Dearest Miraculers,

Here I am, as promised, posting a new chapter. This was a really hard one to write, but at the same time one of the easiest, if that makes any sense. xD

There are new characters introduced here (AKA Eloise and Mattheo), and that is part of the reason that it is such a long chapter. I thought about cutting it in half, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, so Yay for you! Ahahah!

I'm not sure when I will be able to post a new chapter. Let's point to three weeks from now, although I might be able to post it in two weeks. My life is getting craaaAAAAAAAZYYYY! Ahahaha!

I'm really pleased with how this chapter turned out! Fluffiness and Drama, all included. Don't forget to comment your thoughts! Hope you like it! xoxo

I'm sorry

"Tell me again why did we have to dress up like this." Whined Zhi Ruo Lei, struggling to pick a long gown to wear to the dinner party marking the start of a new Miraculous movie, "They never asked us to wear ball gown attire before!"

"Is she always like this?" Murmured Lucie to Alice.

"No." Answered Alice truthfully, "Usually it's me that agonizes over what to wear. And in her defence, she did know what she wanted to wear. It was just... unfit."

Zhi's gowns covered the bed. Alice and Lucie had already decided on which gown to wear and had them on, but Zhi kept going back for the X brand gown, which Alice and Lucie kept insisting wasn't appropriate for the dinner party.

The girls were getting ready together at Zhi's place and, according to the clocks in her phones, they were going to be very late.

Alice was dressed in silver and dark blue. The corset had a sleeveless sweetheart neckline and it sparked with the silver beaded material, which kept going down the full length of the dress, loosening up a bit in the bottom part so that she could walk. But around the waistline, translucent dark blue fabric covered the silver, making a flowy skirt on top of the fitting silver one.

Lucie was wearing a fitted wine coloured dress with long sleeves. It didn't show much cleavage in the front, but the back was fully opened and the fabric so thin that Zhi could tell that Lucie was not wearing anything under that. It suited her like a glove, enhancing her petite figure. Lucie was wearing it to make a statement: "I'm a woman now, not a child". Zhi couldn't really blame her, Lucie had always been treated by most people as the baby in the cast. Also, she was doing it with style. Lucie looked like a dazzling superstar.

Zhi was still in her sweatpants, looking at the dresses on top of the bed and focusing not to take some hair off her head.

"Why don't you wear this one?" Asked Lucie for the millionth time.

"I told you... It's too puffy." Sighed Zhi and then added, "Plus, I don't want to go as Cinderella to this dinner party. It's not a mascarade."

Alice and Lucie crocked their heads to the same side in a comical way before agreeing with Zhi. That did look like something Cinderella would wear.

"Yep, I see it now." Said Alice, with a chuckle, "What's wrong with that one, again?" she pointed to a black dress.

"Too black."

"That one?"

"Too many ruffles."

Lucie hummed, amused.

"Plus," Added Zhi, "Have you touched that fabric? I would cook inside that dress in an evening like today's."

"How about one of mine?" Asked Alice, feeling defeated.

Zhi shook her head, "I've seen them all… I'm not feeling any of them."

"I have another gown downstairs… I hadn't decided which one I should wear, so I brought them both." Said Lucie suddenly, making a face that was between amusement and apologetic, making Zhi a tiny bit confused. Alice had opened the door to Lucie while Zhi was in the shower a few hours before, so Zhi hadn't realised Lucie had brought another dress.

"Okay," Zhi shrugged, "Let's see it."

Lucie went to pick it up and when she got back, she held a black dress-cover with both hands. It looked heavy. She took it off the cover and Zhi was unimpressed. She was looking at Lucie's hands full of fabric and without being able to understand the shape of the dress. The fabric was beautiful beyond compare, it was dusky blue or silver with lilac reflections, but the dress' silhouette...

"I decided not to wear it because it's really heavy and I got lost in it," Lucie explained, "Also, it takes me too long to take it off alone, but you have Alice here to help, so... You lose nothing by trying it on." finished Lucie, before Zhi could decline the dress.

