A/N: In traditional Chinese culture, if you send someone an umbrella, it means that you don't want to interact with them anymore. The superstition is derived from the way the words sound in Mandarin. Umbrella is 伞 or sǎn，and to split is 散 or sàn. Google Translate translates 散 or sàn into to disperse or spread out, and 散 or sàn is usually used in Mandarin to describe people, not things.
"I've never had any friends before, you know," he said, glancing back at her and then to the sheets of rain falling from the sky. "I've never been to school; it's all so new to me."
He smiled shyly then, and noticing that she had no protection from the rain, he offered her the umbrella in one smooth motion, much like the dashing heroes she read about in romantic novels.
Time froze. Marinette's words caught in her throat, having nothing to say to the innocent boy in front of her. Of course he wouldn't have known what to do when she wrongly accused him of placing the gum in her seat; he'd never faced a situation like that before. She wanted to slap herself at her rudeness. Even if she did loathe Chloé, there was no reason to take it out on a person she'd just met.
The distant sound of rumbling thunder shook her out of her reverie. It was then she realized she had been standing there like a dork, staring at Adrien like a lovesick fool.
He gave her a reassuring smile. She reached for the umbrella slowly, a thousand years before her shaking fingers brushed his. The sudden warmth shot a jolt through her, and she snatched the umbrella from his hand quickly.
The first thing she could think of was how soft the handle was, wood soon smooth after ages of use. The grain was soft under her fingers, and she clutched it tighter, as if she could gain protection from something borrowed.
She smiled shyly at him, her cheeks tinted a faint pink. Heat burned in her eyes, and as she ducked her head down in embarrassment, all she could think of was how his eyes were still on her. Green and clear like a cat's. Adrien's eyes mesmerized her. How did she not notice them before?
His blond hair swept over his forehead, only in the sort of a way a model could pull off. Styles enough to be casual, but not windswept to be messy. The foggy light glanced off his hair, creating a halo around his blond head.
Snap. The umbrella closed around her head, black fabric and metal spokes pressing against her face. Marinette's face flamed red, embarrassment flooding over her in waves. How could she have placed herself in such a compromising situation within seconds of bonding with a new classmate? She wanted to collapse into herself and fly away. If only she could have transformed in to Ladybug and escaped to her room.
She heard a sudden gasp, then a laugh. Marinette lifted the umbrella cautiously, peeking out under the fabric. She spied Adrien chuckling, and just as she was going to lay into him for laughing at her, she realized that he was laughing at the sight she made. After a pause, she began laughing at herself too. She did make a funny scene.
She felt the first true bonds of friendship growing between them, thin tendrils of common experiences linking them together. Marinette smiled tentatively, still unbelieving that she managed to accuse this boy of a heinous crime.
A car honked. "Until tomorrow, then." Adrien waved, giving her a mischievous look, as if they shared a secret. He walked off, messenger bag slung over one shoulder, cutting a dashing path through the rain.
Marinette was left gaping, her heart pounding a fast drum beat. Her knees knocked together, her legs suddenly unable to support her weight. Her bag plopped onto the wet tiles as her hands lost all motor control. Trying to stop her jaw from dropping to the floor, she failed to prevent the broken recorder that was her brain: He was so hot.
She opened her mouth to reply, not one to be rude. "Yeah, you see tomorrow!" What? She tried again, waving her hand this time. "Tomorrow you see! I mean, see tomorrow you!" What was wrong with her? She'd never messed up as many times with as many words. How difficult could it be to string together a three word sentence?
A litany of swear words ran through her head, ranging from mild to severe as she had an epiphany. She had a crush, if the heat in her heart and face were anything to go by,. A giant, freaking crush on the new boy who she'd accused of being in cahoots with Chloé earlier. Which meant that since only gibberish would come out of her mouth when she was around him, she would embarrass herself in front of him in every available opportunity.
Just her luck.
As they were walking back to the car, Plagg floated up towards Adrien's face. "Looks like you got yourself a new girlfriend, hmm?" he teased good-naturedly.
"Nah, she's just a friend." Adrien replied, blushing at the thought of a girlfriend. He barely knew anything about girls, although the girl he wanted had already taken his heart. "A friend!" He sighed, delirious with happiness. Suddenly, he remembered what his Mandarin teacher told him.
"The Chinese do not believe in sending umbrellas as gifts, because the word for 'umbrella' in Mandarin is similar to 'to split'. It's bad luck, because they believe that sending umbrellas would cause a couple to break up."
Adrien stopped in his tracks. Only he would send an umbrella to the one girl in school who would think negatively of his actions. He hoped desperately that Marinette didn't know much about her Chinese heritage and didn't think that Adrien never wanted to interact with her again.
But with his luck, the odds were rarely in his favor.
Shit. He was about to lose the first friend he ever had.
A/N: Thoughts, anyone?