Adrien sighs upon seeing the rain pouring down when he steps out of the school. Of course this happens on the day he forgets his umbrella because he rushed out of the house that morning, and of course their driver is late. It's the curse of the universe being so vindictive and against him for being a spiteful son toward his father. A part of him wishes his mother was still around because she'd definitely be there to take him out for ice cream or a movie on a dreary day like this. But, alas, it's a fruitless dream that will never come true.

"Cat's aren't very fond of water, are they?" asks a familiar voice.

His heart stutters like a scratched CD before it calms down when he sees Marinette's soft face. She smiles at him and twirls the black umbrella she's holding, biting her bottom lip as she does so. Her cheeks flush a beautiful crimson that reminds him of Ladybug's suit. He notes the way her blue eyes sparkle even on a dull day like today, the way her shy smile causes his stomach to perform backflips, and the way her sudden appearance sets his heart to flutter.

What he can't ignore, though, is the hidden implication behind her words.

"What was that?" he asks to clarify he heard her correctly.

Marinette shrugs and stands up a little straighter. "Just stating a fact since, you know, they usually say it's raining cats and dogs when it's like this."

A shaky laugh escapes her when she finishes, and she falls back to the timid girl from before.

They stand there in silence, Marinette's gaze skittering toward the street while Adrien's remains on her for a second or two longer. Fat raindrops hit the cement in front of them, flowing down the steps, and fill the sidewalk below to create a river that leads to the gutters. Lightning illuminates the sky for a millisecond before the sound of thunder crashes over Paris. It's gray and gloomy around them, but inside, Adrien feels a gooey warmth flow over his body like chocolate in fresh baked cookies. He faintly wonders if it's because of Marinette.

"Where's your driver?" Marinette asks.

"He's out driving my dad to a business meeting. He'll be here in half an hour… Maybe," he tacks on.

"Oh. So you're stuck here for a while, huh?"

"Yeah," he breathes out. "But you're here, so it isn't so bad."

"I-I'm glad then," she stammers.

A moment passes between them before she speaks again.

"D-do you wanna walk with me to my family's bakery?"

Adrien turns to her and blinks. Marinette seems to cower behind the handle of her umbrella, the tint on her cheeks turning a brighter red than before. She drops her gaze away from him that only makes her more adorable than before.

"Sure," he smiles. "That sounds good."

"Really?" She perks from her position and her warm smile returns. "I think Papa might have some fresh macarons if you'd like to try one."

"I love your family's sweets."

"W-we can share my - actually it's yours - umbrella so you don't get soaked. I'd hate for you to get sick."

"It's mine?"

"Mhm. It's the one you let me borrow back when we first met."

His eyes lift to the umbrella, and sure enough, he sees the carefully stitched tag of his father's fashion line etched in the flaps of it.

"I see," he says.

She extends her arm so that he can stand beneath it. The canopy of it brushes against his hair, flatting it underneath its pressure, and he needs to bend his knees considering their height difference. Adrien doesn't comment on it, though, as Marinette steps down and he tries - poorly - to follow suit. They share an apologetic look before laughing at the situation.

"Maybe it'd be better if I held it?" he offers. "Since I'm taller."

Marinette nods and rejoins him on the top step, handing the umbrella over to him. The moment the tips of fingers brush against hers, lightning strikes in the distance and an electric shock prickles along his own skin that he jumps back slightly - completely surprised by the occurrence. He stares from the umbrella to her wide blue eyes and back to the umbrella. His heart stammers in his chest, and he tries to make sense of it but finds it difficult. A new feeling - or maybe it's a feeling that's always been there - stirs in his chest.

It takes him a minute to recompose himself before he takes the umbrella from her with a nervous laugh.

"Sorry about that," he quickly says. "Shall we get going?"

They walk down the steps and head in the direction of her family's bakery. He's fully aware of how close they are, their elbows bumping into each other and their legs rubbing against the other with every inch they take. His heart refuses to calm down no matter how much he begs and pleads for it to. It's a weird feeling, having a crush. That's what he determines it is because there's truthfully no other explanation for it.

A crush, he thinks to himself. A crush on a girl who happenes to be one of my best friends.

The thought brings a small smile to his face and comforting warmth in his heart.

Marinette knows she has the smallest of smiles on her face, but she can't help it because it happened again. Lightning struck when they touched. Again.

Lightning never strikes the same place twice, she thinks to herself.

She only wishes that Adrien felt it too, but she knows deep down he didn't.

A/N: This will be a multichapter fic, and I promise the next chapter will definitely be longer! Reviews are always welcomed ^-^ I hope y'all enjoy this