Zhi looked at it, sure that she wasn't going to like it, but for some reason she found she couldn't say no to Lucie that was looking at her with a weird intensity on her eyes. So, Zhi started to strip her clothes and with the girls' help, she got inside the dress. When the last button was closed, both Alice and Lucie took a step to admire their work, and by the looks on their faces, it looked... good.

"Woow, Zhi." Alice breathed, agape.

"It suits you." Nodded Lucie, approvingly. "You are taller than me, so it doesn't look like it's wearing you."

Zhi walked to the front of the mirror and saw herself. She wasn't wearing makeup and her hair was still up in pigtails, but, from her chin down, her figure looked flawless.

The gown was fitted on top, with large crossed sleeves hugging her shoulders and from the waist down her legs were involved in dozens of metres of sparkly dust blue and lilac fabric that shifted colours when she moved. She found herself smiling at the dress. Simple, but stunning.

"And we have a winner!" Said Zhi, making Alice laugh.

"Not so fast." Said Lucie looking a bit apprehensive while grabbing her phone, "I need to make a quick phone call first." And she walked out of the room.

Zhi gave Alice an inquiring look, to which Alice answered with a shrug.

Lucie came back a few moments later and said, "All taken care of! That dress isn't mine…" She explained "It was borrowed. I had to ask my friend permission to lend it to you. But we're all good to go."

Zhi's eyes widened, "Are you sure it's okay? I can find another dress…"

"Are you kidding me, Zhi!? We've been through all of your dresses, and that one suspiciously looks like it was made for you." Retorted Lucie, flashing a meaningful glance at Alice, one that Zhi totally missed.

"It looks great, right?" Agreed Zhi. She hadn't felt this good in a dress since… Since the Chrysanthemum dress, the one she wanted to wear again tonight but wasn't 'proper', "If it really is okay for me to wear it, then I will. I promise I will be very careful with it."

"That's all I can ask." Smiled Lucie.

After that, they put on some makeup on, did each other's hair and soon, but still late, they were ready to leave Zhi's house.

"I'm glad traffic in Paris isn't as bad as traffic in London. Can you imagine having to walk to the hotel wearing such a big gown?" Laughed Zhi, before entering the car that Charlotte (her manager) had called for them.

"You are the only one with a princess ball gown." Pointed Alice, "Lucie and I could have walked there if it were close to your house."

Lucie followed Alice and Zhi to the back seat, giggling, "Yes, Zhi, for a person that didn't want to wear a Cinderella gown an hour ago… You could have fooled me."

"Oh shush!" Said Zhi smiling widely and smoothing her dress skirt with her hands, making the girls laugh.

The driver took them to the Hotel de Crillon, the hotel the cast was staying. Once they got there, they thanked the driver and entered the hotel.

Zhi had been in this hotel before, but it looked as beautiful as it did for the first time. The whole hotel had a neo-classic palace vibe to it. Lots of marble, lots of golds, and a pinch of romantic decor in some of the rooms.

The girls checked in with the fine-dressed bellhop and he guided them to the salon prepared for the dinner party.

"From this point on, the hotel is closed for the Miraculous event," he said calmly, trying to contain his excitement, while he guided them through a corridor that was partially made of windows with romantic golden ornaments, making the rooms visible, "Here's where you are going to have dinner," he pointed at the room they were passing by, where they could see a giant long table, already perfectly set for dinner, and kept walking, "This is the after-party room, the ballroom," he kept going and they followed, "Now you are up for some really delicious starters in the Jardin d'Hiver, the winter garden! Everyone is expecting you." He turned the corner and opened up the doors leading to the Winter Garden, "Enjoy your evening!"

It was a warm clear night, the moon was full, and the stars weren't visible from the garden, because of all the lights. The garden itself was outside but surrounded by the hotel's building. It had a statue of a naked woman in the centre of it and there were lounge-chairs and tables filled with food and surrounded by guests. Some sat, some were up, but they all looked like they were having fun. Before stepping into the garden, they could hear the soft and warm buzz of people talking and an occasional louder laugh here and there. There must have been easily a hundred guests.

