The next morning, Adrien lingered under the hot water of the shower for a long time. He half-closed his eyes until all he could see was a blur of mist past his eyelashes, and he breathed in. He focused inwards; all he saw was chaos. Still, he felt compelled to dive in.

He had never been one to know his own emotions, Adrien was well aware. Often, people around him would notice his moods and feelings when he would not; he always seemed to be the last to understand himself - as if he could not see his own feelings until he collided with them. Now he found himself in the wake of an impact that had shaken him to his foundation - and he realized that it had been anything but sudden. He knew it hadn't been the crack by the door - perhaps on that night something had been ignited, but this feeling had been there long before; it had been there in plain sight - unseen to himself, but now so obvious. His days with Val were painted with the color of bliss and euphoria; the sound of his words shone in his mind, and the sight of his smiling eyes lifted his spirit. He had been wishing for this time at his side to last forever; and never before had he stopped to understand this longing - but now he could not deny what this was anymore.

He breathed out. In the course of the last half-year, Val had become an important part of his life - he had become a close friend, and he knew that Val would have said the same about him; he cherished the bond they shared, and wished for it to stay strong and become stronger. He thought he wanted nothing more - but past his eyelids there was the image of a hand being held, and he realized that this, too, was a wish. And Val would have told him not to fear his heart; but what would he have said if he could have seen the image printed within him?