Falling again

Despite all his fears, the dinner and game night with Zhi Ruo and Alice had gone by without a single problem. It had been weird and strange several times, but the fun and joy Adrien felt tonight had been reward enough.

He even thought that there might be a way of being friends, real friends, with Zhi again; but then again, part of him kept wondering if it wasn't all false, for the sake of appearances, like it once had. Surprisingly, he found out that he didn't really care. All he knew was that his true friends had had a blast and he felt happier than he had in months.

When Adrien and Lucie got home, past five in the morning, he let himself fall onto his bed, without bothering changing his clothes, and the world around him immediately disappeared as he fell into a heavy sleep.

When Adrien woke up, several surprises were waiting for him.

The first one, he woke up feeling more relaxed and well rested than he had in months. It might have been untruthful for all he knew, but something inside him had healed yesterday.

Secondly, when he checked the time on his alarm clock he was astonished by how long he'd slept. It was now three in the afternoon. He should be working… but he let himself stay in his warm bed for a little while, delighted with how comfortable and relaxed he was.

Then, like every morning, Adrien picked up his phone to wish his Lady a good morning. His stomach jumped inside him at the sight of a Red Thread notification. Adrien sat down in his bed, with his heart rushing against his ribs as he opened it.

[11h28 Today]

Buggzhinette: I'm so sorry for everything I put you through… I know I have no right to ask you for anything, but please tell me you're okay.

The relief he felt that his Lady had finally replied back was soon replaced by an overwhelming joy that could also be described as hope. She still cared. Ladybug cared for him. She was sorry that she'd hurt him, and she wanted to know that he was okay… Only because he didn't send her a goodnight text yesterday!

With his heart still pounding wildly, Adrien briefly scolded himself. He should have listened to Simon and stop texting her if that meant she would have texted him back… but now there was no point looking back at the wasted time. Ladybug had finally answered.

'I'm great, actually! ;) Were you worried, Bugaboo?' he typed, but before he could send it, he froze, wondering if his first text after she answered him in such a long time should be a flirty one. The flirt and the love declarations had been what had pushed her away…

He deleted the text and wrote 'I'm okay.' He wanted to add something else, but what else? He was almost literally walking on eggshells. 'I'm sorry I made you worry,' he added.

No. That wasn't right either. She was the one that had left. He did feel sorry for making her worry, but giving an answer like that would just sound like he was desperate… He was, but he was done begging. That had stopped by the second week of her silence. I know, pathetic. So, for the sake of his own lost pride, he had decided he wouldn't do it again, like ever.

With a groan, he deleted the message again.

Adrien stared at the blinking cursor on his phone screen for a moment before writing 'I'm okay. I'm glad you're back, LB,' that sounded good… Even though he knew he was to blame for pushing too far, Ladybug had stopped talking to him for months, leaving him desperate for a sign of her life. She had freaked out without a goodnight text; imagine if she had had to wait months, like he had. She shouldn't expect the warm joyful text he was DYING to send her. She needed to prove she wouldn't run away again, first.

[15h24 Today]

Chat_Noir999: I'm okay. I'm glad you're back, LB.

Adrien had no idea what to expect, but the suspense was killing him. All they had, had disappeared, and there was a very big chance of her not replying again. He passed the next half hour building up his about-to-blow-up pile of nerves. He kept checking his phone every ten seconds, and that could possibly have been the longest half hour of his life.

When his phone beeped several times, he practically ripped it of his jeans.

[15h55 Today]

Buggzhinette: Oh my god, Chat! I thought you were DEAD.

[15h55 Today]

Buggzhinette: I'm SO happy you're okay!

[15h55 Today]

Buggzhinette: And alive!

[15h56 Today]

Buggzhinette: And NOT DEAD!

Adrien was laughing as his happy bubble made him almost lift his feet off the ground.

[15h56 Today]

Buggzhinette: I'm sorry, I'm rambling.

[15h57 Today]

Buggzhinette: I'm so, so sorry I left, Chat. I never realized you wouldn't give up… I thought you would, eventually... When you didn't, and then sent that text last night and didn't say anything after… I thought something might have happened to you!

Adrien wondered if he should be mad at her... She thought he would, but all he could think of was that she really was talking to him again.

[15h58 Today]

Buggzhinette: Kitty, I can't even describe what it did to me. I don't ever want to feel that way again.

For a second there, Adrien wondered why that sounded like some kind of love declaration, but he quickly dismissed it. She cared. That was all that mattered.

[15h58 Today]

Buggzhinette: Lol, I keep rambling xD

He smiled fondly, with his heart bursting out on his chest.

[15h59 Today]

Buggzhinette: Please say something…

Oh, right!

