"As long as you live under my roof, I will not allow it! That is final!" Gabriel Agreste shouts, standing suddenly from his desk.

Adrien's fists tighten, "Fine!" He screams back at his father, storming out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

He continues his anger fueled pace down into the foyer and out the front door.

A cold sheet of rain hits him as he steps outside, but it doesn't faze him. He shoves his hands in his pockets, keeping his head down, as he walks aimlessly onto the streets of Paris.

—

An hour later, Ladybug swings through the outer edge streets of Paris on the usual patrol. She pauses on a rooftop and wipes the rain from her face, opening her communicator with still no messages from Chat. She raises her eyebrows in slight worry, being that she's usually met up with Chat by now in the day, or at least gotten a message with an excuse.

She looks out over a rather gloomy Paris, squinting in the rain for any sign of him, coming up with nothing.

Ladybug lets out a short sigh and continues on her route; but it's not long before something, or someone, catches her eye.

She perches again on the edge of a roof and spies Adrien walking, hunched over, and soaked through.

Her heart jumps, but doesn't hesitate, swinging down onto the street in front of him. "Adrien Agreste?" She pretends to confirm his name.

He looks up from the ground and at the heroine. His eyes sullen, a stark contrast from his usual reaction to seeing Ladybug. "Yes?" He says in a hoarse voice, coughing to clear his throat.

"Are you alright? You shouldn't be out in this weather." She notes from puffiness around his eyes, knowing something's up.

Adrien shrugs, "I'm fine," he insists, forcing a smile on his face.

"Do you want me to take you home?" She asks.

He hesitates, tensing up slightly, "Uh, no, I'm fine here."

Ladybug shakes her head slightly, throwing her yo-yo into the air and producing an umbrella with lucky charm, big enough for the two of them. "Well you can't stay out in the rain," she says, moving beside him as they start walking together; the rap of the rain against the umbrella creating a thunderous chorus.

A genuine smile breaks across his face briefly, "Thanks. I'm...glad you're here. I didn't really want to be alone anymore." He reaches for the umbrella, offering to hold it instead.

"Do you want to talk about why you're out here?" She suggests, handing over the umbrella.

He leans the umbrella against his shoulder between them, "It's...it's the anniversary of the day my mom disappeared."

Ladybug is taken aback for a second, "I'm sorry."

"I usually spend this day in an even quieter than usual silence at home but," he pauses, shaking his head slightly, "I went into my dad's office to try and talk to him about this, about everything, but he accidentally implied that he knows something about my mom's disappearance." His voice breaks, "He tried to take it back, but I wouldn't let him, then he refused to say anything else on the matter..."

"So you left." Ladybug concludes.

He nods, returning his gaze to the ground. "He's hiding information about her, information he's had for years."

Ladybug presses her lips together, "You deserve to know. But maybe he's been keeping it from you because he believes you're not ready to hear it?" She suggests, offering a counterpoint to try to find a reason.

He realizes her tatic right away, but decides to go along with the dialogue. "That's not like him. If he's keeping a secret, it's always for selfish reasons. Just for a moment, he got sloppy, and let something slip out. He tried to deny his own words. I can't unhear what he said, no matter how hard he tries to convince me."

"What, what did he say?" She asks tentatively.

He closes his eyes for a moment, "I was just opening myself up to him, for once; and I said 'I wish I just knew what happened to her' and he replied 'When you're older', before he realized what he said."

Their feet splash through a puddle as they cross the street, Ladybug taking in Gabriel Agreste's words. Her arm briefly brushes his, a shiver runs up her spine from how cold he is. The early spring rain soaking him to the bone.

"Here," she leads him to a small gazebo on the edge of the park. They take shelter as a distant clap of thunder rolls across the city. "We should just take cover for a bit, I think" she closes the umbrella and leans it against the railing.

Adrien attempts to ring himself off, small puddles forming beneath them as they drip dry. A soft silence hangs between them as the rain falls around their enclosure.

Ladybugs earrings beep, breaking the silence, her hand flying up to her ear, "I have to go," she says reluctantly. She takes out her communicator "I'm ordering you a taxi. You can have it take you home, or wherever you think you need to go . Preferably out of the rain."

He smiles gratefully, "Thank you, Ladybug."

Her Miraculous beeps it's second warning. "No problem at all." She moves towards the steps that lead out of the gazebo and towards the street.

"Wait!" He calls out, reaching towards her.

She pauses and turns back, her heart rate increasing as she runs out of time.

"Stay, please?" Adrien inquires genuinely.

"I-I can't." She stammers, her eyes darting around them, checking for any onlookers.

