Let go

Zhi had been praised by the director all week. Her character was miserable, so she could say without a doubt it had been the easiest role she'd played in her life.

She had meant to leave her catphone at Alice's house, but that had proved to be a really hard thing to do. So, despite what she'd told Chat, Zhi had brought it with her and, every day for the past week, she'd come to her hotel from the shoot and she'd turn it on to find Chat's texts in her inbox. For the first few days after she said 'Goodbye', he'd been texting her almost nonstop. Zhi would turn the catphone and have dozens of texts unread, asking her to reconsider.

She knew she shouldn't read those texts – because it was painful – but she couldn't find it in her not to. Being hurt by his pleas was better than not reading anything from him at all.

But Zhi never answered and the flow of texts had started to ebb. She wondered if he'd give up eventually. Now, she'd arrived at her hotel to find a 'Good morning' text and occasional texts telling her something funny that had happened to him, or random comments about food, or movies… It appeared that he'd given up begging. Still, she treasured those texts more than anything. Reading and rereading them had become the highlight of her day, although she still refrained from replying. She couldn't handle him saying he was in love with her again, when she knew he despised her. Even if he didn't know it himself.

She was glad she had this time alone. Ireland was beautiful and the little town where she was filming in, Adare, was stunning. Full of historical landmarks and green landscapes.

When it wasn't raining, after reading Chat's messages, she'd go for a walk. It was a great way to clear her mind. She wasn't approached all the time in the streets by fans either, which allowed her some peace and quiet to consider everything.

The second week of filming went on like a breeze and she finally found the courage to start reading the Miraculous manuscript. Once she started it, she couldn't stop.

The beginning was pretty basic. The last movie had ended with Ladybug and Chat Noir defeating Hawkmoth and retrieving his Miraculous, but Gabriel Agreste was a very well connected person and had managed to escape. Ladybug, knowing the danger had passed, had revealed herself to Chat Noir, unaware that he was actually Adrien Agreste, the boy who had just lost everything.

The new movie started with Ladybug fighting crime alone. Her partner had disappeared after she revealed herself to him. That had been a huge blow to the super heroine's heart. It only served to prove that Marinette would never be good enough for Chat, even though he had said he would want whoever was behind the mask. He'd been flirting with her for years and they'd kissed several times; she even thought they might have been dating despite never having put a label on it, but when Marinette was revealed to be Ladybug, he'd run away.

So, from that day on, Marinette had concealed herself behind her alter ego's mask.

Eight years later, it was easier to spot Ladybug in Paris than Marinette. As for Chat Noir, not even a glimpse of him.

After discovering that Ladybug was Marinette, Adrien had run away in shame. Hawkmoth had been living under the same roof as him for years and he never even suspected it. His father had been terrorizing Paris and he'd been too busy flirting with Ladybug and Marinette to notice it. Finding out they were the same person had only made him feel more disgraceful and unworthy of her. He'd decided to hunt his father down and only come back when he managed to do it.

The story of the movie started, of course, with Adrien's arrival. He had confronted his father and had been really close to imprisoning him once. However, Gabriel Agreste was now involved in making disguises for very bad people in return for shelter, and Chat Noir had almost been killed several times while fighting them. He'd come back because his father's trail was now pointing to Paris.

Obviously, it was only a matter of time before Ladybug ran into Chat Noir. It wasn't pretty. Ladybug fought him, not only with words, and all the while he kept dodging, but never trying to hurt her like she was trying to hurt him. Seeing her like that, made him feel even more ashamed of everything. She said she was in love with him, but she had no idea that he was the son of a villain.

Chat has no idea I'm Zhi Ruo, his version of a Villain. Zhi thought bitterly.

The fight came to a stop when she screamed at him in rage and hurting:

"Why are you here!? Go away! We've been fine without you!"

He pretended that what she'd said didn't hurt and answered calmly:

"I'm here because Gabriel Agreste is here."

Ladybug was so surprised, she didn't answer.

Chat Noir continued. "I left to find him and put him in jail where he belongs." Then with an uncertain plead in his eyes he added: "I could use your help…"

It was hard to convince her, but he finally did. She didn't want Paris to suffer because she was mad at him, although she made a point of reminding him that even if she was helping, they were NOT partners anymore.

Ladybug decided to call out the old gang: Rena Rouge, Carapace and Queen Bee to help out. After days of working together, Chat started telling them about his experience while searching for Gabriel Agreste… and Ladybug slowly began to make peace with him. They obviously still loved each other.