No wonder she thinks I'm pissed at her! I have to SAY SOMETHING!

But what?

Say something… What? What the hell was he supposed to say?

That he never felt happier in his life? Wasn't that sad? It was how he felt though…

Think, think, THINK!

[16h02 Today]

Chat_Noir999: I'm not dead, Bugaboo. (It was safe to call her that, right? She did call him Kitty, so...) I kinda fell asleep last night.

[16h03 Today]

Buggzhinette: But why didn't you say something sooner, then?

[16h03 Today]

Buggzhinette: I'm sorry, I don't have the right to ask you that.

[16h05 Today]

Chat_Noir999: It's okay… It's a fair question. But I answered when I woke up, actually.

By this point, Adrien wasn't even pretending to do anything else but looking at his phone. His 'brunch' lay on the table, almost untouched, as he smirked like a lunatic at his precious device.

[16h07 Today]

Buggzhinette: Wooow! That was a nice nap, Chaton!

[16h09 Today]

Chat_Noir999: Yes it was. Turns out that, yesterday, my fears weren't as scary as I thought they were. I had fun. And then I came home super late and fell right in my bed.

[16h09 Today]

Buggzhinette: That makes me very happy. I knew you could do it. You're amazing.

[16h10 Today]

Buggzhinette: Now that you answered, I'm glad you fell asleep last night. You have no idea how much I've missed you. Without something like this, I don't think I would have found the courage to talk to you ever again and risk you'd hate me for leaving you for so long. I can't bear the thought of you hating me, Kitty. You mean way too much for me.

Okay, maybe it was because he was so unused at talking to her by now, but, by his books, that sounded again kind of like a love confession. She was probably just trying to be as nice as possible, trying to compensate for disappearing for so long, but it wasn't right… Giving him hope like that… It was making him suffer, because… What if she didn't really mean it?

Should he try to flirt the love confession out of her?

Should he be direct and simply ask her?

But he really couldn't handle being apart from her again… What if she left for good when he asked her if she was declaring her love for him? It was best to keep quiet and enjoy what they had as friends, like she had always wanted. After all, it was precisely because he had wanted more than friendship that it had all started to fall apart.

[16h12 Today]

Buggzhinette: I need to go now. I'm shooting. And this pee break took way longer than it should have! Talk to you later! :*

Damn, he should have enjoyed it and answered while he could, instead of overthinking everything.

[16h12 Today]

Chat_Noir999: Promise?

He quickly typed and sent, but a few minutes later there was no answer. She didn't reply. He thought a bit bitterly, playing with the food on his plate.

Well, she did say she would talk to him later… She was shooting… He knew she was in the movie business, so she was working now. She had managed to take a break and reply to him, but it was normal that she couldn't answer now... If the movie industry still worked like he remembered, her taking a break so long was a great deed. He just needed to wait.

And while he waited he should do something. Time didn't pass when you play with your food, depressed. So, Adrien started working on the Adrien Agreste piece that was half finished, the one he would be wearing on the shooting of the Miraculous Ladybug, but all he did was sew in the wrong places and he almost cut the fabric where he shouldn't. He had to undo the stitches and redo his work due to his lack of concentration. He sighed, frustrated. Adrien hated days like this, but he knew there was nothing to be done. He wasn't focused enough, so all he did was going to be a mess no matter how hard he tried.

He decided to go for a walk. Lucie was at school. His dad was out for two days on a work trip… and Adrien should be working too, but apparently he couldn't. He would just ruin what was already done. The best was to let it go. Get out of the house, relax and unwind for a bit. He grabbed his hoodie, just in case, and left the house wearing a black t-shirt and blue jeans.

The day was beautiful and warm. A perfect day of late spring. The sky was bright blue, painted randomly with clouds. It was hot, but a slight breeze blew, making the walk under the sun very comfortable. He wondered if he might get sunburned. He hadn't put sunscreen and his skin was very sensitive to the UV light. Well, he would deal with it later, if it came to that.

Adrien walked calmly through the familiar streets, without a heading. His mind felt freer than he was used to. Half of his life he spent hating and despising a girl that he had loved through the other part of his life, and now – thanks to a sum of events - he didn't anymore. It's not like his guard was down now, it wasn't. He knew that he couldn't count on Zhi Ruo to be truthful. It just wasn't her nature; but now that he knew that, and he didn't love her as he did before, he was at peace with it. And he had a new, stronger love interest…

Let's be real, Buggzhinette would never leave the comfort of her secret identity. His love for her was doomed, but it was a relief just knowing that, compared to the one he felt for Zhi, that is. Mostly because he didn't expect any future leading to a romantic relationship with his pen pal. He hoped there would be a future, but his head knew the odds weren't in his favor.

