squinting in the distance, looking for a familiar flash of red.
His lady.
This was their normal patrol time- though he wasn't sure if it was his turn or not.

But seconds ticked by into minutes, and no sign of Ladybug appeared.
He sighed. He didn't feel dejected, as he normally would, but just a little out of place.
He glanced at his watch.
Thirty minutes? Already?

He took a peek at the ends of the roads, risking getting his fluffy blonde hair wet.
No, no sign of him.
He groaned.

Taking out his cellphone, he dialed his chauffeur's number, telling him he wouldn't have to come.
"I'll hitch a ride with a friend, no need to worry," he said, hanging up before his chauffeur could protest.
He closed his eyes, bracing himself.
Then he ran into the rain, sprinting through a heavy shower of water droplets, soaking his clothes, drifting him into the similar actions of many other of his fellow Parisians.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Chat Noir's suit, apparently, was waterproof.
It was a blessing.
However, other than two excellent ears, the suit didn't come with anything to shield his precious hair from drenching in water.
That was the curse.

As Adrien hopped atop buildings, the familiar sense of exhilaration enhanced his senses.
Soon, he forgot all about the rain. He was simply a stray cat, prowling the streets of Paris, enjoying the taste of freedom.
It was why he loved being Chat Noir. One of the reasons, at least.
He could be himself. He could enjoy life. He could do anything.

He was truly free.

He found himself in fits of silent laughter, the kind that filled you with giddiness and daring.
He extended his pole upwards, high enough so he could see the whole of Paris, lit up with lights dimmed from ten cloudy atmosphere.

He had not realized the rain had stopped. Nonetheless, he was still shivering.
But it was worth it.

He knew Ladybug must've felt it too. The wonderful ness, the miraculous feeling that came with being a superhero.
He had always longed to share this feeling with her. With someone who cared.
Someone who understood him, for once, accompanied with a sense of security and happiness to wash away the pains in life.
A sense that has disappeared with his mother, and was absent within his father.

So his heart shattered whenever he was reminded such fantasies were only meant to be in the imagination.
His heart shattered whenever Ladybug rejected him.
But he had hope.
Along with the ability to protect Paris, being Chat Noir gave him a renewed ability to hope.
To believe things could happen. That miracles were real, that the world was colorful and full of the most beautiful and unexpected things.

He often reminded himself he should take things slow, that Ladybug had her own life and dreams and hopes and thoughts. He just wanted her to share them with her, and for him to share his with her. A mutual exchange of hope.

Which was what confused him.

Where was that hope gone?
Where was that affection?
Why did he feel empty when she said his name, earlier that day?

Why did he feel empty now, whenever the image of the dashing heroine crept into his mind?
__________________________________________________________________________________
Contrary to a certain black cat, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was officially freaking out.
It was raining, pouring, in fact, outside, and she, as usual, was unprepared- so, for one, she was stuck in completely soggy clothes, and completely unkempt hair.
Two, she forgot to save her essay to her computer.
Three, she had a feeling she had left the printed copy on her balcony.
Add them all together, and you have the recipe for an extremely panicked Marinette.

"Marinette, it's alright, I'm sure it'll turn up somewhere," Tikki reassured, gesturing to the messiness of Marinette's room.
"Tikki, you have no idea how long that essay took me. And now it's just..."
Marinette felt like bursting into tears, but only let a few escape. She had to keep her cool. She was Ladybug, after all.
What was the use of a good heroine if she couldn't even manage an essay?

"Oh, Marinette." The little ladybug like kwami sighed, shaking her head. "You'll figure it out. You always do. It's one of the added perks of being Ladybug."
Marinette had the decency to flash Tikki a thankful smile.
Inside, however, she felt raw wounds reopen.
Yeah, only Ladybug could figure it out, huh? Not ordinary Marinette. Normal Marinette just doesn't have the same level of comprehension as Ladybug....
As much as she wished to scream this out to the world, she knew Tikki meant the words as reassurance. But still...

She sighed, gazing through her window, droplets rolling down slower than before.
The rain had stopped.
Tikki noticed it too- nodding at Marinette's balcony door.
Just as she reached for the handle, a flash of black and green caught her eye.
Quickly, she dashed out-  only to see the Chat Noir, shivering and grinning like a fool, on the top of his pole.
Forgetting about her essay, Marinette squinted at his figure, concealed in a ghostly manner due to the fog.
She breathed in deeply. She wasn't going to let this idiotic stray cat catch a cold for being such a fool.

"CHAT NOIR!"
—-
Hi guys! I know, I know, it's a short chapter.
And it's been a long time since I've updated...O~O
I'm kinda slowly drifting out of my obsession over MLB. So it's making writing this fanfic a little hard, but no worries, I won't abandon this just yet.
But yay! We've gotten to 100 reads, guys. I thought I'd get like, ten at the most. :D