One of those days, Chat and Ladybug stayed out later than the others and Ladybug asked him again why he ran eight years ago. After some evasion from him, he finally admitted that he didn't want her to know. Not until Gabriel Agreste is behind bars. After that, she asked him if it was because he was disappointed when he found out who she was. He looked at her as if she had grown two more eyes. Then guilt spread through his face when he told her that finding who she was had only made him love her more. Then, they kissed and end up at Marinette's house, making out some more.

This is the scene I read at Thomas's office. Zhi realized and gulped wondering again if she could do it with Adrien. It was easier to think about it now that Chat_Noir_999 was in her life. Even though he isn't in my life right now. It's easier. Deciding to worry about it when the time came, Zhi Ruo kept on reading.

After the superheroes had their night together, there's a lead on Gabriel's whereabouts and Chat Noir impulsively follows it, leaving Ladybug no choice but to go with him. There's a lot of fighting and they get beaten up by the bad guys. Rena, Queen, and Carapace arrive just in time to balance things. Chat Noir follows Gabriel Agreste. Gabriel scorns his son and plays with his feelings, going to every length not to go to prison. They fight. Gabriel plays dirty and Chat is letting his feelings get in the way. Gabriel manages to capture Chat Noir and that's when Ladybug arrives to save the day, but not before Gabriel hurts Chat badly and tells her who he really is. Ladybug manages to recover from the surprise and fights Gabriel. She is also distracted with worry for Chat/Adrien, but every sneer from Gabriel makes her stronger. In the end, she manages to apprehend the villain and lets him know that his son is nothing like him. Rena, Queen and Carapace take Gabriel Agreste to the police and Ladybug takes Chat Noir, now as Adrien Agreste, to the hospital. She cries and declares her love for him, and he does the same before losing consciousness in her arms.

For the final scene, all the heroes are gathered at Adrien's hospital bed, with no more secrets between them. The movie ends with them laughing at the obvious joke 'It's about time' coming from Nino, referring to Marinette and Adrien finally being together.

Zhi sighed when the script ended. It would make a good movie. She loved all the passages she'd have to do with Alice and Lucie. Lucie didn't appear in the movie physically, but they acted Marinette and Tikki's scenes together. She wondered how the little girl that she'd seen grow up was doing. She probably wasn't little anymore, Zhi laughed at herself.

Zhi placed the script in the desk of her hotel room and lay down in bed. She should rest, but she didn't think she could sleep. She hadn't had dinner, but it would be a bother to order something at this late hour…

She put on her pajamas, lay under the bedcovers and grabbed her phone that was charging in her bedside table. She hoped Alice was awake.

[01h04 Today]

Zhi Ruo: I finished reading the Miraculous script.

Zhi announced. She felt good having so much time for herself, but she also felt very lonely. Especially now that she was abstaining herself from talking to the person who had been making her days better. When she talked with Chat she never felt alone, but she couldn't talk to him… And Alice was probably asleep right now, which was the reason she didn't call her friend. But somehow… Chat was always awake when she texted.

Her catphone bipped.

Thinking of the devil. She thought, smirking a little.

[01h07 Today]

Chat_Noir999: Sweet dreams Bugaboo.

Zhi's throat became tight, and she could barely manage to gulp. Her eyes started itching.

Sweet dreams, Kitty. She wanted to say. She wanted to say it so badly. She wanted him back, but she couldn't have him.

She really couldn't.

One month and a half of talking with him had made her feel like that! What would happen if she spent more time talking to him? There was no way of telling what would happen, what he would do when he found out that she was Zhi Ruo, and she couldn't fall for him without knowing.

Alice would probably just beg her to tell him and be done with it, but Zhi didn't want to lose him. Plus, he wouldn't believe her anyway… Al would say, 'Then stop ignoring his texts', but that wasn't an option either. It was a better option than just tell him, but still not an option because it would make it harder for both of them if he found out.

It was with thoughts like this and occasional stray tears that Zhi Ruo finally fell asleep.

~ 6 weeks later ~

[09h00 Today]

Chat_Noir999: Good morning, Princess! Hope you have a wonderful day 3

Sent.

But as always, not delivered. They were only delivered by the end of the day, which made him think that Buggzhinette had taken her catphone with her after all, and that gave him hope. In an act of despair and utter impulsiveness, he also sent:

[09h01 Today]

Chat_Noir999: I hope it's today, M'Lady. I'm still waiting for you.

"Still clinging to the mystery girl?" Simon let out a frustrated sigh, interrupting Adrien's thoughts while receiving a mug of tea from Lucie. They were about to start working on Adrien's brand, X.

"Come on, Simon, don't be mean…" started Lucie, seeing the defeated face Adrien was making at his phone.