And also, let's be honest, it's not like he'd forgotten all about Zhi Ruo the moment Buggzhinette stepped into his life. If yesterday had shown him something was that he still felt something for his former girlfriend, but the feeling was very much faded. It manifested itself in little signs, like when his eyes locked on hers and he couldn't let go, or how he felt so self-conscious when she sat a little too close to him, or even when she talked with enthusiasm about something making him absolutely hypnotized… He couldn't really help it, but those signs had been faint last night. They were there. He could feel them. There was no way of denying that they were there, but he could also control them and shut them down most of the times. Maybe he hadn't been that mad at Zhi Ruo after all… I mean, sure he was, at the beginning… but after all these years... Maybe he had been angry with himself for falling so hard, losing his oneself in the process. That would explain why now he wasn't smitten any more, or why he felt so light, so ready to forgive everything… Though, he did have to thank his hatred for making him snap at the thought that there was a girl out there that was using Zhi Ruo's name to catfish guys. If it wasn't for that he would never have met his Lady.

Adrien stopped in his tracks when he noticed where he was.

The place was different during the day, but there was no question that he'd found his way to Alice's house. He chuckled slightly, shaking his head. Adrien really had loved the night before, but there was no rush in meeting them again. They would be reunited soon enough.

A notification broke his line of thought.

[18h37 Today]

Buggzhinette: Sorry I kept you waiting again. I was working, couldn't have access to my Catphone. ^^

[18h37 Today]

Buggzhinette: I promise I will never leave again, Chat. I mean it. I care too much about you.

Adrien felt his heart melt… Until he didn't! This had to stop! It was getting out of control! He had to know what the hell she meant by that! It was the third time she sounded like she was declaring herself to him! Not that he really believed her… He had had his share of lying friends (*coughs* girlfriends). She really shouldn't promise stuff like that… Stuff that she couldn't control!

[18h40 Today]

Chat_Noir999: Bug, I know you might mean it right now… but I don't want you to make promises if there's even a remote chance of them being empty.

Adrien looked at the conversation thread for a couple of minutes, seeing the text hadn't been delivered. She wouldn't reply if the text didn't arrive to her… Maybe she didn't have a good connection where she was shooting… It could happen. And for all that he knew, she could have sent the two texts on her break and gone back to work...

He sighed and kept walking, deciding to think about it when she answered.

The sun was setting, and the sky was starting to look cloudy.

As he walked in the London streets, he wondered when would his Lady text. It was the end of the working day for most of the people he knew, but then again she was in the movie industry. The schedules tended to be a little different than most jobs.

The sun could still be seen in the sky, but the breeze had become strong wind, and clouds were threatening to cover the day star completely. With a shiver, Adrien pulled the hoodie through his head. It was getting colder, so he decided to turn back and go home.

He had walked halfway when suddenly it started to rain. Seconds later it was pouring so hard that he could barely see one palm ahead. He took cover on a small coffee shop that was crowded with people who had just had the same idea as he had. He ordered a coffee, and waited cold and soaked to the bones. He waited for several minutes, but the rain just wouldn't stop. His house wasn't that far… He could run and be there in less than fifteen minutes. When the rain seemed to calm a bit, he decided that there was not much to lose now, Adrien stepped out of the cafe and ran.

The shooting was scheduled to end at eleven thirty, but, knowing how these things went, Zhi knew it would probably drag out until midnight at least. Anyway, that was what Zhi Ruo thought until it started pouring heavy rain over their heads. In seconds, the hairs, makeups and props were ruined and the actors, such as herself, were conducted inside the provisory dressing rooms.

Today wasn't supposed to rain, not according to the forecast, that was why they were shooting outside. But then again, they were shooting in London.

After a short moment, the director announced they would have to redo the last scene tomorrow and there was nothing else to be done today with the crazy weather and the unstable light. Zhi blessed the rain for a moment. She hadn't had much sleep, so she wasn't really sure how she would manage to stay fully functional until midnight. Her day had become slightly better – WAY better – the moment she read Chat's answer, but with the relief came also the exhaustion of a night tossing and turning with concern.

Zhi quickly got out of her dress and cleaned the ruined make up out of her face with the help of a dressing assistant. She did not come prepared for this weather, though. She was wearing a light white t-shirt and salmon skirt that suit her every curve. She loved that skirt, but it wasn't good for this kind of weather. She borrowed a raincoat from the production guys and asked them to call her a cab. Once Zhi was done and waiting for her cab, she pulled her Catphone out of her purse, with her heart beating faster.

[16h12 Today]

Chat_Noir999: Promise?

Zhi stared at the last text Chat had sent. She couldn't help but feel guilty for not being able to answer until now.