They entered the garden and Alice murmured to Zhi and Lucie, "We must be really, really late if we got here later than Eloise." The girls giggled quietly. Eloise Bonnaire, the actress who played Alya, loved to be the last one to arrive, all her pores craved attention.

Once they were noticed, people started to come to greet them. Fellow coworkers: supervisors, cameramen, photographers, the director and writer, and the cast.

The first to come from the cast was surprisingly Eloise, followed by a tall, handsome man who was her plus-one. Well, not that surprising, the girl followed the spotlight and the spotlight was on them, so…

"Hello, my darlings!" She said sweetly with a gorgeous smile, that Zhi had learned was for the sake of apparency. It fooled many people. Eloise half-kissed, half-hugged each of them, "Oh, how I've missed you!" she sighed with her honey voice, coming back to lean on her date's arm. She looked beautiful, with a golden sparkly gown, so ornamented that looked like she was trying to match the ballroom's decoration.

"Hello, Eloise," Zhi replied, smiling politely. Alice and Lucie did the same.

The man next to her cleared his throat as a reminder that he hadn't been introduced.

"Oh, where are my manners? This is my boyfriend, Antoine." She squealed, having the decency to look embarrassed.

They greeted him as politely as they did Eloise, not sure whether to pity the man for being Eloise's boyfriend or to stay the hell away from him (for the same reason).

"I hope we aren't too late," Added Lucie with a wink at the girls.

"No! Not at all!" Eloise giggled warmly, "Though it is a shame that you missed the dance the waiters performed while putting the starters on the tables. It never stops surprising me how much thought everyone puts into making us feel welcome every time we start a new Miraculous movie! Don't you feel blessed!?" She sighed, throwing a simper at them.

"Holy." Responded Zhi, not really able to control herself. Alice and Lucie chuckled.

Thankfully, more cast members came to greet them, so Eloise and her boyfriend went away to glorify other people with their presence, leaving the three friends feeling much more comfortable without them there.

Soon, they found Simon and Adrien waving and motioning to come over. So they excused themselves and started to cross the garden in their direction.

On the way there, Zhi's dress got caught in something. She let out a little squeak and looked back, terrified that she had ruined the gown, but it was just Mattheo's hand pulling her skirt.

"Why, hello, there! Is this how you treat your friends, Mademoiselle?" he said pretending to be upset. He was sitting relaxed but elegantly in a chair with a gin on a hand and Zhi's dress' fabric on another.

Mattheo, the actor who played Nino Lahiffe, wasn't very popular amongst the rest of the cast. He used to be a bully and a puppet of Eloise's when they were younger. Zhi had reconnected with him a couple of years ago and they had become good friends. Besides her and Eloise, from the whole cast, he was the only one still living in France. Sometimes, when Zhi desperately needed social connection to people other than coworkers, he'd be there.

Zhi smiled as he got up and hugged him gently, "I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!"

He smirked, "Yeah, yeah, lies!" and she giggled, "And what we have here!?" He said noticing Alice and Lucie, that looked a bit uncomfortable with their familiarity towards each other.

"You know them, but let me introduce you and you can all have a fresh start!" Said Zhi, happily, "Alice Martin, Lucie Alard, this is the New Mattheo Leblanc!"

"Enchanté," he said, bowing to them, making Zhi chuckle in amusement. When neither of the girls said anything, he walked up to Alice and smoothly kissed her on both cheeks, "You look ravishing, my dear." he said in a low voice, that only the four of them heard.

Lucie let out an offended gasp and Zhi pulled him back from Alice, "Behave." She ordered, trying to look serious and failing miserably. Alice was a tomato.

Noticing that Alice was feeling uncomfortable, or simply because of Lucie's loud reaction to his scandalous flirting, he turned to Lucie with his best smoulder, "Lucie Alard! I can't believe this is you!" He said impressed, scanning Lucie's body in a way that would make anyone blush.

"Mattheo…" Warned Zhi, perceiving Alice and Lucie's discomfort.