"I'm not being mean, Lucie!" he replied exasperated, turning to face Adrien next. "It's been what? Two months–?"

"It's hardly been six weeks," corrected Lucy, unimpressed. She had tried to cheer Adrien up and made him wonder if it wasn't time to move on, but not like THAT. Simon could be very insensitive.

"Six weeks with no answer?" Simon repeated outraged. "And you keep sending her daily texts?"

"I think it's romantic!" defended Lucie, struggling to find arguments in favor.

"It's insane!"

"Guys," called Adrien in an exhausted tone. "Let's just work, okay?"

As he turned around to prepare his sketchbook to show them, Lucie and Simon shared a concerned look.

Lucie had been supportive of Adrien's decision to not give up at first, but as the weeks passed, she was starting to worry deeply. In the last two weeks she had tried to make Adrien see that he should give up, but he didn't. Besides not being healthy for him, he was probably pushing the girl even further away. She had asked for space, and he wasn't giving it to her. She might even think of him as a stalker now.

"Okay," started Simon clapping his hands together. "Should we start with the Miraculous Ladybug wardrobe or with the new possible client I have for you?" he asked with a very suggestive tone in his voice.

"Ohhhh, new client?" squealed Lucie with curiosity while Adrien kept organizing his stuff.

Simon shrugged at Adrien's lack of interest. "I know it's weird, and I have no idea how she heard of the brand so early on, but Alice Martin wants to order two evening dresses from the X brand," Simon said with a smirk.

"Wait, The Alice Martin we know?" asked Lucie, interested.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I have absolutely no idea how she found us, though. We haven't even started advertising."

"Maybe Thomas told her?" Lucie wondered, pensive.

"Or somehow she found our website," shrugged Simon. "I only posted the pictures of the dress he made for his missing muse–"

"That's great, but I don't think I will have the time. It's a month 'til we start shooting Miraculous, and I still have a LOT to do," Adrien sighed as he turned to face them. "And before you say anything, I'm not hiring anyone to help me," he added quickly when he saw Simon's mouth opening to refute. "I want to do this alone. When Miraculous is over, we can find a place to rent, create the atelier and then start hiring more designers if we have a lot of work."

"I know you don't have time now! I wouldn't think of getting you more work for the next month! You think I'm stupid?" Simon laughed, astonished with Adrien, and sounding a bit wounded. "Alice sent a message to our info email. Apparently she is making a surprise birthday party for Zhi and wants you to make her and Zhi's dresses. Guess it makes sense that she thinks Zhi would like your work… The only dress on the website is the Chrysanthemum, inspired by the Chinese Culture." Adrien frowned. He really wasn't in the mood to talk about stuff other than work, let alone Zhi Ruo related stuff. Simon could read the atmosphere, so he decided to move on. "Anyways, I just thought it would be cool for them to wear a piece from X. It would be great to get free publicity, but you can think about it later. Moving on, what have you got to show us?"

Adrien sighed slightly and gave Simon his sketchbook. Lucie had already seen the drawings, but she sat close to Simon and peeked inside.

Colorful sketches of Miraculous characters, drawn with pen and pencil, filled the pages. Simon turned the pages with growing attention.

"At least something good is coming out of that heartbreak of yours," Simon admitted when he reached the end of the sketches with half of the notebook still empty. Lucie knocked her elbow against Simon's ribs, followed by a murderous look. He cleared his throat. "Ah-I mean, these are really great. I don't think I ever saw you draw with such detail." Adrien nodded, acknowledging the compliment, and Simon frowned. "Have you started sewing any of these?" he asked pointing at the drawings, trying to ignore the massive concern he was starting to feel. He had to make Adrien come out of the house; he could bet his most prized possession that he hadn't gone out in weeks, just sketching. Work be damn. Adrien's physical and psychological health were way more important.

"I finished almost all of them, actually," Adrien replied, finally smiling as he looked at them.

"All of them?" repeated Simon surprised. "But- They are…" Simon started counting the outfits represented in the pages.

"Not all of them… There are forty-three, but more than half, yes," he replied, still with an exhausted smile on his face. "I finished the twentieth-eighth yesterday, to be precise."

"That's crazy, kid!" Simon didn't know if he should be happy or scared. Adrien had created and finalized twenty-eight outfits, almost two-thirds of the total sum, in a third of the time he had to make all of them.

"It really is extraordinary," Lucie agreed with a nod.

"Thanks!" Adrien chuckled, "I was a bit impressed with myself too."

"Where are the outfits?" Simon asked eager to see them.

"In the sewing room. There are too many to bring to the living room," Adrien explained, "Wanna see them?" he asked, starting to walk to said room.

