"M'lady?" Ladybug turned in the sudden downpour, finding her partner looking miserable and sodden. "Is there a warm spot to dry off? I am a very wet cat." Ladybug giggled. "Love, you have an umbrella." Cat grinned. "Oh. Right." After Cat's umbrella had been opened, Ladybug ducked under it and slipped her arm through his. "Lucky for you I know a place. A wonderful place with sweet sugary treats that would make the grumpiest person smile." "The bakery?" Ladybug nodded.
The couple had been out admiring the fall leaves, but the weather had had a mind of its own this week for it could be blue skies and sunny in the morning, to rainy and stormy in the afternoon. Ladybug was glad to see the light of bakery, its warm buttery light spilling out into the gloom. "Ah, home sweet home," Cat grinned. "Its right up to the tub for you, Kitty. Whew, you do smell like wet cat."
"Would you rather I smell like Adrien, the fragrance?" Cat teased, for the partners knew who they were under the mask. "I could smell radiant," Cat skipped out into the rain, and twirled in a puddle. "Carefree. Dreamy," Now he wasn't just sodden he was sopping wet. "Adrien, the fragrance." "Stop, stop, you'll give me a bellyache," Ladybug gasped, clutching her stomach with laughter. "Speaking of bellies," Cat splashed his way back under the umbrella. "Will you give mine a rub once I'm out of the tub?" Ladybug laughed, now her own hair was dripping. "Thanks to your antics, I'm going to have a shower too!"
It was hard to walk through her parents bakery and not admire all the cakes and cookies, but Cat and Ladybug made it upstairs quickly. While Cat played around in the tub, Ladybug showered and dressed quickly, she clattered down to the kitchen to have a snack.
She was making mugs of hot cocoa when her mother came in. "Got caught out in the rain I see?" Mama Cheng smiled at her daughter's still damp hair. "That, and you know how Cat loves to play in the puddles!"
"Don't worry, I have something that will warm you up for supper. Autumn squash soup and buttered rolls!" "Yum, is it dinner time yet?" Cat asked, licking his lips on the stairs. "Not yet, but here's some hot cocoa."
After a belly rub, Ladybug and Cat snuggled in a warm blanket, listening to the sound of the rain. At times, talking wasn't needing, and this was one of them.
Soon, the warm smells of soup and fresh bread meandered its way upstairs. At dinner that night, Ladybug couldn't be happy.
The soup hit the spot just right, perfect on a rainy day. Soup was a simple dish, but it was the pleasant conversations, the laughs, that made it a simple pleasure. Papa had brought up some pumpkin cookies for dessert, which were devoured faster then Cat can say, "Boo!"
What a perfect way to end the rainy day in Paris, with a hot bowl of soup.