A car sped by, tearing through a puddle. Bridgette exclaimed, throwing up her hands as it drenched her from head to toe."Oh - that's perfect!" Bridgette wrung out her pigtails, sighing. "You could have easily avoided that puddle!" she called after the car.

The rain was picking up again. She plopped down on a bench, wiping the water out of her eyes. "Whatever," she mumbled. "I would have gotten soaked anyway." She had forgotten an umbrella.

"Bridgette?" someone said. The girl on the bench went absolutely still.

A tall blonde boy stood in front of her holding a red umbrella, frowning deeply.

"Félix?" Bridgette said, confusion clear on her face. "I thought you left."

Félix shifted from foot to foot, looking uncomfortable. "I came back, obviously." He hesitated. "Would you -" He held out the umbrella awkwardly.

Bridgette took it. "Thanks."

He sat stiffly on the bench, a few feet of space in between them. "It's...good to see you again."

"Why did you come back?" Bridgette asked.

Félix shook his head.

"I can read you, Félix."

"Then you know exactly why I came back, and I don't have to explain."

"I thought you liked someone else," Bridgette said. "Isn't that why you broke my heart last year? Isn't that why you left?"

"I…" he scowled. "It's complicated."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's fine." A few beats. "If you know why I came back, then -"

"I'm not letting you off the hook that easily." Bridgette grinned. "You have to tell me yourself."

He grimaced and shook his head. Bridgette laughed.

"You're really not willing to?"

Félix shook his head again, but this time with a touch of a smile.

"Fine. I'll make you tell me another way." She slid across the bench, closing the space between them, pulling his lips to hers.

"Cut. Good. That's a wrap for today."

The actors pulled away from each other. Adrien grabbed a dry towel and wrapped it around himself tightly, shivering. Unfortunately, their tight schedule had made it impossible to film the rain scene any other day. He had lost feeling in his toes half an hour ago.

His costar looked uncomfortable too. Did he dare -

"Cold, huh?" Adrien held out a second towel. "I think my hair might be turning into icicles." Why did he say that? He sounded so dumb. So whiny. He loved his job, no matter how many times his hair froze.

Marinette was ignoring him. She rummaged through her bag, muttering. "I thought I brought one."

"One what?"

She looked up, piercing him with her eyes. She must have decided it wasn't worth pretending to have not heard him. "An umbrella. It's going to rain for real, and I have to walk home." She swept back her wet bangs. "I can't take Bridgette's umbrella, props would be ticked off."

Adrien looked at her, puzzled. "You're already soaked."

"So?"

He didn't press it. Instead, he walked to the director's chair - Gabriel's chair. A plain black umbrella leaned against it. He picked it up, opening it just as the rain started to fall.

Marinette frowned. "I can't take that. It's Gabriel's."

Adrien shook his head. "He won't miss it, I promise."

Marinette still hesitated, though she shivered in the rain.

Adrien sighed. He'd had enough of this. "Okay, Marinette. What did I do?" Marinette looked at him in shock. He'd never spoken so urgently to her before. "I'll do everything I can to make it right, if you'll only tell me why you dislike me so much."

Marinette cocked an eyebrow. "You really have to ask? When we're standing here on your father's movie set?"

"Oh." Adrien sagged, his faint suspicion confirmed.

Rain pelted the umbrella he still held aloft. Pat pat pat pat pat pat -

"I had to work my butt off to get here, Adrien." She didn't sound irritated anymore. "We don't all have famous last names."

Adrien nodded. "I've seen how hard you work, Marinette."

Marinette was silent.

"The truth is that this is the first time I've let my dad get me a role since I was a kid. I don't take any part if I think it's only being offered because of my last name."

Marinette tilted her head. "Then why...why did you let your father get you this role?" she asked.

Crap. Would she be flattered to know, or annoyed? "I…" he took a deep breath. "I guess I just really wanted to work with you again. I have...a lot of respect for you."

Marinette was looking at him strangely - meeting his eyes out of character, a rare occurrence. She looked a little surprised. Adrien's heart raced.

She took the umbrella. Thunder boomed softly in the distance.

Adrien grinned, suddenly feeling lighter. "See you tomorrow!" he said as he left.

He thought he heard her stammer it back to him, but it must have been a trick of the wind. Marinette didn't stammer.

She had taken the umbrella. Their fingers had brushed.

Adrien whistled cheerfully the whole way to his apartment.

Notes:

This will be five chapters in all.

You can find me at peggiecarter on tumblr, if you want :)