[18h37 Today]

Buggzhinette: Sorry I kept you waiting again. I was working, couldn't have access to my Catphone. ^^

Zhi typed, smiling softly at the phone. There was no way she could escape her feelings now. He had answered her and he didn't seem mad at her at all…

Gathering up all the courage she could, she answered his question:

[18h37 Today]

Buggzhinette: I promise I will never leave again, Chat. I mean it. I care too much about you.

The Catphone's battery died the moment her text was sent. Zhi Ruo let out a frustrated groan.

Well, there was not much she could do now. Except wait? Letting her Catphone fall in her purse and grabbing her real phone, Zhi texted Alice telling her that she would be home earlier.

That was followed by a call from Alice.

"Hello?" Zhi answered the phone with a hint of a smile.

"Z! Oh my- I'm sorry! I'm not going to be home for dinner!" Alice said, sounding a bit panicky.

Zhi chuckled. "That's all right, Al. I will manage."

"But you can't get inside the house without keys!" said Alice sounding a little too anxious for that to be her only problem.

"Al, breathe. What happened?" Zhi asked, concerned.

"Ahm..." she giggled nervously. "I'm- hum... I didn't want to bother you… You were working… but- *giggles* ah- out of nowhere, Simon kinda invited me to dinner."

"What!" yelled Zhi, earning herself some funny looks from the people passing by. "That's great, Al! Oh my god!"

"Yeah… but I'm not really sure why. He wants to talk to me about something… I would invite you, but the way he talked… It sounded as if he wanted to talk to me alone."

"Oh, even if you invited me I wouldn't go! Come on, Al! A dinner date with Simon? That's like all of your dreams coming true!" Zhi laughed.

Alice laughed too, but quickly corrected. "I'm not sure it's a date, date, Z…"

"Well, if it's not today, it soon will be if you keep it up like that!" said Zhi, excited for her friend. "Al, have a blast with him. Don't forget you're an actress, playing the role of Alice Martin!"

Alice giggled. "I won't! But about the key…"

"Don't worry, Al. I'll have dinner and find a nice hotel to stay overnight. If you want to take Simon home after your dinner date to play UNO again, I won't be there to hold the candle," laughed Zhi suggestively.

"Ha-ha" Alice fake laughed. "Not funny! I'm not taking him home!"

"I'm just saying you can if you want to!" answered Zhi innocently. She could imagine the blond's face becoming a dark shade of red.

"You're feeling better today!" Alice pointed out, changing the subject. "Has your friend answered your text?"

It was Zhi's turn to blush.

"Yes, he did."

Alice giggled. "I'm glad. So I will-"

But Zhi never found out what Alice was going to do, because the call was dropped. Zhi looked at the phone, confused and realized that the phone she held in her hand had also died.

That just great. Zhi groaned internally.

"Zhi Ruo," called her assistant, Martha. She turned to face the woman. "Due to the weather, the traffic in London has completely stopped. There is no cab in town that can get here in less than three hours," she said with an apologetic look on her face.

Zhi's eyes widened. "Three hours?"

The assistant nodded looking miserable. "Unfortunately," she confirmed.

Zhi didn't want to wait three hours to get picked up! Alice's house, in the center of London, was a only 30-minute walk away! She could find a restaurant on the way. It was better than staying here, doing nothing without a phone and a battery charger!

"Ah, that is unfortunate," she sighed. "Never mind the cab, then. Martha, can you please see if there's an umbrella that I can borrow?"

"Yes, sure!" she said quickly. Then she left, frowning a bit.

When she came back, she brought a navy blue umbrella and a rain hat with her. "Here," she said, offering them to Zhi Ruo.

"Thank you!" she said, tying the hat on her head and then taking the umbrella off Martha's hands. "See you tomorrow!" And without further due, Zhi stepped into the rain, leaving a surprised Martha behind.

It wasn't raining too much now. The streets were overflowing with stopped cars, and the sidewalks were flooded with giant puddles, but at least the falling rain wasn't as hard as it had been a few minutes ago. Her shoes were not helping much, though. It was very hard and slippery to walk on heels when they were filled with water.

When she was half way there, the heavy rain came back hand in hand with a strong wind. Even though Zhi tried to cover herself with the umbrella, it seemed that the rain was coming from all directions due to the wind and she couldn't see one foot ahead of her. She soon became soaked and, a few minutes after her fight against the wind started, a single blow stole the umbrella off her hands, causing it to fly far away and out of sight.

This day was just getting better and better.

No sleep, no cab, no phones, no warm dry clothes, no umbrella… Could it get any worse?

The answer to that question came five minutes later, when someone bumped into her while she was walking around a corner, making her fall over into a big puddle and twist an ankle in the process.