"What, I'm serious, Ruo!" He looked at Zhi and said with his eyes widened, "I was going to complain about you being so late and for keeping me away from dinner for so long, but damn it was worth the wait." He turned to Lucie and his grin reached his eyes, like he was going to say something he knew he shouldn't but just couldn't help it, "Tell me, Lulu," his voice lowered when he used her childhood nickname, his eyes scanned her top to bottom again while he said, "How did you grow into… this?"

"Okay, let's go!" said Zhi, grabbing Mattheo's arm and dragging him far away from Alice and Lucie, who clearly looked like she was going to slap him at any moment. Zhi pushed him inside the hotel to the corridor they'd just came in through, away from everyone. "What the hell, Matt!"

He laughed light-heartedly, "What!? What did I do!?"

"Seriously?" She sighed frustrated.

Noticing she wasn't playing anymore, he groaned, "What do you want me to say? I got nervous! I'm bad at these things, Zhi!"

"Not an excuse for what just happened."

"I know. But they never liked me." He defended, looking anywhere but Zhi's eyes.

"And with good reason! You-"

"I know." He cut her off, looking dejected and vulnerable.

Zhi sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, it's not too late. I never liked you either," she smiled at him, "Until I did. Because you showed me that you aren't the same jerk you were back then!"

He squeezed her elbow and smiled back at her, this time a soft one, "Thank you."

"Let's go back?" She asked with a renewed energy.

He cleared his throat, "You should go without me. I think it's too soon for me to appear in front of Alice. She looked so red, I thought she was about to explode!" He smiled apologetically.

"Fine," Zhi rolled her eyes, but secretly agreed, "You have to apologize to them, though." She started walking to the garden's entrance, but turned to face him again when she realised his quiet reaction, "Seriously, Matt, later tonight, you have to apologize. I want to be able to include you on game nights and stuff like that."

He simply nodded. Then, his grin spread across his face and she knew he was back to the teasing Mattheo facade, "Oh, and by the way, you look divine. Like an angel!"

Zhi snorted, "Matt, does that really work? On anyone?"

He flashed her a cocky smile, "It does." Which made her laugh more.

Mattheo had grown into a beautiful man, with his golden dark skin, his dazzling smile and his witty comments, but with time she had learned that it was all a front. He mattered to her because he cared for her. And there was nothing romantic or sexy about it. He cared for her because for the longest of times he had been alone and she had given him the opportunity to be her friend. She could feel his fierce loyalty towards her, like he would never let her down if he could help it.

"See you in a bit?" She smiled, trying not to roll her eyes again.

"Sure thing!" He waved, sipping on his drink.

Zhi walked in the Winter Garden and soon she found her friends talking near the cheeseboard.

Adrien was the first to notice she was walking up to them, but the first one to say anything was Alice, "Zhi!" she practically ran to meet her when she saw her, "Are you okay?"

"What the hell was that!?" demanded Lucie, looking rather attacked.

"I'm so sorry girls." Zhi said regretfully, "He isn't normally like that. I think he is a bit tipsy and nervous... It's no excuse, but please don't be too harsh on him..."

Lucie was speechless with fury, but Alice, understanding what it was like to be so nervous that you're not even yourself, nodded, "I understand. Well, if he apologizes, I will forgive him."

Lucie scoffed and shook her head, stunned, "I didn't like him before, but now... I want to…" she seemed stuck with the word, so Adrien offered "... slap him?" Lucie winced, not convinced, so Alice suggested "... punch him right in the nose?" Lucie didn't seem pleased either, so Simon added "... snog him?"

"Simon!" They all replied half laughing half shocked, while Lucie simply grimace and yelled "EW"

"What?" Simon laughed and shrugged "I just said it because there's a thin barrier between Love and Loathing. And for Lucie, it didn't seem punishment enough to slap him or punch him… sooooooo-"

"Ew! EW!" Repeated Lucie, when she saw that no one was contesting Simon's reasons.

"I mean… He is good looking." Said Alice, deciding to play Simon's game.