"Of course!" Simon got up, taking down the sketchbook that accidentally opened to a page with drawings he hadn't seen and didn't belong to the Miraculous world. He picked it up and his chin dropped.

"These are absolutely stunning," said Lucie in surprise as she peeked inside.

Adrien turned around. "Hum?" he looked at Simon's hands, at the sketchbook and realized what they were talking about. "Those are just daydreams of my mind," he chuckled, brushing off the importance of the drawings.

"These are better than the Miraculous ones!" replied Simon outraged. "Why don't you use them?" Simon leafed through the pages. "Look," he said turning the pages to Adrien. "Two evening gowns! You are taking Alice's order! You only have to conceive the dresses, man!"

"Okay, okay!" Adrien answered waving his hand. "Wanna see the actual outfits, or are you still admiring the sketches that you were not supposed to see?"

"I wanna see the actual outfits, but I'm also arranging a meeting with Alice," Simon replied, annoyed that Adrien tried to wave away the greatness of his own creations. Daydreams of my mind, my a**. "She is getting her dresses, plus, I wanna know more about this party!" he winked at Lucy as he whispered theatrically. "Maybe we even get invited!"

She giggled, delighted, while Adrien groaned. "Even if we are invited, I'm not going."

"Dude, seriously, you have to let it go," disapproved Simon. "The shady things that happened between you and Zhi Ruo are in the past. A very, very far away past! You were kids. None of you are the same person now, so you will man up and make peace with it," he exploded, surprising Adrien with his outburst.

"I don't want to let it go," Adrien countered slightly angry, "I-"

"I don't fucking care about what you think you want," Simon interrupted. "Adrien, you weren't the only person who lost something that day. For you, we kinda lost touch with Alice and Zhi. We lost our friends too. Now, I'm not saying you asked us to do it, but we did. It's time for you to start thinking of someone other than yourself! You're not even in love with her anymore! It's only your pride that's hurt, that's all!"

Lucie had stepped away to a corner and decided not to butt in. Adrien's face registered hurt, but the things Simon was saying, were all things that needed to be said. "Can you even imagine the heavy atmosphere both of you will leave on set once Miraculous starts shooting if you continue like this? Alice is building a bridge for us here and I think it's best if we walk on it! So, you should definitely let it go. Otherwise, you're just a really selfish little bastard."

There was silence. The kind of silence where you can hear if someone breathes.

Adrien knew Simon was right, and Lucie obviously agreed with him on it. He didn't want to try and trust Zhi Ruo again, let her in… It was almost out of the question, but his friends were right. Technically, Zhi Ruo didn't do anything to them. He should stop being selfish. Plus, he could make peace with the past without being friends with her. He could coexist in the same place as her, as acquaintances.

Breathing deeply, Adrien said: "I have one-, no! Two conditions."

Lucie cheered, delighted, and Simon smiled proudly, knowing that Adrien would understand their point of view.

"Okay, what are they!?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"First, our involvement with the X brand stays secret. Otherwise, there's no point in calling it X," he said, also crossing his arms on his chest.

"Okay… Not sure how I'm gonna manage to do that… I should meet with Alice to discuss the dresses, right?"

"Simon, you can meet Alice anytime you like. She will come running the minute you summon her," replied Adrien, amused at Simon's frown. Lucie giggled in agreement. They all knew Alice had a huge crush on Simon back in the day. Simon knew it too and for some reason didn't like that they were joking about it now. Adrien shrugged. "Just talk to her by email as a brand associate and text her as Simon, what's the problem?"

Simon's nose wrinkled a bit, but he finally answered. "Okay, I guess I see no problem there. No gatherings physically, concerning the X brand. But if I reach out to her, I'm bringing both of you and she is bringing Zhi." Adrien visibly gulped. "Seriously, Adrien, we need to fix this as quickly as possible. And you need to get out of the house." Maybe seeing Zhi Ruo will make you forget 'your Lady'. He added mentally, not daring to mention it aloud.

Adrien uttered a dry "Fine."

"What's the second condition?" recapped Simon, looking very satisfied. He regretted it right away, seeing the rather sly grin growing on his friend's face.

"The dress I make for Zhi's birthday party will be pink."

Muhahaha!

There you have it! The break up is still on, but our lovely Chat will never give up on his lady! That much we know!

Did you like it? Hate it? Please, review and let me know! And ready yourself, because next chapter we will have some Adrinette! As in Adrien with Zhi! *wink* (I don't really have a ship name for them in this AU yet XD Any suggestions are appreciated!)

Lots of Love!

AuriMoon*