Her secret meeting with Master Fu wasn't that much insightful. In fact, it only gave her nothing but questions.

What does he mean by befriending Adrien? Aren't we supposed to keep our secret identity? the masked heroine pondered solemnly as she walked on the empty hallway, Is he trying to test the durability of my Miraculous glamour? Am I the guinea pig of the said test?

Ladybug didn't mind being experimented a bit since it was something beneficial to all parties. But involving Adrien, of all people, in the said experiment?

"As if I'm going to allow them to Cataclysm him again," she muttered, summoning her yo-yo to throw herself into the skyline.

She considered her nightly patrols as an obligation being a Miraculous user, and at the same time, an opportunity to see the fruits of her labor - the lives she has saved and the people she could die for.

The billowing wind that hit on her face as she sprinted under the starry sky was very therapeutic, and the sound of the bustling traffic below distracted her from unnecessary thoughts. With no Akuma on sight, the masked heroine decided to retire early and call it a night until she saw someone familiar lurking from afar.

She immediately landed on his front, and with a scornful look she asked: "What are you doing out here, civilian?"

Adrien flinched like an electrocuted cat at her sudden intrusion then gasped "La - Ladybug?!"

She crossed her arms hotly "Aren't you supposed to be on bed rest?"

"Well," the blond rubbed his neck incessantly, "The doctor told me that I'm out on bed rest once I can move my leg without a support. So, here I am."

"But you're still limping." the heroine pointed out.

"He mentioned nothing about limping," he retorted cheekily "And as you can see, I can move my leg just fine."

"You're quite stubborn, aren't you?" she frowned when she saw his annoying smirk "So, what brings you here?"

"Good thing you asked," he clasped his hands joyously on hers, and she was more than relieved that her mask generously covered the blush that assaulted her cheeks "I need you to help me find my lucky charm."

"A what?"

"Lucky charm," he repeated, letting her spandex-covered hands slip from his grasp "You know, an item that brings you good luck?"

"I know what a lucky charm is," she scowled as she managed to recover her composure in mere seconds "What I would like to know is why."

"You see, I lost it when you saved me from Glaciator," he muttered glumly with a downcasted gaze, "I think it fell out from my pocket."

"So that's why you're in here, lurking in this alley, and probably trying to break and enter a place just to find a measly lucky charm?"

He took a sharp intake of breath "Measly?! That's not a measly lucky charm!"

Ladybug was taken aback when she saw his steely green eyes glued on hers "A - what - "

"I have to find it, Ladybug. I must find it," he croaked with a raw emotion seeping through his words "I don't care if you will arrest me for trespassing, or report me to the police. If I have to climb all the rooftops and clear the chimneys, I will do it. Hell, I might sweep the entire streets of Paris just to see it again...just like...just like what I'm doing to find her."

Embarrassment struck him afterward, and with a beet-red face, he stammered "I - I - I'm sorry Ladybug! I didn't mean to shout at you, or vent out my frustrations, or...or..."

The masked heroine shook her head with a smile "N-no, you don't need to apologize. I'm supposed to be the one who should say sorry, not you, for being insensitive to your feelings."

"I - It's okay, Ladybug! It wasn't your fault, really..."

"If you want to, I can help you find your lucky charm."

His head turned towards her with slacked jaw, gasping "Re - Really?!"

"Of course," she nodded with a sheepish grin "I can check the rooftops while you check on the grounds. That way we can find it faster. How's that sound?"

Adrien's toothy smile was enough for an answer.

.

.

.

.

They found the lucky charm lying on the place where Adrien stayed hidden from Glaciator's detection.

"Thank you, Ladybug!" said the blond as he clutched the familiar item like a lifeline "Thank you for finding my Marinette's Lucky Charm!"

"Ma - Marinette's Lucky Charm?!" she squeaked but the boy was too busy smothering the charm to notice her.

"Oui! You have no idea how happy I am right now! I don't think I can live my life without it!"

Ladybug gulped audibly "Tha - That's too excessive - "

He briskly shook his head with a grin "You don't understand, Ladybug. Someone precious to me gave me this for safekeeping, and I am going to hold on to this so I can return it to her properly."

"A-And that precious person," the masked heroine wetted her lips then uttered, "That person's name is Marinette?"

"Oui," he beamed, and the way his green hues softened with endearment told her that she screwed up terribly. And horribly so.

"Her name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng," Adrien answered with a lovesick smile, and the sight itself made her gut churned with remorse "She's my one true love."

I'm so sorry, Master Fu, Ladybug cried internally, I don't think I can do this anymore.