Which made Zhi throw her head back and laugh, "Right?"

"And if Zhi is his friend, how bad can he be, really?" Added Alice, who was laughing so hard with Zhi that they were struggling to stay straight.

"Girls, seriously, not funny." Said Lucie clearly upset.

Zhi and Alice finally recomposed themselves and apologized to Lucie. Zhi noticed that Simon and Adrien looked like they were both trying to pretend to be amused, but something was bothering them. Maybe they had gone too far with the joke.

Lucie accepted their apologies when they agreed not to joke about it ever again. Soon they were called to the dining table and dinner was served. They all sat together and the meal went on with no bumps, until around the meat course, when a light tension arose between Mattheo and Adrien, who were sitting side by side with Simon next to Adrien and Eloise's boyfriend at Mattheo's side.

"Enjoying the view, Devereaux?" Mattheo asked playful but quietly, just for Adrien to hear.

Adrien's cheeks warmed up lightly. He had been having trouble focusing on anything other than Zhi tonight. It was the dress… It was his creation and he was just admiring his work, as a good narcissistic artist would. When Lucie had called him asking if she could lend the dress to Zhi, he'd been reticent. That dress hadn't been designed for her, but he knew that the fashion industry didn't work like that, so he had told Lucie yes with the condition that she didn't mention his name, because then what's the point of having an X named brand!?

Zhi was sitting across the table a few seats down from him, chatting happily with Alice and Lucie, and he… He had been staring at his creation again without meaning to, "What do you want?" He asked annoyed, "First you offend Lucie and Alice and now… now what's up with that comment?" he replied, careful to keep his voice low. There was no need to ruin the night for everyone.

"I didn't mean to offend anyone and I will apologize in due time, but 'that comment'? 'That comment' is me being concerned for my friend's well being." Mattheo's grin disappeared making Adrien realize how serious he was.

"Your friend" Scoffed Adrien, knowingly.

"Oh, are you jealous?" Asked Mattheo with fake pity in his face, only to be replaced by a frown, "You can think whatever you want. I don't care. But yes, she is my friend. And unlike you, I know the boundaries of friendship and romance." Mattheo spat those last words accusingly.

Adrien's hands curled into fists. Mattheo looked like he was implying that Adrien hadn't loved Zhi enough and mistaken love with friendship. Worse, he was implying that Adrien was jealous of Zhi right now. Which he definitely wasn't. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked defensively.

"It means exactly what you think it means. I'm her friend." Mattheo looked Adrien in the eyes and added with his voice turning deeper, "You will get one simple warning from me. Seriously, Devereaux, if for some crazy reason she looks at you again that way and you just give up and run on her the moment a little wave crashes on you two, like you did last time, I won't be responsible for my actions."

Adrien didn't know what to expect from the 'new' Mattheo but it certainly wasn't this. He felt a hint of respect towards the man that had antagonised him and his friends all his life. Mattheo truly cared for Zhi. That was nice to know.

He could have answered that he didn't know what he was talking about, or contest that it had been Zhi the one to break up with him and ruin everything, or that he didn't look at Zhi like that anymore, but he found himself thinking that it was unnecessary. Instead, Adrien simply nodded, "Deal." he said, and Mattheo smirked, looking to lighten up the mood, but Adrien stopped him, "Not so fast," he said, frowning, "It's my turn to warn you:" Adrien added, and since Mattheo simply raised his left brow and waited, he continued, "Lucie is off-limits. You leave her alone."

Mattheo looked amused as his smirk grew, "No problem."

After the meat course, came dessert, and soon people were starting to get up and walk to the ballroom, where somewhere in the middle of dinner a band had started to play soft music.

In a matter of minutes, there were very few people sitting in the dining room. Mattheo drew a deep breath before getting up and walking around the table in Zhi's direction and Adrien's stomach jumped at that. He couldn't help but stare, wishing that he had the guts to go ask her to dance first and at the same time feeling mad at himself for having those thoughts. He was meeting his Lady THAT week! In a few days! How come he had any desire to dance with Zhi?