Zhi felt her elbow and hand scratch on the pavement, followed by a piercing pain on her left foot.

Ouch.

"I'm so sorry!" the man that had knocked her down yelled – with that much rain she barely heard him, though – as he came closer to her to see if she was okay.

She was prepared to give him an annoyed answer, when she recognized who he was. He eyes widened in surprise. "Adrien?"

"Ah?!" he let out when he finally saw her face behind her hideous wet hat. "Zhi!?" he looked at her closely and tried to hold a chuckle. She was sitting in a muddy puddle, with a waterlogged awful coat that was way too big for her, and a hat that was glued to the sides of her head, and with her hair dripping water.

"What's so funny?" she asked sulking, noticing he was making fun of her. She tried to get up, but she fell right over when her left feet didn't hold her weight.

"Wow!" Adrien came to her rescue before she could hit the growing puddle. He was as soaked as she was. Zhi grabbed his arms, by instinct, as he held her up. She shouldn't have, though. Now her heart was racing painfully and her breathing was compromised. "Are you hurt?" he asked looking down to her feet, with concern shining on his eyes.

It was pretty obvious she was hurt… She was standing in one leg and as much as it pained her to admit, she would probably fall over if she let go of his arms.

Still, she shrugged. "I might have twisted my ankle, but it's fine. It's not serious."

"Are you sure?" he asked, sceptically. "Don't you want me to take you to a hospital? Or call you an ambulance?"

The rain had slowed down the intensity.

"Yes, I'm sure," she waved away her hand, as if it was nothing.

Inside she was freaking out.

Oh dear god, please let me be okay tomorrow! Please, please! I hope nothing is broken.

And also…

He is so close… His wet hoodie suits him so well… oh, it leaves nothing to the imagination. Why is he so CLOSE!?

Adrien had always been very good looking and he'd always had a body that most guys envied… but time had been kind to him.

Zhi cleared her throat and shook her head, trying to make those thoughts go away. She made a motion to step away from him, but the sharp pain on her ankle didn't let her and she would have fallen, again, if Adrien hadn't caught her. Again.

Brilliant! The girl that knows how to parkour and fight, defeated by a freaking high heel! she thought with frustration.

"You're fine alright," he said ironically, with a frown.

"Okay! I'm not fine! My ankle hurts! But you don't have to help me!" she said, starting to panic. "There's absolutely no way you can get me a cab and I don't want to go to the hospital. Plus, shouldn't you be working? Yesterday you said you had to… I don't want to bother you," she said quickly. "I'm fine! I can find a restaurant and a hotel on my own. You go do your stuff," she let go of him, but stood in the same spot, scared of putting too much weight in her left leg.

Adrien narrowed his eyes, not looking happy, and she didn't like that. He couldn't really judge her, could he? She could make an effort to be friendly and polite with him, but she didn't want his help.

"What do you mean find a hotel?" he had let her go, but he saw how unstable she was in her high heels, so he stood close, in case she'd fall over again.

"Alice is not home today," she explained coldly. "I wasn't supposed to go home til midnight, but I finished the shooting early and she already had made plans for dinner."

Adrien nodded, frowning slightly as if he was thinking the pros and cons of something. He looked at her in the eyes and she felt slightly uncomfortable, until he moved to grab her – that felt waaaaay more uncomfortable – bridal style, pushing a squeal out of her, and started walking the contrary direction to the one she wanted to go.

"WHAAAAAT! Adrien! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? Put me DOWN!" she yelled, bumping her fists to his body. The rain was falling shower-like again, so her yelps got lost with the sound of the water. He was the only one that could hear her, and her panic attack made him burst out laughing. "It's NOT funny!" that only made him laugh harder. His chest moved fast against her own body, as he laughed. She felt a shiver and blushed hard when she fully realized he really was carrying her and that if she looked up at him… his face would be centimeters away from hers. "Where are you taking me? Alice's house is in THAT direction!" she yelled again, trying to regain her poise.

"I know!" he smirked down at her, as he walked, leaving her speechless for a second. "We are going to my house. It's closer," he explained, shrugging.

Zhi's mouth opened in a perfect 'o' and he laughed again.

The rain had finally stopped.

"We're here," he pointed with his head, a minute later. "See? Way closer." Zhi looked up at the building. It wasn't tall, three floors tops. It was narrow, as most old houses in London are, and it was painted in a beautiful green. "How's your foot? Is it safe to put you down for a second to open the door?" he asked, pulling Zhi out of her thoughts. She slightly nodded and he carefully put her down. He kept his left arm around her, making sure she was secure, as he opened the door of the building.

