Adrien watched as the girl walked into the distance, her midnight pigtails bobbing with each step. He was entranced in her spell, she had been so calm and intelligent when they had gotten trapped, immediately knowing how to escape. Perhaps it was just because she was the first girl he'd met in months, but he knew he had to see her again. It frustrated him she hadn't told him her name, but he recognized it was unnecessary. Names didn't carry as much weight anymore, you could be anyone you wished to be. So Adrien became the outgoing black cat who told puns. Glancing at the sky himself, he realized it was becoming rather late and Nino would worry about him.

Surveying the area, he quickly located a safe route to make his way back to their camp. He jogged as he went, the darkening air sending a bolt of nervousness through him. But in his head, he kept thinking of her. He pictured her deep blue eyes hidden behind those red goggles alighted with wisdom and intelligence. He saw her soot covered face, her small pink lips pursed in thought. Adrien didn't know why these images flashed through his head, but he was drawn to her. This meeting had been fate, even though he had held a gun to her head. His chest felt light and there was a bounce in his step as he came upon their hidden base in the alleyway. He saw his best friend get up in panic as he heard Adrien's footsteps.

"Relax Nino it's only me." He said coming upon the small fire that was in front of their tent.

"Dude warn me earlier next time! You scared the shit outta me bro!" Nino said in his usual surfer twang. Adrien removed his goggles, leaving them around his neck as he sat down to warm his hands. He glanced at his best friend with his dirt-smudged glasses and brightly colored DJ outfit. And even in the apocalypse, Nino had a broken pair of orange headphones looped around his neck. His best friend sat down beside him, and then noticed the lack of loot on Adrien's person.

"Dude you didn't get anything?! We need more food and stuff you know that! What were you doing out there for so long?" Adrien sighed, feeling guilty that he hadn't been able to get anything. After pondering it for a moment, Adrine decided to tell his friend the truth. It wasn't good to lie to the person who saved your life on a regular basis.

"Okay, I can explain I swear. It's a long story though," He warne. Nino nodded for him to continue. "I was out looking for stuff when I came across this house. The front door was open so I thought it had already been raided but I heard a noise from the inside. I thought it was another corpse but something felt off so I silently snuck inside. That's when I saw this girl who was examining something in her hand. Even though I was behind her I could tell it was a bottle of painkillers." Nino's eyes expanded at that. "So obviously I wanted them. I looked around and saw she was alone, so I held a gun to her head and told her to put the pills down and turn around. She put the pills down but then she ducked and next thing I know I'm up against a wall and there's blade against my neck!"

"She robbed you?!"

"No, let me finish. So we're standing there and I'm not exactly in a good position. She told me to drop my gun, which I did, and she said she's taking my gun and the pills and leaving and not to follow her. I tried to lie and say I needed the pills more than her but she knew it was bullshit and called me out on it. Then she told me she was going to bend down to grab the gun and threatened to stab me in the groin if I moved at all, so obviously didn't move. While she did this I get a good look at her. Nino, I almost had a heart attack when I realized she was a kid like us. I asked her her age and she said she's sixteen! You know we haven't seen another teenager for months, and I was astonished to say the least. Then she asks how old I am and I tell her and she's surprised also and then we found out we both lived in Paris blah blah blah." He said to summarize their conversation.

"Then we both heard a groan coming from the front door and we both knew what that meant, and then we quickly realized there was a horde of them. Me and her looked back and forth, panicking and not knowing how to get out but then she pointed out a window and without thinking I gave her a boost through it. Then I realized how stupid that was and that she was probably going to leave me there as zombie food. The corpses got closer and I started smelling the rot on them and I thought all hope was lost. But then a hand came over and I grabbed it and this tiny girl managed to pull me up and through the window as well. How? I have no idea. Next thing I know we're both lying down and we catch our breath. Then we talked some more and she asked me about the cat ears after I said a cat pun."

"You did not say a cat pun after almost dying man." He asked incredulously.

"Oh yes I did. And then I asked her why she was dressed like a ladybug because she was wearing a red coat with black polka dots on it and she had similar reasoning to mine. Finally she talks about needing to leave because her friend will miss her but suddenly like I really didn't want her to go. So I ask her name and if we can meet and scavenge together again because scavenging alone is dangerous and she agreed! But she didn't tell me her actual name, she said to call her Ladybug so I told her to call me Chat Noir. So yeah that's why I didn't get anything while scavenging." He finished. Nino stared at him for a moment, blinking slowly.

"You're telling me… you didn't get food because you ran into a girl?! Oh my god Agreste!" He sighed and facepalmed himself.

"I meant to but… she just had this aura about her Nino, it was hypnotizing." Adrien said dreamily.

"Well at least tell me what she looked like so I know she's a real person and not some imaginary hallucination your desperate brain made up." Adrien thought about it, realizing that would be a plausible explanation for why she was so dream-like. But then she wouldn't have helped him through that window if she wasn't real.

"I couldn't see her face that well because she had on red goggles like my black ones but… she had these big bluebell eyes and hair so black it was almost blue in these little pigtails…" He trailed off, staring vacantly into space imagining her again. Nino waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hello? Earth to Adrien? Stop daydreaming about your girl dude we need to eat and get inside the tent." Adrien snapped back to awareness, his bubble of joy ruined.

"Sorry, I'll grab more food when I meet up with her again." He apologized, feeling guilty for shirking his responsibility.

"It's fine dude, you were lovestruck! And anyway we're going down to the river tomorrow to catch some fish before it freezes so we can stock up then." Adrien nodded and finished eating his can of beans, his thoughts still of the magical girl. Suddenly tired, they climbed into the tent and zipped it shut after putting the fire out, lest the light draw the attention of the corpses. Adrien closed his eyes, letting his body relax as the mood in the air turned tranquil, and he quickly fell asleep in a sea of blue.