Mattheo approached the ladies and surprisingly he asked Alice, not Zhi, to dance. Which she gracefully accepted, looking rather red, but pleased. And with that, the strangest thing happened: He felt Simon go stiff next to him at the same time that his own body relaxed.

"Simon," Called Adrien, trying to focus on anything other than himself and the thought that Zhi was still there without a dance partner, "You are glaring at them…"

Simon seemed to realise he was indeed staring at Alice and Mattheo who were now leaving the room. He looked at Adrien, feeling light-headed, and cleared his throat, "Ah- What were you saying?"

"Nothing, pal." Adrien laughed heartily, "I see the only single ladies in the room are Zhi and Lucie… You take Zhi and I take Lucie?"

"If you don't mind, I will take Lucie," Said Simon distractedly, "I need to talk to her about something." And without another word, he got up and asked Lucie to dance, leaving Zhi and Adrien alone, a few seats apart from each other and unsure of what to do.

The tension was deep and almost unbearable. Of course there were sounds and music surrounding the atmosphere, coming out of the other rooms, but the silence inside that one was sharp as a knife.

The thought of Zhi dancing with Mattheo had been unsettling, but the thought of himself dancing with Zhi was way too scary.

Zhi seemed to gather some courage, because she got up and walked up to him, making him feel dizzy for a moment. Had he told her how beautiful she looked tonight? No. Not she. The dress. That dress was beautiful and it suited her.

She stopped right in front of him, with a ginger smile, as if to ask if she could sit.

"Do-you-want-to-sit?" Adrien blurted out the words without meaning to.

She smiled and nodded, making a motion to sit. His heart was pounding so hard and he was suddenly feeling like he was about to suffocate, so he jumped up from his chair and said, "I'm sorry, I can't stay seated… I feel like I'm suffocating in this room, it's so hot! Isn't it hot?"

She giggled softly and nodded, "It is. So,... do you want to go to the ballroom, or… I don't know… to the garden?" She was feeling it too. The room looked way smaller with just the two of them there, so the garden would probably feel like that too…

"That's true, it is after all between walls…" He agreed, and she blushed when she realised that she'd just said that out loud. He didn't seem to notice her embarrassment, too worried about losing his mind, but not wanting to make her feel like he wanted to get as far away from her as possible, which was certainly true, but then again, it wasn't. "They have a rooftop in the hotel," he said suddenly.

"That sounds lovely," Zhi sighed, relieved.

"And I know a secret passage!" He added with his smile widening, motioning for her to follow and she did.

"You know a secret passage!?" repeated Zhi, excited, momentarily forgetting the awkwardness of being alone with Adrien.

"I do!" He laughed over his shoulder, "I've been in this hotel for a couple of days now! I like to explore!"

"I know you do!" She laughed, fondly, remembering the days when they explored places together.

He suddenly stopped in the middle of the hallway and Zhi almost bumped into him.

"I think it was here, somewhere…" He said, looking for something in the wall.

"A hidden door! Like in every good building with romantic architecture!" Zhi let out, understanding what he was looking for and looking for it too.

He paused a second, to look at her, amazed, and then his eyes shifted to her side, "There it is! We walked more than we needed!" He said going back a few steps, with Zhi following. He looked around to make sure they were alone and asked, "You ready?"

"Born ready!" She squealed, barely containing her excitement.

He laughed while he opened the door. It was dark in there, so he turned on the lantern on his phone, quickly checking for a LB text and finding none. He wasn't too surprised, she had plans that evening and so did he. Without another thought to it, he followed Zhi, who was already inside with her own lantern on.

He looked around and started realizing how silly it was to be so excited about the 'secret passage', "I know it's just a staff staircase-"

"It's wonderful, Adrien!" Zhi said, grinning at him, "I'm so happy you shared it with me!" She sighed and he knew she meant it. He managed to nod, and she continued, "Is this the way up to the roof?"

He cleared his throat and said, "Could be! Don't you want to go by elevator, though?"

"Why? Are you afraid of a little staircase?" She teased, looking up.