In the meantime, Zhi was carefully trying some weight on her twisted ankle. The high heel shoe didn't help at all, but the huge pain she had felt at the beginning was almost gone. It was still sore, and she didn't think she could walk on her own, but she was almost positive that she would be able to in a couple of minutes.

"Come here," Adrien said, making a motion to lift her again.

"No!" she said, almost screeched. "I'm feeling better. I think I can walk."

Adrien lifted one eyebrow, suspiciously. "Want some help?"

Zhi nodded hesitantly. She placed her arm around Adrien's shoulders, getting some color on her cheeks, and he held her waist so that she could put some part of her weight on him.

They walked slowly through the corridor, leaving a trace of water behind. Looking at them right now, someone would wonder if they'd just come out of a pool. They stepped into the small elevator – Thank god there was one… Most old buildings in London are too narrow to have elevators. Zhi couldn't have climbed stairs with her foot sore like that! – they couldn't keep the weird crunch embrace because the elevator was too small, so they stood in front of each other, Adrien holding Zhi by her forearms and Zhi resting her hands on his arms. She didn't look up, feeling it would be worse. She had never felt more uncomfortable in her life. It was the longest elevator ride she ever made.

When the elevator finally stopped at Adrien's floor and they both sighed audibly, exchanging sheepish smiles afterwards, Adrien helped Zhi move to the front of his place and unlocked the door, assisting her inside.

"Sit here," Adrien said, pointing to the couch once the door was closed. "I'll be right back."

"What? No! I'll wet and stain your couch!" Zhi protested, starting to shiver when he let go of her. She had been so focused on his touch that she hadn't realized how cold she really felt.

"It's okay! I will clean it later! Let me just get you a towel!" He said as he took off his dripping tennis and socks and ran to what she figured was the bathroom.

He came back with a towel around him and another on his hands, finding Zhi in the same place he'd left her. "Are you deaf? Why are you still up? Your foot will get worse!" he groaned, placing the dry towel over her shoulders and trying to guide her to the couch.

She resisted, quivering hard. "No! I'm dripping wet, not to mention that I fell on a muddy puddle! I will ruin your couch!"

"You're freezing," Adrien noticed, looking at her with attention. Zhi Ruo nodded, pressing her hands against the towel and rubbing her arms. "Take off your shoes," he asked softly. She looked up at him with a questioning look, but, carefully and with his help, she did what he said, becoming slightly shorter without them. "Can you stand on your own?" he continued, concerned. "We need to get you in the bathtub. Your lips are turning blue."

Zhi knew that he was right when she didn't blush at the thought of Adrien taking her to his bathtub. She was freezing and needed to warm up, fast.

"I think I can stand on the bathtub alone," she answered, her voice very quiet.

He simply nodded and helped her reach the bathroom. "I will get some clothes from Lucie and leave them here for you to put them on, okay?" he replied, helping her sit in the closed seat of the toilet and turning on the bathroom heater.

"I'll be okay"– she smiled sincerely– "don't worry." Adrien nodded. "Where can I put this?" she added, showing him her purse.

He picked it up from her hands. "I will put it near the couch, outside."

"Okay," she agreed, smiling.

Adrien gave her a soft smile and moved out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Zhi sighed as she took off the rain hat from her head and the raincoat she borrowed from the shooting production. Once she got rid of them, she placed the towel over her shoulders trying to warm up a bit before taking the rest of her clothes off. That was when she felt the scratches on her elbow. She had totally forgotten about those with the pain on her foot. She studied them, and then the coat that she'd put on the floor. The pavement had torn the fabric where her elbow had been. That explained why her wound was so filled with mud. She breathed out, and carefully got up and called Adrien.

...

He came running, wearing a robe. "Are you okay?" he asked without a breath, searching for any signs that she wasn't hurt.

"Yes." He let out a small sigh of relief and placed Lucie's clothes on the empty part of the sink counter. "I just need a first aid kit if you have one, to use it after the shower. I need to clean this wound," she explained, showing him her elbow covered in dirt. Her towel fell off her shoulders and in an instinctive attempt of catching it, Zhi lost balance and fell over. She was lucky to fall in Adrien's direction; he managed to catch her.

They were gasping slightly when she noticed her hands were touching his chest warm skin. Zhi felt her face burn and suddenly she wasn't as cold as before. He must have thought the same, because his face became red too. She took her hands off of him so brutally that he almost lost her to the floor yet again.

"Ouch," she cried softly, feeling her ankle giving in.

"Careful, Zhi!" he asked, gripping his hands over her forearms like he'd done before, his embarrassment replaced with worry. He couldn't help but look down at her and his face became even redder than before. Her white shirt was dripping wet, and he could see EVERYTHING. "Oh my god," he said shutting his eyes close, but that image was engraved on his mind forever now. Somewhere inside, he was frustrated and mad that he didn't mind that at all.