"I know, but," he reaches for her hand and guides her behind him, so they're back to back, "I promise not to look. I just, I just want more time,"

Ladybug feels her face grow warm. She sighs, her hand gently squeezing his, "Me too," their backs barely touching each other.

Facing the street, Adrien glimpses a flash of pink light from the corner of his eye. He resists turning back, focusing on the warmth radiating off Ladybug's bare hand in his cold palm and fingers.

Marinette keeps her own eyes closed, unwilling to have to look Adrien in the eyes if he breaks his promise and turns around. She feels his secure grip tighten around her hand, she returns the gesture, also trying to memorize the feeling of holding Adrien Agreste's hand. Her eyes slowly open, facing the rear of the gazebo, watching the wall of rainfall around their small, dry, haven.

She jumps slightly at the sound of a car wheel squeaking to a stop on the street behind her.

"It's the taxi," he holds her hand firmly, "I should go."

Reluctantly, they both drop their hands. Mari holds it against her chest with her other hand, as if holding herself back.

"I promise I won't look back," Adrien assures her again, taking a step away from her towards the awaiting taxi. "Thank you for finding me."

Her mouth hangs open slightly, "Always" she replies sincerely.

Adrien pauses at this, slightly stunned by her vow. He internalizes the moment before jumping back into the rain and crossing to the waiting taxi.

Marinette stays frozen for a full minute after hearing the taxi drive away before finally turning around cautiously; both relieved and slightly saddened to see that he'd actually left.

Tikki pokes her head out of Marinette's purse, nibbling on a cookie that had been stored in there, "That was interesting," she intones.

She nods, "Yeah," she replies absentmindedly, still holding her hand to her chest.

The moment passes soon after, Marinette clearing her head, "We should get home, I don't think this rain is gonna let up. Spots on!"

She transforms and efficiently zips her way home with her yo-yo.

Ladybug touches down on the roof of her room, sliding through the hatch above her bed and transforms back on her bed.

She lays back, stretching her arms and legs out across the comforter, ready to settle in for the rest of her rainy Saturday.

Suddenly, she hears the doorbell ring downstairs.

She shoots up out of bed, remembering her parents were gone for the day for a catering event. She rushes down the stairs from her room, then down another flight to the ground floor. Quickly trying to catch her breath, she opens the door for a damp Adrien Agreste, his green eyes shining at the sight of her.

"Hey, Marinette, I'm sorry for just showing up like this," he relays, "I...I just needed to, get out of the rain for a bit."

Marinette snaps out of her self induced trance, "Of course, come in."

She leads him up to the main floor of the house, grabbing a bath towel from the closet and handing it to him. "Thanks," he replies as he pulls up a seat at her kitchen table.

"Do you want any coffee or tea, to warm you up?" She reaches for a cup in the cabinet, almost dropping it, but catches it before it hits the counter.

"You don't have to," he insists.

Mari puts the empty cup in front of him, "You're soaked, you need something to warm you up before you catch something." She counters, "So tea or coffee?"

Adrien smiles at her, appreciating the gesture, "Tea"

She slides a small box over to him as she starts the kettle. He opens it and selects a tea bag from the several varieties inside.

Marinette waits by the kettle across the kitchen from him, holding her arms across her chest. 'Why here?' she thinks to herself, 'Why did he come to me?'. She thinks through what he had told Ladybug, not wanting to give away that she knows more than she should. "Were you out for a walk when the rain started, or something?" she questions casually, not wanting to seemingly assume that something is wrong.

He keeps his hands folded in his lap, "I...just had to leave my house...suddenly." He looks out the window at the rain still pouring down, "I didn't really care about the rain. I had to...clear my head." He closes his eyes and takes a slow breath before reopening them.

"A-are you okay now?" She asks tentatively as the kettle starts to whistle.

After a moment, he nods, "I will be, I think"

Mari picks up the kettle with both hands on the handle, steadying herself to make sure her inherent clumsiness doesn't lead to pouring boiling water onto Adrien.

She crosses to him, gingerly pouring the steaming liquid into his cup. She quickly retreats once it's filled sufficiently. She sets the kettle down, her back slightly turned to him, "Do you wanna talk about it," she turns and leans against the counter, "or we could go play video games upstairs; up to you."

Adrien's hands wrap around the mug, taking in the radiating heat for a moment before adding his tea bag. He looks up and smiles gratefully, "I do think I owe you a rematch in Ultimate Mecha Strike 3,"

Mari nods, "You're right; come on" she encourages, leading him up to her room. As they both take a controller, the dark clouds over Paris seem to lighten up, just a bit.