He followed her gaze, laughing. The 'little staircase' had at least ten floors up to the roof, "I was simply being a gentleman and asking because of your shoes and long dress, but if you're good.."

"I'm good!" She reaffirmed and, to show him she was, she started climbing up the stairs, "You coming?" He grinned and followed.

They kept sharing some witty comments and treating the stair climb like a race.

Her bravado lasted longer than he was expecting, but near the seventh floor, she said, "Damn these heels! I'm gonna have to take them off! They're killing me!" She pressed her hand against the wall and desperately tried to find an opening in her dress.

Adrien came to her rescue, "May I?"

"Oh-my-god-Yes-please" she breathed out.

He squatted at her side, carefully brought the dress up just enough so that he could find her feet and tried to help her take off her shoes,... that had a buckle around her ankle. He fought a little with the clasp, but he managed to free her in a matter of seconds. She sighed in relief, feeling the cold ground on her feet, "Thank you so much!" she said, receiving her shoes.

"No problem." He laughed, trying not to feel awkward about the familiarity of their actions, "Do you want to sit for a bit?" he asked, pointing to the stairs. He would have mocked her, but he knew that if he did, she would hold on to her pride and just pretend like her feet were fine, and he knew they weren't.

"Not really…" she sighed, clearly moving one foot at a time under the skirt, "When I take these kinds of shoes off, I need to walk a bit. Like to make my feet adapt to their free status! Plus, we are almost there!"

"Alright!" He said, wondering if he should offer her his help, but she beat him to it when she started to climb the stairs alone. And he followed, this time, quietly.

Once they got to the top, Zhi opened the door and found a corridor similar to the one downstairs, but with fewer ornaments.

"Uff! That was a great workout!" Zhi breathed out.

"Yes it was, enough for the whole week, I'd say!" He replied, also trying to catch his breath.

They both chuckled and, for a couple of seconds, they simply focused on breathing. Then, Adrien looked around thinking about the best way to get where they were going and quickly deciding to go left, with Zhi on his tail. They walked for a short period of time, until he finally opened up the door leading to the roof.

The rooftop had a bar and a pool, but everything was closed and deserted. It was very late at night.

From up there, they could see more stars and the moon looked like a beacon of light. They walked side by side — at a safe distance from each other — to the handrail and just stood there, quietly, enjoying the silence and the view of Paris at night. A slight breeze blew and they both sighed at the same time, causing a fit of giggles to each other.

Adrien sighed, taking in the view, "City of Lights… I never get tired of Paris…"

"I don't either," Zhi agreed, and then, with a spark of laughter in her voice, she added, "And I lived here all my life."

Adrien chuckled briefly, and they were back to silence. They stood like that for some time. Just enjoying the view and (secretly) each other's presence.

After a while, Adrien broke the silence, "How was it? Shooting your first drama?"

He wasn't just trying to fill the silence, she could tell he was waiting for her answer. So she didn't just reply 'great' like she would to other people, "It isn't over yet. I still have the next two weeks of shooting. But so far, it has been a very educational experience," she could feel his eyes on her, but she forced herself not to look at him, "Honestly, some bad things were happening in my life when I started shooting, I was in a very bad place recording the most depressing scenes… So, I feel kind of a fraud that it was so easy for me to look miserable… I feel like I didn't do my job. The person you'll see on the screen is heartbroken me, not my character." Zhi paused, unsure of why she was sharing her insecurities with him, when she hadn't shared them with anyone else, not even Alice. But she'd always been like that with him, her doubts, her fears, just came out more easily, they sounded less silly.

"Well, from my point of view, you are likely the best actress I've ever met," This came out a little bitter, but before she could duel on that, he added, "So I don't think you should feel like a fraud. As long as you are the only one that sees that who appears on the screen is Zhi Ruo the actress and not your character, I don't think you should worry." He paused, feeling like a fool for not being able to stop himself from trying to make her feel better. She simply shrugged, clearly not convinced. He sighed, "What did the director say?"

"He loved it."

