Chapter 1 – Accidental

Disclaimer: I own nothing

The first chapter is "drama" while the next two chapters will be "humor".

Chat Noir lounged on the rooftop losing a mental argument with himself that just because he was Chat Noir did not mean he enjoyed napping in the sun.

He enjoyed naps and sunlight long before becoming a superhero.

With another wide yawn, he turned over to one side and dropped a languid arm off the side of the building, letting it dangle over the street below. The warm sunlight beamed down on his back, lulling the boy into a light slumber.

Until an angry buzzing noise cut through his catnap. Grumbling under his breath, he reached around behind him and withdrew his baton, depressing the button on it with one clawed thumb.

"Wassup, M'Lady?" he mumbled once the screen popped up and Ladybug's face appeared.

"Chat!" Was she running? "Where are you? There's an emergency!"

Chat yawned again. "Sleeping," he replied, still trying to shake the cobwebs from his head and focus on his job. "Akuma?" He stretched.

"Don't think so," came the terse reply, punctuated by a grunt and then heaving breathing as the screen shook slightly. "An alarm was activated at the Agreste manor and Ti—er, my kwami sensed something major going on."

That woke him up.

He shot to his feet, electrified by the adrenaline that spiked through his body. "What?" he exclaimed.

"I don't know much, but my kwami seems to think it wasn't an akuma. We have to hurry!"

"On it!"

He disconnected the call and jumped off the roof, heading the few blocks back to his home. He joined up with Ladybug as she swung over the gate. With a nod, he kicked open the front doors and they both darted inside, coiled and ready for a fight.

Eerie silence greeted them. Ladybug looked to one side. "There!" she cried, pointing to the open door.

Chat bounded over and stopped short once he saw the inside of his father's atelier. All the mannequins lay on the floor, their limbs ripped away and scattered around the room. The dresses and clothes upon them lay in shredded ruins. Beside him, Ladybug's breath caught in her throat as she surveyed the damage. Curtains dangled from mangled hooks, torn into ribbons and fluttering softly in the breeze, which Chat noticed came from a nearby broken window. The cushions lining the interior were slashed open and the white, fluffy stuffing strewn around the room. Nathalie's monitor was broken and her desk smashed in half. Even some of tiles on the ground were cracked. Whatever had destroyed this room did so with destructive efficiency.

But his breathing stopped entirely when his eyes fell upon a lone figure crumpled underneath the gold painting of his mother – a painting that now hung from one hinge to reveal an open safe.

"Father!"

The anguished cry ripped from his throat before he could stop it. His body moving on its own, he launched across the room, barely registering his feet touching the ground nor Ladybug's surprised gasp. He skidded to a stop and dropped to his knees. Ladybug knelt beside him a second later. He reached out with trembling hands and gently turned his father onto his back, his heart thumping loudly as he gazed upon his father's deathly pale face.

Ladybug immediately bent down and placed her ear upon Gabriel's chest. For one long, agonizing moment, she listened. At last, she sat up.

"He's alive."

The breath Chat didn't know he had been holding whooshed out of him in a sudden exhale. He sagged against the wall, clutching his father in his arms. Ladybug reached out and placed her hand upon his shoulder. He took comfort in her gesture. He blinked up at her. She offered a thin smile. "I'm going to call for some help," she said, withdrawing her yo-yo. "Are you okay?"

Chat glanced back down at his father before meeting Ladybug's eyes. He nodded. She squeezed his shoulder. Then, she rose and dialed a number on her yo-yo, moving away so she could speak to emergency services in a low voice. After a moment, she returned. "They're on their way," she said and sat down next to him.

He was grateful she didn't say anything else as he held his father close to him, listening to the shallow breathing he hadn't noticed earlier in his frightened panic. Eventually, Gabriel began to stir. Ladybug shifted to hover over him as Gabriel's eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Mr. Agreste?" Ladybug said in a soft voice. Chat was glad she was taking the lead. He feared he wouldn't be of any use as a stammering mess. Gabriel's eyes glazed over. "Mr. Agreste?" Ladybug repeated. His eyes focused and he blinked at her. He opened his mouth and his lips moved a couple of times.

"Ladybug?" he croaked at last. "What...?" He trailed off, not having the energy to complete his question.

"You were attacked," Ladybug explained gently, "we were hoping you could tell us more."

Gabriel's gaze drifted from Ladybug to him. Chat gulped and hoped his expression didn't still hold the desperation that had gripped him moments earlier. "How...?" Another faded question, but the meaning crystal clear.

Again, Ladybug answered. "I sensed something wrong. I don't know what and I can't explain the feeling, but something just felt wrong. It settled in the pit of my stomach. I had to get here as quick as possible. I can't really explain much more than that immediate sense of urgency."

Gabriel nodded once, then winced and reached up to touch his head. He blinked up at Chat, puzzled to find himself cradled on the hero's lap. He bolted upright with a gasp. "Adrien!" he exclaimed, scrambling to haul himself up.

Chat's eyes widened even as Ladybug darted forward and gripped Gabriel's arm. "Calm down, Mr. Agreste," she said in a low, soothing voice.

"Have to find..." He stumbled back with another groan of pain, clutching his head as he slumped against the wall.

"Adrien is safe," Ladybug told him, still keeping a firm hold upon Gabriel in case he attempted to rise again. "He's with a friend. I saw him on my way over here."

Gabriel bowed his head and kept one hand gripping his forehead, his breathing ragged. The sudden jolt must have hurt him more than he let on. "I don't want to worry him," he murmured.