Zhi let out a giggle and he peeked with one eye, focusing on her face, and not her lilac underwear.

"I don't think this is going to work," she said, still giggling.

Adrien smiled shyly. "What isn't?"

"Me taking a bath on my own," she said, simply. Then her eyes widened and her face became very red. "I'm- I-I'm sorry, that- that came out so VERY wrong!" It was his turn to let out a chuckle seeing how abashed she was. "I meant, maybe... I can take a shower with clothes on? And you stay near me, so that if I lose balance I don't' hit my head and die on your bathtub?" she explained quickly, looking at him expecting him to say no.

He breathed in and out, considering what she was asking him to do. Then, he nodded. It was okay… She was dressed. There wasn't going to be any less proper activities…

She nodded too and he helped her into the bathtub, with her clothes on. When she turned on the hot water, she let out a little moan, finally feeling warm and relaxed.

He forced himself not to engrave that sound on his head too, and not to look at her white t-shirt, or her naked legs, while the hot water ran through her body and clothes.

Wait…

"Is that a pink skirt?" He asked dumbfounded.

Zhi looked at him, trying to frown, but miserably failing due to the water threatening to enter her eyes, "NO!" she said in a slightly mad but comical way. "It's salmon!"

Adrien laughed at her. Now that she'd pointed it out, he could see it was salmon. But the skirt had been muddy, and now that it wasn't – almost wasn't – anymore, it had looked like pink wet fabric.

"It's salmon, Adrien!" she repeated with a warning voice, only making him laugh harder. "It's not the same!"

He knew it wasn't the SAME! He was a fashion designer! But only for the sake of mocking her a little longer, he answered "Uh-Uh," and kept laughing at her face.

"Adrien!" she whined, frustrated. Pink was still a difficult subject for her, apparently. He thought as he amusedly revisited his wicked plan of making Ladybug's suit pink. "Please stop! I love this skirt…"

Adrien did as she asked, but he couldn't help keeping a mocking grin on his lips. "Okay, okay! I've stopped!" he said lifting his hands with his palms up facing her.

She let out a little "humph" as she closed the water and Adrien had to resort to all of his years as an actor not to burst into laughter again.

He helped her out of the tub and he sat her on her used towel that he'd given her a few minutes earlier and gave her a new one. "I'm going to leave now so you can change, okay?" Zhi nodded. "Call me when you're done so I can help you sit in the living room."

"Will do," she smiled thankfully and Adrien left the bathroom.

Once they were alone, they both sighed. That had been intense.

Zhi took off her clothes and dressed the new ones: a pair of black leggings and a light green t-shirt. She needed to ask Adrien for a sweater or a cardigan, but first she needed to attend her elbow wound. It looked worse than she thought. Her ankle wasn't hurting as bad as before, but the other wounds were itching a bit. In the end, Adrien never got to tell her where his first aid kit's was.

"Adrien?" she called. "I'm decent now. You can come in."

Adrien entered the bathroom again, with a sheepish smile.

"Can you give me your first aid kit?" Zhi asked again.

"Oh! Yes, of course!" he answered a little astounded. He opened a drawer and took the first aid kit out. "Come," he asked, offering Zhi his arm to hold. She took it and got up.

The bath had made wonders for her; she could walk almost without feeling pain. Adrien took her to the living room's couch and helped her sit. He sat beside her and started to open the first aid kit.

"Let me see it," Adrien said gently, while he searched for the right medicine to use on her wound.

"What? Why?" Zhi asked, in frightened shock.

"Didn't you want to take care of that wound?" he asked confused, looking at her.

"Yes... but you don't have to do it! I can do it myself!"

"I know you can, but I want to help," he simply said, like there was nothing else to talk about. "Now, let me see," he repeated. Zhi obliged, bewildered, and let him hold her arm to see her elbow. He looked dry, but his hands were cold as ice, giving her skin goose bumps around the place where he was touching her.

"Hum. This looks nasty," he said after a moment, looking at her elbow. "I'm sorry I pushed you," he looked her in the eye to show her he really meant it and then…

It hit her… He was feeling guilty for knocking her over and making her twist her ankle. That was why he was being so sweet and taking care of her.

"This is going to hurt a bit, Zhi," he warned calmly, yanking her off her bitter thoughts. She just wished she had battery on her Catphone so that she could talk to Chat. He would know what to say to make her feel better.

Adrien treated her elbow carefully and then her left hand palm. When he finished, he 'kissed it better' and said "all done," hitting her with a beautiful smile that made the monster in her stomach move.