"See?" He said smiling, "You are a great professional." Adrien studied her and felt like he hadn't helped her. At all. So he shook his head and just spoke his sorrows too, "I do understand what you feel, though…" It was her turn to study him, while he looked at the horizon lost in thoughts "I was in a dark place recently too, and the only thing I could bring myself to do was work. I worked harder and for longer spaces of time than I ever have in my life... It's like the sadness was giving me a boost… Or like working was some sort of refuge..." That dress you're wearing was a product of my dark days, he thought to himself, glancing at her briefly, "and now that I'm feeling better and my life is finally settling into place, my drive to do my job is leaving me… I feel mentally drained from all that time I spent working nonstop, and now…" He sighed looking worried and defeated, "What if I'm only good when I'm feeling miserable?"

Zhi nodded, completely understanding. She had that same question in her brain… She had never been cast to play in a drama, and she was very insecure about it. What if she was only able to act depressed when she felt depressed? This was something that was truly worrying her, because Miraculous had some very dark scenes where Ladybug/Marinette was truly dejected. If she started dating Chat for real, she knew she'd be over the moon with happiness… Would she be able to act sadness with as many layers as she did playing Where the Flowers Grow?

She felt like she should say something to help him feel better too, but she actually agreed with him. What if it all had gone brilliantly because of her deeply sad feelings? So she decided to stop talking about feeling like a fraud and slightly shift the course or the conversation. "What happened? Did you and your girlfriend fight?"

Adrien seemed surprised for a moment, but then he shrugged and answered, "Well, she is not my girlfriend, not yet.." Maybe that's why he didn't want me to see him and Hannah kissing… Zhi thought bitterly. It's not official yet. Adrien seemed lost in thought for a moment, and then he nodded, "But yes, I guess we had a fight. A big one. And… ah~ her absence was devastating."

Zhi gulped, feeling a tiny bit uncomfortable for the first time since the secret passage, "But everything is better now?" She forced herself to say.

He smiled softly, a smile she once thought he'd do thinking of her, "Yes. Everything will fall into place soon."

Zhi looked away before he could meet her gaze.

"How about you?" Adrien asked, not wanting to fall in a tense silence "Was it a case of a broken heart that pulled you down too?"

Zhi smiled sadly, "It was, but it was my fault." She looked like she was struggling with words, so he didn't press her harder. When he didn't think she would say anything else about it, she spoke "I felt like being in love with him wasn't enough. There were just so many obstacles for us to fight… I didn't think we could do it… So we went our separate ways. Truth is, I was a coward." Zhi could feel his eyes on her, but she forced herself not to look at him. "I was scared to death that I was going to get hurt, so... I ran." Her train of thought made her sad smile turn into a loving one, "Now, I know better."

"Are you back with him?" He asked, trying to ignore his revolving insides.

Zhi tilted her head and she looked hopeful, "I would like to think yes, but we haven't had the talk yet, so… I don't want to assume…"

Adrien simply nodded. And they went back to a comfortable silence, a lighter one. Talking to Zhi had always felt easier than talking to anyone else, and talking about his insecurities with her after such a long time of being apart, felt great. He felt lighter, like his doubts had become smaller somehow, now that he'd shared them with her.

"What happened to us?" He heard himself breath out. He knew what had happened, of course, and he hadn't meant to ask it aloud, but how can one be so close, have such a strong looking bond, that broke so easily? She had been at fault, but somehow, with her standing next to him like that, looking so vulnerable, he felt like what she'd done didn't really matter that much anymore.

"I don't know…" She whispered, with her throat tight. She did know that he cheated on her, but right now, she felt like there was no point in ruining the progress they'd made by throwing it in his face. They were putting it behind them.

"For what it's worth," He said, "I'm sorry." Because he was, he was sorry that he didn't connect with her sooner. And remembering Mattheo's accusations, he was sorry that he hadn't given her a chance to talk to him when she came to his house that fateful day.

Zhi looked at him, with tears in her eyes and simply nodded, unable to speak. But that was enough for him to know she was sorry too.