Ladybug cast a quick glance to Chat. "Oh, I think he's plenty worried," she said. "He's vaguely aware of what happened, though I told him to stay put until he heard from me."

"Thank you." It came out as a whisper.

Ladybug squeezed his arm reassuringly and sat back. "I know this must be difficult but do you know why you were attacked?"

Gabriel looked up at his safe with a pained grimace. "It's gone."

Ladybug and Chat followed his line of sight. "What's gone?" Ladybug prompted.

"The Peacock Miraculous."

The sharp gasp from Ladybug mimicked Chat's. "What?" Chat cried, the first thing he had said since Gabriel awoke. Ladybug shot him a pointed look but didn't chastise him for his outburst, even as Gabriel winced. Chat couldn't tell if it was from the loud noise or guilt.

"I was keeping it safe. But it appears I couldn't even handle a simple task like that," he added in a bitter tone. Self-pity was unbecoming of Gabriel and Ladybug would have none of it.

"We'll recover it," she declared with all of the confidence Chat had come to love about her. They heard faint sirens in the background. Ladybug stood and Chat took his cue from her, rising as well. "We need to get going," she said. "But before we do, is there anything else we should know about what happened?"

Gabriel hesitated, his expression torn. Ladybug frowned. "Yes," Gabriel replied as Ladybug opened her mouth. "Can you come back later? Long story," he mumbled, fading once more. "How about dinner?"

Ladybug glanced at Chat. "Tomorrow night?" she asked, surveying both of them. Chat nodded wordlessly and Gabriel closed his eyes with a slight nod as well, attempting to keep his head as still as possible. "Great. Get some rest, Mr. Agreste. Chat, we should be heading out."

"Right." He followed her out the door. "Listen, Ladybug..." he began.

"Not now, Chat," she interrupted. "We'll talk tonight. Meet me at our spot if you can."

"Okay."

She flung out her yo-yo and vanished.

Great. He knew that Ladybug wanted to keep their identities secret and he went and blew it in a single moment of blind panic. She must hate him now.

That night, an apprehensive Chat Noir landed nimbly on a rusted balcony belonging to an abandoned apartment. He slid open the door and stepped inside the empty room. The building was occupied, but the single unit facing the alley had long been forgotten by the residents. They had discovered it on accident one night and had since adopted it as their secret place to lay low. Ladybug was already waiting for him. "I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry," were the first words out of his mouth.

She turned to him. "Nothing to be sorry about." She glanced around. "I would probably have done the same if it was my father lying there."

Chat hung his head. "It's just... he's all I have left. I can't lose him, too."

Ladybug walked up to him and placed one hand on the side of his face. "Adrien, I understand." He shuddered in reflex at the use of his civilian name, but the warmth in her voice coupled with her feather-light touch got him to meet her eyes. She smiled at him. "How is he?"

Chat shuffled his feet. "Okay, I guess. The paramedics told him to take it easy for a few days. They think he has a mild concussion. He's taking it as a challenge and is attempting to design the entire autumn lineup while he's confined to his bed."

Ladybug giggled at that and despite himself, Chat quirked a grin, too. "Well," Ladybug said with a deep breath. "I suppose it's only fair you get to know my identity, too."

"Wait!"

Ladybug paused, cocking her head at him. Chat flushed and rubbed his neck. "It's just... well, I don't want you to feel obligated to reveal yourself just because I slipped up."

The smile beamed at him in that moment ignited a fire inside his chest. "I think you need a friendly face right now," she assured him with a saucy wink.

Friendly...? Before he could process that thought, she released her transformation.

Chat sputtered. "Marinette?"

She let out a nervous giggle, waving a couple of fingers at him shyly. "Surprise?"

He swept her up in a hug. "The best surprise ever," he declared, spinning around. He dimly noted the presence of a red being floating around – her kwami, he assumed.

She chuckled. "Funny, that was my exact reaction as well."

Chat stopped and stared at her. "Really?"

She nodded and flicked his bell. "Really," she confirmed. Chat put her down and released his transformation. Plagg fluttered up and wobbled away – silently for once. Adrien spotted him hovering around the other red kwami. Both were watching him with identical grins. He flushed. "So what are we going to do about your father?" she asked, snapping him back to the topic at hand. Her eyes glittered mischievously. "I say we show up untransformed."

Adrien cast a long, unamused look to her. "He already is injured. I don't want to kill him from the shock."

"Hmm, you're right. I'll wait until dessert to spring it on him."

"Marinette!" Adrien drew out the word as one long whine. Marinette laughed and tapped the tip of his nose.

"Kidding, kitty," she laughed. "But if your father knows about Miraculouses, it might be best to come clean to him."

Adrien winced. "Let me think on it, okay?"

She relented. "Okay. We'll talk tomorrow. But right now, we should probably get going. I'm not certain how much time you have before your father decides to check on you, even if he is supposed to be confined to a bed."

Adrien conceded the point. "Until tomorrow, M'Lady," he intoned, bending over her hand and brushing his lips against her knuckles. He straightened. "Plagg, claws out!"

Author's note: This is intended to be a connected story in three parts for Reveal Week, with the next part being "Comedic" to be posted on Thursday and "Loved Ones" to be posted on Sunday. I didn't intend to participate at all, then had an idea for this first chapter... which developed into an idea for chapter 2... and then chapter 3. Special thanks to PerditaAlottachocolate for helping me through this story!