"Thank you," Zhi answered softly, not daring to breathe.

"Now I'm going to take a shower myself, because I'm freezing!" he laughed, getting out of the couch.

"Sure" Zhi answered, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry for bothering you. You should have taken the shower first, not me."

"Oh! Rubbish. You were literally turning blue. I can handle the cold way better than you, Zhi! Have you forgotten?" he reminded her, still laughing. They had spent some great moments back in the day. He was obviously referring to when they had shot in plain winter, when Paris was full of snow. "Need anything else before I go?"

Zhi was still taken aback by the old memories they shared, but he didn't seem to notice. She cleared her throat and said: "Actually, you don't have a phone charger, do you?"

"Yes, I do. What port does your phone have?" He asked, walking to the door near the bathroom.

"No idea," Zhi laughed. "One is new, and the other is old… I would like to charge them if you have a charger for both."

Adrien came back with a small box filled with phone chargers and a plug extension. He plugged the extension and placed it near Zhi Ruo so she could reach it without moving out of the couch and gave her the little box. "Help yourself," he said with a smirk.

She carefully searched for the chargers she needed and put both phones to charge as soon as Adrien left to go to the bathroom.

Zhi sighed, feeling absolutely exhausted. Today had been… crazy.

First, she turned on her normal phone. Even though she felt guilty, Chat could wait a few more minutes. Alice must have been freaking out.

Indeed, Zhi was right. Alice had called several times after the call disconnected and had sent several text messages.

Worried that Alice might call the police next, Zhi called her best friend, who answered straight away.

"ZHI!?" she asked, with a slight panic in her voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay," Zhi answered. "My phone died when I was talking with you. Only now I found a charger. Sorry," she explained, hoping it would calm her friend.

"Oh. What a relief…" Alice sighed, making Zhi chuckle.

"Al, shouldn't you be on your date?" Zhi question her, worried by the lack of background noise.

"Ah, yes…" she said shyly. "Well, I took your advice, actually. The restaurants were too crowded so we decided to order pizza and eat at my place."

"Oh…"

Before Zhi could say more, Alice rambled. "And before you joke around, I'm here with Simon and Lucie!"

Zhi felt her enthusiasm waver a little, but it was better than no date at all…

"That's funny!" replied Zhi, giggling. "I'm here with Adrien." There was a moment of silence that made Zhi wonder if the call had disconnected again. "Al?"

"Sorry!" she quickly replied, sounding far away, as if she put the phone on speaker. "I- How-? You're here with Adrien? Where's 'here'?"

"I'm at his place, with a twisted ankle and a scratched arm. It's actually a long story. I will tell you later," Zhi said, smiling at Alice's disbelief.

"Okaaaaaay," Alice answered awkwardly.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your dinner, Al. Just go back. We can talk tomorrow. I'm okay," she reassured her, misinterpreting Alice's weird answers.

"No, it's-it's fine. So… Ah…" Alice started. "Have you heard from your friend again?"

Zhi sighed. "Not yet, no. But it's my fault, my Catphone is also dead, so I couldn't say anything to him. I'm charging it now. That reminds me that I promised him I'd talk to him tonight, so I got to go. "

"Wait," Alice asked with slight confusion on her voice, "You're charging your Catphone at Adrien's house?"

"Yes, I'm charging my phone here-"

"Has he seen it?" Alice abruptly asked.

"Ahm~ No. He's in the shower now," Zhi answered frowning slightly.

"Oh…"

"Al, you're acting very weird," Zhi said with an amused grin. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" Alice quickly said. "Ahm! The pizza guy is here! Got to go! Bye!" and she ended the call.

Zhi looked at the phone in her hand surprised. Alice had sounded really weird on the phone. After a minute Zhi shrugged. She could ask her all about it tomorrow.

Zhi turned on her Catphone and saw Chat's answer:

[18h40 Today]

Chat_Noir999: Bug, I know you might mean it right now… But I don't want you to make promises if there's even a remote chance of them being empty.

She could understand his wary answer… She had left for too long, but she really did mean it. Zhi knew it wouldn't be easy, and that she still had to figure out a way of taking Chat's hatred for Zhi Ruo Léi out of the picture, the same way she had to deal with the undeniable tension that she and Adrien created when they were together in a room, but she meant it. She was never going to leave again, because… she really did care.

Way more than she was letting him know. There was no way to deny it anymore…

She, Zhi Ruo Léi, was in love with Chat_Noir999, whoever he was behind the mask.

AAAANDDDD They're talking again! Yay! In BOTH ways! New and old feelings are starting to unravel! MUAHAHAH!

Don't forget to review,

And let the fun begin!

AuriMoon*